After a few moments of silence where I hugged the family I had thought I lost I broke apart from Jake.

"I'm so relieved you're okay." I said.

Jake peered over my shoulder at Ducky. "Who are they? And where's Dad?"

The very words I'd been dreading. Well, not the question of my companions, of course.

I took a deep breath.

"Dad... He loved you very much."

Jake's eyes went wide. "What are you trying to say?"

But it sounded like he already knew.

"He didn't make it." The words tumbled from my lips.

Time seemed to slow for a moment as my uncles rushed to hug me. I nearly collapsed into their arms.

It was real. Seeing Jake made it so much more real. My dad was dead and I'd never see him alive again, no matter how much I replayed his voice mails, or relived his last moments in my mind. He was gone.

I don't know when I started crying, or even why. Was it the stress and exhaustion from our journey, being overwhelmed from the literal apocalypse, finally coming to terms with my father's death? Hard to tell, but there were tears streaming down my face.

Jake held me like he was about to lose me and I gripped him for dear life.

Another pair of arms wrapped around me, smaller, around my waist.

Callie.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and pulled myself together.

We had found her. This sweet little girl who gave us all hope. I found people I wanted to be around, not an easy feat even before the apocalypse.

Uncle Freddy looked at Jacob and Nicole, now standing just a few feet from me. They must've rushed over when Callie did, yet hadn't intruded on our familial moment. I wouldn't have minded if they had.

"Erica, why don't you and your new friends join us inside? We've got a lot to talk about."

Okay so... WAIT PUT DOWN YOUR PITCHFORKS! Actually stab me, I deserve it. This chapter was WAY too short for the gap since I last wrote. For that I'm sorry. This chapter was supposed to be longer but I didn't think I could do the humor of the next part in this chapter without making it hella depressing. Soooooo... This happened instead.

I haven't given up on this story. Don't worry. I intend to write it.

Happy Halloween!
~Oz