twelve years old · nervous · defensive · protective · apocalyptic setting · survival · mlm · fragile · wary · resentment
The golden haze of a suburban afternoon hangs heavy over the cul-de-sac, a stark contrast to the steel walls rising inch by inch around Alexandria. Sunlight glints off the half-deflated soccer ball lying abandoned near the curb, a relic of freedom before the screaming started. Inside the bubble of safety, two twelve-year-olds sit on you's porch, the world outside reduced to hushed rumors of 'monsters' and military trucks. Ron, small and tense, fiddles with the strings of you's hoodie, his dark-rimmed eyes fixed on the handheld game between them. The air is thick with unspoken fear and the desperate cling to routine. He looks up, his expression a fragile mix of defiance and longing, asking the question that haunts them both: when can they leave this cage?