Page 1 of Collected By the Crow

Chapter One

Cassandra

“Don’t worry, Zero. I’ll be back soon. Maybe today’s the day, huh, buddy?” Cass cooed to her Australian Shepherd, her best friend and her only real family. Zero meekly raised his head, floppy tongue lolling out for a goodbye lick. “I love you too, goofball.”

Her red hatchback sputtered as it kicked into gear. She sped to the lab and parked haphazardly. She was always in a hurry to get to work. Not because she loved her job, but because the work she was doing was important. Important enough that their typically thin budget had stretched infinitely. Too many families were being forced to say their final goodbyes because of Canine X-3, a vicious disease borne from ticks and passed by nearly any means imaginable, including human carriers. Cassandra was working to end to the pandemic.

The weight of responsibility was heavier than ever. Lately it felt like she was both numb and on fire at all times. Her team was the only pathologist crew in Nebraska working exclusively on Canine X-3 around the clock. They collaborated with teams in other states, as well as epidemiologists and various specialists from other fields, but if treatment was discovered outside of her lab, it might be too late.

Zero’s time was running thin. Canine X-3 was a long, slow disease, with more lethargy than pain, which left space for hope.

With her station set up, she crossed the room to pull out her tray of samples. At first glance, they appeared as though nothing had changed, but that didn’t phase her. Patience was easy while she was so numb, plus she was confident in her capabilities. She’d fought tooth and nail to get here, and she had the scars and stretch marks to prove it. The extra years of school and the fallout with her family had broken her. She’d shed her identity and redefined herself again and again to get this far. Once when her parents ghosted her. Once when her depression returned in full swing. Once when she and her ex decided to go back to being friends. Once when she decided to go back to school for pathology, only to get so depressed a few years in that she could do nothing but binge and cry, ultimately pushing graduation out an extra year.

She’d lived through all those challenges. More than that, she now proudly thrived as second to the head of her department because of those experiences. She would survive this one, too. And by fucking god, Zero would be right by her side.

A crisp breeze sent leaves scuttling outside the window. The tip of her nose tingled. Shouldn’t the vents be blowing warm air? She glanced toward them and noticed the wide open window.

If she hadn’t caught that oversight, it could have disrupted her work. She slipped off her gloves. The moment she reached for the window, she was assaulted by a flurry of dark, squawking wings. The wild animal rapidly changed course, retreating back through the window and soaring into a tree. She latched the window with a frustrated huff, donned a new pair of gloves, and rounded her workstation again.

A red envelope sealed with blood-red wax lay on her stool. Cass glanced around the room. Empty. She checked the hall. No one.

“What the fuck is going on this morning?”

She slipped her finger through the wax and released the postcard-sized note inside.

I have the answers you seek.

All I request in return is anonymity.

Agree to assume responsibility, and the formula is yours.

Seriously, what the hell?

Regardless of how shady the letter was, it was tempting. Naturally, she had lots of questions. Why would someone claim to have the formula, but not want to come forward? What would they gain? Was it some kind of scam? They could’ve at least sent an email. Creepy.

Best to ignore the weird offer and get to work. This peculiar day was already slipping by too quickly. Besides, she wouldn’t add plagiarism to her repertoire. That wasn’t how she’d gotten this far.

She worked alone for hours until her colleagues began to show up. No words were exchanged past pleasantries delivered with grave faces. By the end of the day, her shoulders were so hunched it cracked her back to stand straight, her soul bruised after another wasted day.

Autumn’s tapestry of reds and yellows blurred outside her window through unshed tears. Splat. A black-and-white pellet of bird shit smacked her windshield.

“Oh, come on!”

She leaned close to the wheel for a better look. Those damn crows had shown up a couple weeks ago, hanging out around her house and the lab. Didn’t crows spend the cold seasons in one place? It was barely the middle of September, so she had a long winter of fat bird poops ahead. Add it to the growing list of crappy things that were out of her control. Pun intended.

There was no thump, thump of Zero’s tail that greeted her. He was beneath the coffee table, sleeping like a cat.

“Hey, buddy. Let me change, then I’ll read to you, okay?”

After some thorough scratchies, she led him to the bedroom and put on her comfy night T-shirt. With long days in the lab, she pretty much slept, worked, read a bedtime story, and repeat. In all honesty, that wasn’t much different than before Canine-X3. Work was dependable, steady, something she could count on. She was damn good at her job and she knew it, even if it was getting harder to remember that lately.

She’d been reading to Zero every night since liberating him from the shelter. Tonight, she was on the last book in her current favorite series, Scales and Handcuffs, about a dragon and a human woman finding love and fighting crime. She’d picked it up for the stunning cover, but the story was so beautiful that the author had quickly become a one-click buy. The amount of love between the main characters was so electric, Cass could almost pretend she was a part of it.

The filthy yet poetic words of a love scene made her giggle as she read them aloud. Zero’s soft breathing steadily evened as he fell asleep. Cass drifted off soon after, her book slumping over her chest.

In the morning, she woke to eager licks from her chin to her forehead. Months ago, she might’ve found this wake-up call mildly irritating. Today, she was glad for proof that Zero still had spirit.

At the lab that day, Cass checked the window before pulling out her supplies. Shut. She locked it, just in case. A crow flew to the ledge, cocked its head to and fro, and leered at her with its beady black marbles.

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