When Collin returned, Max had his head halfway inside the base of the transmitter. "How can you concentrate? All I can think of is Beth."

Max paused in his work just long enough to choose a smaller wrench, "My wife is smart, and she'll take care of Beth and the boys. Besides, Dad packed an earthquake kit in the trunk of the car. They've got water, food and medical supplies. If they can get to the car, they can make it another three or four days."

"If ... they can get to the car."

"Yes." Max sighed and turned his attention back to the transmitter. "And if we can get on the air, maybe we can tell them we're alive. They're probably just as worried about us as we are about them. Go to the window and see if the towers are still up. Okay?"

Collin nodded and obeyed. Outside, more men and women were gathered at the collapsed apartment building feverishly digging for survivors. The bodies of two men lay side-by-side in the street and three injured people huddled on a neighboring yard. Cautiously, he leaned out the window and looked left. He saw no towers. In fact, on a street once lined with a multitude of houses, he saw only the remains of three which were severely damaged buildings and the roof of a forth. Straining, he leaned out just a little farther to get a better look across Queen Anne Avenue North. Suddenly he gasped, "The hill slid!"