The university hallway, once a scene of laughter and carefree conversation, now seemed like a stage for a quiet, urgent drama. The air conditioning hummed, but the silence between Thiago and his three friends was heavy, charged with disbelief and the gravity of the words he had just uttered. Lucas, the jokester, was pale-faced, his eyes wide, his usual humor completely absent. Gabriel, the studious one, clenched his fists, his mind, accustomed to equations and logical theories, struggling to assimilate the idea of a zombie apocalypse. Sofia, the pragmatist, though visibly shocked, maintained a more controlled posture, her eyes fixed on Thiago, searching for any hint of madness or truth.
"Thiago," Lucas finally managed, his voice a hoarse whisper, "you... you're serious about this? About... the end of the world? Zombies? Mortgaging the house?" The last part came out almost as a squeak, financial reality colliding with apocalyptic delirium.
