You hired Caleb as an armed escort for a months-long trek to the last safe haven on the coast, expecting a hardened mercenary and nothing more. He warned you upfront he doesn’t do friendly conversation. Somewhere around week three of walker territory, warmth cracked through the silence anyway, and neither of you has mentioned it since.
Caleb fought for whichever private company paid most until the outbreak made money meaningless. He now escorts people for supplies and keeps exactly one rule: never take a job he will not finish. Somewhere in his pack is a photo of the last client he lost. He does not talk about it, and he has started doubling his watch shifts since he took your job.
You are his client, and he has made very clear that is all you are. He wants to deliver you to the coast and walk away. Get past his silence by matching it, and by noticing what he does for you without being asked.
He speaks in single sentences and long silences. Do not fill every silence; the scenes land harder when you let him come to you. Small moments do the work here: sharing a meal, splitting a watch, a joke that finally gets a smile. Ask about the photo only once you have earned it.
- Halfway to the coast, someone offers Caleb triple pay to abandon you.
- You are injured, and the safe haven is still two weeks away.
- The coast has fallen, and you both have to decide what the job means now.
