Despite feeling exposed, walking almost in pitch-black darkness during what should have been daylight, Paulo decided to continue his journey to the university. Each step he took seemed to reinforce the oddity of the new world he had woken up in. The streets were deserted, save for a few cars stopped in unusual positions, as if they had been abruptly abandoned. Others had visibly collided, with shattered headlights and dented bodywork. It was as if, at some point during the night, chaos had taken over and frozen everything in place.
As he walked, something even more disturbing caught his attention: there wasn’t a single car running. It wasn’t just the absence of traffic but a complete mechanical silence. No engine noise, no honking—nothing. Just the occasional sound of distant footsteps and the wind cutting through the darkness. That bizarre scene reminded him of old movies and series he used to watch on his phone and TV as a child—times when technology was still a normal part of daily life and hadn't vanished, as it seemed to have done now.
Very few people wandered the streets, and those who did looked like specters, carrying oil or candle lanterns, as if they had regressed to the medieval age. Paulo observed everything around him with a mix of disbelief and growing concern but resolved to continue toward the university. On his way, he thought about stopping by his friend’s apartment—the one who should have celebrated his birthday the previous night and, strangely enough, hadn’t shown up for the party.
However, he decided he needed to go to the university first. Given the entire situation, it was crucial to understand how the day would unfold before doing anything else.
After a little more than 10 minutes of walking, he finally reached the university. But to his surprise—or maybe not, considering the sequence of events in the last few hours—the institution was completely closed and dark. The campus, which was usually busy even in the early hours of the morning, was now engulfed in total darkness.
The gates were locked, and the emergency lights, which should have been on during a power outage, were dead. Even the generators, which the university prided itself on, weren’t working. “How is it possible that even the emergency lights aren’t on?” he thought, remembering that even in his building, the auxiliary lighting had been useless.
He then decided to head to the security booth to talk to the guard on duty and see if anyone from the Council had arrived, or if at least the dean was available for the meeting. Upon reaching the booth, he was greeted by Alessandro, the security guard who had been on duty since early that morning.
"Anything new around here? Has the dean arrived?" Paulo asked, trying to keep a casual tone.
Alessandro shook his head, looking tired. "You're not the only one who's come by, but I’ll tell you straight—she stopped by and left. Said she had a meeting downtown because of all this chaos. Other than that, no one from the Council has shown up, and by the looks of it, they won’t be showing up today."
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The guard gave Paulo a serious look, as if expecting him to understand the gravity of the situation. "I have no idea how she plans on getting downtown, considering no cars are working. She must have some crazy plan—who knows, maybe she’ll use a bike. But between you and me, I’d give anything to see her on a bike, in that tight dress and high heels! Can you imagine the scene?"
The mental image of the dean, formally dressed, trying to pedal a bike through the pothole-ridden streets of the city center was enough to send Paulo into a fit of laughter. His laughter echoed through the deserted campus, bouncing off the empty corridors of the university and the silent streets around them. Alessandro, realizing his own joke, let out a restrained chuckle, but both quickly fell silent, suddenly aware of the oppressive quiet that dominated the area.
The emptiness and absence of natural sound were unnerving. Paulo’s laughter seemed to have been swallowed by the space, as if it echoed in a lifeless void. He looked around, feeling increasingly uneasy, while the guard shifted restlessly in his booth. Something was very wrong, and Paulo knew that the events of that morning were not merely a string of unfortunate coincidences. The darkness, the dead cars, the lack of electricity—it all pointed to a much larger disaster.
“As if last night’s madness wasn’t enough, now even the electronics are out, and the whole city seems dead,” Paulo muttered to himself, trying to organize his thoughts. “How is this possible? No radios, no buses, nothing… Everything’s stopped.”
Alessandro nodded, confirming what they both already knew. “Yeah, it’s all down. Cars, buses, cell phones… all dead. I even tried turning on the radio this morning, but nothing. The city’s a complete mess, and honestly, I’m starting to regret coming to work today.”
While they pondered the situation, they both heard, in the distance, the sound of bells. The bells of a nearby church chimed through the thick air, marking 11 o’clock in the morning. Paulo frowned, confused. “How is nothing working, but the bells are still ringing?”
Alessandro, distracted, replied almost automatically. “A lot of the church bells in the city are mechanical. They don’t rely on electricity to work, like old wind-up clocks. My grandfather had one of those, and it still works to this day.” With a smile, Alessandro pulled an old pocket watch, practically an antique, from his pocket, showing it to Paulo. “See? Still ticking. I just have to remember to wind it every once in a while, but it never fails. It’s been in the family for over 50 years.”
Paulo stared at the watch for a moment, feeling a strange sense of disconnect. That small, old object seemed like an anomaly amid the technological collapse surrounding him.
Tired of waiting and realizing that his trip to the university had been pointless, Paulo said goodbye to Alessandro. “I think I’ll swing by my friend’s apartment, see if he’s there. Maybe he has some news about what’s going on.”
Alessandro simply nodded, wishing him good luck as Paulo began his walk back through the gloomy streets.
When he arrived at his friend’s building, Paulo realized a major flaw in his plan. Without a cell phone to call and without remembering the exact apartment number, he had no way to contact his friend. To make matters worse, the intercoms weren’t working either. The idea of knocking on every door until he found the right one was ridiculous, given the number of floors.
He sighed, frustrated, and looked up at the still-dark sky. “Of course, just to top off my day,” he muttered sarcastically. “At least my breakfast was worth it.”