"Turn slight right in two hundred meters," the voice commanded—crisp and clear, unaffected by the dead zones.

Elias pulled over, the Sygic HUD still pulsing softly with his exact coordinates. He didn't just have a map; he had the full diagnostic of the terrain. He rolled down the window, the cold air rushing in.

"Need a lift to the next station?" Elias asked. "My signal's dead, but my maps aren't."

The hum of the highway was the only thing keeping Elias awake. Outside, a thick mountain fog had swallowed the road markers, turning the world into a grey, impenetrable soup. His old car’s radio was dead, and his data connection had flickered out miles ago.

Elias followed the digital breadcrumbs. He saw a warning icon pop up on the screen: a sharp curve ahead that the fog was hiding. Because of the offline telemetry, he braked before his headlights even hit the bend. As he rounded the corner, he saw the wreckage of a truck that hadn’t been so lucky, its driver standing by the side of the road, staring hopelessly at a phone with 'No Service.'