00.2 | The Penultimate

1749 Words
Nilda Yanes walked through the doors of the Police Division's Autumn Dispatchers Special Department that had never been closed ever since its inception. The fading metal plate engraved with AUTUMN DISPATCHERS SPECIAL DIVISION flashed before her eyes, giving off a solemn undertone. She headed towards her office cubicle on the left side corner, her sandals clicking against the grey marble floor. The sound was amplified by the eerie silence, drawing the attention of those in the adjacent departments, and then they'd go back to work as if nothing had occurred. A colleague, while on a call, waved at her to say hello. His name is Jared, and he works in their division's contact center. He's got a coffee cup in one hand and is skillfully typing something on the keyboard with the other. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the room, awaking the ghouls that had been sleeping in the chilly corner. Nilda set her things on the desk, turned on her computer, and waited for it to boot up. The blue light from the start-up was reflected on her eyes briefly before a familiar logo showed up. The process was quick as she was immediately redirected to the home page. The office was mostly silent, apart from the clatter of keyboards and printers, and the ticking of the large metal analog clock on the wall. After completing the transaction, Jared sat back in his chair and sipped his coffee. For a short time, the bitter taste of coffee in his mouth made him feel euphoric. A burning sensation arose in his chest as he closed his eyes and listened to the ticking of the clock. He wanted to take a nap but he could not sleep. Nilda noticed Jared sunk over in his chair, his face flushed with exhaustion. He is only thirty-two years old, but his appearance gave the impression that he was fifty years old or older. That deep-seated tiredness is something she can relate to. She has felt it, too. They were referred to as Death callers. Death callers, as the name implies, are individuals who work in a special unit of the Maple Dispatchers Division that is tasked with contacting the Autumns and anyone else who might be implicated in the Autumn's transgressions. They make use of an algorithm that can accurately identify an emerging Autumn. Nilda called many people about their deaths during her time in the Special Division. When these people learn they are about to die, they react in various ways. Half of them would laugh, treating it as a prank call, while others would just start bawling out hysterically. The only thing that Nilda could do was listen to their complaints. It's a taxing position to be in. It's difficult to tell people you're going to die. Only a handful of people from their department were able to work for more than five years. Those who had made it out alive had hardened their hearts and minds to the point where they answered every call like robots. They'd grown accustomed to it. Yet, Jared, her senior, has been with the company for over ten years and is still emotional with every call. Nilda pursed her lips, not wanting to comfort Jared in his grief. This happens all the time. This is something Jared could come up with on his own. She entered her username, password, and other login information. A series of small clicking noises emanated from her white, lanky hands, diffusing the depressing atmosphere. Jared suddenly spoke, "The algorithm detected an Autumn around two in the morning. It’s a girl. She’s only four years old." He opened his eyes, his one hand kneading his temples, with a gaze filled with a white mist. His voice was hoarse, as he tried to hold back tears with a deep breath. Jared shook his legs in an attempt to keep himself from falling too far, but it did not appear to be effective this time around. Jared continued, "The one who answered the call is her father. I told him about his daughter’s condition and suggested to surrender to the authorities. Even though the Autumns can cause misfortune, they are not dangerous." A four-year old girl is not dangerous. "I offered a package that would let her daughter experience the last day of her life happily. He is quiet all the time, so I thought he understood my message," an icy smile slipped past his lips. "Yet, when Herbert and his men arrived on the scene, they found the father… to his child…" Nilda felt her spine tingle as Jared's cold chuckle reached her. Her fingers stopped typing, her eyes flashing with fear. She tilted her head around and met the eyes of her crookedly smiling colleague. He had the demeanor of someone who is about to commit a murder. Jared got out of his chair and walked over to the water dispenser on the corner. There is loathing in his expression, eyes filled with utter disgust. He drank the cold water to wash away the residue of coffee and to relax his nerves. Nilda sighed as she returned to work. She had previously learned that Jared was a single father who had lost his daughter to a s****l attack. There is a reason for his loathing. "I would have killed that man," Jared returned to his desk to start working. "He’s fortunate I’m not the one handling the case." Nilda would have wanted to ask more about the status of the child when she was pulled in by an alert from the system. It not only affected her system but also Jared, who was beside her. They were taken aback and instantly went into work mode. As soon as Nilda had the headset on her head, she began making phone calls. Autumns appearing are a natural phenomenon, albeit a very rare one. The average number of Autumns they receive each day will range between five and ten, and the scope of their danger will only involve three to five people. Receiving an alert like this means the Autumn will implicate at least ten people. It is a major inconvenience when an Autumn is detected in the wee hours of the morning. Nilda looked at the clock and saw that it was still three o'clock. People are mostly asleep at this hour, and it is extremely difficult to rouse them from their sleep. Fortunately, smart phones or any devices can be controlled by their system. They could set off alarms by simply pressing a button. By four in the morning, seventy five percent of the people involved had been contacted. Nilda plugged in the numbers of a young tenant residing a floor below the involved party. It took her time to have the person answer her calls. "Is this Mister Jaerim Ashford?" Nilda skimmed over the information regarding the average looking youth. When the person did not answer, she called his name again. The second time received a response. She then heard something washing as if someone was brushing their teeth. The person showed her his displeasure, apparently from getting waked up early in the morning. There is not much time to mull over the way they treated each other. She went directly to explaining the situation and telling the person to evacuate. Jaerim seemed to have woken up and sincerely accepted her instructions. Their exchange lasted only a few moments. Nilda moved on to the next person. After two hours of phone calls, they were finally done. While Jared swiveled his chair, Nilda took off her headset. "Morning calls are really exhausting," Jared complained. "People will always be in berserk mode when they are disturbed." Nilda agreed. She straightened the hair that was tousled by removing the headset. They were just doing some calls, but it still made her sweat. Jared continued in his ramblings, sharing the curses the people he called on said to him. Nilda will silently nod every now and then while wiping the sweat off her forehead. "The Autumn this time is a seventy year old granny. She lives alone with her cats," Jared remarked. "Never thought such a person could still implicate people." "It's not impossible," Nilda said as she tossed the napkin into the bin beneath her desk. "She lives in an old apartment complex. She could’ve started fire from her stove or an explosion from a leaking gas tank. It’s better to take precautions." "Well, you’re right. It is something-" They were just catching up on their conversations when they were interrupted by another emergency alert. They slipped on their headphones and got to work, quickly. Nilda counted the people they have to contact that seem to increase. "What’s happening today?" Jared asked with a frown. "It’s not been an hour since yet another Autumn has appeared. Is it doomsday?" They were scrolling through the contacts when they noticed the numbers fluctuating. Shock prevailed in their expressions. The change in numbers means the Autumn is moving around. And given the rate at which the population is growing, it is more likely they are going to a crowded place. "This is not good," Jared cursed under his breath. "Who is the Autumn? I’m sure they have seen the mark on their body. Going to crowded places, they are only courting death!" Nilda checked the refreshed list but could not find any name, "The system could not detect it." "What?" "The system… it is not giving any names." It is the first time for the algorithm to be unable to give a name. It should be understood that their system’s algorithm is created by an entity that could defy the laws of the universe. To have the system unable to determine the Autumn – does it mean someone was able to think of a way to cheat death? "No, they could not do that. The numbers tell us that this person will still die," Jared exclaimed. "We should think of way to trace the person." If the system could not do it, then it would be impossible for them to do it too. Nilda scanned the names of the people when she caught a familiar name. An idea clicked in her mind. She took the list of the people from the previous report and used it to filter out the names of the people for the news list. After a few seconds of filtering, only one name appeared on the list.
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