3.

When Tracy walked into lunch later that day, she was still wondering about Valerie.  Her thoughts stopped cold when she noticed Lucas striding down the hall past her--he didn't have her scheduled lunch, but the only other one available, of all the rotten luck.  That, however, didn't stop her from freezing in place and holding up the line while some prissy freshman pushed her from behind.

 

She slid into her usual seat and tried to ignore the cold, slimy taste of her cafeteria cheeseburger.

 

"Hey, did you hear about that Valerie chick?" said a voice.

 

It was one of Tracy's lunch-table friends, Desiree.  She was a real carrottop, with freckles and green eyes, and she was the sweetest person Tracy knew.  She was Tracy's best friend after Joey.

 

"Mmhm," Tracy gulped down a bite and pulled a face.  "It was just a nosebleed, though."

 

Desiree nodded wisely.  "But the thing is, I heard from a girl in my Spanish class she had to go to the hospital about it.  Like, she started spitting up blood, even.  I've heard five people tell me they saw an ambulance after second period!"

 

Tracy froze.  "Can't always believe what you hear," she mumbled.

 

"Trace," Desiree added, using her nickname to lighten the mood, "Nobody's seen her."

 

"She could still be in the nurse's office," Tracy countered.  "Or maybe they sent her home.  It was just a stupid nosebleed!"

 

"Hey Tracy, Desiree," called another of Tracy's friends, Sammi.  She was pretty much Desiree's opposite; pale with blue-black hair, a smouldering sort of hot, and with a new boyfriend every other week.  "You heard about that Valerie Thomas?"

 

Tracy groaned, but Desiree just muttered "We were just discussing it."

 

"Did you hear she had to go to the--?"

 

"We know!"

 

Just then there was a shriek from the next table over.  Tracy looked up in alarm only to see some senior-looking boy holding a wad of bright red napkins to his face.  There was a trickle of red running down his chin and staining his blue-and-gold jersey.  And, predictably, everyone around him was going completely hysterical.

 

"It's just a NOSEBLEED," Tracy said in exasperation.  But the boy was already running, out the lunchroom door as people pointed and stared, down the courtyard and into the main building out of sight.

 

Just then, Joey took the last seat at the table, right next to Tracy.  He too was staring after the running boy.

 

"What the hell is going on today," he muttered.

 

"No idea," said Desiree, Sammi, and Tracy in unison.  Their eyes were also locked on the place where the boy had vanished.

Author's Note

Yes, the epidemic is springing up surprisingly fast, taking down in ever-increasing numbers, and spurring a general widespread panic from the first case. It's SUPPOSED to be like that. It'll only escalate ;)