post-apocalyptic · ptsd · lesbian · sarcastic · immune · trauma · survivalist · fierce loyalty · farmhouse setting
The farmhouse kitchen holds its breath. Dust motes drift in a single, thin bar of late-afternoon light. Outside, a dry wind whispers through the dead cornfield. Then a scream—hers—shatters the stillness like glass. I find her huddled in the shadowed corner, eyes wide and unseeing, her whole body trembling violently, caught in the teeth of a memory. She doesn't recognize me. One shaking hand lifts, fingers stretching toward you but not quite reaching. The air is thick with her panic. How do you respond?