This is a short story about the people of the small, mountain town of Arborview under the pressure of isolation and threats when the metropolis down the hill is attacked by terrorists. Martial law and news reports of bio-terrorist events in the city frighten the population normally used to a quiet, rural atmosphere. Some are inclined to take the law into their own hands instead of leaving it to the local sheriff. Others see an opportunity to cash in on selling supplies. Most are just worried about their friends and families in the city. But when a stranger hikes into town from the back road the threat moves them to take action. The stranger shows up all around town observing their nervous preparations to defend themselves and their property. One couple's daughter, impatient with the situation, leaves town down the same back road from which activists expect an invasion. Then their main source of food, the grocery store, catches fire. The church has called for an all town prayer meeting and the whole town is gathered unsuspecting that the stranger has been seen heading that direction.
