Chapter 232

Nurses, doctors and patients on the floor were all thrown into a confused panic by the ground-shaking bang. ‘What’s happening?’ ‘Did we just have an earthquake?’ ‘Doesn’t feel like it. The tremors have stopped.’ ‘Must be a gas pipe blow-up.’ ‘No, I think it came from the basement carpark.’ The carpark… Elodie! Gabriel’s heart jumped into his throat as he dashed madly down the stairs, too impatient to wait for the lift. His hands went clammy, his vision seemed to blur and his legs couldn’t move fast enough. The terrible feeling reminded him of the day he received news of his parents’ car crash. ‘Not again.’ he gritted his teeth and willed himself to move faster. In seconds, he’d reached basement one and burst through the door. A thick haze of acrid smoke punched him in the face, followed immediately by the sharp tang of burning rubber and chemicals. Gabriel shielded his face with one gloved hand and pushed forward. Elodie’s car would be parked in one of the visitor lots. Flickering emer