"Thanks!" Wendy threw a grateful look as she raced to Lucy who was still gasping for breath. "It looks like anaphylaxis. It's got to be this fog," she said. "We need either to get her out of it or above it." She looked around irritably. "Where are the ambulances? This has to be a major incident, so they should be arriving by now."
"I called 999," one of the baristas said. "They say help’s on the way."
"How do we get her above it?" Charlotte asked.
"I don't know," Wendy said. "It's already over head height and still rising. Even if we carry her upstairs somewhere it's no guarantee it won't reach us again before help does."
"In that case we need to get her out of it." Sienna looked around and spotted a policewoman making her way among the injured. She was checking on them before mumbling into her radio. Sienna ran over to her.
"Excuse me, is help coming?" she asked. "This fog is doing something to my friend. She can't breathe."
The policewoman frowned and bit her lip. "They're waiting for protective equipment because of this gas. Apart from the allergic reactions it doesn't seem dangerous but they can't be sure so they’re being cautious." She gave a smile that was obviously meant to be reassuring but wasn’t quite convincing enough. “On the upside it’s definitely not radioactive,” she showed Sienna the dosimeter all police carried as standard these days, “and if it was a nerve agent we would already be showing symptoms.”
"Uh." Sienna understood the logic behind the delay, the paramedics had to consider their own safety first, but that didn't help Lucy. "Would we be allowed to carry her out to where help is?"
"I-" the policewoman frowned. "Let me ask." She mumbled into her radio again and listened to the response. "Yes, though they recommend staying where you are. If you do go you'll be quarantined at the edge of the affected area in case this stuff is some kind of biological agent but if you get her there your friend will get treatment. Fortunately it's fairly self contained." She pointed back along the high street. "If you insist on going your best bet is about a mile that way as you'll meet the ambulances if they are released before you get there. Do you think you can make it that far with her?"
"I don't know," Sienna said. "But I think she'll die if we don't get her there so we'll have to try." She went back to the others and told them what she'd learned. Lucy was still slumped against Charlotte and gasping for breath but she was still breathing at least.
"We don't have a stretcher, how do we carry her?" Charlotte asked.
"Lu, can you walk if we help you?" Wendy asked.
"There was a long pause and Sienna wasn't even sure if Lucy was conscious enough to understand the question but then she shook her head slowly.
"I've got an idea! Wait here." Sienna raced down the street to where there was a small mobility aid shop. The owner was standing outside staring at the shattered windows.
"Excuse me!" she said. "We need to get my friend to the edge of this fog." She pointed to where Lucy and the others were just visible. "She can't breathe! Can we borrow a wheelchair, please? I promise I'll make sure that you get it back."
The man scowled at her. "Well at least you're asking, but you should wait for the paramedics."
"I know, but I don't think Lu has time for that," She said and told him what the policewoman had said.
His annoyed scowl collapsed into a more thoughtful frown and he sighed. "Okay but I want your name and a contact number. If I don't get it back you'll have to pay for it." He disappeared into the shop as Sienna scrawled her name and her mobile number on a piece of paper, after a moment she added her father’s number as well. He returned a moment later with a small, folding wheelchair. "This should do the job." His expression softened slightly as she handed him the piece of paper. "Don't worry if it gets damaged. Just don't steal it."
"Good thinking!" Wendy said when she saw it. She and Charlotte helped Lucy into it . "Sienna, you go in front. We're going to have to navigate around the glass and rubble. Charlotte you push the chair. I'll stay alongside and keep a eye on Luce."
"How is she?" Sienna asked as they set out.
Wendy hummed thoughtfully. "She's still conscious and is able to understand questions and respond as long as she doesn't have to speak both of which are good as they mean oxygen is reaching her brain. But she still can't speak more than two words and is gasping for breath which is a really bad sign. She needs help urgently."
"Perhaps we should try the Walk in Centre first," Charlotte said. "It's on the way and they might have some oxygen."
"Ooh! Yes!" Wendy said. "I should have thought of that. I suspect they'll be swamped but it's worth a try."
"Okay, let's go." Sienna rubbed at her head. A strange headache was creeping into her skull and she hoped it was just the stress and not the fog.
She walked ahead of the chair kicking small bits of rubble out of the way and grabbing and either lifting or pushing the larger chunks away. Fortunately none of them too large for her to move but they were large enough for her to worry about just how much damage had been done to the town.
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