The First to Die at the End (Death-Cast #0)(86)

I kiss him, staying in our spot just a little longer.

Then my phone rings.

I freak out for half a sec before I remember it’s not a Death-Cast ringtone and that we’re outside their calling window.

I release the deepest sigh, like someone is interrupting us. “Place your bets on who it is,” I say as I reach for my phone. “Dalma? Scarlett? New contender?”

“Hopefully it’s not Scarlett,” Valentino says.

True, because she should be on her plane by now.

“It’s Dalma,” I say. I answer her call. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Thank god you’re okay,” Dalma says.

I’m immediately thrown back into the headspace of 9/11 and everyone’s relief whenever they found out someone was alive. “Why wouldn’t I be? What’s going on?”

“O-Bro, have you not seen the news?”

“No, I haven’t. We’ve been—” I shut up, my heart going crazy. Valentino can see the panic in my eyes. “Dalma, just tell me what’s going on. I’m freaking the fuck out.”

“There’s been a Death-Cast update. Some Deckers have slipped through the cracks, and the problem won’t be sorted until tomorrow. I think that’s still a big question mark too.”

I almost drop my phone.

I’m shaking.

My eyes water.

“What’s happening?” Valentino asks. “Is everyone okay?”

This is the fucking thing: I should have an answer.

I should know if everyone is okay because Death-Cast was supposed to solve these mysteries so we could live our days peacefully if we weren’t about to die. But now I’m back to where I was yesterday and every damn day before that. My heart going wild could actually be the beginnings of an attack that kills me.

Has today been my End Day too?





Valentino


2:51 p.m.

Orion looks like he’s seen a ghost, or more realistically, like he’s been called by Death-Cast.

I guess in both cases you see lives that are over.

That doesn’t make sense, though. He’s not some seer who communicates with ghosts and Dalma isn’t a herald at Death-Cast. I’m scared that someone he loves has died, like Dalma’s family, but that doesn’t make sense because I was under the impression everyone in their house was registered for Death-Cast. A herald would’ve called if it was their End Day. Could it be something with Dr. Emeterio? Maybe she’s done further testing and Orion and I are no longer a match? Or she can’t get anyone to sign off on the transplant in a timely fashion? There are hundreds of questions, and the only person who can give me an answer is lost in his head.

“Orion . . .”

He’s frozen, staring at the mega screen like the hourglasses are on display again. A tear slides down Orion’s face. “What about the Deckers they called already?”

This is about Death-Cast.

This could be about me.

Orion starts sobbing. Is this good? Is this relief? Are we going to have more time?

Am I going to live?

“I’ll call you back—I don’t know, Dalma, let me call you back . . .”

He hangs up.

I can tell in his eyes that he’s not about to personally deliver death-changing news.

“What’s going on?”

“Death-Cast fucked up,” Orion says, shaking. “Deckers have died today without knowing it’s their End Day and . . . there’s a chance that . . . there’s still a chance that more will die before midnight. Joaquin Rosa is trying to fix whatever went wrong, but he can’t promise anything—even though that was his company’s whole fucking job!”

This means that Orion could die today.

Scarlett too. She survived her own brush of death when the pilot got his End Day call before takeoff. What if everyone on that plane is destined to die today too?

If Death-Cast has had errors today, what does that mean for me?

Orion seems to read my mind.

“I’m sorry,” he says, like he knows he’s murdering my hope.

“Don’t be.” I have spent so much of today accepting how it will end. Orion however has been trusting in the accuracy of this program and has returned to the unknown. “What can I do for you?”

“I don’t know, I . . . I’m so tired.”

“Do you want to go back to mine and rest?”

“I’m not tired like that. I mean, I am, but I’m . . . I’m tired of living like this. I thought everything was going to be different and it’s just all bad news. Like, how can Death-Cast even be sure that you’re going to die when they don’t know whether I’m going to live? Couldn’t they throw some hope our way?”

“We don’t know what’s happening in those offices. They might not be sure but don’t want to cause further hysteria.”

“If the product is broken, they should say that shit!” Orion shouts, scaring people around us. “I’m not trying to have you marching to your death if you’re not supposed to die!”

“Let’s go talk about this elsewhere.”

“No! This is our first date, and we need to live it while we can!”

I get up and pull him away. He doesn’t fight me, which is upsetting. Orion losing that fire means his spirit is breaking on a day where he’s been finding out who he can be in a life where he’s not scared of dying. I’m frustrated and disappointed that Death-Cast has ruined this trust. I won’t be around to watch the company go under, but they’ll deserve it.