by Mic Shannon
“What’s up?”
“I can’t lie bro,” he said, taking a deep breath and trying to mask his emotions, “I’m scared.”
“Yeah, man,” he replied, “me too.”
--- 7:03 am ---
The children moved with a sense of purpose as they loaded up both vans used by the staff to shuttle them around. As Michael helped throw the small carry bags into the trunk, he looked around at the neighbors, the startled looks on their faces burning into his memory.
“Hurry up children, let’s go,” yelled Ms. Tanya from the driver’s seat as she hustled to get all the children into the van.
“Wait,” said Michael as he placed the last bag in the van and turned toward the house.
“Where you going Michael?” she asked, opening the driver’s side door and stepping out, throwing her hands into the air.
“I forgot something, Ms. Tanya,” he yelled as he back peddled across the small lawn toward the front door, “Hold on. I’ll be right back.”
He bolted into the house and up the stairs. He ran with panic, emotionally caught up in the moment. He knew what the LAW Alert was for, and if this happened to be a legitimate threat, this was more than a big deal and he knew they needed to get to a safe zone fast.
Busting through the bedroom door, he ran over to his bed. He couldn’t believe he forgot about it in his haste. It was all he had left to remember her by. Reaching between the mattress and the wall, he retrieved the journal, staring at it for a moment before he rushed back out of the door.
--- 7:27 am ---
As they sat in gridlocked traffic on the main road, no one spoke. Traffic lights were all blinking yellow, and so all vehicles were self-driving in emergency mode, each one traveling at a slow but steady pace to its destination autonomously. Looking out of the window, Michael could see the faces of the other families in their cars. The parents stressed out in panic; the children embroiled in uncertainty and fear.
Michael’s wristphone rang again with that standard ringtone. The children, sitting in the van in silence, looked around in confusion after hearing the generic sound. Michael looked down at his wrist. It was Cynthia.
“Hey, what’s going on, are you okay?” he asked, pulling his headphones up to his ears from his neck.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Where are you?”
“We’re on the highway,” he responded, “The traffic is backed up for miles.”
She paused, crossing her arms in the car, “I’m scared Mike.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, “everything will be okay. I promise.”
“We don’t know where my brother is,” she continued, “He left for college this morning, so like, me and my dad are scared. He hasn’t answered his phone. I’m really worried.”
“He’s probably fine,” Michael said, attempting to comfort her as well as himself, “Everything is crazy right now, just keep calling okay?”
“Okay, well, let me get off the phone and try him again.”
“Ok, love you.”
“I love you too babe.”
She hung up.
--- 8:09 am ---
The ride was long and stressful. Police and safety officials sped by them on the sides of the road the entire time, rushing to make sure everyone was safe, and no stragglers were left. When they finally arrived downtown, the concentration of people was overwhelming.
The two vans automatically parked on the street a few blocks away from the local community college. People were being directed to the campus by public safety officials blowing whistles and pointing. It was a little spooky, everyone wondering if the measures the government took to keep them safe would be sufficient, given it was taking so long to get everyone to their destinations.
Grabbing their carry bags from the trunk, the group home boys began their walk to the safe zone. No one said a word. The chaos outside was more than enough confusion. Rounding the corner, they saw long lines of people filing onto the campus.
When they finally made it onto the campus, they could tell that it was packed with way too many people; all being ushered into classrooms and auditoriums. Ms. Tanya and the boys were directed toward one of the lecture halls. Some of the professors stood outside as volunteers, handing out toiletries. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, bars of soap, deodorant, tampons.
The group stood in a long line, waiting to file one by one into the lecture hall. It was like the opening day for a new ride at Disney World, instead with a much grimmer ambiance. People were eerily quiet, way too frightened to complain. National Guard personnel stood by the entrance of the hall collecting the names, ages, and descriptions of everyone who entered. Michael saw a lot of the kids from his school with their families. They were all looking at the group home boys; the only ones without parents to comfort them.
Ms. Tanya was the first to reach the doorway. She immediately started giving the names of the children, frantically overwhelmed with the chaos of the day.
“Ma’am,” said the tall, husky man in uniform, cutting her off, “bring up the youngest children first. The older ones can stay in line and give their own names.”
When they passed through the doorway, more National Guard personnel were handing out green foam pads, rolled up like a yoga mat, to place under them while they sleep. There were all types of people; men, women, small children. Michael looked and saw some of the families unrolling their mats and laying them on the thin college carpet at the front of the lecture hall. With no room left, and unwilling to separate, Michael and the other boys made their way up into the rows of seats, sitting down and holding their mats.
--- 10:10 am ---
It was more than an hour of discomfort sitting in the hall while more people packed into what had now become tight space. One by one people found any spot they could to settle. Tension filled the air as the inaudible murmurs spelled out their agitations and fears. Before the doors to the lecture hall closed, Michael saw the last two people file in followed by one of the National Guard personnel. It was Cynthia and her father.
“There goes your girl, bro,” said Tee. Michael nodded in agreement with a proud smile.
He yelled her name and waved to get her attention. She saw him and waved back, acknowledging his presence, but the tight quarters made it hard to get to her without disturbing anyone, most people lying on the stairs or seated in the rows of chairs.
They could hear plenty of commotion outside of the doorway, as the National Guard began moving supplies and directing their vehicles. There were monitors built into the desks for the students and three TVs at the front, above where the professor would stand. The National Guard personnel kept trying to work the remotes, finally turning them on and tuning into the news station.
“More breaking news, this time from Russia, as the President has declared a state of emergency.”
A brief clip was shown of the Russian President giving a speech, only lasting for a second and a half since he was not speaking English. Every eyeball was glued to the TV, perplexed as they tried to make sense of the day’s events.
“More countries have continued to follow suit, including China, Britain, South Africa, and Australia. Some military units are being mobilized and moved into stronghold positions throughout the globe. Tanya Fenlow has more to report.”
The report cut to Tanya, standing in the street by police and first responders, while military members ran past. Sirens were blaring as she screamed into her microphone.
“Thank you, Tom,” she began, “As you can see here, National Guard and several army infantry units are mobilizing here at the Joint Expeditionary Base at Little Creek. We are told they are also doing the same at the Naval Air Station Oceana, Langley Air Force Base, and Marine Corps Base Quantico. We just recently learned that the President has mobilized military units in all major cities throughout the United States in response to a LAW Alert.”
The clip changed to the President, issuing a speech in front of reporters on Capitol Hill.
“Please remain calm,” she said, �
��we are still trying to determine the severity of the threat. Unfortunately, we do not have all the answers, but, I can assure you that everything that is happening is for your safety. If you are in your homes, please, I urge you to go to the nearest safe zone in your city and remain there until everything has been cleared. Thank you.”
The citizens all began to talk in an uproar.
“This doesn’t make sense!”
“Why wouldn’t we be underground?!”
“This is a lie! Why would other countries declare an emergency too?! Something is going on!”
One of the National Guard Officers in the room interrupted.
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” he yelled, quieting the audience, “I know things are a little confusing right now.”
“DAMN RIGHT THEY ARE!” screamed one of the angry men from the crowd as they started to uproar again.
“WHAT’S GOING ON?” screamed another.
“QUIET!” yelled the Guard Officer, “QUIET! Now listen, I’ve been in plenty of uncomfortable situations, ‘kay? This is an uncomfortable situation. We’re all here, ‘kay? There’s nothing we can do about it. But, we’re going to get through it. And we’re going to get through it together. I promise you that!”
“You don’t even know what’s going on, do you?” yelled Tee from the row of seats above, quieting the room. Everyone turned toward him, the Officer behind them clenching his jaw in silence.
The citizens all began to speak again, talking amongst themselves. Tee leaned over to Michael, whispering to him.
“This is crazy man. Do you think this has something to do with the landing?!”
“I don’t know,” said Michael, looking to the floor and rubbing his hands together nervously, “why else would they be mobilizing our military so quickly?”
“Look man,” Tee said, pointing down the row of chairs, “I think Manny’s scared.”
Manny had a perplexed expression on his face. If it was hard to accept for these adults, it was even harder for someone like Manny; someone who had already been through so much in life.
“Manny!” Michael yelled over to him, getting his attention, “Come here.”
Manny pushed his way past the knees of the other boys all the way up to where Michael and Tee’s seats were, sitting on the floor between them.
“You alright, buddy?” Michael asked.
“Yeah, I’m cool,” he said, obviously lying.
“I can’t lie, I’m scared Man-Man,” said Michael, hoping to comfort Manny by relating to him, “what about you?”
“Nah, I mean…well not really,” he replied, trying to sound tough.
“It’s okay to be scared, man. Everybody gets scared,” said Tee, joining in.
Manny paused, looking down and picking at his fingernails, “Are you scared, Mikey?”
Michael shifted his weight in his seat, putting on his mask and shrugging his shoulders.
“I’m trying not to think about it, ya know?”
“Yeah, me too,” said Manny.
“Hey Manny,” Tee said, “Who do you think would win one-on-one, though? Kobe or LeBron?”
Manny smiled, “Kobe.”
“Yeah right,” said Michael, chiming in to support Michael’s method of distraction, “LeBron was bigger; I don’t think Kobe would have had anything for him…”
--- 12:19 pm ---
The debate brought about a lighter mood which lasted for the next couple of hours, switching from Kobe vs. Jordan, to LeBron vs. Iverson, to Dr. J vs. Larry Bird. Anything to keep Manny’s mind occupied. In a strange way, his sanity comforted them. They didn’t have the added stress of worrying about his fears in addition to their own.
Around 5:30, the National Guard carried in a spread of food in large green containers. By this point there wasn’t anyone in the room who wasn’t hungry. Some had been complaining already, asking the Guardsmen when food would be available. By the time it did come, they were more than ready.
Forming a line to the food, those who were on the floor in the front of the lecture hall received their plates first, the ones in the rows of seats having to wait. They filed through and received their plate, after which the military personnel ushered them outside to clear the room. When everyone came out of the doorway with their plates, they saw what the college had become.
The National Guard had started putting barbed wire around the exterior of the college campus. At the entrances, armed personnel stood guard while others placed sandbags on either side for large machine gun emplacements.
Several military trucks were bringing in large quantities of food, water, supplies, and ammunition. Other trucks brought materials to assemble watchtowers. For Michael, watching the campus being turned into a military stronghold was captivating, as if he was living through the many documentaries that he had watched online.
He heard a few people talking to the National Guard outside of the lecture hall doors, the military personnel not sure how to handle the issues.
“My baby needs some more diapers,” said one.
“You don’t understand. If I don’t get my blood pressure medicine, I might die,” remarked another.
Tee and Manny stood next to Michael with their plates of GMO mystery meat and hard mashed potato substitute after they walked out into the bright sunlight they hadn’t seen for hours.
“Mike,” Cynthia yelled, waving him over. Tee intercepted, grabbing Manny by the arm and leading him toward the other group home boys.
He made his way toward her, butterflies filling his stomach as she stood smiling next to her father. Her dad was a rather tall man, sporting slacks with a suit jacket; a classic look with a clean shave and a bald head. The father looked him up and down as he approached, not knowing the extent of their relationship, but picking up on the subtle excitement of his daughter.
“Dad, this is Mike,” she said with joy in her voice.
Michael extended his hand, hoping to make a good impression. His hand almost shook, his stomach not helping his nervousness.
“I’m Carlos, Cynthia’s dad. How old are you, young man?” he asked while extending his hand, bluntly confronting his daughter’s alleged flaky choice in older boys.
“Dad!” said Cynthia, blushing with embarrassment.
“I’m 17, sir,” he said.
“Oh, well…nice to meet you,” he responded, toning down his slight aggressiveness.
“You too,” he replied, relieved.
“One thing I want to get off my chest though,” he said to Michael, “I can tell you two, ya know, you like each other. But this is my baby girl, you understand? My little butterfly. You break her heart, and…I promise I break every bone in your body, you understand?”
“Yes sir,” he replied with carefulness in his voice, unblinking as he stared into his eyes.
“Oh my God!” said Cynthia, burying her face in her hands.
They were both silent for a moment, locked in stare. Michael looked away at Cynthia, careful not to disrespect or provoke her father.
“So, um, did you find your brother?” Michael asked her, changing the subject.
“Well,” said Cynthia, “I kept trying to call him and call him and he finally answered. He said he’s at the university. They have them all locked down just like us.”
She sunk her shoulders.
“I really hope he’s okay. I just wish we could be with him, ya know?”
“Yeah, I understand,” he said.
“What about Manny,” she said, “Is he doing okay?”
“Yeah,” said Michael, “we’ve been trying to keep his mind occupied so that he won’t think about it too much.”
“Well, you’re keeping my mind occupied,” she said, smiling.
Her dad looked at her with a facial expression that began with a hard stare, but softened into an understanding of inevitability. He wished she had never grown up. He looked back at Michael, accepting it.
“Well, you two eat, I’ll be over here,” he said, pausing with tightened lips befor
e dropping his gaze with a forced smile.
“Okay dad.”
--- 5:21 pm ---
The rest of the day had been mostly mundane, except for Manny trying to illicit some laughs by dancing. Cynthia spent some time with him, talking to him and trying to keep him calm and occupied. She genuinely liked him, taking an interest in keeping him safe and happy. She almost felt as if she was finding her purpose.
After dinner, the horde filed back into the lecture hall once again. Sitting in their rows above, the people started to move around, restlessly in need of a chiropractor and struggling to find comfort on the plastic seats. Michael brought his knees up to his chest, placing his bookbag against the metal armrest and trying to position himself to use it as a pillow. He still had that money, and with all the people in the hall, he wanted to feel it if someone touched his bag.
The rest of the evening was mostly uneventful. An infant had cried for about fifteen minutes, and then fell asleep for about ten, then cried for another fifteen after one of the people in the hall made noise on their way out of the door to the bathroom.
At around 11 pm, everyone started to get quiet. The news channel was still on with the same story, but the TV was muted, a faint glow in the darkness. Body odor was starting to become more prominent, a mixture of several different funks. They were in an uncomfortable space, plagued by cramped seats and the inability to stretch without hitting someone else.
At one point while dozing off, Michael thought about the bag and jumped slightly to grab it. It was still there. No one was moving around. Everyone seemed tired and worn out from the stress and worry. Finally, he relaxed and let his eyes close.
THURS, JUN 1st, 2034
Alexandria, VA, USA
8:48 am
A wakening the next day, his back was stiff and sore. A lot of people were already up rubbing their aching joints. It was around nine o’clock when the doors opened with more green containers of food being hauled in by the military.