I was already back in the farmhouse's basement when the alarm wailed to life at midnight.
"A severe cold snap. Temperatures will drop immediately. All residents must stay inside your homes—do not go outside."
A frantic female voice blared this warning on loop from the basement radio. I just hit the mute button.
The farmhouse sat on an abandoned farm north of the interstate, and I left the above-ground structure exactly as it was: run-down and derelict, with the original cracked exterior walls and rusted tin roof left completely untouched.
Below ground lay a renovated old wine cellar, its entrance hidden behind the kitchen pantry.
The walls were layered with extra insulation and a waterproof membrane, and a diesel heater kept the temperature steady at seventy degrees Fahrenheit.
Shelv
