Death Cast

00.7 | The Penultimate

It's only the beginning of the day, yet things are already in shambles. When the sun beamed down on the earth, the night's excitement began to ebb. People's ascent and awakening were unavoidable, bringing bustle to the slumber-filled earth.

Almost everywhere, people are getting ready for the day ahead of them. Clamoring could be heard, either originating from individuals taking a bath or from mothers preparing a lavish meal in the kitchen.

The aroma of freshly cooked food wafted through the air, providing a tempting and enticing aroma to the early joggers. While the early peddlers rubbed their stomachs as they drifted towards little eateries to buy food, the morning deliveries trailed them into the din of the surrounding streets.

There were numerous activities that may have been completed in the early morning hours. People are either rushing or barely moving, waking up from the stupor of the long night. These activities are frequently accompanied by music playing from loud radios or scanty, leaky sounds emanating from flat-screen screens reporting current events.

The headlines for the day's news were released. There were many types of news, but the weather forecast featured prominently, as it always does. People were more concerned about the weather since it affects their daily affairs.

Everyone often wished for a good day, sunny and fair, to complete whatever activities they were planning to do. It also keeps track of weather changes for the next few days so that people may plan accordingly.

In the case of a gloomy forecast, they could simply change the date of the excursion before everyone could gather. Students and office workers would also make the effort of bringing their umbrellas so as to not get wet when the downpour comes.

A flash report came in while everyone was occupied with their respective functions. A familiar alarm sound reverberated through the digital devices, and a booming and clear voice enunciating "AUTUMN REPORT STATUS" startled the people. Everyone abandoned what they were doing and concentrated their attention on the flash report.

The "AUTUMN REPORT STATUS" is a government-affiliated program. At midnight, all television networks around the world broadcast it. Its primary objective is to keep the public informed about activities surrounding the Autumns.

The program covers every possible subject, such as discussing the existence of Autumns and what to do if one comes across one while traveling. Following the brief educational segment, it will proceed to the list of Autumns who have been captured on that particular day.

The list varies depending on which district the local government serves. The most standard format is to display an image of the autumn along with basic information such as name and age, place of death and time of death. In some special cases, the report will also disclose the cause of death if the death was not due to the government's intervention.

The deaths of Autumns under the government's intervention were often carried out through lethal injections; harsher deaths included electrocution, beheading, and the use of gas chambers. In this event, the causes of death won't be mentioned.

Such a report was weird and inauspicious. Nobody knows when your name will appear on the screen.

Occasionally, this program will air during the daytime hours. It is unlucky to talk about death first thing in the morning, so the report that appears in the morning will always be bad news. Typically, it is all about the Autumns who escaped the government's control and were out in the open spreading havoc. In many cases, a shoot-to-kill order is included.

That's right, a shoot to kill order to end everything at once.

Officer Trivett issued a shoot to kill order.

Jaerim Ashford, a college student, has been identified as the primary suspect in this case. This young man, who had bloodied gauze sewn into his cheeks, is believed to be between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five, with jet-black hair and black eyes. The announcer described Jaerim's attire and the items he was carrying in greater detail by the announcer.

The public was encouraged to contact the Autumn Dispatch Department if they saw the alleged suspect. Attempting to catch this individual should be avoided at all costs, as this Autumn is reported to have a disposition that may draw calamity in a peculiar way.

The report was transmitted to the stations right away. Within a few seconds of the order being issued, all television and radio programs were paused and replaced with an announcement from the public bureau. A red ribbon was tied to the warning message on all social media platforms, including live streaming ones.

Text messages were sent to those who were within a few blocks of the site. It is recommended they remain in their residences or maintain vigilance in their surroundings. The accidents caused by Autumn appears so suddenly so they should prepare in case things started to act up.

As the image of the young man was projected onto the screen, the world was abruptly filled with deafening silence. All eyes were drawn to a young man who appeared to be of average appearance but possessed an enviable set of eyes. Nobody would be able to tell he is dangerous from just one glance.

Autumn's visage was etched into the minds of the people. The report noted the location of the person's last known whereabouts as well as the areas where he is expected to be roaming around at the moment. The people who happened to be in the vicinity of the incident were frightened.

Jaerim's friends, however, were the ones who were the most completely taken aback.

The claims made by Jaerim that he went out drinking with his buddies the night before are true. This was not due to a broken heart, but rather to celebrate a brother's special day. They had been partying hard the night before, singing karaoke and drinking beer till they passed out.

Nobody anticipated waking up the next day to hear such terrible news.

Jaerim's best friend, Felix, had been contacting him since the reports surfaced. His unkempt appearance indicated he had only recently awoken. Felix is usually well-dressed and has a gentlemanly demeanor. Today, though, the unpleasant news and his pounding headache didn't provide him with much time to prepare.

His friends and Felix decided to sleepover last night, so they were pretty much in the same place. It was only Jaerim who went home, since the guy had a class to catch up on the next day.

While he waited for the phone to answer, he headed toward the window. He noticed a large number of police vehicles parked outside his residence. It appears that they are here to keep an eye out for Jaerim if he does arrive.

"C'mon, answer me. Where are you?" Felix anxiously gritted his teeth. The dial tone remained. He kicked the cans of beer on the ground, clearly showing his mood. "That prick, his phone is clearly on! Why is he not answering?"

Other individuals sat back and watched as Felix vented his fury. Cedric, who was seated on the sofa close, is looking pale as well. He pressed the palms of his hands against his face, unable to believe what he had just heard. He was the one who brought his pals out last night to celebrate his birthday.

"How could this happen? Weren't we just having fun last night? Why is he on the news with that kind of order?"

In the end, no one could respond to him. They had no idea what was going to happen. They were overcome with emotion as they watched the familiar face appear on the television and remembered how joyful and carefree they had been just a few hours earlier.

Felix shook his head and continued the call. He couldn't just sit there and watch the rest of the play. He and Jaerim had been friends for a long time, maybe the longest of the group, and he didn't mind that Jaerim had turned Autumn.

"What should we do now?" Jason, who sat beside Cedric, asked. "Should we look for him?"

"The police are outside. We can't go out unnoticed," Benny said, coming out of the other room. "Also, no matter how much we try, what can we do?"

The room fell silent. Even if they were successful in hiding Jaerim, it is an undeniable certainty that he will die today. Autumn's fate is sealed, and it cannot be changed.Even if Jaerim doesn't do anything, his death has been predetermined.

Felix disregarded his glum companions and continued to dial Jaerim's number. He understands their fear. Even between friends, death is something nobody wanted.

He could not even imagine dying tomorrow.

He had the impression that Jaerim would do something to assist him as well. If he is the one who received the Maple Leaf Mark, Jaerim will most likely devise a plan to stall the police and hide him.

He is that kind of person—decisive and courageous.

The manner in which he acted now proves Jaerim is not a man who would rely on fate. He knows Jaerim won't cause trouble, but if things get dubious, he'll get obstinate.

He wanted to see him. He wanted to see him one last time.

The tone on the phone had stopped. Felix dialed the number again. Jaerim could hear his phone ringing on the other end of the line. It was loud and clear, but not nearly as loud as the cries of the people around him.

He's still standing behind the food kiosk, watching the insanity unfold in front of him. His composed demeanor gave the impression that he was unaffected by the frenzy. He saw the overturned car and thought if he didn't walk away, he would have been run-over and killed.

He would have died.

He was finally awakened by his phone's incessant ring. He walked away, taking his time, and glanced at his phone as everyone around him rushed by. He said, "It's Felix." The call terminated, revealing the hundreds of incoming calls that had been ignored. He squinted his eyes.

"What's wrong with this guy, calling me at this hour?"

He clicked the answer button and held the phone to his ear. He paused in front of a store. He responded with a hello while examining his surroundings with vigilance.

"You answered! Finally!" A loud voice called on the other line.

Jaerim was startled by the outburst. He moved the phone away from his ears, which were ringing from the sudden outcry. Though, thinking about the possibility that this would be his last phone conversation, he was struck with sadness.

When he realized how much he missed these folks, his heart sank. He would never see them again if he died. It made his chest feel stuffy, but he kept a cheery tone in his voice. He could even stand pretending before Officer Trivett without batting an eye, what's more with his friends that were only calling through the phone.

"What's up? Calling in the morning?" He responded casually.

"Stop bullshitting me. Where are you?" Felix inquired.

"What?" Jaerim had not expected to hear the well-mannered person openly scold him like that. "Did you have a hangover? I'm out to buy breakfast. Want me to but you something light?"

It occurred to Jaerim that something was glowing right next to him. He shifted his gaze to the side, taking in the sight of a slew of squared-off monitors. He appeared to have strolled into an electronics store by mistake.

The big-screen TVs are all showing the similar thing at once. Even though they are on different channels, all showed a flash report with his face, name and such. Jaerim couldn't hear what the announcer was saying because the television sounds were muffled by the shop's cover, but he knew what it was about.

It is all about him. It seems like he has been busted.

"Jae," Felix called out solemnly.

Jaerim looked at his phone. He responded, but in a lower and almost whispering voice, "Yeah?"

"The news... is it true?"

Jaerim's gaze was drawn to the screens in the display rack. Luckily, the people around him were too busy fleeing; they didn't have time to look at his wanted telecast. When he thought about it, he never anticipated that one day his face would be placed in such a predicament. It reminded me of One Piece's "wanted" posters.

"Uh-huh," he responded. He heard Felix sucking air on the other line. "You okay?"

"Where are you now?" Felix asked once again.

"Are you planning to see me?" Jaerim chuckled. "That won't do, ah. I don't want to implicate you."

"Just tell me!" Felix sounded desperate. "Where are you?"

Jaerim began to walk forward. Sounds of explosions could be heard behind him. He looked back and saw the flaming wreckage of a car that had overturned. It's unclear to him whether or not the driver is still alive. In exchange for his life, someone has to die. That's how the Autumns are.

They only bring people to their death.

"Jaerim," Felix mustered. "I want to see you."

From the smoking car, Jaerim caught sight of someone. He thought it was weird, like a grim reaper floating in the air. He blinked his eyes to clear his view. There is no scythe or grim reaper, just a person standing there with white hair and golden eyes. At this moment, that person is staring at him.

His heart skipped a beat. A sense of danger overwhelmed his senses. He took a step back, and another, and then started running like his life depended on it. The cold air slapped his skin in no time, as if to remind him that dead people held no warmth.

"Jae? What is happening? What was that explosion?" Felix asked in a tense tone.

Jaerim listened to the anxious voice of his friend. He thought of the words Felix said. He could not do it. He doesn't care where he will end up, but he won't bring the people close to him to their grave. He clenched his hand and decided.

In a soft voice, Jaerim left his last message.

"I'm sorry."

He ended and ran with a start.