as the cabin burn, lily knelt in the dirt watching not caring about the walkers getting closer, this place was all she had of her parents and now it was gone... fen and daryl ran to her, fen scoup her up and followed where rick and shane and the others where going.The flames roared louder than any living thing Lily had ever heard. Heat washed over her face, drying tears before they could fall. She didn't move when Daryl's boots crunched gravel beside her. "lily. Now." His voice rasped like gravel under tires. She kept staring at the collapsing porch beam where her father had carved their initials last spring.Fen didn't ask. He just hooked an arm around Lily's waist and hauled her up like a sack of grain. Her legs dangled uselessly. "Let go!" she choked out, kicking at his shins. Fen grunted but didn't slow, sprinting toward the tree line where Rick signaled frantically. Behind them, the first walker stumbled into the firelight, its rotting hand outstretched toward Lily's swinging braid.Daryl covered their retreat, crossbow bolts thudding into decaying skulls. The stench hit Lily—burning pine mixed with charred flesh and something sweetly rotten. She gagged against Fen's shoulder. "Almost there," he panted, dodging a low branch. Through blurred vision, Lily saw Shane dragging Carol forward while Sophia sobbed into her mother's coat. The group's panicked breaths formed ragged clouds in the cold air.Rick grabbed Fen's arm, pulling them behind a mossy boulder. "Status?" he barked. Daryl slid in beside them, reloading. "Too many. Fire drew 'em like flies." Lily finally wrenched free, scrambling to peer around the rock. Orange light danced across dead faces—dozens of them shambling through her mother's prize rose bushes, crushing petals underfoot. Her chest tightened. She remembered planting those with Mom last April, dirt under their fingernails, laughing at nothing. Gone. All gone. A low moan escaped her lips, raw and broken. Fen's hand clamped over her mouth before the sound could carry. "Breathe," he murmured against her ear. "Just breathe." His fingers trembled against her skin.Shane edged closer, sweat glistening on his temples. "Weapons?" Rick shook his head grimly. "Carol's got Sophia's pocket knife. Rest of us?" He patted his empty holster. Shane cursed under his breath, eyes darting toward the encroaching shadows. The walkers fanned out, drawn by the crackling inferno but stumbling toward the scent of living sweat and fear. One veered sharply toward their hiding spot—a teenage girl in a tattered prom dress, jaw hanging slack. Daryl's bolt took her through the eye socket with a wet thunk. Sophia whimpered, burying her face deeper into Carol's side.Lily felt Fen shift beside her. "Got an idea," he whispered, nodding toward the burning toolshed twenty yards left. Flames licked at its warped door. "Distraction?" Rick followed his gaze, calculating. "Too close. Wind's shifting." Even as he spoke, embers spiraled upward, catching the breeze toward the pines sheltering them. Smoke stung Lily's eyes. She blinked, vision swimming. The cabin's roof groaned, collapsing inward in a shower of sparks. Something inside her snapped. Before anyone could react, she darted out—not toward the shed, but straight toward the walker trampling her mother's hydrangeas. "Lily!" Fen lunged, fingers brushing air. she shift mid- air, landing in her wolf form attacking the walker.Daryl cursed, crossbow tracking her chaotic path. "Kid's got guts." Shane grabbed Rick's arm. "Weapons or not, we're sitting ducks!" Rick's jaw tightened. "Carol, Sophia—stay low. Daryl, cover her. Fen, Shane—flank the shed. When it blows, run north." The walker Lily targeted wore overalls crusted with mud. Its milky eyes fixed on her wolf form. Lily snarled, tearing at its throat. Rotten flesh gave way with a sickening tear. Black ooze sprayed her muzzle. She shook it off, panting. Behind her, Fen kicked the shed's burning door. Flames roared higher, swallowing the structure whole. Heat pulsed against Lily's fur.The explosion wasn't loud—just a pressurized *whump* as paint cans ignited inside. But the fireball bloomed like an orange flower, hurling shrapnel into the advancing horde. Two walkers crumpled, torsos peppered with molten metal. Others staggered, disoriented. "Now!" Rick barked. Sophia clung to Carol as they scrambled uphill. Shane dragged a limping Fen past smoldering brush. Lily hesitated, staring at the hydrangeas—now crushed and burning. A hand gripped her scruff. Daryl. "Move it, furball." He practically threw her toward the tree line.Cold darkness swallowed them. Pine needles muffled their steps. Rick counted heads against the trunk of an oak. "Everyone?" Carol nodded, smoothing Sophia's hair. Fen leaned against moss, rubbing his scorched forearm. Lily shifted back, human knees scraping dirt. The cabin's glow painted distant treetops. She tasted ash and blood. "They took everything," she whispered. Rick crouched before her, eyes hard. "Not everything. We're still here." Beyond the ridge, a new sound rose—not moans, but engines. Distant, but closing fast. Shane froze. "Hershel's farm's that way." Daryl nocked another bolt. "Doesn't sound like tractors." The rumble deepened, vibrating through the forest floor. Headlights sliced the smoke.Lily wiped her mouth. Her mother's locket, hidden under her shirt, felt suddenly cold. Fen nudged her shoulder. "You okay?" She didn't answer. The engines cut abruptly. Silence rushed back, thick with tension. Then, voices—sharp, unfamiliar. "Spread out! Check the perimeter!" Rick's hand went to his empty holster. Useless. Sophia whimpered. Carol clamped a hand over her mouth. Boots crunched leaves nearby. A flashlight beam swept past their hiding spot, illuminating Shane's clenched fist. Lily's breath hitched. The beam paused, swung back. It lingered on Fen's boot print in the mud.Daryl melted deeper into shadow. Rick gestured: *hold*. The flashlight clicked off. "Clear!" the voice shouted. Engines roared to life again, fading westward. Relief washed over the group in ragged sighs. Lily slumped against Fen. "Who were they?" Fen shook his head. "Trouble." Rick stood slowly. "Weapons. Shelter. Now." Dawn stained the horizon grey. Ahead, through thinning trees, stood a derelict gas station. Graffiti covered its boarded windows. A lone walker shuffled by the pumps, dragging a severed leg. Rick scanned the lot. "Daryl?" Daryl's crossbow rose. "Got it." The bolt took the walker cleanly. Lily stared at the corpse. Another piece of someone's world, gone. Fen touched her arm. "Come on." Inside smelled of stale oil and decay. Shane kicked aside empty cans. "Jackpot." Behind the counter lay a dusty shotgun and a box of shells. Rick loaded it grimly. Lily found a map crumpled near the register. She traced a route south with a grimy finger. "Atlanta's gone. But... here." She tapped a green patch labeled 'Stone Mountain'. Carol peered over her shoulder. "Is it safe?" Outside, a crow cawed. Lily folded the map tight. "Safer than here. my pups need a safe place"Sophia tugged Carol's sleeve. "Mom, I'm hungry." Fen rummaged through abandoned backpacks. "Protein bars. Stale, but..." He tossed one to Sophia. Lily chewed hers mechanically, tasting dust. The locket warmed against her skin. She pictured her mother planting those hydrangeas, laughing. A low growl built in her throat. Fen's hand settled on her shoulder. "Easy." Rick chambered a shell. "We move in ten." Lily watched Daryl carve notches into his bow. One for each kill. His eyes met hers—cold, understanding. "Pack light, kid." She nodded. The world outside waited, hungry.
