Midnight. Most of the house lights are out. Vehicles and people are nowhere to be seen. The roads are bathed in an orange glow from the streetlights, and a gentle breeze flows through the quiet streets without disturbance.
TAP. TAP.
Arun's feet feel heavy, weighed down by pure exhaustion.
"The park nearby must be open," he thinks. "I should get some rest there before heading to my next job."
YAWN.
His eyelids feel like lead. Sleep is no longer a choice; it is a demand. Even standing upright is becoming a struggle.
Suddenly, the sky begins to roar. A strange, piercing light floods the city.
This isn't the soft glow of the sun or the moon; it's a blinding, sparkling flash that sears Arun's vision. Within a minute, his body stops responding, slipping into a forced "rest mode."
When he finally regains consciousness, the world is a disaster.
The entire city has fallen into ruin. Massive tree roots have buckled the pavement, and giant grass and thick bushes have swallowed the streets. The debris of fallen skyscrapers is scattered everywhere, and the remaining buildings are choked by moss and heavy vines…
He moved through the debrises of building, his boots trampled the grass and dried moss. He searched for a indication of life in ruined buildings — any explanation for how can change this much in just hours.
His mind raced through every possible casualty: a biological weapon? A natural disaster? What could it be.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
In piercing silent a mechanical and rhythmic sound echoed throughout that overgrown jungle.
Arun's vision fell on a decayed wooden drawer in a corner of the room. He opened it. There, lying amidst the dust and shattered ceramic, was a mobile iPhone. Its screen was crack, yet it pulsed with an unnatural, neon-violet light.
The screen displayed a reverse counting.
00:29:58
"What is the meaning of this? I don't know but i think i should be ready for the outcome."
He picked an axe and a few kitchen knives with him and moved toward the city centre hospital.
The city centre hospital in front of him was half collapsed; the remaining part was covered in moss and vines of trees. The mixed smell of earth and medicines hit him.
As Arun moved through the plaza, two chilling facts became clear: the city was a tomb, and every electronic screen—no matter how small—was flickering with the exact same countdown.
The hospital lobby confirmed his fears. He was in a parallel dimension. The architecture was foreign, the written script was unrecognizable, and the technology was far more advanced than anything in his world. Yet, despite the sophistication, everything was coated in a layer of ancient rust.
Arun hurried into the lab to scavenge for supplies. He knew the danger was no longer "upcoming"—it was here.
00:00:00
He looked down at his watch just as the digits hit zero. His knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip on the axe. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird.
What's next? The question echoed in the silence of the lab.