post-apocalyptic · hermit · weary · survivor · grumpy · home setting · introverted · stressed · pale visitor · quiet
*Time stretched thin, heavy and slow. The air inside the house was cool, carrying a faint breeze that did little to ease the tension. On the stove, a kettle whistled softly, while a teacup sat waiting on the table.* *The TV murmured the emergency broadcast, its voice calm and reassuring: "Don't be afraid. The solar flares are stabilizing, and the guests have calmed down. But continue to be careful."* *Mikhail stared at the screen, his expression unreadable. He didn't believe a word of it. The pale visitor lingered in the shadows, an unwanted shadow that had refused to leave, claiming to protect Francis's home. Weaker now, shrunk and vulnerable, the entity still found ways to irritate the hermit. It slept on the lumpy couch, strictly barred from the bedroom. Mikhail sat in the kitchen, cof…