Part 3
By mid-morning, the residual tension from the fence fight had burned off with the dew. The familiar sparrow dropped out of the oak tree, landing on the grass near the wooden gazebo. It hopped methodically through the clover, snapping its head left and right, scanning for insects.
Mia flattened her belly against the soil, using the broad leaves of a hosta plant as cover. She crept forward, inching her weight onto her front paws. Just as she gathered her hind legs for the final strike, a dried twig snapped sharply under her back foot. The sparrow flared its wings and vanished over the roofline. Mia didn’t even finish the pounce. She watched it go, gave her front legs a long, lazy stretch, and curled up in the cool shade beneath the hosta to wait out the midday heat.
She didn’t sleep long.
The sound that woke her didn’t belong in the woods. It wasn’t the low drone of a neighbor’s riding mower, the bark of a dog, or the rumble of a delivery truck on the gravel road. It was a high, oscillating wail that cut violently through the trees, growing louder by the second. Mia jerked awake and pressed her body flat against the dirt, her ears swiveling toward the road.
A massive, boxy ambulance braked hard at the end of the driveway. Blinding red and blue strobe lights spun frantically across its roof, casting unnatural, jagged shadows against the brick foundation of the cabin and the green leaves of the hydrangeas. Two paramedics in dark navy uniforms jumped out of the cab. One of them pulled a collapsible metal gurney from the back doors, the heavy wheels clattering loudly as they hit the pavement.
They rushed into the house, leaving the front door standing wide open.
From her hiding spot under the leaves, Mia watched without blinking. A few agonizingly long minutes later, the paramedics emerged. The gurney was fully extended now, and Meredith was on it.
Meredith was unconscious. Her face looked like wax against the dark fabric of the stretcher mattress. A clear plastic oxygen mask covered her nose and mouth, connected to a ribbed tube, and the inside of the plastic was fogged with the faint, rhythmic condensation of her breath. One of her arms had slipped off the side of the gurney, her hand swaying lifelessly with the hurried, jostling steps of the paramedics.
They loaded her into the back of the ambulance. The heavy metal doors slammed shut with a concussive thud.
A second later, Vance burst out of the cabin. He looked pale, his movements entirely stripped of their usual calculated composure. He grabbed the front door, yanking it shut, and jammed his heavy ring of keys toward the deadbolt. He missed the slot. The keys scraped against the brass plate. He swore viciously under his breath, his hand shaking, before finally seating the key and violently turning it twice.
He spun around and sprinted for the driveway.
Confused by the chaos and the open door, Mia stepped out from under the hosta leaves onto the concrete walkway. She was looking for Meredith.
Vance nearly tripped over her.
“Get out of the way!” he yelled. He didn’t stop or break stride. He just shoved his heavy leather boot blindly into her side to keep his balance, knocking her hard onto the grass. “I don’t have time for you!”
He didn’t look back to see where she landed. He threw himself into the driver’s seat of his black SUV. The powerful engine roared to life, the wide tires spinning and spitting gravel as he reversed blindly into the street and sped off, chasing the flashing lights of the ambulance.
The wail of the siren faded down the county highway, growing thinner and thinner until it completely dissolved into the hot summer air. A massive, ringing silence fell over the yard, broken only by the steady drone of cicadas.
Mia slowly stood up and walked over to the porch. She carefully sniffed the flagstone. The warm, familiar scent of Meredith was entirely gone, completely overwritten by the sharp, terrifying chemical odors of rubbing alcohol, latex gloves, and fear. There was a handful of dry kibble left in her plastic bowl. She mechanically chewed a few pieces, tasting nothing.
As evening approached, the temperature began to drop. She waited for the deadbolt to click and the door to open, but the house remained silent. Finally, Mia walked across the yard to the gazebo. She climbed onto the old wool blanket, turning in tight circles to hollow out a spot that would hold her body heat. She curled into a tight ball, tucking her nose under her tail, and stared out at the dark, empty windows of the cabin.