Chapter 1

The roaring, clapping of palms and the vibration of stomping on the pharmacy faculty court heralded the return of the Shaolin Wushu Lohan school to regular training. The Kung Fu practitioners exercised fiercely after the long vacation break of August and September, repeating their movements with such dedication and concentration that they did not notice the passing of the hours, not even when the sun, golden and crimson, began to agonize on the capital's horizon.

It was only when the shadow of the trees and his own shadow dissipated in the darkness that the class leader, Laoshi Gabriel, noticed the oversight. He was suddenly seized by a feeling of concern as intense as the white light of the street lamp that flared above him, illuminating his blond hair.

—Gather round! —he exclaimed powerfully, drawing the attention of the people who were with him, scattered around the court.

Within seconds four young people had surrounded him, their sports clothes drenched in sweat, the garish yellow ribbons tightening around their waists and their gazes fixed on him.

—We were over the hour.

They all shrugged their shoulders somewhat indifferently, not noticing the surrounding darkness around them, thinking it was cloudy. Sure, they were a little late, but how late? That was the common thought.

—It must be barely six o'clock —commented a slender brunette girl as she arched an eyebrow, smiling incredulously.

—No Estefany, it's seven o'clock —Gabriel replied with authority.

—What? Impossible —exclaimed a tall, white-skinned boy, striding towards his backpack. His name was Diego, and although he was usually calm, the news had made him nervous.

—What's the matter? Maybe you live right here —Estefany said jokingly.

—I have a paper due —was his answer as he rummaged in one of the pockets of his bag.

He managed to pull out his cell phone, turning it on. You could read a look of surprise on his face; he had been dumbfounded as he showed the others the time. It was exactly six minutes past seven. For a second everyone was petrified, only Estefany looked around, analyzing the surroundings.

The space where they were training so comfortably a few seconds before had become threatening and desolate. The shadows of the trees formed shadowy claws on the ground, where dry leaves were blown by an icy breeze. It began to get cold, enhanced by the sweat that soaked their clothes. Estefany got a lump in her throat.

—Diego, can I stay at your house? I'm late to go to mine —said a not very tall girl, with white skin, long black hair and large, very striking glasses.

—Yes, Vicky, I was just going to tell you to stay with me —he answered, taking her by the hand.

—Go quickly to wash up and get some water. Sorry for my oversight —Gabriel assumed the mistake as they all grabbed their bags, heading inside the building.

The court was in an inner courtyard that could be reached by going down some concrete stairs, which they soon climbed, reaching a covered plaza where the pharmacy school's cafeteria was also located.

There were not many people in the small plaza of the faculty at that hour, except for some security guards and a few straggling students, already on their way out. The cafeteria had closed several hours ago and although the tables were still in place, the heavy plastic and metal chairs were locked behind bars. No one remained there or in the surrounding area, where the students used to play ping-pong. The five of them walked past and crossed to the right to go through the glass door that led into the building, complaining about the poor public transportation in Caracas "We wouldn't have to be so worried if there were buses until ten at night".

The lobby was nearly empty; behind the long wooden reception desk was a security guard listening to a baseball broadcast on the radio, and in the background, three people were exiting the deanery, locking everything up and turning off the lights behind them.

The boys paid minimal attention to these details and continued on their way up to floor one, where the restrooms were located. There were only two students reviewing notes on a table. Neither turned to look at them as they separated, girls to the left, boys to the right.

Gabriel, Diego and Edgar, the only one who had not spoken since the end of training, chatted normally as they washed their hands and faces, arranging as best they could the sports clothes they had trained in.

Their voices and the chirping of crickets lent a familiar, peaceful atmosphere to the evening. Even some of the worry about the time had vanished with the talk, but when a sudden blackout plunged them into darkness, leaving them blind, both they and the sounds of the night fell silent. Time stretched as long as the training they had; what was no more than a minute seemed to last an hour. No one said anything until the fluorescent lights came back on over their heads.

—We'd better go, are you ready Edgar? —asked Gabriel to a dark and robust young man with curly hair who was looking at himself in the mirror.

—I was waiting for you —he answered in a deep voice.

When they emerged from the restrooms, the hallway on floor one was empty. The two girls studying on a nearby table seemed to have run from there in a hurry, leaving their notes and a pen abandoned in the process.

"The blackout must have scared them off", thought Diego as they advanced toward Estefany and Victoria, who waited with a disgruntled grimace.

—Are we ready? Are we going to fill the water pots? —Diego's voice sounded confident as he spoke, although his resentment was evident when he saw Victoria's frown.

—No water is coming out —Victoria replied, pointing to the water trough behind her.

—Well, I'm not surprised. No water is coming out, the Ciudad Universitaria subway station is closed, Gabriel's watch is broken. When have things ever worked? —Edgar said sarcastically, still moving towards the stairs.

It was frustrating to have to leave without taking even a sip of water, so Diego, just in case, approached the drinking fountain. Being alone he pressed the button hard and after a few unpleasant sounds a stream of brown water, pestilent and laden with mud, spurted from the nozzle, splashing the ground in front of him. "We'll go thirsty then" he said to himself before turning around and following the group, but not before taking one last look back, contemplating the abandoned table with the notes.

They hurried down the stairs and although they advanced as quickly as possible, Diego noticed a detail that left him intrigued. The dean's office was open and illuminated, "maybe they forgot something?", he didn't have the chance to think about it much, because a white sound called his attention. In the foyer was the old radio emitting static "it may have lost the signal, but what about the guard?".

He didn't understand why his mind had begun to turn over such minutiae instead of overlooking them, had something changed or was it just his imagination? He wondered again and again, trying to ignore that feeling of strangeness that had begun to overwhelm him ever since he saw the abandoned notes; a tingling sensation ran up the back of his neck and through his fingertips, as if the air was laced with a toxin that was upsetting him. Something was not right.

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