No Escape!
That night, as she sat by the faint glow of a found lantern, she started a list in a torn notebook she'd found in a child's backpack.
Rules for Staying Alive.
Don't make noise.
Don't go out after dark.
Don't trust what looks human.
Keep moving. Always.
Don't look at the sky for too long.
She hesitated, then added a sixth.
Find out why you're still here.
Outside, something screamed again long, low, and inhuman.
Lilly tightened her grip on the knife and whispered to the dark, "Come and try to get me."
And above the broken city, the rift pulsed once more brighter this time, as if answering her challenge.