Chapter 1
8:17 AM
Adrian Vale woke up to the sound of his alarm screaming beside his bed.
He groaned and reached out blindly until his hand finally smacked the phone.
Silence.
For a few seconds he stayed there staring at the ceiling, trying to convince himself he didn't actually have to get up.
It didn't work.
School started in forty minutes.
"Fantastic," he muttered.
Adrian dragged himself out of bed and pulled on the first hoodie he could find. Outside the window, the city was already awake. Cars moved along the street below, people walking quickly to work, the usual morning chaos.
Just another normal Monday.
He grabbed a piece of toast from the kitchen and headed out the door.
The streets were crowded as usual.
Adrian shoved his hands into his pockets and joined the flow of people moving toward the subway station.
Someone bumped into his shoulder.
"Watch it," the man muttered before disappearing into the crowd.
Adrian rolled his eyes.
The digital clock above the station entrance flashed the time.
8:16 AM
He sighed.
If he ran, he might still make it before the first bell.
Adrian started down the stairs into the station.
And then—
everything stopped.
At first he didn't notice it.
He took two more steps before realizing something felt wrong.
There were no footsteps.
No voices.
No train sounds.
Just silence.
Adrian slowly turned around.
The entire platform was frozen.
A woman stood halfway through taking a step, her foot still hovering above the ground. A man beside her held a phone to his ear, his mouth open mid-sentence.
Nobody moved.
Nobody blinked.
Adrian frowned.
"Hello?"
His voice echoed across the empty station.
No one answered.
He walked up to the man with the phone and waved a hand in front of his face.
Nothing.
The man didn't react.
Adrian carefully pushed the phone.
It didn't fall.
It stayed exactly where it was, suspended in the air.
A cold feeling crept down his spine.
"What the…?"
He ran up the stairs and burst out onto the street.
The sight outside made him stop immediately.
Cars were frozen in the middle of the road.
A taxi hung halfway through turning a corner.
Across the street, a cyclist remained perfectly still, his wheels locked in place above the pavement.
Even the birds in the sky weren't moving.
One of them hung above the road like it had been glued there.
Adrian looked up at the sun.
It hadn't moved either.
The entire world looked like someone had pressed pause.
For a moment he just stood there, trying to process what he was seeing.
Then he laughed.
A quiet laugh at first.
Then louder.
"Are you serious?"
He stepped into the middle of the street, looking around the silent city.
No cars honked.
No one shouted.
No one told him to move.
It was just him.
Adrian spread his arms.
"So… the whole world stops…"
He grinned.
"And I'm the only one still moving?"
He walked up to a frozen car and knocked on the window.
The driver inside didn't even blink.
Adrian leaned back and laughed again.
"Well," he said to the empty street.
"I guess I'm not going to school today."
For the next hour he wandered around the city.
At first it felt unreal.
He walked through open stores, climbed onto rooftops, even sat in the middle of the highway.
No one stopped him.
No one even noticed.
It was like the entire world belonged to him.
Eventually Adrian found himself standing in the center of a large intersection.
He looked up at the sky again.
Still the same position.
Still the same light.
The time on a nearby billboard clock read:
8:17 AM
It hadn't changed once.
Adrian frowned.
"Okay… that's a little weird."
He turned to leave.
And that's when he saw it.
At the far end of the street, near an alley between two buildings…
someone moved.
Adrian froze.
A figure stepped slowly out of the shadows.
Tall.
Wearing a long dark coat.
Walking calmly through the motionless city.
Straight toward him.
Adrian's heart started beating faster.
Because there was only one thing worse than being alone in a frozen world.
Not being alone anymore.
The stranger stopped a few meters away.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then the figure tilted their head slightly.
And said one quiet sentence.
"You shouldn't be awake."
Adrian stared at them.
"…What?"
The stranger looked up at the sky.
Then back at him.
Their voice sounded almost amused.
"Interesting.
"Looks like time made a mistake."