Page 81 of Sugarloaf Ridge Lies

I call Liv’s mobile. It goes straight to voicemail.

Fuck.

***

An elderly woman isbeing wheeled into an ambulance when I arrive at the terraces. A clear oxygen mask hugs her pale face. In a daze, two paramedics attend to her as fine ash drifts in the air. I’ve driven down this street every other day the last few months, torturing myself, hoping to catch a glimpse of Liv. Flashing lights, first responders, and gawking bystanders, the street has never been this hectic.

“Let me go!” a woman’s voice splits the air. In a pale pink dressing gown, the woman screams and claws at the fireman’s bulky uniform, her wet brown locks flinging across her face. When he sets her on her feet, her gown clings to her rounded belly.

“Ma’am, you need to calm down,” he says, his voice muffled by his mask. “Please.”

Jesus.

“Liv,” I call out and cough. A sharp chemical smoke burns my eyes and the back of my throat. “I’m here.” My voice cracks as my boots pound the pavement. When I reach her, the fireman tries to stop her entering the building where water from a hose continues to rain down, smoke billowing from the ruins.

“Miss, please. It’s not safe to enter.”

“All I have is in there!” Sobs wrack her body as he guides her towards a neighbouring grassed area on the other side of the yellow and red tape cordoning off the area.

The pop of exploding glass has the fireman shielding her as they distance themselves from the building.

“Is there someone in there, Miss? Persons or animals. I need to know.”

She steps back from the man in uniform and falls to her knees, shaking her head from side to side. A scream rips from her throat.

I rush to her and gently wrap my arm around her shoulder. “It’s okay, Liv. I’ve got you.”

She looks up through red rimmed eyes, her face ashen and speckled with soot. “I’ve lost everything.”

A sharp pain radiates from my chest. Seeing her like this, it’s like taking a sharp tool and carving out my heart.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay.” I haul her into my arms as an ambulance officer hands me a grey blanket. “Is there someone I can call?”

She shakes her head repeatedly and curls in on herself. Tremors seize her body. Is she in shock? I wrap the blanket around her and rub her upper arms.

“There’s no one,” she chokes out.

My voice catches.Does she truly believe she has no one in this moment?

Liv moans. “No one can fix this.”

“I’m here, Liv. You’ve got me.”

I yank my phone from my pocket and call Daynah.

“Jerry—”

“I need help.” My heart pounds up into my throat.

“Of course,” she says matter of fact, as if she can tell from my tone this is serious. “What can I do?”

My brain kicks into survival mode as I fill her in on what’s happened. “Liv needs some clothes. I’m gonna take her back to my place and try get her warmed up. Can you come up later?”

Keys rattle down the line. “I’m on it.”

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