A Shot in the Dark

I navigated the crowded university cafeteria, finding my classmates in one of the corners. I put my tray on the table and took the last remaining seat.

"Steph, what took you so long?" Emmy asked.

"I forgot my Student Card," I said.

"So you couldn't pay for lunch?"

"The girl next in line helped me out." I muttered a curse. "I cannot do anything. Campus security gave me a hard time before I got a temporary Card to enter the Campus."

"So what happened?"

"I went to visit Mom in town. I already phoned; she found it." I didn't tell them that --though I went to town- I actually spent a dirty weekend with Jake. Everything I carried had ended up on one big pile next to his bed. I had left in a hurry; I had spent the morning on much more interesting activities than double-checking whether I had collected all my stuff.

"Yeah," Lisa commented. "It's supposed to be efficient. One Student Card instead of zillion different ones. But if you lose it, you're screwed."

"It's not meant to be efficient. It's meant to control you." We all looked at Jinx. "Don't you see? First it was just meant to pay here at the cafeteria and to loan books at the library. But now suddenly every building is access-controlled. They know exactly where you are."

Jinx was the odd one out at Vesta College for Young Ladies; most of its students were like me: maturing ex-cheerleaders following a Liberal Arts program, aiming to be rich and successful. Jinx had always been a Goth girl with her black hair and studded leather jacket. Sometimes I worried about her: As a freshman she used to be witty, challenging the teachers with intelligent questions; but she'd become increasingly suspicious, bordering on the paranoid. Rambling conspiracy theories were replacing her earlier bright ideas.

Emmy voiced our mutual opinion: "Yeah, everything's a conspiracy, Jinx. Are you going to lecture again about Bilderberg? Or chemtrails."

Jinx looked hurt: "Have you ever taken the time to read what's really in those chemtrails?"

Lisa hurriedly changed the subject: "Say, Steph, if you've forgotten your Student card, then you haven't seen the mail, I guess?"

I shook my head: "Can't access my mail box either."

"There was a case of Dorm Fever in Tabico Hall. "

"So?"

"We're all offered free vaccination against Dorm Fever," Lisa said. "There's a vaccination walk-in this evening at the gym."

"Actually, we're all strongly urged to take the offer," Frida added. "The Campus M.D. said we must contain the outbreak."

"I'm not going to take it," Jinx interspersed. "Do you know what they put in those jabs? It's really a shot in the dark."

Suppressed laughter arose. Jinx became angry.

"You're laughing but you really don't know, do you? There's mercury in it, and antifreeze, aluminum, and genetically engineered viruses they can't detect -- or don't wanna tell you... Why's Vesta suddenly so anxious to give all 1,200 students an expensive vaccine?"

"I guess because it's more expensive for them if they are sued," I said.

Approval was muttered around the table, while Jinx gave me a resigned look.

***

Although I intended to get the shot, the queue deterred me. I decided that I could get the shot later; it was more important now to travel to Jake, so I could get my Student Card back --with the additional benefit of some steamy sex. So I warned Katie, my roommate, that she had another night for herself. She winked when she wished me lots of fun with my Mom, and I left for the station.

I returned early next morning, this time with my Student Card. I entered through the main gate and walked to the classroom. I feared I was late because it was unusually quiet. I checked the time; classes were about to start, the walkways and lawns should be bustling with activity.

The classroom was deserted. I waited for 15 minutes, then one of the janitors showed up:

"Hey, what are you doing here? All classes were cancelled for the day."

"Why? What happened?" I asked.

"I dunno exactly. People not feeling well."

I was suddenly very worried: "The Dorm Fever outbreak?"

The janitor shook her head. "The email I got said no, nothing to worry about."

The public terminals at the Library were all deserted. I used my Student card to log into the College network and check my email. The most recent mail was indeed a somewhat puzzling announcement:

Tonight many students called in sick, mainly reporting myalgia and tiredness. All complaints were diagnosed as an innocent reaction to yesterday's vaccination, in combination with stress due to concerns about the reported Dorm Fever case. As a result, all classes have been cancelled for the remainder of the week to give everyone the opportunity to fully recover.

I needed coffee and went down to the cafeteria. It was staffed by just one waitress, and most tables were empty. I saw Jinx sitting in one of the corners, as if she was hiding.

"Hi Jinx, may I join you?" I said.

As I sat down, she bowed towards me and whispered in my ear: "Steph, something is not right."

"I guess you had some point about the vaccine. We're the only ones sitting here."

"I knew the vaccine was dangerous. Did you know it was an experimental vaccine, developed here?"

"You mean here at Vesta College?"

"It's rumoured to be the pet project of our Director Robinson. I heard some bits and pieces before this all started."

"Okay," I said non-committally.

"And there's more," Jinx continued. "I went to Tabico Hall, where supposedly someone had contacted 'Dorm Fever'. On the ground floor, they believed it had happened on the first floor, but on the first floor they said it must've happened on the ground floor because no one there had turned in ill."

"And I guess you've got a nice conspiracy theory to explain it all?"

"Isn't it obvious? Isn't it a tiny bit of a coincidence that they are working on a vaccine against a certain bug, and that coincidentally an outbreak happens of the very bug they're working on? They wanted to test their homemade concoction, but they did not want to do all the paper work. So they took a shortcut."

"Sounds ridiculous," I said dismissively. But something kept nagging me.

After coffee with Jinx, I walked to Ansuz Hall where I lived. I used my Student card to gain access to the building and subsequently to my room. It occurred to me that Lisa had been correct. Without my Student Card I was dependent on others opening all these doors for me -- which normally wasn't an issue, but today it would've been.

My roommate Katie was sound asleep in her bed. She had kicked away her duvet so I could see she wasn't wearing anything. It's inevitable to see your roommate in her underwear or without clothes, but I had rarely seen her fully nude before; Katie was a bit of a prude. Obviously not out of shame; she'd been cheerleader and homecoming queen. I reckoned she must feel feverish if she couldn't stand clothes and blankets.

In the pile of documents on the table I found a leaflet: Experimental Dormitory Disease Vaccine. I picked it up, but the scientific language was too dense to understand.

I logged in on my laptop and continued working on the assignment I had to turn in next week. I was completely immersed in this work, and didn't notice Katie waking up. I only noticed her when she sauntered though the room to the small kitchenette, still nude.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Hot and tired," she said drowsily. She drank some juice from the fridge, right from the carton. She seemed to be unaware of her lack of clothing. She finished drinking, stood aimlessly in the middle of our room.

"You should return to bed," I said.

"Yes," she said. A silence. "Yes, I should return to bed."

I was extremely tired myself after the dirty weekend and the bonus night with Jake. I must've fallen asleep on the couch; I woke up in the middle of the night, hearing muffled screams. I got up to turn on the lights and check if Katie was all right, then realized she was masturbating.

I mentally kicked myself for almost causing an embarrassing moment. I waited until Katie had cum; within seconds she was softly snoring again. I changed into my nightgown and silently slid in bed.

***

The next morning, Katie still felt too tired to go out to the campus restaurant, but she was now ravenously hungry. I made her a sandwich and she devoured it.

I asked her about the vaccine and the leaflet.

"Like, the College Nurse explained it all to me," she said. "They were afraid it was case of Dorm Fever."

"Dorm fever?"

"Yeah, some virus which spreads in barracks and dorms. Seems to happen sometimes at places where large groups come together, like university campuses and military camps. She told Vesta College cooperates with Fort Mulder; she'd been there to pick up the vaccine."

"What kind of cooperation?"

"I dunno, but Dorm Fever is apparently a big problem for both institutions because so many people come together." She yawned. "I'm tired of this. Change of subject, please."

Katie stayed awake but was too tired for intelligent conversation; she watched some Reality TV. So I walked to the cafeteria for coffee; it was empty save for Jinx. I related to her what Katie had told me. Jinx's eyes went wide:

"Fort Mulder is involved? You're sure? This is bad."

I shrugged: "Never heard of the place."

"Fort Mulder is not just your run-of-the mill military installation. It is so secret that it isn't even on the map. It's on the premises of Fort Scully. And Vesta is cooperating with them?"

"That's what Katie was told."

"I know what this is; this is about mind-control. Holy fuck. Fort Mulder is a skunk work facility; very clandestine and everyone on the internet distrusts them."

"Yeah, sure," I said. "They're a secret but the whole internet knows."

Jinx looked hurt.

"I'll show you," she said. "That'll convince you I'm right."

We walked to the terminals in the library. Jinx logged in, and tried to surf to several sites and internet forums; some 404-ed, others gave authentication errors.

"That's strange," she said. "I visited some of these sites last week. And I was on the tacky forum just yesterday."

"Tacky forum?" I asked.

"Truth About Conspiracies," Jinx said as if this were self evident.

We went to Mrs. Wyle, the librarian, to report the problem. She wasn't really surprised.

"IT upgraded the filters last night. It's meant to protect students against malicious sites. You know, phishing, malware, porn, grooming. So I guess that's causing issues. You're the first to complain."

"That's because everyone is ill," Jinx countered.

"If you provide a list of sites that are incorrectly filtered out, with reasons why you need them, I'll forward it to IT," Mrs. Wyle said.

Jinx gave up.

"What a coincidence," Jinx muttered sarcastically after we left the Library. "An upgraded filter, which just happens to block each and every site that will shed light on what's going on here...."

"Yeah, I guess it's weird," I acknowledged, although I thought that Jinx was the one who was really weird. I was fed up with the whole situation, so I muttered some lame excuse, and said goodbye.

When I returned to my room later that day, the entrance to Ansuz Hall was blocked by a ladder.

"What's happening?"

"Installing new security cameras," the man on the ladder said.

"Inside?" I asked incredulously.

"Duh, I'm obviously not working outside."

"But no one can enter here unless they have a Student Pass."

"Don't ask me --I'm just being paid to install them."

Katie was sitting on the couch. She wore a kimono but hadn't knotted the waistband. The kimono had fallen open, and she had placed her right hand in her crotch. She was watching TV; two bimbos were yelling at each other; one of them had fucked or tried to fuck the boyfriend of the other. Suddenly they decided that the boyfriend wasn't worth the argument, because he was a stud fucking every cunt anyway, and they started to make out. Katie's hand moved absentmindedly while she was watching TV.

"How are you doing," I asked.

"Bored," she said. "Dissatisfied."

"Get dressed," I said. "TGIF and you need to get out."

I put on a summer dress instead of my usual jeans; Katie borrowed one of other dresses, and I had to remind her to put on underwear.

Kistulot House had its weekly 'Friday Board Game Night'. The College tolerated this excuse to come together and drink some beer, while pretending to play chess or poker --rules regarding allowed types of board game weren't really enforced.

Frida gave us a welcoming hug; it seemed that Katie and Frida couldn't let go of each other. Frida said she was glad that Katie had recovered so well, then they complimented each for looking amazing.

"Hey, Frida, could you get me one of those beers?" I interrupted them.

"Of course, I'll get you one."

She opened the fridge, bent over and fetched one from the lowest shelf. Her skirt moved up and I saw her ass partially exposed.

"Forgetting underwear seems to be the new trend," I said sarcastically.

She shrugged: "Whatever. Who needs underwear."

Going out cheered Katie up. The evening had a slow start, as if the whole campus awoke again from hibernation, but soon the place was full. I bumped into Madison, one of my previous roommates, and I lost sight of Katie.

Madison and I sat on the couch and gossiped; I was relieved to talk about something else instead of Dorm Fever shots. Suddenly I noticed Madison rubbed against me, she then wrapped an arm around my middle.

"Mind the gap," I said jokingly.

"I like closing gaps," Madison said and put her leg on mine, forcing my thighs slightly apart. She laid her hand on my leg, close to my crotch.

"I thought you weren't into girls?" I asked.

"I thought a little curiosity doesn't hurt anyone."

I felt embarrassed. I looked around and saw two sophomores satisfying their curiosity.

"I'm sorry; I have to check on Katie."

Madison looked disappointed.

In the next room, the atmosphere had turned rowdy. Katie was sitting at a table with some others. They were all in various states of undressing. Katie had only lost her dress; two girls I didn't recognize were nude except for their panties.

"What's happening?" I asked my neighbor.

"They're playing Striptionary. Becky and Devon have almost lost --although I don't think they're really trying to win."

After two more rounds, Devon had indeed lost everything, but declared she should have one last chance. "If I lose the next round I'll kiss the pussy of the winner!"

"That ain't possible as long as the winner still has her pants on," Katie said.

"It's a stupid game anyway. I know a better one; a cumming competition between Becks and me. I bet I can make you cum sooner."

There were cheers and yells around the table. Katie and Taylor volunteered; Devon buried her heads in Katie's crotch; Becky immediately followed her example. Katie and Taylor screamed with delight.

I had seen parties going out of hand before, but not so soon, and so massive. It seemed I was the only one who wasn't horny as hell.

***

I didn't see Katie for the rest of the weekend. I almost overslept on Monday. It would be the first day classes resumed after the Dorm Fever vaccination and I had gotten used to sleeping late. I hurriedly took something from the fridge and then ran to the Main Hall.

I waved my Student Card in front of the card reader, but the door didn't open and a red light flashed. I tried again; same result.

"Having a problem?"

It took me some before I recognized who was standing behind me. Lara; we had a class together last year. She used to be a brunette but she had bleached her hair; she wore a pink tank top showing ample cleavage, Daisy Duke Shorts and white knee high boots. I was amazed, not just by the slutty clothes, but also by Lara proudly wearing them.

"I can't get in," I explained.

"Didn't you read the announcement?"

I shook my head: "No."

"Only people who've taken the DF shot may enter public buildings."

I stared at her in amazement: "So I can't attend class?"

Lara shrugged: "I guess so, if you missed the shot."

"This is ridiculous," I said.

"The announcement said that there was another case of DF and that it must be contained at all costs," Lara said. "And if you could go out of the way, please. I had the shot; and I don't want to miss class."

"Will the teacher allow you wearing that outfit?"

Lara looked in surprise: "You really didn't see any announcement, right?"

I shook my head.

"The student body petitioned the President's office if the dress code could be suspended due to the hot weather. President Robinson agreed and suspended the code indefinitely."

I went to the cafeteria for some coffee instead, only to discover that a card reader had been installed at its doors. I was denied access here too. Apparently the new policy wasn't limited to classrooms but included all public buildings.

I decided that I could get coffee in my room, but that I had to go to the library to pick up a book I needed.

I found Jinx at the librarian's desk, arguing. She quit the argument and turned to me, relief in her eyes.

"I'm so glad I am not the only one who refused the shot," Jinx said. "There's only a few of us left, you know. I've been talking to President Robinson. I said the policy was ridiculous, but she's absolutely not willing to make an exception. We are not allowed to attend class in person. If we insist we can attend by webcam. And we may finalize all our coursework from our rooms. I just have to convince Mrs. Wyle to fetch all the materials I need, because the library is off-limits too."

"So is the cafeteria," I said. "We're basically confined to our dorm rooms."

"Damn. We'll have to request that they bring us food. My roommate Tammy is already moving out -- I guess Katie will have to move out too."

"That's ridiculous," I said.

"Yeah, but Mrs Robinson just phoned Tammy and ordered her to move. Tammy complied without any hesitation." Jinx bowed to me and softly whispered in my ear. "I'm now sure it's mind-control."

I almost burst into laughter but Jinx was clearly dead serious.

"Think about it, Steph. About the access control; about an outbreak where no one knows who's actually ill; about 'experimental vaccines'; about our new dressing code; about cameras popping up everywhere."

I thought about Katie's odd behaviour. "I admit something fishy is going on."

"I can see the doubt in your eyes."

I nodded. I realized something seemed very, very wrong.

"Promise me you won't take the shot," she begged.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point," I said.

***

I knocked on the door of Jinx's room. She opened the door. She was clearly neglecting herself; she only wore black track pants and a matching black halter top with the logo of some obscure Goth band.

"Steph! I'm so glad to see you! I haven't seen a living soul in a week!"

"I'm your new roommate," I announced. "The transfer wasn't easy: It took me a week to get approval. But I finally convinced Mrs Robinson when I said it would be easier for Vesta College to take care of us both if we were to share a room."

I entered and Jinx hugged me.

"And I see you've become a Goth girl too," she said.

I smiled. "I decided that if I didn't want to conform, I might as well go all the way."

"Black hair suits you well, Steph."

I put off my leather jacket.

"It took some trouble to convince the hairdresser that she was allowed to dye my hair, with all those rules not allowing me to mingle with the others, but she gave in because I was the last customer of the day."

Jinx sighed: "I should get out again. But, you know, it depresses me. All these intelligent young ladies suddenly turned into bimbos."