Hey, I'm Lenny.

I'm 19, still in high school, and just your regular guy—except not the kind of "regular" you're probably thinking of.

You see, I mind my business. Always.

If my classmate is getting bullied? Not my problem. If my parents are arguing? Not my concern. If someone gets robbed in front of me? Well, they didn't rob me, so why should I care? You might call me a coward. A selfish bastard. Maybe I am. But in the end, it's my life, and I don't owe anyone a damn thing.

That's how I've lived so far. And honestly? It's worked out just fine.

But today… something feels weird.

---

I sat in the back of a yellow taxi as we drove across a long bridge. The city lights flickered in the distance, and the night air smelled like rain. I was just trying to get home after another long day of doing nothing but surviving high school.

The taxi driver was a middle-aged man with a tired face, humming along to an old radio song. I wasn't paying much attention to anything—just watching the road blur past—when suddenly, the car came to a dead stop.

SCREEECH!

I snapped forward as the driver cursed under his breath.

"What happened?" I asked, rubbing my neck.

The driver pointed ahead.

A yellow police tape stretched across the road, and beyond it, I saw the bridge was completely broken. A section had collapsed, and right at the edge of destruction, a school bus teetered dangerously.

"Well, looks like the bridge is out," the driver muttered. "They say the kids got out, but… maybe some are still inside."

I nodded absentmindedly.

"Well, we should turn back."

The driver sighed. "Yeah, of course."

Just as he put the car in reverse, a small voice rang out.

"Teacher! Please save me!"

A little girl's cry pierced the air, and my breath hitched.

For some reason, my body froze.

Then, something buried deep in my mind came rushing back.

"Uncle! Please save me!"

I saw it— a younger version of myself, hanging from a cliff, screaming for help.

Then… darkness.

My heart pounded. My stomach twisted.

I didn't understand why… but my legs moved on their own.

I threw open the taxi door and ran forward.

"Hey, kid! What the hell are you doing?!" the driver yelled.

The police tried to block me, but I shoved them aside. I didn't care.

I climbed into the bus just as the structure beneath it groaned. The vehicle tipped slightly, and my stomach flipped.

There, sitting near the back seat, was a terrified little girl clutching a teddy bear.

She was crying.

The bus tilted forward.

Shit.

I grabbed her by the waist and threw her toward the police. One officer barely caught her in time.

I exhaled. That's it. Time to get out.

Then…

The bus lurched forward.

The world blurred.

And in an instant… I was falling.

---

The only thing I could hear was the roar of the wind as I plummeted.

What the hell did I just do?!

I didn't even think. My body just moved on its own.

And now?

Now, I was going to die.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact.

Then…

Everything went black.

---

When I opened my eyes, I was standing on an endless staircase.

Each step was cold and stretched into infinity, disappearing into dark mist.

I blinked.

"Did… did I survive?"

I took a step forward. My feet felt weightless.

Wait, no… this doesn't make sense.

Wasn't I crushed by the bus?!

I kept walking, heart pounding, until a massive portal appeared above me.

It pulsed with eerie blue light, and at the top, I saw something written in bold, glowing letters:

H-D

Before I could process it, the portal pulled me in.

I tumbled forward, my body twisting through some invisible force, and the next thing I knew—

I was somewhere else.

---

The first thing I noticed was the smell.

The air was thick with something rotten, like decayed wood and old paper.

I looked around.

I was standing in a vast, dimly lit hall. The walls were lined with floating bookshelves, but the books were tattered and moving on their own.

Strange, shadowy figures walked around—some floating, some dragging themselves across the floor, others whispering in an unknown language.

A loud voice suddenly boomed.

"WELCOME TO H-D, NEW ARRIVALS!"

I jumped.

A large floating eye hovered above me, staring right into my soul.

I stumbled back. "W-What the hell is H-D?!"

The eye blinked, then spoke in a deep, echoing voice.

"H-D… stands for Haunted Department. You, dear guest, have died. But worry not—your journey has just begun."

I felt my blood freeze.

"No. That's not possible," I whispered.

I pressed my hand to my chest—I could feel my heartbeat.

I was alive. Wasn't I?

I turned, trying to find an exit, but the room stretched endlessly.

Ghosts… spirits… creatures that I couldn't even describe stared at me.

Some were laughing.

Some were weeping.

And some… were watching me hungrily.

I took a step back.

"What the hell is this place?!" I yelled.

The floating eye chuckled.

"This, my dear Lenny, is the afterlife. And you… have been assigned to the Haunted Department."

I felt a cold sweat break down my neck.

I turned back to the portal behind me. Maybe if I ran, I could—

It vanished.

My stomach dropped.

I was trapped.

The floating eye lowered itself until it was inches from my face.

It grinned.

"Welcome to your new job."

---

To Be Continued…