I never planned for any of this.
It was supposed to be a simple late study session during spring break. Dr. Marcus Hale, my college professor, offered me a ride home afterward because the city had suddenly exploded into chaos. Protests turned violent, roads were blocked, public transport shut down, and a city-wide lockdown was announced. His apartment was only a few blocks away, so he suggested we wait it out there instead of risking the streets. His roommate, Alex, was already home.
Dr. Hale is thirty-eight, tall and fit with dark hair graying at the temples, sharp green eyes behind stylish glasses, and that deep, commanding voice that always made me squirm in my seat during lectures. Alex is twenty-nine, his best friend and roommate — muscular from years of boxing, with tattoos coverin
