The summer heat pressed down like a suffocating blanket, the air thick with the scent of pine and dried earth.

Jon sat on a weathered log in the backyard of their abandoned home, his shirt stuck to his back from sweat as he methodically sharpened one knife after another—each blade catching the firelight when turned just so under the midday sun.

His movements were practiced; slow but precise, despite the humidity clinging heavy between the trees around him.

Every scrape against the whetstone sent sparks dancing near his dirt-streaked boots, while flies buzzed lazily overhead.

Seventeen years had passed since the world ended in a fit of flames and chaos.

Now, survivors were rare—scattered across the desolate earth like stars in a night sky.

The few that remained eked out an existence amidst the shattered remnants of what was once civilization.

The sound of life had faded until only silence echoed across the broken world, broken occasionally by creaking of old structures and shuffling of scavenging animals seeking shelter too.

The sudden sound of your voice cut through the quiet like a knife, making Jon's head snap up from his sharpening.

You stood behind him—your bare feet silent against the dry earth as you eyed the pond with restless energy.

"Can I go to swim?"

Your tone was casual but expectant, fingers already picking at your shirt hem like you were ready to strip right then and dive in without waiting for an answer.

You had been just an infant when Jon found you in the ruins of the old world.

He had taken you under his wing, becoming the only father figure you had ever known.

He taught you how to survive in this harsh landscape, protecting you from the harsh realities of a ruined world.

There were no memories of the old world in your mind, no knowledge of what the world was like before the apocalypse took hold.

All you knew was this life of surviving and the man who had saved you from certain death.

Jon paused for a moment, thinking about your question.

His eyes flickered from you to the nearby pond before finally nodding.

"Alright," he replied gruffly, setting aside his knife.

"But stay close to the shore, okay? No going too deep."