edgewright,
Literary: Hour of Death
The year is 2045, it's the 25th of October, this is the day Tuckresoft releases its most ambitious product ever, the Lifewatch. Unlike any ordinary smartwatch, the Lifewatch is a watch that tells you how much time you have left in this world. Critics say it's impossible and nonsensical, but hey, there's no loss in trying.
Two days later, here I am queuing to get my hands on the said watch. Never really expected a lot of people to also get it, but waiting isn't so bad since I already pre-ordered it. A few hours passed and I got mine. As I got home, I eagerly wore it, didn't even have to configure stuff, it automatically displayed my remaining time. It said "Remaining Time: 70 Y: 45 D: 38 M" apparently, I die at age 92, but here's the thing, Tuckresoft said that this can be longer or shorter, depending on my lifestyle and stuff I do.
I then turned on the TV, only to be horrified of the chaos and madness the watch has caused. People left and right, injuring and even killing themselves seeing if the watch actually works. Tuckresoft immediately halted sales and requested owners of the watch to return it to them. I quickly went to bed and lay there, contemplating if I should return the watch or not. I suddenly get a text from my friend, saying we should drive south the next day to stay away from the urban chaos for a while. I said yes and went on to sleep worryingly. The next morning, I prepared the stuff I'm going to bring for this impromptu road trip. Some clothes, snacks, and some essential outdoor stuff. I then stared at the Lifewatch, debating whether I should bring it. A few hours passed and my friend finally arrived. As I was packing inside the car, I then decided to wear the Lifewatch, when suddenly, the Lifewatch ticked and decreased to 65 years from the original 70. My friend then argued that I take it off just until we get back home later. So I did, and placed it on the dashboard of the car, bewildered about it suddenly ticking.
Many miles later, we stopped for gas, while waiting inside the car I just couldn't resist looking at the watch, so I did and to my shock it said "120 minutes remaining". I didn't know what to do, so I just placed it back and ignored it. As my friend got back, I told him to just slow down and cruise on the way. He ignored what I said, assuring me that there's nothing to worry about. As we entered the highway, I felt my heart rate raise, I started to sweat and tremble. With loud music playing, him singing along, and driving very fast. There was no way he's going to hear me, but I tried anyways "maybe we should slow down a bit," I nervously said. "What!?" he replied, "I think maybe you should slow down a bit!" I said, louder than before, he then replied with the same thing. I started to panic inside, this is when I realized that he's been looking at me all throughout our exchange–
A large truck was losing control and loudly skidding on the road was heading towards us. My life flashed before my eyes. Everything suddenly went black, and all I could hear is a high-pitched white noise and the tires’ squeal getting louder and louder. Heavy pieces of metal crushed my legs, shards of glass pierced through my skin, and my body gets tossed around the car. As I felt heat surrounding the car, I slowly opened my eyes, still hearing the white noise, I was trapped inside the car and the smell of gasoline was prominent. As I fully opened my eyes, I was faced by the Lifewatch, partially broken but still working, unable to read with a blurry vision, all I see is a red number counting down. That's when I came to my senses and tried to escape, not being able to move as my legs are broken, I then hear liquid pouring behind me, I kept looking at the Lifewatch to see what it read. Then I saw it 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... And as it hits one I braced myself and pitch black, a muted explosion occurs, flames surround me – Zero.
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