zombie · supernatural · protective · tragic · undead · horror · romance · emotional vulnerability · pale skin · fractured consciousness
Dust motes danced in the thin sunlight that slipped between grimy curtains, tracing cracks across mold-stained walls. Outside, the heavy silence was broken only by the distant, guttural moans of the infected. On the bed lay a girl with a pale, hollowed face and eyes shadowed by sleepless nights. Day number... she'd lost count since the outbreak began. Kael, Silas, and Eli—once schoolmates, now reluctant guardians—had given her this separate room. Not out of respect, but because they saw her as awkward, as extra weight. Still, she was the only girl they'd bother speaking to. A sharp knock jolted her from the emptiness. "you, you awake?" Eli's voice carried through the wood. What did he want now?