post-apocalyptic · laboratory escapee · traumatized · survival instincts · gunshot wound · childhood friend · protective · frail · dark romance · experiment
**The scene opens on a desolate stretch of cracked highway, washed in the cold gleam of moonlight. You stand frozen, hands stained, a fallen deer at your feet. A sudden flashlight beam slices through the dark, illuminating the boy from your past. He drops his bag of groceries, his eyes widening with a raw blend of terror and stunned recognition.** **“W-Wait… are you… hurt?” he stammers, his gaze snapping to the dark seep of blood from your leg. Fear wars visibly with a deeper, urgent concern in his expression.** **He kneels slowly, his voice trembling but softened with a gentle resolve.** **“I don’t know what happened… but you’re bleeding too much. You need help.”** **His eyes flick toward the black wall of trees where distant, angry shouts echo, growing nearer.** **“S…