“Kids, don't argue, just follow directions. I'll explain what I can when I have time. I don't know if you remember these forms, but about two years ago we went over them and discussed what to do with them. We should've looked at them again, but we didn't get around to it. Each of you needs to go to your room, and under your beds are those giant duffle bags I told you never to remove. Take them out and fill them from the list. Don't ask questions. Let me know as soon as you're done. Hurry.”

Sensing the tension in their mother's voice, Lauren and Ray headed to their bedrooms. They saw their father inside their parent's bedroom, rapidly filling bags that were identical to the one under each of their beds. While doing this, he was also talking on the telephone. They missed most of the conversation but did hear him say, “I know, and I don't have any details yet, but a family emergency has come up. You'll oversee the farm while I'm away…”

His voice faded out as they reached their own rooms and rapidly started working through the checklists they'd last seen two years before and now barely remembered.

Lauren was in the bathroom grabbing her toothbrush and other personal items when she heard her mother say, “This was never actually supposed to happen.” Lauren wasn't sure if her mom was talking to herself, or to her dad, or to one of the soldiers.

The last thing Lauren saw her father do before they left was to carry a full, fifty-pound bag of dog food onto the porch, slice it open with a pocket knife and dump the whole thing next to Sammy's dog bed. As he stepped off the porch, he propped the door open so the dog would be able to come and go as he pleased. It made no sense to her since it would usually take the little Boxer a month and a half to eat that much food.

Once the duffel bags were filled, the soldiers loaded them into the van and in a very brief time, they were on the way. The van left the Tanner's home and started for the highway. “Mom, what's going on?” Ray asked.

In the dim light, he could see his mother crying.

His dad was the one who responded. “Kids, about two years ago, the government built a series of underground shelters to be used in case there was ever an attack against our country. We never discovered how we ended up being selected, but we were asked if we would be interested in being guaranteed a space in one of these shelters if there was ever a need. They insisted there would probably never be a reason for us to go to one, but just in case, there was a plan in place to get us there.”

“Where is this shelter?” Lauren demanded.