The King Of The Apocalypse

Post- apocalypse rebirth

“If only I could live again… Just one more chance….. I want to live! I want them all to suffer!” Marcus screamed his lungs out before the darkness swallowed him.

Just after everything went completely dark. Marcus feels himself in a completely different life. 

"Elena, I know this might come as a surprise, but I've loved you for a long time. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Marcus's eyes suddenly opened.

He was kneeling on one knee, holding a bouquet of red roses in front of a woman standing before him.

A crowd had gathered around them. Some people were laughing, while others whispered among themselves, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Marcus stared at the woman.

Elena Voss, in her beautiful dress and mini skirt. The expression on her face was anything but pleasant.

"What are you doing, Marcus?"

He blinked. Trying to bring himself back to reality.

This is the reception hall of Aurora Tower and the familiar faces of his former colleagues.

Everything looked exactly as he remembered it in his previous life before the apocalypse.

“Wasn't I supposed to be dead?” Marcus asked himself. 

Marcus quickly looked down at his hands. They were clean, without the injuries and exhaustion he remembered and his clothes were also different.

He was wearing the same formal shirt and trousers he had worn during his confession to Elena years ago.

His heart began pounding.

What's happening?

He instinctively pinched his arm and pain shot through his skin.

This wasn't a dream.

Marcus quickly reached for his phone and checked the date. 

17 August 2100.

His eyes widened.

Fifteen days.

The apocalypse was still fifteen days away.

He has returned to the past!

"Marcus, are you listening to me?"

Elena's irritated voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

She folded her arms, looking down at him with an expression of disgust.

"I've already told you not to bother me again. How many times do I have to reject you before you understand? I will never accept you."

A few people burst into laughter.

"Poor Marcus. He's still trying?"

"Didn't Elena reject him last week?"

"Maybe he thinks kneeling will change her mind."

Elena rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, you're embarrassing yourself. I don't understand why you keep wasting your time on me."

Marcus stared at her.

The woman standing before him was the same person who had watched him die without the slightest concern.

He remembered her kiss with Derek, her confession and the way she had laughed at his desperation.

A cold expression settled on his face.

Without saying anything, he lowered the bouquet and dropped it into the nearby waste bin.

The laughter immediately stopped.

Elena frowned.

"What are you doing?"

Marcus stood up and brushed his knees.

"Nothing. The flowers weren't meant for you anyway."

He turned and started walking away.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then whispers broke out across the reception hall.

"What?"

"Did Marcus just throw away the flowers?"

"Is something wrong with him?"

Everyone knew how much Marcus liked Elena. For three years, he had followed her around, bought her gifts and done almost everything she asked.

Yet, he had just thrown away the flowers he had brought for her.

Elena's expression darkened.

"Marcus!"

He ignored her.

Elena quickly stepped in front of him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Marcus looked at her impatiently.

"Move."

Elena stared at him in disbelief.

"Do you think you can humiliate me and walk away just like that? If you propose another ninety nine times, perhaps I'll consider giving you a chance. But after what you've just done, I'll make you confess a thousand times before I even think about accepting you."

A few people laughed.

They expected Marcus to apologize.

After all, that was what he always did.

But Marcus only looked at her with irritation.

"Are you finished?"

Elena's smile disappeared.

"What?"

"I said, are you finished talking?"

Her face turned red.

"You..."

Before she could continue, Marcus raised his hand and slapped her.

Smack!

The reception hall fell silent.

Elena staggered slightly, holding her cheek.

Nobody moved.

Marcus looked at her coldly.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't come here to beg you."

He reached into his pocket and brought out his wallet.

"Since we're no longer together, I want my money back."

Elena stared at him.

"Your money?"

"Yes. Everything I've spent on you."

He began listing the gifts he could remember.

"The designer handbags, the jewelry, the clothes, the phone I bought you last Christmas, the expensive dinners and the money I transferred whenever you claimed you needed help."

Elena's expression changed.

"Marcus, you gave me those things willingly!"

"Of course. I gave them to someone I believed was my girlfriend. But since you have made it clear that you never intended to be with me, there's no reason for you to keep enjoying the benefits."

He turned toward the people watching.

"Some of you have witnessed how much I've spent on her over the years. I never asked for anything in return because I believed we were building a future together. Now that we're done, I want my money back."

Elena looked around nervously.

She had never expected him to bring their private affairs into public.

"You're being ridiculous! Nobody forced you to buy me anything!"

"Then you shouldn't have accepted them while pretending to love me."

Marcus took out his phone.

He opened his banking records and showed her several transactions.

"Let's settle this. Five hundred thousand dollars. That's what I want back."

Elena's eyes widened.

"Five hundred thousand?"

"Yes."

"I don't have that kind of money!"

"Then return what you can."

Elena quickly searched through her handbag and brought out some cash.

"This is all I have with me."

Marcus glanced at the money.

It was barely a fraction of what he had spent on her.

He accepted it without argument.

"Fine. Consider this the beginning of your repayment."

Elena's face twisted with anger.

"You can't be serious!"

Marcus put the money away.

"I've been serious about you for three years. That was my mistake."

Just then, Derek Kane approached from the corridor.

He had witnessed the commotion and immediately moved toward Elena.

"What's going on here?"

Elena quickly stepped beside him.

"Derek, look at what he's doing! He's humiliating me in front of everyone simply because I refused to accept his proposal."

Derek's expression hardened as he looked at Marcus.

"Have you lost your mind?"

Marcus said nothing.

Derek continued, "Elena has been giving you chances to pursue her, but that doesn't mean you have the right to embarrass her like this."

Marcus almost laughed.

Giving him chances?

He remembered how many times Elena had used those exact words to make him spend more money on her.

"That's between me and her. You don't need to interfere."

Derek stepped closer.

"Watch your mouth. You're still an employee of Aurora Tower."

"Not for much longer."

Derek frowned.

"What did you say?"

"Actually, I was just about to resign."

Derek looked at him with contempt.

"Good. I was going to fire you anyway. We don't need employees who behave like this."

Elena immediately smiled.

"That's right, Derek. He needs to learn that he can't treat people however he wants. Maybe when he realizes what he's lost, he'll come begging for forgiveness."

She turned toward Marcus.

"Don't worry. If you apologize properly, perhaps I can convince Derek to let you keep your job."

Marcus stared at her.

Then he spoke calmly.

"Let me make something clear. I'm the one ending this relationship, and I'm the one leaving this job. Neither of you is doing me a favour."

Derek's expression darkened.

"Get out of my sight."

Marcus nodded.

"Gladly."

He reached into his pocket, removed his employee identification card and dropped it on the nearby table.

"Consider this my resignation."

Without another glance, he turned and walked away.

Behind him, Elena continued complaining while Derek tried to comfort her.

And Marcus didn't care.

For the first time in three years, he was finally free.

………….

The moment Marcus stepped outside Aurora Tower, a strange electronic voice suddenly echoed inside his head.

Ding!

[Host selection in progress…]

Marcus stopped walking.

And a blue screen appeared before his eyes. Displaying…. 

[System initialization successful.]

[The Apocalypse Reaper System has selected its host.] 

[Congratulations, Marcus Hays!]

Marcus stared at the floating screen.

His heart began beating faster.

He just  returned fifteen days before the apocalypse and now something called a system appeared before him.

A slow smile formed on his face.