The world stopped at 4:43 a.m.
Marcus felt it happen—a sudden stillness that rippled through the threads of connection like a stone dropped into still water. One moment, everything was normal. The next, the world was frozen, suspended in a single moment of time.
He stood in the clock tower, watching the impossible unfold. The city below was silent, motionless. Cars were frozen mid-roll on the streets. Birds hung motionless in the sky. The sun was caught at the edge of the horizon, its light painting the world in shades of gold and amber.
Anna rushed up the stairs, her face pale. "What's happening?"
Marcus shook his head slowly. "I don't know. The threads of connection... they're frozen. Stuck. As though time itself has stopped."
Anna stared out the window. "Everything is frozen. The w
