July 1st, 2027. 8:00 PM.

On the grounds of Liu Village School, a few incandescent bulbs, wired to a car battery, were glowing.

The voltage was unstable. The light was dim and murky, the filaments trembling violently inside the glass, emitting a sputtering hiss of a struggling current. These small halos of light, like soap bubbles about to pop, barely illuminated the clearing in the center. Darkness crept in from all sides, swallowing the surrounding school buildings whole.

The aftershock during the day hadn't been strong, but it was enough to make one's heart pound in their chest.