2020 all started when some idiot carnival organizer decided to put the devil in the Rio de Janeiro Sambadrome beating up Christ. Like, it wasn't a metaphor, it wasn't conceptual art, it wasn't even an attempt to seem intelligent, it was straight up, a fight on national television, and there were still people clapping, thinking it was profound social commentary. Brazil, man, if you put a goat covered in glitter reciting philosophy, there will still be people saying it's cultural resistance against the oppressive system. And there I was, quietly chilling in America, not even in fucking Brazil watching this on TV with a beer in my hand thinking, "Nah... this ain't gonna end well, bro, this is just asking for trouble on a biblical scale."
Me, sitting on the sofa, feet on the table, 60-inch TV on, loud music, big house, four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms. The middle bathroom is the one that looks like a prison cell; you go in, do your business quickly, and come out reflecting on your choices, like, "How did I end up here?" The air conditioning is freezing like a supermarket freezer, American beer is ice cold, so perfect it seems to apologize for existing. Life is peaceful, that feeling of "the world is a mess, but it's not my problem," because until it hits you, it's just entertainment.
Then the parade goes by: demon, Christ getting beaten up, close-up, slow motion, people cheering, and I just let out a "yeah... we're fucked," but in that light tone of someone who thinks the bomb is still a while away from exploding. I change the channel, take another sip, ignore it because ignoring problems is practically a modern lifestyle; if it paid well, there would already be millionaires living off of it.
But up there someone saw and didn't like it. There was no shouting, no thunder, nothing, just that heavy silence of a decision made, and God says, "Ah, you like to play, so let's play," and that was it, it ended there. But nobody noticed because when something big starts, it starts quietly, it doesn't arrive warning, it creeps in slowly like a debt, and when you realize it, you're already screwed.
I'm still thinking, "Nah bro, I'm good, that ain't my problem," but then some small things start going wrong. First, it's annoying, nothing major: the controller stops working, I press it, nothing, I press it again, nothing. I give it that classic tap because everyone thinks technology works by hitting it, and nothing.
— Oh no, don't start, damn it, this shit is new.
— BRO WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS MAN I just want to change the channel, it's not an impossible request.
— It works, damn it, stop testing me today!
The TV keeps changing channels on its own, switching from one channel to another, then another, then another, like someone channel surfing faster than a normal human, and I'm already half annoyed, half nervously laughing.
— Oh, you're kidding me now, right? This thing's gotten way too smart.
Stop playing games with me, man. Seriously, stop it, I don't have the patience today.
That's not a flaw, that's an attitude.
I throw the remote at the TV.
— FIX YOUR SHIT MAN
The TV goes out
Dry silence
And she comes from the kitchen with that energy that arrives before she even gets there.
— ARE YOU CRAZY? You broke the TV now?
— I didn't break anything, this damn thing is just bugged.
— You always break everything in this house.
ON
First slap, nice and sharp.
— stop shouting inside the house
I'm not yelling, I'm explaining.
— Yes, and I already told you to lower your voice.
ON
Second cover
— Damn it, woman, I just threw the controller.
— He just threw the remote at the TV, do you think that's normal?
— normal, this damn possessed TV isn't normal.
And deep down, the kid
— BABY SHARK DO DO DO DO DO DO I WANT BABY SHARK NOW
— I can't right now, son, the TV's broken.
I WANT IT NOW NOW NOW
And he starts crying in that way that sounds like an ambulance siren, and his head starts throbbing.
Brother, I just wanted to watch the game, that's all, I didn't ask for a miracle.
— You really can't solve anything, it's unbelievable.
— Oh sure, because hitting really solves things, right? It's working like crazy.
ON
Third slap
— respect
— I'm just being respectful—
And the TV turns on by itself.
Black screen, total silence, until the kid freezes.
And the phrase appears.
"Now you're playing games with me."
Nobody says anything, nobody moves or breathes properly because when three people stop at the same time without planning it, it means things have gone wrong on a professional level.
At TV time
Baby Shark
Normal
The kid stops crying instantly, sits on the floor happy as can be, as if nothing had happened.
I look at her, she looks at me.
— You saw that, right?
— we
So it wasn't you.
— HOLY SHIT, OF COURSE IT WASN'T ME
I didn't say it was you.
— but it looked fucking great
A heavy silence, one that lingers in the air, clinging to the air.
I look at the TV again.
Something's wrong.
Very subtle but it's there.
The movement doesn't fit, the audio is kind of off, like a delay, like a bug, like someone's messing with it.
— Honey, shut up for a second.
- how it is
Shut up and look at this.
She looks
Stay for a few seconds
That's not right.
- I know
Baby Shark starts repeating, too perfectly, flawlessly, without any mechanical error.
— baby shark do do do do do do baby shark do do do do do do baby shark do do do—
It locked
But it's not a normal lock.
It's controlled, perfect repetition.
The screen flashed a frame too quickly, but I saw it, she saw it wasn't a drawing.
Normal time
Kid laughing and clapping
And I'm frozen
Because now it's not an impression.
Now it's certain.
This is not normal.
— Don't state the obvious, damn it, I can see it.
I pull the TV cable forcefully from the wall.
That's the end of this bullshit.
The TV is still on.
— Oh, go fuck yourself, it's not possible.
I punch him in the side.
— STOP THIS SHIT
Black screen
The phrase returns
"I said I was going to play"
My wife holds my strong arm.
We're leaving here now.
— Go out where the hell, tell me where.
I don't know, but it's not possible here.
— There's nowhere to go, this isn't the place, this is something else.
And that's when the sky responds.
First, silence.
That silence that makes it seem like the whole world is holding its breath.
And then
BOOOOOOOOOM
A thunderclap that isn't normal thunder isn't sound, it's impact, it's pressure, it's like air being crushed, everything vibrates, windows shake, walls shake, chests shake.
— WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT
That wasn't normal. That wasn't normal.
— Of course that wasn't normal, damn it, do you think that's rain?
Other
Stronger
As if it were right on top of the house.
The light is flashing.
The air becomes heavy.
And you can feel it.
It's not just sound.
It is present
— Dude… that's not a storm.
Shut up, I'm trying to think.
— to think about what there is nothing to think about, that's another matter entirely.
The kid stops laughing.
Look up
Silence
And that's what's most frightening.
Because children don't stop for no reason.
Another thunderclap
Closer
Heavier
As if someone had come down.
We're leaving now.
— it won't
I'm not going to stay here.
You have no choice.
Silence
And then I speak softly.
without anger
without screaming
with nothing
— he replied
And nobody needs to ask who.
Because everyone knows
And outside, the sky opens up.
No rain
No wind
Light only
Too white
Too strong
Wrong
And the whole world seems to hold its breath.
Because the fun has only just begun.
"You played God... now I'm going to play with you properly" because playing half-heartedly is for weaklings. Your thunder roared, I also know how to play myself, and when I play, I don't stop halfway. I hope that tomorrow you wake up either alive or not at all, and there is no third option, no middle ground, no "let's see," that's it, period.
The following morning there was no alarm clock, no coffee, no routine; there was an ambulance siren tearing through the city, gunshots echoing between buildings, an explosion that no one could quite explain, people running without knowing where, and the worst part was the human noise, screams of despair, people calling out the names of people who no longer responded, because when chaos begins, it doesn't ask permission, it enters kicking down the door and takes everything with it.
And so began the zombie apocalypse, but not the cute movie kind with a soundtrack. This is real chaos: blood on the asphalt, people falling and getting up wrong, bodies that shouldn't be moving moving. And the funniest thing is that God was pissed, so it wasn't slow, it wasn't gradual, it was like, "If you want to play, then deal with it." And at the same time, Jesus, who's the guy who still tries to hold back, gave a minimal moral lesson, like, "I'm not going to save everyone, but I'm also not going to let everyone die like animals." That strange balance of mercy and anger.
And in the midst of all this, at Thyatys' house, the guy simply saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing. Internet working smoothly, Warzone running without lag, headset in his ear, canned french fries beside him, energy drink open, refrigerator full, ice water, everything perfect. The world was ending outside and he was just sitting there playing zombie mode, completely unaware that this time it wasn't a game.
— Damn, that was an easy lobby, man. These zombies are coming, they're too dumb today, it's way too easy.
— Bro, this is too easy, I'm farming kills like crazy, nobody can stop me.
Wait, wait, wait, another one spawned here. Take this, take this, take this, headshot, you son of a bitch.
Explosion in the game, shots fired everywhere, he focused, finger quick, head down, completely inside the screen, while outside the real world had already become the same scenario, only without respawn, without HUD, without scoreboard.
Siren passing by on the street.
He doesn't listen.
Screaming in the building next door
He doesn't listen.
Gunshot echoing
He doesn't listen.
The guy is so engrossed that a meteor could fall on the room and all he'd say is "I'm done".
— Dude, this map is bugged! Look at this zombie going through walls! What the hell is this?
— nah nah nah that ain't fair bro this is rigged
Someone is knocking on the gate outside.
Strong
Desperate
OPEN IT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD OPEN IT
He doesn't listen.
Headphones isolate everything; the game sound is louder than reality because when you shut yourself off in your own world, everything else ceases to exist.
— Damn, what a scare! They spawned behind me, go fuck yourself!
Relax, relax, I'll take you all easily.
The guy outside keeps banging.
Weaker now
Swipe
To
Silence
And the world continues out there.
Catching fire
Turning into chaos
Meanwhile, inside the house everything continues as normal.
What's most bizarre isn't the apocalypse, it's not zombies, it's not God being angry; what's most bizarre is the contrast: a place functioning perfectly while everything around it collapses.
Damn, I'm thirsty!
He pauses the game, gets up, goes to the kitchen, opens the refrigerator which is overflowing with ice water, beer, soda, and food for days and days. He grabs a bottle and takes a long gulp.
— fucking good life
Go back to the couch, sit down, turn the game back on.
Let's go, things are about to get serious.
And at the exact moment he says that, a zombie in the game appears on the screen, running faster and more aggressively, unlike the others.
— Whoa, this one's different.
And out there
In the street
A body rises
Same standard
Same movement
The same human error of thinking that those things are still people.
But it's not.
And nobody taught anyone how to deal with it.
— Damn, this guy's tanking way too much, what the hell is this?
— die, you wretch, die
Ele ri
Have fun!
Because it's still just a game for him.
And then the power flickers.
Once
He stops
— oh, it started
Blink again
Time
— no, it won't fall, no, it won't fall now.
Back to normal
- good
Keep playing
How do I know anything?
Because for him, nothing has happened yet.
But the city is already different now.
Car crashed on the corner, people running, people falling, people getting up wrong, people biting, people trying to understand and understanding nothing because there's no manual for this, no tutorial, no loading screen explaining the rules.
— Dude, this zombie mode is harder today, it's weird.
— This shit almost seems real.
Ele ri
Without knowing how necessary that was.
Another shot in the game
Another shot in the street
Two worlds happening in parallel.
He dominates one
The other one doesn't even know it exists.
— Let's go, let's go, let's all come, let's all come
And the zombies in the game surround him.
They press
He responds quickly.
You guys can't catch me!
And outside someone is shouting
— CORRE
But he doesn't listen.
Because his world at that moment fits on a 60-inch screen with headphones isolating everything else.
— easy easy easy just stay calm
And the chaos grows.
Without him realizing it
Without him participating
Yet
Because everyone participates at some point.
No one is left out.
And when reality hits him, there will be no pause, no respawn, no killstreak, no scoreboard.
It will only be him.
And what was left?
And the worst part is that he wasn't even warned.
Not even thunder
No water
Nothing at all
He just… ignored it.
And now the world has decided not to ignore it back.
— Damn, I almost died just now, fuck!
— almost didn't die, let's go again
And he continues
Playing
As the world ends
And that's what makes everything so much harder.
Because it's not just the end.
It's the end happening while someone still thinks everything is normal.
And when he realizes
It will be too late soon.
But for now
It's all good.
Are you comfortable?
It's safe.
And that's exactly how everyone starts.
Without knowing it's already over.