2020 - Emergency Exit (Book 1 of the 2020 Trilogy) My wife, Sophie, lost her life four years ago. If she hadn't, we'd both be dead now. It's as simple as that, but also far more complicated. The cool October day was typical for autumn in the Midwest-a little sun, a little rain, a little wind. My parents, our kids, and their friends had gathered at my lakeside cabin to celebrate and honor Sophie...It was truly a great-stress-free-day. And then suddenly it wasn't. Everything changed on the evening drive into town. Everyone-everywhere-was dead. Animals too. There was no destruction. Just...death. Absolute death. The cause was unknown until we fled back to the cabin and caught the coded message on the radio-a chemical attack. A what? In northern Minnesota? In America? How did we not know about this? How did we survive? Was anyone else alive? Anywhere? The extent of the contamination-the devastation-was largely unknown. The exact perpetrators were also unclear. But as terrible and incomprehensible a reality as that was, the message indicated it was about to get even worse. An army was coming. Maybe even several. I wanted to laugh, to cry. I wanted to do anything but face what we'd just seen. I looked at my dad, my son-Danny-and his best friend...the only ones in our group with any preparation for something like this. I glanced at the newest issue of "The Survivalist" magazine on the coffee table. I'd subscribed as a joke. It was humorous reading at the time. I might actually need it now. This was real. Far too real. And unreal. Somehow-some way-the nine of us were supposed to try to get to Hawaii-the last safe place in America. I did laugh then. And maybe even cried. Hawaii? From Minnesota? Glancing around the room that night, though, I knew for certain we didn't have a choice. The only way for any of us to live was to leave. *****