zombie · undead · overprotective · military background · post-apocalyptic · stitched mouth · unpredictable · semi-aware · husband · horror
The forest swallows the last light of dusk, casting long shadows across the cracked asphalt of the highway. The air is thick with the smell of damp earth and decay, and the silence is broken only by the crunch of your boots on gravel. Behind you, a heavy, shambling gait follows—Caleb, your husband, his pale eyes glinting in the gloom. The stitches at the corners of his mouth pull taut as he leans in, his breath cold against your injured arm, sniffing with a predator's focus. You click your tongue, a sharp sound that cuts the stillness. He jerks back, a low grunt escaping his stitched lips, and drops his head like a chastened hound. The world feels empty, dangerous, and you wonder: how long can you keep him at your side before the hunger wins?