Julia would always drift-off so quickly, he was envious. He had rolled over, but had been listening to her light breathing for what seemed like hours now. Joris couldn’t sleep. It had been 4 years since his uncle had died, but the image of his face still haunted him occasionally when his mind wondered. It always gave him mild lingering anxiety whenever he was reminded of what happened that day. He still couldn’t get his head around the new reality everyone found themselves in, sometimes he would wonder how everyone else seemed to be coping so well, but perhaps they weren’t. For almost 5 years now, since the stroke of midnight on New Years day 2024, it would still happen every time. Exactly 60 minutes before you die, a timer appears suddenly above your head for all to see.

No one knows how or why it started, and no one can stop it. People now live in constant fear that today will be the day. Some people embrace it, they say it gives us a small window to say our final goodbyes. Others say it’s a form of torture by god for humanity’s past sins. Some people argue that the death is caused by the actions people take once the timer appears, and that otherwise they would have continued living, or perhaps died a different way at another time. Mostly it just causes intense panic and terror for everyone present. What Joris found strange was that the timer didn’t always appear, people still died sudden deaths without it. But if there was one thing that was for sure, it’s that when the timer finished counting down, one way or another, the person died.

By now everyone Joris knew had seen a timer at some point, and he would never forget the first time he saw it happen. It was about a year after it all began. He was standing at a zebra crossing on Oxford St. in central London, waiting for the green light, when he noticed a woman across the road trying to stop her daughter from pointing at him. Less than a second later he knew. It was the face they all made. Mostly people tend to freeze around the person that the timer has appeared above, no one wants to be the one to tell them, but everyone makes the face. It’s a combination of gruelling fear and empathetic sadness, stopping people in their tracks like a deer in headlights, and has become unmistakable. When you see it, you look around to see who has the timer, and then get that same feeling. Everyone across the road was staring in his direction in horror, he could feel the panic in the air from everyone around him on his side of the road. He immediately looked up, as did everyone else around him.

The little girl wasn’t pointing at him, a fleeting feeling of relief engulfed him as he ran to the side to get out the way. He had heard about how some people act when their time comes, and it could often be dangerous. He turned around after a few paces, everyone had got out the way at this point apart from one man who was standing still, staring across the road. He couldn’t look up, but it was as if he knew. He was staring forward intensely, breathing faster and faster. He dropped the suitcase he was holding but didn’t move. He was dressed for business in a nice suit, and looked as if he was merely on his way to work. He looked young, and couldn’t have been much more than 30. By now everyone had moved well out of the way and were all staring in fear and anticipation. The light had changed to green, but no one was moving to cross the road from the other side. Slowly the man gathered the courage to look up, he had a look of such devastation Joris couldn’t help but feel deeply sorry for him, even almost strangely embarrassed for him. His reaction was exactly what he expected, and the man began running toward anyone and everyone he could get close to. He begged them to help him; screaming in frustration, pain, and panic. Everyone knew it would be in vein. It was only a minute or two before the police came and took him away, to this day Joris had no idea how he died. The government had introduced a special division of police who dealt with these instances. If you were sound of mind enough they would often help you make any final arrangements. Although they also had the power to lock you away until the timer expired if necessary, which they would often have to do.

It was different for his uncle. He was a news anchor, and his timer appeared and began counting down while he was on live TV. Joris liked to watch him read the morning news and he was watching him the day it happened. He was so much calmer than he could ever have anticipated, it was as if he knew it was coming. He couldn’t have dealt with it any better, and yet still the moment deeply haunted Joris. His uncle, albeit with silent tears, stayed live on air and said his goodbyes. He confessed everything on his conscience and declared all of his regrets, he even remembered Joris and said goodbye to him through the TV. Joris thought they would cut the signal any second, but they kept it live up until the last 5 minutes. The network must have felt his pain and granted him this as a last wish.

Julia stopped her light breathing and rolled over, bringing Joris out of his train of thought. He hated how much anxiety and fear these thoughts instilled in him, and so he rolled over to see her face again. It always helped him to forget his troubles and go back to sleep. He stopped. There, above Julia as she slept, was the timer, with just 4 minutes left. A feeling of sadness more powerful than anything anyone ever thought possible engulfed him, he began to cry and had to cover his mouth so as to muffle the sound of his complete breakdown. He couldn’t believe it, he didn’t want to believe it. But how could he possibly wake her, how could he possibly rob her of being able to die unaware in her sleep. He would never say goodbye, he would never hear her voice again, he would never see her smile again, he would never see her eyes again. Torn in this decision, enduring excruciating pain, but out of pure love- all Joris could do was lie there, and watch her die.