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A medical agent used in combating the effects of radiation poisoning. One would have thought she handed me a million dollars when she gave me the twenty-four doses. To me, it was worth more. She instructed caution in taking too much, stating that a dose should be taken immediately after the attack--half a dose for children. Then another dose should be taken following exposure to radiation, or prior to. End of instructions.
    All three of us had taken our dose with our first meal in the shelter and I had just taken my second dose in preparation to get Matty.
    Sunglasses in hand, I had kissed the boys. I debated in my mind whether to give them the ‘If I don’t return’ speech, but opted against it. I was positive I would return and I would return in one hour. If I failed in getting Matty that try, I would venture out again.
    Turning from the boys to the steps. I froze. We all heard it. A loud ‘bang’ rattled the ceiling as if something above us had fallen.
    “Mom?” Davy whispered out.
    My hand shot to Davy’s mouth covering it, and bodily I rushed into my son, gripping him and Simon then moving them away from the stairs and further into the basement.
    Our eyes all looked to the ceiling and at the shuffling noise. I released Davy and edged my way silently to under the stairs where I kept the shovel. At that moment I wished I would have listened to Burke and had a better means of protection. I didn’t. The shovel was my defense, and with a rapidly beating heart, I grabbed it.
    Someone was definitely upstairs. Was it a looter? A friend? Rescue workers?
    Footsteps.
    I swallowed.
    “Jo!” he called out.
    The shovel dropped from my hand and clunked hard on the ground. “Sam!” I shrieked and dove for the steps. “Down here! We’re down here!” No sooner did I reach the bottom of the stairs, the basement door opened.
    “I’m not alone,” Sam said.
    The awkward, slanted ceiling, inhibited me from seeing Sam entirely. But I did see his black shoes as he stepped through the door. I could barely speak through my excited breaths. “That’s OK, we’ve got room.”
    Sam descended another step. His black work pants were filthy, and as his knees came into view, I could see a blanket or something was draped over him. “Jo, I don’t want to come all the way down. I’m covered. I wanna change. But I wanna give you something.”
    “Sam? What are you talking ... ”
    Sam emerged into view and I stopped speaking and moving. I also swore that I stopped all life functions. Sam was home, but he wasn’t home alone. In his arms tight, covered by a blanket was ... Matty.

    ***

    Dan Leonard worked with Sam at the hotel. In my opinion, Dan was a sleazy, whining, sniveling, pompous princess who I wasn’t really fond of. So how in the world did he end up with Sam at my shelter? His being there broke my firm rule that I’d never let anyone in my shelter that I didn’t like. After all, a nuclear disaster would be tough enough without having to deal with the emotional distress of irritating people.
    But there he was in my basement, devouring a can of potted meat, nibbling on a carrot. Clothes changed, hardly dirty, Dan appeared barely unscathed. That bothered me. However, he did tote with him two large cans of fruit cocktail as a contribution.
    Sam was another story.
    Like me, Sam’s primary focus was on Matty. He too knew she was in school, and made that his goal. He informed me that the school was—for the most part—still intact. The windows were busted, the entranceway, and part of the gymnasium had fallen, but the strong brick structure was stable. He found Matty with ease, but his mission did not stop there.
    Mr. Shep, the principal was indeed alive and in charge of the surviving kids. Over two hundred Sam estimated. All of which huddled in the halls and around the basement of the school. Shep told Sam they received about an eight-minute warning, enough to get the kids below, but not enough for Mike the janitor to bring