Man, that ending would have been weird even if he'd had a severe heart condition or something. A tooth infection, though???

I mean, yeah, dental stuff could suck a lot in post-apocalyptic conditions, but what a weird anticlimax for a book. Especially when it sounds like it would have had a very good ending if the last couple of pages had just been cut.

ETA: Any chance the weird stuff on the last two pages was meant to set up suspense/drama for a sequel?