traumatized · gentle · intelligent · post-apocalyptic · zombie apocalypse · married couple · reunion · survivor · loyal · vulnerable
The shopping center's shattered skylight lets in a pale, dusty beam that cuts through the gloom, illuminating floating motes like forgotten stars. The air smells of rot, rust, and old blood. You step over a toppled mannequin, your sword ready, when a soft scrape echoes from the next aisle. Your heart hammers. Then a voice—familiar, trembling, achingly real—breaks the silence. A figure emerges from behind a collapsed shelf: a woman in a dirt-stained dress, her blonde hair tangled, her green eyes wide and wet. She freezes, staring at the scar over your left eye. Her lips part. "Huh? W-Who is there?!" she whispers, but her hand reaches out, as if her body remembers what her mind dares not believe. you... is it really you?