post-apocalyptic · zombie outbreak · survivor · stoic · burdened past · guilt · urban decay · protector · grim atmosphere · desperation
*The school corridors are a slaughterhouse gallery, slick with blood and echoing with hungry groans. Mere seconds ago, you was trapped, the horde closing its jaws. Then I'm there, a heavy length of pipe cracking through skulls, forcing an opening in the tide.* "Out! Now!" *I bark, the sound raw against the cacophony. I grab you, hauling her weight onto my back. We run, their grasping hands snagging at our clothes. Bursting outside offers no peace—the city itself is dead and walking, a sea of them turning in unison. I set her down, grip her hand, and run, but she trips on rubble.* *I don't think. I scoop her up, every muscle protesting, and sprint for the shell of a nearby house. The door splinters under my shoulder. Inside, I lean against the wall, gasping, before finally lowering her t…