Life, Once Again!

Prologue

Beep beep beep!

A bus darted down the road, its horn blaring frantically. First swerving left, then hard to the right... Whoever drove it had clearly lost control of the vehicle. The speed it accumulated threatened to flip it over at any time. The other drivers on the road frantically stopped their cars to avoid it.

The bus crossed several lanes in the road before forcing its way up onto the empty sidewalk.

Bang!

The bus came to an abrupt halt as it slammed into an electric pole, which promptly fell down onto the vehicle. The people nearby got out of their cars and started gathering around the now wrecked bus. The doors of the bus opened, with the passengers inside spilling out with a panicked look.

"Someone call 119!" A shout come amidst the escapees.

"The driver's dying!"

October 3rd, 2031.

A bus driver by the name of Han Maru passed away. He was 45 on the day of his death.

* * *

What were your regrets in life?

It was the first thing on Maru's mind as he opened his eyes. He heard the sound of waves crashing against the beach near him. A cool breeze washed over his face as he sat up to look around.

Where was he?

"You're awake. I was just about to wake you up." A voice of a woman came up from behind him, confusing him even more.

"This is..." Maru trailed off.

Thankfully, the woman seemed to know exactly what he was confused about.

"You'll know where you are in a second. Just think."

Maru understood his situation as soon as he heard the woman in the white shirt. He found himself being quite amazed by his realization, but immediately ended up looking a bit bitter.

"So I died." Maru confirmed.

The woman simply affirmed his suspicions. "Yes, you did."

"Are you an angel?" Maru asked with a curious look.

The woman smiled wryly at the question. "Sort of. Some call me an angel, others, the grim reaper. Titles aren't very important though. What I'm about to say now is."

The woman started walking forward with fairly wide steps. Maru paced himself a little bit faster than usual to try and keep up. After around a minute of walking, they came across the sole parasol in the entire beach.

The woman motioned onto the chair underneath. "Please, sit."

And so Maru did. The woman continued after sitting down on a chair herself. "Mr. Han, you died precisely on October 3rd, 11:23:14. Do you remember how you died?" Surprisingly enough, Maru could remember it.

"Yes," he responded.

Maru recalled the event almost as if it were a distant memory. He was driving the bus to its final stop. Just then, something came flying down the road, making a beeline towards him. It broke through the front window, slamming into his chest before falling down next to his seat. If he remembered correctly, it was something that resembled a hammerhead.

He felt his breathing weakening rapidly, followed by gradually loss of his motor control.

Maru stepped on the brakes and swerved onto the empty sidewalk-- he had to keep the passengers safe. At the time, making a stop at the sidewalk seemed like the best course of action. And then... nothing. He found himself at this place the next time he woke up. This led to one question in his mind.