Day 1

                                    

                                          
None of us know how to Answer Eight's question. What the hell did just happen? I had just watched at least 5 of the people in this truck die, and now here they were sitting back in front of me. Hell, I just had died as far as I can tell, and here I am still sitting here. I can see the same revelation dawning on all of my friends as the silence persists, but when the weight of what that means finally hits, the question becomes the least important thing on our minds.
We were okay. Somehow, we were still alive, and that was all that mattered for the moment.
Tunnel visioned from the shock of it all, I instantly turn toward Claireese, grabbing her and pulling her near, tears welling in my eyes. My arm wraps across her neck that miraculously is no longer snapped, then runs up to caress the back of her head. I pull it to my lips as my body trembles with relief. She doesn't hesitate to lift her arms and embrace me in return, shaking slightly as well.
"I'm so sorry I left you," I tell her, "I'm so sorry."
"I-It's okay. I'm okay..." she mutters into my shoulder. 
"Are you sure?" 
"Well...my head doesn't hurt anymore, so, I think so," she snickers in an attempt to set me at ease. It barely works as I kiss her head again. That's when I feel Val grab me from behind and tug my face to hers. She places two hands on either of my cheeks and frantically looks me up and down, pure confusion on her face and full tears streaking her skin. When she sees that I'm actually alright, she breaks down a little farther. 
"I-I watched them blow your head off Wes..." She says bluntly, "I-It was the worst thing I've ever—" She doesn't finish before her sobs turn into a wretch of horror. 
I place my hands to her cheeks and place my forehead to hers, cooing softly to calm her, "Hey, it's okay, lady, I'm right here. I'm right here."
"Is this a nightmare?"
"No, I don't think so, unfortunately. But I'm right here."
She slips her grip past me and pulls herself tight against my torso, to which I happily accept. I feel her arms unfold from me slightly before feeling Claireese get yanked into my back by the girl, sandwiching me between the two of them. 
"I thought we were too late..." Val cries softly to Claire, who's heads are now touching, "After I'd just gotten you back I was so worried that I..."
"I'm all good, Romero," Claireese sniffles with a laugh, "I'm just glad I would have gotten to see you one last time."
As the three of us unbind, I look around the truck to see that everyone else is doing the same thing we just were, relievedly embracing and sobbing at the fact that everyone is alright. Val jumps up and runs to Morgan at the end of the truck, taking him in immediately, to which I'm able to see the next person I need to reunite with. 
I move forward and take my dad into my arms, to which he returns twice as hard, nearly knocking the air from my lungs.
"I was so worried about you..." I tell him.
"Thank God you're okay..." He says in return into the top of my scalp.
"What happened out there, Dad?" 
"I'm not sure that I know..." He answers cryptically. Judging by how desperately he's embracing me, I'd venture to guess that his side of the action was just as unpleasant as ours. 
Over his shoulder, I see Myra sitting on the bench, still holding her stomach and staring off into space. I hold a hand out to her while still embracing Dad, to which she looks up at me and smiles before taking it.