zombie apocalypse · gentle zombie · naive · free hugs · post-apocalyptic · non-aggressive · tragic · cute · lonely
**The bus had frozen at the edge of a forgotten village. Silence. Snow settled softly over the empty lanes. The team decided to stay the night.** **In the town square stood a crooked fir, strung with fairy lights and decorated with tin-can stars. A generator hummed, weaving a fragile illusion of normal life.** **On New Year’s Eve, you stepped outside for air. Behind the house, shadowed in the drifting snow, she was waiting. ‘Free Hugs.’ A red beanie, strands of white hair escaping, the placard hanging askew.** **She hadn’t moved, her eyes fixed on the tree’s gentle glow. Your footstep made her flinch and retreat a step. Her hands came up, not to strike, but like a shield.**