She drove slowly, wary, watching the trees around them.

There were so many places for someone to hide.

If it was a trap, they were ready, and if it wasn't, James and Sheila were bold for advertising and meeting out here.

The trees ahead opened up. Two figures stepped from the trees. One was a little older than Lauren, tall and lanky; the other was a man, lean and hard, holding a bone spear in one hand.

Their joy felt shared, feeding between the two of them.

Lauren hit the breaks.

"Out the car!" James shouted, but Andy was already opening his door and halfway out even as the truck came to a stop.

"Andy?" asked the second man – was that Adam? – moving to meet them. Lauren scrambled out as James lowered the spear.

"Lauren!"

They were laughing and crying at the same time, jumping to meet him, wrapping their arms around his neck, desperate. James grunted, staggered under their weight, and Adam caught his elbow. Lauren pulled away to hug Adam too, holding him tight.

"Damn, we thought you were dead!" he exclaimed.

"We're not that easy to get rid of," Andy replied with a thin smile.

Their camp was a short way up ahead. They left James and Adam to wait in case of anyone else arriving and drove up to where the trees opened into a small clearing. Another dirt road led out and beyond.

There were shouts and calls as they parked up, and then a rush of motion as they climbed out. Darcy was the first to race over and meet them, wrapping them in a bone crushing hug. "Safe not dead cubs."

Lauren hugged her back. "Yeah. Not dead Darce."

Sheila was next, carrying Dominique against one hip. "We thought we'd never see you again."

Andy smiled through his tears. "You don't get rid of us that easily."

And then there was Frank and Sarah, and their son Collin who had grown up tall and lanky, and even Clarice was still with them. There were a few new faces as well, two teens who looked younger than them, a young girl with blue skin, a boy maybe Lauren's age with soft brown hair, an older woman with pale skin.

They hugged and cried and talked until at last James and Adam returned and told them the deadline was up.

And suddenly they weren't so alone any more.