Claire froze for a moment. She tried to understand what she was saying. Maybe an animal. Some families keep snakes as pets. – Luong Duyen

—I want you to go to safety.

—I can’t… I can’t make any noise…

The footsteps drew closer.

One step.

Like a hand against the wall.

Emily whispered: faster.

—Dad is angry because… because I found it open…

Claire stopped abruptly at that word.

Open.

—The box? The terrarium?

-Yes…

The footsteps stopped.

And in that silence, Claire heard something that wasn’t Emily’s voice.

A muffled sound.

A kind of breath.

Like air being forced through a large pocket.

Claire couldn’t tell if it was an animal or a man holding his breath.

Then the silence was broken.

The final whistle sounded like a door slamming in someone’s face.

And Claire stared at the screen as if she could reopen it with her eyes.

Four kilometers away, the patrol car turned onto Maplewood Drive.

Daiel caught sight of the house and thought the same thing he always thinks: something dangerous.

It doesn’t look like it.

White excrement.

Well-maintained flower pots.

A plastic water bottle in the garden.

A warm light in the room, as if someone was watching television.

Maria went downstairs first.

His hand moved towards the door.

Daiel headed towards the door.