"... The dimensions of the disaster are not yet known, but it is an earthquake of an unprecedented magnitude of over 9 on the Richter scale felt from _________ to _____. A tsunami warning has been issued for the entire coast and anyone in a radius of 10 miles away from the coast from _________ to _______ must find shelter on high ground immediately. This is not a drill. I repeat. An earthquake of unprecedented magnitude was felt about an hour ago from _________ to _____.According to the latest report of the Seismological Institute, the magnitude is over 9 on the Richter scale, and many aftershocks are expected. A tsunami warning was issued for the entire coastal area. We will continue our emergency broadcasting and provide you with any updates as they come... "

Dina and Roy's pale faces stared at him through the car mirrorr. He quickly turned the radio off.

"Everything's fine," he said in a reassuring tone. "We'll be with Aunt Lily in a few minutes."

Lily Moses, Jonathan Rosin's older sister, [description] and a fairly successful lawyer, lived with her family in a two-story suburban house, but at that time she was in the center of a group of her neighbors who left their homes as the reports of the disaster came in and sought refuge from their anxiety in company. Everyone had relatives, friends or acquaintances in the affected area. The conversation was so agitated that Lily did not notice the car that stopped near the house and Sam, Dina, and Roy getting out and approaching the house cautiously, hesitantly. The first to notice them was one of the neighbors, who touched Lily's arm and pointed at them. Lily froze for a moment, eyes wide open and mouth gaping in total disbelief, then she ran toward them and gathered the three of them in her arms, bursting into tears of relief. Dina and Roy also burst into tears, not really knowing why. Sam needed all his mental strength to keep from joining them.

"My darlings, I can't believe it!" She called out at last. "How did you get here? Did you drive all night? Where are your parents?... I've been trying for days to call them to let them know that my Andy and his Luna have finally set the date and... Look at me, you look exhausted and I'm standing here babbling! Let's go inside, quickly!"

In front of the neighbors' astonished eyes, she led her nephews and niece into the house.

In Aunt Lily's living room the atmosphere was serious, even somber, after the initial shock wore off. Lily's joy at the sight of her nephews was tinged with deep anxiety for the fate of her brother and his wife. But there were more pressing matters that needed to be dealt with.

"Out of the question, of course you are staying here," she said stubbornly in order to block any attempt at protest by Sam. "Dina and Roy, you can stay in Andy's room for now. You know where it is, right? I'll be up to make your beds in a minute."

The children were too tired to argue. They got up obediently and went up to the room on the second floor of the house. Once they disappeared up the stairs, Lily turned to Sam. "Tell me everything. Where are your parents? I thought they were planning to go to that Shelter place. Did they leave you behind?"

"No," Sam admitted. "I left them."

"What?" Lily was confused for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"They went to the Shelter and I didn't want to join them. I'm 21, Aunt Lily. They can't drag me..."

"But Dina and Roy!" She exclaimed. "How could you take them with you? How could you do such a thing to them?"

"Who, Dina and Roy? They're fine, aren't they?" Sam said defensively. "And Mom and Dad chose to go to this stupid Shelter without us..."

"How do you know? How do you know that's what they did? How do you know they got there safely?"

Sam's exhustion almost overwhelmed him. "I don't know. I don't know anything now. I just know we're here and we're safe. Please, don't make me feel worse than I already feel."

Lily's expression softened a little. "I'm sorry. It's just that I was sure I would never see you again. You need rest, and I have to think. Take your stuff to the guest room. Go get some sleep. We'll talk later."

Sam picked up his two backpacks and went up to the second floor, feeling his aunt's eyes burning holes in his back. On the way to the guest room, he carefully opened the door to the room where his brother and sister were staying. Dina was asleep in her cousin's big bed. Roy fell asleep on the floor hugging a pillow he took off the bed.

Sam sat up in his comfortable bed in the guest room, startled by the feeling of an unfamiliar presence beside him. Sally and Jonathan stood by the bed, staring admonishingly at their son.

"Why did you do it, Sam?" Jonathan finally asked, and his voice sounded distorted, as if coming from a great distance. "Why did you take them away from us?"

"Yes, Sam, why couldn't you trust us?" Sally added.

"Dad, Mom!" Sam cried out in panic. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry..."

"Sam! Sam!" Sally's voice gradually transformed into Lily's worried voice. "Sam, wake up!"

Sam sat up in his bed. He was drenched in sweat.

"Everything's fine," Lily sat down next to him and hugged him. "It was a bad dream."

Sam was embarrassed for a moment. "I'm sorry," he said at last, then pulled himself together. "Dina and Roy..."

"It's okay, let them go on sleeping." She got up and patted his shoulder. "Come on, you have to wash up and change. I'm going to fix us some lunch."

Lily's husband, Mark, was already sitting at the table in the spacious, well-equipped kitchen. He closed his small office, where he worked as a software engineer, early that day and sent his employees homes. Their two sons, Andy and Toby, who were older than Sam, owned a small communications equipment company that Sam loved working for as a delivery boy during his vacations

The family was engaged in a quiet but intense conversation which stopped when they noticed Sam standing in the doorway, hesitating. Mark got to his feet and exclaimed, "Sam! I had to come and see with my own eyes. Your aunt told me everything. I can't believe you've come all this way on your own. Come, sit down, eat something."

Sam accepted the invitation and Lily laid a full plate before him. He had eaten almost nothing for twenty-four hours, and he was unaware of his hunger until he suddenly felt that all the family members were staring at him, and he forced himself to slow down. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "We didn't have time to think about food on the way..."

"It's okay," Mark interrupted. "Tell us what happened."

Sam put down his fork but didn't lift his head. "I was sure they would follow us," he said at last. "They know we're here. I was sure they would follow us, but they chose to go to the Shelter..."

"Sam, we can't change what happened," Lily said appealingly. "But as soon as things calm down..."

"No," Sam said abruptly. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I'm not staying."

Sam's announcement shocked the family. Mark was the first to find his voice. "What do you mean, you're not staying?" He finally asked. "Where are you thinking of going?"

"Back," Sam said simply.

"Back where?" Mark responded with sudden sharpness.

"To the Shelter."

The silence in the kitchen could be sliced with a knife. Mark looked at his nephew as if Dr. Jekyll had just turned into Mr. Hyde in front of him. "Tell me I didn't hear you right," he finally said. "You want to go back to the Shelter?"

"You heard right," Sam replied stubbornly. "I'm going to find the Shelter. I'm going to find my parents."

"Do you have any idea what's going on out there?" Mark tried very hard to maintain his restraint. "I had to close my office. Everyone was sent home so that families wouldn't get separated in case of a possible evacuation. A curfew will be imposed tonight. All airports and train stations are closed, and the only ones allowed on the roads are emergency and supply vehicles going to the disaster area, and security and rescue personnel. You won't be able to get enough fuel to get you out of town, and starting tomorrow, food will also be rationed..."

"So how lucky for us that I managed to buy all the food for Andy and Luna's party," Lily murmured ironically.

Mark gave her a deadly look, then turned to Sam again. "We're in a general state of emergency, do you know what that means? And do you even know exactly where this Shelter is? Have you ever been there on you own? Are you sure your parents got there safely? How are you planning to get there?"

Sam was well aware that all of his uncle's questions were reasonable and justified, but for now he had no answers for any of them. He remembered the conversation he had with Sheila at the birthday party. How long has it been? "They don't follow the 'news'. They have other sources of information," he murmured, partly to himself and partly to his uncle.

"What?" Mark seemed convinced that his nephew has finally lost all of his marbles.

But Sam was dead serious. "It's something Dad told me once. He heard it from Daniel..."

"Daniel?" Mark responded irritably. "That madman from the Shelter? What's that got to do with anything?"

"They have contacts," Sam replied, staring directly at his uncle. "People who volunteered to stay on the outside, to keep track of what's going on and report to the Shelters..."

"And you know who those people are?"

"I know the name of one of them."

"Have you ever met him?"

"No," Sam had to admit. "But Dad told me about him. He's a FEMA Reservist..."

"So that's your big plan? Contact FEMA and ask about a person you don't know, when you don't even know his real name? And even if you do, you think FEMA will give you his contact information just like that?"

"I'm counting on the fact that once he hears I'm looking for him, he'll contact me himself."

It was clear that Mark's frustration at his inability to convince his nephew was gradually increasing, but for some reason those last few words made him hesitate for a moment.

"Okay, so now it's all settled, isn't it?" He finally said. "Like they say, there is a method to this madness..."

"I know it looks like madness, but that's the only way," Sam said. "And at least that way I'll know that they arrived safely to the Shelter, and they will know that we are safe with you."

Mark and Lily exchanged glances and said nothing.

"I'm going to check up on Dina and Roy," Sam said. "Then you'll tell me what I can do to help in the meantime."

He left the kitchen. And Toby and Andy rose. "We'll talk to him," said Andy, the older of the, and they both followed Sam out of the kitchen.

As soon as the two walked out of the kitchen, Lily turned to her husband and said in a reproaching tone: "Tell me, did you have to be so tough on the poor boy?"

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Tough?" Mark repeated. "I actually thought I handled him with kid gloves. That stupid boy..."

"That stupid boy is guilt ridden and having nightmares because of what he did, you know? And who are we to judge him?"

"You're right," it was clear that Lily's words had no impact on Mark. "Let's think about more practical things, like, for example, if this emergency lasts for weeks and even months, how can we feed three more mouths..."

"Mark Moses!" Lily cut him off, shocked. "Don't you dare say these things out loud again! Not in front of our boys, and certainly not in front of Sam! We'll find a way!"

Sam tried to close the guest room door behind him, but couldn't because someone grabbed the handle from the other side and opened the door. Sam stepped back and sat down on the bed. Andy and Toby walked in, closed the door behind them and remained standing by the door.

"You're really convinced this man exists, aren't you?" Andy asked directly.

"Yes," Sam replied without hesitation. "Dad said his name was Michael Kay, and before you start, it doesn't really matter this is his real name or not. The main thing is that he knows my real name, and Dad's name."

The brothers exchanged glances.

"And how are you planning to start looking for him?" Toby asked.

Sam shrugged. "In 2012, he served in the FEMA emergency Reserve. I'll start from there."

"Do you know which zone he was stationed in? In what capacity?" Andy asked.

"No," Sam admitted. "I think Dad said in the Central Command. But to do what he does, he needs a permanent place where he has constant and uninterrupted access to communications systems. To get this kind of access, he has to be in a responsible enough position where he enjoys both confidence and a high security clearance, So... How many people like that are there anyway? "

The brothers' faces expressed their renewed appreciated for their younger cousin. "Do you think we should talk some sense into him?" Toby turned to his brother.

"No, but we'll tell Mom and Dad we did our best," Andy said, turning to Sam again. "You really did think about everything, didn't you?"

Sam smiled for the first time since his arrival at his aunt's house. It had never occurred to him that he would get his cousins to side with him so easily. "I have no idea," he admitted. "But I'm glad you at least don't think I'm crazy."

"The jury's still out on that one," Toby said lightly. "But our parents are probably more like your parents than you think."

"So what do you suggest I do now?" Sam asked, turning serious again. "Your parents were really great to us, and I really don't want to upset them..."

"Nonsense," Andy interjected. "They're just uptight, and rightly so. But you offered to help, right? Then help."

"Of course," Sam said. "Tell me what to do."

"First of all, I suggest you don't mention the name Michael Kay to my parents again. At least not until you find him." Andy glanced at his watch. "I have to go now to meet Luna and her family. We'll keep talking tomorrow."

The residents adapted to the emergency situation so quickly it was almost incredible. The city turned into one big refugee camp. But the flow of arrivals had gradually trickled down, and at the same time, the hopes of many residents waiting anxiously for information about the fate of their relatives and acquaintances in the disaster area were shattered. Those of the refugees who had relatives elsewhere have moved on, but many have lost everything and arrived at the refugee centers with nothing more than the cloths on their backs. Food, water and fuel were rationed, and the danger of hunger was still in the air. The night curfew has not been lifted, but in the second week it was slightly relieved. The aftershocks continued, but gradually lost their intensity. Some of the TV and radio channels were back on the air, and there was already talk of rescue missions, but hopes of finding survivors diminished from day to day.

Life at the Moses family home also fell into a routine. A refugee center was opened at the school in Lily and Mark's neighborhood, and Sam and his cousins were quick to register as volunteers the very first morning. The brothers were in no hurry to reopen their business; their expertise in communications equipment turned out to be essential and they were immediately recruited for reconstruction work. Lily went back to work part-time in her law firm, mainly to keep up with those of her clients whose court dates were cancelled because of the courts shutdown. Even Dina and Roy found playmates in the neighborhood, but since the Rosin children were also granted official refugee status, Sam managed to get his brother and sister into a study program in the school turned refugee center, and insisted that they spend a few hours a day studying as regularly as possible, which allowed him take a large part of the burden of taking care of them off his aunt and uncle's. Mark moved his workplace from his office to the small room he used as a den, as the office was too far to walk and public transportation had not yet been restored. Sam divided his time between working at the refugee center, caring for his brother and sister and monitoring every report coming from the disaster area.

Sam quickly earned growing respect as an outstanding and responsible worker, and within a feww days he was promoted to Warehouse Manager at the Refugee Center. He took every possible opportunity to mention the name Michael Kay to anyone who was willing to listen. No one had heard of him, and he was beginning to accept the fact that his uncle was right and Michael Kay was not the man's real name, but wasn't ready to give up.

That evening Sam was in the warehouse working later than usual, as a new shipment of clothing and equipment donations needed to be sorted out, rearranged and repacked. Two other volunteers worked alongside him – a middle-aged couple who lost many of their family members in the disaster. The woman was struggling with a package that was heavier than it looked, and Sam was quick to help her. "It's okay, I'll take care of it," he said in an encouraging tone, taking the package away from her. "Why don't go and rest? It's late."

The couple looked at each other, embarrassed, ashamed at being caught in a moment of weakness. "Are you sure?" The woman finally asked.

"Yes, it's fine, I'll finish up here."

The couple walked out of the warehouse murmuring thanks, and Sam let out a sigh of relief and put the heavy package on the table. He loved being alone in the large warehouse, which was almost completely dark except for the emergency lights in the work benches area. He opened the package and began to take the items out of it and sort them out into smaller bundles. The small bundles were put away on the shelves. With the last bundle in his hands, he approached one of the shelves in the darker areas of the warehouse. He put the bundle in its place on the shelf and turned to leave, when suddenly a strong arm grabbed him by the neck from behind and dragged him back into the darkness.

Sam fought back. He tried to break free from the arm that held his neck. He was a strong young man and in good shape, but the attacker was much stronger than he was and wouldn't let go. Suddenly an angry voice whispered in his ear from behind: "Who the hell are you? Why are you looking for me? Where did you hear my name?"

"I'm Sam, Sam Rosin!" Dazed, Sam finally managed to blurt out. "Jonathan's son, Jonathan the mechanic!"

The arm suddenly let go of his neck, and Sam quickly pulled away and turned, coughing and trying to catch his breath. He was standing in front of an older, taller man, whose features were blurred by the dark, but something about them looked familiar...

"It's you!" He finally said. "Why did you try to choke me?"

"You earned it fair and square, didn't you?" The man replied complacently.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble," Sam said, but his tone expressed everything but sorrow. "That's the only name I have, and I had to talk to you."

The man softened a little. He took a few steps toward Sam and stared at him intently. His eyes sparkled. "Sam Rosin, the mechanic's son," he said. "Yes, I remember you and I remember your father. Why aren't you in the Shelter with your family?"

"We left," Sam replied simply. "We're here, with my aunt's family."

"So why were you looking for me? What did you want to talk to me about?"

"My parents. I wanted to know if they made it to the Shelter. They were supposed to call my aunt from the road, and she said she tried to reach them but couldn't..."

The man gave Sam a measuring look from head to toe. "The last time I talked to Daniel was just before the lockdown," he admitted simply. "He just said that everyone who was supposed to arrive has arrived."

"And he didn't say anything about our family? That we were supposed to arrive and didn't?"

"Maybe he only found out after the lockdown, and he didn't have the time to update me."

Sam considered it. "When can you contact him again?"

"Look around you. All the frequencies have been appropriated for emergency broadcasting. It will take days, maybe weeks, before I can get a satellite link again. And if I get caught..."

"So what do you suggest I do in the meantime?" Sam asked defiantly.

"For now, continue to do what they tell you. Taking missing persons reports, keeping stores and gas stations from being looted, rebuilding communications and transportation systems, whatever." Seeing the look of disappointment on Sam's face, he added teasingly. "What, is that beneath you, kid?"

"No," Sam said quickly. "It's just that I was thinking of rescue missions, supply convoys..."

"The time for those will also come, be patient," the man said. "In the meantime you'll be inside. And if I have any new information, I'll find you."

He began to walk toward the exit of the warehouse, but before disappearing suddenly turned to Sam. "If that's any consolation, the Shelter is built to withstand a direct nuclear hit, and it can easily sustain people for weeks and even months. Daniel made sure of that. The roads are impassable, but I'm pretty sure the shelter itself wasn't damaged."

He disappeared before Sam could respond.

That evening Sam returned to his aunt's house in a most uplifting mood. Arriving a few minutes before curfew, he found all the family members gathered in the living room around the large TV set, which only broadcasted emergency transmissions and disaster updates. Increasing death tolls, names of more and more communities destroyed, missing persons lists, calls for volunteers, aftershock of diminishing intensity but not danger, and the new tsunami warning that was still in effect.

But Sam didn't care about any of these. "I found him!" He called out.

Mark looked at him skeptically. "Who?"

"Michael Kay! Or rather, he found me!"

For a moment, Mark was at a loss for words. Lily, sitting on the big couch with her arms around Dina and Roy, quickly got up. "Did you talk to him? Really? What did he say?!"

"He spoke to Daniel before the lockdown and Daniel told him that everyone who was supposed to arrive had arrived," Sam repeated word for word what he heard from Michael Kay.

"That's good news, isn't it?" Lily asked, giving her husband an "I told you so" look.

"Yeah, much better than I expected," Sam said. He went over to his brother and sister who remained seated on the couch, kneeling in front of them and holding their hands. "Did you hear? Mom and Dad made it to Shelter. Very soon they'll be out of there and back with us. What do you say?"

The two children jumped off the couch on onto at their brother, knocking him down with yells of joy. Lily and Mark looked at each other with a mixture of amusement and concern. They were both well aware that this joy might be premature, but they let their nephews express their joy and relief until Lily exclaimed, "Hey, hey, you know what? This is really good news, and that's cause for celebration!"

The scuffle on the floor stopped and the three looked at their aunt with embarrassed, almost ashamed looks.

"And you know what? It's true that Andy and Luna's party was postponed, but do you know what I was going to make for the party?"

Dina and Roy jumped to their feet. "The special cake!" They exclaimed simultaneously.

It was close to 11pm when Sam finished his shift at the warehouse a few days later and started turning off the lights for closing. Out of the shadows between the shelves, Michael Kay's familiar figure suddenly emerged.

Sam exhaled and muttered: "Damn you! Why do you have to sneak up like that?"

"I have my own reasons," Michael Kay replied with his typical complacency. "Are you alone here? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine," Sam's exasperation gave way to anticipation. "What happened? Where have you been? Any news?"

"Yes," Michael Kay admitted. "I was finally able to make contact."

"Did you talk to them?!"

"No. There was only time for a very short broadcast."

"So?"

"As I told you, the roads have collapsed. Apparently, part of the Shelter's escape route has also collapsed. They sent a homing beacon and a distress signal..."

"What does that mean?"

"It means we know exactly where they are, but..."

"But they can't get out on their own and we can't reach them," Sam completed the sentence. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Not exactly. I told you they can survive for weeks and even months. They have emergency digging equipment. I guess in the next few days they will start to look for a new way out. But once they are out, that's when the real problems will begin."

"Is rescue by land out of the question?"

"We don't know yet. The terrain for a hundreds of miles around seems impassable even for the most state of the art ATVs..."

"What about helicopters?"

"We still don't know if we helicopters can land there. And even if they could, where would we get helicopters and pilots for two hundred people who aren't even supposed to be there?"

"I guess Daniel wasn't prepared for that scenario, huh?" Sam said with a mixture of frustration and irony.

There was a backlash on Michael Kay's tongue, but he changed his mind as his eyes turned to the worn-out topographic map spread out on the table, covered with a protective sheet of plastic. "What is that?" He asked.

Sam shrugged. "Just a leisure project," he said. "I collect maps and satellite images of the disaster area, whatever I can find, and compare them to the ones from before the quake. I can mark the way we used to take to the Shelter, and I know it was close to the epicenter and it collapsed, but every time new information comes out, I try to mark the new terrain. So far I haven't been able to find alternative routs, but... "

He paused, noticing the thoughtful expression on Michael Kay's face. "What's happened? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, kid, on the contrary," Michael Kay's gaze was focused on the map. "It's not bad at all," he finally said with appreciation. "Are you a Geography Major, or what?"

Sam shrugged again. "No, why?"

Michael Kay nodded. "We have some people working on similar projects. It may still come in handy. I'll let you know."

He turned and began to walk toward the door, but Sam's voice calling his name made him stop.

"At some point I will have to explain to my brother and sister that they will never be able to go home. They will never be able to go back to their school and will never see their friends again."

Michael Kay glared at Sam.

"When that moment comes," Sam continued, "when that moment comes... I want to be able to tell them that at least they haven't lost their parents."

Michael Kay hesitated for a moment. "Keep it up," he said at last. "I'll be in touch."

And he left the warehouse.

"So we were finally able to put together a fairly reliable map of the disaster area."

Sam., who was busy working in a dimly lit warehouse late at night, missed a beat at the sound the familiar voice. He could nevrer get used to Michael Kay's annoying habit of surprising him in dark corners.

Michael Key ttook a large sheet of paper out of his pocket. Layed it out on the table, under the work lamp and vontinues as if his his last meeting with Sam didn't take place many days ago. "According to our account, the only option is to get take a ship to the coast here," he pointed to the spot on the map. "And from there to continue on specially adapted ATVs ..."

Sam did not respond, and Michael Kay continued. "It is estimated that the sea voyage will last about a week, but the land voyage will take about two weeks. We will need food, fuel and heavy engineering equipment and supplies not only for the trip there, but also for the way back with 200 survivors. And skilled drivers."

"You can count on me," Sam said simply. "I'm sure my cousins will be glad to join, too. But don't tell me you've already managed to get a big enough ship ..."

"Yes, there is a shipping magnet who owes us a favor and is willing to lend us the only craft big enough to accomodate the engineering equipment, but we had to give him assurances that he would not be required to endanger the ship or his crew. Do you remember Danny Simon and his ATV's? They'll be joining us too... "

"So when do we leave?" That was the only question Sam cared about.

"As soon as I can get in touch with the Shelter again, I'll coordinate with Daniel's rescue point, and with a little luck, I really hope we'll be able to be on our way and back before anyone's the wiser. So be ready, and I'll let you know."

He picked up his map and disappeared into the darkness again.