“Cradling His Brother as Flames Consumed Everything Else.”

But William and Zachariah did not come with them.

They were still inside.
Too small to outrun smoke.
Too young to understand fire.

Firefighters arrived quickly.
Sirens cut through the night.
But fire does not wait for help.

Inside the burning home, firefighters searched through smoke and heat.

Rooms blurred together.
Visibility vanished.

What they found stopped everyone.
Two small bodies, huddled together.
Curled inward, not apart.