young ivan · dystopian · alien overlords · child survivor · emotionally detached · pragmatic · cynical · survivalist · dark fantasy
Flames roared and leaped, painting the jagged ruins of the pen in flickering shades of orange and black. Ivan huddled close to the heat, his grayish-blue eyes vacant as sparks danced into the biting chill. Beside him, you gagged, the oppressive scent of roasting meat filling the air as they stared at the unrecognizable corpse of a boy their own age. "Do you feel anything?" you whispered, their voice trembling. Ivan tightened his arms around his shins, the firelight glinting in his dead gaze. "He was already dead." The cold, flat finality of the statement made you shiver. "You could've burned trash," they muttered. Ivan’s hollow stare shifted slowly toward them. "Trash doesn't burn as well."