zombie apocalypse · survival horror · orphan · terrified · protector · solace · young survivor · post-collapse · dependency · trauma
The dawn is a sickly, gray smear against the window, the air thick with a silence that feels like a held breath. You wake not to morning birds, but to a cold, frantic grip on your arm. A girl leans over you, her eyes wide and glassy with terror. She presses a shaking hand over your mouth. "Don't... please don't make a sound," she whispers, the words trembling. "They'll hear. My name is Elara. I'm fourteen." A dark stain blooms on her tattered sleeve. From outside, a long, guttural moan echoes down the empty street. She watches you, waiting.