I dropped the receiver back onto its cradle.

“Emma, get the boys,” Blake said, his voice low and tight in the dark.

I moved through the shadow of the dining room toward the stairs.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I climbed the steps in the blackness.

I found the boys’ bedroom door and slipped inside.

Leo, Toby, and Sam were sitting up in their beds, their eyes wide in the faint moonlight coming through the window.

“Mom?” Leo whispered, his voice trembling.

“Put your shoes on right now,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

“Is the power out?” Sam asked, reaching for his sneakers.

“Yes, but we are going for a walk,” I said.

I grabbed three jackets from the closet and handed them out.

Downstairs, the sound of the front lock clicking open echoed through the quiet house.

I pulled the boys into the hallway and guided them toward the back staircase that led to the pantry.

In the kitchen, Blake was standing near the window, his silhouette dark against the glass.

Clara was right behind him, holding a heavy iron skillet from the stove.