1 Prologue
I awaken to the sound of my phone blaring and vibrating next to my bed.
{4:30 AM}
I rub my eyes groggily and curse myself for my life choices. I work as a 'Clean-up Associate' for a fast food joint halfway around town, but I'm going to call it how it is, I'm a part-time Janitor. Not the greatest job in the world, especially with the new manager Debra pushing off all the management tasks onto me, like taking inventory, but hey, I could be homeless, so it's not all bad.
As I lay there, unable to muster the willpower to remove myself from the comfortable embrace of my bed, I stir at the sound of my 4:35 alarm.
Damn, I know I'm a heavy sleeper so I need the extra alarms just in case, but still!
As I muster my courage, I push up out of bed and turn off my alarm. I dress myself in my standard uniform of navy blue work pants, a button-up shirt with the company logo above the heart, and my standard-issue white Covid-19 mask (because that isn't going to date this at all) I make my way to the door. Strangely, from the living room window, I can see what looks like bright headlights pointed directly at my door, but dismiss it as one of the apartment maintenance workers using a flashlight to fix the walls.
Damn Miller kids broke a fist-sized hole in the wall earlier and now poor Ted is out there with his putty and caulking it up again. If I drank coffee I'd offer him a cup of Joe about now. Us low-level workers starting or days in total darkness need to stick together, what if we get robbed or hit by a truck or something? Who is going to be there to call the police or an ambulance?
As I finish putting on my worn-down boots and make it to the door, I feel a strange sense of foreboding. "I have a feeling today is going to be one of those days" I say to no one in particular, as I turn the nob.
What I expect to find on the other side of the door is a disheveled middle-aged man with a glorious beard like that of Gandalf peaking out behind the mask of a rather average looking man, turns out to be a 16 wheeler, racing towards me at blistering speed.
...
...
...
"Well, this sucks," I say laying in the rubble of my apartment.
Strangely enough, I don't feel any pain at all, not even a slight ache, well I suppose Adrenaline and going into shock is truly a wonderful thing, now instead of dying instantly, like I was expecting, I'm laying in an uncomfortable position with my legs pointing towards the ceiling as my knees are bringing backward. While I don't feel any pain, my consciousness is quickly fading and the black of the room is somehow becoming even blacker.
'Shit, is this really how I'm going out? Of all the ways to go, I guess Truck-kun isn't the worst. Maybe I'll even get to meet a cute goddess who will reincarnate me.' I think as darkness fully envelops my vision.
'Yeah Right...'
