Irvin stirred from his slumber, his eyes snapping open to the light filtering through the curtains of his university dorm room. He lay still for a moment, his mind slowly picking speed realizing no buzzer woke him up and the sun was already up.

In summer, that meant he was late.

The familiar electronic hum of his computer was absent despite leaving it on, before rolling into bed the day before. He sat up, his skinny frame reflecting in small mirror on his table. Irvin's sharp, observant eyes scanned the room.

His gaze stopping at his phone, resting silently on the nightstand.

He reached for it, pressing the power button, but the screen remained dark. Furrowing his brow, he tried again, but to no avail. The device was dead, despite being plugged in overnight.

Irvin swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his feet touching the cool floor. He stood, stretching his arms, his muscles protesting beneath his t-shirt.

Walking to the window, he peered outside. The dormitory grounds were still, devoid of the usual early morning activity. The eerie calm sent a shiver down his spine, but he quickly dismissed it.

He moved to his desk, attempting to turn on laptop, but it too remained unresponsive. Irvin's mind raced, annoyed at the situation.

Power outage, do we get to skip classes today? Irvin contemplated as he quickly dressed, his movements efficient and purposeful.

He grabbed his keys and headed for the door, intent on finding out what was happening. As he stepped into the cold hallway, the absence of any students made him shiver.

How long did I overslept?

Irvin rushes down the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the unusually quiet stairwell. As he reached the common area, he found a group of students gathered around the front desk, their voices rising in confusion and frustration.

"What's going on?" a girl asked, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. "My phone won't turn on, and the lights are out."

"Same here," a boy chimed in, his laptop open but lifeless. "It's like everything electronic just died."

Irvin approached the group, taking in the scene. He noticed the dark screens of monitoring televisions behind the administration counter and the unresponsive vending machines.

It's not just personal devices, he thought, his mind working to piece together the puzzle. It's everything.

He turned to the front desk, where the resident assistant was talking with the security. "Do you know how long has the electricity been down?" Irvin asked, his voice calm and even.

The RA glanced at him, her face etched with worry. "We are not sure ourselves. Dormitory is without power at least since midnight."

Irvin nodded, internally going over the possibilities. A power outage wouldn't affect battery-powered devices, he mused. Could it be an EMP? A cyber-attack? He almost chuckled at the absurdity of his own thoughts.

Or maybe it's the finally apocalypse, he joked internally.

As the hours ticked by, the annoyance in the room grew into a panic. Some students paced back and forth, others made groups around the common area, their voices rising in pitch as they speculated about the cause of the outage. Some suggested a terrorist attack, while others wondered if it was a government experiment gone wrong.

Irvin remained calm, his mind already shifting to the practical implications of the situation. If this is widespread, we'll need to stock up on food, he thought. Food, water, some defense, weapons? He wasn't sure why his mind jumped to such extreme scenarios, but he couldn't shake the feeling of unreasonable excitement at the situation.

He watched as a few students decided to try to go outside again, eager to see if the problem extended beyond the dormitory. Irvin wondered how many times they tried so far, arguing with the security and being denied to leave the building.

The security guy stepped forward, his face stern as he addressed the gathered students. "Listen. We've been told to keep the dormitory closed until we receive further information. No one is allowed to leave the building until we get the permission."

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He crossed his arms over his chest mimicking his colleague. "Our jobs are on the line here kids, don't force us into something uncomfortable".

Irvin's eyes narrowed as he watched the guard's body language, noting the tension in his shoulders and the firm set of his jaw. He's not telling us everything, Irvin thought, his mind racing, grasping on possibilities. Something is happening.

As the students around him erupted into a cacophony of protests and questions, Irvin quietly slipped away from the group. He made his way back to his room.

The front doors are locked with only the dormitory staff allowed to leave. I need to find another way out, he mused, his eyes scanning the hallway for potential exits.

Once inside his room, Irvin began to methodically gather supplies. He emptied his backpack of textbooks and filled it with bottled water, couple chocolate bars, and a few bags of noodle soup from his cupboard.

Idiot, I should have went shopping yesterday.

As he worked, his gaze fell on his roommate's side of the room, taking in the table covered with canned tuna, bottles of beer and brand-new sneakers.

I could take few those, he thought, his fingers twitching with the urge to grab the items. He wouldn't know, wouldn't care.

Irvin took two more bottles of water before restraining himself from pillaging the whole table, focusing instead on his own side of the room. I need to be smart about this, he reminded himself. If this is a real crisis, it could be days before things return to normal and people have been without running water for the whole day already.

As he finished packing, Irvin heard a commotion in the hallway. He peeked out his door to see a group of students arguing with each other, their voices raised in panic and frustration. Irvin watched them for a moment, his face impassive.

Shouldering his backpack and slipped out of his room, Irvin moved quietly through the dorm. He avoided the common areas, where students were gathered in groups, their faces etched with worry and confusion. Instead, he made his way to the service stairwell, his mind already mapping out potential escape routes.

As he climbed the stairs, Irvin's thoughts turned to the days ahead. If this is a widespread blackout, the city will be in chaos, he realized, his heart racing with a strange mix of fear and trepidation.

Irvin moved through the dimly lit hallway, his backpack heavy on his shoulders. As he approached the service stairwell, he heard a commotion coming from the floor below. Voices, raised in panic and confusion, echoed up the stairwell.

What now? His brow furrowing. He descended the stairs, footsteps light on the concrete stairs. As he reached the landing, he saw a group of students gathered around a staff member, who was trying to calm them down.

"Please, everyone, listen up," the staff member said, his voice strained. "We've just received word that the entire campus is on lockdown. No one is allowed to leave the dormitory until further notice."

Irvin's heart skipped a beat. The whole campus? he thought, his mind racing. So its really happening everywhere?

He watched as the students around him erupted into a frenzy of questions and protests. Some demanded to know the reason for the lockdown, while others insisted on leaving the building. The staff member tried to answer their questions, but his words were drowned out by the rising tide of voices.

Irvin went back up avoiding the group. I need to get out of here, he thought, his jaw clenched with determination. I can't just sit around and wait for things to get worse.

As he made his way back up the stairs, Irvin come across another group of students. They were huddled together, their faces etched with worry and fear. Irvin recognized a couple of them from his floor, but he didn't know their names.

One of the students, a tall guy with a mop of curly hair, noticed Irvin and raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, you're from the third floor, right?" he asked, his words slightly slurred. "We're trying to figure out how to get out of this place. Want to join us?"

Irvin's eyes passed over the group, noting the bottles of something they passed around. They're not taking this seriously, he thought, his lips pressing into a thin line.

Then again, would anyone take this as anything else then just power outage?

"Thanks, but I've got someone to check on," Irvin replied, his voice collected. He moved his backpack around his shoulders and moved past the group, ignoring their calls for him to stay.

As he climbed the stairs to the top floor, Irvin's heart pounded faster and faster with excitement at the situation. I need to find a way out that doesn't involve the main entrance, he thought.

Next to the elevator on the top floor he looked at glass door leading to a small balcony. Irvin approached it, testing the handle. It was locked.

I could break it, he though, his heart pounding.

With some hesitation, Irvin slipped off his backpack and wrapped his hand in a spare t-shirt. He took a deep breath, then slammed his fist against the glass. It didn't do anything and Irvin howled with pain going through his hand. "Fuck, fuck, stupid idiot". Cursing Irvin nursed his hand looking at the window.

Irvin leaned against the wall, his hand throbbing from the failed attempt to break the glass.

This is ridiculous, he thought, shaking his head. What am I even doing? How would I climb down the whole building?

Sighing He glanced around, his eyes landing on a fire extinguisher next to the emergency exit on the other side of the hallway. A spark ignited in his eyes. That could work.

Irvin moved towards the emergency exit, doors of other students lining the sides of the hallway eerily quiet. Grabbing the extinguisher, testing its weight in his hands. His heart pounding in his chest. This is crazy, he thought, even as he raised the extinguisher.

He hesitated for a moment before slamming it against the glass.

The door shattered, sending shards flying. Irvin stepped back, his breath coming in short gasps. He looked at the opening, the absurdity of his actions sinking in. It's been less than a day, and here I am, breaking windows.

Irvin stepped through the broken door, the cool air hitting his face. He looked out at the campus, his eyes scanning the buildings and grounds, but he couldn't see much in the late afternoon fog. The sky was covered in dark clouds ready for a rain.