Cereal Killer by Diana Orgain

Author:Diana Orgain
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Diana Orgain

Chapter 15

I ran for it, desperate to stay ahead of the flames, bolting down the gravel path at a speed I hadn’t known I could attain this heavily pregnant.

Then, ahead of me, I saw the fire truck, its flaring red lights almost lost amid the eerie orange flames.

Just get to the truck, I told myself.

A stray spark hit my arm, and I yelped and nearly dropped the bucket. Almost there . . .

A firefighter jumped off the truck and ran toward me. I met him halfway to the truck, and he reached to take the bucket. I gladly handed off my burden and continued my mad dash, the firefighter jogging at my side. The heat receded, and when I reached the truck, I turned around, breath heaving. Gray dots flickered around the edges of my vision.

The firefighter pulled off his mask and offered me some oxygen. “You all right, ma’am?”

I took a few long breaths of pure, sweet air. “Yes,” I said in a trembling voice. “Just barely.”

He glanced down at the bucket and laughed aloud. “A . . . squirrel? You almost got caught in a wildfire to save a squirrel?”

Jim will read me the riot act when he finds out. But I just stared at the firefighter defiantly.

“Squirrel babies,” I said. “The mama squirrel asked me to help, and . . .” I rested a hand on my baby bump. “From one mom to another, I couldn’t leave them to roast.”

He gave the bucket back to me, his lips twitching in amusement. “You all right to go the rest of the way to the main house? You’re not going to stop to save a family of possums this time?”

I managed a wry chuckle.

He continued, “Your friends are probably there already. We have the fire surrounded, but we’re going to have you guys evacuate to town to be safe.”

“Yes,” I said, gripping the bucket handle in both hands. “I have it. Thanks for coming out.”

He tipped his hat. “Just doing my job, ma’am.”

I stumbled off toward the house, my feet scuffing against the gravel.

Oof. My free hand drifted to my head. I felt vaguely dizzy. The mama squirrel chittered at me and leaped up onto the rim.

“You’re welcome,” I replied, studying her puffed-out tail. “How about a ride into town to find a wildlife rehabilitator? Would that be okay? I don’t like the idea of leaving you and the little ones here when we evacuate.”

She chattered something that sounded like agreement, then leaped down to the nest to see to her babies.

“That’s right—I did not go to all that trouble to save you just to leave you this close to the fire.”

Though I knew she couldn’t understand English, of course, I felt sure she knew that I wanted to keep her safe.

My lungs burned, and a coughing fit racked my body. I set down the bucket and focused on staying upright as my lungs tried to expel the smoke. When I caught my breath again, I snatched up the bucket and pressed on.

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