MidReal Story
Chapter One LEO “Leo, it’s time to get up. We’re almost at the station.” I shake my head, trying to clear the fog from my brain as I blink up at the driver. I must have dozed off. I smack my lips together, my mouth as dry as the desert. “Here.” He hands me a bottle of water. “You look like you need it.” I give him a weak smile. “Thanks.” He nods and goes back to staring out the windshield. The rest of the taxi is silent, except for the soft hum of the engine. I take a long drink of water, swallowing again and again, trying to quench my thirst. The driver was right. I did need it. I look down at my watch and frown. It’s blinking a bright red, the word “WARNING” flashing in and out in time with my heart. I don’t have much time left. I shove open the car door. “Keep the change,” I call over my shoulder as I stagger onto the sidewalk. All around me, people are hurrying about their day, their footsteps loud on the pavement. For a moment, I’m paralyzed by panic. My life is collapsing around me, and no one even knows. No one can even see it. I press my hand against my chest and take a deep breath. I’m okay. I just need to keep it together. I start walking toward my office, my feet heavy on the pavement. A large group of people spills out of a nearby coffee shop, their laughter loud in my ears. A young woman with a long braid and big brown eyes bumps into me as she walks past. “Sorry!” she calls over her shoulder as she hurries away. “No problem,” I mumble. But there is a problem. There’s a big problem. My problems are so big that they might be the last problems I’ll ever have. I shake my head and try to push those thoughts away. Today isn’t the day to risk anything. I need to be safe. I need to be cautious. Today is the day to do my job, just like every other day has been for the past five years. Every day, until today, I’ve been told that I have 6,570 days left to live. Sixteen years. But today, everything changed. Today, I only have one day left. ONE DAY How can that be possible? How did that happen? How can this be happening? I walk through the automatic glass doors of my building and make my way to the elevator bank. Normally, there’s a crowd of people waiting for an elevator this time of morning, but today there’s only one woman in a crisp white shirt and dark skirt. She glances up at me as I approach and gives me a polite smile, but there’s something in her eyes that makes me shiver. She knows something is wrong. She knows that I’m not okay. I turn away from her and stare at the floor indicator above the elevator doors. The numbers blink in time with my racing heartbeat.
Scenario: In a world where everyone's life expectancy is displayed above their heads, Leo, a risk-averse accountant, discovers his suddenly drops to one day.
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Chapter OneLEO“Leo, it’s time to get up. We’re almost at the station.”I shake my head, trying to clear the fog from my brain as I blink up at the driver. I must have dozed off. I smack my lips together, my mouth as dry as the desert.“Here.” He hands me a bottle of water. “You look like you need it.”I give him a weak smile. “Thanks.”He nods and goes back to staring out the windshield. The rest of the taxi is silent, except for the soft hum of the engine.I take a long drink of water, swallowing again and again, trying to quench my thirst. The driver was right. I did need it.I look down at my watch and frown. It’s blinking a bright red, the word “WARNING” flashing in and out in time with my heart.I don’t have much time left.I shove open the car door. “Keep the change,” I call over my shoulder as I stagger onto the sidewalk.All around me, people are hurrying about their day, their footsteps loud on the pavement. For a moment, I’m paralyzed by panic. My life is collapsing around me, and no one even knows.No one can even see it.I press my hand against my chest and take a deep breath. I’m okay. I just need to keep it together.I start walking toward my office, my feet heavy on the pavement. A large group of people spills out of a nearby coffee shop, their laughter loud in my ears. A young woman with a long braid and big brown eyes bumps into me as she walks past.“Sorry!” she calls over her shoulder as she hurries away.“No problem,” I mumble. But there is a problem. There’s a big problem. My problems are so big that they might be the last problems I’ll ever have.I shake my head and try to push those thoughts away. Today isn’t the day to risk anything. I need to be safe. I need to be cautious. Today is the day to do my job, just like every other day has been for the past five years.Every day, until today, I’ve been told that I have 6,570 days left to live.Sixteen years.But today, everything changed.Today, I only have one day left.ONE DAYHow can that be possible? How did that happen? How can this be happening?I walk through the automatic glass doors of my building and make my way to the elevator bank. Normally, there’s a crowd of people waiting for an elevator this time of morning, but today there’s only one woman in a crisp white shirt and dark skirt.She glances up at me as I approach and gives me a polite smile, but there’s something in her eyes that makes me shiver. She knows something is wrong. She knows that I’m not okay.I turn away from her and stare at the floor indicator above the elevator doors. The numbers blink in time with my racing heartbeat.
I only have one day left to live. How is that even possible?The elevator doors open with a soft ding, and I step inside. As soon as the doors close, I lean against the wall and close my eyes. The woman on Fifth Avenue wasn’t the only one who noticed that something was wrong with me. The elevator’s twelve-second descent to the lobby is excruciatingly slow, and I’m sure that every one of my coworkers will be able to tell that I’m not okay when the doors open again.When I get to my office, everything will change. My boss will be there, and she’ll know what happened. She’ll know why my life expectancy has suddenly dropped to one day. She’ll know everything.And then she’ll tell me what to do next.I have a sudden urge to find my friend Maya, but I don’t even know where she sits anymore. A few months ago, she moved to a different department and we haven’t talked much since then. Still, I’ve always liked Maya. She’s friendly and adventurous, and whenever she was around, everything seemed more fun.I used to secretly wish that I could be more like her.“Maya is in the break room,” the woman’s voice startles me so much that I jump.I whirl around to face her. The same woman from outside is standing by the elevator doors, her brown eyes fixed on me.“How did you…?” My voice trails off as I take in her appearance. She’s tall with wild coppery hair that spills down her back in loose waves. Her light blue blouse looks like it’s made of silk, and it’s unbuttoned low enough to show off a silver heart-shaped necklace.
