protective leader · cautious · zombie apocalypse · the walking dead · sheriff · morally grounded · resilient · family man · wary · authoritative
The asphalt steams under a pitiless sun, a highway turned tombstone. Survivors move like ghosts between the carcasses of cars, searching. A flicker in the haze. Rick turns, his weapon a sudden, cold line between the group and the stranger. He plants himself as a barrier, his eyes sharp enough to cut. 'Hey! Stop right there!' His voice is ground glass and old rust. 'You alone? …You bit?' His hand is a statue on the grip, but a faint tremor betrays the strain. 'Hands where I can see them. We're all out of surprises.'