Chapter 4 - [4] The barricade

The night settled in fast, the kind of darkness that made the dorm feel smaller, more claustrophobic. None of us said much after the emergency alert. The weight of it was still pressing down on us, and no one knew what the hell to do. We just stayed glued to our phones, refreshing for updates that weren't coming. The tension was thick, suffocating.Then we heard it.A loud rumble, like a swarm of motorcycles or something big rolling in. The sound of engines, heavy and mechanical, echoed through the campus, cutting through the silence of the night. I looked up from my phone, my heart skipping a beat."What the fk is that?" Malcolm muttered, standing up and moving toward the window."Sounds like... trucks?" Raul said, joining him. He had that serious look again, like he was already putting two and two together.I got up and moved toward the window with them, and that's when we saw it. Military convoys, rolling through the streets, headlights cutting through the night like searchlights. A line of armored trucks, maybe six or seven of them, with soldiers piling out, setting up barricades. They were blocking off the campus."Holy shit," Kenji whispered, eyes wide. "It's the fking National Guard or something.""They're sealing us in," Ethan said, peeking over my shoulder. "This is real. This is actually fking real."We all stood there, frozen for a moment, watching as soldiers in full gear spread out across the campus, setting up metal barricades and moving in like they were preparing for a siege. The sight of them—rifles, helmets, the works—made my stomach twist."What the hell are they expecting?" I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper."I don't know," Raul said, still staring out the window, "but whatever it is, it's bad."A few students were already gathering near the barricades, curious or panicking, I couldn't tell. But as more soldiers got into position, a few people started getting brave. I saw a group of them, maybe ten or twelve, inching closer to the soldiers, trying to get answers. One guy in particular stood out, chest puffed up like he thought he was gonna take on the whole fking army.It was one of the jocks from earlier. The same dickhead who'd mocked us near the quad. I could see him now, strutting toward the soldiers with that same cocky swagger, like he was gonna talk his way through this."Oh, this is gonna be good," Kenji snickered, leaning in closer to the window."Look at this dumbass," Malcolm muttered, shaking his head. "Thinks he's hot shit."The jock marched right up to one of the soldiers, shoving his chest out like he was about to pick a fight. "Hey!" he yelled, loud enough for us to hear even from the window. "What the hell is going on? You can't just lock us in here! This is a school, not a fking prison!"The soldier didn't say a word. Just stood there, rifle in hand, visor down, not even flinching."Yeah, that's right, asshole," the jock went on, stepping even closer. "You and your boys need to get the fk out of here before—"Before he could finish, the soldier moved. Quick as a flash, the guy grabbed the jock by the collar and slammed him down to the ground. Hard. There was a sickening thud as the jock's head hit the pavement, and before he could even process what was happening, the soldier had a gun pointed at his face.We all sucked in a breath, watching from the window with wide eyes."Holy fk," Ethan whispered. "That escalated fast."The jock, the same guy who'd been acting all tough just minutes before, was now flat on his back, his eyes wide with terror. He started to stammer, his voice cracking. "W-Wait, wait, I-I didn't mean—please, man, don't shoot! Please!"The soldier didn't even flinch, keeping the barrel of the rifle steady, inches from the jock's head. For a second, I thought he was gonna pull the trigger. We all did."He's about to piss himself," Kenji whispered, his eyes glued to the scene.And sure enough, the jock was shaking like a leaf, his tough-guy act completely shattered. He looked like he was on the verge of tears, begging now. "Please, I swear, I didn't mean it! I'll go back, I'll stay inside! Please!"The soldier slowly lowered the rifle, but he didn't let the jock up. He just stood there, towering over him, making it very clear who was in charge.The jock scrambled back, still on the ground, and crawled away, trying to regain some shred of dignity, but it was long gone. He was crying like a baby, his tough-guy persona shattered into a million pieces.We couldn't help it. We all snickered, watching from the window like it was some kind of dark comedy playing out in real time."Dude's probably never been told no in his life," Malcolm said, smirking."Yeah, now he's crying like a little bitch," Kenji added, shaking his head. "What a fking joke."The jock finally got to his feet and backed away, hands up in surrender, as more students started to get the message. No one was getting out. The soldiers were serious, and they weren't taking any shit from anyone."Guess that's our answer, then," I said, leaning back from the window. "We're not leaving."Ethan let out a low whistle. "They've locked us in, man. WTF are we supposed to do now?""We do what they say," Raul answered, turning away from the window. "We stay inside, and we wait for more info. Whatever's happening out there... it's gotta be worse than what's going on in here."I nodded, but the pit in my stomach just got heavier. Whatever this virus was, whatever they were trying to contain... it wasn't some internet hoax. It wasn't just rumors on X and TikTok. This was real. And it was closing in on us.The sounds of the soldiers barking orders and the hum of the convoy engines outside faded as we settled back into the dorm, each of us lost in our own thoughts. The world outside had changed in an instant, and all we could do now was wait to see how bad it was going to get.Q: What zombie themed anime have you watched?