Читать книгу The Moses Legacy - - Страница 14

Joel awoke in the men’s communal tent, sweating heavily. He knew that at this time of year even the nights could get hot, but not like this. He was sweltering and itching.

What was it?

His arms, his legs, his torso. He hadn’t felt like this since he had chickenpox as a child. Except that this time it wasn’t just a scratching itch, it was a burning sensation.

He tried to look at his arm, to see what was causing the itch, but it was too dark. He had a torch by his bed, though he wasn’t sure if he should turn it on – it might disturb the others. But he had to know. Finally, plucking up the courage, he switched on the touch and shone it at his forearm.

And when he did so he got the shock of his life!

His arm was covered with boils. But these were not normal round boils. They were long, elongated trails of fiery red-orange on his skin, almost snake-like in appearance. And they were accompanied by a burning sensation. Joel realized that something was seriously amiss. The boils alone were frightening enough, but his head was also aching and his eyes watering. He realized that the sweat was not from the external heat and it was actually rather cool outside. The sweat came from his own body. He was going down with a fever.

He knew that there was a medical officer in the sick bay next to the soldiers’ hut and he decided to go there. Staggering out of bed, he threw on some clothes and began walking. But as he got to the entrance to the tent he fainted, emitting a cry that woke several of the others and raised the alarm.

An hour later, a helicopter arrived to take Joel to a hospital in Cairo. There was talk about a scorpion sting which the commanding officer tried to play down. He told them that according to the medic, Joel had chickenpox and it was more serious because he was an adult. However, he added, if they had already had it as children or been vaccinated against it, they had nothing to worry about.

Jane took advantage of the situation to make another visit to the latrine with her concealed mobile phone. However, instead of texting Senator Morris, this time she decided to call him and tell him what had happened.

‘Okay, now listen carefully,’ said the senator. ‘This is what I want you to do: you need to get a sample of his clothes—’

‘But they’ve flown him out to Cairo,’ Jane rasped into the phone.

‘Did they take all his things with him?’

‘Probably not.’

‘So most of his clothes are still in the tent.’

‘I guess.’

‘Okay. We only need a sample. Preferably something that he wore recently. Put it in a plastic bag and pack it with your things. I’ll give you instructions on how to get it out.’

‘Okay, Dad.’

She put the phone away before stepping out of the latrine… where she was confronted by a soldier.

‘Who were you talking to?’ he demanded.

Jane gasped in fright, fumbling mentally to find the right words to placate his suspicions. Then she noticed the red marks on his cheeks… and the sight made her realize that her own torso was itching.