“Let’s get him to the ambulance,” the grey-haired medic suggested, helping Bernie to his feet.

“But, I’m fine, I tell you.”

“Nonetheless, we’d better take you in for observation,” said the medic, leading Bernie toward the electronic door.

The two medics escorted Bernie Ling into the back of the ambulance, then returned to collect the corpse of Robbie Pavlidis.

“Oh, God!” said the younger medic, barely twenty-one, new to this kind of work.

“Don’t worry,” teased his companion, a twenty-five year veteran, “you get used to the sight of half-headless corpses … after twenty years or so.”

The younger medic did his best not to look at the mangled corpse of the Greek-Australian as they covered it with a sheet on the stretcher.

“Let’s get him into the back of the van,” said the senior medic, trying to take his assistant’s mind off the sickening sight.

They got outside in time to see the first ambulance with Bernie Ling, pull away as the second ambulance drove up.

“Over hear,” called the senior medic, and after a nod for the two cops, the ambulance drove as close to the door of the service station shop as possible, then pulled forward a little to make it easier to get Robbie Pavlidis’s corpse into the rear.

*      *      *

After being spotted by the two medics, Dryadia had fled round the centre shelving so she could fade to invisibility.   Then, unseen she had watched the medics as they led Bernie Ling out to the first ambulance.

Then, confident she could not be seen now, the dryad followed behind as the two medics stretchered out the body of Robbie Pavlidis.

As the ambulance pulled up, the driver’s assistant raced out to open the back doors for the stretcher-bearers.

“No need to rush,” said the grey-haired medic, George Long, “this one is past help.”

Dryadia waited while the assistant stepped into the back to take the front handles of the stretcher.   Then, flying round the two medics, she zoomed into the back of the ambulance.

As the medics climbed into the rear of the ambulance, Dryadia lifted the corpse sheet to look at Robbie to see how much healing he would need.