The Day I Started Living

The Day I Started Living (Intro)

You don't come out of your house anymore, don't talk to your "friends," or even talk. Your mother says you have "tattoo depression." You stare at the black inked words on your wrist. September 19th, 2058. This isn't fair! Most people got to live at least 80 years, some even got to live till they were 100, but no, not you, you get to live a measly 17 years. Your death day stares back at you. It was tattooed on your arm when you were born, you are supposed to die exactly 17 years after you were born. What's the point, what's the point of trying to live a good life if it is only going to last 17 years.

You watch your mother walk into your room and set down your lunch in front of you. She doesn't try to talk, she just pats your cheek and gives you a sad smile. You see her death day peeking out beneath the sleeve of her grey sweater. March 21st, 2077. She still has almost 20 years to live, you have one last day. As soon as she leaves, you dump the bowl of soup out the window so that it looks like you ate it and set the bowl by the window. You were always ready to die, you knew it would come earlier than all of your so called friends, but you didn't really care, you just wanted to get this over with. You crawl under the covers of your small bed, and pop the mandatory sleeping pill into your mouth. You slowly start to drift into unconsciousness.

Today is your death day. You are supposed to go to The Building on the Hill for the "ceremony," but you don't care, you just want to die. You don't even bother changing in the morning, you crawl out of bed, wrap your blanket around yourself. and shove your feet into a pair of shoes. Your parents are already in the car. You don't really care much for them, they understood that you just wanted to die, and they gave you space to do that. When you get to the Hill, you walk in the big glass doors and up to the lady at the check out desk.

"Name?"

"Isandra Chandler,"

"Death Day?'

"Yeah....."

"To the left, down the No- Ceremony Hallway, and into room 918, it will be on your left."

You shuffle down the hallway until you see room 918, you are about to walk in when you your feel a hand on your shoulder, it is your father.

"Goodbye," he says with an aplogetic smile. You say nothing and shuffle into the room and slam the door shut. You don't expect them to follow, they aren't allowed to. You see the nurse that will prepare you for your death day, but you say nothing to her, and she says nothing to you. You kick off your shoes and peel off your clothes until you stand there naked.

The nurse makes you lay down inside a cardboard box, she then spreads a white sheet over you entire body, leaving out your right arm. She then takes out a needle and a loaded syringe from the box that just came down the chute, and slides the needle into your arm. You feel the cold liquid enter your veins as the nurse pushes down the plunger. She covers then remaining parts of your body, then puts the lid on the box. You can hear the nurse wrapping the seal over the box.

A sigh escapes you lips as you close your eyes. Finally, the day you have been waiting for since the day you were born. You feel yourself sliding down the body chute, then thump to the ground where the chute ends. You are a bit confused, you should be dead by now, the serum should have worked by now. An entire hour passes with you just lying there, before you realize that something is wrong. You push on the lid of the box, but it doesn't budge.

Shit, the seal.

You start banging on the lid, hoping someone will hear you but nothing. You keep pounding until you fist breaks a whole through the lid of the box. You work at the whole for a half hour until it is wide enough for you to put your head through. You stick you head out.

There is a gun pointed at your forehead.