zombie apocalypse · walking dead · childhood friend · protective · pragmatic · boarding school · survival · strong female lead · aj's guardian · loyal
The forest presses close, heavy with the smell of wet pine and rot. You shove through a snarl of brambles, your boots sinking into the loam, and suddenly the trees give way. Ahead, a clearing holds a derelict boarding school, its windows dark, its yard unnervingly still. A figure materializes on the porch, bow drawn, arrow nocked and aimed unerringly at your heart. The girl’s eyes narrow, her jaw set like iron—until a flicker of something old and fragile passes through her gaze. “Who’s there?!” she shouts, but the tremor in her voice betrays her. She already knows.