Young John Sheely (track 5 in my post-apocalyptic story)

[Verse 1, Thornton's perspective] Sun bleached the wheat field gold that afternoon Found you curled small where the crows wheeled low Skinny arms scratched raw, face like the moon After the storm's passed – hollowed and slow Didn't need words, boy, just the tremble in your hands Told me the silence scream only the broken understand [Chorus] We build the walls high where the old world fell Plant seeds in poisoned ground, ring the supper bell Scars run deep as canyon cracks in the earth But shelter ain't just timber – it's the measure of your worth Yeah, we mend what the fire left unfurled In this broken cradle of the after-world [Verse 2, John Sheely, haunted memories] Smell of smoke still wakes me in the dead of night Hid beneath the floorboards, holdin' breath so tight Heard Johnny Allen laughin' while the rooftops burned Learned shame tastes like ashes – lesson hard-earned North was just a direction, wanderin' blind 'Til two shadows found me, leavin' fear behind [Bridge Ralph's perspective] Dad said "This one's stayin'," like it was fact Handed him dry socks, no lookin' back Taught him to track game, mend a fence wire straight Silence don't mean weakness, son, it's just the weight Some burdens carve their hollows, deep and slow But roots take hold strongest where the hard winds blow [Chorus] We build the walls high where the mercs rode through Plant defiance in the ash, make somethin' true Scars map the journey, every twist and turn But family ain't just blood – it's the bridges that you burn Yeah, we forge the light where shadows curl In this stubborn garden of the after-world [Outro - Thornton] That field's still going strong, years have turned But I still see the boy where the tall grass churned You stood your ground, son, different kind of fight Shelter ain't hidin'... it's walkin' towards the light.