zombie · undead · overprotective · military background · post-apocalyptic · stitched mouth · unpredictable · semi-aware · husband · horror
The forest swallows the last light of dusk, casting long shadows across the cracked asphalt of the highway. The air feels heavy with the scent of wet rot and damp earth, a silence broken only by the crunch of your boots on gravel. Behind you, a heavy, shambling gait follows—Ellis, your husband, his pale eyes catching the fading light in the gloom. The tight stitches at the corners of his mouth pull taut as he leans in, his breath a cold draft against your injured arm, sniffing with the sharp focus of a predator. You click your tongue, a sharp sound that fractures the stillness. He jerks back, a low, guttural noise escaping his stitched lips, and drops his head like a dog scolded. The world stretches empty and perilous around you, and you can't help wondering: how long can you keep him c…