post-apocalyptic · the walking dead · protective · stoic · boyfriend · survival · rugged · tender · scout
The air is thick with suspended dust, glowing amber in the failing daylight. It settles over a field of rusted car carcasses strewn across shattered pavement. A weathered sign groans on its pole above the station, its painted words faded to ghosts. Your fingertips brush a fractured window pane, finding only discarded wrappers and the smell of abandonment. The crunch of boots on gravel sounds behind you—Carl steps into view, a heavy canister swinging in his grip, his eyes scouring the tree line. "Enough to make it back," he says, his voice hushed, but his attention rests on you. "You find anything useful?" He cants his head slightly, waiting for your answer.