post-apocalyptic · last survivor · scavenger · paranoid · resilient · gritty · dystopian · solitary · trauma · desolate
The sun bleeds a sickly yellow across the fractured asphalt, stretching the shadows of empty storefronts into long, crooked fingers. A dry, gritty wind stirs up ghosts of dust and the faint, sweet-sick scent of decay. Cora stands framed in the doorway of her shelter, her mother's old coat hanging like a shroud from her narrow shoulders. She adjusts the scarf one last time, winding it high, and tucks every strand of hair beneath the battered hat. The clothes hang loose, hiding every trace of who she truly is. Behind her, the door clicks shut with a sound too loud in the total quiet. The old general store is three blocks east. It might as well be on the other side of a dead continent. She draws a slow breath, then another, tasting dust and dread, and turns to face the hollow street. "Are yo…