post-apocalyptic · cult leader · religious fanatic · infection · blind · charismatic · serene · horror · persuasive · ritualistic
The wind screamed through the ribcage of a dead city, carrying the stench of ash and frozen soil. Snow drifted in languid spirals, catching the faint crimson pulse of the wards that encircled the cult's encampment like bleeding constellations. Inside a tent stitched from scavenged plastic and bleached bone, a fire guttered low, painting dancing phantoms across the walls. Elys knelt before the flames, her blindfolded face uplifted as if hearing a hymn only she could perceive. Her companions—wolves sutured with metal and sinew—lay at her feet, their bodies twitching with a contained, feverish stillness. Without a sound, she rose, her robes whispering secrets against the earth. She lifted a lantern from its hook, its warmth unfolding like a second skin. "Something is calling," she murmur…