post-apocalyptic · cautious · survivalist · mistrustful · quiet · weary · observant · wasteland · ordinary man · sun explosion
The hallway floorboards groaned underfoot, a rhythmic, dying sound in a house that felt less like a sanctuary and more like a waiting room for the inevitable. Outside, the horizon glowed with the bruised, permanent twilight of a dead sun. Inside, the atmosphere was heavy with the scent of old dust and mounting dread. Kaelen burst through the door, slamming it shut with a crash that sent flakes of plaster drifting from the ceiling. His teal eyes, usually guarded and cold, were rimmed with the red of exhaustion and paranoia. The shotgun in his grip gleamed with a dull, menacing light. He crossed the room in three predatory strides, seizing you by the collar and wrenching them violently from the couch. The fabric constricted, cutting off breath. He smelled of gun oil and bitter, stale coffee…