Page 72 of What Remains

"I tried..." Josie could barely breathe through her own tears. "I tried to get here."

Liz's hands cupped her sister's face, and for a moment neither of them could speak. "You made it. You actually made it."

Behind them, Jay quietly motioned for everyone to stay back. This moment belonged to two sisters who had found each other at the end of the world, and no one intended to intrude.

Then Josie's eyes searched past Liz—toward the porch, the windows, the barn. "Where's Mom?"

Liz's smile vanished. Neither spoke for so long that Liz looked away first.

Josie's chest tightened. "No..."

"Where's Dad?"

Her sister looked away, unable to speak.

"Liz." Josie's voice now shook violently. "Tell me."

Liz squeezed her eyes shut, and the words came out broken. "When I got here... they were already gone."

Everything inside Josie stopped. "What?"

"I was too late." Liz's composure crumbled. "When I got here... everything looked normal. Too normal. The truck was in the driveway, the generator was running… like they'd just stepped out. But they weren't here." She faltered, her gaze drifting toward the barn. "And there was blood in the snow."

Josie stepped backward, shaking her head as if refusal alone could undo it. "No. No!"

Her knees buckled, and Seth caught her before she hit the frozen ground, though she never noticed. Her eyes stayed fixed on the red barn, her voice fracturing into pieces. "My dad... my mom... they can't..."

Liz dropped to her knees beside her sister and pulled her close. "I looked everywhere. I searched for days—the house, the fields, the creek, the neighbors' properties. I never found them."

Josie cried out then, a high, broken sound that didn't seem to belong to her. For months she'd clung to hope, imagining her mother's hug and her father's smile, one more family dinner, one more chance to say goodbye. All of it gone before she'd ever had the chance.

Liz wrapped both arms around her. "I'm so sorry. I tried to get here faster."

Josie sobbed, the words torn from her. "I should've come sooner."

"No." Liz shook her head fiercely. "You couldn't have known."

Her cry’s echoed across the empty ranch. It carried on the wind, through silent pastures where horses no longer grazed and past barns where chores would never again be finished—a sound of pure, final loss.

Seth stood silently behind them, one hand resting gently on Josie's back. He had no words to offer—not for this. Some losses ran too deep for comfort. He simply stayed, a silent anchor, letting his presence be the one thing he could give.

The introductions came quietly, subdued in the aftermath of everything that had unfolded in the front yard. No one seemed to know what to say after such a storm of emotion.

Liz wiped her face with the sleeve of her flannel shirt before bending to retrieve the rifle she'd dropped, slinging it over her shoulder with practiced ease even as her hands continued to tremble.

"I'm sorry," she said, her gaze sweeping from Jay to Cara and finally to Seth. "I... I wasn't expecting anyone."

Jay offered a tired smile. "You don't owe us an apology."

"In times like these," Seth added, his voice low, "you did exactly what you should have done."

Liz nodded, her jaw tightening. "I've had people come through before. Most weren't interested in asking permission."

"I imagine not," Jay replied.

Josie finally found her voice, gesturing to each of them in turn. "Liz, this is Jay." He tipped his head politely. "Cara."

Cara smiled warmly. "It's nice to meet you."