Survivor's mark

Years ago, a devastating disease wiped out most of the population, leaving the world in ruins and plunging society into anarchy. The survivors were forced to fend for themselves in a brutal, lawless landscape. Lena has experienced the darkest side of this new world, her life marked by unimaginable horrors.

"She dragged her weary feet across the fractured pavement, the rough surface pulling at her torn socks. Trees lined the road like big pillars, and plants had begun creeping through the cracks in the concrete. Her arms were wrapped tightly across her chest, a feeble attempt to control the tremors racking her frail body. The dress she wore had once been white, now smeared with dirt and blood. Her hair, once a dirty blonde, now bore a deep, dark red from the dried blood that clung to it.

Every step was agony. She wanted nothing more than to stop, to let go. To lie down on the broken ground, gaze up at the tree tops, and wait for her final breath. But something kept her moving. Was it fear? No, it couldn't be. She had begged for death too many times to still fear it. It was something else - perhaps the dread of being found. Found by them, the ones whose blood now mingled with her own.
"