System of the forsaken

Chapter 1

Zayn adjusted his grip against the pack of boxes stacked one atop the other he held onto,one box slipping slightly as sweat gathered at the base of his fingers. 

The sun hadn’t set yet, but it felt like the day had ended for him a long time ago.

“come get the rest tomorrow if it’s still here,” his landlord's voice echoed loudly behind him,as he made his way down a row of staircases and out of the building.

He almost laughed.

There was no tomorrow in his world anymore,not after all he had been through today,not after the way his boss had refused to meet his eyes while handing him the envelope that broke the last bit of resilience he had in him,years of showing up early,staying late, sacrificing weekends… erased with a handshake that barely lasted a second.

He walked down the road without direction,the events of the day replaying in his head and the weight of the boxes uneven against his chest, his thoughts heavier still. 

Eventually,after walking for a while his head felt heavy and his legs gave out before his mind did.

He found a bench,old, chipped paint peeling like forgotten promises and sank into it, placing the boxes beside him. 

For a moment, he just stared ahead,looking into the horizon searching for a ray of hope he knew he wouldn't find,cars moved speedily along their way,horns blaring,his chest tightened.

Is this it?

The question came quietly at first, almost like a whisper carried in the wind,then the thoughts came again harsher this time 

Is this what all of it was for?

He thought about the mornings he forced himself out of bed, the nights he lay awake calculating bills he couldn’t afford, the dreams he had once carried with endless optimism.

At this point they all felt distant, unreachable, and meaningless.

His gaze drifted to the road ahead,as a truck thundered past, its roar cutting through the noise of everything else,the ground trembled beneath his feet,and for a second, something inside him stilled.

There was a strange clarity in that moment,no expectations,no more trying.

Just… silence.

His breathing slowed, then deepened, as if preparing himself for something inevitable,then he thought inwardly to himself maybe it’s easier this way.

He patiently waited, making up his mind to end it all as another truck approached in the distance, larger this time, its headlights glaring even in the fading daylight. 

He stood,thoughts running through his head as the world around him blurred,not because it changed, but because he stopped seeing it. 

The bench behind him, the boxes at his feet, the people who might have noticed,all of it faded into nothing.

There was only the road,only the sound of the trucks roaring engine as it sped along the asphalt towards him.

His head raced with thoughts in the end he jumped into the trucks path as screams echoed accompanied by the trucks screeching tyres as the driver slammed into the break 

His heart pounded, once,hard,slower and finally stopped

Zayn woke up with a throbbing headache.The last thing he remembered was him taking his final breath as the truck collided with his body,light shining all around him.After that he has lost consciousness 

What's happening am i dead? Zayn thought to himself is this the soul realm?

His eyes were unfocused as he looked around trying to take in his surroundings.After a moment his vision cleared properly and he found himself lying in a deserted dark alley 

I'm not dead?then why wasn't i sent to a hospital?who left me in this strange alley?at this point none of it made sense.His entire body ached and bruises covered his skin.Yet there was no way a hit from a truck would leave him with only such minor injuries.

In the best case scenario escaping such an accident would render him helpless and in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.something was clearly wrong he thought to himself as he steadied himself up and cleaned away dirt from his shirt taking in his surroundings once again 

He forced himself up with the last bit of energy he could muster up out of the alley and into the streets,and the first thing he noticed when he stepped out was the silence. Zayn stood in awe as he looked around at the once vibrant street he passed everyday now frozen in place,cars frozen mid motion,a cyclist hung in the air,a cyclist hung in the air,children gathered around an ice cream froze in place.Even the wind had stopped 

What…..?

Zayn turned around his head running with thoughts,his pulse rising.The city he knew to be loud and chaotic now seemed unnatural and more like a painted scene.

Then something flickered in the distance.

A faint glow shimmered in front of him, barely visible at first but it gradually grew brighter and formed a few line of codes and symbols which intertwined to form a screen which then displayed 

SYSTEM INITIALIZATION.