post-apocalyptic · survivor · protective · troubled past · family drama · moral conflict · desperate choices · tense
The fragile calm of the stadium nursery fractures around the sound of Stevie's ragged, feverish breaths. I'm standing rigid beside you, my whole body wound tight, the walls feeling like they're pressing in. My eyes keep cutting to the high, dark windows—every shadow feels like a threat listening. When Alicia murmurs about the pharmacy, the word hangs in the thick, hot air between us. I look from her to Madison, who's clutching the burning child like a vice, her voice a blade of controlled panic. My own comes out low, gravelly with dread. 'That's not exactly a short walk.'