Dr Hayes legs

"Stand back," Amelia said.

She pulled the bar down before Chloe could stop her. The steel door swung open, and Dr. Andrian Hayes stumbled through. He fell onto his hands and knees, his white coat torn at the shoulder. His glasses were missing, and one trouser leg was soaked with blood from the knee down.

At the far end of the loading bay, a porter in a green uniform was walking toward them. His steps dragged against the floor, his head tilted to one side and his mouth hanging open.

Blake grabbed Hayes by the collar and dragged him inside. Nooh slammed the door shut and dropped the bar across it. Above them, footsteps thundered down the stairs.

"You idiot!" Chloe cried. Her voice broke, and she had to try again. "Amelia, what were you thinking? Look at his leg!"

Amelia dropped to her knees and pulled the torn cloth aside. There were deep bite marks above his ankle, with blood running from the torn flesh.

For a moment, she couldn't move. The smell of blood filled her nose. She closed her eyes, trying to steady herself, but all she could hear was her mother's voice calling her name.

"Carter." Hayes caught her sleeve and held on. The usual arrogance was gone from his face. Tears ran down his dirty cheeks. "It was Jimmy, the porter. I've known him for eleven years. I held the door for him this morning, and he was telling me about his daughter's birthday. Then he turned around and bit me. He wasn't angry. He just looked at me like he wanted to eat me."

"Dr. Hayes, look at me. Not your leg. Just look at me and breathe."

"I was cruel to you on the ward. I'll apologize in front of everyone. I'll tell them I was wrong. Just don't leave me here."

"We're not leaving you here." Amelia turned to the others. "I need something to stop the bleeding. A belt, a scarf, anything!"

"No," Blake said.

He was still standing by the door, his backpack held against his chest. "You saw that girl. It took her ten minutes after being bitten to turn into one of them." He pointed at Tessa, who was slumped over Nooh's shoulders. Her hair swung with every step he took. "He's already infected. I'm not dying because we decided to save him."

"He's still alive!" Amelia shouted.

"For now. What happens when he turns and comes after us?"

Chloe stepped in front of Blake. Her hands were shaking, but she refused to move. "He's been a doctor in this building for twenty years, Blake Turner. You walked in here carrying bread, and now you can't even help a wounded man? You're really going to leave him bleeding on the floor?"

Vanessa raised her phone. "This is exactly the kind of thing people want to see."

Chloe spun around. "Put that phone away before I smash it!"

"Everyone, stop," Nooh said.

He hadn't shouted, but his voice was enough to make them turn toward him. One hand remained on Tessa's wrist.

"I've been checking her pulse since we left the ward. It was thirty-two when we reached the stairs. Now it's fifty-eight. I don't know what that means, but she still hasn't turned. Maybe the medicine is slowing the infection. If that's true, Dr. Hayes might still have a chance."

Amelia looked at him.

Before she could answer, the blue panel in front of her flickered.

MISSION 1: COMPLETE. BASIC TREATMENT KIT ADDED TO INVENTORY.

A small grey box appeared at the corner of her vision. Inside were a tourniquet, a roll of gauze, two sealed syringes, and a small bottle of antiseptic.

She reached toward the box. The next moment, a black tourniquet was sitting in her hand.

Chloe gasped. Ethen jumped back, nearly stumbling over his own feet, while Vanessa lowered her phone.

"Amelia," Chloe whispered. "Where did that come from?"

"I'll explain later." Amelia wrapped the tourniquet around Hayes's leg, above the wound. "Chloe, press down here. Don't let go, no matter what."

She looked at Hayes.

"Dr. Hayes, I need you to stay still. This is going to hurt."

"Do it, Carter!"

Amelia pulled the tourniquet tight. Hayes jerked off the concrete and let out a scream. Chloe pressed down on his wound with both hands, tears running down her face.

The bleeding slowed, then stopped.

A new line appeared in front of Amelia.

MISSION 2: SAVE DR. ANDRIAN HAYES. TIME REMAINING: UNKNOWN.

"Unknown," Amelia muttered. "Of course it is."

A loud groan came from behind the door. Something slammed against the steel, and a thin crack appeared along the weld. A swollen grey hand pushed through the gap, its fingers reaching around blindly.

Blake cursed and pulled a rusty fire axe off the wall. Ethen and Vanessa rushed to drag a metal shelf in front of the door. Vanessa pushed against it with all her strength.

"I'm helping," she panted. "Make sure you get that in the video."

Someone let out a nervous laugh.

"We need to get across this bay," Amelia said. Her voice sounded steadier than she felt. "Blake, take the front. Nooh, stay with Tessa. Chloe and I will carry Hayes between us. Ethen, watch our backs. Vanessa, put your phone away and keep an eye on the left. We find a vehicle and get out of here. All of us. Understood?"

Nobody answered at first.

Chloe wiped her nose with her wrist. "Yes, boss," she said, her voice still shaky.

They lifted the bay door, and grey morning light flooded the room.

Amelia had lost track of time while they were in the ward. Now she stood in the car park, staring at the mess outside.

Ambulances were parked one behind another, their doors hanging open and their lights still flashing. A woman in a nightdress walked around a car while its alarm kept blaring. Beyond the gates, black smoke rose into the sky. Somewhere in the distance, someone was screaming and showing no sign of stopping.

"It's everywhere," Ethen whispered. "It's not just the hospital."

"Keep moving," Amelia ordered.

They had barely reached the middle of the car park when Nooh stopped. He was still holding Tessa's wrist, but his face had gone pale.

"Dr. Carter." His voice was no longer calm. "Her heart rate was fifty-eight. It's now one hundred and forty."

Tessa's fingers twitched against his chest.

"The medicine is wearing off."

Amelia turned toward them.

Hayes had gone stiff in Chloe's arms. His eyes had rolled back, and a thin grey line was spreading up his neck.