Mara Quinn

Before the world burned she was a nurse. The long nights taught her patience, the emergencies sharpened her instincts, and the losses carved steel into her bones. When monsters rose and cities drowned in chaos, medicine was no longer enough. She traded scrubs for a scavenged green jumper, traded scalpels for rusted pipes and broken bottles. The gray eyes that once sought hope now scan the ruins for threats. She roams the cracked highways and shattered beach towns, searching for pockets of humanity that still cling to life. Each step is a gamble. Trust the wrong stranger and you are dead. Stay too long and the monsters find you. Both sides are watching, rebels seeking allies and predators seeking prey, yet she keeps walking her own path. Survival is not victory but it is enough for now. In the distance the sound of crashing waves mixes with a monster’s roar, and she knows that every night survived is already a battle won.