Chapter 6 - 6.

the next day lily sat up, she stretched and stood before going downstairs, rick and shane sat talking by the window and merle asleep in the floor by the window, lori and coral in the kitchen cooking as their pups carl and sophia sat playing a game, the outside was calm not zombies and no bears.lily walked over to the kitchen "morning" she said softly as she poured herself some coffee, lori smiled "morning" she said softly as she flipped bacon, coral smiled "morning" she said softly as she stirred eggs, lily smiled softly as she took a sip of her coffee.rick looked over at lily "morning" he said softly as he stood up, shane smiled "morning" he said softly as he stood up, merle groaned as he woke up "morning" he grumbled as he stood up, lily smiled softly "morning" she said softly as she took another sip of her coffee. her mates daryl and fen walk to lily kissing her lips and move on to the kitchen. lily smiled softly as she watched them go.The kitchen filled with the sizzle of bacon and the rich scent of brewing coffee. Lily leaned against the counter, watching Carl and Sophia trade marbles across the worn linoleum floor. Their laughter felt fragile in the stillness. Outside, sunlight filtered through dusty windows, painting warm stripes on Merle's sleeping form until he stirred with a grunt. Daryl brushed past Lily, his calloused hand briefly squeezing her waist before he reached for the coffee pot. Fen followed, pressing a quick kiss to her temple. "Bear traps need checkin'," he murmured, his voice still rough with sleep.Rick unfolded a creased map across the table, its edges frayed. "Scouted this ridge yesterday," he said, tapping a charcoal-marked line. "Steep, but defensible. Water source here." Shane leaned in, tracing a different route with his finger. "That ravine's a bottleneck, Rick. One wrong move and we're cornered." Their voices remained low, but tension hummed beneath the surface like live wire. Lori slid a plate of eggs toward Rick without looking up, her knuckles white around the spatula handle.Carl's marble clattered across the floor, rolling toward the door. Sophia scrambled after it just as Daryl shouldered his crossbow. "Sophia," Carol warned softly, but the girl froze mid-reach, eyes wide as she stared past Daryl's boots. A wet, guttural snuffle sounded from the porch. Merle was already at the window, his knife glinting as he peeled back the curtain. "Well hell," he breathed. Outside, a massive black bear nosed at their makeshift trash pile, its fur matted with old blood and something darkly viscous. Rot hung thick in the sudden silence.Rick's hand went to his Colt. "Don't move," he murmured, eyes locked on the beast. Shane edged toward the hunting rifle propped by the door, every creak of the floorboard echoing. Lily felt Fen's fingers tighten around hers, his breath warm and rapid against her neck. The bear lifted its head, jaws dripping with spoiled meat. One milky eye fixed on the window. The other was a ruined socket, crawling with flies. It wasn't just sick. It was *wrong*. dead, zombie bear?Daryl nocked a bolt silently. "Back door," he breathed to Merle. The older Dixon nodded, slipping toward the rear exit like smoke. Carol pulled Sophia against her skirt, muffling the girl's whimper. Carl pressed against Lori's legs, marbles forgotten. The stench seeped through the walls—decay and wet fur, thick enough to coat tongues. The bear shuffled closer, its massive shoulder bumping the porch railing. Wood splintered.Rick kept his voice a low thrum. "Shane, cover the window. Fen, get Lily upstairs." Fen tugged Lily's arm, but she shook her head, fingers curling around the hunting knife sheathed at her hip. "I stay," she whispered. The bear's remaining eye rolled, milky and unfocused, yet somehow *aware*. It sniffed the air, jaws hanging slack. Ropes of blackened saliva dripped onto the warped boards.Daryl eased the crossbow's stock against his shoulder. The creak of the drawstring was deafening in the hush. The bear's head snapped toward the sound. It let out a wet, bubbling growl that vibrated through the floorboards. Shane froze, rifle halfway to his shoulder. The beast took a heavy step forward. The rotting porch groaned under its weight. lily whisper rise and a gun pops out from the wall and she whisper shoot the bear in the head.A single gunshot cracked from the kitchen doorway. Lily stood braced, her father's old revolver steady in both hands. Smoke curled from the barrel. The bear staggered, a dark hole blooming between its milky eyes. For a heartbeat, silence swallowed the cabin. Then the creature shook its massive head—like a dog shedding water—and lurched forward again. Black fluid oozed from the wound, but it didn't fall. Didn't even slow. Sophia screamed."Damn thing's armored!" Merle yelled from the back hall, his boots pounding toward the rear exit. Daryl's crossbow thrummed. The bolt sank deep into the bear's throat. It roared, a sound like tearing metal, and swiped at the porch post. Wood exploded into splinters. Rick fired twice into its chest. The impacts barely rocked it. Shane shouldered the rifle, aiming for the ruined eye socket. The shot went wide, chipping the doorframe as the bear surged forward.Lily smelled the rot thicken—sour milk, she push the button on the wall and more guns pop up, and then she push the blue button and the gun start shooting all at once at the bear—wet earth, and spoiled meat—as the bear slammed its full weight against the front door. The hinges screamed. Daryl reloaded with brutal efficiency, his eyes never leaving the shuddering wood. "Fen, propane tanks!" he barked. Fen darted toward the pantry where they stored the camp fuel. Rick grabbed Carl, shoving him toward Lori. "Bathroom. *Now*."The door splintered inward. A monstrous paw, claws like rusted knives, tore through the gap. Sophia buried her face in Carol's stomach, sobbing silently. Shane fired again, the rifle's kick jerking his shoulder. The bullet tore through the bear's foreleg, spraying black ooze across the floorboards. It didn't flinch. Its milky eye rolled, fixing on Lily. She raised the revolver, finger tightening on the trigger. *Not enough*, she thought. *Never enough*.Fen stumbled back from the pantry, dragging two green propane cylinders. "Daryl!" he shouted, voice cracking. Daryl didn't turn. He was already moving, kicking aside a chair to clear space near the shuddering door. "Light 'em!" he growled, reloading his crossbow. Merle burst in from the back hall, clutching a kerosene lantern. "Y'all wanna barbecue?" he rasped, fumbling for a match. The bear heaved against the doorframe. Wood groaned like a dying thing. Rick shoved the heavy kitchen table sideways, creating a barricade. Lori pulled Carl behind it, her face pale but determined.Lily dropped the revolver. She snatched Shane's hunting knife from his belt—a long, wicked blade—as he fired another useless shot. The bear's snout pushed through the widening gap, jaws snapping inches from Daryl's boots. Rot washed over them, thick and suffocating. Daryl jammed the crossbow against its gaping maw and fired. The bolt disappeared down its throat. The creature recoiled with a wet, choking roar. "Now, Merle!" Daryl bellowed. Merle struck the match. Flame hissed to life. He touched it to the lantern's wick just as Fen rolled a propane tank toward the breach.The bear lunged again, shoulder smashing through the door. Its massive head filled the opening. Lily moved. Not away—*toward*. She ducked under Shane's grasping hand and drove the hunting knife upward with both fists, aiming for the soft tissue beneath the jaw. The blade sank deep into rotten flesh. Black fluid gushed over her hands, hot and stinking. The bear howled, a sound that shook dust from the rafters. Its head thrashed, wrenching the knife from Lily's grip. She stumbled back, blinded by the foul spray. Daryl grabbed her arm, yanking her clear as Merle hurled the lit lantern. It shattered against the propane tank at the bear's feet.Flame bloomed. A low *whump* shook the cabin. Heat slapped Lily's face as the propane tank erupted. The explosion wasn't deafening—more like a giant fist punching the air. Windows shattered outward. The bear vanished in a rolling fireball, its roar cut short. Burning fur and splintered wood rained down on the porch. Smoke billowed thick and acrid, choking the kitchen. Sophia screamed again, a raw, terrified sound. Carl buried his face in Lori's shirt. Rick shielded them both, his back turned to the inferno.Silence fell, broken only by crackling flames and Sophia's muffled sobs. Lily wiped her eyes, blinking through stinging tears. Her hands trembled, coated in sticky black ooze that smelled like death. Fen appeared beside her, his face smudged with soot. "You okay?" His voice was hoarse. She nodded, unable to speak, watching the flames consume the monstrous shape writhing on the porch. It wasn't moving anymore. Just burning.Rick lowered his arm slowly. "Everyone alive?" His eyes scanned the room—Shane clutching his rifle, white-knuckled; Carol rocking Sophia; Merle leaning against the wall, breathing hard; Daryl already reloading his crossbow, gaze fixed on the dying fire outside. "We need to move," Daryl said flatly, his voice cutting through the smoke. "That noise? It's a dinner bell." He jerked his chin toward the woods beyond the burning carcass. Shadows shifted among the trees. Dozens of them. Drawn by the gunfire, the explosion, the scent of blood and burning. Groans began to weave through the crackling flames—low, hungry, and getting closer.