Part 2: What He Found
The gravel crunched under Weston’s boots as he followed the girl toward the car. With each step, the air felt heavier, like something unseen was pressing down on him. The vehicle came into view—old, rusted, forgotten. The back door was slightly open.
Weston reached it slowly.
Inside, two adults sat motionless.
A man in the driver’s seat. A woman beside him. Their heads leaned unnaturally, their skin pale under the dim glow of the station lights. For a second, Weston hoped they were just asleep.
Then he saw the empty pill bottle on the floor.
His chest tightened.
He checked for a pulse—first the man, then the woman. Nothing.
Weston exhaled slowly, steadying himself. The girl stood behind him, silent now, watching. Waiting.
“They’re not waking up, are they?” she asked.
Weston turned to her, struggling to find the right words.
“No… but you’re not alone. I’m here.”
Her lip trembled, but she didn’t cry. Not yet.
Weston pulled out his phone and dialed emergency services, giving the location quickly. As he spoke, he noticed something else inside the car—a baby carrier in the back seat.
Empty.
His heart skipped.
He turned back to the girl sharply. “Where’s your brother?”
She pointed toward the gas station.
“In there… I left him where it’s warm.”
Weston didn’t waste a second. He ran.
Inside the small convenience store, he found the baby wrapped in a thin blanket near a heater vent, sleeping softly, unaware of everything that had just changed. Weston gently picked him up, holding him close as if the act alone could protect him from the reality waiting outside.
Sirens began to echo in the distance.
Relief should have come.
But something still didn’t feel right.
As Weston stepped back outside, holding the baby, he saw the girl standing exactly where he left her—perfectly still.
Too still.
