Homeless

Chapter Thirteen

Katie screams for her mom. The crowd around Gary’s truck stops yelling and arguing and turns to look across the tracks. Sunita tells them to stay back. She grabs their shirts and pulls them behind her. Jamie’s mom starts to run toward them, but two men stop her. The police officer orders everyone to stay where they are, walking slowly toward the rail bed. He puts a hand on his gun.

The raccoon steps closer and glares at Sunita with poisonous yellow eyes. This is what full-blown rabies looks like. The disease infected the raccoon’s brain, and it’s not afraid of anything. All it wants to do is attack. Jamie starts to struggle to get free, but Sunita tells him not to move. Sunita says the raccoon is too close. If they try to run, it’ll catch them. The train whistle blows in the distance. In a minute it’s going to cut them off from their escape route. Sunita has to think fast.

Sunita reaches behind her to the open door to the boxcar and fumbles for something—anything—she can use to protect them. She feels small bits of something that feels like cat food. Maybe she can throw it at the raccoon and they can run.

Underneath the boxcar, Mittens meows in pain. The raccoon’s eyes dart around, then stops. He sees Mittens lying just beneath Sunita’s ankles. He takes another step toward them. Just then, the long train to Philadelphia roars past. Dust swirls everywhere. Sunita squints and blinks her eyes.

Sunita throws the cat food at the raccoon and it lands behind him. Three stray cats rush out from the weeds. They’re hungry and think Sunita is feeding them. The raccoon turns to look at the cats. It’s the gray cat with the crooked tail, one of the black-and-white strays, and Socrates.

Socrates and the other cats stand with their back arched ready to defend their territory and food. They stare down the intruding raccoon. Socrates hisses. The crooked-tailed cat lowers his ears. Just as the last train car whooshes past, Socrates and the other cats leap and pounce on the raccoon. The animals are a blur of fur and flashing teeth.

In a single movement, Sunita swings Katie up into her arms and grabs Jamie’s hand, then they run across the train tracks to safety. Sunita screams at the police officer not to shoot the orange cat. He’s a pet.

The fighting animals spring apart. Socrates and his companions flee into the weeds. The rapid raccoon snarls and bites the air. The police officer aims his gun. Two loud shots ring out, and a man gives the all clear. The raccoon is dead.

When Sunita opens her eyes again, she sees Dr. Mac fighting her way into the underbrush with the rest of the volunteers behind her. Sunita makes sure Jamie and Katie are safe with their mom, and then goes to join the search party. They’re not going to let Socrates get away this time.