"The instinct to survive is human nature itself"

***

Alan was in a daze as his brain was still processing what had just happened.

The change was so abrupt and contrasting that it took him some time to recover his bearings. He only came into reality when his thoughts were disrupted by the sound of the school bell.

It had been a while since he last heard the familiar sound.

Alan raised his head, casting his gaze around him. Nostalgia quickly hit him as he noticed a very familiar sight. The same room engraved in his memory was the classroom he taught many years ago.

"Mr. D, are you alright?"

Alan was taken aback by the voice. He instinctively knew whose voice it was, but there was no way it could be true.

Just a few minutes ago, this young man died in his arms. Daniel Judge, the youngest member of his squad, who joined the Apocalypse Game in Year 6.

Immediately, His eyes swiftly glanced at a rectangular digital clock on the table in front of him.

[13.00; October 1, 2034]

His eyes blinked again. He rubbed them once more, before looking intently at the year displayed on the digital clock. Various emotions immediately welled up in his mind.

"Three years..." Alan muttered under his breath, just to be sure what he saw was real.

"Sorry?" Daniel asked, clearly confused by Alan's muttering. "Mr. D, are you okay?"

Alan was silent, or rather, he couldn't utter a word. His mind was still trying to comprehend the absurdity of the situation.

His throat felt dry, his heart pounded like it was about to explode.

"I… I was rewarded with time travel to the past? Back to 3 years ago?" Alan muttered in disbelief. "How could this be possible?"

At that time, Alan was still working as a physics teacher at Mount Vernon High in New York.

The Alien invasion had caused chaos allowing him to be accepted as a teacher while being only 22 and he had been teaching for three years before joining the deadly game himself in a few months, January 2035.

Thinking about the year, a figure very dear to him suddenly appeared in his mind.

"Three years…" Alan muttered again. "This means… she…."

Lighting struck his mind, as Alan quickly dashed out of the classroom, leaving Daniel and the other students present in a state of confusion.

Walking out of the school's premises, Alan quickly grabbed the first bike he could find and pedalled, rushing down the road at top speed.

The streets were still bustling with pedestrians on the sidewalks and many cars passing by. Everything seemed 'normal'. People were still busy with their usual daily activities as if nothing had happened.

All appeared normal if not for the sight of the enormous starship that almost covered the entire sky above the city.

In fact, similar sights could be witnessed in the 100 largest cities in the world.

Five years ago, all these enormous starships suddenly appeared out of nowhere and have been hovering in the sky ever since.

With their advent, panic and chaos began to set in all over the world. The fall of the stock market, public upheavals and societal chaos forced various governments across the globe to take extreme measures to deal with the emergency.

Martial law was declared and, eventually, after a few months, the order was restored as people started to return to their daily lives. Humans eventually adapt to their circumstances in order to survive.

As Alan rode the bike next to Central Park, his eyes looked at the pyramid-shaped metal construct that stood in the place where the so-called Apocalypse Game would be held. Naturally, the Aliens built the constructions in the first year of their arrival on Earth.

Everything was real, clear and exactly the same as what it was in his memory.

Alan briefly glanced at the people he passed by and inwardly lamented. Even though everything seemed to have returned to normal, he knew this calm would soon turn to chaos once again.

He remembered that in Year 5 of the Apocalypse Game, the government would announce a shocking policy that rocked society as a whole.

Through the participation of the Apocalypse Game over the years, there have been too many casualties of soldiers, scientists and those chosen for their survival skills. In the end, they were in short supply of the 'experienced' people, so the government was forced to summon citizens at random to participate in this deadly game.

Everyone aged 17 to 50 was included in what society later claimed as the apocalypse games lottery. Alan's name would be in one of those lotteries.

Today, however, was not the time to worry about such matters. After cycling for about an hour, Alan finally arrived at his destination.

A large building painted white was standing in front of him.

"Bellevue Hospital…" Alan heaved a sigh. "I didn't expect to ever come back to this place."

Alan walked through the hospital corridors, his steps echoing in his ears. His heart was beating very, very fast. If he really went back in time three years ago, he was about to see her again.

"Room 2603", Alan muttered as he stopped in his tracks. He would never forget this room number, as he used to visit the place almost every day. To visit his daughter, Arria D Angelo.

"Daddy!"

The lovely sound of a girl sounded in the air as Alan opened the hospital room door. A girl five years old was lying on a hospital bed, but she immediately became excited and energetic when she saw Alan.

As for Alan, this was probably the happiest day he had ever been in his life. Without the slightest hesitation, he approached the little girl and gave her a warm and tight hug.