Black Dawn
Black Dawn


Prologue: The Black DawnThe sun rose over Kozhikode as it did every day, the streets beginning to fill with commuters, vendors setting up stalls, and the hum of daily life in full motion. Ram Mohan, a middle-aged banker, was already seated at his desk in the Central Bank, his fingers moving swiftly over the keys of the computer. He had grown accustomed to the rhythm of his job, the quiet click of the keyboard, the constant hum of the air conditioner above. Yet, that morning felt different. The air felt heavier, as though the world was holding its breath.
Suddenly, the computer screen blinked out. Ram frowned, pressing a few keys. Nothing happened. He glanced over at his colleague, Geeta, who was busy processing paperwork.
“Geeta, the system’s down. Try logging in again.”
Geeta nodded, typing quickly, but the screen remained blank. She looked up at Ram, her expression puzzled.
“Maybe it’s just a glitch,” she said, though her voice lacked the usual certainty.
But Ram knew better. The computers had always been reliable. It wasn’t just a glitch. Slowly, he turned toward the window. Outside, the usual hustle and bustle of the city seemed to slow, then stop. People were looking up at the sky, their faces confused and concerned. The sound of vehicles, once constant, had disappeared. Ram stood up and moved toward the window, his heart starting to race. Something was wrong, something beyond the usual power outage. The city had gone silent.
He walked toward the phone, intending to call the IT department, but the phone line was dead. The lights flickered and went out. His mind raced as he realized that this wasn’t a minor problem. It was something much bigger, something global.
He grabbed his bag and hurried out into the street, where the usual buzz of traffic had turned to an eerie silence. Pedestrians were now gathered in small clusters, their phones pressed to their ears with no connection. The digital age, which had defined the last few decades, had suddenly come to a halt. Ram felt his stomach drop. The world was no longer the same.
Chapter 1: The First DayThe first day without technology was like a waking nightmare. Ram had returned to his home after his shift to find Priya, his wife, frantically organizing their supplies. The news had already spread that the blackout wasn’t isolated to Kozhikode—it was happening everywhere. No phones, no internet, no electricity. The entire world had descended into chaos. The uncertainty was palpable in the air.
That evening, as he and Priya tried to find some normalcy, the knock on the door startled them. Ram opened it to find his neighbor, Rajesh, standing with a frantic expression.
“Have you heard the news? There’s been a complete breakdown of the financial system. No transactions can be made. No one can access their bank accounts!”
Ram tried to stay calm. “Rajesh, we have to think clearly. There must be some kind of explanation.”
But even as he spoke, he could feel the rising panic within him. The bank, his place of employment, had already been compromised. Without the ability to process transactions, all of society’s structures, from trade to government functions, were on the brink of collapse. What could people do when they couldn’t even access their money?
“People are hoarding food, Ram. This is turning into a mess. I don’t know how long we’ll last.” Rajesh’s voice trembled. Ram tried to reassure him, but it was becoming increasingly clear that this wasn’t a temporary glitch. This was the beginning of something far more significant.
Over the next few days, the situation worsened. The markets emptied, stores were looted, and those who still had resources began to barter. Ram and Priya held onto their stocks, making careful calculations to last until the chaos subsided, but it was clear that things weren’t going to return to normal anytime soon. The city was spiraling into disorder, and Ram’s mind kept returning to the vault hidden in the basement of the bank.
The vault that he had discovered years ago, buried deep within the bank’s foundation, hidden from the eyes of the world. It was filled with stacks of old currency and gold, relics from an era when the physical form of money still held power. Could it be the key to restoring some semblance of order?
But he wasn’t sure it would be enough. The world had changed.
Chapter 2: The BreakdownRam woke the next morning to the sounds of confusion in the streets. Horns honked in frustration, but no vehicles moved. Pedestrians crowded the sidewalks, their faces grim. The digital world had collapsed, and with it, the social structures that had once kept everything in balance. No one had access to bank accounts. The ATMs were dead. People were no longer able to buy anything without either cash or trade.
Ram walked to the market, trying to assess the damage. He saw families exchanging bags of rice for bottles of water, old clothes for cans of food. People were surviving by barter, but not everyone was willing to be fair.
“What do you mean you want two bags of rice for one bottle of water?” a man shouted at a vendor.
The vendor, an older woman with a wrinkled face, shrank back. “It’s the best I can do. I’m running low on stock!”
Ram stepped forward, trying to calm the situation. “We need a system, a fair exchange of goods. We can’t keep going like this.”
The people looked at him with suspicion. Ram wasn’t a leader. He was just a banker. But there was something about his calm demeanor that made people stop and listen.
“We can’t just take what we want from others. We have to agree on values. We need something like a currency again—something tangible.”
One of the men laughed. “You think paper money’s going to fix this? There’s no power, no infrastructure. What are we supposed to do with that?”
Ram paused, his mind racing. The question was a valid one. Could he possibly resurrect the old currency in a world that had already gone digital? Was it even possible to bring back what had been lost?
But there was something in Ram that still clung to hope. Even when the world seemed on the brink of collapse, his mind refused to believe that all was lost.
Chapter 3: Whispers of WealthA few days later, Ram overheard a conversation in the market. Two men were huddled in a corner, speaking in hushed tones.
“There’s talk about the vault in the bank. You know, the one they hid when they built the new systems?”
“I heard the vault holds old currency, gold. Some say it’s enough to rebuild the economy.”
Ram froze. He had known about the vault for years, but he had always considered it a relic, a curiosity from a time when money was tangible. He had never imagined that it would become so important.
But now, the idea of the vault seemed like a lifeline. If there was anything in that vault that could restore some balance to the chaos, he needed to find it. But there were risks. What if people got desperate? What if they fought to control the vault?
Ram couldn’t afford to make a mistake. He had to think carefully.
That evening, Shalini, an old friend and a journalist, came over. She was determined to find the truth about what had happened to the world. She had been documenting everything.
“We need a plan, Ram,” she said, sitting at his kitchen table. “You’re in a unique position. You know the system. You know where the wealth is hidden.”
Ram looked at her, his face grim. “It’s not about wealth anymore, Shalini. It’s about survival. We need to rebuild a system that can help people.”
Shalini nodded. “And how do we do that? Without money, without anything?”
“We start small,” Ram said. “We create a barter system. But we also have to keep the vault a secret. It’s too valuable, and people will do anything to get their hands on it.”
As the days passed, the weight of their conversation hung in the air. Ram knew that the vault could hold the key to saving their community, but at what cost?
Chapter 4: Shadows in the DarkDays turned to weeks, and the city of Kozhikode was becoming unrecognizable. Ram could feel the tension in the streets. People were no longer just worried about food and water. They were worried about survival. Some had already started hoarding, others were aggressive in their search for anything that could be traded.
One night, after closing the bank, Ram was walking home when he noticed a group of men lingering outside his house. Their eyes tracked him as he walked past, their gazes sharp and calculating.
He quickened his pace, but one of the men stepped forward.
“You’re Ram Mohan, aren’t you?” the man asked, his voice low but not unfriendly.
Ram stopped, pretending not to know who he was speaking to. “Yes, I am. Can I help you?”
The man smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile. “I heard you know something about a vault. A vault that could change everything. Is that true?”
Ram’s blood ran cold. He realized the rumors had already started. He had kept the secret about the vault hidden for so long, but now, someone had found out.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ram said, his voice steady despite the tension in his chest.
The man stepped closer, his smile widening. “I think you do. Don’t make this difficult, Ram. We know you’re hiding something. And we’re not the only ones looking.”
Ram’s mind raced. He had to get out of there. Fast. “I’m not hiding anything,” he said, backing away slowly.
The man laughed softly. “We’ll see about that.”
That night, Ram told Priya about the encounter. “They know about the vault. It’s only a matter of time before others come looking for it.”
Priya’s face turned pale. “We have to leave. This is getting too dangerous.”
Ram shook his head. “We can’t run. If we leave, everything falls apart. We have to protect what’s left.”
Chapter 5: The VaultThe next few days were a blur. Ram kept his distance from the people who had begun asking too many questions, but he knew it was only a matter of time before someone forced him to reveal the vault’s location.
At night, Ram would sneak down into the basement of the bank. He would stare at the vault, trying to calculate his next move. There were no easy answers. He could open it, but what then? Would he be able to control what happened next?
Priya had stopped asking questions. She knew Ram too well. He had always been a man of action, not words.
Then, one evening, Shalini appeared at his doorstep, her face grim. “It’s happening, Ram. People are organizing. They’re talking about taking control of the vault. If you don’t act now, it could be too late.”
Ram looked at her, his mind racing. “I have to go down there,” he said.
The decision was made
.Chapter 6: The Infiltration
Ram’s heart pounded in his chest as he stood before the vault. The weight of the decision hung heavily on him. He had always prided himself on being a responsible man, one who made calculated moves and considered every option. But now, there was no time for calculations. The world around him was crumbling, and the vault—the one secret he had kept locked away for so long—was now his only hope. But would it be enough?
He glanced over his shoulder, where Shalini and Priya stood, their faces tense with worry. They knew what was at stake. They had all heard the whispers. There were people out there who had learned about the vault, and they were coming. The question was whether they could beat them to it.
“Ram,” Shalini whispered urgently, her eyes darting toward the dark corridor behind them. “We don’t have much time. If they find out you’re here, it’ll be over.”
Ram nodded. “I know. We need to get in and get out fast.”
With a deep breath, he moved toward the vault, the metallic door looming in front of him like a gate to an uncertain future. He inserted the old key he had kept with him, the one he had found years ago hidden in a dusty drawer. It turned smoothly, but the mechanism groaned as it unlocked, echoing in the silence of the bank’s underground vault.
The heavy door swung open with a creak, revealing a room that had not seen light in years. Inside, piles of old currency, gold coins, and stacks of documents filled the space. The sight of it should have been comforting, but instead, it only heightened Ram’s anxiety. The world outside was slipping away, and this room, this treasure trove of forgotten wealth, was the last piece of stability he could offer.
Shalini stepped in first, her eyes scanning the room. “This is it, Ram. This is what people have been fighting for.”
Ram’s fingers brushed the old bills, their texture a strange reminder of a time that no longer existed. “It’s all here, but is it enough to rebuild? To fix what’s broken?”
“I don’t know,” Shalini replied, her voice quiet. “But it’s a start.”
Before Ram c
ould respond, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. He froze. Someone was coming. His heart leapt into his throat as the distant sounds grew louder.
“Get the gold and the currency,” Shalini said, her voice low but firm. “Hurry!”
Ram quickly filled a bag with as much as he could carry. The coins clinked against each other, their sound unnervingly loud in the silent room. But he didn’t dare take too much—he couldn’t. There was a sense of urgency now. They had to leave before the others arrived.
Priya grabbed a few of the old documents, her face etched with fear. “This could be valuable. We may need it.”
Ram nodded, his mind racing. As he closed the vault door behind him, the weight of what they were doing settled in. They weren’t just taking treasure. They were taking the only thing that might be able to restore some semblance of order to the world that had lost everything.
But then, they heard it—a voice, calling out from the dark corridor.
“Ram!”
Ram froze. The voice was familiar. It was Rajesh, his neighbor. He had followed them.
Ram’s stomach twisted. There was no time for confrontation, not now. “We have to go,” he whispered.
As they turned to leave, the sound of footsteps grew louder. Rajesh was not alone. There were others. Panic surged through Ram’s veins.
“Run!” he hissed.
The three of them sprinted toward the back exit of the bank, the bag of gold and currency weighing heavily in Ram’s hands. Behind them, the footfalls quickened. They could hear the voices now, shouting for them to stop.
But Ram didn’t stop. He couldn’t.
They burst through the back door, into the darkness of the alleyway. It was cold, and the night air seemed to freeze everything around them. Ram didn’t look back. They had to get out of the city—get far away from the people who were willing to do anything to take what they had found.
They ran, and with each step, Ram’s mind raced. The vault had been their last hope, but it was now a target. A weapon in the hands of those who wanted control.
Chapter 7: The ChaseThe city was a maze of alleys and deserted streets. The usual sights and sounds of Kozhikode had been replaced by an eerie silence, broken only by the sound of their running footsteps. Ram could hear the others behind them, closing in. They had to keep moving.
“Ram, they’re getting closer!” Priya gasped, her voice tight with fear.
Ram glanced over his shoulder, seeing the shadowy figures of the pursuers gaining ground. He didn’t know how much longer they could keep this up. The gold, the currency—it was heavy. He could feel the weight of it dragging him down, both physically and mentally. This was no longer just a flight from danger. This was the beginning of something far more dangerous.
“We need to split up,” Ram said, his voice harsh with urgency.
“What?” Shalini looked at him, disbelief in her eyes. “Are you crazy? They’ll catch us!”
“No,” Ram said, his voice firm. “They’ll be looking for all of us together. If we split up, they won’t know who to follow.”
Priya looked torn, but after a moment, she nodded. “We don’t have a choice. Let’s do it.”
Without another word, they split off in different directions, Ram’s heart racing as he darted down a narrow side street. The cold night air cut through him as he ran, every corner he turned feeling like a potential trap. His mind raced. He could still hear the voices of his pursuers in the distance, growing fainter as he moved deeper into the maze of alleyways.
But the chase wasn’t over. Ram could feel the weight of the bag in his hands. The coins jangled with every step, a reminder that it wasn’t just his life at stake—it was everything.
Chapter 8: The Turning PointHours passed, and Ram found himself on the outskirts of the city. He had outrun his pursuers for now, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before they realized they’d lost track of him. The silence of the night was broken only by the rustling of leaves and the distant hum of traffic from the highways beyond.
He was exhausted, and his mind was clouded with questions. What was he supposed to do with the gold and currency now? How could he possibly rebuild something as fragile as a functioning society with so little? And yet, despite the doubts, there was still hope.
The distant glow of firelight caught his attention, and he moved cautiously toward it. As he approached, he saw a small group of people gathered around a fire. They looked worn, tired, but alive. Ram hesitated before stepping forward.
One of them, a woman with short, graying hair, looked up at him. Her eyes were sharp, and there was a hard edge to her voice as she asked, “What are you doing here?”
Ram looked down at the bag in his hands, his heart heavy. “I have something—something that could help. But I need to know if you can be trusted.”
The woman studied him for a long moment before nodding. “We’ve been surviving this long. We don’t have time for games. If you’ve got something that can help, then show us.”
Ram stepped forward and opened the bag. The sight of the gold and currency caught the firelight, casting flickering shadows on the ground.
“This,” Ram said, his voice low, “is a start. But we need to do more than just survive. We need to rebuild.”
The woman’s eyes softened as she looked at the treasure. “Then let’s rebuild,” she said.
And for the first time in what felt like forever, Ram felt a spark of hope.
Here’s the continuation of the story:
Chapter 9: The Resistance
The night passed slowly. The fire crackled in the center of the small gathering of survivors. Ram sat with the others around the flames, watching as the firelight danced across their faces. There was a sense of camaraderie, but also an air of wariness. No one spoke of the world that had been lost, of the technology that had vanished, or of the power struggles that had come with it. They were all just trying to get by, one day at a time.
The woman who had greeted Ram earlier, now known as Meera, turned to him, her eyes piercing in the darkness. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
Ram shook his head, feeling the weight of his words. “No. I was a bank employee in the city, but everything changed. The tech stopped working. No one knew what to do.”
Meera nodded slowly, as if processing his words. “I understand. We’ve all had our lives turned upside down.” She paused, looking around at the group gathered around the fire. “But we’ve learned to adapt. We’ve formed a resistance of sorts. We’re trying to make things work, without the help of technology.”
Ram felt a sense of awe mixed with trepidation. The idea of a resistance—a group that rejected technology and fought to survive—was both inspiring and frightening. In a world where everything had once revolved around tech, it was hard to imagine how something like this could work.
“I don’t know how you’ve managed without it,” Ram admitted. “We were so reliant on technology before. The banks, the systems... it all fell apart.”
Meera smiled grimly. “We’ve had to go back to basics. We trade goods, we grow our own food, and we rely on each other. Technology isn’t everything.”
Ram felt a stir of uncertainty in his chest. “But what about the vault? The gold, the currency? It’s valuable, isn’t it?”
Meera’s expression darkened. “It’s valuable, yes. But it’s also dangerous. People will kill for that kind of wealth. If we hold onto it, we become targets. And we can’t afford to be distracted by greed. We need to rebuild, yes, but not through the same systems that failed us before.”
Ram nodded slowly, realizing the truth of her words. The gold, the currency—it was a symbol of the old world. But the world they lived in now required something different, something more sustainable.
“Then what do we do?” Ram asked. “How do we start over?”
Meera’s eyes softened. “We start by uniting. We’ve got people in various pockets of the region. We need to bring them together, to form a network. No more fighting over resources, no more betrayal. We need to build a new foundation, one that doesn’t rely on technology or wealth.”
Ram felt a sense of purpose rising within him. He had spent so long running, trying to escape the chaos, but perhaps this was the moment where he could make a real difference. Maybe, just maybe, this was the way forward.
Chapter 10: The PactThe next morning, the group set off at dawn. Meera had briefed Ram on their plans—to travel to several other settlements and convince the leaders there to join their cause. Ram wasn’t sure what to expect, but the idea of meeting others who had survived the collapse of society was both daunting and exhilarating.
As they walked through the forest, Ram felt the weight of the gold and currency in his pack, but it no longer seemed as important. It was just a tool, a temporary solution, not the answer to the world’s problems. The real solution was cooperation, unity, and trust—things that had been in short supply before the collapse.
After several hours of travel, they reached the first settlement. It was a small village, nestled at the edge of a river. The houses were simple, made of wood and stone, and the people seemed to be going about their daily tasks without much urgency. There was a quiet sense of survival in the air, as if they had long ago accepted the new reality.
Meera spoke with the leader of the village, an older man named Arav, who listened intently as she explained their plan. Ram couldn’t hear the conversation clearly, but he saw the exchange of words and gestures. Arav was skeptical at first, but after some time, he agreed to join the pact, albeit with caution.
“We’ll need to discuss this with the other leaders,” Arav said, his voice low. “But I believe it’s worth considering. We’ve been struggling on our own for too long. If we can unite, perhaps we have a chance.”
The agreement was reached, and Ram felt a surge of hope. They weren’t alone in this fight. There were others who believed in rebuilding, in coming together rather than continuing to fight among themselves.
From there, they moved on to the next settlement, and then the next. As they traveled, Ram began to see a glimmer of what Meera had described—a world where technology wasn’t the driving force, but community and trust were. The further they went, the more people they encountered who were willing to join the cause.
By the end of the week, they had formed a small alliance of settlements, united under the banner of rebuilding society from the ground up. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it was a start. The pact was a fragile thing, held together by the belief that they could create something better than what had been lost.
Chapter 11: The BetrayalThe alliance had been in place for nearly a month when Ram began to sense that something was wrong. Tensions were rising between the settlements. What had seemed like a hopeful collaboration was slowly turning into a battleground for power.
Ram was in the makeshift council hall when he heard the news—someone from within their ranks had betrayed them. The leader of one of the settlements, a man named Vikram, had secretly made a deal with the rogue factions, offering them resources in exchange for protection.
Ram’s heart sank. He had known that the pact was fragile, but he hadn’t expected betrayal from within.
Meera’s face was grim when she approached him later that evening. “Vikram has sold us out. We have to act fast before the other factions catch wind of this. If we don’t stop him, the entire alliance could collapse.”
Ram clenched his fists. He had believed in the cause, in the idea of unity, but this betrayal felt like a punch to the gut. He had worked so hard to get here, and now it was all threatened by greed and power-hunger.
“We can’t let this happen,” Ram said, his voice tight with resolve. “We need to stop him before it’s too late.”
Chapter 12: The Final StandThe following days were a blur of tense negotiations, whispered conversations, and strategic planning. Vikram’s betrayal had cast a shadow over the entire alliance, and Ram could feel the walls closing in. The rogue factions were growing stronger, and the settlements were fracturing.
Ram knew what had to be done. If the alliance was to survive, they had to strike first. The gold and currency were no longer the answer—they had become symbols of a failed world. It was time for a new kind of strength, a strength born from unity and sacrifice.
Ram stood before the assembled leaders, the weight of the decision on his shoulders. “We can’t afford to be divided. We must take a stand together, or we’ll all fall.”
The final battle was coming, and Ram was ready to face it. The world had changed, and the time for relying on old systems and technologies had passed. It was time for a new dawn.