The Peeling Omnibus by Iain Rob Wright

Author:Iain Rob Wright
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Iain Rob Wright
Published: 2014-12-14T00:00:00+00:00

THE PEELING: PATIENT ZERO

The spacious minibus cut through the English countryside like a scalpel through flesh. From within its air-conditioned cocoon, it would be easy to forget the sweltering sun that beat down its summer rays. The tinted windows made the world outside seem dark.

Dr Gregory Penn watched the farms, fields and forests roll by and wondered how long it had been since he last saw a building. Being so far away from London gave him an unsettled feeling that he did not like. It was like he was somehow leaving civilisation behind.

I’m fleeing. Escaping my life so that I might find another.

But it was a choice he had made. Greg had finally sold out to the big money offer and was working for the Government. No more helping sick people in hospitals, no more saving lives; now he would spend his days researching whatever his new bosses told him to – whether it was a weapon of mass destruction or an anti-wrinkle cream.

The black-suited driver of the mini-bus turned down a wooded lane and reduced their speed. The vehicle began to bounce on its axels as the road became uneven and rocky.

“Are we nearly there?” Greg asked. The long drive was giving him too much time to think. He was getting anxious, doubting his decision.

Am I really cut out for this? Chief Virologist at the age of thirty-eight?

Well, I’m not cut out for anything else. Was never any good at being a friend, a husband...

“We will be there in less than ten minutes, sir,” replied the driver.

Greg sighed. It was a relief to be close after so many hours of driving. With all of the back roads they’d taken, he wasn’t even sure which part of the country he was in anymore. They could even have passed north into Scotland for all he knew. They’d certainly be driving long enough since Lewisham.

Up ahead, the minibus encountered a chain link fence. The driver slipped a mobile phone from his pocket and made a call. A few seconds later, a section of the fence slid aside on rails and the minibus passed through.

An automatic fence in the middle of nowhere...Very cloak and dagger.

A short while later, the muddy road opened up into a wide clearing. The area between the thick woods was almost a perfect circle – unnatural in its perfect curves. In the centre was a single building no bigger than a garden shed.

What the hell? This is the UK’s finest Medical Research facility?

“Please exit the vehicle,” said the driver. “Then proceed to the building ahead.”

Greg didn’t move.

“Sir, please do as I’ve instructed.”

Greg cleared his throat and then unclasped his seatbelt. He pushed open the door and scooted along his seat. Twigs and dry leaves crunched beneath his feet as he stepped out of the minibus. The sounds seemed immense in the silence of the clearing. He slid the door closed behind him and headed up to the front of the vehicle. He leant towards the driver’s window and tried to see through the tint.

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