The strategic geography of the apocalypse was a chaotic tapestry. At the exact moment the world changed, nearly half of the international student body was scattered across the region for sightseeing.
Thousands had been visiting nearby states like New Jersey, Washington D.C., and Massachusetts, exploring the coastline before the sky fell.
When the first quest hit, there were only about ten thousand students actually on the college campus. It was remarkable, almost miraculous, that over eight thousand of them had survived the initial ordeal.
These were the bright minds of the world—future engineers, scientists, and leaders—but they were fractured.
They came from dozens of different countries, speaking different languages and carrying different cultural biases. Despite the massive numerical advantage they held, they lacked a unified leadership. They were a powerhouse without a steering wheel.
