by West, Lee
“I’m betting they’re hiding. Everything is so quiet out here. We were able to hear the trucks coming long before they reached us. I’m sure the others hid as soon as they heard something coming,” said Mike.
“But where? Where are they hiding?” asked Joe.
“Nancy and Brett both work at the university. I say we start there. They know the area and would seek shelter at the next most logical place,” said Frank.
“You’re probably right. Let’s go. With any luck we can get there before dark. You still have that map?” asked Joe.
Frank pulled out the map and considered it for a moment. He used his fingers to roughly measure the distances between points and finally said, “We’ll be lucky to get there before dark.”
— 31 —
Nancy could hardly believe that soldiers had set up a headquarters on their property. The danger of their current situation had temporarily receded from her mind after a hot meal and a night in their cozy bed. This morning’s homestead invasion had shattered any future illusion of normalcy.
“We should be getting close to the campus. Maybe another hour or so,” said Brett.
“Where do you think the guys are?” asked Meg.
“They were heading to the university. With any luck, we’ll find them there,” said Marvin.
Nancy wasn’t convinced they would be reunited with the men. The campus was a large place. Even if the guys managed to reach it undetected by the military, finding each other would prove difficult.
“Where do you want to go when we get to campus?” said Marvin.
“I have no idea,” said Brett.
“I think we should go to my office. I have a key to the tunnels. We could grab it and then use the tunnels to get around. That is, assuming the soldiers haven’t taken over the campus and we’re able to get inside,” said Nancy.
“How did you get a key to the tunnels? I don’t have one!” said Marvin.
“I’m not sure I’m supposed to have one either. Years ago I forgot my office key and needed to work late. I managed to find a janitor, who let me in. We got to talking, and after he left, I realized he forgot a small bundle of keys. He never came back for them.”
“How did you know you had the key to the tunnels?” asked Marvin.
“You need to ask that question? She’s the nosiest person I know!” said Brett, laughing.
“Thanks a lot! Of course, I can’t really get mad, because he’s right. There weren’t too many keys, so I tried various doors. Initially, I thought I could get us into the observatory to surprise Brett. Eventually, I figured out the keys were just for the Sociology Department and tunnels.”
“What’s in the tunnels?” asked Meg.
“The tunnels facilitate the movement of robots ferrying supplies from one end of campus to the other, mostly for the hospital,” said Brett.
“Robots! That’s cool! I never heard of such a thing,” said Meg.
“It creeps me out a little. I never liked the idea of those things roaming the tunnels beneath the campus,” said Marvin.
“I never really gave it much thought either way,” said Nancy.
“I’m with Marvin. I don’t like the idea of those things moving around down there. Besides, if you ask me, that’s where the zombies live,” said Brett, grinning.
“Oh, come on! You’re just scaring poor Meg!” said Nancy.
“I think he might be right. I think the hospital’s morgue is in the basement, connected to the tunnels,” said Marvin.
“I’m not going down there! Zombies freak me out,” said Meg.
“Now see what you two did! Don’t listen to them!”
The stone and brick buildings of the university sprawled out in front of them. The large campus boasted numerous colleges, dorms and lifestyle amenities designed to lure qualified candidates to the school. The world of academia had become increasingly competitive over the years. As tuition rose to astronomical levels, so did the fierce arms race between campuses. Each school added more and more amenities for the kids to use in order to justify the cost. Nancy thought it was crazy to offer high-end spa-like features at a university. To her, the strength of the academics should be all that’s needed to entice matriculation.
“Looks quiet over here,” said Marvin.
“I agree. There’s no one here. We should be fine heading to the sociology building,” said Brett.
“Maybe we don’t need to go into the tunnels? If there’s no one here, we can just walk around outside. What do you think?” said Meg.
“Still worried about zombies?” said Nancy, turning to her.
“Absolutely!”
“She’s right. We can skip the tunnels. I don’t want to go down there anyway,” said Marvin.
“I’d like to get to my office. We should at the very least make sure the doors are open. If anyone comes, we can dash down there.”
“Sounds like a plan. Your department has a lot of nice lounge areas. We should be pretty comfortable there,” said Brett.
The group made their way through the ivy-covered campus. Nancy had never seen it this quiet. During school vacations and summer breaks, the place emptied out but not to this extent. It was a ghost town. The tunnels didn’t give her pause, but seeing the campus so dead gave her an uneasy almost queasy feeling.
— 32 —
Joe trudged through the forest, feeling weighed down by the day. The walk wasn’t what had tired him out. Frank had set a very slow pace for their trek. Instead, he felt emotionally and mentally exhausted from worrying about Meg. As much as he tried, he couldn’t envision her safe and in hiding. Instead, his mind saw nothing but one catastrophic image of Meg after another.
“Before today, I thought I knew what you were going through. I wasn’t even close,” said Joe, turning to Mike.
“It’s brutal to be separated from our loved ones, especially under these conditions. Not knowing anything is the worst. It’s been killing me slowly.”
“I can’t stop visualizing the worst.”
“The only advice I can give is that whatever you see in your head is probably way worse than what’s actually happening. I had to force myself to mentally switch channels, or I would’ve gone crazy long ago. Probably would have bailed on the group back in Stevensville.”
They walked a little more in silence. Joe considered Mike’s advice and tried to control his thoughts. Mike made it sound a lot easier than it turned out to be.
“How much farther do you think we have?” asked Mike.
Frank stopped. “We’re getting close, but it’s hard to tell from here. The bushes have obscured my view of the road.”
The men had continued to stay deep in the bushes and trees to stay hidden from any soldiers driving on the road.
“We should get back on the road. We can make better progress,” said Joe.
“I guess you’re right. The sun is going down. Eventually, it’ll get too dark for us to continue in here, even with a flashlight. We should be able to see any approaching headlights long before they can see us. Unless they’re driving around using night vision,” said Frank.
“Cheery thought,” said Joe.
“Come on. I’ve had enough of the forest to last a lifetime. Let’s get to the road,” said Mike.
Mike worked through the forest quickly, leading them to the road. They were forced to scramble up a deep ditch on the side of the street before they were in the clear.
“Damn it!” yelled Frank.
“What happened?” asked Joe.
“I rolled my damned ankle. I need a minute here. Could we take a break?”
Joe walked over to Frank and sat next to him on the side of the embankment. Frank took his shoe off and massaged the inside of his ankle.
“I’ll just be a minute. I rolled it and nearly fell over. Must’ve hit something.”
“No worries. We’ll wait. Just make sure you feel good walking on it before we head out,” said Mike.
As the sun dropped below the tall trees, a chill
came over the forest. Joe knew they needed to get moving at a much faster pace if they would ever make it to the university before night. The alternative was spending the night in the forest, something Joe would rather avoid. Not to mention the fact that it would delay reuniting with Meg, wherever she might be.
“Alright. I should be good. Let me just get my shoe back on and we can go.”
Frank stood slowly and tested weight on his injured foot. He placed it down and then immediately lifted it off the ground, as though he had hit something hot or sharp.
“That doesn’t look good,” said Mike.
“It’s fine. I’ll be fine. We need to keep moving.”
Frank walked in clear and undeniable pain. His normally slow pace became even slower, to the point that Joe thought he could crawl faster. He didn’t want to admit it, but they might have to leave their friend behind in order to get to the campus before dark. The thought conflicted him. As much as he wanted to find Meg, leaving Frank didn’t feel right. There had to be another way.
“I can’t do this. My ankle is throbbing in pain. You guys should just leave me. I’ll rest a little and then keep moving. I can meet you there.”
“That’s ridiculous. We can’t just leave you here on the side of the road,” said Mike.
“It’s no use. I need to rest this a little longer, and you guys must get to the campus before dark. You can come back for me.”
Joe took a knee next to Frank and said, “I have an idea. I’ll leave both of you here and jog the rest of the way to campus. If I find them, we can come back for you. Otherwise, I’ll know it’s pointless to go there. We can then come up with a different plan.”
“You think you can jog that far?” asked Mike.
“Sure I can. I love running. It’ll be fine for me. Like I said, I’ll figure out what we’re heading into. For all we know, the campus has been taken over by the troops. This will save you guys the trip.”
“Alright. Sounds like a plan. Thanks, man. I’m sorry to be so lame,” said Frank.
“It’ll be fine.”
“We should head back into the forest for shelter. I’ll mark our location with a pile of branches,” said Mike.
“Easy enough. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Joe left his backpack with the others in order to cut down on the extra weight while he ran. He grabbed the flashlight, map and water and then took off at a quick pace. With any luck, he would be able to find the others. Either way, he knew he would be back for his friends.
— 33 —
Nancy led the group through the quiet campus toward the Sociology Department. Sociology shared a building with political science, making for interesting lunch conversations. She always thought the political science professors were far more paranoid about government intervention in their lives than she could ever be. The conspiracy theories that those professors subscribed to would make most people’s head spin.
“We’re almost there. My building is the one on the left, just past the gym,” said Nancy.
“I always loved the location of our offices. I think the Sociology Department has the best building. Last year they tried to move us but were met with so much pushback, the idea had to be scrapped,” said Marvin.
“I’ve never been here. It’s a beautiful campus, that’s for sure,” said Meg.
“Here we are! Home sweet home!” said Nancy, jogging up to the main entrance.
She stood for a moment fishing the keys out of her pocket. Then Marvin said, “Don’t bother! It’s open.”
“That’s odd. It’s never supposed to be open.”
A few years ago, the university had had a string of faculty building break-ins. Campus security never caught the people involved. Because the school paid a high cost repairing the damage from the break-ins, the university required its professors to lock the building when going in and out after normal classroom hours.
She led the others inside, noting that the interior of the building looked no different than any other day—aside from the fact that it was empty. The gleaming floors stood ready to welcome students into the building’s large atrium. Announcements hung from various bulletin boards, advertising events that would never occur.
“Nothing looks touched,” said Marvin.
“I know. I was thinking the same thing. My office is on the second floor near the student lounge,” said Nancy.
She took Brett’s hand as they walked up the wide set of stairs toward her office. He had been unusually quiet since they had been forced to flee their home. The student lounge contained numerous couches and large soft chairs for the students to use during their free time. In addition, the area had a small computer lab and workstations for more quiet work.
“At least my office is locked,” she said, jiggling the door handle on her office door.
Nancy unlocked the door and held it open for the others. The small room had been hers for so long it truly felt like a second home. The external wall faced west, a bank of windows extending the entire length of her office. Years ago, when she was required to stay late into the evening for extended office hours, she’d moved the desk to face the window. She thought that even if she couldn’t be home for sunset, at least she would watch it from her cage.
“Nice office!” said Meg.
“Thanks. It’s comfortable for me. I’m here most of the time unless I have to teach.”
“I’m going to check on mine,” said Marvin.
Marvin’s office had been moved around more than Nancy’s over the years. Finally, the school had put him on the same floor as his colleagues, just down the hall from her.
“The sun’s setting. We need to find the others,” said Meg.
“Okay. Let me just grab my keys to the tunnels,” said Nancy.
Marvin walked back into Nancy’s office.
“Everything okay in your office?” asked Brett.
“Yes, everything’s untouched.”
“Where should we start looking for them?” asked Meg.
Before Nancy could answer, a voice rang out from the interior of the building, startling her.
“I can answer that!”
“Ed! Holy shit! Where did you come from?” said Nancy.
“The tunnels,” he said.
Ed Camp was the chairman of the Sociology Department. Normally the department rotated the chairman’s position through the faculty in an effort to equalize the opportunity; however, Ed’s leadership proved to be so effective that everyone agreed he should continue in the role. Although Ed had never been Nancy’s favorite person, she also recognized the strength of his leadership abilities. Over the years, he had orchestrated several effective pushbacks against the university’s attempts to reduce the department’s budget or shrink their staff.
“How long have you been here?” asked Brett.
“I never left. I’ve been here since the electricity went out.”
“Where’s everyone else?” asked Marvin.
“Come on. I’ll show you.”
The group set out with Ed. They walked down the massive staircase and through a door to the basement toward the tunnels. Before they reached the tunnels, loud static and a crackling voice interjected. Ed stopped and pulled out a small handheld radio from his pack.
“This is Ed. What’s up, Kevin?”
“A lone jogger just entered from the west gate. Looks like a male in his early thirties. What do you want us to do?” said the man.
“That could be one of our friends. Ask for a description!” said Nancy excitedly.
“Can you describe the man? What’s he wearing?” said Ed.
“Jeans. A Miller Lite T-shirt and ball cap. That’s all I can do from here.”
“It’s Joe! That’s my husband!” shouted Meg.
“He’s with Nancy’s group. Have Marston grab him and bring him to the south tunnel to meet us.”
“Why is he alone?” said Brett.
“There were others with him?”
“Yes. Joe and two others set ou
t from our house this morning for the university. They were supposed to check things out and then head back. We lost contact with them after we fled,” said Nancy.
Ed picked up his radio and asked, “You see anyone with our jogger?”
“No. He’s alone.”
“That’s not good,” said Nancy.
“Sorry. What do you mean you guys fled?” asked Ed.
“The feds came just after the guys left. We hid from them but heard them saying they’d be back, so we fled,” said Brett.
“That’s not the sort of news I like to hear. You guys live close to here, if I recall correctly.”
“We do,” said Nancy.
They followed Ed down the final set of steps into the basement. A large “Keep Out” sign covered the doors leading to the tunnels.
Ed yanked on the door, opening it for them. “Welcome to my world.”
A narrow hallway extended to the right and left from their position, allowing them to go in either direction. Nancy had no idea where to find the south entrance. Something about being subterranean garbled her normally excellent sense of direction.
“This way!” said Ed excitedly.
Ahead of them a soft light glowed at what appeared to be the end of the tunnel. They moved quickly behind Ed. Laughter and the soft sounds of conversations around them indicated the presence of others within the tunnel system.
“How many people are down here?” asked Marvin.
“Around twenty to thirty. The number fluctuates. Some have left to look for family while others arrive seeking sanctuary.”
Nancy had never ventured this far into the tunnels. She merely knew they existed and had poked her head inside briefly when she tested the janitor’s keys. She had imagined something completely different. Large colored lines were painted on the white tile floors. Various doors dotted the walls of the large tunnels, each marked with the door’s corresponding aboveground location. Someone had hung battery-powered lanterns along the walls, lighting their way.
“The south entrance is just ahead. We can wait here for them,” said Ed.
He pointed to a large open area. Other people milled about, lounged on the couches, or worked on mechanical projects set out on the various desks in the room.
