Tunnels 03, Freefall

all.
    She began to babble and froth at the mouth, her movements becoming even more frantic. Then she screamed, and her whole body convulsed and locked up as if an electric current was running through it. Shouting for help, Will tried to straighten her out on the bed, but she was rigid, her back arching and her legs so tautly clenched that she was thrusting herself up from the mattress. He caught a glimpse of her face. It was no longer flushed as it had been ever since the fever set in, but had completely drained of color. It was a deathly white.
    "For God's sake! Come quick!" he screamed.
    Chester and Martha rushed in at the same time -- they had clearly both been asleep.
    Martha reacted to the situation immediately. She picked up the bowl of water and threw it over Elliott, then thrust the empty bowl at Chester, telling him to go and refill it. As Chester rushed off, she joined Will in trying to straighten the girl's body out.
    "What is it? Why's she doing this?" Will said, so beside himself with worry that his voice was quaking.
    "It's because of her temperature. It should pass," Martha told him. She was checking Elliott's mouth -- the girl's teeth were clenched tightly shut. "Got to watch out she hasn't bitten her tongue," Martha said.
    "Oh, Jesus -- look... look at her eyes," Will gasped. They had rolled up into her head so that only the whites showed.
    "It'll pass," Martha assured him again.
    Chester thundered back in with some more water and Martha drenched the girl for a second time. Elliott's body slowly relaxed, until she was completely still and the color had returned to her face.
    "Poor Elliott," Will mumbled. "That was just awful."
    "She was fitting. It's because she's been too hot for too long," Martha said. "It's affecting her brain."
    Will and Chester exchanged glances.
    "Isn't there anything we can do to stop it?" Chester asked.
    "I'm afraid not. And it's likely to get worse," Martha replied. "Exactly the same happened to Nathaniel."

    * * * * *

    Mrs. Burrows had just left her flat when she noticed two surly-looking youths hanging around by the railings in the middle of the square.
    Both had their hoods up and were wearing identical sky-blue camouflage baseball caps with oversize peaks, so it was difficult for her to make out their faces. But then one of them, the bigger of the two, who had a cigarette cupped in his hand, raised it to his mouth for a drag, and Mrs. Burrows caught a glimpse of his features.
    She slowed, then crossed the road towards them.
    "I know you, don't I?" she said, frowning.
    "Don't think so, lady," the bigger boy replied, his manner gruff as he slung his cigarette into the gutter. Tucking his head down low, he began to swagger off with his confederate in tow.
    "I do know you. You and Will had a set-to in the fourth year, when he used his shovel. I had to come in and talk to the headmaster, and you were there too with your parents. You're Spike or Spider or something like that, aren't you?"
    The boy stopped on the spot, twisting his head round to regard Mrs. Burrows. "Spider? What sort of name's that?" he spat. He curled the side of his mouth in what was probably intended to be an insolent sneer, but it looked more like he was about to sneeze. "The name's Speed, lady, Speed ." Then, as what Mrs. Burrows had said registered, her frowned and began to study her with more interest. "Will... Will Burrows. You're Will's mum?"
    "That's right," she confirmed.
    Speed exchanged a glance with his companion, Bloggsy, then he strolled back towards her. "I thought you'd been put away somewhere?" he said insensitively.
    "I was. Went through a rough patch, but I'm through it now."
    "My stepdad got all tweaky, too -- know what I'm saying? -- depressions and all that, only me mum chucked him out. He was getting a bit handy with me and me bro', Speed said, clenching and unclenching a fist.
    "I'm sorry to hear that," Mrs. Burrows said.
    Speed ran his eyes over Mrs. Burrows again, lingering on her new trainers. "Wicked," he said, obviously impressed with them. "You're looking sharp, Mrs. B. Been workin' out?"
    She nodded.
    "Yes, I'm just on my way to yet another briefing from the police. They won't have anything new to say -- all the usual excuses. It's like dealing with the Keystone Cops."
    Speed shook his head empathically. "What are they gonna tell you? Nobody talks to them. They're the last to know what's going down."
    Speed seemed on the point of saying something more, then shut his