The Black Out

Saturday, at a certain hospital center in New York City.

Time was pointing to 10 at night when Emergency Department in the hospital was bursting up to live. Heavy rain was pouring down onto earth without any sign of stopping. Loud thunders and lightings were seen everywhere in the dark sky. An ambulance was rushing to ED in fast speed against the heavy rain.

Nurses and doctors were running forth and back in receiving an emergency patient. A first treatment immediately was given. But after seeing the injury, a nurse immediately ran to the ED office. Without knocking, she rushed to enter the room and call a doctor inside.

"Dr. Zhou!" She hurried to say as she gave the report in her hand to the doctor. "A car accident case just arrived. A thirty plus years old male, unconscious, with heavy injury in the head, estimated to have an internal bleeding, a severe brain trauma, severe injuries on the…"

Dr. Zhou flipped the report as he read them with his dark eyes in flash speed while his feet were rushing to see the patient with the nurse. They were walking in hurry to the Emergency Room while the nurse was reporting the situation at the same time.

"Prepare the operation room." He ordered in firm tone as they finally arrived in the ER. He gave the report back to the nurse as he rushed to the patient's bed. All assistance and nurse were already prepared as they immediately moved to send the patient into the operation room.

A woman, claimed to the patient's wife, was sobbing with red face. She grabbed the doctor's sleeves as soon as she saw Dr. Zhou was taking in charge of the operation. "D-doctor… p-please…s-save my husband… p-please s-sa—" she was sobbing so hard that her pleas were almost unintelligible.

Dr. Zhou grabbed the woman's shoulder in firm grip, making her paused her sobbing in a moment as she saw a pair of beautiful black eyes that was so dark like a deep bottom of ocean. She couldn't help for a moment to feel calm and confidence as she stared at those eyes.

In a firm and calm tone, Dr. Zhou replied shortly. "I will do my best."

Then he rushed to the operation room with the assistances and nurses following the patient in ahead. Meanwhile the patient's wife was led by a nurse to the administration office.

After three hours of waiting, the red light above the door of operation room was turned to green.

The patient's wife was on her feet in a second as soon as the door was opened. A relief sobbing was heard as the woman heard the good news from the nurse. Her husband now passed the critical situation. They only needed to monitor him closely in intensive care unit before he was released to regular care. The woman then rushed with the nurse and led his husband who was still unconscious on the bed to the prepared room.

A few minutes after they were gone, the operation door was opened again.

This time, a young man in his middle twenties was walking out of the door in his white coat.

His face looked like a pure Asian descent. It was smooth and beautiful with a firm jaw and defined cheek. He had straight dark eyebrows with sword like pointed end. His eyes were a pure black that was so dark like a black abyss, decorated by long and delicate black eyelashes. His nose was straight with small point while his lips were thin and small with natural pale pink colored. His fair skin was highlighting all of his beautiful features.

His name was Zhou Zhiqiang.

He was the doctor who was taking in charge of the emergency operation just now. He was a pure Chinese and only 25 years old. He was known to be one of geniuses among surgeons in the hospital because he was already ahead of others with the same age. Almost all surgeons in his age usually just graduated from the surgeon school or just entered a surgeon residency training program.

A neurosurgeon needed at least seven years residency training in a hospital before becoming an independent neurosurgeon. Different with a general surgeon, a neurosurgeon was specialist in head or brain illness. Zhiqiang was about to finish his third years residency training. In one month he would enter his forth years and need thinking early on about his research for a neurosurgery.

Zhiqiang walked pass an empty corridor and entered the ED office. He took a glass of water and drank it before walking to his desk. A nurse was then entering the office not long after he sat on the chair.

"Dr. Zhou!" The nurse knocked the door lightly as a warning before she walked toward him.

The ED office was a large office especially for any staffs that had an ED work shift. So it was a public room that any staffs could enter freely. As one of senior surgeon, he certainly had his own office in Neurosurgery Department. But as he was still a residency neurosurgeon in training, he also needed to expand his experiences in ED, therefore at least thrice in a week he needed to visit this office.

"Here the admission for the patient just now. It needs your sign, Dr. Zhou." The nursed said as she gave the paper in her hand to the doctor.

Zhiqiang read the report in detail before giving his sign on below. He gave the report back to the nurse, but the nurse quickly gave him another report.

"This?" Zhiqiang looked down to the report.

"It is a report from yesterday's patients. After you signed it, the patient would formally enter the regular treatment under Dr. Richard's care." The nurse explained in shy tone as she glanced at the doctor's handsome face discreetly.

Zhiqiang just hummed in agreement. He read briefly the report. He remembered yesterday he also received accident cases too. They were less severe than today, but still needed a small operation from him.

Recently there were so many accident cases. In one night shift, he could even receive two to three cases. He was almost non-stop doing an operation at his night shift even with many other surgeons beside him.

Maybe, instead to call them recently, it would be more accurate to call it since a week ago.

That's right, the cause of many these accident began since a week ago.

It was rain.

Heavy rain was overflowing without stopping even a second ever since a week ago.

It was pouring in constant continuously, not too heavy, but not lightly either. But it was certainly disturbing many people especially workers. Because of this rain, a lot of drivers were getting difficulty to see the road in blurring sight especially at night.

Many scientists and weather specialists had not found the cause of this abnormality. Therefore the government could only give a cautious warning to all people and extra donations to help their people.

Because of the rain, flooding was happening in a lot of places. Zhiqiang had heard there was a sudden escalating of case in flu, diarrhea, hypothermia, high fever, cholera, allergies, and so on from other doctors.

But, even after all those things that had happened, there was one thing that gave everyone a cold chills in their spines.

The continuous rain was happening in every inches of the world.

Regardless of the country, climate, weather or even season, all sky above the earth was painted in gloomy color with rain pouring continuously. Even here, New York City that should be still in the peak of summer season, the rain was still pouring non-stop in abnormal.

The end of the world, they said.

A great apocalypse, they said.

A god punishment, a god crying, a devil curse, a witch's doing, the doom of the world, arrival of another world, an alien's attack and so on many other ridiculous things that people said in panic in the social medias.

The government could only say for people to keep calm and they would soon handle it. But with the rain kept pouring non-stop even after a week, no one believed them.

Zhiqiang sighed in relief as he finally finished his shift for tonight. It was early in the morning now. Today was his day off, so he decided to sleep all day as soon as he reached his home.

Zhiqiang looked up at the sky from the ground floor of hospital. His furrowed his eyebrows a bit as he saw the dark sky. The sunrise could not even be seen a bit behind the thick dark clouds. But it was normal thing even since a week ago.

However, Zhiqiang felt there was something different in the sky today. He just could not name it clearly.

He stared up at the sky for a while, before finally giving up without care. Any tiny different most likely would not make the rain stopped after all.

It should be an eighth rain now.

A lot of people called the rain abnormality as seventh rain for seven days of continuous raining. It was the start of the eight day ever since the rain was pouring.

Zhiqiang opened his umbrella before rushing to his car in the parking a lot. He shivered a bit in cold and turned on the car heater in seconds. Then with swift hand, he started to drive the car home.

His home was just a medium apartment in a building not far from the hospital. Because of his job, he needed to be able rushing to hospital in any moment. If not for this reason, he would have chosen to live in the China Town area in the Lower Manhattan. Therefore he chose a closer apartment with only five minutes driving in distance. If not for the rain, he would prefer to jog toward the hospital to keep his body fit.

After arriving home, Zhiqiang rushed to take a shower. Even though he loved medical study, he disliked a smell of medicines was lingering on his body while he was sleeping.

He came out of the bathroom with only a dark boxer was dripping lowly on his hip. Teasing curls of dark hair was seen peeking up from the top of his boxer.

Using a towel, he wiped his black hair dry in a lazy movement causing the water was slipping down from his head to his chest temptingly. This motion caused his fair skin was glistening beautifully under the light while the muscles in his stomach rippled in sexy motion each times he moved around.

After he felt his body was dry enough, he threw the towel carelessly to the floor, before flopping on the bed in a huff. His hand was reaching out toward his phone on the bedside table.

With a lazy motion, he read the news about the rain incident on the internet.

Even though he was too lazy to care something like this, this rain incident was too abnormal for him to ignore. So he would always spare a bit of his time to browse some news about them.

There had not any news about the rain again from the government. Almost all news in the internet was same with yesterday. People were gossiping non-stop about the rain apocalypse. Seeing no important news, Zhiqiang placed his phone back on the table and turned off the lamp before closing his eyes

In just a few minutes, he was sleeping soundlessly.

Unbeknown by him, a while after he slept, the rain was abruptly stopped.

The world turned in silence shock as white thick fog was arrived, enveloping every inches of the world.

It was then the world was changing.

.

.

.

Zhou Zhiqiang opened his eyes groggily.

He yawned as he stretched his body in lazy movement showing his beautiful curve. A low groan was heard from his lips as he moved his body. He stopped his movement stiffly.

Odd, why did he felt his body was so stiff?

His body felt like it hadn't moved for a long time. Did he just sleep in wrong position?

Zhiqiang thought disoriented as he rubbed his temple in dizziness. His head was ached and his body felt weak, were information that was entering his mind soon. He sat up from his bed and swept the room with his dark eyes briefly as his hand reached for his phone. But that brief glance immediately froze as soon as he saw the state of his room.

This…

Zhiqiang stared at his room in perplexed.

Was he still dreaming?!

Zhiqiang thought in confused. He pinched skin on his hand and even felt more disoriented as he felt the pain from his pinch.

This…

What the hell was happening?

Was he really not dreaming?

Zhiqiang stared over at his room in blank mind. He felt like there was something dirty covering his brain and stopping him to think in a clear mind.

His black eyes were sweeping the state of his room in daze.

A green plant, yes, he supposed that was a green plant, with a size so big, almost a meter in diameter was breaking through his apartment wall from outside.

His apartment that was in the ninth floor of the building…

Cold wind was breezing into his room from outside the cracks of the wall.

Zhiqiang blinked from his daze, as he felt chills were spreading over his body because of the breeze.

Absentmindedly, he removed the blanket covering his body to the side. He placed his feet on the floor. Blinking in surprise when he felt something wet was touching his feet. He looked down to the carpet on his feet before sweeping his dark eyes all over the floors in his room.

The floors were wet as if dews were just covering them. There were even a few of puddle of water on a few places.

Green vines were hanging all over his room as if his room was just transported into a wild jungle.

Did it?

Zhiqiang thought distracted. He blinked a few times. Blood rushed to his head as his mind soon proceeded quickly. He swept his room once more this time with a clearer mind.

He noticed the wall of his apartment had a lot of cracks with vines or branches of the plant breaking in, causing his room looked like just got attacked by a lot of wild plants. There were even a lot of mushrooms and molds that were forming on the floors and the walls. Wet muds that he suspected from the dusts were covering all furniture in the apartment.

Zhiqiang stood off from the bed in rush, ignoring the aches that he felt in his body before walking toward a large hole in the wall where the large green plant was breaking in from outside.

Carefully he grabbed the wall as handle before looking over outside from the hole of the wall. His body immediately staggered in taken back and his black eyes widened in shock as outside sight was seen.

This…

What the hell had happened to the city?!!