With the crash still echoing in their minds, Paulo and Patrícia knew they couldn't afford to stand still. Whatever had caused that noise, they didn't want to find out the hard way. In silence, they made their way to the part of the gym where the protein bars and water bottles were sold. They grabbed as much as they could carry, stuffing their backpacks with essential supplies to, hopefully, survive for a few more days.

They moved in sync, as if the tension of the moment had connected them almost telepathically. A single glance between them was enough to silently agree to keep moving and stay on their toes.

With their supplies packed, Paulo pulled his machete from his backpack. Feeling the weight of the blade in his hands gave him a false sense of security. Meanwhile, Patrícia tightened her grip on the knife she carried, watching every shadow with a suspicious glare. The streets were covered in a dark fog mixed with dust kicked up by the wind, turning the city into a nightmare scene. The sun, though it was still early afternoon, barely managed to pierce through the black shroud covering the sky, making it as dark as a closed-off midnight.

They stepped out of the gym and looked straight at the construction site across the street. The safety nets were about to come loose, swaying with the wind and threatening to fall at any moment. In normal times, that would’ve been a disaster. Paulo remembered walking by there on his way to the gym, always mentally complaining about the urban chaos of the city, with buildings going up on every corner. If one of those nets fell on a car, it would make the news: "Fatal accident caused by construction negligence." Now? Who cared? There were no more cars being driven, no journalists to report the mess. The only outcome would be a hell of a scare for anyone nearby.

And that’s exactly what happened. The wind knocked one of the nets down with a dull thud, making Paulo and Patrícia instinctively duck. The two froze for a second, hearts racing so fast they could hear their own pulse.

"Shit!" Paulo whispered, trying to catch his breath. "You think any of those things heard that?"

"Yeah, and I’m not sticking around to find out," Patrícia replied with a nervous grin. "Let’s get the hell out of here before something else decides to fall on our heads."

Wasting no more time, they headed towards one of the city's main avenues. Paulo hadn’t been down that way since the fateful night.

As they walked, he felt the weight of the silence and the lack of life around them. Normally, that avenue would be packed with cars, buses, and hurried people, each immersed in their own stressful routines. Now, it was a desolate field, littered with abandoned vehicles and silent buildings, as if the entire city had been put on pause.

"This whole mess happened so damn fast, didn’t it?" Paulo muttered, more to himself than to Patrícia.

"Tell me about it. A week ago, I was stressed about work. Now, look at us, surviving the damn apocalypse. And the worst part is, with all this fog, we can't even tell what time it is. Feels like time stopped."

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Patrícia, who had taken the lead, signaled for Paulo to stop. She pointed ahead, towards one of the city’s hills, clearly set on heading in that direction. Paulo, however, hesitated. The nearest church was in the opposite direction, down by the beach. He looked at Patrícia, confused.

"Where are you going?" Paulo whispered, trying not to draw attention. "The closest church is that way, towards the beach."

"I heard the bells, Paulo, but they weren't from the church around here." Patrícia stopped and looked around, as if trying to orient herself by an imaginary sound. "It was far, dude. There are two or three churches further up, closer to my building. The bells I heard came from over there, not this one nearby."

Paulo frowned, considering Patrícia’s words. It made sense. The church near his house hadn’t rung its bells that morning, or at any point so far. He still remembered the eerie calm of the morning when he noticed that the bells, which normally marked the exact time, had gone completely silent.

"Okay, makes sense. But, Patrícia, we’re not gonna have time to check all of them before it gets dark for real. It might feel like midnight with all this fog, but it’s still early afternoon. When night falls, we’re screwed!" He glanced at the sky, where the sun was completely shrouded by the dark mist. "If it keeps up like this, we won’t see shit in front of us. And with those things out there... well, you know."

"Yeah, you’re right." Patrícia bit her lip, thinking. "So, let’s hit the closest one. If it doesn’t work out, we find a place to hole up and continue tomorrow. I am not spending another night in that damn water tank. Hell no! I’d rather face those creatures than freeze my ass off again."

Paulo nodded. At least they agreed on one thing: surviving until tomorrow. The plan seemed simple: head to the nearest church, check for survivors, then find somewhere safe to spend the night.

As they walked, Paulo couldn’t help but notice something disturbing. Besides the lack of people, there was an alarming absence of any sign of animal life.

"Hey, Patrícia, did you notice there aren’t any animals around here? Like, no stray dogs or cats on the streets. Nothing. I only heard a few birds now and then, but other than that... total silence."

"Now that you mention it, yeah, that’s weird. I didn’t see anything either. Besides a few people running when I left my building, the rest of the way was deserted. You think those things killed even the animals?" Patrícia seemed intrigued.

"If that were the case, we’d see their bodies scattered around, just like we’re seeing the people’s." Paulo barely finished the sentence before realizing how grim that sounded. "Holy shit..." he muttered, staring at the scene in front of him.

They were passing by another one of the city’s many abandoned buildings, and at the entrance were pools of blood and mangled bodies. Paulo felt a chill run down his spine. As much as Patrícia’s presence made the situation a bit more bearable, the truth was, the terror of being attacked at any moment was ever-present.

The silence grew more suffocating as they moved forward. The flames in the burning buildings were the only sound accompanying them. The fires consumed the buildings uncontrollably, as if the city itself was being swallowed by its imminent end. In any other time, the sirens of fire trucks would be echoing through the streets, but now, nothing. Paulo looked at the flames and felt a mix of sadness and despair.

"If this fire keeps going, the city’s done for," he murmured. "Nothing’s gonna be left."

"Well, at least we won’t have to worry about paying property taxes anymore, right?" Patrícia replied with a sarcastic smile, trying to lighten the mood.

The flames, in a way, also helped light the path. Paulo mentally cursed himself for not thinking of grabbing a candle or flashlight at the gym. Now, they would have to rely on the fire and the faint glow from the burning buildings to keep moving.

The journey to the first church would be long, and the night, by all indications, was far from being peaceful.