"Who the hell are you?!"

Will exclaimed as he pulled himself back. The blanket that had been covering the two of them dropped to revealed two naked bodies.

"What's wrong Will? Did you have a nightmare?" The young woman asked in confusion, leaning towards Will.

"I'm sorry, I don't know who you are but I need to go." Will said, stumbling out of bed.

The young woman expression suddenly turned from confused to livid. "You're such an asshole! Is this some kind of shitty excuse so that you can have a one-night stand?! I can't believe I actually thought you were different. Wendy was right about you!" She screamed as she got out of bed and grabbed a bundle of clothes on the floor. She tried to hurl it into Will's face but he reacted, catching the bundle. "Get the hell out of my house you piece of shit!"

"What?" Will couldn't make anything out of the situation he was in.

"GET OUT!!"

What the hell is going on? Will thought as he left the bedroom.

He found a bathroom to get himself dressed. Will looked in the mirror and found a young version of himself staring back at him. His fit build from years of mandatory training and evolution had changed back into a slightly chubby one. His youthful skin was smooth once again and the crewcut he had gotten used to having changed into a pompadour fade with blond highlights with his natural black hair.

She really sent me back... As he was washing his face, Will heard Cantonese being spoken from the young woman's room.

"Mom? Everything's fine. How's the trip? What did dad say? Okay. The two of you will be back in an hour?! Of course I kept the house clean, mom. No, I didn't have any friends over. Yes...I did all my homework."

Although Will hadn't heard or even spoken the language in a long time, he still understood what was being said. The young woman was still on the phone after he finished cleaning himself up, so Will went downstairs and quietly left the house.

Will stepped outside into a slightly chilly Toronto air. The snow was melting but some larger patches could be seen here and there. Will had a feeling of deja vu as he left the neighbourhood and found a bus stop at the end of the block. Now that he had the chance to finally sit down and process all that had happened.

Thinking about how Sara had willingly taken the Adephagia Virus and sacrificed herself to send him back, Will's feelings overwhelmed him and he ended up missing the bus that stopped by as he sat there in a daze.

When he finally composed himself, he found his ancient Universe S31 6G smartphone in his jeans and opened it up to find the date was March 21, 2027.

15 years...Will ruminated before he checked his text messages.

Mom

Don't stay up late!

Yesterday

Donny boy

hows teh date 🍆?

Yesterday

Celia Li

im at the square

Yesterday

Mikeyboy

You: im ded 🤣

Fri

Calvin Robinson

You: yo thats dope af

Fri

A A Ron

brb

Thurs

Big Sis

caseys1stwords.mp4

Wed

That was Celia Li? Will recalled having a girlfriend named Celia but after so many years and all that he had gone through in the future, he had completely forgotten about her, let along what she looked like. Will couldn't even remember most of his friends as he scrolled down his contact list.

Beep! A loud honk brought him back from his daze.

Will looked up to see a bus driver gesture inside. "You getting on?"

"Yeah, sorry."

Stepping onto the bus and to the annoyance of a few passengers, took his time finding his bus pass. Almost all of the passengers were wearing face masks. Alerted, Will found one in his jacket pocket and put it on. He checked the news feed on his phone and found mention of a COVID-19 Sigma variant.

Will soon found himself in front of his old apartment building. It was a long walk down memory lane, making his way through the building. When he finally reached the fourth floor, he felt more melancholic the closer he moved towards number 405. As Will was struggling to find the right key to the suite, the door opened.

"Oh, you're back." A middle-aged woman greeted him in Cantonese. "How was the sleepover at Donny's house?"

"Mom..." Will responded in English, feeling an inexplicable emotion welling up inside him after seeing a person that he never thought he'd see again. In his first life, he had been outside at the time of the outbreak. He ended up seeking shelter in a nearby community center with other survivors while his mom was alone at home. He never saw her again after that.

"What's wrong with you?"

Will pulled her into an warm embrace. "I'm just glad to see you."

"What? Did you spend all your money again? Didn't you just get your paycheck? I'm not giving you anything." His mom pulled away and started wagging her finger at him.

"No, it's not like that."

"I keep telling you to save your money but you don't listen."

She's still the same as ever. Will couldn't help but smile nostalgically while he was being berated.

After getting a lecture from Mama Lee about financial responsibility, Will finally got the chance to go into his room and get some time to himself in order to think. Sitting down at his computer desk, Will looked over at his calendar.

Today is March 21st. I have until July 11th. Almost four months.

Will had four months to plan and prepare before the virus outbreak. Tightening his fist he resolved to change the future. He was powerless last time. He couldn't let the same outcome play out again this time around.

Sara expects me to save the world but I'd be happy if I could just keep everyone I know from dying again.

He turned on his personal computer and began to search up things that might be important. He began making a list of anything he needed to do and buy before the summer.

First, I need funds. A lot. He realized when he took a look at his bank account balance before looking down at his gut and giving it a slap. And a gym membership.

"William!" His mom called out to him from the living room. "Don't you have to get to work?"

Damn, isn't it spring break? He opened his door and asked, "where do I work at again?"

"What are you talking about? Down the street!" She pointed and looked at him as if he was out of his mind.

"Oh."

"You should go, you're going to be late." She said before turning back her drama on the TV. He closed the door to change but he could still hear his mom muttering to herself. "Crazy boy. Something is really wrong with him today. Playing video games all night."

After getting changed, Will rushed out the apartment in a hurry.

"I'm going, mom. Love you."

"Okay, okay." She waved him off as she focused on a particularly dramatic scene with a woman in a hospital gown kissing a man in the rain.

On the way out, Will ran into his dad, who had just come back from running a few errands. After a heartfelt hug, he ran off to work, leaving his bewildered dad behind.

"What's wrong with William?" Papa Lee asked Mama Lee when he walked inside. "Does he need money?"

"Don't give him any. Ignore him."

Will arrived at the Costlo Wholesale down the street. When he entered, a young woman he didn't recognize working at the cash register gave him the stink eye. Completely forgetting what his job was, he decided to go to the changing room first to drop off his things. On his way, he ran into a familiar face coming out of the break room.

"Celia..."

She flinched for a moment but continuing walking on as if he didn't exist.

What have I gotten myself into...