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think the network is overloaded,” Ethan said. His voice was taut with thinly veiled frustration. “None of my calls or texts will go through.”
    “All the more reason to stay right where you are,” Cade said. She grabbed her purse and dug through it. She located her own cell phone and flipped it open. Just as Ethan had said, the display read, Searching for network . She frowned and tried turning it off and back on, but that didn’t help. “What should we do?” she asked. She kept her voice low, and she twisted to put her back to Andrew. “Do you think this is bad?”
    “I only know what I see on the news and what I hear on the police scanner,” Ethan said. Cade sucked in a breath and bit her bottom lip hard enough to bruise when she heard just how serious he sounded.
    “And what are you hearing?”
    “I’m hearing a lot of shit that’s telling me that nobody should be out on the streets and that everybody should be getting somewhere safe,” Ethan said. “I’m hearing riots and robberies and lootings and muggings and carjackings and murders and everything else illegal you can think of. All of this has happened within the past hour or two. So yeah, I think it’s pretty bad.”
    Cade glanced at the television again as she digested Ethan’s words. Thankfully, the screen showed only the news anchor speaking solemnly into the camera. Andrew still had his back to her. Cade read the banner at the bottom of the screen again and asked in a hushed voice, “Do you think this is related to that virus outbreak in Atlanta? They had rioting too, you know.”
    “It might be. I don’t know,” Ethan admitted. “One of the symptoms is high fever, and Anna said that that could cause some delirium if it was high enough. That could be what has people acting so crazy. That’s just my theory, though. I’m definitely not a medical expert.”
    “Eth…” Cade glanced at the television again and said hesitantly, “I saw on TV some footage of a couple of guys actually eating a man. Does that sound like just a case of bad fever and delirium to you?”
    A weighty silence fell on the line between them. “ Eating him? ” Ethan finally said. The incredulousness in his voice came through loud and clear on the telephone line. “Are you serious?”
    “As a heart attack,” she said.
    “Fuck,” Ethan breathed out slowly. “This shit is … there are no words. I have no idea what is going on.”
    “I doubt anyone does,” Cade admitted. She looked toward the stairs and then back behind her once again. Andrew still stood behind the sofa, his eyes locked onto the television. “Ethan, I’ve got to go. I think Drew is still feeling jetlagged, and I want to go up and check on Josie.”
    “Call me back when you get the chance,” he said.
    A smile quirked at the corner of Cade’s mouth. “Okay, no problem.” She hung up the phone and let out a breath to steady herself. Then she turned toward the stairs. “Hey, I’m going to go up and check on Josie,” she said to Andrew. He didn’t respond, but Cade shrugged it off as fascination with the news reports and began to climb the stairs.
    The upstairs level was calm and quiet, dark and soothing compared to the brighter lights and noise downstairs. Cade started toward the guest bedroom where Josie slept, but she paused in the doorway to her own bedroom. She stared into the dark room thoughtfully as she considered gathering her important documents, just in case. She finally went inside and opened the top right dresser drawer. She took out a flat yellow manila envelope and made sure that her IDF identification, social security card, and naturalization papers were inside it before she went to the closet door. She took out the black plastic case she’d stored in the back of the closet and set it on the bed, dropping a medium-sized duffel bag and a pile of clothes and other essentials beside it. She smoothed her hand over the rifle case to reassure herself and left it there for ease