It had started out like any other normal day, until the news came along on the airwaves and plastered on every available wall around the city. A new airborne virus was ravaging the streets of Denver and suddenly everyone was going around with masks on and avoiding everyone else on sight. It had been a week since then and seven people had already succumbed.

They called it The Flare- because that was what it did to the body's central nervous system, provoking an autoimmune response that attacked at the very thing that kept it alive.

Newt walked into the kitchen just as Minho went into a loud coughing fit that sent him doubling over at the table. He glanced towards his friend in concern.

"You alright there, Minho?"

"Yeah, it's nothin'," the boy replied, straightening up again. "Just been smoking too much. This latest assignment is a killer. I haven't even got the time to see Kera, dude."

"You really need to quit that addiction of yours, mate," Newt shook his head. "And how is she? I haven't seen her for a while either."

"She's okay, got a reading week and been holed up at home since," Minho told him.

He thought that it was odd to have a reading week so early in the term but the Art Faculty had always been pretty weird. Heading over to the counter, he switched the kettle on to boil and made some coffee to go. Ever since the spread of the virus, the university had closed down the cafes, bars and restaurants around the campus to minimize the risk of infection. It was a chore for him since he was now running on less caffeine than he was used to. Sometimes he'd manage to make himself another cup from the pantry in the Science building but mostly, he didn't have the time to drop in.

Exam season was only three months away and their workload seemed to have tripled over the last week. He was now eating, breathing and sleeping quantum theories and calculations every second of the day. And by the sign of Minho's dark circles, they were pretty much in the same boat.

He called out a cheery goodbye as he walked out of the apartment and down the elevator to the convenient bus stop across the street. Teresa was sat at the back of the packed morning bus and she waved him over, moving her bag from the seat next to her. He'd always gotten mad when somebody else he didn't know did that but he was glad Teresa was one of those people for his sake.

The bus ride only took fifteen minutes to reach the top of the hill where the university was perched on, overlooking the city from the north. It was a breathtaking sight when the weather was being cooperative.

"I'm kinda worried about Thomas," Teresa told him and he turned to her with his own concern etched on his face.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked anxiously.

"I don't know, I think he's in a slump," she looked at him. "Writer's block, maybe?"

"Oh..." he relaxed somewhat. "I guess everyone's a bit on edge at the moment."

"No kidding," she frowned. "I mean, I get it. But seriously, it's so annoying."

They got off at their stop and made their way towards their class. He caught a glimpse of the cafe and clutched the strap of his bag. Ever since it was closed, he stopped receiving his anonymous letters as well, which just proved that Minho had been right all along; someone from the cafe had been sneaking them into his books. There were always a lot of people in the cafe and he couldn't possibly begin to guess who it was.

There was a commotion outside the entrance of the Science building and they craned their heads, trying to get a view of what it could be. Teresa spotted one of the boys from their course and went up to ask him what was happening.

"They're closing the university," he told them. "One of the students caught the virus."

Teresa's eyes widened in sympathy. "Oh, no. I wonder who it was, I hope it's not someone we know."

Superstition dictated that if you said something out loud, you inevitably doomed it to happen and just as Teresa finished her sentence, Newt received a call from Minho.

"This is bad, this is so bad, Newt, I don't know what to do," his friend's frenzied voice greeted him over the line.

"Calm down, what happened?" he asked but felt a sinking pit in his stomach from the apprehension.

"It's Kera, man, she caught it," Minho said in a strangled voice. "I got a call from Brenda and they're rushing her to the hospital right now. Man, oh, man, dude."

He groaned in dismay and Newt glanced to Teresa who was watching him with a pale expression, just knowing that she was going to swallow her previous words soon.

"Okay, it'll be fine, maybe they found it early," Newt told him in an effort to be comforting but he could barely believe his own words. "You should go to the hospital."

"You think?" Minho interjected. "Yeah, maybe you're right, yeah. Would they let me?"

"Just breathe, man," Newt told him. "Yeah, I think they'll allow one visitor to stay with her. The uni's closed down cause of her, I think."

"Oh, God!" Teresa gasped next to him, clasping a hand to her mouth. "Kera?!"

"Okay. Okay, yeah, thanks, man," Minho said, sounding more like himself, and disconnected.

Newt sighed and looked at Teresa as she grabbed hold of his shoulders. She told him that they had to let Thomas know what happened but they couldn't get through to his phone. They spent the next hour scouring the campus for him but there was still no sign. Eventually, Teresa said she'll go back to the apartment to check and he stayed back in case the boy showed up.

Half an hour later, he got a text from her- Thomas wasn't back at the apartment and he left his phone at home. She was going to get some food for Minho and check on Kera too, then told him to look for Thomas up on the hill. The stars were out and it was a clear night, excellent conditions for gazing.

So Newt readjusted his bag over his shoulders and made the upward climb to the top of the hill.