Chapter 1 Part 1 A regular day ????

On one fine day, the world decided to bless a guy and this guy is called Mono.

When fine used by anyone including me, means that the day is going very wrong

The sight of the bustling metropolitan being dots of flashing lights like small candles illuminating the glum scenery of greys unable to reach the light of the future.

A man makes a mad dash as his dry bangs like a 360-swing swung uncontrollably as the wind pushed against the direction he is going. A slight thud hit his gaunt shoulders catapulting him almost into getting isekaied by a truck.

"Hey, watch it!!"

"Your unhygienic ass, you just ruined my date outfit" said a slender woman in bright red dress that accompanies her bright red heals clacking as the words of the stranger rings in his head like all the other words many other people have said.

He continued to make a mad dash for his job knowing that being late is not an option.

Reaching the ground of his workplace his legs gave up on him and crashed like a crumbling building. As he lied down on the brown brick road as he gazed upon the poppy garden surrounding the brown brick road. He starts to look upwards seeing a building wrapped around wood making it feel homely with the windows flourished with stained glass depicting children playing in the meadows.

"I don't want to go but I need to go to work..." mono mumbled as he got back up and limped towards the arch entry.

" Good Morning, Mono". He turned and looked at the security guard booth which was filled with light as strong as the sun blinding his eyes however few seconds later he recognized the crimson cap with the words 'I am a survivor'.

" Good morning to you James, when did you start working here ?". He was slightly astounded that James worked as the schools security guard even though he has more potential.

" I've been working here for a month but you keep on ignoring my greeting and jet speeding to work so you might have not noticed me, you know" James uttered in a chipper tone.

" I'm really sorry about that, why don't we catch up after 4pm" Mono suggested as his legs moved on its own inside the school halls while waving his noodle arms.

" Yeah sure, my shift will be over by that time" James waved back at mono with a gummy smile.

Mono walked on autopilot to the changing room. He reached their to be greeted with an empty room covered in milk white walls and lifeless blue lockers drenched in the smell of sweat, fast food and cologne that would win the world's stinkiest smell contest.

He went to his locker where he was welcomed again by drawings of him as a monster and words of disgust towards him written with green spray paint.

As he removed his plain blue shirt which was hanging of his body like it was hanging from a coat hanger his faded skin blended with the walls however the thing that made him stand out was the heliotrope and wine red bruises and scars that adorned his body.

He quickly changed into an orange jumpsuit that Mono thought looked like a prisoners outfit which fits this place because it is a prison for people like him.

He reaches the school toilets to clean the toilets. At seconds notice he was hit with eggs and sticks from the playground. He turns to see people wearing orange jumpsuits towering over him where their eyes shot lasers at him as he was drenched with eggs and paint of multiple colours.

" Hey Mono, Even with all that paint eggs covering your shit face you still look ugly" said Liam snickering as the others cackle at Mono with no regard of his feelings.

" That's why he is assigned to clean the bathrooms dude, shit will always co-exist with shit" said Alden one of Liam's lackeys.

" Dude.... Today we are getting our salaries so let him be and we will celebrate" interrupted an unknown janitor since Mono doesn't know the names of all the janitors. They all maniacally laughed through the hallway while cleaning.

Mono notices something is irritating his skin and sees the paint was mixed with acid and was burning through his jumpsuit. He swiftly went and washed it off immediately making the impact of the acid light .

Mono groans in pain as the acid that affected his skin turned darkened to a reddish brown that has peeled his skin off but he ignores the pain and begins to clean the toilet.

He cleaned the toilets on all the floors for what feels like hours cleaning the children's vomit, blood, poop and piss.

Mono changes back into his plain shirt and grey loose pants that draped over his legs but didn't reach below his ankles that was also just plain but it has more than 4 pockets.

He strolls through the hallways filled with children looking at him with curiosity and disgust while parents avoid even look at him or glare at him in revulsion. Reaching the security guard booth that looks like a crushed tin can with dents everywhere. The booth was completely ultramarine with one open window and a door. James peeped out of the open window as the sky turned from a grey into a fiery orange.

Mono and James go to a park nearby and sat on the park sofa. He activated a hide barrier that prevents people from seeing who is sitting and what they are talking about. "James, you're still wearing that cap?" Mono asked as he sipped on some green tea. "Obviously, who wouldn't wear a cap saying I survived the zombie apocalypse and I am thriving" James stated as he hit the table with his leg. "I'm not exactly thriving but I am at least doing ok you know" James stopped smiling for a minute and gulped his orange juice.

"I'm also in the same boat as you surviving because I don't think being a janitor after studying to be an architect" Mono replied with reassurance that they both are technically failures however he put on a rictus smile. "So, then what are those bruises on your hand" James inquired after seeing the plethora of them on Mono's already lifeless body. "Uhm…. I'm pretty clumsy you know; you saw me fall on the ground this morning right from those things I got these bruises" Monos couldn't stop grimacing but masked it by masking his mouth with his cup.

Mono and James proceeds to talk about games, hobbies and many more as the world around them moves on.

"Eyy, time moves fast when you have fun right" James grinned as he removed the barrier making the moonlight shine on his golden locks.

" I have to go now since I have to go work at my other job" James proceeded to move farther away from the park becoming smaller and smaller in Monos vision. "Ok, bye have a lovely day and stay safe" Mono waved back as his face turned. He slouched as he mumbled "Even though we are somewhat on the same boat we are miles apart so I wonder how did you land up in the same place as me but I hope you find your way in the future".

As he walks through the familiar path back home, he catches a glance at his face on the windows of some random company building. His hair dry, short in the back and had bangs in the front where he lifted to show his big forehead and the starting stages of male patent baldness. His skin was pale covered with red spots, volcanic pimples. His eyes where as blue as the ocean with a blackhole in the centre of it. Even though he had pimples the rest of his skin was dry and peeling.

He thought to himself "Why am I this ugly". "I landed up in this job because people think ugly people are incompetent so I begged my way into being a janitor, who does that". "Most people don't even want to associate or help me; they pity me or they just hate me just because I am just ugly" Mono thought as the day's problems and conversation with James. "James literally has everything I don't have like looks, connections and everything else but I don't even know how he became a security guard, I wish he could use his charm better because its slightly annoying that he could be doing better but just stays here" Mono thinks this but will probably never say this out loud due to fact that he knows everyone's circumstances and understanding of the world is different.

He reaches back home as the night sky has no stars that brightened the sky and the moon being hidden by the clouds that look like cigarette smoke. The apartment he lived in was yellow ochre but in this purplish-blue light looks just poopy brown with all the windows blacked out and only the never-ending staircase with rusting rods illuminated with unnaturally white light that flickered.

He had to hike across the stairs as he groaned in pain to just get to the first floor which had access to the elevators which is an unconventional design for an apartment.

He pressed the metallic and gummy and almost in repair elevator button. He repeatedly pressed the button until the elevator arrived. The elevator arrived and opened to odd yellow wallpaper that is lemon with stripes and flowery pattern with the smell of a hospital and hand sanitizer.

The elevator reached the fifth floor as he walked on a damp carpet with a pattern that is forgettable. The lighting was dimming orange that buzzed in his ears as he reached his house. Ringing the bell, the door opened with a welcoming voice saying "Welcome home son, dinner is ready". His mom walked ahead of him as he entered his home with the smell of Tuna casserole where his father is at the dinner table ready to eat dinner.

As Mono sat at the dinner table his father started the conversation with "Son, how has your day been at work?"

"Today was good, I had talked to my friend from the shelter you know James" Mono talked calmly as he hid his hands under the table to avoid the discussion of where he got the bruises from. "Oh yeah James, he was assigned to the same underground shelter as us, he was a good kid" replied his dad recollecting where he had heard this person.

"Yeah, he used to help the people get people who got supplies from outside and had helped people raise new produce while we had to wait out the apocalypse for 4 years." "You should invite him sometime" said Mono's mother.

Mono eats his food with bliss in his face and finishing the meal in minutes.

"Mono we need groceries for tomorrow so could you go to the grocery store" requested Mono's mother.

"Sure Mom, can you give me the list" answered Mono. His mother with a walking stick slowly inches towards the kitchen counter to take the list as her fingers twitch as she grips the list with her hands gripping the list as she walks back to give the list to Mono. Mono takes the list while holding his mothers hand saying "Thank mom, also don't forget to take the medicine and I will be going now I already booked the cab" Mono says this as he wears his jacket ands walks out the door and the trip downstairs was not met with pain and tiredness but with peacefulness after eating a meal with his parents which is comforting enough.

At this moment Mono didn't know that his world might change at a short notice.