The World's Last Breaths: Final Winter, Animal Kingdom, and The Peeling

by Iain Rob Wright

  Ken climbed up and put his arm around Sonja. “Jesus, Sonja, what were you thinking?”

  She still clutched her tummy, but she didn’t seem too anxious about it. “The worst thing to throw at a violent man is another man. It would have got nasty.”

  Ken grunted as if he knew she was right. “It already was nasty. Are you okay? The baby?”

  “My baby is fine. I hit the desk with my elbows. I only clutched my stomach to guilt the son of a bitch into calming down. If he acts up again, call the police. He doesn’t get a second chance.”

  Ken nodded, and Devey thought he would have saluted if it was protocol. Sonja was an impressive and frightening woman. And she was glaring at Devey. “Mr Singh, why are you out of your room?”

  “I came to help.”

  “Thank you, but everything is under control. Let’s get you back inside.”

  Devey rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay.”

  Back inside the room, Sonja went over to a water dispenser above the sink and filled a plastic cup. She gulped it down and stayed there a few moments to catch her breath. Devey asked if she was okay.

  “Yes, sorry. I don’t like violence, that’s all.”

  “You dealt with it well.”

  “I did my job.”

  He grunted. “Your job is hard. I don’t envy you.”

  She turned away from the sink and smiled at him weakly. Some exhaustion had left her face, but it wasn’t completely gone. “How are you feeling, Devey?”

  He shrugged. “So far so good. How’s Claudia?”

  “She’s been moved to the end of this ward. She’s calmed down a lot. In fact, she hooked herself up to her own monitoring equipment to keep anyone from touching her, bless her.”

  “Will she be okay?”

  Sonja nodded forcefully as if she intended to impose her will on reality. “Dr Zantoko has put her on a course of the strongest antibiotics we have. She’ll feel pretty rubbish, but as long as she fights off whatever we’re dealing with she’ll be thankful.”

  Devey was glad at her confidence, but he couldn't help but feel she was putting on an act. “What about the other patients? The old people?”

  “Devey, I really don’t know. The hospital has closed off this ward and one other to treat the infected, but I’m just a nurse. There’re specialists from a dozen different hospitals on their way here, and even a couple guys from the CDC.”

  “Isn’t the CDC an American thing?”

  “Yes, but they have a team working in the UK that helps out during times like these.”

  “Times like these? Things are bad, aren't they?”

  She glanced towards the door, then back at him. “I shouldn’t tell you this, but yes. Things are bad. The severity of the infection, along with it being so contagious… It’ll make the news tonight, let’s put it that way.”

  “It hasn’t yet,” said Devey. “The only report is about Bengali Flu.”

  She scrunched up her face. “Bengali Flu? I’ve never heard of it.”

  And there you have it, thought Devey. His paranoia was vindicated, but it didn’t bring him much relief. He looked down at Sonja’s pregnant belly and worried. “You need to be careful. Don’t end up like Claudia.”

  It was a heartless thing to say, but she nodded at the comment and took it how he meant it. She held up her hands for him to see. “I’m wearing two pairs of gloves, and anyone in contact with Claudia or the patients upstairs are wearing oxygen filters. Don’t worry about me.”

  “I am worried about you.”

  She tilted her head and frowned. “Why?”

  “Because you seem like a nice girl, I suppose. And because I feel responsible. If I hadn’t found Mary-”

  “Then somebody else would have!” She put a hand on his arm and rubbed. “Just stay put and things will be under control before you know it. This is the whole reason hospitals exist—to treat sick people and prevent illness from spreading. Let us do our jobs and everything will be fine.”

  Devey nodded. “Okay.”

  She turned to leave, but doubled over and moaned. “Ow! Ow! Ow!”

  Devey grabbed her to keep her from falling. “What? What’s wrong?”

  She straightened up, brow furrowed, eyebrows meeting in a V. “I… I had a twinge there for a moment, but it’s fine n—” She doubled over again and this time she yelled in pain. “Ahhh!”

  “Shit! Is it the baby?”

  “I-I don’t know! Get help. Call for help.”

  Devey raced for the door and threw it open. “Help. We need help in here!”

  The only person out in the hallway was the animal who had attacked Sonja. He was sitting down, but flinched when Devey screamed in his direction. “What the hell are you shouting about?”

  “I need a doctor!”

  The man stood up, turned a useless circle, then held his hands out. “They all rushed off, mate. Something is going on.”

  “No shit! You need to find someone right now. I think Sonja's baby is in trouble.”

  The man’s face dropped. “Because of what I did?”

  “Yes, probably, you jackass. Go find a doctor.”

  He nodded and rushed off.

  Devey hurried back into the room. Sonja bent over the trolley bed, panting and puffing. “The baby’s coming,” she bellowed. “It’s on its way.”

  “Bloody hell,” said Devey. “Oh, bloody hell.”

  Sonja seemed to get better for a while, but then she went through the pain all over again. Contractions. Devey rubbed her back and wished he knew what to do. “Where is that jackass?” he said. “He should’ve found a doctor by now.”

  Sonja blew air out of her cheeks and produced a guttural moan. Once it expired, she looked at Devey. “I need to get to Obstetrics.”

  “Is that where people have babies?”

  She nodded. Her face was an impossible shade of red.

  “Okay, just… wait here a sec.” He rushed out the door and shouted for help again.

  The man who had pushed Sonja and appeared around the corner. “I can’t find anybody. Is she okay?”

  “No! No, she’s not. We need to help her.”

  “Okay, tell me what to do.”

  Devey sneered. “You’ve done enough.”

  He lowered his head in shame. “Look, mate. My name’s Lee, and I’m sorry. My mum is somewhere in this hospital and I’m worried as shit about her. I lost my head and-

  “You lost your temper!”

  He sighed. “Just let me make up for it, please.”

  Devey didn’t like the man, but he wanted his help enough to agree. “Okay! She needs to get to the obstetrics ward. Grab a wheelchair and meet me in this room.”

  Lee nodded and rushed off. Sonja had another contraction and Devey fell right into the routine of rubbing her back, not knowing if it was helping or not. She didn’t tell him to stop. “What’s happening?” she said. “Where’s Dr Zantoko?”

  “I don’t know. Lee is getting a wheelchair and we’re taking you up ourselves.”

  “Who?”

  “The guy who shoved you.”

  Sonja groaned. “No way. Keep that idiot away from me.”

  The door bashed open, shunted by a wheelchair. Lee wore a grim expression. “You’re right, I am an idiot. But this is my fault, so let me get you where you need to go.”

  Sonja rolled her eyes and moved towards the wheelchair. “Just try not to shove anyone else.”

  Lee kept his head down like a scolded puppy as he spun the chair around behind her and put her in it.

  “I’ll get the door,” said Devey, and Lee wheeled Sonja out into the hallway.

  “Where is everyone?” Sonja asked, looking left and right.

  “They all hurried off,” said Lee.

  Devey had a bad feeling. In fact, he’d had a bad feeling since the moment he’d first walked down Mary Mallon’s path—and it was only growing worse. Right now, though, Sonja had to come before his concerns. No way was he letting her drop her baby in a corr
idor.

  They hurried for the lifts, and Devey jabbed at the call button. Sonja filled the silence while they waited, moaning and panting. Lee and Devey exchanged worried glances.

  Ping!

  The lift on the right opened. Lee wheeled Sonja inside. “Which floor?” asked Devey.

  “G-Ground floor,” said Sonja. “Obstetrics is on the ground floor.”

  Devey pressed the button. The doors closed and the lift whipped them upwards. His tummy fluttered, and he wondered what the baby would think of the sudden, odd sensation.

  The doors reopened. Chaos met them.

  Doctors, nurses, and other staff rushed back and forth like branded chickens. Members of the public argued amongst themselves. A full blown panic was underway, and nobody could get control of it.

  Devey stepped out of the lift. “What the hell is happening?”

  “Who cares?” said Lee. “Let’s get our girl where she needs to go.”

  Ken passed by and Devey called out to him. The large orderly turned, confused. At first he didn’t know where to look, but then he saw them huddled over by the lifts. “Sonja? Are you okay?”

  “The baby’s coming,” she groaned.

  “Shit! We need to get you to Dr Robbins.” He shoved Lee out of the way and grabbed the wheelchair. “I’ll take it from here. I suggest you both get back to the ward. It’s a war zone up here.”

  Although he didn’t want to delay Sonja, Devey grabbed Ken’s arm to keep him from leaving with her. “What’s happening?”

  Sweat covered the orderly’s face. He looked ready to drop, so when he spoke he did so quickly. “More cases keep flooding in,” he said. “Most are coming in the back of the hospital now, but the cat’s out the bag. People know something nasty is in the hospital and they want their loved ones out of here. The doctors are expecting a quarantine order to come through any minute, which means we’ll be forced to keep people here.”

  Devey observed the tipped over chairs and strewn litter. People were combusting, and it would only get worse if they were told they could not leave.

  Sonja moaned louder, another contraction. “Get moving!”

  Ken hurried off with the wheelchair while Devey and Lee stood in awe of what was happening.

  “My mum is somewhere in this hospital,” said Lee. “I need to find her.”

  “Then you should go. Get her out of here if you can.”

  “What caused this?”

  “An infection,” said Devey. “Or a virus. Whatever. I’ve seen it, and you want no part of it. Get your mother and go.” Unless she’s one of the cases Ken was talking about, thought Devey. In which case, Lee, you should get the hell away from her.

  Although many people stuck around in the waiting room to shout and cause trouble, others spilled out of the hospital’s front entrance and ran for the car park. If Devey wanted out of this place, now was the time. No one would stop him?

  But what if I’m infected?

  He checked himself over, looking for the slightest blister. The paramedic had shown symptoms within a few hours, and he was well beyond that now. He didn’t think he was sick, but that might not remain true if he stayed in this place any longer.

  “I’m leaving,” said Devey. “Good luck finding your mother.”

  Lee nodded. “Thanks, and, um, sorry, about earlier. What I called you.”

  “No worries.” Lee raced off, and Devey put one foot in front of the other, heading towards the exit. What he was doing was irresponsible, but he didn’t care. He had to get out. Needed to be where the fresh air was.

  He jolted forward as someone barged him from behind. His foot came down on an ownerless handbag and his ankle turned. He hissed in pain. Then swore.

  “That’s a naughty word,” said the same little girl he’d spooked at the vending machines earlier. She looked up at him, alone in the chaos—a tiny stone in the centre of a stream. Her ruffled blonde locks fell all over her face.

  “Sorry,” he told her. “I hurt myself. Are you okay?”

  She shook her head. “I lost my mummy.”

  “Oh?” He glanced over at the entrance, freedom right in front of him. “W-would you like me to help you find her?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Devey wanted to leave, but he took the girl’s hand. “Where did you see your mother last?”

  “Jessica. My name is Jessica.”

  “My name is Devey.”

  “I like that name.”

  “Thank you. So, your mummy? Where was she last?”

  “She went the toilet, then everybody got mad. I think something scary is happening.”

  Devey tried to give her a reassuring smile. “I think you’re right. Let’s find the toilets.”

  Tip-toeing to look over the crowd, he spotted the icon for the toilets. That was where he headed, but halfway there, he and Jessica encountered an old man kneeling on the ground. At first, Devey thought he’d been knocked down, but then he saw the man was cradling an old lady. He looked up at them with watery grey eyes. “Help me, please.”

  Devey searched for a doctor, but they were being bombarded on all sides by angry members of the public. “I’m sorry. I can’t do anything for you.”

  The old man said nothing else, just shook his head and sobbed. It felt wrong leaving him, but Devey had a child to take care of. He took Jessica to the far side of the room where the toilets were located. Going inside the ladies wasn’t something he felt comfortable doing, but he didn’t want to send the little girl in alone, so he put his hand against the door and pushed. But the door was stuck. Something blocked it from the other side. He knocked. “Hello?”

  No answer.

  “She might be inside,” said Jessica hopefully.

  Devey placed his leg against the door and shunted it with his hip. It moved slightly, shifting whatever was in its way. With no one objecting, he shoved again, harder. The obstruction slid aside and the door banged against the wall.

  “Mummy!”

  Devey gasped at the woman lying on the floor. Her head rested on the tiles and blood covered her face. She looked bad—maybe even dead. He grabbed Jessica and pulled her close—an instinctive action. “This is your mummy?” Jessica broke free and threw herself on top of the woman, making the answer to his question clear. “I think you should come away from her, Jessica. We’ll go find help.”

  “No! Mummy, wake up!” She shook her mother over and over.

  The woman opened her eyes. Her mouth released a moan and she bolted upright, clutching her head. “Sh-sugar, is that you?”

  “Yes, Mummy.”

  The woman pulled the little girl into a tight embrace and held her tight. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”

  “Mummy, what happened to your face?”

  “Someone hit me with the door. It’s just a nosebleed.”

  Devey winced. It was a hell of a nose bleed. “Can I get you anything?”

  The woman didn’t know Devey, but she seemed easy with the fact he was there. “No, I’ll be fine. What on earth is happening? People have gone nuts.”

  “There’s been an outbreak. I think you should take your daughter and leave.”

  She climbed up off the floor, keeping Jessica against her hip and using the wall to help her. Once she was up, she brushed herself off. “That sounds like a good idea.”

  “I’m leaving too,” said Devey. “We’ll go together, but you might want to wash your face first.”

  “Oh, yes!” She headed over to the sinks and soaked her face until the blood rinsed away. Then the three of them got going.

  The chaos in the waiting room had lulled, but not because people had calmed down. It was because a horde of people had fled the hospital rather than stick around. The entranceway was still writhing with bodies wanting to leave, but it was all one way traffic heading in the direction Devey wanted. He could still get out.

  “As soon as you get home,” he told the mother and daughter, “lock up and stay there. I’ve seen the virus and it’s bad.”r />
  The mother blinked at him. “What virus?”

  He wasn’t about to call it Bengali Flu, so he gave it his own name. “The Peeling,” he said. “Best way I can describe it.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that. I hope I don’t have to see it.”

  “I hope so t-” Devey stopped in his tracks and threw his arm out to keep his companions back. A man crouched in front of them, holding his face in both hands. A group of people had spread out around him as though he were a bomb. It sounded like he was crying, but the sound came out in an odd whistling sound.

  “What is he doing, Mummy?”

  “Just stay back, sweetheart. I think he’s upset.”

  The man stood and turned around, letting out a garbled scream. Others around him screamed too, including Devey. He didn’t seem real, more like a man in a Halloween mask. His lower lip dangled from the bottom of his chin like a turkey’s bright red snood.

  Jessica buried her face in her mummy’s tummy. Devey wished he could do the same.

  The man shambled towards them. “Help me! Please… help me.”

  “Get back!” Devey shouted. “Stay away. You’re sick!”

  The people in the entranceway redoubled their efforts to shove their way to the front. Doctors and nurses tried to regain control, but stopped as soon as they saw the sick man in the middle of the waiting area. Devey felt ashamed for backing away--even worse when he shouted at Jessica and her mother to run. They cut a wide berth around the infected man and sprinted for the exit. Ahead, a dozen people spilled out into the rainy afternoon.

  Clap-tssh. Clap-tssh!

  Two young men fell side-by-side in the courtyard, falling onto their fronts and not getting back up again.

  Clap-clap-clap-clap-tsssssh!

  Half-a-dozen more people fell. A few cried out, others were silent. A trail of blood trickled down the glass panels of the entrance.

  “People are shooting,” Devey cried. “People are shooting guns!” He grabbed Jessica and her mother and threw them both to the ground, covering them with his body and keeping his head low. The mob turned tail and ran the other way, fleeing back into the hospital. Their fear reached a crescendo as they pushed, trampled, and threw one another aside in sheer panic. A heavyset woman trod on Devey’s sore ankle and aggravated the sprain he’d given himself tripping over the abandoned handbag. Those stuck at the rear of the rout caught bullets in their backs and fell down dead, adding to a growing carpet of bodies. Blood rose in a murky mist, making it hard to see what was happening outside. Nothing moved in the courtyard, that Devey could see, and nobody shouted any warnings. Yet bullets continued zipping through the entrance and hitting people in the back.