At first, Gwuarden was everything I hoped it would be for us. The climate was perfect and tropical- it never got hotter than eighty degrees or colder than fifty. The scenery was even better than what I remembered from my trips to the tropics on Earth. There were lush greenery and forest-covered mountains as far as the eye could see. We began to plant all sorts of crops on our plot of land and soon all of the meals I was making consisted of fruits and vegetables from our own garden.

At the end of the day, we would take long walks in the forest, walking hand in hand. We would listen to the sounds of exotic birds and use the guide book that had been given to us in order to identify them. There were no poisonous or venomous animals on the entire planet, so we didn't have to worry about much. Our neighbors were really great as well. Most of them were older families of humans that had moved there to retire. There were also a few families from other parts of the universe. The market in town was run by a kind family of Langmilians who had been rewarded for similar acts of bravery to our own. Everyone waved as you walked by and always made time to chat and exchange pleasantries.

Our love life could not have been better. After a long walk in the forest, we would go back to the hover house for a home-cooked meal. Then, we would take a blanket with us and walk hand in hand down to the beach. We would talk for hours as we sat and listened to the waves coming in. Then, we would lay together, mind-meld and make love without any concerns about privacy. It was a private beach, and everyone in the community made it their business to respect everyone else’s privacy.

All of this lasted for about two months. That’s when Yahn’s strange behavior began. At first, he woke up in the middle of the night, in cold sweat. His heart was beating fast and he was struggling to catch his breath.

“What is it, my love?” I asked him.

“Just a nightmare. At least, that’s what I hope it is.”

“What happened in your dream?”

“We were running and the forest around us was on fire,” he said, catching his breath.

“Well, forest fires happen, even in a paradise like Gwuarden. Besides, has every nightmare that you’ve ever had turned out to be something that happens in real life?” I inquired.

"No, but, many of the events I dream about do come to happen. Also, I had the distinct feeling that what was happening in the dream was not a natural fire, caused by lightning or something like that. It was set intentionally. I am certain of that much," he shared.

"Well, it's over now. Let's try and get back to sleep." I kissed his head and held him tightly until he fell back asleep again.

Things were fine for a few days, but then, Yahn had another dream. He woke up early in the morning and began packing up and down on the floor.

“Yahn, what’s happened now?” I asked.

“The dream returned. This time, the forest was on fire and I could hear the sound of people screaming. There was an attack taking place. I couldn’t see who was attacking the settlement, but I could hear everything. You and I were hiding. That’s what we need. A safe place to go to.”

“Yahn, I’m not sure that there is any place safer than Gwuarden. I know I’ve never felt more secure in all of my life,” I pointed out.

“No, that’s not what I mean. What we need is a shelter, a hidden shelter where we can hunker down if we need to. A place that is stocked with water and supplies in case we need to stay there for quite a long time.” I had heard about males becoming obsessed with this sort of preparation, so I did not stand in Yahn’s way. I figured that if building a shelter put him more at ease, I would let him do what he needed to do.

He began by digging a tunnel, just wide enough for two people to walk through. He would wake up early in the morning and begin working on the tunnel. I offered to help him, but he said I should keep focused on maintaining the food supply and taking care of the garden. The neighbors would sometimes stop by and ask what Yahn was working on. One morning, Mrs. Martha Hopkins, a retired nurse from Milwaukee stopped by on her way to the market.

“What’s Yahn working on so intently?” Mrs. Hopkins asked.

“Oh, he’s digging a passageway so that we could escape the house in case of an emergency,” I said with a smile.

“I see. Is there any reason to suspect that we are in some sort of danger?” Her expression showed her concern.

“No, it’s just an emergency measure. That’s all,” I reassured her.

“Ok, have a great day, Jessie,” she said with a smile.

"Thank you, you too, Mrs. Hopkins," I said. I knew that Yahn's activities were the talk of the settlement, but I didn't discourage Yahn from his activities. After a couple of weeks, the tunnel was complete. It came out a couple of miles to the south in the middle of the jungle, property that we owned. Next, Yahn set about constructing an underground shelter. He ordered two large shipping containers and had a large hole dug out of the ground in a clearing in the jungle. The containers were then lowered into the ground and joined together. Next, Yahn started putting in doors and a huge store room where water and food supplies could be kept. I would come and check up on him, bringing him water and lunch, and trying to keep things as light-hearted as I could. Deep down, however, I knew that something wasn't right, although I couldn't quite put my finger on it at that point.

“Mr. Johnson wants to know if you’re digging for gold,” I joked.

Yahn looked up at me with a serious glance and took a sip of water. “This is totally serious. Believe me, I wouldn’t’ be going through all of this trouble if I didn’t think we needed this,” he said.

“I know, dear. I just miss our walks on the beach and our hikes through the forest. Ever since you began this work, we haven’t had as much time for those things,” I pointed out.

“Listen, Jessie, do you really want to be unprepared when something happens? We could be invaded, we could be in a crisis situation overnight, and we have to be prepared. The activities that you are worried about are frivolous compared with survival,” he scoffed. I was hurt, but I didn’t say anything. I just put down the food and water that I had brought for him and turned to go back to the house.

“Jessie, wait!” He called after me. I turned around and he saw the tears in my eyes. “I’m sorry. I know that I’ve been spending a lot of time on this shelter, but you have to believe me. We need to begin making preparations.”

"Ok,” I said, simply and kissed him. I took a deep breath and went to work in the garden, planting cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and greens. The garden was my sanctuary. I would spend hours tending to it and trying to put Yahn's premonitions out of my mind. However, the nightmares did not cease.

A couple of nights later, Yahn, sat straight up. His heart was racing and he struggled to catch his breath.

"I heard the sound of gunfire. They were invading the settlement. They were killing people indiscriminately. Everyone was fleeing in terror. Oh, Jessie, it was so awful," he stated. I put my arms around him and kissed him.

“It’s ok, you’re here with me, now. Nothing has happened. We are safe.”

“Safe for the time being, but how long will that last? I need to get back to work. The shelter is almost finished. It needs to be stocked with water and food. Will you help me?” he asked in a panicked voice.

“Yes, sure I will. Let me get dressed and we will get started,” I assured him. We began to put fruits and vegetables in jars for storage. We also began to fill large containers with water. We made several trips back and forth to the shelter, and soon it began to fill up with supplies.

"That should keep us stocked up for several months if need be. Now we have to make sure that a security and a defense system are in place. If we are invaded, we need to be able to keep the invaders from entering the shelter at all costs."

“Yahn, isn’t that enough for today? The shelter is completely stocked with supplies. We haven’t done anything romantic or relaxing in days. Can’t we take a break now?” I implored.

"No, we cannot take a break! The invasion could happen tomorrow and then we would leave ourselves vulnerable to the onslaught. You can go and have your walk in the woods if you want, but I am going to stay here until the task at hand is finished. Do you understand me?" Yahn had never talked like this to me before. I was angry and hurt. I threw down the pack that I had been using to transport the jars of food.

"Fine, you keep on building your doomsday shelter. I'm going home. When you decide that you want to act civilized, you can return to our home as well, but if you're going to talk to me like that, I just assume you can stay here!" I yelled.

"Fine, that is just what I'll do!" He snapped back. I practically ran down the tunnel to get away from him. As I walked, the tears began to flow down my cheeks. We had almost never fought before. Yahn seemed like a completely different being from the one I fell in love with. I went home and poured myself a glass of wine. I realized that I hadn't gotten any news of the outside universe in days, so I switched on the virtual reality player.

I got in the middle of a confused scene outside of a high-tech security prison. There was a reporter there talking to military police.

“About what time did you notice that Demarin was missing from his cell?” The reporter asked one of the policemen.

“About twelve P.M. We still aren’t sure exactly how he did it, but one thing is for sure, Demarin has escaped and is somewhere at large. We have several men on the case, searching the immediate area. Of course, he could be long gone by now if there was an escape vessel used, something we suspect that might have happened. Therefore, we are putting the entire nation on high alert. This Sarceastian is highly dangerous,” the cop pointed out.

"Thank you, Officer Daniels. As you can see, this is quite a serious situation, indeed. This is the first time that anyone has escaped from this facility. Not only is each prisoner kept behind bars, but also all of their movements are carefully monitored at all times by heavily armed guards. The outside of the facility is heavily guarded as well. This is truly a frightening and baffling situation. We will bring more news to you about this developing story as it becomes available," The reporter stated. I turned off the virtual reality player and ran down to the tunnel. I didn't stop running until I came to the shelter. I banged on the door multiple times until Yahn finally answered the door.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Yahn, Demarin Goldarn has escaped from prison!”