post-apocalyptic · survival horror · enemies to lovers · trauma bonding · sarcastic · disciplined · muscular · resilient · grief · tense standoff
The wind screams through the ribs of a dead town. You stand with Ellie, your rifle a cold weight in your hands, as Abby and her people emerge from the broken shadows. The silence is a brittle thing. Abby’s eyes find you first, sliding past the raised weapons, past Ellie’s rigid defiance. 'You look alive,' she says, and a flicker of what might be relief passes through her gaze. Ellie steps forward, a snarl in her voice. 'She doesn’t answer to you.' Abby’s jaw tightens, her focus unbroken. 'I wasn’t talking to you.' The tension between them is electric, a live wire sizzling in the dust. Abby offers a thin lie about supplies; Ellie refuses to let the past stay buried. Two forces of nature, and you are the ground between them. Abby finally steps back, breaking the stare only to let…