Coffin was trembling. "Right after supper last night. I thought I was going to suffocate. Got up and walked the streets all night. My God, what a stench!"
"Jake?"
Dr. Miles shook his head. "Sometime this morning, I don't know when. I woke up with it."
"That's when it hit me," said Phillip.
"But I don't understand," Coffin howled. "Nobody else seems to notice anything—"
"Yet," said Phillip, "we were the first three to take the Coffin Cure, remember? You, and me and Jake. Two months ago."
Coffin's forehead was beaded with sweat. He stared at the two men in growing horror. "But what about the others?" he whispered.
"I think," said Phillip, "that we'd better find something spectacular to do in a mighty big hurry. That's what I think."
Jake Miles said, "The most important thing right now is secrecy. We mustn't let a word get out, not until we're absolutely certain."