Volume 1 - Chapter 1

I Died at the Computer!

In my cubicle I stared at the screen, eyes burning. The numbers blurred together, but I had to get the work done.

The voice of my boss played on repeat in my head. "You will type numbers into the computer until you die."

It was true, but it was the only way I knew how to earn a paycheck. I gritted my teeth and kept mashing keys on the numpad.

Air conditioning hummed in the background, a constant reminder of my boring office life. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a harsh glow across empty cubicles.

I was just another cog in the machine, crunching numbers for a big financial corporation long after everyone else went home. AI would take my job soon if I didn't die first.

My stupid boss, Mr. Tanaka, was still there. The man always wanted me to do more than everyone else. I was his protégé, but he didn't pay me enough and never said thanks.

I glanced at the clock. It was already 8:32 p.m.

I had been at work for over twelve hours. My stomach growled, but I ignored it since I could finish if I focused.

Every now and then I grabbed a piece of Miyako Konbu from a little red box on my desk. The sour snack would hold me over.

Power flickered a few times, but I didn't think much of it. If the internet or electric ever went down, I knew the building had backup systems. Our data center in Japan was critical to the banking infrastructure.

I heard footsteps approaching and I tensed, knowing it was my boss, Mr. Tanaka. He was a tall, imposing man with a permanent scowl etched on his face. He stopped at my cubicle and looked down at me.

"Hachiro, you're still here?" he sneered. "Don't you have a life outside of this office?"

I bit back a retort about him being the reason I was there, and I kept typing numbers. I didn't have time for his petty insults.

Mr. Tanaka huffed and walked away when I didn't answer him. He was probably going home.

I let out a sigh of relief and kept working. My fingers danced with speed, inputting long numerical sequences and hot-keyed formulas with practiced ease.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I finished inputting all the data. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my eyes.

It was dark outside, with city lights twinkling in the distance. A few orange meteors screamed across the sky.

Interesting.

I had missed dinner, but I didn't care. I had no one at home waiting for me. Finishing so much work, I was ready to go home.

With just two episodes of Infinite Ryvius left to watch, I was finally going to finish the old show I had never seen before. Was there really anything better than anime and takeout?

I saved the files to the shared company servers and then I just had to update the work logs to indicate my tasks were done.

Through the windows I saw a bright blue streak in the night sky, headed in my direction. Meteor showers weren't common and they weren't usually blue, but again I shrugged it away.

The power flickered when I was finishing my work, and then it went out completely. So much for our backup system. I heard a loud boom on the rooftop above me and the building shook.

A sudden surge of electricity exploded through the computer monitor in front of me. I was electrocuted by a massive charge of energy. I didn't realize such a thing was possible.

It happened just like that with no time at all to react, and no explanation for why it happened. My vision was black for a half-second at most, and then I woke up.

I sat there in the darkness not believing it had happened. I stood up after a while and stretched.

"I must have fallen asleep," I said.

Feeling around on my body, I was not injured. Yawning, I convinced myself the blue meteorite and the exploding monitor was all just a dream.

After all I was still alive, the monitor looked normal, and the only thing off about everything around me was the electricity. It was completely dark inside and outside.

Grabbing my bag, I headed cautiously for the elevator. The only lighting in the office came from emergency exit signs, but I was still able to find my way.

As I walked out from the office, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Sure, my job was tedious and my boss a real jerk, but I had finished. One day I might take Mr. Tanaka's position.

But when? I had worked there for almost five years and the boss never said anything about giving me a raise or promotion. All he ever said was that I would die at the computer.

"Not today, Mr. Tanaka!" I said to no one in particular. "Even if I fell asleep and dreamed it!"

I stepped out into the cool night air and took a deep breath. Now it was time to go home and get some rest.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

I was walking from the office building to the subway when I noticed people acting unusual. Tired from a long day at work and eager to get home, I ignored most of them and kept walking.

As I got closer to the subway station, I couldn't help but notice the strange behavior of the people around me.

There was a man in a business suit, stumbling down the street with his briefcase. He was mumbling to himself, eyes glazed over. He tripped over a curb and fell, but he didn't seem to notice. The man got up and kept walking slowly towards me.

I saw a woman in a pink dress, standing in the middle of the sidewalk. She was staring at a newspaper but not reading it. The woman simply held it up in front of her face, eyes vacant.

And then there was a group of teenagers huddled together on a street corner. They were all wearing hoodies and sunglasses, even though it was dark out.

I shook my head and kept walking. I was just tired, I told myself. I needed to get home and get some rest. Worrying about what all these weird people were doing was none of my concern. People did weird things all the time.

I got on the subway train at Marugame, and the automated transport system zipped me underground. I commuted daily from where I worked in a big building to where I lived in Mitoyo, near the Motoyama Station.

Closing my eyes, I leaned my head against the window, letting the rhythm of the train almost put me to sleep again. The only thing preventing me from that was having too many curious thoughts.

Far more people were usually on the subway. I was alone. This was kind of weird, and I still thought about that oddly intense dream I had of my computer monitor blowing up in front of me.

It was shocking and short-lived.

After a while I arrived at my stop. I got off the train and that was when I actually noticed something was wrong. Walking from the station to my neighborhood was eerie. The power in my neighborhood flickered multiple times before going off completely, leaving me in a dark city.

In the night sky above me I saw a strange spotlight displaying the giant number:

364

I shrugged that off as one of those cryptic promotional advertisements companies sometimes did, and I kept walking.

I saw my neighbor, old lady Kimura, standing in front of the apartment building. She was holding a garden hose, but she was not watering the garden. She was just standing there, staring at the hose.

The woman started chewing on the hose like it was a delicious yakitori skewer. I stared at her in horror, considering how I needed to react.

What was happening? was this some kind of joke?

I looked around, but no one else seemed to notice the odd behavior.

Taking a step back, I knew I needed to get out of there, but no one had attacked me yet. Eventually they would, so I made a decision to run.

That was when I heard a low growl from behind me. Turning around, I saw a group of zombies shuffling towards me. Their skin was pale, eyes black, and their movement janky.

I was trapped between them and a row of apartments. Even old lady Kimura and others now glared at me.

Not knowing what to do, I froze. It wasn't a good choice but this wasn't a situation I was prepared for. I was just a number cruncher, not a fighter, and I didn't have any experience surviving a zombie apocalypse.

Me being frozen in place, the small group of undead shuffled towards me. I recognized them from the neighborhood, but I didn't know their names.

There was the old man who walked his dog every morning, the young couple who just moved in last month, and the little girl who played in the park.

But they were not the same people anymore. Their eyes were vacant black, their skin was pale and sallow, and they were covered in blood and gore. They were moaning and groaning, reaching out for me with their hands.

I closed my eyes, prepared to be eaten alive by the slow moving horde of zombies that surrounded me.

Mr. Tanaka was wrong. I wasn't going to die at the computer. I was going to be eaten by zombies.

That was when I heard a sports car racing towards me. I opened my eyes and saw a fast red car barreling down the street, headed straight for the zombies nearest me.

The car slammed into a group of the undead, sending them flying like bowling pins.

The old man was thrown to the ground, his body crumpling like a ragdoll. The young couple was knocked against the apartment building, their heads smashing against the brick.

Old lady Kimura held tightly to her garden hose as she flew away with it, still holding on like a lure on a fishing line. When the hose went taut, her body flipped end over end like a fidget spinning grandma.

The little girl was thrown into the air, her body twisting and turning before she landed with a sickening thud.

"Oh, fuck!" I said loudly.

My mouth hung open in disbelief. I didn't usually curse, but I figured this was one of those moments where it made complete sense.

The car came to a stop and the driver stepped out. She was dressed like a baseball player, wearing an all black jersey with the number seventeen. She held a baseball bat like she knew how to use it, and her eyes scanned the area.

I had almost just died and this woman saved my life. I shouldn't be thinking like the young man I was, but I couldn't help commenting on her beauty. She had a voluptuous athletic form with large natural breasts drawing my attention to her tight baseball jersey.

For a split second I believed I saw an angel. She was about my same age and height, maybe one hundred millimeters taller, and so beautiful. Her black hair curled perfectly above her shoulders, framing the most gorgeous face I had ever set eyes upon.

I immediately thought she was a goddess angel come to save me. The only explanation must be that I had died at the computer after all. Was it true? Had I died from a massive electrical surge that exploded in my face?

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at me. "You act like you just learned you died in the previous world."

I nodded, still in shock. I couldn't piece together everything she just confirmed to me. It most assuredly did feel as like I was in some alternate reality, but I couldn't believe it.

She looked towards my arms and hands. I was still wearing my long-sleeve work shirt, and she couldn't see my arms.

"Did they bite you?"

"No," I answered, still lagging in the brain department.

The woman smiled.

"Come on," she grabbed my arm. "We need to get out of here. There are more of them coming."

I followed her to the car, legs trembling from fear and adrenaline. Inside the vehicle, the beautiful woman shut the door and drove us away, leaving my old neighbors behind.

I didn't know where we were going, but I didn't care.

The woman drove like a professional maniac. She swerved all over the narrow road, dodging stalled cars and zombies.

I held on tight even with a seatbelt on. She didn't care about hitting some of the zombie people. The little red car jerked with a thunk each time she plowed into one.

I watched in horror as she hit zombie after zombie. They flew into the air, bodies twisting and turning before landing with sickening thuds somewhere in the darkness.

It was like something out of a movie. It was strangely funny. I couldn't help but laugh as I watched each of the zombies thunk and bounce away from the car.

She looked at me, eyes narrowing. "What's so funny?"

I shook my head, trying to compose myself. "Nothing, I just… I'm confused and in shock I think…"

She nodded, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. "I know you are. But I can't afford to stop and explain right now. We have to keep moving if we have any chance of surviving."

I pretended to understand, heart racing.

“Is this a dream?” I asked. “Or did I actually die?"

The woman put her free hand on my leg as she drove, glanced at me, and she said, “yes, you died just like I did. Blue meteorite, yeah? Now we get another chance in this messed up zombie world. At least that's the way I see it."

I gulped. The stranger's hand on my thigh felt so foreign. I was not used to such physical interactions with beautiful women.

On top of that, one of my worst fears was actualized.

I had died at my computer just like Mr. Tanaka predicted. Maybe he jinxed me. He really was a jerk boss.