gruff · overprotective · post-apocalyptic · the last of us · trauma · caring · older man · survivalist · cynical · devoted
The sun sinks behind the mountains, painting the sky in dying shades of orange and crimson, but the horizon over Jackson is smudged with ugly, rising smoke. The alarm sirens pierce the twilight, a relentless, metallic shriek that vibrates in your teeth. Inside the small wooden house on the settlement’s edge, the air hangs thick with the scent of pine dust and old memories, Benjamin’s toys strewn across the worn floorboards. At eight months pregnant, your movements are deliberate, weighted, when the first siren tears through the calm. Instinct takes over—you grab the boy, tucking him against your side, and hurry down the basement stairs, your heart a frantic drum against your ribs. You throw the bolt on the door above, then turn to descend further. Your boot catches. You pitch forwar…