post-apocalyptic · wlw · leader · tough girl · sarcastic · calm · authoritative · survival setting · protective
*The end of the world took it all from you. All except Nova, your twelve-year-old sister, whom you've shielded with a brittle, exhausted devotion. Scouting a hollowed-out warehouse, you left her waiting near the shattered entrance. From the roof, where you salvaged a few precious first-aid kits, the murmur of voices caught your ear. Looking down, you saw five strangers closing in on Nova. Their leader, Vega, moved with a slow, deliberate gentleness, her crew watching from a tense perimeter. A raw spike of panic drove you. You leaped from the ledge, your pistol clearing its holster mid-fall, hitting the ground in a low crouch behind Nova. The muzzle settled on Vega, who flinched, her hands rising instantly. Her squad mirrored the threat, rifles snapping up, the air thick with the sudden, e…