Prologue: 11:47 death

  Midnight was approaching. The moonlight dimly lit up the city sky and the inside of a fast food restaurant where one employee was still working.

  All alone he methodically and carefully mopped the floors in the empty room making sure to get every single spot. From the back a door swung open and a man in a suit appeared carefully readjusting himself as he walked through.

  Gustavo: Hey Didier… I've noticed you've been working hard lately…

  Didier: Huh?

  He stopped mopping and turned to face Gustavo who seemed a bit fidgety.

  Didier: I guess so… yeah.

  He began to wonder where this conversation would go.

  Gustavo: So I was thinking that you could just go home for the day. I'll take care of all of this. And I'll give you your full pay.

  A slight smile grew on Didier's face and a bit of relief washed over him.

  Gustavo: I understand your situation and what you're going through right now. So don't worry about mopping today.

  Didier: Thank you sir. You have no idea… huh?

  Mid sentence Didier noticed something in the corner of his eye. His gaze left Gustavo and drifted over to the side.

  Didier: It's night time, right sir?

  Gustavo stood there puzzled.

  Gustavo: Yeah…? Why do you ask?

  Gustavo checked his watch for a moment.

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  Gustavo: It's about 11:47. Almost midnight.

  Didier: Then what's that light behind you?

  Gustavo spun around and witnessed a brilliant light emanating up in the sky. It lit up the entire street as if it was daytime. The light was so bright it was hard to even look at for more than a few seconds.

  Gustavo began to cover his eyes as he looked in disbelief.

  Gustavo: What is tha-

  A huge beam of light immediately shot at them both and knocked them back. The energy was so great the glass shattered soon as it touched it. It was as if a bomb was set off in the room.

  Fire danced across the walls and floor. Everything was thrown around and destroyed. Didier and Gustavo both laid on the floor as the flames were on their bodies. Before he passed out Didier heard footsteps and yelling. Yet couldn't make out what those yells were trying to say.

  …

  Didier's eyes began to open. As soon as he regained consciousness the smell of smoke hit his nose. Every time he took a breath of the smoke it made his head feel like its spinning. His head laid on the outside concrete floor.

  Didier: Where am I…?

  He stared up at the night sky before using his arms to prop himself up. However he didn't fully get up off the ground after seeing the scene in front of him.

  The restaurant he seemingly was just inside of was lit ablaze. The fire covered every inch of the building. Didier watched the flames on the building frozen. He heard screaming from the inside and saw a fire truck pulling up right next to the building.

  Just then he smelled something other than smoke. Burnt meat. The smell was rancid.

  It didn't take Didier long to find the source of this smell. Looking to his left he saw a sight he would never forget.

  A burnt corpse laying right beside him. So damaged you couldn't tell who it was just by sight alone. However Didier had a few ideas as to who it could be.

  Didier: Oh my god… That can't be-

  Before Didier finished his sentence he felt a sensation in his gut. Like something rising from his stomach to his esophagus. He covered his mouth and looked away from the dead body so he didn't vomit. Every part of his body lightly quaked. The combination of the dizziness from the smoke, the smell of the corpse and the sight of it made him feel nauseous.

  He slowly stood up and walked away. Every step he took was steady. He didn't make it far before he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a woman holding an ID that read “corruption exterminator. SE City. Jayce Jay.”

  Jayce Jay: Excuse me sir. You're Didier Doran. Right?

  Didier didn't let a single noise come out his mouth. He simply nodded.

  Jayce: Then you have to come with me. We need to bring you to the hospital to check for injuries.

  Didier: What's going on Ma'am? Why is that restaurant on fire?

  Jayce: Oh…uh.

  She looked back at the burning building for a second.

  Jayce: It seems like you were attacked by a corrupted. But you survived! You're pretty lucky, huh? We just need to bring you to the hospital for a basic check up and… Other things.

  Didier tried to regain his composure.

  Didier: Can you just answer one thing for me?

  Jayce: Sure. I can answer anything.

  Didier pointed to the charred body he saw earlier trying not to look at it.

  Didier: Who's body is that? Who does it belong to?

  Jayce looked back and stared at the body intently. Analyzing it.

  Jayce: It's so badly damaged it would be impossible to identify. However he was right next to you when he died. And he was the only person who was in the building with you. Do you know him?

  Didier shut his eyes for a moment. Clearing his mind and trying to forget about what Jayce said and taking a deep breath.

  Didier: Let's just go to the hospital.