Some families hope they'll survive.

The door burst completely off its hinges, flying across the room and smashing into the medical cabinets.

Cole instantly opened fire, emptying his entire magazine into the hallway smoke.

There was a blur of movement, too fast for the human eye to track, and the hallway was empty again.

She was gone, vanishing back into the labyrinth of the bunker.

We did not have time to hunt her down.

Elias let out a wet, rattling gasp, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"He is going into cardiac arrest," I shouted, abandoning the doorway and rushing to his side.

Cole dropped his empty magazine and reloaded, keeping his eyes fixed on the dark corridor.

"There is no antidote left, Maya," Cole said grimly.

"He is going to die."

I looked at the mercenary, a desperate, wild idea forming in my mind.

"You knew about the virus before you came here," I reasoned, my voice frantic.

"Your company sent you to retrieve her."

"They would not send you into a hot zone without a prophylactic measure."

Cole hesitated, avoiding my gaze.

"They injected me with a temporary blocker," he admitted slowly.

"It prevents the virus from binding to my cells for forty-eight hours."

I grabbed an empty IV bag and a thick gauge needle from the surgical tray.

"Then your blood contains the antibodies we need right now," I told him, leaving no room for argument.

"Give me your arm."

Cole looked at the dark hallway, then back at my dying brother.

He unstrapped his tactical vest and rolled up his sleeve.

I expertly tapped his vein, hooking the tube directly from his arm into Elias's circulatory system.

We watched in tense silence as Cole's blood flowed into my brother.

Almost immediately, the terrifying black veins on Elias's neck stopped spreading.

Suddenly, the security monitors across the room crackled to life.

The external cameras, which had been dead since the blackout, were back online.

Dozens of heavily armed soldiers wearing advanced tactical gear were surrounding the property.

When my newborn 'passed away,' my mother-in-law leaned in and said

My Husband Left Me Alone in My Car While I Was in Labor

“You’re Dead When We Get Home,” He Snapped

I watched on the screen as they attached massive, shaped explosive charges to the main blast door.

We were trapped between an army outside and a monster inside.

Chapter 9 - The Transfusion