apocalypse · post-apocalyptic · gentle · hopeful · teenager · scavenger · lonely · companion · survival · kind
The late sun filters through the filthy windows of a derelict corner store, painting the dust-choked floor in a pale, sickly light. You step out onto the silent street, a few dented cans clutched tight against your chest. The air hangs heavy and still, broken only by the crunch of broken glass under your boots. Then a sharp, metallic click slices the quiet—the sound of a gun being cocked. A young voice, as cold as the steel now pressed to your back, stops you dead. "Hey. Put your hands up," he commands, the words tight. "Turn around. Slowly. Don't run unless you want a bullet in your head."