I felt myself sink into the darkness. Despite my strength, I couldn't save them, my family, my lovers, my friends, they all died because of my indecisive behavior at the start of the apocalypse.

My name is Akira Kurosawa, I was called [Humanity's Strongest Weapon] and I was a special type of Human called an Evolver. We could run faster, hit harder and do so for longer than any other Human, but we weren't unrivaled.

On Valentines Day, 2019, a Meteorite came from the sky and hit the Pacific Ocean. The resulting impact didn't cause much damage, even to coastal cities, and the world carried on with their business with the exception of the Governments around the world investigating it.

Unluckily for them, before they could find it, the first infected appeared. From what I remembered the Meteorite was holding a highly adaptable virus which when it came in contact with water became a water-borne virus which spread to the main continents and lay dormant in anyone who came into contact with it.

Finally, the virus spread to the air and infected the rest of the people around the world. After a few months after the meteorite hit the Ocean, every one of Earth passed out while the Virus changed their bodies.

70% of the world became what everyone else would never expect to exist; Zombies. Or as people started to call them, The Infected.

While the other 30% of us gained the ability to Evolve through surviving harsh conditions. There were other ways but most didn't have access to them...Anyway, right now I seem to be dead and drifting to the afterlife.

Honestly, I'm kind of glad, the pressure of being one of the last people alive in a country full of infected was really starting to grind me down despite my strength. Well, you know what they say, one man can only do so much.

But as I felt myself sinking deeper into the dark abyss, I felt something shaking me.

The shaking continued and it was becoming quite violent. In all honesty, it was starting to piss me off. But that was when I heard it--

"...ki..." a soft voice, so soft I could barely hear it was whispering in my ear, "...A...ki...." it was slowly getting louder and I could hear that it had a definite feminine sound to it. For a minute I thought I was in Heaven and an Angel was calling me but for the last time I heard the voice and was greeted by a sight I hadn't thought I'd see ever again.

"Aki!" my eyes shot open and I looked in front of me to see two people. The one to the left was a normal looking teen with black hair and eyes, he had an average build but I could see the toned muscle under his loose shirt showing that he regularly exercised. His face could be seen as above average in looks but his indifferent expression was slightly intimidating to those who didn't know him.

But I knew him.

Looking at him, I couldn't believe my eyes and words failed to form in my mouth.

'This couldn't be...right? Hiro...? But he died shortly after the attack...--!' in my confusion I clutched my head with my arms, not knowing whether this was a dream or whether it was some kind of sick game God was playing on me - reincarnating me into the Hell I had just left.

Before I could sink further into my confusion-filled frustration, a pair of lithe but strong hands grasped the blazer I was wearing and shook me back and forth, "Aki! Answer me! DO! YOU! WANT! TO! EAT! WITH! US!?" I looked up, my heart in my mouth and threatening to burst it's way out.

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I saw a girl with beautiful blue eyes, glaring down at me with a playful smile on her face. Her short brown hair was left loosely hanging from her head and it reached her chin. Her skin was a lovely tan brown and looked incredibly soft, unlike mine--

I looked down and saw my hands. They looked so unbelievably soft compared to what I was used to seeing on my hands, it was like my past 10 years hadn't happened and I had--

"Been transported back in time??" I couldn't help but blurt out, feeling like my eyes would fall from their sockets from the disbelief I felt. I started to think about what was happening while ignoring the confused and worried gazes from the two people in front of me.

The boy in front of me, Hiro, leaned over me with his hand on his chin and a serious expression on his face, "Rui, I think Akira's brain's been ruined by how much chocolate he eats...I think we should take him to the hospital..." he smirked, showing his playful attitude that he only showed around his friends.

"What?!" Rui, the tan girl, didn't seem to understand his sarcasm and instead looked worriedly at me before moving my red hair out of the way and placing her hand on my forehead, "...But he seems fine, Hiro..."

Hiro simply put his head in his hands and sighed before rapping me on the head with his knuckles, "Oi, Akira, you coming to eat with us or not? Rui got some pocket money from her parents because she won that Track Competition...plus, she wants you to reward her~" seconds later, Rui slapped the back of his head, "Ouch! Watch out using that Gorilla strength on me, Gorilla Girl!" Hiro glared at her, looking down on her with the sort of glare you see delinquents pull off in anime.

Rui, hearing his comments, blew up, "You plain-looking bean pole, come here and let me slap some sense into you!" Rui proceeded to chase him around the empty classroom, all while I was thinking more about what had happened to me.

'If - and I really do mean IF - I've been sent back to the start, this is a few days after Rui won her Track Competition as Hiro said, which means it's 5 months until the world passes out and the Infected rise up...' I felt sweat on my back. Not from fear, but from my determination and excitement at having a second chance at the apocalypse, 'I could get it right this time! I could save Hiro and Rui, my family, all of them!'

Suddenly I stood up from my seat which caught Rui and Hiro's attention. I smiled at the two of them, feeling so happy that this wasn't a dream and even if it was, I don't think I'd be very bother...it was a lovely dream after all.

"Let's go and eat then, Rui, Hiro...But you're buying Rui!" I rush over to the two of them and sling my arms around their shoulders, pulling them into me.

Both of them looked up at me weirdly. Hiro raised his eyebrow at me, "What's with the sudden intimacy, Akira? You'd usually act all embarrassed about stuff like this and be much more reserved..." his suspicion was a valid one as I remembered how I was when I was younger; Shy, Timid and Indecisive.

Bad memories came up remembering my past self, but I shook my head and replied to Hiro, "What do you mean, Hiro? Can't I be happy to spend some time with my two precious childhood friends? Plus, school's finished for the next two weeks, so I'm pretty happy about that~" Hiro accepted my answer and laughed along with me.

While Rui seemed fidgety about my close contact with her, plus her pretty face was lit up with a red blush when I said she was precious to me, even if it was only as a friend.

The three of us were on our way out of the school but before we left, I saw a bathroom and quickly excused myself - I had to see something.

I entered the bathroom in a half-jog and quickly rushed to one of the mirrors. What greeted me was a face that was both unfamiliar and familiar to similar degrees.

Blood red hair and emerald green eyes which seemed to shine, pale skin without the blemishes and prominent scars I had after ten years of fighting. My tall figure was still the same at 6'3" but it was lacking all the muscle I'd built up over the years and quite frankly, it looked incredibly weak. Like when you look at an especially long stick that was thin, my body looked quite brittle.

But I shook my head at that negative thought. I had time to build the body back up with the experience I had from my ten years of physical training anyway, so if it looks weak now it doesn't really matter because what really matters is how it looks 5 months from now when the apocalypse starts.

I turned around and quickly used one of the cubicles for my business before washing my hands and rushing back outside to my childhood friends who were impatiently waiting for me.