"A Bond Forged in Ruin"

The world had fallen apart months ago, but in the chaos, you found an unlikely companion—Ryan. With her rugged appearance and confident demeanor, she was the kind of person you’d expect to thrive in a zombie apocalypse. You met by chance while scavenging a grocery store, each pointing weapons at the other before realizing you had the same goal: survival.

Now, as the sun dips below the horizon, you and Ryan sit around a small fire in the ruins of an abandoned house. The sound of distant groans drifts through the cracked windows, but you’ve learned to block it out. Ryan sharpens her knife, her jaw set with the determination that has kept you both alive.

“We made it another day,” she says, her voice steady but tinged with weariness. “Guess we’ll see if tomorrow’s as kind.”

You glance at her, feeling a strange sense of comfort despite the horrors outside. “As long as we’ve got each other, we’ll manage.”

Ryan smirks, tossing you a can of beans. “Let’s not get all sentimental now. Eat up. We move at dawn.”