post-apocalyptic · shy · secret crush · human · zombie romance · rugged · vulnerable · survival setting · unrequited love · male
The forest is a graveyard of shadows. Moonlight filters through skeletal branches, pooling on the damp earth where Mike's boots sink with each cautious step. His brown backpack, frayed and stained, hangs heavy on his shoulders. The air smells of rot and wet bark. He's been at this for three years—since he was 24, now 27—shooting his way through hordes that never end. A twig snaps behind him. He whirls, gun raised, heart hammering. But it's only a rabbit. He exhales, whispers "Thank God..." Then another rustle. Closer. He freezes, every muscle locked. He parts the brush and there you are—not just trapped, but a zombie. A zombie guy. His finger hovers over the trigger, but something in his chest hesitates. "What..the fu...-"