The Fog - James Herbert [70]
‘And how has the public reacted?’
‘As you’d expect. Panic. Fear. Accusations. The press are having a field day.’
‘And what answer have they been given?’
‘Nothing official yet. Just that a grand-scale investigation is taking place and a statement will be made by the Prime Minister later this evening. But they’ve implied a poisonous gas has drifted in from the sea and caused the disaster in Bournemouth.’
‘My God, are people falling for it? What about the eruption?’
‘No connection. At least that’s the answer that’s been given.’
‘The school! What about the school?’
‘Er, news of that hasn’t been released.’
‘But they can’t hush something like that up! What have the parents got to say?’
‘As far as they know, their sons were killed in an accidental fire. In three major disasters concerning the lives of thousands, the school incident has been easily swallowed up.’
‘Three? What are the three?’
‘The eruption, Bournemouth and the crash this morning of the 747 into the GPO Tower.’
‘How many were killed in that?’
‘It hasn’t been ascertained yet. It’s estimated at least a thousand. There were two hundred and eighty-six on the jumbo alone, God knows how many were in the Tower and the offices around it.’
The air hung heavily in the small hospital-like room for several moments as both men tried to grasp the magnitude of the tragic events that had taken place. It was completely beyond their comprehension, somehow unreal. And it was the unreality of the situation that enabled them to cope.
‘Does the public know about the fog?’ It was Holman who broke the silence.
‘Yes, they’re aware. It’s hardly a thing that could be kept a secret – a mile wide, a mile high. They had to be informed anyway, to get them to move out of its path.’
‘And how have they reacted to that?’
‘General hyster—’
The door opened and Janet Halstead entered, interrupting Barrow’s answer.
‘Hello, John, how are you feeling?’ Her smile was a little more strained than it had been that morning.
‘I’m fine. Tell me about Casey.’
‘Her condition is deteriorating, John. I have to be honest with you, there’s been enough evasiveness in this place for one day.’ She sat on the edge of his bed. ‘But there is a chance.’
He looked up at her, hopefully.
‘We are pretty sure we know what is happening. We’ve had some of the finest minds in the country working on it. The autopsies have provided us with the answers. But we need to know the cause, John. We can’t be sure until we know the cause. And that’s what I meant when I mentioned evasiveness.’
‘Tell me exactly what you mean.’
‘We all feel – that is, the members of the Medical Research Council – that the Chemical and Microbiological Researchers from the Ministry of Defence are holding out on us. You see, in their tests, they seemed to know exactly what it was they were looking for, as though they were not looking for an answer but for confirmation of an answer they already had.
‘We began to realize this as their tests progressed. There was no trial and error in their methods – they knew exactly what they were doing. Well, we let them finish and then we confronted them. But they clammed up, wouldn’t say a word. They demanded that they see their Minister as only he had the authority to allow them to reveal their discovery – or affirmation.’
‘The bastards – they’re covering up!’ Holman leapt from the bed. ‘Barrow, you get me Sir Trevor Chambers. He’ll get some answers for us. If he doesn’t, I’m going to blow this thing sky high!’
‘I’ll get him, Holman, but there’s nothing you can do personally. They’ll lock you away,’ said Barrow in a matter-of-fact voice.
‘Just get him! We’ll see!’
‘Okay, okay. But keep calm, eh?’
‘Yes, John,’ said Janet Halstead firmly. ‘It’s no good getting excited, it won’t help anyone. The first thing you must do is eat. I think we’ve found all we need