"May I have the attention of everyone currently present on campus."
The announcement echoed across Drake University.
It came through every speaker at once—outside the residence halls, along the walkways, inside the student center, and from the ceiling speakers of classrooms that had been half-empty only moments before.
Conversations stopped.
Students looked up from their phones.
A professor paused halfway through writing on a whiteboard.
Someone carrying a box near the student center nearly dropped it.
Then Morales spoke again.
"Due to the unprecedented situation caused by the supervolcanic eruption in Indonesia, Drake University will be closing indefinitely."
A murmur spread through the campus.
"The university will be isolating itself from the outside. Beginning at noon today, all gates will be closed. Once sealed, movement into or out of the university will be prohibited."
For a few seconds, nobody seemed to know how to react.
Then the campus erupted.
Students rushed toward the residence halls. Others immediately called their families. A few ran toward the parking lots, hoping they could still leave before the gates closed. Professors gathered in small groups, speaking in low voices.
The eight freshmen stood together outside Favilla Hall.
Corvin Kovač watched the crowd move around them.
"So," Chase said, looking toward the main road, "that's happening."
Aisha folded her arms.
"We knew it was coming."
"Knowing something is going to happen doesn't make it less insane," Chase replied.
Priya glanced toward the gates.
"Do we still have time to leave?"
Corvin shook his head.
"We already decided."
Priya looked at the others.
Nobody disagreed.
They had already discussed it.
They could leave Drake.
They could try to reach their families.
They could gamble on roads that were already filling with people trying to escape.
Or they could stay.
Eight people stood there, each carrying a different reason for remaining.
"We stay," Corvin said.
Aisha nodded.
"Together."
One by one, the others agreed.
The decision was made.
But there were still several hours before the gates closed.
And none of them wanted to spend those hours hiding inside a dorm room.
So they walked.
Not because there was anywhere they needed to go.
Because they wanted to see Drake.
Perhaps for the last time.
The campus looked strangely familiar.
And yet, somehow, completely different.
Students were everywhere.
Some hurried toward residence halls with bags over their shoulders. Others dragged suitcases behind them. Parents who had managed to reach campus stood beside their children, arguing about whether they should leave.
The university had become a place of movement.
But the eight moved against it.
They wandered through the residence halls first.
Doors stood open.
Some rooms had already been emptied. Others still looked perfectly ordinary—beds unmade, textbooks spread across desks, half-finished meals sitting beside laptops.
In one hallway, a bicycle had been abandoned against the wall.
A poster advertising a concert hung crookedly beside a fire extinguisher.
A noticeboard was still covered with club advertisements.
Astrid stopped beside it.
There were dozens of them.
Volunteer groups.
Sports clubs.
Academic societies.
Parties.
Auditions.
Events scheduled for the following month.
She stared at the dates.
"People actually thought these were going to happen."
Nobody answered.
She touched the corner of one poster before letting her hand fall.
They continued.
They passed classrooms where professors were still gathering their belongings.
They walked through the student center, where vending machines hummed beneath fluorescent lights.
They passed a convenience store whose shelves were full as they were three days prior.
They visited the library.
Rows upon rows of books stood exactly where they always had.
The sight almost felt comforting.
Marco ran his fingers along the spine of a book before pulling his hand away.
"Imagine coming here in ten years," he said.
Chase glanced at him.
"If we're still here?"
Marco smiled faintly.
"That's the idea."
They kept walking.
They passed laboratories.
Workshops.
Administrative buildings.
Lecture halls.
A music room where someone had left a guitar resting against a chair.
A studio with unfinished artwork still sitting beneath protective sheets.
Everywhere they went, they saw evidence of lives that had been interrupted rather than properly ended.
A coffee cup left beside a computer.
A backpack beneath a desk.
A jacket hanging from a classroom chair.
Small pieces of ordinary life.
The sort of things nobody noticed when the world was normal.
Now every one of them seemed important.
By late morning, the eight had reached the northeastern edge of campus.
The sound of rushing water reached them before they saw the river.
Beyond the trees stood Drake's hydroelectric power plant.
The river ran parallel to the university's outer walls, feeding the plant before continuing downstream.
The turbines were still operating.
Power lines stretched away from the facility toward the campus.
A few workers moved between buildings.
Aisha watched them.
"They're still working."
"They have to," Corvin said.
Dimitri looked toward the water-treatment complex farther along the river.
"Water is more important."
Corvin followed his gaze.
River Phoenix.
The university's water purification plant.
Pipes disappeared into the buildings. Pumps worked continuously.
Mei Lin watched the workers for a moment.
"If either facility stops…"
"We will have a problem," Dimitri finished.
Marco looked toward the open ground around the power plant.
"Defending it won't be easy either."
Aisha turned toward him.
"Why?"
Marco pointed.
"Look at the approach roads. There's almost no cover. Anyone coming from outside would have a clear view of the facility."
Corvin studied the area.
Marco continued.
"And the river limits movement from one side. The walls help, but the plant itself sits outside the safest part of campus."
Corvin nodded slowly.
It was another problem to add to the growing list.
Electricity.
Water.
Food.
Security.
Shelter.
None of them had to solve it today.
But sooner or later, they would.
They left the power station behind and continued south.
They didn't realize where they were heading until the familiar sign appeared ahead.
NOAH'S CAFÉ
The sign was still lit.
The windows, however, were covered by blinds.
Every single one of them.
The doors were unlocked.
A small sign hanging from the glass read:
OPEN
Chase stopped.
"That's either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid."
Priya smiled.
"Probably both."
Corvin opened the door.
Warm air and the smell of coffee rolled over them.
The café was almost full.
Not with freshmen.
Mostly juniors, seniors, professors, and university staff.
The conversations were subdued.
Then the eight entered.
Nearly every conversation stopped.
Heads turned.
For a moment, the room was silent.
Eight freshmen had just walked into a place where freshmen normally weren't welcome.
Noah stood behind the counter.
He looked at them.
Then smiled.
"Well, don't just stand there."
The tension broke.
"Sit."
The eight moved toward an empty table.
Almost immediately, conversations resumed.
Priya leaned toward Mei Lin.
"I think we survived the interrogation."
Mei Lin smiled.
"Barely."
Noah approached them with a notepad.
"What'll it be?"
Corvin answered first.
"Americano."
Aisha: "Iced Americano."
Marco: "Cappuccino."
Astrid: "Iced vanilla latte."
Priya: "Chai latte."
Dimitri: "Black tea."
Chase: "Hot chocolate."
Noah looked toward Mei Lin.
"And you?"
"Jasmine green tea."
Noah stared at the table for a moment.
"Quiet the variety."
Chase shrugged.
"We're complicated."
Noah snorted.
"Clearly."
He walked back behind the counter.
The café slowly settled into its previous rhythm.
For the first time that morning, the eight felt as though they were sitting inside an ordinary university café.
That feeling lasted less than ten minutes.
Noah eventually brought their drinks.
They talked quietly.
Nothing important.
Classes.
Professors.
Food.
The strange number of people who had decided to leave.
Then, exactly at eleven, the café door opened.
Five students entered.
Ali.
Brian.
Tyrell.
Nia.
And Ino.
The atmosphere changed almost immediately.
Someone at the counter called, "Morning, Ali!"
"Hey!"
A professor raised a hand.
Ali returned the gesture.
Nia stopped beside a table to speak with two seniors.
Tyrell exchanged a few words with one of the staff.
Brian headed straight for the counter.
"Noah! The usual!"
Noah didn't even look up.
"I know."
Brian laughed.
The eight watched the group settle into the empty table beside them.
Marco recognized them.
He raised a hand.
"Hey."
Ali looked over.
His expression brightened.
"You eight."
Aisha smiled.
"Good to see you again."
Ali pointed at them.
"These are the freshmen I told you about."
A few people nearby looked over.
Someone asked, "The Favilla Hall group?"
Ali nodded.
"Yep."
That was enough.
A voice from the back shouted,
"Favilla Hall?"
Another student lifted his cup.
"Welcome!"
Someone else laughed.
A few more people raised their drinks.
Within seconds, the café had broken into scattered cheers.
Priya blinked.
"What just happened?"
Chase looked equally confused.
Noah placed Brian's drink on the counter.
"Don't worry about it."
Dimitri glanced at him.
"Why is everyone reacting like that?"
Noah finally looked up.
"You don't know?"
Dimitri shook his head.
Noah leaned against the counter.
"Favilla Hall has a reputation."
"For what?" Aisha asked.
"Everything."
He gestured toward them.
"Engineers. Researchers. Professors. Business owners. Athletes. Politicians. People who've gone on to do just about everything."
Marco looked toward the seniors.
"So people recognize the name."
"They recognize what it represents."
Noah paused.
"But it's not just Favilla Hall."
He nodded toward Ali.
"Ali introduced you. He was also from Favilla Hall."
Dimitri considered this.
"So both."
"Exactly."
Noah smiled.
"Drake has its little traditions. People notice where you live."
Priya looked around the café.
"And we've somehow walked into one of them."
"Congratulations."
The group laughed.
For a few minutes, the crisis outside seemed distant.
Then a radio crackled.
Everyone heard it.
Ali reached for the device clipped to his belt.
"Team Six, gather at Store Thirteen. They need extra reinforcements."
Ali pressed the button.
"Copy that. We're on our way."
He stood.
Brian immediately followed.
The others rose after him.
Ali looked toward the eight.
"Stay safe."
Aisha nodded.
"You too."
The five left.
The door closed behind them.
The café became quieter.
Dimitri looked toward the door.
"Store Thirteen?"
Noah sighed.
"Emergency response teams."
"Security?"
"Among other things."
Dimitri looked down at his tea.
Nobody asked any more questions.
At 11:45, the eight stood and prepared to leave.
Noah watched them from behind the counter.
"Take care of yourselves."
Corvin nodded.
"We will."
They stepped outside.
The walk to the main gate felt different from the one they had taken earlier.
Perhaps because this time they knew exactly what was waiting.
Hundreds of students and staff had gathered nearby.
Some were leaving.
Others stood on the campus side of the gate, watching.
A few people hugged.
Others shook hands.
Some simply stared through the bars.
The university's enormous gates began to move.
Metal groaned against metal.
The opening narrowed.
A final stream of people passed through.
Then the gates met.
The world outside was still there.
Cars moved along the road.
People walked.
The city continued.
For a few seconds, nothing seemed different.
Then security guards wrapped thick chains around the gates.
One loop.
Then another.
A large padlock was attached.
The key turned.
CLICK.
The sound was surprisingly small.
But it carried.
Corvin stared at the lock.
No announcement accompanied it.
No dramatic speech.
Just a piece of metal closing around a chain.
Yet everyone understood what it meant.
The gates were closed.
Drake University was now isolated.
Aisha exhaled slowly.
Chase shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Guess that's it."
Priya looked toward the road beyond the bars.
"Yeah."
Mei Lin remained silent.
The world outside suddenly seemed farther away than it had a minute earlier.
Then the campus speakers crackled.
Morales' voice returned.
"May I have everyone's attention. All students, faculty, staff, and remaining personnel are requested to gather in the auditorium immediately."
The eight exchanged looks.
They followed the crowd.
At the auditorium entrance, university staff had formed a line.
Each person entering was stopped.
"Name?"
"Dorm?"
The answers were written down.
Corvin noticed it immediately.
He said nothing.
Inside, the auditorium was enormous.
But it didn't feel crowded.
Mei Lin looked around.
Her eyes moved across the rows.
Then toward the balconies.
Then back toward the entrance.
Something was wrong.
Three days earlier, the auditorium had been packed.
Thousands of people had filled the seats.
Now there were gaps everywhere.
She leaned toward Corvin.
"They're counting us."
He looked at her.
"What?"
"The registration outside."
She nodded toward the entrance.
"They're recording names and dorms."
Corvin's expression changed slightly.
Mei Lin continued.
"And look at the auditorium."
She gestured toward the empty seats.
"They need to know who stayed."
Corvin looked around again.
He understood.
The university wasn't simply holding a meeting.
It was taking a census.
They found seats in the fifth row from the stage.
The auditorium slowly filled.
But even when Morales finally walked onto the stage, the building felt strangely empty.
He approached the podium.
For several seconds, he simply looked at the audience.
Then he spoke.
"Three days ago, Drake University had approximately forty-five thousand people on this campus."
A murmur passed through the auditorium.
Morales waited.
"Today, we have one thousand seven hundred and sixty-three."
Silence.
No one moved.
No one seemed to breathe.
The number hung above them.
1,763.
Forty-five thousand.
To 1,763.
The scale of the absence was almost impossible to understand.
Priya lowered her eyes.
Astrid's fingers tightened around each other.
Chase stared at the floor.
Marco's expression had lost its usual ease.
Aisha looked toward the enormous auditorium.
So many empty seats.
So many missing voices.
Morales continued.
"Our experts have now classified the Indonesian eruption as a supereruption."
Someone in the audience whispered something.
Morales continued.
"We are preparing for approximately three and a half months of extremely heavy ashfall."
A student near the back shifted in his seat.
"During that period, going outside will be practically impossible for extended periods. After the heaviest ashfall subsides, finer ash and airborne particles are expected to continue creating hazardous conditions for approximately another two months."
A hand rose.
A student spoke without waiting to be called on.
"Five months?"
Morales looked at him.
"Approximately. These are projections based on the information currently available to us."
The student slowly lowered his hand.
Morales continued.
"Conditions may change. The eruption may behave differently than our models predict. We will continue monitoring every available source of information."
He paused.
"But we must prepare for the worst conditions we can reasonably anticipate."
The auditorium was silent.
"Our immediate concern is survival."
He glanced down at his notes.
"Fortunately, Drake is in a better position than many institutions would be under similar circumstances."
A few heads lifted.
"Because we are currently in the middle of our admission season, our food reserves are significantly larger than they would normally be."
A little relief appeared on several faces.
"Based on our current inventories, the population remaining on campus, and projected consumption, our estimates indicate that our existing food supplies can sustain the remaining population for approximately six months."
Whispers spread.
Six months.
Morales raised a hand.
"But I want to be very clear."
The whispers stopped.
"Six months is not a solution."
The auditorium became still again.
"It is a window."
He looked across the audience.
"A window in which we must organize ourselves, protect our infrastructure, manage our resources, and prepare for what comes afterward."
He continued.
"Our electricity, water purification, food storage, medical facilities, laboratories, workshops, agricultural systems, and housing will all become critical."
Corvin listened carefully.
Water.
Power.
Workshops.
Food.
Every word connected to the problems they had already begun noticing.
Morales placed both hands on the podium.
"Some of you are frightened."
Nobody argued.
"Some of you are grieving."
A woman near the front wiped her face.
"Some of you are wondering whether staying here was the right decision."
A few heads lowered.
"I cannot promise you that the months ahead will be easy."
His voice softened.
"I cannot promise that our supplies will be enough."
He paused.
"I cannot promise that everyone in this room will see the end of this crisis."
The words hit harder than the previous ones.
Someone began crying.
Another person put an arm around them.
Morales waited until the room settled.
"But I can promise you this."
He looked toward the audience.
"We will face it together."
His gaze moved across the rows.
"On my first day addressing this university, I told you that Drake was more than a place where we came to study."
His voice echoed through the auditorium.
"At the time, those words were meant to describe a community."
He paused.
"Today, they mean something different."
Nobody spoke.
"Because now this community may be all we have."
A long silence followed.
Morales stepped back from the podium.
"Take care of one another."
He left the stage.
No applause came.
There was nothing to applaud.
The audience remained seated.
Some stared at the floor.
Some cried quietly.
Others simply sat in silence, trying to understand what they had just heard.
Corvin looked around.
1,763 people.
That was everyone.
Everyone who had chosen to stay.
Everyone who had nowhere else to go.
Everyone who had decided, for whatever reason, that Drake was safer than the world beyond its gates.
The university had once been home to forty-five thousand people.
Now fewer than two thousand remained.
And outside, beyond the locked gates, the old world was beginning to disappear.
For the first time, Drake no longer felt like a university.
It felt like a shelter.
And eventually, it would have to become something more.