The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 5

Midterms would soon occupy the attention of every student on campus, both graduate and undergraduate alike. Papers would be due and exams given, making this time of the semester the bane of all students and due to the difficulty of midterms, the campus would soon become something of a monastery. Academic life was both routine and necessary, but today would present a disruption to that routine as students, both living on and off campus, were stopped by men dressed in hazmat suits. Every entrance had been blocked with an order from the state CDC that no one entered and no one leave. Those who lived on campus found themselves under quarantine, as all dormitories were placed under heavy guard. Even college officials and faculty were ordered to remain on campus, while those arriving were ordered home. The general reaction was both confusion and anger and with as many questions that were asked, no one was given an answer. People screamed about their rights being violated, only to be ignored. Students called their parents but found the cell phone’s signals disrupted by static or dead air. Some tried to leave campus by other means and were promptly arrested.

On this particular day, David and Aurora were on their way to class. The six roommates decided to carpool whenever possible to save money on gas. With fewer of them driving, they would also be more likely to find a parking space. But as they approached the nearest entrance, they were stopped by one of the men in hazmat suits. This one was armed with an assault rifle slung over his shoulder. Around his waist was a web belt affixed with several ammunition magazines—all of them filled with what looked like live shells. David and Aurora were as much struck with fear as they were with confusion, and conversation quickly developed.

“What the fuck is going on?” David asked.

Hearing the sound of rotors chopping at the air, both looked up through the windshield to see what was obviously a military helicopter. This prompted a stronger degree of fear in both David and Aurora.

“Jesus Christ,” Aurora began. “Whatever the fuck this is, it’s serious.”

Moments later, a man covered in a sealed hazmat suit approached the car. Unable to speak through, the large hood pointed back towards the street as he adjusted the strap of his assault weapon. Doing so likely was a tactic of intimidation as well as a show of force. David waved and smiled while nodding his head. The road behind him had been cleared and putting his car in reverse, backed out and started home.

Once they arrived at the apartment, they were met by the rest of their roommates, their eyes fixed on the T.V., a grim expression on their faces. With overwhelming concern and curiosity, Aurora was the first to speak.

“Guys,” she began. “What the hell is going on at school?”

Asking for quiet, Maya suggested they sit and focus on the news broadcast. The lead story was, of course, the events playing out at the Tacoma University campus. Apparently, there had been an accident in the college’s biology lab, and according to policy, the CDC had to be notified, and the campus quarantined.

“What the hell were they working on that could be this dangerous?” Nathan asked.

They continued watching as the horror of events unfolded. The military had become involved, and several students had been shot trying to break quarantine. When they resisted, they were seen as an imminent threat to the community and, according to the rules of martial law, had to be eliminated. The roommates sat with wide eyes as their mouths dropped open. Maya and Aurora burst into tears, not knowing if the deceased students were people they knew. At some point, their names would be made public, but until then no further information was provided. And again, all students living off campus were told to stay home. Anyone living near the campus was also told to stay indoors and that those neighborhoods would be patrolled on a regular basis.

Once the broadcast was over, the group sat in the living room trying to make sense of whatever was going on at the campus.

“So, what do you think it is?” Jackson asked. The group paused to consider the possibilities. “I don’t have a clue,” Eli responded. “But I’ll bet you a dime bag that the government’s involved.” A moment of realization overtook the group, leading them a bit closer to the truth. But there was still the question of what, exactly, the campus was working with and why.

“Well,” Maya began. “What do we know so far? It looks like it could be something biological, and we saw a military helicopter fly over the campus.”

This caught Nathan’s attention, as the presence of a military helicopter was not mentioned in the news broadcast.

“Are you shitting me?” he said. “Alright, so if the military’s involved then whatever this is it has to be some kind of government project, right?” It did make sense, but now there was the question of why the government would use a university lab in a populated area when there are secret labs that could be used. Then, Nathan raised his head as his mind was suddenly struck with an idea. “Oh shit,” he said. “I know what it is.” The group turned with all eyes fixed on him. “Well?” Aurora said.

Gathering his thoughts, he began his explanation. “I’ve heard of this happening before,” he began. “A student in some university creates something or maybe discovers something. It gets the attention of the government and they step in and confiscate the research and samples. Then, they make some changes, so they can use it as a weapon.”

Eli interrupted and finished what was only hypothetical.

“And then something happens and the campus gets closed.”

He couldn’t help giggling a bit and made one further remark.

“Fuck, man, the government fucks up again.”