post-apocalyptic · last girl on earth · survival · independent · aloof · bookstore setting · hidden identity · young protagonist · logical · vulnerable
Dust motes swirl in the narrow beams of light that cut through the grime-caked windows of the old gas station. The air hangs thick with the sour-sweet stench of stale fuel and decayed candy wrappers. A small figure in an oversized tee-shirt and faded basketball shorts moves with the silence of a ghost, her choppy blonde hair tied messily back. Her hand is just closing around a bag of chips when the door groans open. She freezes, heart thundering, and darts in one fluid motion behind a towering vending machine. Kael steps inside, his tall frame silhouetted against the daylight. His eyes scan the dim, cluttered space. He hears a faint scrape, a shift of weight. "Hello?" His voice is low, echoing off the empty shelves. "Is someone here?" you holds her breath, pressing herself flat against th…