The Second chance

Rath wakes up in his apartment, the taste of ash and the memories of decaying faces and lifeless eyes vivid in his mind.

He has been given a second chance, a chance to change the course of events that led to the apocalypse. The world he knows is only weeks away from being consumed by a plague that turns humans into mindless zombies.

Rath, has no illusions about saving humanity. Facing constant betrayal and losing his loved ones and friends one by one, he cant go through it again. His only goal now is to figure out if what he saw was real and he really came to the past or if its all a bad nightmare, but what he does know is that in case its true his goal now is survival.

Rath swung his legs over the side of the bed, the creak of the wooden floor grounding him in the present. His apartment was a snapshot of the past: cluttered with books, discarded clothes, and the lingering smell of instant coffee. The calendar on the wall read April 2nd, 20XX—just a few weeks before the end of the world as he knew it.

He steadied himself against the wall, his mind spinning. This wasn't a dream. He had been given another shot, but not to save humanity—he had no illusions about that. Humanity was a lost cause, a species too foolish, too selfish to deserve saving. His goal was simple: survival.

Fumbling with the television remote, he turned on the news. The anchors droned on about political scandals and celebrity gossip.

There was no mention of the virus yet, but Rath knew it was only a matter of weeks before the first cases appeared, signaling the rapid descent into chaos.

His phone buzzed with a message from his sister, Tara: "Coffee later?"

She had no idea that she had only two months left to live. Rath's throat tightened at the thought, but he quickly pushed the emotion aside. There was no room for sentimentality.

Grabbing a notebook, he began scribbling furiously—supplies to stock up on, safe locations, every critical detail he could remember from the last year of hell. Every encounter, every betrayal, every place that had offered even a fleeting moment of safety. This time, he wouldn't be caught off guard.

A knock at the door startled him, and he froze, pen poised above the paper. The knock came again, more insistent. Rath approached the door cautiously and peeked through the peephole. It was Tara, her auburn hair a disheveled halo around her worried face.

"Rath, are you in there? I've been texting you!"

He opened the door, and she stepped inside, her eyes wide with concern. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Rath ran a hand through his hair, trying to gather his thoughts. "I'm fine. Just... rough night."

"More like rough year," she said, glancing around the cluttered apartment. "This place is a mess. You really need to take better care of yourself."

He forced a smile. "I will. Soon."

Tara sighed and reached for the TV remote, flipping through channels. "You need to get out more. Come on, let's get that coffee."

Rath hesitated. He couldn't afford to waste time. "I can't. Not today."

She frowned, crossing her arms. "You've been saying that for weeks. What's going on with you?"

He took a deep breath. "Tara, you need to listen to me. Something bad is happening. A virus. It's going to spread fast, and people are going to die."

She stared at him, disbelief etched on her face. "Rath, that sounds crazy. Where are you getting this from?"

"A friend of mine that works with viruses told me that something is happening."

Rath said trying his best to come up with an excuse to tell her so that she would believe him.

Tara shook her head slowly. "What do you mean, a friend?"

Rath grabbed her shoulders, his voice laced with desperation. "Tara, please. Just stock up on supplies. Stay away from crowded places. Promise me."

Her expression softened slightly, more out of pity than belief. "Okay, Rath. I will."

Rath has never lied to her, so she doesn't think he is doing it now either, but she still finds it hard to believe.

He nodded, relief flooding through him as she left as he was finally able to think about what just happened a bit more, he didn't mean to scare Tara, she's his only living family member and so the thought of her dying again made him be un rational and tell her about the danger without thinking it through properly.

She was always there for him when he needed her, taking on a role of caregiver when there was no one else that took care of them.

As the door closed behind her, Rath leaned against it, the weight of what lay ahead pressing down on him. He had a second chance, but time was running out.

He had to be smarter, faster, more prepared. This time, he would survive. No matter what it took.