The Zombie Apocalypse

I laid face down on my bed. I was so bone-tired! I must have looked pathetic, but I guess that was to be expected if you had worked for two days straight without much sleep at the job that you thought was your dream job, but in reality, turned out to be nothing but a living nightmare!

When I was a kid, and heard adults complaining about the jobs that they hated, I didn't get it. If they hated their jobs so much, why didn't they just quit? Why put yourself through all of that when you don't have to? Now as an adult, I get it. You have to pay bills. You have to pay rent. In order to get by in life and buy the things that you wanted and needed, you need to work, whether you like it or not.

I wanted to do stuff now that I was home. I wanted a nice cold beer. I wanted to watch TV to take me away from the cruel, cold world that we live in. But I was so tired and sleep deprived that I needed to get some sleep in. I had work tomorrow and I needed to be wide awake in order to focus and do my work properly to please my boss. That, and my eyes felt like they would shut any moment now. I was so tired that I didn't want to do my nightly routine to get ready for bed. I shut my eyes.

My eyes were just closed for a minute, and they opened immediately when my doorbell rang. Huh? Who was that? Who would be at my door at this hour? I inched myself off of the edge of my bed. I fell to the floor with a thud. The doorbell rang again. I got up immediately.

"Coming!" I called. I straightened up my tie and made sure that I was presentable, and not just a disheveled guy in his early 20s who just wanted to go to bed. I opened the door.

"May I help you?" I wanted to know. I saw who it was. Standing outside my doorway was a police officer. I was puzzled by this. Why was there a police officer at my door? I gulped. I hope this wasn't a stupid false accusation.

"Yes." The officer replied. "You can. Is your name Akira Tendo? If not, do you know him and his whereabouts?"

"Yes." I answered. "I'm Akira Tendo." He seemed confused by this.

"You are?" I nodded.

"Am I in trouble or anything?" The officer then was firm with me.

"Do you know that your parents are concerned about you? They have been calling you and calling you. Why haven't you been answering them?" Crap! My parents! How could I be so thoughtless? Why didn't I see this coming? They must have thought I was dead or something. Dad wouldn't be the one to worry like this. So it must be Mom. I know it was! It was exactly something that she would do and she had roped Dad into it. Ever since I told her of me getting a new job, she was over the moon by it. Dad didn't show it, but I know he was too. I looked at the officer. "I came here to check up on you."

"I'm sorry, Officer." I apologized to him. "I really didn't mean to make them worry. I'll call them right away." He nodded in agreement.

"You better. You're still young. Your parents won't live forever you know."

"I know. They could die tomorrow, or 60 years from now." He looked at me like I was crazy. "Okay, 60 years from now is unlikely for people like them, but it's not unheard of. It might be extremely rare to live that long, but it's very possible, especially with improving medicines, staying healthy, and certain foods." I sighed when I saw that he was still looking at me. I wanted to kick myself. Shut up, Akira! He doesn't need to know all of that, tmi!

"I suppose. It still wouldn't hurt to call them every once in a while. Life is a precious thing and you only have one. Don't take it for granted."

"Yes, sir." He said farewell to me and was on his way. I closed my door.

After he left, I did what he ordered me to. I took out my phone and dialed my parents. I hope it was not too late and they weren't already in bed. I would feel terrible if that was the case. I still wanted to call them before I forget and go to work for who knows how long for. Fortunately after a little while, I heard my dad's voice on the other end.

"Son!" Dad just said. "Thank goodness you're alive and answered! We just sent the police to your apartment."

"Hi, Dad." I greeted with a nervous laugh. "I know you did. I saw and talked to the officer. Is Mom there? Can I talk to her?"

"She just went to bed and I was about to too when you called." He then was mad. "Why didn't you call us earlier? You had us worried sick, you know, especially your mother!" I sighed.

"I know. I'm really sorry. I was at work for two days straight, so I couldn't call." He seemed surprised.

"You were at work for that long? You weren't allowed to go home?"

"Yes. I hated it. I'm thinking of quitting."

"You can't do that!"

"But Dad, didn't you hear what I said? My boss made me work for hours on end! That should be a crime against humanity, to have all of your workers work until they collapse. I'm exhausted! I worked for what is known as an exploitative corporation, a black company, a sweatshop!"

"I heard you. It's just that you just started. I would hate it if you just quit like that after a few days. Your mom would too." I tried not to sound too mad.

"Mom would understand. I'm sorry to tell you this, Dad, but I'm an adult, okay? I'm no longer a child. I can quit if I want to and you can't tell me otherwise!" I heard him sigh from the other end. I gulped, realizing what I've done. Oh no! I hurt his feelings, didn't I? Still, he did know that I was an adult that can take care of himself, right? He must, since he saw me grow up throughout the years and left home fresh right after high school. Oh, what am I thinking? Of course he does! How dumb of me to think that.

"You're right, son. I'm sorry. I would still hate it though, but it's your choice. You're an adult now, so I trust you with this big decision. Your mother will too." I couldn't help but smile, even though he couldn't see me do that action.

"Thanks, Dad."

"I'll tell Mom that you called, but I think you better call her tomorrow before work. I don't know if she'll be awake or if I will for that matter, but it'll be worth a try."

"I will, Dad, if I remember too. I have to leave at 7:00 in the morning to catch my train."

"Good. As long as you put in the effort. That's all I want from you, son." We said our goodbyes and I hung up and put away my phone. At least he didn't tell me to suck it up and understood my predicament. I was grateful to him for that.

A thought entered my head now. Should I quit? Was I being a big baby over this? Sure, I hated my job more than anything right now. I also hated the fact that it wasn't exactly my dream job, but it had also been only a couple days since I began. Surely as time went on, I would adjust and learn to love it, right? Plus, if I quit, I wouldn't see that cute, hot, young lady anymore. But is that a reason to keep going to work? Was it selfish staying at a job that you hated with an absolute passion just for a hot babe? No. No, it wasn't. That's how a lot of people meet and fall in love, through their workplace. I should man up and ask for her number one day. We'll marry, I'll move into a bigger house with her, and then she and I will start a family together. Working at a crappy job will be worth it then. But first, I have to ask her out and date her a few times.

The next morning, (after my adult temper tantrum) I quickly had my breakfast. I was about to go to work when I remembered that I promised Dad that I would call. So I did and Mom answered. I could tell that she wanted to ask me a million questions, and I wanted nothing more but to answer all of them, but I told her that I had to work. She understood. We said our goodbyes and we hung up. I left my apartment building and walked to catch the train to get to my workplace.

As soon as I got back to my apartment room, I locked my door. There were loud banging sounds coming from the outside of it and angry zombie noises. The zombies had followed me home and wanted to come inside. I quickly looked for anything to place against the door to try to stop them. I flipped the table over and moved it to the door. Out of breath now, I put my back against the door, sat down, buried my face in my lap and just burst into tears.

Why did the first love of my life just have to be the CEO's mistress and why did she have to turn into a zombie like everyone else? I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised because a zombie apocalypse is happening right now and everyone is turning into the undead, but it still hurts! Why did it take for a zombie outbreak to happen for me to quit my horrible job after three years? I mean, I'm glad I quit and got out of that toxic environment, but I should have done that long ago, not after three long, miserable years! The loud bangs were getting louder and louder.

"Go away zombies!" I yelled through my oncoming tears. "Just go away!" But they didn't go away. The loud bangs just continued. Why did I think yelling at zombies would have worked? Is this how it was going to go down, zombies feasting on my flesh and I'll become one of them? The table against the door won't hold them back for long. They will get in eventually if they don't give up. And then what?

Suddenly, the banging stopped. It was now silent. I looked up from my lap. Huh? Did the zombies just give up and leave? Are they really gone or are they just taking a break from pounding and yelling their zombie calls? I was too afraid to open my door to check.

The doorbell then dinged. I gulped. Oh no! Are they that advanced that they figured out how to ring doorbells now? Are they becoming smart and self-aware?

"Akira!" I then heard her. The voice of an angel that I never thought I would hear again. "Akira, it's me, Saori Ohtori! Can you open the door please? I came to apologize." I bolted to my feet, wiped away my last remaining tears and quickly moved the table away from the door. The doorbell sounded again.

"Coming, my love!" I called. "Just hang on." Crap! Did I call her 'my love' out loud! Why did I do that? Talk about completely embarrassing! And she is my boss's mistress, whether I like it or not, so it is also totally inappropriate!

Once the table was out of the way, and before I opened the door, I took a deep breath. Okay, Akira. I told myself. You can do this! Do not mess this up. With that, I opened the door.

"Miss. Ohtori!" I explained, looking her up and down. "You're here! You're alive and no longer a zombie!" She then seemed confused.

"No longer a zombie?" She asked. "That's a weird thing to say." Oh crap! She's right! That was a weird thing to say! Absolutely weird, the weirdest! Smooth, Akira. Way to sound like a complete idiot!

"Sorry!" I apologized "I'm just surprised to see you here is all. What about you and the CEO? I just saw him with you." She frowned.

"I know. That's why I came here. He and I broke up as soon as you ran away. I'm no longer with him. Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. That guy was nothing but an abusive jerk." I was completely shocked by this. She ran to me and cried. I looked down at her.

"He was nothing but mean to me!" She sobbed. "He hit me constantly and called me ugly names! I tried to get away from him several times, but he prevented me. I somehow did today though. I should have known he was evil by the way he treated you and all of your coworkers. I tried to call him out on it too several times, but he didn't listen, I'm so sorry. I hope you can forgive me." I hugged her back to comfort her.

"Of course I forgive you." I told her. "But it's going to be okay now. We are both away from that awful and disgusting man. We no longer have to worry about him." But a thought occurred to me then. My former boss was a grotesque zombie when I pushed him out of the building to his death when I resigned. But if Miss Ohtori was here and no longer a zombie, was that all a dream and that never actually happened? Well, I will resign again if I have to. I deserve to be happy and free. Everyone should. No one should work with an exploitative company like that. I'll tell him that if I see him again, that is if it was a dream. Maybe not push him off of a building to his death. I admit, that was a tad extreme and over- the- top. He was nothing but horrible, but he didn't deserve to die.

But that was all in my head. I was back in my apartment, crying my eyes out. I felt a hand on my shoulder, a zombie hand! I screamed, jumping up to my feet. The table that was in front of the door had moved. The door burst open, and a swarm of zombies started invading my apartment. They were all coming for me! I stumbled backwards and fell to the floor. I began picking up random stuff and threw them at the zombies in rapid succession: coat racks, one of my fallen coats that had fallen off the rack, my rugby ball, anything I didn't care that some of them were fragile and I was breaking my own property, as well as maybe the apartment's. I just wanted the zombies gone.

I reached for something else when I realized something. I had run out! I jumped to my feet again. I was about to just run for it, when I saw the balcony. Hmmm, I wonder. I ran towards the door to the balcony and struggled at the latch. Finally, it opened. I looked at the zombies.

"You want me, zombies!?" I asked them. "Come and get me!" They then all began charging at me. One of them lunged at me and I just had to run out of the way. The zombie went outside and I ran outside to push it off of my balcony. It plummeted to the ground below. Then one by one as the other zombies gathered over me and started ripping their sharp fingernails at my flesh, and one by one, I hoisted them off the balcony.

A few zombies later, I was bleeding like crazy, but I didn't care. I had one zombie left. I struggled to lift the monster because he was heavier than the others, but I managed to do it. I stood up, panting as I saw the last zombie's guts splatter all over the ground below. It was super gross! I gagged. I felt like I was going to hurl.

I screamed as I saw a hand on my edge. I looked down and saw some of them were climbing the building. I quickly pushed it back down. I ran inside, then locked the balcony door. My heart was racing! But at least no more zombies were in my apartment room. I sat down, placed my hand over my chest.

I cleaned myself up and made my apartment look as if a zombie invasion never took place. Luckily nothing had broken, I had a can of beer and watched the news. Zombies were everywhere across Japan. Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, nowhere in the nation was safe! Depressed with the news, I turned to a few cartoons. One was about a man with wings, another was about cute monsters fighting each other and the third show had a talking hippo addicted to his phone with a walrus driving a taxi. Mindless television. Oh, how I wish I could go back to being a kid right now and just enjoy life like this. No risking my life with zombies, no stupid jobs, no rent, taxes or bills to pay. No worrying about my life and if I will live to see tomorrow. Life was much simpler back then.

After I wrote stuff that I wanted to do for my bucket list, my mind then wandered to that woman whom I saw in the convenience store, Miss Data Analysis. And that got me thinking. Will I ever see her again? And maybe she was right. Maybe going on a beer run wasn't such a good idea during a zombie apocalypse. But then I thought, who cares? What does she know? She doesn't know of the life I led for the last three years. I deserve all of that beer! But, was that selfish? Oh, man! I think I'm falling in love with her!

I know there are more survivors like her out there. Should I join forces with some of them and we can figure a way out of this zombie situation together? It does get pretty lonely with just me. I can't stay in this apartment by myself forever. I have to get out there and do stuff! I rather get eaten by zombies than not put myself out there and live the best life while I can. I am free now, and no job opportunities will come my way during this pandemic, so why not? That was the whole point of my bucket list. I plan to do at least 100 things on it before I become a zombie myself, but was 100 too much or too little? I realize now I might become one before I complete it, but I didn't care. I just want to do as much as I can!

I told Kencho about Yukari when he asked me why I was crying back at his place after we hooked up the video game console to the new TV.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Akira." He told me. "But, I hate to break it to you, but we are living through a zombie pandemic, so it was to be expected."

"I'm supposed you're right." I responded. "It still hurts. I felt like the two of us made a connection and really hit it off, you know. I felt like she was going to be the one for me, but it wasn't meant to be. She told me she has a boyfriend. Or had. He's so lucky, or was."

"I hear you, but maybe another go at that video game will help ease your mind." He began to ponder. "Now that I think about it, is that zombie video game too inappropriate right now?"

"No, it's fine. I'll play. Thanks." I stood up and walked towards the TV outside on his balcony. Good ol' Kencho! Always knowing exactly what to cheer me up. "I hope I don't get myself killed."

"You're talking about the video game, right?"

"Yes, in the game. And real life too." He nodded in agreement as I took a controller, turned on the TV and console and began to play.

"We do need to be careful out there, Akira. This isn't a video game. We have to take this seriously if we want to survive. This is real life and it's happening all around us whether we like it or not." I agreed. But for now, I was about to shoot up zombies in a video game to take my mind off of the real world, which was also filled with zombies. After all, I'd rather be eaten by zombies than not live my best possible life!