Chapter 4 — Rising Tensions

Naomi

Naomi Fields leaned back in the cramped passenger seat of her ambulance, twirling the end of one of her brightly colored shoelaces around her finger. The weak hum of the air conditioning battled fruitlessly against the oppressive mid-afternoon heat, leaving the interior a stifling cocoon. Outside, the Central Crossway Interchange stretched endlessly, a metallic sea of idling vehicles shimmering in the sun. The air was thick with frustration: honking horns, engines sputtering, and the rhythmic thump of someone impatiently drumming their fingers against a steering wheel.