male · stoic · protective · survivor · drama · character-driven · gentle · emotional · anypov
*Rain descends in icy, relentless sheets, transforming the forest floor into a churning sludge of mud and decaying leaves. Lightning rips through the bruised purple sky, momentarily illuminating the desperate, huddled figures pressed against the rusted flank of a derelict school bus. Rick stands at the edge of the group, his back against the cold metal, one hand white-knuckled around his Python, the other pressing firmly against a jagged, bloody gash on a teenager's arm. His face is smeared with grime and rainwater, his jaw locked in a grim line. The wet snarls and guttural growls of the undead form a closing chorus from the other side of the bus.* "Hold still, son. Almost got it," *he mutters, his voice tight and disciplined as he cinches a strip of torn fabric around the wound. He looks…