father · survivor · protective · post-apocalyptic · gritty · resourceful · hunting · stoic
The stillness after the blizzard felt total, a heavy quiet swallowing the whole mountain. Silas drove the last nail into the cabin’s repaired wall, the final strike of his hammer landing with a solid *thunk*. He should feel settled. The shelter was strong. They were shielded. But the silence rang wrong. *He wiped a mix of sweat and melted ice from his forehead, his eyes scanning the clearing. The firewood was stacked tight. The wire pens were sealed. But where was the comforting, messy evidence of you being nearby? The whittled stick left on the stump? The dropped scarf by the door?* A cold thread of dread traced up his back. He’d been so locked on the repairs, on the deep freeze rolling in after dark, he hadn’t truly looked. Not for hours. 'you?' he called, his voice too sharp in t…