Then a voice followed.
"This is Vice President Morales. May I have the attention of everyone currently present on campus."
Corvin was already awake.
So was Aisha, who had been unable to sleep much after everything that had happened the last few days. Mei Lin had also been awake, quietly sitting near her window.
The others, however, were not so fortunate.
The announcement continued.
"I am asking every person currently remaining on campus to gather at the main auditorium."
A brief pause followed.
"What I am about to announce is extremely important. The decisions made today may determine your survival in the coming days."
That sentence immediately changed the atmosphere inside Favilla Hall.
"You are required to arrive at the auditorium before 7:15 a.m. Please remain calm and proceed there in an orderly manner."
The announcement ended.
For several seconds, the building remained silent.
Then doors began opening.
Corvin stepped out of Room 202 at almost the same moment Aisha emerged from Room 203. Mei Lin appeared shortly afterward from Room 201.
Across the hallway, Marco, Astrid, Dimitri, Priya, and Chase slowly stepped out of their rooms, still looking half-asleep.
Everyone exchanged brief glances.
Nobody needed to ask what was happening.
They had expected another announcement eventually.
They just hadn't expected it this early.
Corvin adjusted his jacket.
"Let's go."
Without another word, the eight began walking toward the auditorium together, their footsteps echoing through the unusually quiet halls of Favilla Hall.
The walk to the auditorium was unusually quiet.
As the group crossed the main courtyard, they noticed clusters of students and faculty standing outside the entrance. Some whispered among themselves, while others simply stared at the auditorium doors without making any attempt to enter.
A few even turned around and walked away.
Aisha frowned.
"Looks like no one trusts the university anymore."
Mei Lin glanced at the hesitant crowd.
"Neither do we. Not completely."
Nobody argued with her.
After everything that had happened over the past few days, blind trust was becoming a luxury none of them could afford.
They continued toward the entrance.
Inside, several members of the university staff had positioned themselves near the doors. Unlike the previous gathering, they weren't simply directing people toward their seats.
They were collecting information.
"Name?"
"Year of admission?"
"Course?"
"Dormitory?"
Each attendee was questioned before being allowed inside.
When it was their turn, Corvin's eyes narrowed slightly.
Why do they need all this information?
He glanced toward the staff member recording their details. The questions seemed harmless on the surface, but the timing bothered him.
The university had already conducted student registrations. They should have had most of this information.
Why collect it again?
Still, Corvin didn't object.
They had already walked all the way here, and answering a few questions wasn't worth making a scene.
He gave his information and stepped aside.
The others followed one by one.
Once everyone had entered, the eight found seats together near the middle of the auditorium.
Corvin looked around.
The auditorium was slowly filling.
Yet something felt different this time.
There was no excitement.
No chatter about classes or exams.
Only nervous whispers and uncertain faces.
Whatever Morales intended to announce, everyone seemed to know it would be serious.
They waited for several minutes.
More students continued filing into the auditorium, filling the seats with nervous whispers.
Then, suddenly—
Clack.
The doors closed. The sound was small, but it immediately silenced the room.
A few students turned toward the exits.
"Why are they closing the doors?"
"Are we locked in?"
"Open them!"
Panic began spreading through the auditorium.
Then Morales walked onto the stage.
"Everyone, please remain calm."
His voice carried through the speakers.
"The doors will be opened again after this announcement. I assure you, nobody is being trapped inside."
The panic settled slightly, though the uneasiness remained.
Morales stood behind the podium.
For a moment, he simply looked at the crowd.
Then he spoke.
"Three days from now, an ash cloud will reach Drake University."
The auditorium went silent, mostly out of confusion.
"It is unlike anything this university has ever experienced. When it arrives, being outside will be extremely dangerous. Visibility will be severely reduced, the air will become hazardous to breathe, and the ash itself may cause serious injury."
A student raised his hand, his voice trembling when Morales acknowledged him.
"How... how long will it last?"
Morales stopped.
His fingers tightened around the edge of the podium. He lowered his head for a moment and took a slow, deep breath.
"Approximately six to seven months."
The auditorium erupted.
"What?!"
"Six months?!"
"We can't stay here that long!"
"My family is outside!"
Morales waited for the noise to settle, but his expression remained grim.
"Please. Listen to me."
The room gradually quieted.
"We have prepared emergency supplies. Every person who attended this gathering will receive approximately six months' worth of food and essential supplies."
A brief sense of relief appeared across some faces.
Then Morales added firmly:
"But only those of you who attended this announcement will receive them."
The relief vanished from several faces.
Morales continued.
"From this moment onward, Drake University will be sealed. No one will be permitted to leave the campus, and no one from outside will be permitted to enter."
His voice softened.
"To the 1,673 of you who still decided to trust this university…"
He paused.
"Thank you."
Morales stepped away from the podium.
The announcement was over.
The moment Morales finished speaking, uneasy murmurs spread through the auditorium.
"What about the people who didn't come?"
"They're still outside."
"Are they just going to leave them?"
Morales had already turned away from the podium when he suddenly stopped.
He looked back.
"One more thing. I almost forgot."
The room fell quiet again.
"Do not tell anyone outside this campus about our situation."
Confused looks passed through the crowd.
"If word gets out that we have six months of supplies, people will panic. They will come here. They will try to force their way inside. They will fight over whatever resources remain."
He paused.
"And if that happens, more people will die than necessary."
Morales left the stage.
Moments later, the doors opened.
The students poured outside.
Then they heard shouting.
"LET US OUT!"
The noise came from the main gates.
By the time the group reached them, the situation had already deteriorated.
Security guards were attempting to close the massive gates, but around fifteen students were standing in their way.
"Get the fuck out of our way!"
"You're trapping us here!"
"We have families outside!"
Ali and several seniors came rushing down.
Ali stepped directly between the guards and the group.
"What the hell are you doing?"
A student near the front shouted, "They're closing the fucking gates! They're trapping us here!"
Ali stared at him.
"You don't want to stay?"
"No!"
"Fine."
He pointed toward the open road.
"Then leave."
The student hesitated.
Ali continued.
"You have two choices. Walk out now, or step away and let us close the gates."
The apparent leader pushed through the crowd.
"You think you can order me around?"
Ali's eyes narrowed.
"I'm giving you a choice."
"You know who my father is?"
Ali rolled his eyes.
"Honestly? I couldn't give a shit."
A few students went silent.
"Those are your choices," Ali said. "Pick one."
"And what the fuck happens if I pick neither?"
Ali's voice dropped.
"Then we'll have to take drastic measures."
The leader suddenly grabbed Ali by the collar.
Several guards immediately reached for their weapons.
Ali didn't move.
"Let go."
The man tightened his grip.
"Make me."
"Last warning."
Ino stepped forward.
"Hey! Stop this! Just calm down!"
The man suddenly shoved her hard in the face.
Everything changed.
Ali's expression went completely blank.
He seized the man's left arm, twisted him around, and drew his handgun in one fluid motion.
BANG!
The shot cracked across the courtyard.
The man screamed and collapsed to his knees, clutching his left shoulder.
Nobody moved.
Ali stood over him, gun still raised.
His voice was frighteningly calm.
"Don't touch her."
Silence swallowed the gates.
Then everything erupted.
People screamed and stumbled backward. Someone dropped their bag. A few students ducked instinctively, while others stood frozen, staring at the man clutching his bleeding shoulder.
Some began shouting at the guards, demanding to know what the hell was happening. Others simply stared at Ali, unable to reconcile the man they had just seen shoot someone with the calm senior they knew.
Even the group remained completely still. The air seemed to have been sucked out of the courtyard.
Corvin couldn't take his eyes off Ali.
Why did he shoot him?
He replayed the sequence in his mind.
The confrontation. The warning. The collar grab.
Then Ino being shoved.
Was that really enough?
Aisha clenched her fists.
"That was fucking excessive."
She glanced toward Ino.
"But... I think he did it because of her."
Marco looked genuinely shaken.
"Ali..."
He swallowed.
"I've never seen him lose his temper. He's probably the calmest person I know."
Astrid said nothing.
She simply stared at Ali with wide eyes. She was scared of him.
Priya clasped her hands together, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Okay... okay... just breathe."
Her lips began moving in quiet prayer.
Chase stood completely frozen.
His hands trembled slightly, though he quickly shoved them into his pockets, trying desperately to hide it.
Mei Lin looked toward the injured man.
She couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Getting shot was horrifying.
But she couldn't entirely condemn Ali either.
"He shouldn't have pushed Ino," she said quietly. "Ali warned him several times."
Corvin remained silent.
He was still trying to understand what had happened.
Then Dimitri spoke.
"Were Senior Ali and Senior Ino dating?"
Everyone turned toward him.
Corvin's thoughts immediately stopped.
"What?"
Even Aisha looked at him.
"Dimitri, seriously?"
"What?" Dimitri asked, genuinely confused.
Chase stared at him.
"How the hell are you this calm?"
Dimitri shrugged.
"If someone aggressively pushed your partner, wouldn't you also become aggressive?"
The group fell silent.
Dimitri continued, almost analytically.
"Think about it. Ali wasn't angry when the man grabbed his collar. He wasn't even angry when he threatened him."
He glanced toward Ali.
"He was controlling himself."
Dimitri paused.
"But then that man pushed Ino."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And Ali suddenly snapped."
The wounded man immediately went ballistic.
"You fucking psycho!"
He clutched his shoulder, screaming through the pain.
"You piece of shit! You think you can just fucking shoot me?!"
Ali barely reacted.
The insults kept coming.
"Fucking bastard! I'll—"
"Motherfu—"
Before he could finish, Ali lunged forward.
His hand seized the man's throat.
"Don't you dare complete those words."
He slammed him backward and began choking him.
The man's face reddened as he desperately grabbed at Ali's wrist.
The rest of his group froze. Nobody moved. They wanted to help him, but after seeing Ali shoot someone without hesitation, none of them wanted to become his next target.
"ALI!"
A security guard suddenly rushed forward.
He looked to be in his late thirties, with an athletic build. He grabbed Ali's arm and tore him away from the man.
Before Ali could react, the guard snatched the handgun from his grip, twisted his arm behind his back, and drove him onto the ground.
"Ali! Enough!"
Ali struggled for a moment.
"Calm down!"
The guard held him firmly until his resistance faded.
Meanwhile, the wounded man was still screaming.
"Throw that bastard out! He fucking shot me!"
The guard looked at him.
Then, without warning—
THUD!
His fist connected with the man's jaw and he dropped unconscious.
Everyone stared.
The guard calmly stood over him.
"Get him to the campus clinic," he told the man's group.
The group immediately obeyed. Two students grabbed the unconscious man and hurried away with him. The guard turned toward the remaining security personnel.
"Close the gate."
The guards began pushing the heavy gates together. Once they met, thick chains were wrapped around them, followed by a massive padlock.
Clank.
The gate was sealed.
Only then did the guard turn back toward Ali.
"What the hell were you thinking?!"
Ali remained silent.
"You had a gun!" the guard shouted. "He was unarmed!"
Several students assumed the guard was angry because Ali had hurt the man.
Then the guard continued.
"You couldn't have just punched the asshole?!"
He pointed toward the blood on the floor.
"You had to shoot him?!"
The courtyard went quiet again.
Apparently, the guard wasn't angry that Ali had stopped him.
He was angry that Ali had pulled the trigger.
From a distance, the group watched as the gates were finally secured.
Corvin remained focused on Ali.
"How did Senior Ali even get a gun?"
Nobody answered.
Aisha frowned. "I have no idea."
Corvin looked toward Ali.
"I'll ask him."
Astrid immediately shook her head.
"Are you insane? After what he just did?"
Marco glanced at Ali before nodding. "I'll go."
"So will I," Mei Lin said.
Dimitri simply shrugged. "There is no need to worry if we don't hurt Ino or behave like idiots."
Priya looked concerned.
"Do you really need to go?"
"Yeah?" Aisha questioned.
Chase remained completely silent.
In the end, Corvin, Marco, Mei Lin, and Dimitri headed toward Ali while Aisha stayed behind with Astrid, Priya, and Chase, just in case something went wrong.
When they approached, Ali had just finished being reprimanded by the security guard. The guard noticed the four freshmen approaching.
"Ali. You know them?"
Ali glanced over.
"They're freshmen I coincidentally met at Noah's place."
The guard studied them for a moment before looking toward the other security personnel.
He handed Ali his gun back, but warned him coldly, "If you fire that thing unnecessarily again, I'll be the one shooting you next."
"Move. Go check the other gate."
The guards obeyed, leaving the area.
As the four reached Ali, several seniors were already gathered around him, trying to calm him down.
Corvin nodded toward them.
"Morning, seniors."
Ali looked at the four freshmen.
"You guys still came over here after seeing what I just did?"
Brian gave a small laugh.
"That's some serious fucking bravery."
Ino, however, wasn't paying attention to the freshmen.
Her eyes remained fixed on Ali. She seemed far more concerned about him than anything else.
Nearby, Nia and Tyrell watched the surrounding crowd instead, carefully observing how everyone was reacting to what had just happened.
The atmosphere remained tense. Nobody seemed ready to forget the gunshot anytime soon.
Marco finally broke the silence.
"Okay, but how the hell did you even get a gun?"
Ali glanced at him.
"Most of the security guards who worked here simply left when everything started going to shit."
He gestured toward the gates.
"And the weapons they carried weren't actually theirs. Most returned them to the armory before leaving."
Mei Lin's eyes widened slightly.
"There is an armory on campus?"
"Yeah," Ali replied. "Nothing huge. Mostly pistols, revolvers, and bulletproof vests."
Corvin looked at him.
"So why do you have access to them?"
Before Ali could answer, Brian reached beneath his jacket and casually pulled out a pistol.
"I guess you could call us part-time security guards."
Tyrell immediately looked at him.
"Man, put your fucking gun away."
Brian laughed.
"Alright, alright."
He slipped the pistol back beneath his jacket.
Tyrell sighed.
"Since the campus is severely lacking manpower, we're filling in wherever we're needed. Security, patrols, helping with supplies... whatever they need."
"And in exchange?" Corvin asked.
"Extra supplies."
That caught everyone's attention.
Dimitri tilted his head.
"So... is Senior Ali going to be in trouble for shooting that guy?"
Ali was quiet for a moment.
"Probably."
Dimitri blinked.
"Probably?"
Ali shrugged.
"But don't worry about it. I can handle it."
Before anyone could respond, the radio clipped to Ali's belt suddenly crackled.
"Muhammad Ali, report to Gate C immediately."
Ali reached for it.
"Understood. I'm on my way."
He turned to leave, then stopped.
"Oh, and if you guys are interested in earning extra supplies, go find Alex."
Corvin nodded.
"Thanks, Senior Ali."
The four freshmen began walking away.
Behind them, Nia finally stopped watching the surrounding crowd and looked toward Ali.
"You're being unusually considerate toward them."
Ali glanced at the four freshmen disappearing into the crowd.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Let's go."
The others followed him toward Gate C.
Corvin, Mei Lin, Marco, and Dimitri returned to the others and explained everything that had happened at the gates.
They told them about Ali, the armory, the security shortage, and the extra supplies being offered to those helping around campus.
Astrid listened carefully before speaking.
"Dorm Director Alex Aguilar is probably at the store opposite Favilla Hall."
Everyone looked at her.
"He'll have to be there," she continued. "If the university is distributing supplies to 1,673 people, they'll need access to the inventory."
"That makes sense," Marco said.
They immediately started walking toward the store.
The atmosphere around campus had changed drastically.
The stores they passed were no longer open to everyone. Security guards stood outside them, accompanied by several seniors wearing makeshift security equipment.
Some of those seniors appeared to be the same people Ali had mentioned, working in exchange for additional supplies.
At one store, a crowd had gathered outside.
"Let us in!"
"We need food!"
"Open the damn door!"
Several people attempted to push through the entrance. The guards immediately forced them back. The scene made the group uncomfortable.
Nobody said anything. They simply kept walking.
Corvin glanced toward the commotion.
"We should hurry."
The others agreed.
When they finally reached the store opposite Favilla Hall, however, they stopped.
Nothing was happening. There was no crowd, no shouting, and no one trying to force their way inside.
The store looked completely untouched.
Even more strangely, Alex Aguilar was standing directly in front of it.
He wasn't speaking to anyone or checking the supplies.
He simply stood there, staring at the building with a deeply troubled expression.
Corvin approached him.
"Director Alex?"
Alex suddenly flinched as though he had been dragged out of a completely different world.
"Oh. You guys are here."
He looked over the group and smiled faintly.
"I suppose congratulations are in order. You made the right decision by coming to the auditorium."
Aisha glanced at him.
"Why were you just standing here?"
Alex sighed.
"I was trying to figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do about the task I was given."
He stared at the store again. Then, suddenly, his expression changed. It was almost as if a light bulb had switched on.
He turned toward them.
"How would you guys like to earn some extra supplies?"
Astrid immediately raised her hand.
"I'm in."
Everyone looked at her. She quickly looked away. She needed something—anything—to keep her mind occupied after witnessing the shooting.
Aisha shrugged.
"Sure. We don't exactly have anything better to do for the next three days."
Priya nodded.
"I'm in too."
The others agreed, mostly because the additional supplies would be useful.
Alex smiled.
"Good."
He pulled out his radio.
"By my authority, I appoint Corvin Kovač, Aisha Mercer, Marco Montelli, Astrid Clairmont, Priya Satsangi, Dimitri Volkonsky, Zhao Mei Lin, and Chase Callahan as temporary helpers."
There was a brief pause.
Then a voice came through.
"Okay. Confirmed. They're on the list."
Alex lowered the radio.
"Starting now, it's going to feel like hell."
Nobody laughed.
"Get the radios I gave you two days ago."
Corvin, Aisha, Marco, and Astrid immediately returned to their rooms. A few minutes later, they came back carrying the radios.
Alex nodded.
"Switch them to the Emergency Frequency."
They did.
Alex pressed his radio.
"Units 35, 36, 37, and 38 are online. Assign them as Corvin, Aisha, Marco, and Astrid respectively. Make the eight of them a team."
Another brief pause.
"Okay. Confirmed."
Then all four radios crackled simultaneously.
"Your call sign is now Temp Team-Six."
The group exchanged glances.
"Your first task is to assist Alex in completing his assignment by noon."
Alex looked at them.
"Ready?"
Corvin glanced at the untouched store.
"Let's get started."
Alex folded his arms and looked over the group.
"As you heard, we have until noon to complete the task."
Aisha frowned.
"Okay, but what the hell is the task?"
Alex pointed toward the store.
"We need to sort every supply in this store by expiry date and importance."
Aisha stared at the shelves.
"Every single thing?"
"Every single thing."
Chase glanced down at his watch.
8:03 a.m.
He looked back at the others.
"So we have roughly four hours."
Corvin looked toward the enormous amount of supplies waiting for them.
He took a breath.
"We can manage."
Marco gave a nervous laugh.
"Sure. We better not fucking die doing it."
Alex gave him a tired look.
"Let's hope not."
The group spread out and began working.
Outside, the campus remained strangely tense.
The sky beyond the windows looked darker than it had yesterday but none of them paid it much attention.
They had four hours of work ahead of them.
And somewhere far beyond Drake University, something massive was slowly moving closer.