Borrowed Time

“How much time ya got left?”

11:42:23

Less than 12 hours until I’m dead.

“Sir?”

I shake my head, glancing up. “I’m sorry. What?”

An older gentleman stands over me, holding onto the train car’s grip handle above. A disposable face mask covers most of his face, his cold eyes staring down at me. A teal sweater underneath accompanies his long white coat, covered in dirt and dust. He kind of looks like a doctor, but those are few and far between these days.

 “How much time?” He asks, his voice muffled.

“Not much,” I reply.

“How much?”

“Less than 12 hours.”

He pulls his mask down, revealing his pale face. “Jesus Christ. Seriously?”

”Yeah.” I hang my head in my hands. “What am I gonna do? I just wish I had time.”

“Why don’t ya just borrow some?” 

I tilt my head back up. “Borrow? What you mean?”

He chuckles. “Exactly what ya think it means.”

“I don’t follow.”

He plops down into the seat next to me. “Don’t ya wonder how an old fella like me is still standing?”

I stiffen. “No. It’s none of my business.”

That’s when I notice his hands. How dry to the bone they are. How thin. I can see every vein. Every artery, running through.

“But there must be a voice in the back of yur head asking that exact question, right?” He smiles. Many of his teeth are gone, some cracked, while the rest have rotted to their core.

“Yeah. I guess you could say that.” I raise an eyebrow. “How’d you know?”

“Lucky guess.” The man rolls up his sleeve, revealing his arm underneath.

It’s completely, surprisingly normal.

“How’s that possible?”

“I told you.” He holds up his device to me.

7245:28:12

“I’m on borrowed time.” He finishes.

My eyes go wide. “How?” I grab at him. “How’d you get it like that?”

He places a finger to his lips. “I’m not tellin'.”

“But you can!” My fingers pull on the man’s sweater. “You have to tell me how you did it.”

He shoves me off. “Okay. Okay. Fine. But you’ve got to give me some of yurs first.”

“Seriously? I barely ha—!” I freeze, catching people’s stares. My face grows hot. I back off, taking a deep breath. I have to remain calm. I’m almost there. I’ve been gone for too long. I hope she’s still there, waiting for me to come home.

I meet his eyes again. “How much?”

“How much for what?”

“How much time do you need?”

“Half.”

My heart skips a beat. “E… excuse me?”

“I need half.” His voice goes low. “It’s a high cost to know what I know.”

The train begins to slow, approaching my destination.

“How can I trust you?”

The train stops, and the doors open. People exit; people enter.

He shrugs. “Ya can’t. But if ya leave now. Ya might never have this chance again.”

“Fine.” I lay out my arm. “I accept.”

The doors close. We speed up. 

Moving his arm over mine, the watches glow for a moment. “It’s done. I just modified it, so ya can start stealing some fur yurself.”

“Steal? I thought you said borrow?” My forehead creases.

“Steal. Borrow. Same thing.” He grins. “The question is. Are ya willin’?” 

The thought of it makes me sick. Stealing time from a stranger? How could anyone be so cruel? But then again, how could they not? 

“I know that look.” He says. “I bet yur wondering why I do it? How I sleep at night?”

I glare at him.

The man snickers. “It’s because I need it more than they do.”

“You have no right!” I shout.

“It doesn’t matter if I do or if I don’t. He stands. “I just know most people don’t take the time they have left for granted. So, I take it instead.”

The train brakes. Wheels screech. 

He turns to me. “Well, it’s been nice chatting with ya. But I gotta run.”

"W…wait," I blurt out. “What am I supposed to do? How does it work?”

We arrive at the station.

"You'll figure it out.” He points to my wrist. “But ya betta get movin’. Ya don’t got much time left.” 

The man exits onto the platform, disappearing into the crowd. 

Why did he say that? What did he do? Did he take more than he should have? I’m afraid to look. What if he did? I can’t help it. I have to know. My eyes fall to my wrist, confirming what I already know.

00:09:37

That son of a—

Stop. It’s too late. He’s gone now. I have to move. 

Lifting myself up, I almost fall over as the train accelerates again. Where do I begin? Who do I target? Should I ask someone? Tell them my situation? Would anyone care or listen to my story? 

I have to try.

I stride over to the first person I see. A woman alone, holding an object in her hand. 

“Um… excuse me, miss? Can I ask you some—” I cut myself off when she lowers her hand. The object is a photo tucked between her fingers. It depicts the woman and what looks like her daughter at a party.

I can’t steal from this woman. She has a family. 

“Never mind. Sorry for bothering you," I say.

00:08:14

A man and a boy are playing a game of tic-tac-toe. The boy throws his hands up in the air. The man laughs. 

00:07:46

Another man sprawls out across multiple seats, using his backpack as a pillow. His hat covers his face, blocking out the light.

00:07:05

I can't steal from any of these people.

00:06:52

I’m running out of time.

I sprint over to the connecting door at the end of the aisle, pressing the button nearby. At first, nothing happens. The door doesn't budge.

C'mon. C'mon.

It finally opens before stopping midway. 

You gotta be kidding me.

I force my body through the gap, pushing my way through to the other side. This car is more crowded than the last. It's loud. Many of its passengers sit together in groups. While some remain alone. I have to be smart about this. I need to find the right person. Someone old. Someone alone.

00:05:05

No matches here. I make my way to the next car. Fewer people this time. I'm running out of options. At this rate, I’ll have to pick someone out at random.

00:04:10

No. I'm no thief.

00:03:49

I sink to the floor, cradling my head between my knees. If this is how I die, so be it. I just hope Anna doesn't forget me.

00:02:44

Tilting my head up, I receive a glimpse of the sky outside. An emerald-green. It's beautiful, calming.

00:01:58

Maybe she made it out. Maybe she’s living a better life outside these walls.

00:01:21

She'll be an amazing mother one day. Always kind. Always patient. Always seeing the best in others, even through their worst times. I was lucky to call her my wife. 

00:00:36

Not much time now. The end is near. I'm not afraid anymore. I know I made her happy. Maybe one day, I'll see her again.

00:00:00

Time's up.

I take a deep breath. The train rocks gently. I should be dead. Yet, I'm still here. I hear a latch click, the device slipping off my wrist and falling to the floor.

"You're free." A woman says.

"What?"

A woman in a crimson red jacket shuffles over. "You're free now. You can leave."

"But how? Why?"

"The device on your arm tethered you to this place. You're no longer trapped."

“That doesn’t make any sense. They told us it would kill us if we tried to take them off. They told us we would die when our time ran out. Why would they say that?” 

She shakes her head. “You really don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“Your mind made it up.”

“My mind? Why would it do that?” I frown.

“The mind is complex.” She taps her temple. “Sometimes, it forces us to forget the things that hurt us the most.” 

“B... but I’ve never hurt anyone!” I yell.

“Oh, but you did, David. It’s how you arrived here in the first place. Don’t you remember?”

“H… how do you know my name? How do you know all this?”

“I’m a part of you, David.” She gestures around. “We all are.” Everyone turns to face me.

“No... No. No. No.”

“You’re experiencing dissociative amnesia. You need to wake up.” They all say in unison. 

“You’re crazy! You’re all crazy!” I scream, launching myself up and sprinting toward the door. The train dissolves around me, melting into a mixture of colored liquid. People and children disappear before my very eyes. The liquid turns a dark crimson red. It forms into a puddle underneath my feet. A body emerges. A woman in a yellow jacket, stained in what I now know is blood. I recognize her immediately.

“Anna!” Oh my god! I cry out, falling to my knees and brushing the hair away from her face.

The ground transforms into a road, separated by train tracks. Two pairs of lights flicker on and off. A car lies destroyed, flown off to the side in the distance. The front passenger side torn apart. Glass scatters across the asphalt.

“It… it was an accident. I didn’t see it coming. Didn’t hear it.” I say. 

It’s too late; she’s gone, and it’s all my fault. I hold her close to my chest, never wanting to let go. 

“I’m sorry, Anna. I’m so sorry.

Light seeps into the corners of my eyes. It spreads across every part of my vision until it consumes me completely.

A faint beeping noise follows soon after, filling my head. 

“Look!” I hear a muffled voice. “He’s waking up.” 

I squint, my eyelids feeling heavy as I strain to open them. A bright light shines down onto me. I can’t move my arms.

A man in scrubs hovers over me. “David? Can you hear me?”

I try to speak, but no words escape my lips. Instead, I nod to the best of my ability.

“Good.” His voice muffled behind his face mask. “Welcome back to the real world.”

Two more people join him. A man and a woman. “David? Is it true? You’re finally awake?” the woman says.

I nod again.

“Oh, thank goodness!” she cries out. “My baby is okay!”

I attempt to smile.

“We know you didn’t mean to do it, David. We know it was an accident.” She says. “We support you, honey. We’re here for you every step of the way.”

My eyes grow wet. “I wish… I wish.” 

The woman leans in. “What? What is it, baby?”

I push through the pain and lift my head off the pillow. I want to see the only two people left in my life. Their faces come into focus. Mom. Dad.

"I wish I had more ti—” My voice drops, the rhythmic beeps flatten out, and the world fades.