FICTION: Who cleaned our city?

This is a deeply unsettling fictional account that plunges the reader into a world suddenly devoid of people. The protagonist's journey from initial bewilderment to a strange acceptance of his solitary existence is chilling. The story masterfully uses the mundane – running water, electricity, gas – to highlight the profound mystery of the city's abandonment. Who is keeping the lights on? Who is operating the pumps? These questions linger, creating an atmosphere of pervasive unease.

The narrative doesn't offer easy answers, instead focusing on the psychological impact of such an event. The protagonist's methodical approach to 'cleaning' the city, marked by crosses on a map, becomes a coping mechanism, a way to impose order on an incomprehensible situation. His growing anxiety when his neighbors don't return, culminating in a near-catatonic state in the middle of the road, underscores the human need for connection and the terror of absolute isolation.

What makes this story particularly resonant is its quiet dread. The absence of noise – no birds, no garbage trucks, no insects – amplifies the silence, making it a character in itself. The return of the streetlights at night, another unexplained phenomenon, adds another layer to the mystery. It’s a stark reminder that even in emptiness, some systems persist, operated by unseen hands, leaving the protagonist (and the reader) to ponder the nature of this silent, functioning void.