But desperation colliding with fear could spell tragedy. Police set traps with meat, loaded tranquilizer darts, and primed rifles. Crowds gathered at barricades, whispering prayers and curses alike. And Sahara, unaware of the storm gathering against her, slipped through the maze of human streets, heart hammering with one instinct: find her sibling.
At dawn, helicopters chopped the sky, their searchlights sweeping rooftops and alleys. Residents filmed from balconies, catching fleeting shadows that may or may not have been Sahara. The noise unsettled her, ears twitching with every thunderous blade. She darted into a drainage tunnel, heart pounding, the world vibrating above her.