When the sirens came, they cut through the neighborhood like sharp blades. Police, firefighters, and municipal workers poured onto the property, stringing tape, shouting orders. Floodlights rose, their harsh glow throwing jagged shadows across the crater. The family was pushed back, folded into the growing crowd of onlookers.
Daniel couldn’t help himself. He walked closer to the officers clustered near the rim, their faces drawn as they studied the jagged edges. “Any idea what caused it?” he asked, his voice steadier than he felt. One of them shook his head. “Could be natural subsidence. We’ll know more when we send the camera down.”