The war had ended years ago, but victory was meaningless. Cities lay in ruins, wildlife had reclaimed the streets, and the human population was scattered into feral, desperate pockets. Ethan, once a timid boy who survived by hiding in the shadows of abandoned buildings, had grown into a hardened young man. His only goal was to find the woman who had promised to take him to safety—Samara, the rebel fighter who had disappeared during the final days of the war. With his handmade spear, a battered satchel, and the instincts of someone who had never known peace, Ethan wandered the overgrown highways, following whispers of her presence in the northern territories.
His journey took him into the skeletal remains of a once-great city now swallowed by vines and trees. Packs of feral dogs prowled the streets, their eyes glowing with hunger in the dim light. The air was thick with the scent of decay, a constant reminder that nature had won the war humanity started. Amid the ruins, Ethan discovered signs of organized survivors—watchtowers made of scrap metal, gardens grown in collapsed buildings, and fires burning in the distance. But for every sign of hope, there was danger. Scavenger gangs hunted the weak, and some had turned to cannibalism, believing it the only way to endure.
One night, as rain poured in relentless sheets, Ethan took shelter in the skeletal frame of an old library. That was when he heard it—a voice calling his name. Not in fear, but with authority. He followed the sound and found Samara, older, hardened, and no longer the idealistic rebel he remembered. She was now the leader of a small but ruthless group called the Iron Strain, who controlled one of the only fertile zones left. At first, Ethan felt relief. He had finally found her. But that relief quickly faded when he realized the price of staying in her territory—absolute loyalty, obedience, and a willingness to fight in her wars against rival clans.
Samara claimed her actions were for survival, but Ethan began to see the same patterns of cruelty that had destroyed the old world. The Iron Strain didn’t just protect their land—they raided, enslaved, and executed those who defied them. Ethan was faced with an impossible choice: pledge himself to Samara’s vision of survival at any cost, or break away and risk becoming prey in the wild lands beyond. As the drums of war echoed through the ruins, Ethan knew he would soon have to decide whether the person he had been searching for all these years was still the same woman—or if she had become just another predator in this feral world.
