At exactly five in the evening, all eight freshmen gathered inside Priya's room.
The door was closed.
For once, nobody was joking.
Alex's offer had changed the atmosphere between them. Three pistols. A new team. An assignment that could put them directly in danger.
Priya sat on the edge of her bed, her hands clasped together.
"So," Aisha said, breaking the silence, "we actually have to decide."
Corvin stood near the window with his arms folded.
"Yes."
"And you're already thinking about accepting."
Corvin looked at her.
"I'm thinking about what happens if we don't."
Aisha sighed. "Of course you are."
Marco leaned against the wall.
"We don't even know exactly what Alex wants us to do."
"He said we'd be helping the university," Astrid replied. "That could mean anything."
"That's the problem," Chase said. "We're freshmen. We signed up for classes, not security duty."
Dimitri sat quietly in a chair.
"Security duty would be preferable to doing nothing."
Priya looked at him.
"You say that like you're not worried."
"I am worried."
Dimitri's expression remained calm.
"Being worried does not make the alternative safer."
Priya lowered her eyes.
Mei Lin had been quiet for several minutes.
She finally spoke.
"Alex wouldn't have offered this to us if the university wasn't running out of people."
Marco glanced toward her.
"That's what concerns me."
"Why?"
"Because it means the situation is getting worse."
Nobody answered.
Outside, the sounds of Drake continued through the closed window—voices, footsteps, doors opening and closing.
Normal sounds.
But none of them felt normal anymore.
Aisha crossed her arms.
"Let's say we accept. What's the worst that happens?"
Astrid stared at her.
"You get shot."
Aisha's expression flattened.
"Okay. I asked for the worst case."
"You got it."
Chase gave a nervous laugh.
Nobody joined him.
Corvin pushed away from the window.
"There are thousands of people outside. The university has limited supplies. Security is already stretched thin."
He looked around the room.
"If we stay here, we're still relying on everyone else to protect us."
Marco nodded slowly.
"That's true."
"But that doesn't mean we have to become soldiers," Priya said.
"No."
Corvin's voice softened.
"It means we can help."
Priya looked at him.
"You're comfortable with this?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
That surprised her.
Corvin continued.
"I don't think any of us should be comfortable with this."
"But we don't have to be comfortable. We have to decide whether we're willing."
Silence settled over the room again.
One by one, they spoke.
Aisha agreed.
Dimitri agreed.
Marco agreed.
Mei Lin agreed.
Astrid hesitated, then nodded.
Chase took a long breath.
"I hate this."
Priya looked at him.
"So do I."
Chase nodded.
"But... I'm in."
Priya closed her eyes for a moment.
Then she nodded.
"I'm in too."
Everyone looked at Corvin.
He simply nodded.
"Then we're agreed."
The meeting had lasted almost an hour.
They had argued.
They had been afraid.
They had questioned whether they were making the right choice.
But they had reached the decision together.
Corvin picked up the radio.
"Alex."
Static answered.
Then Alex's voice came through.
"Go ahead."
"We've made our decision."
There was a brief pause.
"I'm on my way."
The transmission ended.
Corvin lowered the radio.
Aisha stared at him.
"That's it? He didn't even ask what the decision was."
"He must've been sure we would agree."
Alex entered a few minutes later.
He looked at all eight of them.
"So?"
"We're in," Corvin said.
Alex nodded.
"Good. You didn't disappoint."
There was no celebration.
No relief.
Only the understanding that the decision had consequences.
Alex reached into a bag.
He pulled out a pistol.
The room went silent.
He handed it to Dimitri.
Dimitri accepted it carefully and examined it. His eyes moved over the weapon with quiet familiarity.
He understood why Alex had given it to him.
But he didn't understand why Alex had chosen him specifically.
Alex reached into the bag again.
The second pistol went to Marco.
Marco accepted it without surprise.
Nobody else reacted much.
Everyone already knew Marco came from a mafia family.
A gun in Marco's hands was not exactly mysterious.
The mystery was why Alex was handing out a third.
Alex looked at Corvin.
Then he handed him the final pistol.
Corvin took it.
His expression barely changed.
But his eyes immediately shifted toward Dimitri, then Marco.
Neither of them knew why the other had received one.
And none of the others knew why Corvin had.
Alex broke the silence.
"Keep them secured unless you're authorized to carry them."
All three nodded.
Alex picked up his radio.
"Fiona."
A woman's voice answered almost immediately.
"Go ahead."
"Activate Team Nine. Designate Fifteen A through D as their communication channels."
"Understood."
"I'll have them standing by."
"Got it."
Alex lowered the radio.
Fiona's voice had lasted only a few seconds.
Mei Lin remembered it.
The same voice.
The same calm tone.
The voice Chase had accidentally heard through the radio days earlier.
She simply stored the information away.
There was clearly more happening inside Drake than they knew.
And Mei Lin had learned that sometimes the most useful thing she could do was wait.
---
At exactly 6:15 PM, their radio crackled.
"Team Nine, this is Fiona."
Corvin answered.
"Go ahead."
"You've been assigned to the shops in the southwest section of campus. You'll be counting, recording, and categorizing supplies for distribution."
"When?"
"Two days from now."
Aisha exchanged a look with Marco.
Fiona continued.
"You have four hours."
"Understood."
"Report anything unusual."
The radio went silent.
The eight freshmen made their way toward the assigned area.
The work was far less glamorous than the weapons suggested.
They counted food.
Water.
Medicine.
Batteries.
Tools.
Cleaning supplies.
Blankets.
Fuel.
Anything that could matter during a long lockdown.
By the second hour, their hands were dirty from moving boxes.
By the third, nobody was talking much.
By the fourth, the scale of what the university was doing had become impossible to ignore.
This wasn't simple stockpiling.
The university wasn't simply storing supplies. It was rationing its future.
Every box had a destination.
Every bottle of water represented another person who could survive another day.
At 10:15 PM, Team Nine finally finished.
They returned to Favilla Hall exhausted.
Nobody talked about the pistols.
Nobody needed to.
They had all begun to understand what their new role meant.
---
The next morning, they were assigned to the hydroelectric plant and water purification plant.
The university had divided the security personnel into several groups. Three teams were assigned to protect the plants.
Team Nine was one of them.
Everyone understood why.
Without electricity, Drake would eventually lose most of its infrastructure.
Without clean water, the campus would not last long at all.
The plants were no longer just university facilities.
They were lifelines.
Corvin was walking along the purification plant with the others when he noticed something.
A thin line.
Almost invisible.
A small crack along one of the pipes.
He stopped.
"That needs to be replaced."
One of the workers glanced over.
"What?"
"That pipe."
The worker looked.
"That's nothing."
Corvin frowned.
"There's a crack."
"It's tiny."
"It still shouldn't be there."
The worker shrugged.
"We already have people checking everything."
Before Corvin could answer, a young woman approached from the other side of the plant.
She was in her early twenties, wearing work clothes and carrying a clipboard.
"Actually," she said, "he's right."
The worker turned.
"Lucy?"
Lucy MacElroy stepped closer.
"I noticed it during my inspection."
She crouched beside the pipe.
"I was already planning to have it replaced."
Corvin looked at her.
"You noticed it?"
"Yes."
Lucy tapped the clipboard.
"It's on my list."
She looked at Corvin and smiled.
"But I only noticed it because I was specifically looking for problems."
She pointed at the tiny crack.
"Most people would walk past that without ever seeing it."
Corvin shrugged.
"I've been around enough machines to know when something looks wrong."
Lucy studied him for a second.
"That's a useful skill."
She turned toward the worker.
"Replace that section today."
"Yes, ma'am."
Lucy stood.
"Good catch."
Corvin nodded.
"Thanks."
Lucy looked at the other seven.
"I'm Lucy, by the way."
"Lucy MacElroy?" Marco asked.
She raised an eyebrow.
"You know me?"
"President Gavin MacElroy."
Lucy's smile widened slightly.
"Unfortunately, yes. That's my father."
Aisha blinked.
"You're the President's daughter?"
"One of the many things people seem to find interesting about me."
She glanced toward the plant.
"I oversee both the hydroelectric and purification plants."
Dimitri looked around.
"At your age?"
Lucy laughed.
"Trust me, I get that question a lot."
She checked her watch.
"I've got work to do."
She started walking away, then turned back.
"But I'll probably come by later."
"Why?" Chase asked.
Lucy smiled.
"Because I've been surrounded by engineers, technicians, and administrators for days."
She pointed at the group.
"I just want to hang out with people my age."
Then she disappeared back into the plant.
Aisha looked at the others.
"She's strange."
Marco smiled.
"I like her."
For the rest of the day, Lucy occasionally returned.
Sometimes she asked about their majors.
Sometimes where they were from.
Sometimes she simply sat nearby for a few minutes and talked.
She wasn't trying to recruit them.
She wasn't giving them another assignment.
She just seemed lonely.
And none of them blamed her.
---
The following morning, the eight freshmen woke to shouting.
Not alarms.
Not announcements.
Shouting.
Radio transmissions followed almost immediately.
Corvin grabbed his radio.
"What's happening?"
Static.
Then Travis Harper's voice.
"All available teams report to your assigned positions."
Another voice came through.
"North Entrance is getting worse."
Corvin looked at the others.
They moved quickly.
By the time Team Nine reached the northern side of campus, they could hear the crowd.
Thousands of people were outside the gates.
Far more than the previous protest.
Aisha stared through the gate.
"There are so many."
Marco didn't answer.
The crowd was angry.
Desperate.
Frightened.
People were shouting over one another.
Some held children.
Others carried bags.
Some had nothing at all.
Travis stood near the gate.
He raised his radio.
"Morales."
A pause.
"Go ahead."
"The situation is deteriorating."
Travis looked toward the crowd.
"There's too many of them. If they push through, we're going to have a serious problem."
Morales' response came quieter than usual.
"How serious?"
Travis watched the people outside.
"Serious enough that someone could get hurt."
Silence.
Then Morales spoke.
"Travis..."
His voice had changed.
"Don't let it reach that point."
Travis closed his eyes briefly.
"You know I won't."
"I mean it."
"I know."
"We can't lose control of the gates."
"I know."
Morales took a breath.
"We're already losing people every hour."
Travis looked toward the crowd.
"I know."
"If we start shooting them..."
Morales stopped.
Neither man finished the sentence.
Finally, Morales spoke again.
"I don't want Drake remembered for that."
Travis' jaw tightened.
"Neither do I."
"But if they force their way in—"
"I'll stop them."
Another silence.
Then Morales said quietly:
"Just... don't make it easy for yourself to forget they're people."
Travis looked at the thousands outside.
His expression hardened.
"I'm not forgetting."
The radio clicked off.
The conversation had lasted less than a minute.
But everyone who heard it understood what was at stake.
This wasn't just security anymore.
It was a line between protecting the people inside and abandoning the people outside.
Travis turned toward his officers.
"Team at East Gate, stay there."
He pressed the radio.
"South Gate, maintain your position."
Another transmission.
"All three plant teams stay where you are."
He paused.
"Distribution teams remain where they are."
Then he raised his voice.
"Remaining three teams, North Entrance. Move now."
The radio filled with acknowledgements.
Within a few minutes, all three teams had arrived.
Team Nine and Team 5 joined the others.
Travis looked over the gathered personnel.
"Nobody moves without orders."
Then he faced the crowd.
"You need to leave."
The crowd erupted.
"There's nowhere to go!"
"Open the gates!"
"We have children!"
"You have supplies!"
"Let us in!"
Travis tried again.
"You cannot enter the campus."
The shouting only grew louder.
Then Senior Ali stepped forward.
He raised his voice.
"EVERYONE SHUT UP!"
The crowd slowly quieted.
Ali walked toward the gate.
He stared at the people outside.
"I understand what you're asking."
Someone shouted back.
"Then open the gate!"
Ali shook his head.
"We don't have enough supplies."
"You have food!"
"You have water!"
"Not enough."
The crowd began shouting again.
Ali's hand moved to his side.
He drew his pistol.
Several people recoiled.
He raised it and pointed toward a man near the front who had begun pushing against the gate.
The man froze.
Dimitri's eyes immediately went to the weapon. The safety was still on.
Ali wasn't preparing to fire.
He was showing them that he could.
Ali kept the gun pointed.
"If you force that gate open," he said, "you'll turn this into a fight."
Nobody moved.
Ali lowered the weapon slightly.
"But listen to me."
His voice became quieter.
"The people inside aren't sitting on mountains of food."
He gestured toward the campus.
"We're counting every box. Every bottle. Every tablet. Everything."
His eyes moved across the crowd.
"I don't want anyone out here to die."
His expression tightened.
"But I can't promise that opening these gates will save you."
The crowd was silent.
"Find somewhere sheltered."
Someone shouted.
"Where?"
Ali looked away for a moment.
Then back.
"Anywhere you can."
He swallowed.
"If you're still outside when the ash reaches this area, you may not survive."
Nobody responded.
Some people began to leave.
Others remained.
Ali slowly lowered the pistol.
Dimitri noticed that he switched the safety off only after lowering it.
The group said nothing.
They remained at the North Entrance until four in the afternoon.
Eventually, Travis approached them.
"Team Nine, switch with the next group."
He looked exhausted.
"Go collect your supplies."
The eight nodded.
They headed toward the distribution area.
When they arrived, the staff were already waiting.
Their assigned supplies had already been loaded into a pickup truck.
Aisha stared at the vehicle.
"They did all of that already?"
"You're late," one of the staff members joked.
Marco looked at the truck.
"How much?"
"Everything you're owed."
They climbed into the back and checked the supplies.
There was more than they expected.
Their work had earned them additional rations.
They climbed into the truck and began the drive back to Favilla Hall.
Halfway there, Mei Lin spoke.
"We should move all of this to the third floor."
Everyone looked at her.
"Why?" Chase asked.
"The whole dorm is essentially ours now."
She gestured toward the building.
"We don't have to keep everything on the fourth floor just because that's where we were assigned."
Marco nodded.
"She's right."
Aisha looked at him.
"Why?"
Marco answered immediately.
"Psychology."
Everyone waited.
"People behave differently when they feel like they have control over their environment."
He pointed toward the dorm.
"If we spend the next six months feeling like we're confined to one floor, it'll start feeling like a prison."
He looked at Mei Lin.
"But if we treat the building as our living space, we have room to move around."
Corvin considered it.
"Third floor for supplies."
"And the main meeting floor," Mei Lin said.
"Works for me," Aisha replied.
The others agreed.
By the time they reached Favilla Hall, the plan had become obvious.
They unloaded everything onto the third floor.
The supplies were organized.
Food in one area.
Water in another.
Medicine separately.
Tools and miscellaneous equipment were catalogued.
Then came the question of sleeping arrangements.
They drew lots for the rooms.
Corvin, Mei Lin, Chase, and Astrid took rooms on the fourth floor.
Marco, Aisha, Dimitri, and Priya took rooms on the second.
Priya ended up with Room 208.
She opened the door.
Then smiled.
"This is almost the same size as 408."
Aisha laughed.
"Of course that's what you're happy about."
Priya grinned.
"It matters."
For a brief moment, things almost felt normal.
Almost.
---
The next morning, the announcement came.
"Attention, all personnel."
The campus fell quiet.
"Due to a sudden change in wind direction, ashfall is now expected to reach the campus within approximately one hour."
Nobody moved.
"All personnel are ordered to return indoors immediately."
The announcement continued.
"Remain indoors until further notice."
The eight freshmen gathered on the third floor.
They had spent the morning moving the last supplies into place.
Now they stood together near the large main window.
Outside, people were still at the gates.
Some were packing.
Some were arguing.
Some were simply standing there.
Waiting.
Corvin stared toward the horizon.
At first, there was nothing.
Then he saw it.
A dark line.
It stretched across the distant sky.
Aisha stepped closer.
"What is that?"
Nobody answered.
The line grew darker.
Higher.
Wider.
The sunlight began to fade.
Birds disappeared from the sky.
The campus lights flickered.
People outside began running.
Then the ash cloud reached the horizon.
It swallowed the sunlight piece by piece.
The world beyond Drake became grey.
Then darker.
The wind picked up.
Ash began striking the windows.
Softly at first.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Then faster.
The sound filled the room.
Nobody spoke.
Priya clasped her hands together.
Astrid stared through the glass.
Chase stood beside her.
Marco's expression had lost its usual confidence.
Aisha watched the sky disappear.
Dimitri studied the ash.
Mei Lin remained silent.
Corvin stood at the center of them all.
For days, they had prepared.
They had counted supplies.
Protected infrastructure.
Guarded gates.
Made decisions they had never imagined making.
They had been students.
Then volunteers.
Then Team Nine.
Now there was no distinction left.
They were simply eight people watching the world change.
Outside, the last remaining sunlight vanished. The campus disappeared beneath the ash.
And beyond the glass, the old world was gone.
The Ashfall had arrived.