HOUR ZERO: Countdown To Apocalypse

On a crowded sidewalk, Noah moved through the rushing masses like a faded pixel in an overcrowded image. He stopped in front of a towering glass skyscraper—the headquarters of the software company he worked for.

At that moment, his phone vibrated three times inside his pocket.

Heavy vibrations.

Like hammers reminding him of the debts chasing him everywhere.

Noah’s morning hadn’t begun with peace, but with roaring engines and polluted air filling his lungs. His life wasn’t entirely miserable; there had always been a faint thread of hope pushing him forward…

But he never imagined his ordinary life would completely collapse tonight.

Recently, strange electric stings had begun spreading through his right wrist. Even the vision in his right eye sometimes distorted, as though digital cracks were briefly appearing in reality itself.

He thought exhaustion, endless coding, and sleepless nights were finally consuming his mind.

And visiting a doctor?

That was a luxury he couldn’t afford.

Noah tightened his grip around the report in his hand. To him, it wasn’t just a programming project—it was a final opportunity. A key to survival that might free him from the mountain of debt crushing him since the accident that changed his life forever.

He whispered quietly:

“For her… I’ll do the impossible.”

His phone screamed again.

“Landlord” flashed across the screen like a danger warning.

Noah slapped his forehead, muted the phone, and exhaled heavily.

“I’ll deal with that later.”

Inside the office, the hum of computers mixed with printers and endless keyboard clicks. The desks were packed tightly together like cages, and the air smelled of cheap coffee and exhaustion.

On his black monitor, Noah saw his reflection: sharp features, messy black hair, and piercing blue eyes that looked unnervingly cold—as if they could see through things.

He sat down, cracked his fingers slowly, and his hands immediately began flying across the keyboard. Lines of code flowed before him like a language only he understood.

Minutes later, he pressed the final execute button.

The printer instantly came to life.

He grabbed the papers and walked toward the manager’s office with a small spark of hope still burning inside him.

Knock.

“Come in.”

Noah entered quietly, only to be met with Mr. Henderson’s irritated stare.

“What now?”

Noah placed the file on the desk.

“Sir, this synchronization method could drastically improve server performance. I also developed a game-processing tool after work hours—”

Henderson interrupted him with a scoff.

“So you’ve been wasting company time on nonsense?”

Noah froze briefly.

“It’s not nonsense, sir. The project won’t cost the company anything, and I can build it myself.”

“And what exactly do you want?”

Noah inhaled slowly.

“I’ve worked here for two years. I handle overtime constantly, and I think I deserve—”

“A promotion?”

Henderson laughed coldly.

“You’re just an ordinary employee, Noah. If you think you deserve a promotion, then everyone outside does too.”

Something boiled inside Noah’s chest.

He remembered the sleepless nights, the workloads dumped onto him by lazy coworkers, and the countless unpaid hours spent inside this building.

But Henderson didn’t care.

The manager turned away dismissively.

“Go back to your desk and finish your assignments. Stop wasting my time.”

Noah tried to speak again.

“But sir—”

“Out.”

Noah left while crushing the papers tightly in his hand.

“I sacrificed sleep for this…?”

Quitting terrified him because of the debts.

But staying here was beginning to feel even worse.

He returned silently to his desk.

Then—

The world behind his right eye suddenly tightened.

His breathing stopped.

A sharp pain pierced through his skull like an icy needle stabbing directly into his eye. His vision distorted into trembling, fragmented lines.

“Noah?”

His coworker’s voice sounded muffled, as if underwater.

Noah slowly lifted his head.

The man staggered backward in fear.

“Your eye… man… your eye is glowing!”

At that exact moment, strange words appeared before Noah.

Not on a screen.

But floating in the air itself.

Distorted and fragmented, like a corrupted digital signal trying to break into reality.

[Warning…]

[World Quest Initiated.]

The pain vanished instantly.

But the pulse in his wrist intensified.

Noah stared silently at his hand.

“Was I… imagining that?”

His coworker muttered nervously before quickly returning to his usual fake smile.

“By the way… I’ve got another file for you later.”

Noah looked at him coldly.

“Send it.”

Before he could sit down, Edgar—the manager’s assistant—appeared carrying another stack of files.

He dropped them onto Noah’s desk with a malicious grin.

“Lazy bastard… looks like you’re staying late tonight.”

He walked away laughing softly.

Silence filled the room.

Then—

CRASH!

Noah’s fist slammed into the desk hard enough to shake the monitor.

He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly.

“Just another day…”

Hours passed in suffocating monotony.

As the office lights gradually shut off one by one, Noah remained alone among endless code, files, and dim screens.

He glanced at the clock.

8:55 PM.

A bitter laugh escaped him.

“I should go home…”

Then he whispered:

“What home?”

Suddenly—

The pain returned.

But this time, it wasn’t just pain.

A massive transparent screen materialized before him, glowing with electric blue light.

[World Quest Initiated]

[Countdown to Hour Zero Has Begun]

Noah’s eyes widened as numbers rapidly moved before him:

89 Days / 23 Hours / 59 Minutes / 24 Seconds.

[User Selected]

[Programming the Key…]

His wrist suddenly burned.

Glowing lines spread beneath his skin, moving as though something was engraving itself directly into his body. A complex circle formed, followed by geometric lines extending outward until a strange symbol resembling a key appeared.

Noah stepped backward in shock.

“What the hell is this…?”

Another message appeared.

[Forced Transportation to Floor 0 Will] [Begin]

[Accept]

The word remained floating in the air, pulsing faintly.

Noah passed his hand through the transparent screen.

It was real.

“Forced… transportation?”

The moment he spoke, the world around him trembled violently.

[3]

His body lifted from the floor.

[2]

Gravity vanished.

Papers exploded into the air around him.

“Stop!”

he shouted, but the rising digital hum swallowed his voice whole.

[1]

The world erupted into blinding blue-white light.

And Noah vanished.

The only thing left behind was an empty desk… and a computer monitor still displaying the company’s meaningless files, waiting for an employee who would never return again.