[ WP ] In the future , every human born lives for exactly 1 billion heartbeats . Some go to extreme lengths to keep their heart rate low .

They thought they'd saved the world. So did I. So did everyone. It made the front page of every major paper. A pharmaceutical breakthrough like this had n't happened for decades. 
 
 Everyone knew the deal, you died at exactly 1 billion heartbeats. 100,800 heartbeats per day on average. Just over 27 years total if you did n't take precautions. We all wore heart rate monitors. We lived our lives with a countdown displayed on our wrists. I knew a lot of women who wore fakes, but secretly they kept their own count down away from public display. 
 
 Personally I enjoyed the certainty of it. Being able to watch sand trickle through the hour glass motivated me to live my life. I was happy to trade a day here and there for an experience. I knew sky-diving cost me two days of my life each time, but what was the point of living if you never truly experienced living. I think my mindset is the healthiest to have, but I've been counselled about this many times. 
 
 A physicians advice was to live a sedentary lifestyle. To sleep as much as possible and have a diet high in refined sugars and saturated fats. Health care professionals lecture us on the benefits of avoiding physical exertion, exercise and getting enough cholesterol. All of which slow the basal heart rate, in turn leading to increased longevity. 
 
 But now there was soma. The miracle drug. Soma reduced all autonomic functions, dilated the arterial pulmonary systems and left the user semi-conscious. The ideal state for those wishing to increase their lifespan. The public could n't get enough. I guess fear is a great motivator. And nothing instils fear like the idea of dying. Most people will do anything to avoid it. And most people do. Except me. 
 
 I feel like the last man alive. I spend my days traversing a world of comatose semi-humans. They live like hollowed out shells. Soma was supposed to bring life but all I can see is it being taken away.
