Ethan expected silence.
Instead, he found two little girls.
They stood near the back patio.
Barefoot.
Covered in mud.
Their hair clung to their faces, and their cracked lips looked painfully dry.
The older child appeared about five years old. The younger one couldn’t have been more than three.
Both clutched pieces of stale bread as though they were priceless treasures.
Ethan’s heart nearly stopped.
“Who are you?”
The older girl immediately moved in front of the younger one.
She didn’t answer.
Outside there was nothing but fog, pine trees, and rain tapping against the roof.
