Joe fell ill.
He was the second weakest in the group before Paper was kidnapped, and since then he had become the weakest. Joe was fine the night he came back from the square. But the next day, Snaketooth found him lying motionless on the hay, moaning vaguely and with bright red cheeks.
"He was infected by the cold plague," Sunflower said while touching Joe's head, "and his head is burning hot."
"Will I... die?"
Joe, squinting his eyes, asked softly.
No one answered.
The cold plague was an extremely stubborn disease, and once contracted, you can only rely on the body to resist the infection. However, people who were physically fit seldom suffered from the cold—those who were infected were generally weak, so very few patients could survive it. It was essentially a death sentence for Rats.
"I'll go and look for Kanas," said Snaketooth, breaking the silence.
"What do you want him for?"
