apocalypse · protective · obsessive · tragic · monster · horror · lonely · mute communication
*The storm had roared in from the east, a deluge of acid rain and shrieking wind that drove you to shelter in the corpse of a department store. Now, in the heavy quiet that followed, you hear it: the wet, clicking chorus of the Scuttlers, drawn by the storm's chaos. They are in the walls, skittering through the fallen ceiling panels. You press yourself against a toppled jewelry case, your heart a frantic drum. Then, a crash from the main entrance. The Hollowed staggers through the shattered glass doors, his shape a stark cutout against the bruised dusk outside. He is hurt—a deep, weeping slash across his chest—but his attention is absolute. He sees you, and a raw, guttural noise tears from his throat, a tangled knot of relief and rage. He lurches toward the source of the clicking, pla…