“Put your hand here,” Tessa said.
Mara looked down at the blood spreading across Ben’s sleeve. Her hand hovered over the dressing without touching it.
“Here,” Tessa repeated, placing Mara’s palm over the thickest part. “Press firmly and keep pressing. Don’t lift it to look.”
Mara obeyed. Ben cried out, and she nearly pulled away.
“I know it hurts,” Tessa told him. “We need the pressure. Can you squeeze my fingers with your other hand?”
He squeezed hard enough to make her wince.
Paul held the lamp with one hand and reached for his bandage roll with the other. “I can add another layer.”
“Wait until I can see how it’s held.” Tessa opened her medical bag. “Eli, keep the way clear. I need space at his arm.”
Eli looked down the stairwell. The creature had climbed another step. Its body was half in the lamp’s light now, head low, forelimbs braced against the concrete. The second shape scraped behind the lower door.
“I can watch the stairs while you treat him,” Eli said. “Tell me what else you need ready.”
Tessa pulled a clean dressing from a sealed packet. “A short interval, space at his arm, and the carry team ready to move as soon as I can tell you.”
He had wanted to rush the group earlier. After watching the blanket catch on the rail, he understood that haste could make the next rescue harder. The creature below still needed watching, but Ben needed Tessa’s hands, not another person crowding her.
Darius’s voice came back to him. She’ll stay with anyone who can’t walk.
Darius had known his daughter better than Eli did, despite the years Eli remembered and Darius did not. He had not asked Eli to drag her out. He had asked him to tell her the lower exit was open, bring whoever she could, and make sure she got out herself.
Eli crouched beside the fire door. “How long?”
“I can’t give you an exact number. I need to check the dressing and get the bleeding under control enough to move him.”
“Tell me when you need to move.”
“I will.”
He took the lamp from Paul. “Help her. I’ll watch the stairs.”
Paul hesitated, then handed it over. Eli pointed its beam toward the creature. It retreated one step, its claws clicking against the edge.
The light was useful, but the lamp had begun to dim. Eli rotated it, searching for a switch or a charge indicator. A narrow green bar glowed on the handle. Two of its four segments were lit.
“How long does this last?” he asked.
Paul looked up from his bag. “A couple of hours if it was charged. It wasn’t full when I took it.”
“Can it run any brighter?”
“Not for long.”
Eli kept it at the current setting. A brighter beam might drive the creature farther away; it might also leave them in darkness sooner.
At the top of the flight, Mrs. Larkin lay in the green blanket. Daniel knelt by her head. Jun and Owen stood at the corners, waiting for instructions. Mei sat on the floor beyond the broken wall, her splinted leg stretched in front of her. Her husband held her upright. Leah leaned against the wall near her, pressing a hand to her injured leg.
They had cleared enough loose material to open a narrow passage through the damaged frame. It would be difficult to turn Mrs. Larkin through it, but they could try as soon as Tessa was ready.
A crash sounded from the west corridor. Then a woman shouted, “We’re still coming!”
Paul recognized the voice. “The one with the shield.”
“Ask where she is,” Eli said.
Paul called through the opening. “We’re at the service stair on six. The lift lobby’s blocked. How far are you?”
“Other side of the lobby. Something fell across the door.”
“Can you see a way around?”
“We’re checking.”
The reply ended in a cough. Eli wanted to go to her, clear whatever had fallen, and meet the responders halfway. He also needed to remain where he could see the creature. He looked at Owen.
“Can you get a better look through the opening? Don’t pull on the beam.”
Owen left his blanket corner and went to the damaged wall. He leaned through the gap, holding the edge of the loose panel for balance. “There’s an office door across the lobby. It’s open.”
“Can the responders reach it?”
“I can’t see them.” He called out. “There’s an open office on your left. Can you get through it?”
The shield bearer’s answer was muffled. A moment later she called, “We see it. Hold there.”
Owen backed out of the gap. “If that office connects to the corridor, they might get around the obstruction.”
“Might,” Eli repeated.
“That’s what I said.”
The creature shifted at the edge of the light. Eli raised the bar and took one step down. It withdrew, but not as far as before.
He had fought enough gate creatures to know that behavior varied. Light had frightened some. Others had learned to approach despite it, or had lunged for the hand carrying it. He could not assume this one would stay below merely because it had done so twice.
Tessa touched his shoulder. “I need the light.”
He turned it toward Ben. The boy’s face was white, his jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles stood out beneath his skin. Mara kept pressure on the wound, her hand shaking.
“Paul, put the new dressing over this one,” Tessa said. “Mara, keep your hand where it is until he has it in place.”
Paul opened the packet. His fingers fumbled with the wrapper, and he stopped long enough to take a breath before trying again. Together they layered the dressing and wrapped it firmly enough to hold while Mara continued to press.
Ben made a small sound. He had stopped crying; that frightened Mara more.
“Ben, look at me,” she said. “Tell me what you had for breakfast.”
He stared at her. “Cereal.”
“What kind?”
“The one you don’t like.”
She laughed once, a broken sound, and bent her forehead to his. “I like it. I just don’t like the way you leave it on the counter.”
Tessa checked his fingers. “Can you feel this?”
“Yes.”
“Does it feel the same as the other hand?”
He hesitated. “A little funny.”
“Tell me if it changes.”
She shifted the wrap and checked again. The dressing held. Blood still marked the edge, but it was no longer spreading as rapidly. She asked Mara to keep pressure and showed her how to support the arm against Ben’s body.
“Can we go?” Eli asked.
“In a moment.” Tessa looked at Paul. “If Mara needs to change hands, you take over. Don’t let the pressure come off while you switch.”
Paul nodded. “I understand.”
“I want you beside him when we move. If the dressing soaks through again or he becomes faint, tell me immediately.”
Paul put an arm around the boy. “Hear that? I get to carry the bag.”
Ben managed a small nod.
Eli turned the lamp back to the stairwell. The creature was closer. Its front claws rested on the landing now, just outside the light. A second scrape came from the lower door, followed by a hard knock against the glass.
“It’s going to come up,” he said.
“Then let’s be ready,” Tessa replied.
Eli wanted to tell her that readiness was no substitute for leaving. The words rose to his mouth and stopped there. She had asked for a short interval. She had used every second of it.
He approached the other carriers. “We move Mrs. Larkin through the opening. Daniel and Jun at the front, Owen and me at the back. We lower her before the turn if we need to change grip.”
Daniel stood. “What about the thing downstairs?”
“I’ll be at the rear until she’s through. Paul has the light. Once Owen and I clear the frame, I’ll cover the door.”
“That’s too many things for you to do at once,” Tessa said.
Eli looked at the arrangement. She was right. He could carry Mrs. Larkin or guard the stairs, but if the creature moved during the turn, he could not do both.
Eli handed Paul the lamp. Paul aimed it toward the lower stairs. “I’ll watch it.”
“You need to stay with Ben,” Mara said.
“I can hold the light and stay with him.”
Tessa considered the narrow opening. “Bring him through with Mara. Set the lamp on the other side facing the stair until Eli can take it. We won’t leave you alone with the creature.”
Paul gave her a grateful look. Mara did not seem reassured, but she helped Ben stand.
Leah spoke from beside Mei. “I can watch it.”
“You can barely stand,” Owen said.
“I can sit and hold a light.”
Tessa checked her face. “Can you keep the beam steady?”
“Yes.”
“Then sit by the opening, with your back protected. If it moves above the landing, shout. Don’t try to fight it.”
Leah settled onto a folded piece of wall panel. Paul gave her the lamp. She aimed it down the stairs while Mara and Ben passed through the damaged frame.
“Now Mei,” Tessa said. “Jun, help her through. Daniel, stay with your mother until he comes back.”
Jun took Mei’s arm from her husband. Together they moved her carefully through the opening. The improvised splint scraped against the edge. Mei closed her eyes, but she did not cry out.
“You’re doing well,” Mr. Chao told her.
“I know,” she said through her teeth. “Stop telling me.”
He shut his mouth. Once she was on the other side, he kissed her forehead. She accepted that without comment.
Jun returned for the blanket. Owen had rolled the loose fabric more tightly around its edges. Eli checked that the green material was not caught under Mrs. Larkin’s injured leg.
“Ready?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “But go on.”
They lifted. The four corners rose unevenly for a moment, then leveled as Jun adjusted his grip. Daniel counted them through the first step.
“One. Stop. Two.”
The blanket reached the frame. Daniel turned sideways and eased his corner through. Jun followed, his back against the broken wall. Owen and Eli lifted from behind, keeping the fabric low enough to clear the beam.
Leah’s voice sharpened. “It’s moving.”
Eli looked down. The creature had entered the light. It blinked and shook its head, then kept coming.
“Keep the beam on its face,” he said.
Leah did. The creature stopped again, but its tail lashed against the rail. The second creature struck the lower door hard enough to rattle the handle.
“Move,” Daniel said.
“We are,” Eli answered. “Don’t pull.”
The blanket caught on the broken edge of the frame. Owen lowered his corner. Eli held his own steady while Tessa freed the fabric.
“It’s clear.”
They moved another step. Mrs. Larkin gripped Daniel’s sleeve. Her face had gone gray, and Eli could not tell whether it was from pain or fear.
Then the creature lunged.
Leah shouted. The lamp jerked upward, throwing the stairwell into shadow. Eli could not see the animal, only hear claws striking concrete.
He could not leave the blanket. Owen was carrying too much weight already, and the front corners were through the opening. If Eli let go now, Mrs. Larkin would swing against the damaged frame.
Paul stepped beside Leah. “Give me the light.”
He aimed it down the flight. The creature was on the landing, closer than before. Paul grabbed the scraper Owen had left by the wall and held it out like a spear.
“Back,” he said, though his voice shook.
The creature struck the scraper. The handle bent. Paul staggered, but the lamp stayed trained on the animal long enough for Eli and Owen to bring the blanket through.
“Down,” Tessa said.
They lowered Mrs. Larkin onto the lobby floor. Eli released his corner and took the metal bar from where he had leaned it against the wall. He reached Paul as the creature gathered itself for another attack.
Eli swung at the rail, not the animal. The bar rang against metal. The creature flinched. Paul shoved the scraper forward, keeping its head away from them.
“Through the opening,” Eli told him. “Don’t turn your back yet.”
Paul backed up and returned the lamp to Leah once she was through. Eli followed, striking the rail again when the creature took a step after them. Once Paul was through, Eli pulled the loose wall panel across the gap. It did not fit tightly, but it blocked the direct approach.
On the other side of the lobby, the shield bearer appeared in the office doorway. Her forehead was bandaged, and her shield was dented along one edge. RAE was printed on the badge clipped beside her emergency-service emblem. Another responder stood behind her with a pry bar.
“Can you get through?” she called.
“Not with the patient yet,” Tessa answered. “How’s the west stair?”
“Blocked below four. There’s a service exit off the lobby, but the fire door’s jammed.”
Owen pointed to the plan still tucked under his arm. “Rear court?”
“Yes.”
“There should be a manual release.”
“Then show us.”
The creature hit the panel behind Eli. The loose sheet rattled but stayed upright.
Tessa helped Ben settle against Mara. “We’re moving again. Keep pressure on the dressing. Paul, take the medical bag. Eli, can you help with the blanket?”
He looked once at the panel. The creature could push through it. They needed to leave before it did.
He also looked at Ben. The boy was conscious and answering his mother. The dressing had bought him a chance to make the trip. Eli had nearly treated the pause as a mistake because he could hear the danger and could not feel the injury.
“Earlier I wanted to get everyone moving without knowing what he needed,” he said.
Tessa closed the bag and handed it to Paul. “You can tell me later. Take the rear corner.”
Eli did. The carriers lifted Mrs. Larkin again. Ahead, the responder led them through the sixth-floor office to a separate enclosed emergency stairwell. Rae held the door until the last carrier entered, then let it close between them and the rattling panel. The stairs descended toward a ground-floor service office and the rear exit; five floors still lay between the group and the street.
They took the first two flights in short shifts. Daniel and Jun carried the front corners while Eli and Owen held the rear. At each landing they lowered the blanket so Tessa could check Mrs. Larkin and the carriers could change grips. Mei made the stairs with her husband and Paul supporting her, stopping when the splinted leg knocked a step. Mara kept pressure on Ben’s dressing; Leah leaned on the rail and came down with Rae. Nobody could run without leaving someone behind.
On the third floor, a crash from above told them the creatures had forced their way into the office. Rae shut another fire door behind the group, but its damaged latch would not catch. She wedged a cleaning bucket beneath the handle to slow pursuit and kept her shield ready. The descent to the ground floor took more strength from the carriers than the first flight from the sixth floor had. Daniel stumbled on the final flight, and Eli took his front corner while the responder with the pry bar relieved Eli at the rear. They reached a ground-floor service office with everyone still together, exhausted and within hearing of the things behind them. The responder led them toward the jammed fire door on the far side.