Chapter Three - Even Underground Burns

"The city is on fire above us," Carl said. "Open the deeper level and move us down." "Deeper level already has people," Sophie said. "Who?" She did not answer directly. Instead, she nodded toward the glass pane in the medical room. Elliot followed her gaze and felt his stomach tighten. The corridor lights were not stable. They were flickering in long, uneven pulses. Far down the hall came the sound of footsteps and low voices, like a crowd waiting at a gate, or pressing toward one. "How many people did you bring in?" he asked. "As many as we could," Sophie said. "That isn't an answer." "The answer is we're overloaded," she said at last. "The hospital's down. Heat cases, trauma cases, dehydration, everybody gets sent here. We have forty people.