The city vanished into a depthless black, so complete that Lucas Kane finally grasped what pitch‑dark really meant.
In the old world, even if a residential block went dark, streetlamps would still wash the pavement and bounce a soft glow into the sky. It tricked you into believing night was never truly night. You could still make out a path in an unlit alley.
Now every light was dead. Lucas lifted a hand—barely half a meter from his face—and saw nothing.
The electric curtains were inert. The refrigerator had fallen silent. With the pumps offline, not a drop came from the taps.
Outside, the undead howled and rasped through the dark—harsher, nearer, more jagged without the cushion of city noise.
Lucas pulled a high‑powered flashlight from his storage, stood it on the table, and bounced the beam off the ceiling. The room bloomed into an even, soft brightness. Childhood trick: direct light was a spear; reflected light was a blanket.
Good thing he'd seared the frozen beef earlier. No stove, no problem—he ate a hot meal straight from storage.
When the plate was clean, he opened the district chat. Panic made people talk; the channel spun faster than ever.
[District Survivor Chat]
User1: Power's out where I am! You guys too?User2: We're in the same district. If you're dark, we're all dark.User3: On my roof—city's black to the horizon. Not a single light.User4: I'm on the 45th floor. Spent two days clearing hallway zombies to use the elevator again… now it's useless.User5: I'm trapped in a mall. No windows, only interior lights—so it's pitch black even by day.User6: Just traded for two cups of instant noodles… was about to have a hot meal. Guess I'm eating them dry.User7: Lucky you have food. I've been starving two days in a bookstore. Used to read to distract myself—now I can't see a thing. I can hear my stomach, though.User8: Too dark. I'm terrified. Can we talk all night? I don't dare sleep.User9: If zombies rush me now, I won't even see them. Maybe I'll be less scared when I die.User10: Don't say that! My door's locked—zombies can't get in… right?User11: Clara Wynn, where are you? DM me if you see this!Ethan Cole: Survivors, join our camp at the Survivor Camp Stadium. We have emergency lighting, armed patrols, food and water.
Emergency lighting. Right—the diesel generators. Lucas still had one, plus drums of diesel and gasoline, all traded earlier from Ethan Cole. In a blackout, a generator's value sat just below food and water—and Ethan had handed over two. He'd be regretting that now.
Demand for light tonight would be brutal. So would the prices. The trade was already paying off.
Lucas processed the orders Jessica Moore had queued during the day. Every buyer delivered exactly what she'd listed—no shorting, no missing items.
System: You received Energy Crystals ×10, Frostbloom ×5, Instant Noodle Bucket ×5, Bloodstained Keys ×10, Carbonated Drink Mix ×5, Skill Book: Basic Mechanical Repair, Skill Book: Advanced Electrical Work, Basic Physique Potion ×1, Steel ×100.
He used the skill books immediately. Mechanics slotted together in his head; high and low voltage schematics unfolded like maps. The world looked sharper.
Flashlight in hand, he went to the Basement, wired the full diesel generator into the Building 8 feed, and thumbed the starter.
The engine caught with a rising growl. Stairwell lights flickered, then steadied into clean brightness.
Done.
Building 8 stood blazing in the night like a lighthouse.
[District Survivor Chat]
User12: Guys—seriously—guess what I just saw!User13: How? It's pitch dark.User12: Someone's got lights on. Like, full lighting.User14: Whole city's out. How do they have electricity?User15: I see it too, but it's so dark I can't tell where. Whoever lives there is royalty.User16: Can you at least tell the direction?User15: Everything's black. No landmarks—just a glow.User17: When the grid worked, we hid in the dark to avoid zombies. Now I'd light every bulb… if I had power.User18: Used binoculars—there's a table with an empty plate. Looked like meat. Bottle of soda beside it. Big, soft bed. I'm jealous.User19: Meat, soda, a bed… guy's living like a king while we scrape by.User20: I'd settle for a full stomach.User21: Anyone got blankets? Not asking for a mattress—just anything. Concrete's freezing.User22: I've started drinking my own urine. Same color as that guy's soda.User23: Hey, Mr. Electricity—DM me. Surprise waiting~User24: If he's got power, food, and a bed, what makes you think he needs you?User25: If he prefers men… I could volunteer.User26: That's disgusting.User27: Easy to talk about pride on a full stomach. Go hungry and thirsty on cold concrete for three days, then preach.User28: +1.User29: +10086.
Lucas closed the feed. Outside, the city remained a blind ocean, but Building 8 burned steady—one bright island in a drowned world.