Rob mused over the stupidity of robbing people while a hurricane was bearing down on everything. It wasn't like there was any place to go that would be made better with a few hundred bucks.

Oh well. He shook his head and guided the car north. He'd always planned to leave his commuter in the garage and take the SUV north with his bug-out trailer. It was a long drive to the mountains, but he'd planned for things going sideways for years. Hurricanes, civil unrest, there was always something that could upset the fragile balance the world had come to live in.

Thirty minutes later he pulled onto the grass alongside his driveway. He'd put the car in the garage after he pulled the SUV and trailer out. There wasn't really a rush...yet. He figured he'd take the time to shower, change, and do the laundry before finishing prepping the house and hooking up the trailer. Most of the neighbourhood had finished covering their windows and battening down the loose bits outside a few days ago. Some people were determined to ride it out, and a few had left for shelters or friends and family upstate.

Rob was well known, both as a veteran and an outdoors enthusiast, so when he started boarding up his place, all of a sudden other people started taking it seriously. If it was time for people like Rob to get out, then the civilians took their cues and started packing up.

Since he wasn't much of one for big TVs and stuff, most of what he valued was already securely packed in the SUV. He tossed on what was in the laundry hamper, and headed for the shower.

An hour later he was doing his final checks of the trailer connections when his neighbour Max walked across the lawn. She looked spooked, which wasn't her normal state.

"Hey there. I thought you were headed out this morning." Rob called out.

"That's what I thought too, but my folks didn't show up and they aren't answering."

"Is that unusual?" Rob asked.

"Any other time, I wouldn't think so, but today? I'd think they would at least leave a message if they were going to be this late."

"Where would they be coming from?"

"Straight down the Interstate and over. It's a pretty straight run up I-75 to their place up across the state line."

"I'm passing near their place on my way north. Do you want to leave them messages and hop in? Either they can wait where they are and we can meet up, or I can drop you off at their place if they've had car trouble or something."

"Really? That would be awesome."

"Well I can't really leave you here hoping that they'll make it down in time for you all to get out safely. Besides, I haven’t had a chance to talk with your dad in awhile, it’ll be good to catch up. Get your stuff and leave them messages anywhere you think they might get them. Is your house shut down?"

“Yeah, sometimes I forget you and him knew each other back before I was born. Everything is done except the gas and power."

"Let's get your stuff loaded and you can message them from the road. The sooner we get out of town, the less likely we are to get stuck in traffic wasting fuel."

Thirty minutes later they were headed for I-75 and hopefully safety further north.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Do we need to stop for anything?" Max asked.

"Unless you have sudden snack food cravings, we should be good for at least a few hours. I've been stocked and ready to go since the first forecasts started seriously comparing Irma to Andrew. Plenty of extra food and fuel in the trailer if we get stuck in traffic for a bit."

"You're not one of those 'prepper' types, are you?" Max asked, making quotes with her fingers while she looked at him like he might be a bit crazy.

Rob chuckled. "Nope, not a crazy prepper type. Just a guy who likes to be self sufficient and have some options open to him. I grew up camping a lot, then the army taught me a lot more. Being prepared comes naturally."

"Okay, I think I can handle a boy scout army guy better than a crazy prepper." She said with a smile.

"Normally the driver picks the tunes, but in this case you can have first dibs, as long as we check in with traffic and weather."

"Are you sure? I might like Norwegian Death Metal, or Japanese string quartets."

"Do they even have those? The Japanese string quartets?"

"I have no idea." She laughed. "But if you're going to go, go all the way."

"Good rule." He chuckled. "So, what'll it be?"

"Well, let's start with some oldies or classic rock. That's middle of the road enough for a bit. Then maybe I'll torture you later." She said impishly.

"Fair enough. It sounds like you're feeling better."

"I'll be a lot better when I know what's up with my folks, but yeah, thanks."

"No worries. We'll stick together until we sort it out."

"I always wanted to ask you. This truck isn't exactly stock, is it? It looks like you're planning on doing some back country camping."

"Yeah, I've made a few improvements and had some work done. It's more efficient, more versatile, and helps turn camping into glamping." He said with a laugh. "I've spent enough nights cold and wet to know that I'd rather not spend any more nights cold and wet. Worst case we can rearrange things and sleep inside, but if it's decent out, the pack on the roof is actually a sleeping platform with foldout tent. They were designed for safaris and adventure travelling, but I like it because it keeps my delicate butt off the cold hard ground."

"Delicate? Yeah, I believe that one." She snorted.

"We used to say, 'Any idiot can be uncomfortable in the field.' and it's even more true when you have access to the wonders of the modern world. I'll take warm and dry."

"On that we are in agreement. Now what's for lunch? I brought sandwiches, and the coffee in the thermoses should still be warm from this morning."

"Well then, serve it up. In the cooler there you'll find snacks and drinks as well. Help yourself."

"Thanks. Any allergies I should be aware of? I wouldn’t want you to stop breathing and die while you’re driving…and I tend to go heavy on the mustard."

"Nope. That sounds good. If we see any coffee shops still open, we might want to stock up on fresh coffee so we don't have to set up the coffee pot until we stop somewhere for a good rest.”

“Why am I not surprised you have a coffee pot in there somewhere?” she waved her hand behind them.