[ WP ] You are living in a world where you gain 1 hour of life or `` time '' when you kill someone . You realize you have 10 minutes left .

**Minute Zero** 
 
 “ Ten minutes remaining. ” Great. That stupid life meter is teasing me now. 
 
 **Minute One** 
 
 This was it. My entire life compressed down to these final ten minutes. I knew this day would come, but I never really thought much of it. I laughed it off when my parents told me what I was. They tried to convince me it was a gift, passed down to us and others like us for generations. A gift. Yeah, people had a name for those with this gift. Reapers. It ’ s far less cool than the name implies, I assure you. When it comes to life expectancy, we draw the short straw every time. While other fifteen year olds are stressing about how to talk to their crush, we ’ re expected to plan our first kill. Kill or die. Our first fifteen years on this rock are the closest thing normalcy we will ever know. One life gives a single hour. One hour. A gift? No. We ’ re population control. 
 
 **Minute Two** 
 
 My god, I can ’ t kill someone. This was not how teenagers were supposed to grow up. These are supposed to be the years you discover who you are and want to become. This is the time of your life when the biggest crisis you face is your crush turning you down or, should they miraculously say yes, a pimple the size of a softball appearing from nowhere before your first date. The list goes on. This, though? This doesn ’ t even make the top million on that list. 
 
 **Minute Three** 
 
 I ’ m not going to school today. It ’ s not even worth it. These blankets love me. All I want is to be comfy when my time comes. I ’ ll just lay here and go back to sleep. 
 
 **Minute Four** 
 
 Ugh. How am I supposed to sleep with this looming over me? It ’ s hard enough to get some good sleep in when I have an exam in the morning. Heh, look at me comparing this to a math test. I supposed it is a test of sorts. But it is one test I intend to completely and hopelessly fail. That ’ s a good thing, right? 
 
 **Minute Five** 
 
 That ’ s it, I can ’ t take laying here anymore. It ’ s time for breakfast. Seriously? I have five minutes to live, and we ’ re out of Reeses ’ Puffs? So not fair. For real, not fair at all. That phrase may be overused, but I think this whole ordeal earns me some special usage rights here. If anything has ever been unfair, seriously unfair, this has definitely got be on that list. In the top ten at least. 
 
 **Minute Six** 
 
 Peanut butter. So good. There ’ s not a lot that a jar of peanut butter and a big spoon can ’ t fix. Dang. Should have checked on the milk situation first. Now it looks like I ’ ll be dying with my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. Could be worse, I guess. 
 
 **Minute Seven** 
 
 It ’ s so strange. I ’ ve never felt like I ’ ve had more time. As the moment grows closer, time is slowing down. I mean, really. I ’ ve had time to eat peanut butter and wallow in self-pity. That normally would make a full morning on its own. 
 
 **Minute Eight** 
 
 Okay. This is happening. I ’ m not dreaming. This is really going to happen. I ’ m gon na die. And in two minutes no less. Just breath. I think it ’ s over pretty quickly. Actually, I have no clue. They never told me about that part. Dear god, is going to hurt? 
 
 **Minute Nine** 
 
 No. No, no, no. I ’ m not waiting to see how this plays out. I can stop this before it starts. My dad gave me my own gun already; I might as well use it once. That ’ s it. Yes. I ’ ll do it. 
 
 **Minute Ten** 
 
 Well here it is. Kill or die, right? For me, there ’ s no difference. Fate doesn ’ t decide when I die, only I do. Man, this is gon na be so loud. I just hope it doesn ’ t hurt… 
 
 **Minute Eleven** 
 
 “ One hour remaining. ”
