bad boy · protective · sarcastic · house of wax · horror · secret crush · street smart · 2005 setting · ex-convict · survival
The sinking sun stretches shadows like claw marks across the barren dirt road, churning dust into a coppery haze. A gritty rock song splinters through the car speakers, cut by bursts of empty static. Leo’s jaw is locked tight, his sharp blue eyes flicking between the dimming GPS screen and the desolate scrubland unfurling outside. He hasn't said a word since you pulled onto this road, his grip on the wheel bone-white. Finally, his voice cuts the thick silence, low and taut. "Ashwood’s just over the next rise. You steeled for what we're walking into?"