2 [2] Gen Z's worst nightmare

I have returned to the dorm and there I found James pacing nervously. His tall frame seemed to take up even more space in the anxiety-laden atmosphere.

"Chang, man, what the hell is going on?" He asked, his eyes mirroring my own unease.

I shrugged, moving to sit on my bed. "I don't know, James. Let's check what the internet says."

As we began to dig into the digital landscape, we first visited Instagram, where we encountered a whirlwind of chaos. Students were posting stories with hashtags like #UCALockdown and #WhatsHappening. It was a barrage of hurried selfies, confused texts, and whispered video updates, none of which helped clear the air.

Students were posting stories with hashtags like #UCALockdown and #WhatsHappening. It was a barrage of hurried selfies, confused texts, and whispered video updates, none of which helped clear the air.

"_apocalypse_queen: Soldiers on campus, is this for real? #UCALockdown"

"california_dreamin: They're not telling us anything! #WhatsHappening"

"_einstein_fanatic: Exam cancelled... every cloud has a silver lining? #UCALockdown"

"quarterback_12: Anyone know what's going on? The campus is crawling with soldiers. #UCALockdown"

"We're not going to find anything here," he said. "Let's check Discord."

On Discord, we found a group created for our university. Already there were over two thousand messages. We skimmed through, each message making the situation seem more surreal.

NinjaRamen: dude, are we under attack or something??

CaliGurl: My dad says it might be a bomb threat.

AliensRReal: Not saying it's aliens... but it's aliens.

CookieMonster: I saw some guys wearing hazmat suits near the science lab.

BioNerd: Can confirm. Saw them too. What could they possibly be protecting themselves from?

MysteryMan: @BioNerd ever heard of a virus outbreak?

GamerGuy: You've been watching too many zombie movies, @MysteryMan.

MysteryMan: Or maybe you haven't been watching enough, @GamerGuy.

I looked up from the screen, my eyes meeting James's. "Virus outbreak?" he murmured, the color draining from his face.

"Or aliens," I said, trying to lighten the mood. "Either way, we're in for one hell of a ride."

We scrolled further, but the chat was mostly filled with speculations and rumors, with nothing concrete. Yet the mention of 'virus outbreak' seemed to hang heavy in the air, a chilling possibility that made the situation even more ominous.

Just as we were about to scroll further down in social media, the WIFI went down.

"WIFI's down." I said, seeing my feed no longer able to load. James responded by holding up his own phone, showing the same problem.

"The cell signal's gone too," I said, a sinking feeling in my gut.

No more quality time on a certain naughty website anymore...

Before James could respond, the lights flickered and went out, plunging us into darkness. The faint hum of the dorm's air conditioning stilled, leaving a silence so thick it was almost suffocating.

"Looks like the power's out too," James stated, the glow from our screens illuminating his worried face.

"Yeah," I muttered, taking a deep breath. This wasn't just a simple lockdown anymore. Something was seriously wrong.

I fumbled around in my backpack, retrieving a flashlight. The sharp beam cut through the darkness as I pointed it towards James. "Well, at least we have light."

James chuckled, but it was a hollow sound. "Always the optimist, Chang."

"Someone's got to be," I replied, trying to lift the mood. But my humor felt as heavy as the darkness around us.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, the gravity of our situation sinking in. Without power and cell service, we were cut off from the outside world, completely isolated. It was a chilling thought.

"I guess we'll have to find out what's happening the old-fashioned way," I finally said, breaking the silence.

"And how's that?" James asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes.

"By getting out there and seeing for ourselves," I replied, my voice firm. "This is our campus, our home. We can't just sit here in the dark and do nothing."

James looked at me, a smile slowly spreading across his face, as he gave me a hard clap on the back. "That's my man."

Q: Do you think you can survive 1 week without WIFI?