Sameer adjusted the strap of his worn-out backpack, the leather creaking softly as he walked. His footsteps echoed faintly against the skeletal outlines of Alpha City's towering buildings. The morning sun cast long, lean shadows that stretched across the cracked pavements, emphasizing the absence of life in every corner. The city, once a vibrant mosaic of color, movement, and sound, now resembled a stage abandoned after a chaotic play—the props still in place, the actors vanished.
"This… doesn't make sense," he muttered under his breath, the words swallowed almost immediately by the emptiness around him.
He remembered how, in times past, the city's mornings had been a symphony of noise. Horns honked, bicycles rattled, street vendors shouted over each other, and the scent of fresh bread mingled with gasoline. Today, he found himself missing it—the chaos, the mess, the life itself.
His hand went instinctively to his phone. The screen lit up with a soft, familiar glow, the lock screen showing:
07:49 AM – 1st Day of the Light Phase, Saque Month
The date and time were ordinary. The phone's signal bar flickered proudly—four full bars. Everything appeared normal. Except… nothing was normal.
He tried calling his mother.
Ring… ring…
The call never connected.
Frowning, he dialed his best friend's number. Same result.
"…Great. Just great," Sameer muttered, teeth gritted. A tight knot formed in his stomach.
He glanced around, eyes sweeping every alley, every storefront, every glimmering glass pane. The streets were unnervingly pristine, untouched. Even the trash bins sat silently, unscavenged. Not a single stray cat prowled the corners, no paper fluttered across the pavement. The city felt like it had been paused mid-breath.
A heavy silence settled over him like a weight pressing on his chest. He drew in a shaky breath, tasting the faint tang of dust and asphalt in the air.
As he passed through a small park, he paused. The swings swayed gently, almost hypnotically, though there was no wind. The grass, damp with morning dew, glittered unnaturally in the sun. Sameer's heart skipped a beat.
"…Maybe… everyone's still asleep?" he whispered, but even as the words left his lips, he knew it wasn't true.
He increased his pace, his sneakers hitting the pavement in a rhythm that sounded almost like a heartbeat—his heartbeat—echoing off the abandoned buildings.
Finally, the tall, ivy-covered gates of Alpha City University came into view. Relief rushed through him. If anyone is anywhere, it has to be here. Students, professors, security guards… someone.
Yet, as he stepped onto the university grounds, dread replaced relief. The courtyard, normally a torrent of hurried footsteps and animated conversations, was eerily deserted. Benches lay empty, vending machines hummed faintly, and the colossal clock tower loomed silently overhead, ticking each second with a cruel, mocking precision.
Sameer's throat felt dry, his hands slightly trembling.
"…Am I… the only one left?"
The thought was absurd, impossible. But with each passing second, the idea began to feel dangerously plausible.
Then, from one of the university corridors, faintly, almost tentatively—
Clang!
Sameer froze, every muscle tensing. His ears strained. It wasn't his imagination. Something—someone—had moved.
A flicker of fear ran through him, colder and sharper than the morning air. He'd spent countless hours in this university, navigating its maze-like hallways, arguing with professors, laughing with friends, chasing dreams that suddenly felt meaningless. Now, those familiar corridors felt alien, almost threatening.
For the first time that morning, he hesitated. Did he want to find another person… or was he afraid of what he might actually encounter?