John came home exhausted. He hadn’t worked that hard since the first days Cassie had shown up in town and he’d been trying to avoid her. He thought about what he’d say to her. He pulled into the driveway and was jolted by how empty it was. All the cars were gone.
He entered the house and found it completely, deathly silent. Not a peep or voice from anywhere. He looked around. The kitchen was spotless, with no evidence that seven people had been living there. He called out hello; no answer. He found a note from his mom saying they were back home and to call them when he felt up to it. Nothing else. He rounded the stairs and went up into Cassie’s room. It was empty, devoid of Cassie’s stuff, and the last week’s worth of Kelly’s mess. Kelly was gone, too. He crossed the hall and found Tim’s
