Chapter 9: Michelle

The attendant had decided to arrive at the Magnificent Bar thirty minutes earlier...

It was a certain testament to the fact that her mind hadn’t been at rest since she read the message on the cookie pack.

She waited while having a drink, and even though it wasn’t even time yet, there was still a hint of impatience and optimism in her eyes.

At exactly 3 PM, a cab stopped near the entrance of the bar, and she soon noticed a familiar figure stepping out.

She let out a sigh of relief, picturing the man who had given her the cookies and the pen the previous day at the mall.

She watched him walk in and waved him over to her side.

The young man had a composed aura even though he was dressed a bit casually, which wasn’t something that concerned her at all.

She was only interested in his explanation for what he had written on the carton, and that would be just enough for her.

"Good day, Miss," the young man smiled at her as he approached.

But the young lady didn’t seem to be in the mood for pleasant greetings. Her facial expression might not have been entirely arrogant, but it was really cold.

He shrugged and sat across from her, and they soon began their conversation.

"What was that?" she immediately asked.

The man noticed her eagerness for an explanation, but he was already admiring the figures over her head as she stared at him.

[Lifespan remaining: 22 Hours. 33 Minutes. 18 Seconds...]

"Excuse me?"

This time, he casually looked away and sighed. Then he relaxed his hands on the table and started.

"May I know your name, Miss?"

"Michelle..."

She gave a response without question and expected him to go ahead right after. But then he was still acting like the guy who thought he had all the time in the world.

"Well, Miss Michelle. It was about to be unfortunate for you before fate brought me to your workplace, and now it’s going to be up to you if it’s going to remain unfortunate or go otherwise," he began.

"What... do you mean?" she asked with her face full of confusion, not understanding a bit of what he had just said.

"Good question," he nodded. "Miss Michelle, you are going to die in a couple of hours from now."

"What? Why? How?!"

Her eyes lit up, more like panic than shock, and it was something he was expecting.

"How did you know that? Are you going to kill me?" Michelle asked, her eyes sharp.

"You would have to calm down, Miss," he voiced, giving a hand gesture.

"No! Tell me! How did you get to know that?!"

Soon, the loudness of Michelle’s voice was already causing a scene, as the other customers in the bar started turning their heads.

This was when the young man knew he’d have to act fast.

"But I can help you."

"I can help you not to die."

Michelle completely fell silent, and at that moment, it felt like she had been relieved.

Little did he know that she had only had a change of reasoning.

Michelle drew close and struck a piercing look at his face.

"Oh, I see. It’s a bloody scammer," she voiced.

"You came here lying to me so I can pay you to save me from getting killed? You think you can fool me? Jokes on you. I’m calling the cops!" Michelle spoke as she grabbed her bag.

But despite her threat, he still remained calm. He didn’t even flinch because he definitely knew how all this was going to end.

He turned to the window and suddenly caught sight of something that captivated him.

[Lifespan remaining: 8 Seconds... 7 Seconds...]

A man making a phone call while trying to cross the road could be seen, and it was clear something ugly was about to happen.

"Look at the window," Ryan said to her.

Michelle immediately looked up and also noticed the man crossing, and she still wasn’t understanding why until...

"That man over there would meet his end in four... Three. Two. One."

VROOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOM!

Right before her two eyes, Michelle watched a black van hit and run over the man she was watching out of nowhere, blood splattering around the scene as people screamed loudly.

The entire area fell into chaos, as people began to gather, and soon, it was already a scene when the waves of sirens exploded.

Michelle turned to the young man, her eyes widened. She was literally shaking due to the shock, but being shocked was not the only emotion she was feeling at that moment.

Three thoughts flooded her mind at that moment.

The first one was to grab her phone and call the cops on the young mysterious man who was about to make her go crazy.

The second was to grab the glass, hit him right in the eyes, and run for dear life right after.

And the third, powered by good reasoning, was to stay calm and just ask, "How?"

"How?!"

While the rest of the customers were rushing out to see what had happened outside, Michelle and the man sat still as they continued their conversation.

"My name is Ryan Calender, and I can see people’s lifespan."

"Believe me or not, if you don’t get yourself some time, you will be dead by this time tomorrow. You’ve only got some hours left, Miss Michelle."

Michelle panicked even more, swallowing heavily.

"Oh, please, sir. I don’t want to die. Please, I beg you!" she begged, falling on her knees right in front of him.

"I’m getting married in three weeks. Please, help me. I don’t want to die."

Ryan immediately stood her up and calmed her down.

"You don’t have to beg, Miss Michelle. We are talking business here, not charity," Ryan spoke.

He made her sit before continuing.

"I can see the lifespan of all, but at the same time, I can make them choose if they want it to continue running out or if they want more TIME," Ryan voiced.

"Time? You mean you can give me more time to live?" Michelle asked.

"Yes," Ryan nodded. "Yes, Miss Michelle."

"But..."

He paused and smiled.

"But, it’s going to come at a cost. A huge cost," he added.

"I don’t care how much it would cost, please. Just help me. I don’t want to die!" Michelle begged.

It hadn’t taken long before Ryan realised how much staying alive meant to her, and it was really the same way for all the humans in this world, as Soly had stated.

It was no surprise.

"So tell me. How much more time will you need? How many more years would you like to live in this world?" Ryan then asked.

He didn’t need to ask her what one more year meant because he already understood her. For someone who was getting married in less than a month, it was clear that she would do literally anything to live.

Michelle exhaled deeply as she stayed silent for a moment, giving it deep thought.

And then she finally replied.

"Enough time to get married, make babies, and raise my kids to an appropriate stage."

"That’s approximately thirty years, depending on the amount of children you are planning to have, Miss Michelle," Ryan said.

"Two kids," Michelle cut in.

"Two? Well, I guess my approximation is a little bit too much. Let’s say twenty-five, huh?"

"Twenty-five is fine, sir," Michelle nodded.

"All right," Ryan nodded and appeared to be making some calculations in his head. And then, when he finished up...

A smile crossed his lips when he faced her.

"Miss Michelle..."

"For twenty-five years..."

There was a short pause, while Ryan curled his lips into a cheeky smirk.

"For twenty-five years, you will pay the sum of one million dollars."

At that moment, Michelle’s jaw dropped.

Her brows broadened, her eyes agape...

Hopeless...

And as if his words weren’t devastating enough, the mysterious man added.

"Payment before service, Miss."

"You are running out of time."