DOOMSDAY LEDGER

Chapter 1: The Last Customer

The rain outside wasn't just water falling from the sky; it was the literal definition of bad luck liquefied. Heavy, cold, and bone-chilling. The Jakarta sky tonight seemed to be vomiting, spewing all its frustration onto the cracked asphalt.

Amidst the storm, a figure ran frantically, splashing through puddles in the Cosmo Mart parking lot. His fake sneakers were soaked, producing a pathetic squishing sound every time his feet hit the paving blocks.

That was Elian. And he was five minutes late.

*Ding-dong!*

The automatic glass door slid open. A blast of overly cold air conditioning immediately slapped Elian's wet face. He stepped inside, shivering, water dripping heavily from the tip of his hoodie onto the freshly mopped white ceramic floor.

"Excellent. Absolutely excellent, Elian," a heavy, sarcastic voice greeted him from behind the cashier counter.

Elian looked up, wiping the rain from his eyes. Standing there was Mr. Hendra, the store manager whose dedication to this convenience store bordered on religious fanaticism. Mr. Hendra stood with his hands on his hips, his eyes glaring at the wall clock, then shifting to Elian's shoes, which were leaving muddy tracks.

"I'm sorry, sir. Seriously, the traffic outside was insane. There was a multi-car pileup at the intersection," Elian tried to defend himself while removing his fogged-up helmet. His breath was still ragged. "I even had to leave my motorbike at a friend's garage and run here."

Mr. Hendra scoffed, his index finger tapping the Formica cashier counter. "Do you know what's worse than a multi-car pileup, Elian?"

Elian sighed, already familiar with the direction of this conversation. "What, sir?"

"Disorganized cigarette inventory!" Mr. Hendra exclaimed, pointing dramatically at the shelf behind him. "Look at that! The Marlboro display is tilted three degrees to the left! And the Sampoerna Mild on the second row has an empty gap. Do you know what an empty gap means? It means a loss of opportunity! It means disappointed customers! It means a small apocalypse for our daily turnover!"

Elian suppressed the urge to roll his eyes to the back of his head. "Sir, seriously, it's just a little tilt. I'll fix it after I change my uniform."

"Not 'later,' but 'now'!" Mr. Hendra glared, then his eyes dropped back to the floor. "And for God's sake, Elian, you are dirtying this store's sacred floor. Lina just finished mopping five minutes ago! Lina!"

From the instant noodle aisle, a bespectacled girl with a ponytail emerged, looking timid. Lina, the afternoon shift cashier who should have already gone home, held the mop handle like a weapon.

"Y-yes, Mr. Hendra?" Lina squeaked.

"Look at your senior's behavior. Late arrival, bringing in mud, and smelling stale," Mr. Hendra scolded mercilessly. "Lina, don't go home until this floor is spotless again. This is SOP cleanliness number 4. The floor must be reflective!"

"But, sir... My dorm gate closes at eleven..." Lina looked close to tears.

Elian felt guilty. He tossed his bag into the back storage room. "It's okay, Lin. You go home. I'll do the mopping. Mr. Hendra, give me two minutes to change, and after that, I'll lick this floor clean."

"That's disgusting!" Mr. Hendra threw a rag at Elian's face. "Hurry up and change! And remember, smile! The customer is king, even if the only thing coming in now are flies!"

Elian snatched the rag and hurried to the staff room in the back. While changing his wet shirt for the blue-and-red Cosmo Mart uniform, he grumbled to himself.

"Damn it. Low pay, but the job demands are like a CEO," Elian muttered while buttoning his uniform. He looked at his reflection in the cracked locker mirror. Tired face, lack of sleep, and messy black hair. "Be patient, El. The twenty-fifth is still a week away. Hold on. You need the money to fix your motorbike."

When Elian returned to the store area, he saw Mr. Hendra meticulously adjusting the position of chewing gum on the rack in front of the cashier with the precision of a neurosurgeon. Lina had packed her belongings, preparing to brave the rain.

"Be careful, Lin. Is your umbrella strong enough? The wind is crazy out there," Elian asked, taking his position behind the cash register.

Lina nodded weakly. "Thanks, Elian. You be careful with Mr. Hendra too, his mood is terrible because of the news on TV."

"Huh? What news?"

Lina pointed to the 32-inch LED TV hanging in the upper corner of the store. Usually, the TV played promotional ads for discounted sausages or buy-one-get-one-free diapers, but tonight the screen displayed a Breaking News broadcast.

Elian squinted. On the screen, a news reporter was reporting from downtown Jakarta. But strangely, the reporter wasn't standing upright. He was crouching behind a van, wearing a protective helmet, while in the background, fires were raging and black smoke billowed despite the heavy rain.

The red-hot running text below the screen read: MASSIVE RIOTS SPREADING ACROSS 5 JAKARTA REGIONS. AUTHORITIES OVERWHELMED. MYSTERIOUS DISEASE?

"Insane..." Elian muttered. "Is that really Jakarta? It looks like a war movie."

"Ah, that's just a hoax!" Mr. Hendra interjected suddenly, making Elian and Lina jump. Mr. Hendra walked closer, carrying a clipboard with a stock list. "You young people are so easily fooled by the media. That must be a marketing strategy for a new zombie movie. Or maybe an overly ambitious public service announcement."

"Sir, the reporter's temple is bleeding like that," Elian countered, pointing at the screen. The cameraman on the TV looked shaky, the image swaying erratically. Unnatural screams could be heard from the tinny TV speaker.

"CGI effects, Elian. Technology is advanced these days," Mr. Hendra scoffed dismissively. "Where would a riot be happening at this hour? Indonesians are lazy when it rains. Who wants to protest in the pouring rain? Now, stop getting distracted. Focus on work!"

Elian wanted to argue again, but a thunderous clap outside silenced him. *Jderr!* The store lights flickered once, then came back on.

Lina was standing near the automatic glass door. Her face was pale as she stared at the highway in front of the store.

"Elian..." Lina called, her voice trembling. "Why are those people running?"

Elian turned toward the large front window. Cosmo Mart was strategically located, right on the edge of the main road. Usually, the street was quiet at this hour, with only one or two motorbikes passing by. But tonight, under the torrential downpour, Elian saw an absurd sight.

People were running in the middle of the road. Not running for shelter, but running in terror. Some abandoned their motorbikes in the middle of the street, letting them tumble over. A sedan had crashed into a utility pole across the street, its hood smoking, but the driver didn't get out to check the car. Instead, he climbed out the window and ran frantically into a dark alley.

"See! What did I tell you!" Mr. Hendra exclaimed, actually looking enthusiastic. "That must be a film shoot! Look at those extras, their acting is so dedicated. Willing to run in the rain. How much are they getting paid?"

"Sir, I don't think it's a film shoot..." Elian started to feel the hairs on his arms stand up. His instinct told him something was wrong. Very wrong. He stepped out from behind the cashier counter, approaching Lina. "Lin, don't go out yet. It's dangerous."

"But, Elian, my mother is waiting for me at home..." Lina held the door handle, hesitating.

Suddenly, from the darkness of the parking lot, a figure slammed hard into the store's front window.

*Crash!*

Lina screamed and jumped back. Elian instinctively took a fighting stance—which was really just a pose of shock. Mr. Hendra dropped his clipboard.

The figure pressed its face against the glass. It was a middle-aged man, wearing a tattered office suit. His face... God, his face was ruined. Half the skin on his cheek was gone, exposing red flesh and molars. His eyes were completely white, pupil-less, staring blankly into the brightly lit store.

The man's hands pounded on the glass. Thick blood stuck to it, mixing with the rainwater, creating a horrifying abstract painting.

"Hey! If you're drunk, don't do it here!" Mr. Hendra yelled, his courage fueled by annoyance at an unruly customer. He stepped forward, pointing at the man outside the glass. "Go away! Or I'll call the police! You're dirtying my window!"

"Sir, step back, sir!" Elian pulled on Mr. Hendra's shirt sleeve. "Are you blind? Look at his face! That's not drunk, that looks like he was bitten by a rabid dog!"

"Rabid dog, what?! That's prosthetic makeup! He must be an actor!" Mr. Hendra insisted, shaking off Elian's hand. He pressed the unlock button on the automatic door. "Let me teach him a lesson about visiting etiquette!"

"Don't open it!" Elian shouted.

Too late. The glass door slid open with a soft *whoosh*.

The "actor" wasted no time. He didn't walk in; he lunged in like a starving beast. A pungent stench—a mix of rotten meat, sewage, and rusty metal—immediately filled the air-conditioned room.

Mr. Hendra, who was ready with his sharp scolding, suddenly froze as the creature growled right in front of his face. The growl was wet, as if there was fluid in its throat.

"H-hello... Sir? What would you like to buy?" Mr. Hendra stammered, his cashier instinct somehow still functioning.

The creature opened its mouth wide, its jaw unnaturally distended, ready to tear into Mr. Hendra's exposed neck.

"Watch out!"

Elian acted fast. He grabbed the only hard object within his reach—a thick glass jar containing ready-to-eat sausages on the cashier counter. With all his might, he swung the jar at the creature's head.

*Smash!*

The jar shattered everywhere. Sausage water and glass shards scattered. The creature's head snapped sideways, the sound of cracking bone sickeningly loud. The creature staggered, falling onto the bread rack, sending dozens of loaves of sliced bread tumbling onto the floor.

The atmosphere was silent for a moment. Only the sound of the rain and Elian's heavy breathing could be heard.

"Damn it..." Elian stared at his trembling hand. "Did I... did I kill someone?"

Lina was crying in the corner, covering her mouth with both hands.

Mr. Hendra was still frozen, his face ashen. He stared at the creature lying among the piles of bread. Then, slowly, he pointed at the broken jar.

"Elian..." Mr. Hendra whispered in horror. "That was... premium jarred sausage. It costs one hundred fifty thousand rupiah. Who is going to pay for the damages?"

"You're still thinking about sausages?!" Elian yelled, frustrated to the max. "That guy is dead, sir! I just smashed someone's head!"

But the "dead guy" wasn't finished.

The body on the floor began to convulse. A *creak-creak* sound was heard as its broken neck rotated back into its original position with jerky movements impossible for a living human. It slowly got up, its white eyes locked back onto Elian.

"Holy crap..." Elian took a step back, bumping into the cashier counter. "He... he got up again?"

And it wasn't just him. Outside, beyond the still-open door, Elian saw other shadows. One, two, three... dozens of people began to gather in the parking lot. They walked dragging their feet, with the same ruined faces.

"Mr. Hendra, Lina..." Elian swallowed hard, his hands fumbling for another weapon. "I think this night shift is going to be very long."

Suddenly, a very familiar shout came from outside, breaking the tension.

"Hey! Open the door wide! I brought company!"

It was Rico's voice. The parking attendant.

Without permission, Rico ran into the store, leaping over the puddle of blood on the terrace. But he wasn't alone. Behind him, a heavy-set man with a torn neck was trying to grab Rico's denim jacket.

"Close the door, you idiot!" Rico yelled, throwing his Bogo helmet at his pursuer's face.

Elian realized this was no longer about sausages or dirty floors. This was about life and death. And unfortunately, the best weapon he had right now was a mop handle.

"Welcome to Cosmo Mart," Elian muttered sarcastically, gripping the mop handle tightly. "Your one-stop shop for apocalypse necessities."