FRIDAY, 12.50 P.M.
Jazz came out of the toilet. Her face looked damp, as though it had just been washed. Mike wondered if she had been crying, but she tried to smile as she came over to them. ‘Mum said not to worry, just to sit tight,’ she said.
‘Jazz’s mum’s a doctor,’ Mike told Budgie.
Budgie looked affronted. ‘I didn’t know that.’
‘She’s not supposed to practice here. We didn’t tell anyone.’ Jazz hesitated. ‘She said that it’s really hard to make proper biological warfare stuff, much harder than people think. Either the virus dies before it goes very far or it kills the person carrying it. She says Mr Simpson probably has food poisoning or something. There’s nothing really to worry about.’
Mike shook his head. ‘It didn’t look like food poisoning.’
‘You’re not a doctor,’ said Budgie.
‘Yeah. But it still didn’t look like food poisoning.’
‘There’s different types of food poisoning,’ said Jazz.
‘See?’ said Budgie.
‘Sure, but …’ Mike shut up. It wasn’t worth it.
‘Hey, what’s that noise?’ Budgie crossed the room and peered around the door. The others followed him.
‘We’re not supposed to go outside,’ Jazz warned him.
‘I’m not. I’m just looking. Hey, everyone’s getting out of class.’
Caitlin shoved her way to the front of the group. ‘But the bell for lunch hasn’t gone,’ she objected. ‘They’re all going out the front, like you know, a fire drill or something.’
‘Evacuating,’ said Mike. How come they’re all evacuating if there’s nothing to worry about, he thought. But he didn’t say it. ‘Come on,’ he said to Caitlin ‘We’d better get inside.’
‘Oh, go jump,’ said Caitlin crankily. ‘Like, who made you boss, anyway?’
‘No one,’ said Mike. ‘I just think …’
‘I’ll do what I want to!’ Caitlin’s voice was high and tight. Mike had never heard her speak like that before. It must all be really getting to her.
‘If I want to stay here I will. I can …’ Caitlin’s voice trailed away. ‘It’s hot,’ she said more quietly. ‘I think I will come inside. Not because you told me to.’ Her voice grew sharp again. ‘Just because I want to … I want to lie down.’
Jazz took her arm. ‘Caitlin, are you okay?’
‘I don’t know. I feel … funny. Everything looks sort of greenish. Like shadows … My knees, my knees won’t work.’
‘Yes, they will,’ said Jazz soothingly. ‘Come on, come inside and lie down. Mike, have you got a jumper or something she can use as a pillow?’
‘Sure,’ said Mike. He grabbed his jumper and brought it over to them.
‘I don’t want your jumper. I just want …’ Caitlin shuddered and she began to pant. ‘My hands,’ she gasped. ‘My hands feel … feel like …’
‘Come on, just lie down for a bit,’ said Jazz comfortingly, but her eyes met Mike’s anxiously.
‘I … I …’ began Caitlin. Suddenly her body arched. She fell. Her mouth grinned in a long and terrifying scream, over and over and over …
No one moved. It was impossible to move, thought Mike. It was impossible that any of this could be happening.
Suddenly Jazz stumbled forward. She reached a hand out. The movement brought Mike out of his daze.
‘Don’t touch her,’ said Mike sharply.
‘But …’
‘Don’t you understand?’ cried Mike. ‘We have to keep away!’
Jazz looked at him strangely. ‘You mean if I touch her, I might die too? But we’ve probably already been infected. We’re already going to …’ Her voice broke.
We’re going to die, thought Mike. It’s true, it’s really true. We’re going to die. The thought pounded through his head, yelling at him, screaming at him.
How could it have come to this, he thought desperately. It shouldn’t be like this! It shouldn’t be like this at all …
‘Get back,’ he choked out to the others. ‘Everyone get back.’
‘I’m going to ring the front office,’ said Jazz. ‘Maybe the ambulance is still here.’ She fumbled for her phone and began to dial. ‘Could you connect me to Elbow Creek Central School front office please? Yes, it’s in Elbow Creek. What? No, it’s near Gunyabah. Look, it’s really urgent …’ Then, ‘Miss Clancy? It’s Jasmine Fallerton in the hall. Caitlin’s … Caitlin’s sick. It’s like Mr Simpson. Yes. Yes. Please hurry. Oh, please hurry …’
Caitlin began to scream again.