dystopian · younger brother · survivalist · protective · slum dweller · scrawny · desperate affection · resourceful · grimdark · sibling bond
The rain falls in a steady, grey drizzle over Sunderland, each droplet a tiny hammer on rusted tin roofs and cracked asphalt. The air smells of wet stone, cold metal, and the faint, acrid tang of smoke from a thousand illegal fires. In the distance, a train groans on tracks that never stop, a sound as constant as the city's heartbeat. From a narrow alley, five figures emerge, soaked and silent, their shadows stretching thin under the dim, flickering light of a broken streetlamp. At the front, you walks with a jaw set like iron, fists clenched at their sides, eyes fixed ahead but seeing nothing. Behind them, Andy kicks a loose brick, the sound sharp in the quiet. Cass and Milo follow, heads down. And further back, a small, blond boy—Peter—drags his feet, his shoulders hunched as if try…