Lockdown
Copyright © 2018 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
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Darby Creek
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Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA
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Main body text set in Janson Text LT Std 12/17.5.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Drake, Raelyn, author.
Title: Lockdown / Raelyn Drake.
Description: Minneapolis : Darby Creek, [2018] | Series: Attack on Earth | Summary: After a neighborhood watch-type community organization assumes control of their high school in the wake of an alien invasion, Sanjay and his two best friends begin to question whether they can trust the guards enforcing the lockdown.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017044213 (print) | LCCN 2017057790 (ebook) | ISBN 9781541525870 (eb pdf) | ISBN 9781541525764 (lb : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781541526303 (pb : alk. paper)
Subjects: | CYAC: Hostages—Fiction. | High schools—Fiction. | Schools—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.D74 (ebook) | LCC PZ7.1.D74 Lo 2018 (print) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017044213
Manufactured in the United States of America
1-44560-35491-1/15/2018
To Max, for pestering me until I agreed to name a character after him. Here ya go, buddy.
On the morning of Friday, October 2, rings of light were seen coming down from the sky in several locations across the planet. By mid-morning, large spacecraft were visible through the clouds, hovering over major cities. The US government, along with others, attempted to make contact, without success.
At 9:48 that morning, the alien ships released an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, around the world, disabling all electronics—including many vehicles and machines. All forms of communication technology were useless.
Now people could only wait and see what would happen with the “Visitors” next …
Chapter 1
Sanjay prodded his dead phone. Everything electronic had been fried when the EMP had hit that morning, and now his phone might as well be a shiny brick. He had never thought of himself as the type of person who was addicted to his phone, but now he couldn’t think of a plan of action that didn’t involve it. He couldn’t call his parents, or check the news to find out what was going on, or even use the flashlight.
He and his friends, Chloe and Luis, were in Ms. Kim’s physics class, and she had told them that this attack had all the hallmarks of a blast from an EMP. Sanjay had only ever seen stuff like that in science fiction movies—he felt like he was in one right now. They had all seen the giant air ships looming on the horizon like storm clouds. Right before the power grid went dark, the internet had been blowing up with pictures and videos from all over the world. People on social media rarely agreed on anything, but this time everyone seemed to come to the same conclusion: aliens were attacking Earth. And no one knew what these Visitors wanted.
But that had been almost an hour ago. Now they were cut off from the rest of the world. Ms. Kim insisted that school policy in any disaster or emergency situation was to keep students confined to the classroom. She wouldn’t even let them leave to go to the bathroom until she could be sure the hallways were safe.
So everyone sat at their desks, shifting uncomfortably in the hard plastic seats and trying to come to terms with what was happening. Some students talked quietly with their friends. Others slept out of weariness and boredom, heads pillowed on arms folded across their desks. And some were crying, hands covering their faces, shoulders shaking occasionally with muffled sobs. Sanjay was grateful that, at the very least, he was stuck here with his two closest friends.
“For all we know,” Chloe whispered, “we could be the last people on Earth.”
“The blast just took out everything electric,” Luis said. “It didn’t vaporize everyone.”
“That’s my point,” Chloe said. “We can’t know that for sure because we can’t contact anyone.”
“Would you two cut it out?” Sanjay snapped. When class had started, he had been counting down the time to lunch. He’d even been looking forward to his afternoon study hour in the library. Mr. O’Donnell, the librarian, always had interesting stories that made the time pass quickly. Now it was lunchtime and there was no sign that things would magically go back to normal. Hunger and restlessness mixed with confusion and fear were not a recipe for a good mood.
Chloe and Luis stared at him. He was usually the most easygoing of the three of them. “Sorry, I just find it hard to care about the Visitors right now when my main concern is getting ahold of my mom.”
“Quickly followed by a trip to the nearest bathroom,” Luis muttered.
Chloe smirked. “Meanwhile, I’ll be coming up with a plan to lead a rebellion against our alien overlords because I went to the bathroom before class,” she said smugly.
There was a knock at the classroom door. “Ms. Kim? It’s Officer Mendoza.”
Ms. Kim hurried to unlock the door. Officer Alicia Mendoza, the school security cop, entered the room. Her hair was usually pulled back into a smooth bun, and she always had a smile ready for everyone, but today strands of hair had escaped her bun and her brow was creased with worry.
“Everyone okay in here?” she asked, scanning the students.
They all tried to ask their questions at once.
“What’s going on, Officer Mendoza?” Sanjay asked.
“How are we going to contact our parents?” another student asked.
“What do the Visitors want?” Chloe shouted.
Officer Mendoza gave a small smile and held up her hands. The students quieted down. “I’m sorry, I wish I had more information for you. The fact is no one knows what’s going on. We haven’t received any sort of communication from outside the school yet. But I expect that emergency responders will be here soon to tell us what to do next. I really appreciate your cooperation in sitting tight while we try to figure this out. The primary goal of everyone in this school is keeping you safe, okay?”
“What about food?” one student asked.
“And bathrooms!” Luis asked.
“There’s enough bottled water and canned food in the cafeteria kitchens to last us for a week or two,” Officer Mendoza said.
“Do you really think we’ll be here that long?” Sanjay asked.
“Hopefully not,” Officer Mendoza said. She spoke quietly to Ms. Kim for a moment, then turned back to the students. “As for bathrooms, we think that it’s safe enough at this point. But I want you to go in groups, and then I want you to return directly to this classroom so that it’s easier to keep track of everyone. Listen to Ms. Kim.”
Kids started to get up from their seats.
“Oh,” Officer Mendoza added, “and I should probably mention that electricity is used to pump water into the school, so there’s not going to be running water to flush the toilets.”
Several students groaned loudly, but then they heard heavy, booted footsteps in the hallway.
“Did you release any other classes yet?” Ms. Kim whispered to Officer Mendoza
“What if it’s the Visitors?” one student hissed.
Officer Mendoza motioned for the students to be quiet. She crouched lower and peered around the doorframe, her hand reaching for the baton at her waist.
Sanjay and his friends couldn’t see anything from where they were, but Ms. Kim must have been able to from where she was standing behind her desk. Her face suddenly showed a mix of confusion and relief. “Max Whitaker? What are you doing here?”
Sanjay exchanged surprised glances with Luis and Chloe. Max Whitaker had been a senior when they had started as freshmen. He had been one of the few upperclassmen who didn’t mind hanging out with the younger kids. These days he worked at the coffee shop downtown that doubled as an art gallery. Sanjay, Chloe, and Luis liked to hang out there to do homework, and they enjoyed chatting with Max during his shifts.
But what is he doing here now? Sanjay wondered.
Max walked in, smiling at Ms. Kim. “Hey, everyone,” he said. He looked as exhausted as Officer Mendoza, but he was still as effortlessly charming as always. Sanjay also noticed that Max was carrying a baseball bat.
Officer Mendoza looked at Ms. Kim and raised an eyebrow.
“He’s a former student,” Ms. Kim explained.
“I’m also a member of a community organization,” Max added. “We’re called the Citizens Active Protection Program, or CAPP for short. We’re a neighborhood watch-style group committed to protecting this town in case of natural disasters and other emergencies. And I think we can all agree that this is an emergency.”
Officer Mendoza shot a glance at the students. “Max, can I speak to you and Ms. Kim in the hallway for a moment?” Sanjay thought she sounded annoyed.
The adults stepped into the hallway and shut the classroom door behind them. Sanjay and his friends immediately crept closer to listen.
“This isn’t normal protocol for an emergency response,” they heard Officer Mendoza say.
“Well, this isn’t a normal emergency,” Max countered.
“Why haven’t I heard anything about your group helping out?” she asked.
Max snorted. “The whole EMP thing has made it a little difficult to get communications out. But don’t worry, all the right people know what’s going on.”
“I think it’s all right, Alicia,” Ms. Kim said to Officer Mendoza. “I remember Max, and he was always a good kid. Maybe we should listen to what he and his group have to say.”
“It’s not really my group,” Max corrected. “It’s the community’s. I’m just like the … spokesman.”
Sanjay didn’t hear Officer Mendoza’s response before Chloe dragged him and Luis back toward their desks. They clattered into their seats just as the door opened.
“CAPP is here to look after you guys,” Max said, continuing his speech to the class as though he hadn’t been interrupted, “just like Officer Mendoza and your teachers. Before the EMPs shut down communications, local law enforcement had begun evacuating the rest of the town to an emergency shelter.”
“So are we going there too?” Sanjay asked.
“We’d love to be able to have you all go there so you can find your families, but it’s very dangerous outside right now. CAPP’s job is to keep an eye on you all until it’s safe to move you to the emergency shelter.”
“I don’t care if it’s safe or not,” Luis said. “I’d rather be in danger and with my family than safe but stuck at school.”
“Look, man, I know you’d do anything for your family,” Max said. “I would too. I love this community, and I’m not going to let some stupid aliens take that away from me. But imagine what your parents would say if they found out that I knew the dangers and didn’t keep you safe.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Luis grumbled. “So, what are we supposed to do then?”
“CAPP has brought extra supplies. We have more than enough food, plus blankets so we can set up makeshift beds in the library and gym. We even brought enough jugs of water, so you guys can use the bucket method to flush the toilets and still have enough drinking water.”
Luis sighed in relief, but Chloe frowned. “Hey, Max, what’s the bat for?”
Max smiled grimly. “It’s for protection.”
Chapter 2
The rest of the day was spent getting the gym and library set up as makeshift sleeping spaces. Sanjay and his friends were in the group of two hundred or so students assigned to the library. It was weird seeing half of his school crammed in together. The tables were pushed to the edges of the room so that pillows, blankets, and sleeping bags could be lined up across the floor and in between bookshelves. The sun set quickly this time of year, and by the time they had finished, the school had grown dark.
The full moon cast a little light in through the library’s windows, but Sanjay was still thankful for the packs of candles that CAPP had brought with them. He sat on his sleeping bag with Chloe and Luis on either side of him. The other students sat in similar clusters around the room, loudly and anxiously discussing the day’s events. Sanjay heard the words “the Visitors” repeated again and again. He could just imagine what the librarian would have to say about the noise level of the conversations.
Sanjay peered around the dim library. “I wonder where Mr. O’Donnell is. I would’ve thought he’d want to be here with us in the library.”
“Come to think of it, where are any of the teachers?” Chloe asked, narrowing her eyes. “I haven’t even seen Ms. Kim since they let us out of the classrooms.”
Sanjay walked over to a CAPPer who was standing nearby. Because apparently high schoolers need a babysitter to get ready for bed, he thought. He recognized the woman from the bike shop downtown. She had a stun gun hooked on her belt and she wasn’t smiling, but then again not many people were feeling cheerful right now.
“Excuse me?” he said to the woman. “Ma’am?”
She looked at him like he was wasting her time. “Yeah?”
Sanjay tried to keep his tone polite in spite of her gruff response. “My friends and I were just wondering when we would be able to leave the school.”
“You can’t,” she said.
“We have to leave the school at some point if we want to find our parents.”
“The school is on lockdown,” she said. “No one comes in, and no one leaves.”
Sanjay frowned. “But—”
“It’s not safe,” the woman snapped and walked off to talk to another CAPPer by the library’s checkout desk.
Sanjay joined Chloe and Luis back by their sleeping spaces. The puzzled frowns on their faces made it clear that they had heard the odd exchange. But before Sanjay could discuss it with them, Max came over carrying a large cardboard box filled with blankets. “Don’t mind Paula,” he said in a stage whisper. “She’s like that to everyone.”
He handed them each a blanket. “With no electricity to run the heat, the school is only going to get colder.”
Chloe elbowed Sanjay and gave him a look. “Uh, Max,” Sanjay asked. “Where are all the teachers?”
Max laughed. “That’s sweet that you’re worried about your teachers. They’re all in the teachers’ lounge since there wasn’t enough room for them to sleep in the library or gym. CAPP has also set up a base in the main office.”
Sanjay knew where that was. There was a set of glass doors near the front entrance of the school that led to a suite of offices for the principal, secretary, and guidance counselor. The teachers’ lounge was in there too.
“Could we talk to Mr. O’Donnell?”
Max looked confused. “The librarian?”
“Yeah,” Sanjay said. “I was hoping he might have some idea of how to communicate with the emergency shelter. He told me he used to be part of the National Guard when he was younger.”
“Oh yeah,” Max said. “I forgot about that …” He stared off into space, as if lost in thought.
“Great idea, Sanjay,” Chloe said excitedly. “I bet he would know a
ll sorts of survival skills and how to deal with emergency situations.”
Max smiled. “I like where your head’s at, Chloe. I’ll make sure to ask him.” He handed them granola bars and bottled water. “Sorry dinner isn’t very exciting, but we’re still taking stock of the canned food in the cafeteria.”
Chloe snorted as she unwrapped her granola bar. “Earth was just attacked by aliens. We’re not expecting fine dining.”
“We are expecting some answers, though,” Sanjay said. “Like when we’ll be able to try to contact our parents.”
Max lowered his voice so only Sanjay, Luis, and Chloe could hear him. “I wish I had answers for you, but nothing is certain right now. To be honest, we’re just as scared as you guys. Same with the teachers. But I promise we’ll get through this crisis together, okay? You all just have to trust us. We’re doing what’s best for this community.”
Sanjay nodded. “Thanks for looking out for us, Max.”
Max smiled at the three of them. “Of course. What are friends for?”
He went off to distribute blankets and food to the next group of kids, clustered together in another corner of the library.
Officer Mendoza approached, almost as if she had been waiting for Max to leave. “How are you holding up?” she asked quietly, her eyes still crinkled with worry.
Sanjay shrugged. “Hanging in there.”
Officer Mendoza smiled weakly. “You kids are tough. Some of the other students won’t stop complaining about the lack of computers and running water.”
“I’m more worried about what CAPP is doing here,” Chloe muttered.
Sanjay frowned at her. “You heard Max,” he said. “CAPP is here to protect the school and keep us safe.”
Chloe sighed. “Max is nice and all, but that doesn’t mean I trust CAPP just because he says I should.” She turned to Officer Mendoza. “Do you think we can trust CAPP?”
Officer Mendoza waited a beat too long before answering. “I’m sure it’s all right—”
“Oh, c’mon, Officer Mendoza,” Chloe said. “It’s starting to seem like no one respects us enough to tell us the truth.”