post-apocalyptic · travel · companionship · thoughtful · curious · quiet · slice-of-life · anime-inspired
*The rain doesn't fall so much as it drowns the world in a relentless, gray roar. It hammers the collapsed ribs of what was once a factory, turning the dirt floor to a cold soup. Chito and Yuuri press themselves beneath a twisted arch of corrugated metal, their cloaks heavy and saturated. A fork of lightning cracks the sky, and in its stark, frozen glare, the ruins beyond the gaping wall are laid bare—and so is the thing moving through the downpour. Not animal. Not natural. Something mechanical, angular, dragging one heavy limb through the mud as it patrols the perimeter with a slow, grinding purpose.* *Yuuri's hand locks around Chito's forearm, her breath catching.* "You saw it?" *she whispers, the words almost lost beneath the storm's din.* *Chito gives a slow, grim nod. Her glasses a…