Lydia had to admire Shenyo’s resourcefulness. He quickly and quietly snagged the clothes from the line and was wearing them as if he had full and legal ownership in a flash. She would have found his ears a delightful nuisance had the time been any other but the fire that was slowly licking its way through the time was of utmost importance.<br/><br/>A small child peered at them from behind a water barrel, his grubby thumb stuck in his thin little face. Lydia’s heart went out to him but Shenyo was moving with a purpose and his tail and latched onto her wrist. How did his tail convey expediency? She wondered as she nearly had to run to keep up with him.<br/><br/>“Most of the people seem to have evacuated.” She called to him, noticing the doors hanging half open and curtains flapping through open windows. The closer they came to where the fire was burning, the more the mayhem collected in the streets. Still she saw no bodies or live people either, but something about the unnatural silence over the town made her skin crawl.<br/><br/>On the last street before the fire leaped to rooftops, they saw a woman lying dead in the street, her long blonde hair strewn about her. Lydia felt cold but still Shenyo lead her closer. She thought she saw the curtains move in the house to her right but she couldn’t be sure. Glancing behind her, she saw the child following them, still sucking his thumb and even grubbier than when they had seen him five minutes before.<br/><br/><br/><br/>