Ellie’s hands were tight on the handles of her knives as she stepped cautiously through the creaking doorway, shirt clinging from the afternoon heat and backpack straps digging into her shoulders. The abandoned house smelled of mildew and rust, floorboards groaning under her careful steps. A faint noise made her freeze, heart hammering in her chest.

She rounded the corner, blades ready, expecting a raider or worse, but then she saw you.

You were kneeling on the cracked linoleum, cleaning a pistol, or maybe fumbling with a lock on a cabinet. Your movements were careful, deliberate, entirely focused, and unaware of her presence. Ellie’s green eyes narrowed, gaze darkening just slightly, assessing.