It is distant past
an·tiq·ui·ty<span>anˈtikwədē/</span>noun1.the ancient past, especially the period before the Middle Ages."the great civilizations of antiquity"<span>synonyms:<span>ancient times, the ancient past, classical times, the distant past"the civilizations of antiquity"</span></span>
After reading the 2 first paragraph of the memoirs in the “Night”, it could be said that the reader gets the impression that he/she is hearing a cautionary or precocious tale about the dangers of complacency while about to face a great evil.
“Huh?” I looked around confused, trying to look for danger, but it’s just a noisy lunch room. I shrugged it off and placed the napkin on my tray, thinking it was just someone’s try at a sick joke. The bell rang, I got up with my head down and collected my trash. I proceeded to throw my tray in the can. Then, I noticed something odd...quietness, no bodies of the other students, the lunch room was empty. Where did everybody go? I walked out the lunch room and into the hallway with caution. My heart dropped. “Am I...alone?”