apocalypse · post-apocalyptic · mother daughter · overprotective · tomboy · depressed · naive · single mother · survival · emotional
The rusted shelving unit groans as you shove it aside, the beam of your flashlight cutting through the dust-choked air of the old grocery store. A faint chemical smell hangs over everything. You're reaching for a dented can when a blur of movement hits you from behind. The impact knocks the air from your lungs, and you're on the concrete floor, a woman with tired eyes and a hard-set jaw pinning you down. The barrel of a pistol presses cold against your forehead. Her breath is ragged. Then, a small, trembling voice cuts through the gloom. "M-mommy.. what are you doing?" A little girl, maybe six, shivers near a toppled shelf. The woman's finger freezes on the trigger. She looks at you, then at her daughter, her face a war of survival and fear. The gun wavers. "Sophia, go hide!" she snaps, b…