The Thanaton Syndrome

Chapter Two

After a short time, someone knocked on the door.

"Seth!" Rachel burst in, with her stylish boots and skirt, wearing so much makeup she didn't look like herself anymore. "We've been looking for you! Are...are you okay?"

He looked up, eyes filling with tears all over again. "Nathan caught the virus...he fell into a coma and..."

"What? No, Seth, you don't know that."

"The ambulance took him away..."

Rachel fell silent, putting her head in her hands, and he felt her cursing beneath her breath. "Hey, I'm sorry. It might not be the virus though, maybe it's just―"

"It is! I know it is!"

She paused. "How do you know?"

He spoke bitterly. "It's a coma, Rachel. He fell into a coma. What else could it be?"

She sighed. "Let's talk to Mom about it, okay? She's waiting in the car. She's also having something like a panic attack. She says you need to get out there, like, right now."

He groaned, heaving himself up, and they entered the mass of students in the hallways. As they went, they ran into Priscilla, face streaked with tears. She lurched forward and gave him hug.

"Three others dropped into comas," she said.

He pulled back. "What?"

"It's got to be the virus."

He stood frozen for a moment, but Rachel pulled him on. "We've got to go, Seth."

He turned to Priscilla. "I gotta go, call you later?"

She nodded. "Sure. You have to tell me what happened...to Nathan." It seemed she had trouble spitting out those last words.

"Yeah. I will."

It was dark outside, and the sidewalks and pickup lanes were filled with people. It took Seth and Rachel about five minutes to make it through and get to their car. Their mother, Mrs. Thomasson, waited impatiently up front, with Lydia sitting quietly in the backseat.

"How was it? You guys okay?"

When no one answered immediately, Rachel leaned over and murmured Nathan's situation to her.

Their mother glanced back at Seth, concern on her face. "Are you okay?"

He didn't look at her. "I'm fine, Mom. Let's go home."

She sighed, but nodded, and headed out of the parking lot. A few moments passed before she spoke again. "We're going to leave for a little while."

Rachel glanced at her in confusion. "Leave? What do you mean?"

"We're just going to pack up some stuff, and go on a little trip."

Lydia appeared excited. "Where, Mom?"

"Oh, I think...maybe we can go to Colorado. I hear it's nice there."

"Colorado?" Rachel sounded incredulous. "Are you crazy? You never go anywhere without planning."

"Well, always a first for everything, right?"

"What? No! Mom, I don't want to go."

"At the moment, that's not really your choice, Rachel."

"Dad wouldn't make me go!"

Everyone fell silent. Seth glanced up, wincing. Their father had been a tricky subject for many years now. He'd left, when Seth was six years old and though Seth did remember him, Rachel had been nine and remembered every detail. Ever since he left, she'd gotten snotty and mean, and refused to listen to their mother, spending the majority of her time in her bedroom or with friends. Even now, seven years later, she refused to let go of any memory of him.