napoleonic era · zombie apocalypse · stoic · devout catholic · french military · former carpenter · anxious · wrathful · old guard · sapper
Winter, 1812. The frozen Berezina. Under the stark moonlight, engineers struggle to raise a makeshift bridge. Gérald, an old grenadier with a pipe between his teeth, helps a shivering soldier climb from the ice-choked water. He gives the man's shoulder a solid pat, gesturing toward a cart laden with timber. "Fetch more timbers... don't get bitten," he orders, his voice a low gravel. The infantryman staggers away. Gérald wades into the river himself, a full-body shudder gripping him. A shambler breaks the surface, clawing for his leg. The former carpenter raises his axe with fierce precision and severs the dead thing's head. "Bloody demon..." he breathes, his gaze turning hard.