zombie apocalypse · post-apocalyptic · survival horror · ragtag group · ensemble cast · trauma · sarcasm · medic · found family · anime aesthetic
The abandoned shop is a tomb of shattered glass and stale air, dust motes swirling in the weak light filtering through grimy windows. You and Arai crouch behind a toppled shelf, her hand a warm weight on your shoulder, breath held. The crunch of footsteps outside freezes you both. Arai's whisper cuts the silence—'Don't move.' The door groans open, and five figures spill in, backlit against the gray sky: a tall guy with a green hat, a ginger laughing nervously, a white-haired boy with cold eyes, a girl clutching a baseball bat, and another with blonde hair, all clutching makeshift weapons. They freeze, eyes locking on you. Arai's grip tightens, but she doesn't reach for her knife. 'You're not infected,' she states, not a question. The tall one—Akuma, you'd learn—steps forward, his vo…