"Please tell me you're joking," Duncan said, cradling Courtney's head so as not to disturb her. "You can't seriously think we just happened to be called together to a building with a fallout shelter on the night the country gets attacked. It's too much of a coincidence."

"I'm not saying it's a coincidence. I'm saying that the attack is not fake. Chris isn't behind this, but someone is. And we're gonna find out who."

"Who would want to save us?" Trent asked. "I know we were famous on the show, but that was years ago. Now we're just normal adults. I mean, I for one haven't had any psychotic fans of the show stalking me since college. Why would they go to the effort of finding us all? Why not save more important people, like the government or doctors? If they had the knowledge of this attack for weeks now, why not warn someone who could stop it? And how did they know? Who is this person?"

"I know it's a stretch," Gwen said, "But that doesn't make it impossible. Maybe they know something about us that we don't."

DJ sat down on a bunk and wrapped his arms around his legs. "I wish Chris would come out and tell us we're on hidden camera. Then we wouldn't have to worry."

"That's it!" Leshawna said, "If we turn off the lights, they won't be able to see us. Then they'll have to come out."

Gwen crossed her arms, frowning. "Okay, we'll try it. Someone hit the lights."

"I'll get it!" Izzy sprang into action, roundhouse kicking the light switch next to the door. Darkness drenched the room. Someone shrieked briefly. Then there was silence.

Harold cleared his throat, disrupting the quiet. "So, what do we do now? Do we just sit in the dark?"

"I know what we're doing," Sierra giggled, followed by the sound of the bunk squeaking.

"NO!" half the group yelled, causing them to stop.

"Come on, guys," Sierra laughed, "I was only kidding."

"I propose we all get on a bunk and sit tight," Bridgette said, "We'll just wait this thing out."

There was shuffling as the guests felt their way to the bunks.

"Ow!" Lindsey cried, "I hit my head on the top bunk."

"Here, let me take care of you," replied Tyler's disembodied voice.

When he was situated, Owen flicked on a flashlight and pointed it at people's feet so they could get on the cots more easily.

Suddenly a loud, staticky noise split the air, causing people to jump. Then the static dissolved into a newscaster's voice. "Reports say that the missiles are still falling. No report on how many are dead, but the toll is estimated to be in the thousands."

"Hey, I found the radio!" Izzy cheered from the back left corner.

"Residents of Canada are advised to stay inside, regardless of where you are. With so many missiles still in the air and no confirmed count of how many are yet to come, nowhere is safe. Remain in your homes and shelters. God help us all."

"This is very elaborate, Chris," Duncan said loudly. "We're all impressed by the depth of your dedication to the show. But you can come out now."

"Owen, that sounds like Ned Turner," Noah whispered, referring to the radio voice.

Owen swallowed. "I know. He's the usual reporter for Channel Five News. Which means this is no game."

"Well, I'm pretty beat from all this excitement," Geoff said. "I think I'm going to turn in early."

"I'm right behind you." Bridgette said. "Izzy, leave the radio on. We'll listen for updates throughout the night."

"Okie dokie!"

One by one, the former contestants fell asleep, the sound of the radio trailing through their dreams like an old balloon on a lazy day.

Noah woke up the next day before anyone else. He had slept more easily than he'd expected. Owen was to thank for that, he reasoned. Being snuggled up against the big guy always put his nerves at ease. It was probably one of the reasons they had hit it off so well. Owen was comfortable while also being fun. There was never a dull moment with him.

Noah looked up into his husband's sleeping face. So peaceful, like he hadn't a care in the world. He leaned over and kissed him before sitting up carefully and surveying the room. His eyes had adjusted to the dark enough that he could count all the bodies lying in the bunks. No one but Izzy had taken a top bunk. Scanning the rows of beds, he determined that all were accounted for and lay back down beside Owen.

After thirty minutes of lying quietly, the news reporter caught his attention. "The airstrike has stopped for the time being. It is unclear whether this signifies an end to the attack or not. But what we do know is that the missiles are not atomic. Again, there is no cause to fear radiation poisoning, unless you live near a nuclear power plant that was struck. Such cities include..."

"Did you hear that?" someone across the room whispered. "No radiation. We can go outside if we want."

"I heard, princess. We'll tell the others when they wake up. For now, lets enjoy our quiet time."

"You're awful," the first protested, but the sound of kissing that followed betrayed her words.

Noah smirked to himself. 'So Courtney and Duncan thought they could hide their relationship from everyone? We'll see about that.'

It wasn't long before everybody was awake. Owen grinned at Noah and pulled him against his chest, hugging him languidly. "Sleep good?"

"Yep. And you?" Owen nodded. Noah decided now was the time to confide in him. "The radio said that the missiles had stopped falling. It also said they weren't nuclear, so we should be safe whenever we leave."

"Awesome! Let's tell the others."

Noah raised his hand to stop him when the steel vault door clicked open, immersing the room in light.

"Hey, the door's open," Bridgette said, getting up to investigate. "Does this mean we can come out now?"

Then Courtney shared the news about the missiles with everyone. Then she said, "Let's gather all the supplies we can, in case we need them. We don't want to get locked out of here with nothing to eat."

The others agreed and began stuffing food and supplies into the large pile of backpacks stacked in the corner of the supply closet. When they had finished packing, there were enough bags for everyone with one extra left over.

"I'll carry it," Owen volunteered. "This must have been meant for Eva. It can be our communal extra now."

"Izzy, bring the radio," Gwen directed, "We may need it later."

"Roger that, Tango One!" Izzy grabbed the portable device and did a backflip over the heads of her friends. Scrambling up the hallway, she disappeared from their sight.

"Great," Heather grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest, "Same psycho Izzy."

"And same nasty Heather," Beth snapped back.

"I'm pregnant, you moron," she replied, "I'm normally a lot less cranky. But I haven't eaten yet, and I've got another person taking up most of my energy anyway."

"Heather, darling, calm down," Alejandro cautioned, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Eat a Cliff Bar. I packed one just in case." He fished the candy bar out of his pocket and handed it to her.

Heather tore open the wrappings and gobbled it down. Then she offered her husband a shallow smile. "Thanks, love. You always know how to take care of me."

"OMG," Sadie whispered to Katie, "Heather said 'thank you.' That's so out-of-character."

When the procession stumbled out of the underground hallway, they stopped in their tracks. The rubble of the building around them gave them insight into the catastrophe that awaited them outside these toppled walls. Couples pressed in closer to each other, leaving the few unpaired members to comfort themselves. Izzy seemed not to mind – she never had the attention span to worry about that sort of thing. Justin and DJ, however, immediately felt the harsh sting of being single, remembering their disdain at the women who jilted them. Even Duncan and Courtney, who had been at each other's throats, still found comfort in each other's arms. Gwen and Trent, of course, walked through the wreckage hand-in-hand.

"Come on, guys!" Izzy called from what remained of the front entrance. "It looks like Mother Nature had a party and got smashed last night!"

"Stay close to me, Sierra," Cody said as they followed the rest through the doorway.

"I always do."

The parking lot lay in shambles, cars smashed and flipped and piled atop each other. But this small plot was merely a glimpse of the devastation that lay beyond, for the surrounding cities had suffered much worse.

Owen lifted Noah onto his shoulders. "What do you see?"

Noah gulped, taking in the ruins of the city. "Well, there's certainly room for improvement."

"That bad?"

"It's destroyed. A whole section on the west end is smoking. We should probably avoid that area."

"What looks the safest?"

Noah studied the city from his vantage point. "The Hill is the least destroyed. But it'll be a den of robbers. You know that'll be the first place that gets looted. I'd go with north-side. They're not too beat up, and there will be less people. Not to mention the pickings are greater."

"You heard the man," Owen said as he lowered his husband. "We're going north. It's only a few miles away, and it shouldn't be overcrowded like the Hill."

"And how do you propose we get there?" Heather asked, tucking an arm under her protruding abdomen.

"We walk," Noah said, "If you can find a working car, by all means take it. We'll need everything we can salvage if we're going to survive."

"Gwen and I will look through the wreckage for any working cars," Courtney volunteered, taking the other girl's hand. Gwen seemed a tad surprised, but did not protest the team-up.

"They're already picking teams," Justin mumbled to DJ. "I suggest you and I form an alliance."

"Alliance? This isn't a game, Justin. This is real life."

"Hey man, I'm just trying to help you out. We're at an obvious disadvantage with our status as single. It would be wise to have someone to cover your back."

"Well, when you put it like that," DJ said, hesitant. He sighed. "I guess you're right. I'll be your ally."

Justin grinned, then walked off toward the cars. "I'll look too," he shouted to the group. "Heather, you can ride in my car."

DJ glanced nervously at him before following.

Heather smirked at Alejandro. "Either Justin has become a really considerate guy, or he wants to get on my good side."

"And mine," he added. "You help my wife, you get my gratitude."

"We're both pretty important members on a team. Even with me pregnant, I can do some serious damage. I'm also a top-notch survivor."

"I know, little lamb. I've lived with you for a long time." He kissed her on the forehead, smoothing her hair.

When Owen was confident enough that no one else could overhear him, he asked Noah, "The house. Did you see it?"

Noah nodded, but his expression was what Owen needed. "It's intact. But it's so far away. I don't know if it's big enough to house this many people."

"We've gotta take them somewhere. The house is our best option. These are our friends we're taking about."

Noah averted his eyes. "Your friends. I don't owe these people anything." He sighed, took a breath, and met Owen's stare. "But for you, I will allow it. Just don't expect me to be overly sociable."

Owen smiled. "I never would."

After an hour of debris removal, the gang managed to salvage four cars from the mess: Sierra's seven-seat SUV, Owen's blue sedan, Trent's full-size van, and Harold's truck.

"This van says 'Children's Happy Palace' on the side," Geoff said.

Trent scratched the back of his neck self-consciously. "I work at a daycare to make ends meet."

"That's cool, man," Geoff said, "If you didn't, we'd be out of luck."

"I call shotgun," Gwen smiled, prying open the passenger door.

"We're following you, Owen," Trent said, sliding into the front seat. "All aboard."

Geoff, Bridgette, Beth, Brady, Lindsay, Tyler, Courtney and Duncan piled into the van. Heather, Alejandro, Cody, DJ and Justin hitched a ride with Sierra. Leshawna and Harold took their own truck. That left Katie, Sadie and Izzy to ride in the lead car with Noah and Owen.

"Alright, let's go," Owen said.