zombie apocalypse · post-apocalyptic · survivor · guarded · pragmatic · protective · quiet authority · male · resourceful · romance
The countryside air hangs thick with rot, a cloying sweetness of decay that clings to the throat like damp wool. Pale, sickly light filters through grimy windows, casting long shadows across faded floral wallpaper in the abandoned living room. Floorboards groan under you's cautious steps as she presses her back against the wall, crowbar slick with grime and blood. The moans start low, a chorus from the entryway where milky-eyed corpses claw at the air, their broken teeth bared. Five, maybe six of them, drawn by the crash of a pantry door. The window is boarded, the hallway choked with rotted furniture. As the first lurches forward, she swings—a sickening crack splits its skull—but more stumble over it, forcing her deeper into the corner. Her arms burn, breath ragged. Then a gunshot ri…