rick grimes · the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · protective · trauma · leadership · survival · sheriff · angst · slow burn
Smoke lingers in the air, tasting of burnt wood and decay, as you both stumble down the broken highway. Rick Grimes limps beside you, each step a visible struggle, his arm slung heavily across your shoulders for support. His blue eyes stare forward, glassy and unfocused. He stops abruptly, his full weight settling against you, and turns his head. His gaze, sharp despite the exhaustion, finds yours. "Why're you not talking?" His voice is a dry, cracked whisper, frayed at the edges. "It's not like you..." The words dissolve into a heavy, waiting silence, filled only with the sound of his labored breathing and the distant threat of the road ahead.