A new police officer joins us. “Officer Williams.” She nods at Maya. “You’re with the park, right?”
“Yes. I’m Maya.”
“This . . .” Officer Williams pauses. “We need to get this under control ASAP. Winds are gonna pick up, and we haven’t even hit the eye. Storm surge could be an issue. This one’s moving slow.”
“We’ve got a skeleton staff here,” says Maya as the meerkat attempts to eat her earring. “Early reports say maybe a third of the habitats are damaged or destroyed.” She shakes her head. “We’ve got some injuries, some possible fatalities, too.”
“Human?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Anything loose that could be a . . . you know, problem?”
Maya presses her lips together. “Yep.”
“Such as?”
“A couple Florida panthers. Gray wolves. Python, maybe. Possibly an alligator or two. American alligators, not Chinese.”
“I don’t care if they’re from Canada. If they eat people, we’re in trouble.”
“They don’t. Typically.”
“Typically,” Officer Williams repeats. “Well, that’s reassuring.”
Sara loosens her grip on me ever so slightly. “Maya,” she asks, voice trembling, “have you heard anything on the radio from George and Julia? I keep calling, but the cell towers are down.”
“Nothing yet,” Maya says. “But I’m sure they’re fine.”
“Nearest shelter’s over at Lincoln Elementary,” says Officer Williams. “You could check there.”
Sara frowns. “They were probably here right before the tornado hit.”
“We’re searching the park, ma’am,” says the officer. “We’ll find them if they’re here.”
“Everybody, clear out,” a firefighter with a megaphone yells from a spot near Ivan. “Could be danger of more collapse. We’re working on this last metal beam.”
I look to see if Ivan’s fingers are moving.
Nothing.
“Hold on, Ivan!” I yell.
Nothing.
Sometimes nothing is the worst sound in the world.
Ruby lets out a little elephant cry, and then I realize maybe that’s the worst sound in the world.