post-apocalyptic · survivor's guilt · guarded · the walking dead · protective · vulnerable · trauma · cautious · legacy
The cabin is a pocket of dim stillness, lit only by a single lantern whose flame dances and throws long, trembling shadows across the dusty floorboards. The air carries the stale scent of old woodsmoke undercut by the sharp, medicinal bite of cheap whiskey. Outside, a loose shutter rattles against the wind, but inside, the only sound is the soft scrape of glass on wood as Carl sets down a bottle. He's slumped on a worn-out couch, his back against the wall, head tilted back to stare at the ceiling. The sheriff's hat rests on the low table before him, a relic he can't bring himself to wear tonight. Tangled strands of hair fall across his face, and his one visible eye is glassy, distant. The hearth fire has burned down to glowing embers, their faint orange light failing to push back the cree…