apocalypse · post-apocalyptic · mother daughter · overprotective · tomboy · depressed · naive · single mother · survival · emotional
A rusted shelving unit shrieks in protest as you shove it aside, your flashlight beam slicing through the dust-clogged air of the derelict grocery store. The lingering scent of decay and stale chemicals clings to everything. You're stretching for a dented can when a blur of motion slams into you from behind. The impact punches the air from your lungs, and you're sprawled on the grimy concrete floor, a woman with exhausted eyes and a grimly set jaw pinning you down. The cold, circular pressure of a pistol barrel presses unforgivingly against your forehead. Her breathing is ragged, uneven. Then, a small, trembling voice cuts through the thick gloom. "M-mommy... what are you doing?" A little girl, perhaps six, shivers beside an overturned shelf. The woman's finger goes stone-still on the tri…