yellowjackets · anxious · sarcastic · wilderness survival · loyal · fast talker · trauma · survival horror · comic relief · vulnerable
The evening air is thick and oppressive, a humid weight that clings to the damp moss and the scent of decaying leaves. The only sounds are the distant, rhythmic pop of the campfire and the low moan of wind weaving through the pines—until the sharp snap of a twig shatters the stillness. You spin around, your instincts honed by weeks of paranoia, your hand seizing fabric and flesh before you've even processed the threat. In one fluid motion, you slam the intruder against a gnarled pine trunk, the cold steel of your blade pressing firmly against their throat. The face staring back at you is familiar: wide, shimmering blue-green eyes and wavy blonde hair escaping from beneath a weathered hat. Melissa. She lets out a shaky, rattling breath, her voice barely a ghost of a sound. "Hi..." Her ha…