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report. May 10th. Is anyone there? Over.”
    The entire room spun around as if to zoom my focus on the radio. “Oh, shit.” My heart thumped and I lost my breath. “Craig.” I leapt forward, nearly losing my balance and flew to the radio.
    Davy raced over and arrived at the same time as me. “Craig?” he asked.
    “Craig.” I swept up the microphone, darted a kiss to Simon’s cheek, and pressed the button. “Craig. Craig. Come in. Craig. Oh my God.”
    Silence.
    A pause.
    “Jo?”
    Craig muttered something after the call of my name, what it was, I hadn’t a clue, because we all screamed at that moment. Even Simon, and he didn’t know why he was excited, he just was.
    “Craig, oh, my God.”
    “Jo, I thought something happened to you,” Craig said.
    “I thought something happened to you, too.” I chuckled.
    “Are you just getting your radio up?” Craig asked.
    “No. We had it up since the day before yesterday. Where have you been?”
    “Me? You? If you had the radio up, why didn’t you call out? Respond? Anything.”
    “I did. I was gonna ask you the same thing. Craig, come on.” I sounded so teacher-like. “You know the routine. Call out every hour, but on the hour.”
    “I have been, Jo.”
    Sarcastically, I snickered. “Then you need to know how to tell time. It’s twenty after one.”
    “No, it’s not.”
    “Yeah, it is.” I argued. “I know. Did your watch stop?”
    “Yes, but you’re forgetting, I carry that wind-up in my emergency car pack. I wind it every day, Jo. It never stopped telling time. It’s One o’clock on the nose. Well, One minute after now.”
    “Shit.” I had to laugh at myself. Really, I should have known. Why in the world would I argue with Craig? Of course him of all people would have the exact time. “Craig? Where are you?”
    “I was on my way to work, when the warnings came. I pulled over immediately and ran into the first house I could. I’m in Belton.”
    Belton was fourteen miles east of the city.
    “Wait. Craig, was anyone home?”
    “Bruce, the owner. How about you? Are you alone?”
    “No, Davy and Simon are here.”
    “Nicky ... Nicky didn’t go there, did she? I know she doesn’t work far from you.” Craig asked.
    “No. She didn’t come here.”
    “Then I have to come back down that way. I took the car battery from my car, so it should run. I’ll give it a few more days. I want to see if the levels drop.”
    “Craig, are you taking readings?”
    “Twice a day.”
    “How?” I questioned.
    “I’ve been going out.”
    “Craig, that’s dangerous.”
    “Nah. I’m fine.” Craig said. “I waited until the second day because I knew I could head out. And I was only out there a minute or so.”
    “What are the levels?”
    “Thirty rads.”
    “Shit. I wanted to try to go get Matty today. She was at school. I need to see if she’s fine.”
    “It shouldn’t take you too long, right? If you promise yourself no more than an hour, you’ll be fine. Give it four more hours, until the sun’s not as strong.”
    I nodded as if he could see me. “I’m gonna do that.”
    “Let me know.” Craig said.
    “Oh, I will.”
    “Have you heard from anyone else? Anyone?”
    “No one.” I answered sadly then hesitated. “Craig, do you know if it’s just us and a few cities or if it’s all over?”
    “I wish I had that information,” Craig replied. “But ... ” Then he gave the stock statement that I, myself, had thought and said so much. “I just don’t know.”
    “I guess we’ll find out. We’d better end this.”
    “Yeah. I want to do my report, then I’ll turn off.”
    “I’m glad you’re out there, Craig. Do your report.” A sense of relief befell me as I placed down the microphone. I pulled Davy and Simon closer to me, and we stared at the radio. Reaching to turn it off, I waited. Craig was speaking.
    “Cycle three. Hourly report. This is Craig Roman in Belton, PA. Reporting to anyone who is listening.” Craig sounded