The days dragged by. We were into the second week of October now. It rained a lot. Heavy rain meant heavy mud. And there were still all those young men coming in through the gates. Limping, or being stretchered, their faces blurred with pain. Limbs reduced to bloody stumps. Some poor mother’s son, having been yanked off the wire, screaming and trying to hold his guts in. One lad lay quietly with a gentle smile on his face and, when I looked more closely, half his head was gone.
As the deadline grew closer, Kal and I took turns to keep watch in our room at night. One of us slept while the other wound bandages or tried to read. We never undressed, partly so we would be ready, but mostly because it was too bloody cold to take our clothes off. The days were ticking by and we had to be ready. One of my many memories is of watching my breath frost in the cold night air as I wound yards of bandage by the light of a tiny flickering candle on the floor, with a precious blanket pinned over the window to keep the light in and the cold out.
We arranged to meet Sussman at least once a day to reassure each other. We kept in regular contact and tried to be aware of each other’s positions at all times. I kept looking around me. This might not be here tomorrow. I imagined the whine of the shell, the crump of the explosion – and then what?
I came round a corner from the linen rooms and ran slap into someone. He lifted the top layer of blankets I was carrying and said, ‘Hi, it’s me!’
I looked round, but no one was in sight. ‘Hey, how are you?’
‘I’m cold. You must be perished. How are you holding up?’
I was touched. He wasn’t usually so thoughtful. ‘I’m OK. Not much longer now.’
‘No. Tonight, tomorrow, or the day after. Any thoughts?’
‘No, none. In fact, I think there’s a bit of a lull. The weather’s so awful that everything seems to have stopped for a while.’
‘Well, don’t relax. It could happen at any time. Look, I have to go. If we get through the night I’ll see you and Kal tomorrow, just outside here. By the latrines. We’ll have a catch-up and plan what to do next.’
‘By the latrines!’
‘It’s the romance in my soul. See you.’
By great good luck, we were all able to get away and meet the next day. Sussman was there already, waiting for us. I could see our pod in the distance, over by the stables, anonymous under bits of rusting metal and carefully placed pieces of old wood. We stood out of the rain and discussed what to do next.
‘It’s got to be tonight or tomorrow, said Kal. ‘Sussman, are you working tonight?’
‘Not if this weather continues, no.’
‘Stay sharp. Max, the Reception Tent is the furthest from the pod. At the first sign of anything out of the ordinary, go straight back to the pod and get the cameras activated. Stay out of trouble. You too, Sussman. We’re here to investigate. There’s no way I’m going back without knowing what happens here and we can’t do that if we’re dead. Is that clearly understood?’
We nodded.
‘I mean it. Any sign of heroics and I’ll kick your arses from here to Dr Bairstow’s office, pausing only to pick up your P45s on the way. Is that clearly understood?’
We nodded again. I shivered under my cape and pulled it more closely around me.
Around the corner, a whistle sounded and voices were raised. Engines turned over, coughing in the damp. ‘That’s me,’ said Sussman. ‘Bugger, I was supposed to stock up with extra blankets.’ He looked over his shoulder and then back at me. ‘Max, could you …?’
‘Sure, you go on and I’ll bring them to you. How many?’
‘Three should do it. Thanks a lot. Gotta go.’ And he was gone, slipping in the mud in his haste.
‘I must go too,’ said Kal. ‘I’ll meet you after your shift finishes. I think we should stick together as much as possible now.’
‘Right. See you then.’
She disappeared and I re-entered the building. I hurried along the corridor to the linen rooms, ignoring the first two doors. Blankets were stored in Number Three. I reached for the door handle and pulled open a heavy, old-fashioned door made of solid wood. That it opened outwards was the only thing that saved me. I just had time to register the hot door handle before I was blown backwards and sideways and the door came down on top of me.
I lay stunned and only slowly became aware of flames licking around the doorframe. The roaring I thought was in my own head turned out to be the fireball in the linen room. It was hot. I had to get up. Wriggling out from under the door took some effort, but I managed it.
Flames ran along the ceiling above me. I couldn’t see a thing for the smoke. The whole corridor was filled with it, billowing out from the linen room. If the fire ripped through the hospital this quickly then this would be a major catastrophe. But that’s exactly what it was. It was a major catastrophe. Suddenly, without any warning, this was it.
Chapter Five