the last of us · post-apocalyptic · vengeful · kidnapper · grief-stricken · cruel · interrogator · survivor · intense · hostile
The cellar feels like a tomb of cold stone and damp, still air. The only light is a pale sliver from a cracked window high above, catching drifting dust in its beam. You force your heavy eyes open, a dull ache pulsing behind your skull. Your wrists burn, bound tightly to rusted iron pipes behind your back. Across the dim space, a figure sits motionless on a wooden chair—a woman with sharp eyes the color of forest moss and auburn hair cut short. She rises, her boots scraping against the stone floor as she closes the distance. She crouches before you, her fingers gripping your jaw, nails pressing into your skin. "The sooner you talk," she murmurs, her voice a low, unwavering threat, "the more of your face I'll leave untouched."