The fluorescent lights of Dormitory C never turned off.
At two-thirty in the morning, the engineering lab was almost empty, save for the soft hum of computers and the rhythmic tapping of keyboards.
Half-finished energy drinks littered the desks like battlefield casualties, while crumpled pages of calculations covered every available surface.
Elias Drake leaned back in his chair and rubbed his tired eyes.
The bridge on his computer screen collapsed.
Again.
A bright red message flashed across the monitor.
Simulation Failed.
Structural Integrity Lost.
“…Seriously?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose before pressing Run one more time.
The digital bridge held for exactly 1.8 seconds.
Then the center supports buckled.
The entire structure folded into the virtual river below.
Elias let out a long sigh.
“I swear this software hates me.”
A chuckle came from the next desk.
“You’ve been blaming the software since the first year.”
His roommate, Noah Carter, spun around in his chair with a grin, balancing an empty coffee cup on top of a stack of textbooks.
“Maybe,” Noah continued, “your bridge just sucks.”
“My bridge is mathematically perfect.”
“It literally collapsed.”
“That’s because the simulation is wrong.”
“The simulation has never been wrong.”
“It has today.”
Noah laughed.
“You’re impossible.”
Elias smirked.
“So I’ve been told.”
He stretched until his shoulders cracked, then stared at the countless numbers covering his notebook.
Hours of calculations.
Multiple redesigns.
Every solution only created another problem.
Engineering wasn’t glamorous.
It was solving one impossible problem after another until something finally refused to break.
He loved it.
Most days.
Tonight wasn’t one of them.
Outside the large windows, rain drummed steadily against the glass.
The campus was unusually quiet, hidden beneath a blanket of darkness that swallowed the surrounding building.
Elias glanced at the clock.
2:37 A.M.
“If I don’t finish this before Professor Harrison sees it,” he muttered, “I’m dead.”
“You say that every assignment.”
“This time I mean it.”
His phone vibrated across the desk.
MOM CALLING
Noah raised an eyebrow.
“At this hour?”
Elias smiled.
“She’s probably checking if I’ve remembered to eat.”
He answered the call.
“Morning, Mom.”
A familiar laugh came through the speaker.
“It’s two-thirty in the morning, Elias.”
“So technically… still morning.”
“You’ve been staying up again.”
“…Maybe.”
“I knew it.”
He could almost picture her shaking her head from the other end of the call.
“Have you eaten?”
“Coffee.”
“Elias.”
“And… half a sandwich.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“It counts emotionally.”
A small laugh escaped her.
“You’ve always been terrible at taking care of yourself.”
Elias leaned back in his chair, letting the conversation wash away the stress of the assignment.
“How’s Lily?”
A muffled protest erupted in the background.
“I’m right here!”
His younger sister’s voice suddenly took over the phone.
“Mom’s lying.
She ate the last slice of pizza and blamed Dad.”
“I did not!” their mother shouted.
“You absolutely did!”
Elias couldn’t help laughing.
“Still causing trouble?”
“It’s a full-time job.”
“You left your hoodie at home.”
“I know.”
“I’ve claimed it.”
“You steal all my hoodies.”
“They’re legally mine now.”
“You made that law yourself.”
“And it’s a great law.”
Their bickering continued for another minute before his mother reclaimed the phone.
“Your father called earlier.”
Elias’s smile softened.
“How’s he doing?”
“Still on deployment.”
“Same as always.”
“He said he’ll try to be home next weekend.”
“That’s good.”
There was a brief silence.
“Come home this weekend if you can,” she said gently.
“We’ll have dinner together.”
“I will.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
Neither of them knew it would be a promise he wouldn’t be able to keep.
As the call ended, Elias stared at the dark screen for a moment longer before setting the phone down.
Noah looked over.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
Elias smiled faintly.
“I’ve just been reminded that my family worries too much.”
“They’re probably right.”
“They definitely are.”
He turned back to his monitor and clicked Run again.
The bridge held.
Two seconds.
Three.
Four.
Elias leaned forward.
“Come on…”
The structure stabilized.
For the first time all night, it didn’t collapse.
“Yes!”.
He pumped a fist into the air.
At that exact moment, every phone in the engineering lab vibrated simultaneously.
A sharp notification echoed through the silent room.
Heads turned.
Students reached for their screens.
Across every display appeared the same emergency alert.
BREAKING NEWS
Authorities are responding to multiple violent incidents across the city.
Residents are advised to remain indoors until further notice.
The room fell silent.
Noah frowned.
“…That’s weird.”
Elias looked out the rain-covered window toward the distant city skyline.
In the darkness…
He thought he saw smoke rising.
This is my first novel, and I’m still learning with every chapter.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or theories—they help me improve and keep me motivated.
I hope you enjoy the journey, and I’ll see you in the next chapter!