"Hey, kiddo. Heard there was a storm over there. You okay?"
"Uh huh." Sammy sniffed and rubbed his pajama sleeve across his nose. "When are you and Dad coming back?"
"I'm dunno." Dean's voice lowered. "Couple days. You got enough food, right?"
"Yeah."
"And you're staying inside?"
"Yeah." The six-year-old heard his father's deep voice beyond Dean and his brother said quickly, "Gotta go. I'll call tomorrow."
Sammy started to answer, but the dial tone cut him off.
Mouth trembling, he hung up the phone, then burrowed back under the covers, the storm outside a rumbling counterpoint to his sobs.
