My Husband Cooked Dinner, and Minutes After My Son and I Ate, We Both Collapsed. I Played Dead on the Floor and Heard Him on the Phone: “Soon They’ll Both Be Gone”

“Stay on the line with me, Mrs.

Vance.

Units are on the way to you now.” Her voice was steady, and I held onto the steadiness of it like a rail.

“Is the garage connected to the house?”

“Through the laundry area, yes.”

“If you can get out the back door safely, I want you to head for the tree line and stay low.

Can you do that?”

“We’re going to try,” I said.