The Germ
Chapter Two: The Questioning
* * *
"Oh no, oh no," Chloe muttered, backing away from the library. Somehow, Lana had gotten sick like the other five, and was probably in a coma. And the last words she had said to her were in anger.
She hurried away before the crowd started to disperse and went to the Torch office. She shuffled through the papers that were scattered across her desk and found her notebook. She grabbed a pen from a cup next to her computer and the files of the five students who had the same symptoms as Lana from off the file cabinet. She turned towards the door just as Clark walked in.
"Chloe, did you hear about-" he started. He was visibly upset.
"Yes," she stated simply, and tried to get around him. She had to find anyone who was in the library at the time of Lana's fainting so she could talk to them
"Would you..." he began, but she cut him off.
"Yes, Clark, I'll look into it. It's not like I didn't expect it from you to ask me to fish around for information. After all, it's Lana we're talking about. Of course you're going to ask me to look into it," she said, a hint of sarcasm showing through.
"Actually, I was going to ask if you'd let me help. And not only for Lana, but for Pete, too."
"What?" Chloe asked, surprised, and whipped around to face him.
"I thought you said you heard," he said.
"About Lana, but what about Pete?"
"The same thing that happened to Lana. He fainted at almost the same time, but he was in the hallway."
"Oh my..." Chloe trailed off. She let herself fall into her chair. After letting it sink in, she looked back up at Clark. "What... what connections do Pete and Lana have?"
"They're friends?" Clark offered.
"Well, yeah, but that doesn't really explain anything. I mean, we're their friends, too, and we haven't been infected. And I don't think either of them know any of the other people who have been infected," Chloe pointed out. She slowly got to her feet and pulled Clark towards the library.
"Why are we going to the library?" Clark asked.
"To see if anyone was there when Lana fainted. I want to talk to them, see if they can give us any information," she explained.
"We'll miss class," Clark stammered.
"Oh, get off it Clark. Do you want to help me figure this out, or not?" Chloe said, almost jeeringly. Clark didn't reply and followed her. Once in the library, they headed straight to the librarian.
"Can I ask you some questions?" Chloe asked her.
"Is this about that Lang girl?" the old lady asked.
"Yes, ma'am," Clark said.
"How long was Lana in here today?" Chloe asked.
"All day. I tried to get her to go to class, but she was crying and wouldn't listen to me. She seemed very upset. She wasn't being loud, so I just let her stay."
"Were any of these students in the library recently?" Chloe asked. She read the list of names from her notebook.
"I don't know all of them," the librarian told her. But I know that Ms. Niece was in here, yesterday. She was crying, too, but a lot louder than Ms. Lang. I guess her boyfriend had broken up with her. She was a mess. Oh, and Mr. Segal and Ms. Ramsey were in here, also. They were really sick. Sneezing up a storm and coughing like you wouldn't believe. They were causing a horrible ruckus. But as I said, I don't know about the others."
"Thank you ma'am," Chloe said, turning to leave. As an afterthought, she turned back. "One last question. Where was Lana sitting?"
"Right there, dear," the librarian said, and pointed to a round table. Chloe and Clark followed her finger to the seat. Underneath the table was a crumpled tissue.
"Clark... I think I know what's going on," Chloe swallowed and turned towards Clark, fear in her eyes.
Chapter Two: The Questioning
* * *
"Oh no, oh no," Chloe muttered, backing away from the library. Somehow, Lana had gotten sick like the other five, and was probably in a coma. And the last words she had said to her were in anger.
She hurried away before the crowd started to disperse and went to the Torch office. She shuffled through the papers that were scattered across her desk and found her notebook. She grabbed a pen from a cup next to her computer and the files of the five students who had the same symptoms as Lana from off the file cabinet. She turned towards the door just as Clark walked in.
"Chloe, did you hear about-" he started. He was visibly upset.
"Yes," she stated simply, and tried to get around him. She had to find anyone who was in the library at the time of Lana's fainting so she could talk to them
"Would you..." he began, but she cut him off.
"Yes, Clark, I'll look into it. It's not like I didn't expect it from you to ask me to fish around for information. After all, it's Lana we're talking about. Of course you're going to ask me to look into it," she said, a hint of sarcasm showing through.
"Actually, I was going to ask if you'd let me help. And not only for Lana, but for Pete, too."
"What?" Chloe asked, surprised, and whipped around to face him.
"I thought you said you heard," he said.
"About Lana, but what about Pete?"
"The same thing that happened to Lana. He fainted at almost the same time, but he was in the hallway."
"Oh my..." Chloe trailed off. She let herself fall into her chair. After letting it sink in, she looked back up at Clark. "What... what connections do Pete and Lana have?"
"They're friends?" Clark offered.
"Well, yeah, but that doesn't really explain anything. I mean, we're their friends, too, and we haven't been infected. And I don't think either of them know any of the other people who have been infected," Chloe pointed out. She slowly got to her feet and pulled Clark towards the library.
"Why are we going to the library?" Clark asked.
"To see if anyone was there when Lana fainted. I want to talk to them, see if they can give us any information," she explained.
"We'll miss class," Clark stammered.
"Oh, get off it Clark. Do you want to help me figure this out, or not?" Chloe said, almost jeeringly. Clark didn't reply and followed her. Once in the library, they headed straight to the librarian.
"Can I ask you some questions?" Chloe asked her.
"Is this about that Lang girl?" the old lady asked.
"Yes, ma'am," Clark said.
"How long was Lana in here today?" Chloe asked.
"All day. I tried to get her to go to class, but she was crying and wouldn't listen to me. She seemed very upset. She wasn't being loud, so I just let her stay."
"Were any of these students in the library recently?" Chloe asked. She read the list of names from her notebook.
"I don't know all of them," the librarian told her. But I know that Ms. Niece was in here, yesterday. She was crying, too, but a lot louder than Ms. Lang. I guess her boyfriend had broken up with her. She was a mess. Oh, and Mr. Segal and Ms. Ramsey were in here, also. They were really sick. Sneezing up a storm and coughing like you wouldn't believe. They were causing a horrible ruckus. But as I said, I don't know about the others."
"Thank you ma'am," Chloe said, turning to leave. As an afterthought, she turned back. "One last question. Where was Lana sitting?"
"Right there, dear," the librarian said, and pointed to a round table. Chloe and Clark followed her finger to the seat. Underneath the table was a crumpled tissue.
"Clark... I think I know what's going on," Chloe swallowed and turned towards Clark, fear in her eyes.
