Mass Extinction Event: The Complete Fourth Series (Days 54 to 61) by Amy Cross Page B

the desk before hurrying over to pull the drapes closed. “Doctor Marter insisted that we get a room ready for you on this floor. Well, he insisted on two rooms, just in case your...” He pauses for a moment, clearly thinking better of whatever he was going to say, which was probably about my brother. “I bet the food here's an improvement too,” he continues. “I don't know what you ate out there in the forest, but here we've actually got proper stuff in, like cans and packets.”
    “The food was okay before,” I reply, thinking back to all the rabbits and squirrels I had to skin and cook when I was with Toad. Feeling more tears in my eyes, I reach up and try to wipe them away, only for Alison to suddenly pass me some tissues.
    “Here,” she says. “It's cool.”
    Taking the tissues, I start drying my eyes.
    “We all lost someone,” she continues, kneeling next to my wheelchair. “Everyone here has at least some idea of what you're going through.”
    “I lost my parents and both my brothers,” Charles says, stopping by the bed. “They turned into those creatures and I had to fight them off.”
    “I guess what we're saying,” Alison continues, “is that life goes on. This city is a perfect example of that. Despite everything that has happened, we're already rebuilding. Wait until morning, and when you look out that window you'll see that people are hard at work getting Boston back to normal.”
    I start wheeling myself over to the window, but she nudges my hands away and pushes me instead.
    “You don't need to do that by yourself,” she explains. “I'm here to help with anything you need.”
    When I reach the window, I pull the drapes aside and look out at the dark city. With the moon high and bright in the night sky, I can see the tops of buildings picked out in blue shades, but none of them are lit up in any way. After a moment, however, I realize that I can see a few flickering lights in the distance, seemingly beyond the city.
    “What are those?” I ask.
    “Those are dark buildings,” Charles says, trying to close the drapes again.
    “But further off,” I continue, “outside the city -”
    “I'm sure it's nothing,” he continues, pulling my chair back from the window and turning me to face the bed. “Aren't you tired? You spent the past four hours in a helicopter. Come on, Lizzie, how long has it been since you slept in a proper bed?”
    “A while,” I reply, even though I'm starting to dislike the way they're constantly wheeling me around and telling me what I should and shouldn't worry about.
    “There's going to be so much to take in when you wake up,” Alison says, pulling the bedsheets aside. “With your injured leg, you can't just shower whenever you like, but I'll help you and Doctor Sukan will supervise. I'm a trained nurse, so I have an idea what to do. You really should sleep first, though. In fact, your Dad told us that no matter what you say, we should insist.”
    “He did, huh?”
    “Come on,” she continues, suddenly reaching under my arms and lifting me out of the chair, before setting me gently down onto the bed. “We'll worry about your clothes tomorrow. I'm sure we can find some new ones for you, but I don't want to start taking these ones off yet, in case we hurt your foot.”
    “I'm not an invalid,” I reply, trying to sit up.
    “Of course you're not,” she says, pulling the bedsheets over me. “You are hurt, though, and there's no shame in accepting a little help. I'm sure you'll be up and about pretty soon, though, just as soon as Doctor Sukan has made sure your foot's not going to cause any more trouble.”
    “And we'll be right here to help you,” Charles adds, as they head to the door. “If you need anything, just grab the phone on the table by your bed and someone will pick up downstairs. We've got the phone system working in the building during nighttime hours, especially for people up here on the higher floors.”
    “And welcome home,” Alison