The Time Cop

The Countdown

Paul leaned back against the crumbling sofa in their empty living room, a bottle of a half-filled beer held in his right hand. He heaved out a sigh and stared at his cat that was purring and scratching the back of its ears.

He hated it when his mother talked about going out and finding her own time cop with the intent of killing him.

Him.

Years back when he was still a boy,  government from across the globe was forced to put a time limit to every individual's life span due to the rapid growth of need and demand of the population. 

The world's resources is barely making it.

Basically, the concept is that every person has a counterpart; your personal time cop.

Time cops are the latest robotic breakout that was released by the Japanese-American union. They only have one gender: male. They'll find you when your time is almost up and will collect your body for the purpose of immediate disposal.

They needed to take action or no human will survive this world.

Barely the age of seven, he had to line up outside the military doors for the chip implanting. The chip holds your information and the time that was given to you by the government. Also, this chip will determine your whereabouts making it easier for your time cop to collect you.

It's the most tragic mass murder plot that is still being carried out.

"I'm just praying to whatever god out there that it's not that damn murderer across the street or I might as well kill myself." his mother went. She's now in her late 50's, half of her hair gray and her body fragile, mind is on the verge of losing it.

"You know you can't do that even if you wanted to." he answered, quietly finishing his beer.

"This damned Earth is cursed, son. I might as well say that if my time cop is anywhere near listenin' to me, I wish that he'd just go to hell and burn for all I care." the woman suddenly gave out a shriek of laugh and fell to her knees, shoulders bobbing up and down.

Paul immediately went up to check on his mom and found her laughing with tears twinkling in her eyes.

Slowly, her bony hand cupped his chin and forced him to look at her in the eye.

"Tell me son, your not my time cop are you?" she asked; he looked at her eyes. afraid of what he might see. The world is in chaos and his mother, the woman he loved so dearly is on the brink of sanity.

"I am your son, ma. I am no robot." he answered as he tucked her hair behind her ears.

"I-i'm afraid son.. I am not ready yet; I'll never be. You--you can't be alone in this god forsaken world son. You can't! Too much trouble! Too much--" she started crying and her tears are now drenching his last white shirt. Paul rose to his feet and brought his mother up along with him.

It's killing him inside, seeing her like this.

Just as he was about to lay her down on her quilt, their front door was shot down. There stood a man, holding his watch that was making a strange beeping sound.

Paul looked at his mother and it slowly dawned on him.

It's either him or her.

"I love you, son." was the last words he heard before his world succumbed to darkness.