In some ways this is very hard to read (not that that's stopping me). At least Young Sam isn't old enough to understand what's going on; he'd just know that the grownups are upset about something. The afternoon of 9-11, I had to explain to the Younger Daughter, who was just short of 9, why her school was on lockdown, and why her afternoon shows weren't on TV, because the teachers had said absolutely nothing. Good grief, I'm really getting emotionally invested in the story. Well done.

Your balance of horror, tragedy and comedy is excellent, by the way. Unlike Vetinari, I did snigger.