They Both Die at the Start

Chapter 4

00:24

LIDIA

"Shit. Shit shit shit."
Tagoe was the first one to speak, the rest of us too stunned to do anything more than stare.

My heart stopped; my mind barely able to process anything. For a millisecond I callously prayed it wasn't my phone, that it wouldn't be my life ending today. But I knew, before I even looked down and saw my pale pink phone case (an ancient birthday gift from Mateo) innocently vibrating on the table.

My mind world spun out of control, struggling to cope with the unwanted call that would end my life. This couldn't be happening. I had a life to get through and a daughter...i

"You should pick up" Aimee said gently, disrupting my train of thoughts.
I didn't reply
"Lidia answer the phone" she repeated, even though we all knew exactly what the herald would say.
Taking a deep breath in, I stared at my phone, buzzing away on the table, and reached out to pick it up.

Part of me wondered how Mateo felt in this moment. Was he already beginning accepting his death or violently praying there had been some kind of mistake. I wouldn't wish this horrible moment on anyone. Mateo, Rufus, my dear Christian who died before we could seal our vows to each other; they all gave me strength if they could face it so could I.

"Hello?" I answered, awaiting the response which would seal my fate...

00:25

LUCY

"Hello?" Another tentative voice answered my call. For them, this was a once in a lifetime, dreaded event: for me, this was mundane everyday work.

"Hello. I'm calling from Death-Cast. I'm Lucy. Are you there Lidia Vargas?"

There was just static from the other end of the line, a sigh escaped my mouth, but I had been expecting it, when you tell someone they're going to die, what else can you expect?

"Lidia, please confirm this is indeed you."

I was anxious to get home, today had been difficult. Heartbroken mothers having to speak on behalf of their children, a young groom losing his wife before they had the chance to start a family and a life together, an old couple unable to comprehend living without each other. This was meant to be a quick final call, one last decker to help through the process. I was just about to begin speaking again when a tiny voice answered me.

" um yeah, i'm... i' m lidia"

Shocked at the frailness in the voice, I rechecked my sheet. Woah this girl was young, just a year younger than me in fact. I hated this job all the time but it became a whole lot harder when you call people whose whole lives will be shorter than yours had been so far. At least the next bit was easy- I had it memorised like the back of my hand.

"Lidia, I regret to inform you that sometime in the next twenty-four hours you'll be meeting an untimely death. And while there isn't anything we can do to suspend that, you still have a chance to live." I zone out, mindlessly speaking the dull script, trying to imagining what this girl would be going through right now."... Do you understand all of this?"

"yeah"

Every time she spoke, it just got to me. Generally I had become pretty immune to people's pain as they answered the phone but today had been a pretty long day and I guess I was just tired of blocking out people's hurt. I could feel her pain in every waver in her voice, in very breath she took. Some calls just get to you more than others. I glanced again at her sheet and, shit she had a young daughter. Every day I face a different obstacle, every call seems horribly unfair but this poor girl... Lidia... I had to at least try to help her.

Taking a deep breath, I continued with the script wishing its words were more consoling.

"Log into death-cast.com and fill out any special requests you may have for your funeral in addition to the inscription you'd like engraved on your headstone. Or perhaps you'd like to be cremated in which case..."

"how... how do I do this?"

That just about broke me, ignoring the script completely, I held the phone right up against my mouth and whispered.

"Look Lidia I'm really not supposed to be doing this at all but I get off in 1/2 an hour if you want to meet up and talk for a bit. You don't have to I can imagine you probably have a bunch of friends or family you want to spend your time with..."

Realising I was rambling, I quickly stopped talking. Great now I'd messed up my chance of helping this girl and had probably lost my job doing it. So I was pretty stunned to hear Lidia respond.

" yeah that sounds great thanks. im at a bar on 23rd street but I could meet you at the little cafe across the road in an hour?"

"I'll be there"

Returning to my script on last time, as if it would even matter at this point, I say,

"And Lidia, on behalf of everyone here at Death-Cast, we are sorry to lose you. Live this day to the fullest."