The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 15

Having shaken off the shock of what she believed might be the end of her college career, Aurora woke from her well-needed sleep. Walking into the living room, she saw the frightened faces of her roommates and nervously asked what had happened.

“Guys,” she began. “What’s going on?” As much as she could handle herself in the woods, something of this magnitude was probably more than she could deal with. Taking it upon herself to break the news, Maya asked her to sit as she prepared to tell her how the future would likely change.

“Aurora,” she began. “We got a call from a friend in L.A. You’ve never met him, but he’s not one to exaggerate.”

She put a gentle hand on Aurora’s arm. “We’re pretty sure it’s smallpox. It was probably brought here by one of our enemies. But everything’s going to be okay. We’re going to figure out what to do, and I think we’re going to need your help.”

Before another word could be spoken, a roaring sound passed over the building, shaking the floor, then disappearing.

“What the fuck was that?!” Jackson asked. Hurrying to the windows, they saw two military jets turn left and fly up as they swung around for a second fly-over. Watching intently, the group traced the fighters as they circled the neighborhood, making another pass over the building. None of them had ever seen such a machine and quickly covered their ears as they screamed overhead. The presence of military power was enough to impale their souls with a degree of fear they had never experienced. Life would never return to what it was when the world was relatively calm and safe. Now, survival would be up for grabs. And although they did not yet realize it, the five friends would need each other more than ever--their survival completely hinging on the ability to make sound decisions.

Realizing that her chosen field was likely a thing of the past, Aurora walked away from the window, sat on the couch, and began crying. Artificial intelligence was her passion and she hoped that someday she would help reshape the world, seeing it as possessing unlimited potential. But her dream, like the others, had been shattered by what could only be seen under a microscope. Once again, Maya went to her side and attempted to console her with gentle embracing arms. “We’ll think of something,” she began. “We’re all in this together, okay?”

This was hardly enough to soothe Aurora’s fractured soul. She would have graduated at the end of the year and was already receiving offers from several large research firms. Now, with her future having vaporized, Aurora felt lost and would likely not find her way back to who she was.