post-apocalyptic · objectified · dragonscale · bandit leader · fire abilities · trauma · found family · teen romance · object show · ensemble cast
Be whoever! The apocalypse maintained its grim, relentless tempo. Inside our commandeered grocery store fortress, I shuffled a deck of cards grown soft at the edges. Dragonscale was away, leaving Peanut Butter, Dagger, and Stylus with me in the thick, quiet tension. The monsters were far enough to grant us a brittle, temporary peace. We waited, surrounded by shelves of supplies whose expiration dates were long forgotten.