The group pressed forward through the charred remains of the forest, the glow of the distant fires casting eerie shadows on their path. Every step felt heavier than the last, each laboured breath serving as proof of their exhaustion.
Ahead loomed a smaller structure, a modest stone building with thick walls that had weathered countless storms. It wasn't as grand as the building they had fled, but it would serve as a temporary refuge.
Fenrir pushed the heavy wooden door open, the creak echoing in the stillness. The interior was sparse, a single large room with remnants of furniture, a few overturned chairs, and a long-forgotten hearth in one corner. Dust coated everything, but it was shelter, and that was enough for now.
Lyra and Eren gently lowered George onto a pile of worn blankets they had scavenged. His pale face was stark against the firelight that flickered through the cracks in the walls, but his breathing remained steady, if shallow.
