Hollowpox The Hunt for Morrigan Crow - Jessica Townsend Page 0,86

taken blood samples and talked to the three infected Wunimals about where they’d been, who they’d come in contact with, what other symptoms they’d been experiencing.

But it seemed the more data they collected, the more baffled they were as to how the Hollowpox was spreading so quickly. One of the three, a roosterwun, had just returned from a silent meditation retreat and hadn’t been in contact with anyone at all – let alone any other Wunimals – for a whole month. How, then, had he caught it?

Sofia had joined the Hollowpox task force as a Wunimal community liaison, and had been reaching out to Wunimals outside the Society to help them be safe and avoid catching the pox. Her main suggestion was to stay home until the task force knew more … but what good would that do, if isolation didn’t keep the Hollowpox at bay?

The best tool in their kit, truly, was Jupiter’s sight as a Witness. But he couldn’t be everywhere all at once, he couldn’t possibly stop every attack before it happened, and he seemed to consider each one he missed a deep personal failing. For the three attacks he’d prevented, there were nearly a dozen he hadn’t. Morrigan could see it was taking its toll.

‘Well, I suppose we’ll have plenty of information now,’ he said with an uncharacteristic sneer. ‘We’ll be swamped with it. Real information, false information, who cares? Not the Concerned Citizens of Nevermoor.’

Morrigan glanced down at the poster Jupiter had ripped off a lamppost in Courage Square and brought home to show her. She’d read it a dozen times at least, and each time it chilled her to the bone.

BEWARE!

YOU ARE IN DANGER

from the

HOLLOWPOX

The Wundrous Society doesn’t want you to know that RIGHT NOW in Nevermoor, potentially THOUSANDS of RABID WUNIMALS are infected with this dangerous virus, putting YOU and YOUR FAMILY at risk of SAVAGE ATTACKS!

The Wundrous Society has admitted that early symptoms of the Hollowpox are almost IMPOSSIBLE TO SPOT!

Could somebody YOU KNOW be

SECRETLY INFECTED?

Watch out for FORGETFULNESS, INCREASED APPETITE, FIDGETING and AGGRESSION.

If you suspect a friend, neighbour, colleague or family member may be infected, you have a DUTY to report them IMMEDIATELY to the Nevermoor City Police Force.

BE ALERT

WATCH YOUR NEIGHBOURS

DON’T HESITATE

ACT ON YOUR SUSPICIONS

Paid for by Laurent St James of the Concerned Citizens of Nevermoor Party

The symptoms listed on the poster were the same as on the Wundrous Society’s posters, but not really. They’d been edited, abbreviated, shortened to make them even more ridiculously broad.

Forgetfulness, increased appetite, fidgeting, aggression? That described half of Unit 919 on a good day. How many Wunimals would be wrongly accused of having the pox, Morrigan wondered, when these were the symptoms people were watching for?

It was that last bit of the poster that really spooked her. Watch Your Neighbours. Don’t Hesitate. Act On Your Suspicions. It was like these ‘Concerned Citizens’ were just trying to turn everyone against Wunimals.

Any Wunimals. All of them.

‘Who is this Laurent St James?’ asked Morrigan.

‘Some rich idiot,’ muttered Jupiter. ‘One of the landed gentry, a Lord or a Viscount or something. Now he’s formed his own political party, the Concerned Citizens of Nevermoor. They mostly seem to be concerned with nosing into business that doesn’t concern them. Here, eat something, will you.’ He nudged the plate of crumpets towards her, and she nudged it back.

‘You eat something. How does he know so much about the Hollowpox? I thought the Public Distraction Department was keeping it under wraps.’

‘There’s no keeping anything under wraps now, Mog. Not after what happened at the Gobleian.’ He sighed and took a bite of dry toast, made a face and swallowed it reluctantly. ‘It was already out there, anyway, really. Bits and pieces have been leaking for weeks now, it was only a matter of time.’

Morrigan suddenly remembered something. ‘We saw a man with a megaphone shouting about it on Grand Boulevard on Thursday! He called Wunimals abominations. He said they were … what was it? An “affront to humanity”. What a pig.’

Jupiter scowled. ‘Posh bloke in a fancy suit?’

‘Yes.’

‘That’ll be him. Laurent St James. Loves nothing more than getting up on his soapbox. He’s trying to stir trouble.’

One of the kitchen staff came to clear their plates, and Jupiter sent away all of the untouched food with a sigh.

The rest of the summer flew by in a frightening whirl. Every day more posters appeared on the streets, every day the Concerned Citizens held another rally and broadcast their message on the radio, encouraging