2:19 am
While the website was loading, the screen was blue, with a clock ticking as the loading icon. It seemed like it was based on real time, since it moved slowly. That, or the wifi was acting up again.
Luckily, the homepage loaded in and it revealed two figures in a white space high-fiving each other under the name Last Friend written underneath it.
The blue banner above that had the same name on the left side, with the register button on the right.
I scrolled down, seeing pictures of friends having fun fade in and out of each other.
Find someone to spend time with you, it said. And below that was a Get Started button.
I moved on and read the testimonies for the fun of it.
"Last Friend has made my day so much better." - anonymous Decker
I bit my lip. I assumed they were now gone from here. I began to think of how Last Friend Inc. got their hands on a testimony like this. How did the Decker find time to do this?
Maybe the Decker had all the time to, because they didn't exist in the first place.
"Even for someone who isn't a Decker, the Last Friend app proved beneficial to me. I always felt joy helping a Decker through their day." - anonymous
"It's the best place to connect with strangers and build long-lasting friendships." - anonymous
"Without it, I wouldn't have met a dear friend before they passed away." - anonymous
"Last Friend helped my son have the best time of his life, even if I wasn't there to see it." - anonymous
"The app changed my life completely." - Deirdre Clayton, renowned writer of The Alley Tales
I stopped at the last one. Not only was it the only quote with a name attached, but I also recognized Deirdre and her book, The Alley Tales. Her life story was repeated over and over on the radio.
Aside from that, her book was raved about as well. It was a collection of short stories that tackled mental and psychological issues, mostly about the effects of the existence of Death-Cast. One story in particular garnered the most attention from the collection: Life-Cast.
Life-Cast and The Alley Tales became a worldwide sensation. It inspired debacle among the populace, and it was discussed frequently in schools, governments, and even among celebrities and influencers. It even went as far to create a radicalized group against Death-Cast. In that span of time, The Alley Tales became a classic.
This was enough for me. If someone like Deirdre, who had been through the lowest of the low, ended up successful just because of Last Friends, then who's to say what will happen to me?
I hovered the cursor over to the blue banner on top of the webpage and pressed the register button.
The entire page was blue, with a prompt at the center:
⬜ Dying
⬜ Not Dying
I clicked the first option and a message appeared:
We here at Last Friend Inc. are collectively sorry for this loss of you. Our deepest sympathies extend to those who love you and those who will never meet you. We hope you find a new friend of value to spend your final hours with today.
Please fill out the profile for best results.
Deeply sorry to lose you,
Last Friend Inc.
I clicked past that pop-up. I didn't need the sympathy of a company. And even if it was, it usually wasn't true.
A blank profile appeared and I filled it up:
Basic Profile
Name: Russell Magbanua
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Pronouns: he/him
Nationality/Ethnicity: Filipino
Orientation: <skip>
Height: <skip>
Weight: <skip>
Allergies/Medical Conditions: <n/a>
Country: Philippines
Province/State: <skip>
Extra Details
Job: <n/a>
Interests: listening to the radio, picking little things
Favorites: <skip>
Decker Section
Who You Were in Life: A nobody no one should mess with.
Bucket List: <n/a>
Final Thoughts: I need a friend.
The system prompted a photo for the profile picture. I hovered the cursor over the skip button, but I decided that I will take one through the webcam.
I smiled thinly on the camera as it took my picture. The profile picture displayed on the screen. My face was barely visible from the blue LED light and the dim environment. I accepted the result anyway. It's not like I could surf through a public computer's photo album for a picture of me.
As I submitted the final profile, a system prompt appeared: Be well, Russell.
I returned it with a thin smile.
The site redirected me to the home screen, revealing a feed of single-sentence posts from different users. On the side were ads and links to other linked services like the Death-Cast official website, CountDowners, and the like.
The feed was a new feature implemented by Last Friend Inc.: Last Message. Deckers would leave their legacy in a single sentence and it would be displayed on Last Friend and other different social media platforms. I knew this because the Decker Radio Station mentioned it time and time again.
While waiting for messages to appear, I opened the link to the Death-Cast website. It had a black background, with the words Death-Cast in a old font. Below that was a field prompting me to type a name or scan a QR code.
I checked my bag for the envelope, but then I remembered that I left it back in the apartment I came from. I cursed to myself.
I took a deep breath and typed my name on the field. Now, the site said it was loading just as I heard a ping through the headphones.
I switched to the Last Friend tab and saw that someone messaged me.
-
Subject: condolences to u
Fred Ibanez. 21 years old. Male.
Cebu (31 miles away).
Decker? Yes.
-
Fred I. (2:22 a.m.) you too huh?
Russell M. (2:22 a.m.): yeah
Russell M. (2:22 a.m.): nothing i can do about it tho
Fred I. (2:23 a.m.): u seem like a nice guy
Fred I. (2:23 a.m.): how about we meet? we can meet halfway or sumthing
Russell M. (2:23 a.m.): where are u
Fred I. (2:23 a.m.): argao
Russell M. (2:23 a.m.): that's too far for me sorry
Fred I. (2:23 a.m.): aight.
Fred I. (2:23 a.m.): good luck to us both
Russell M. (2: 23 a.m.): yeah. u too
-
I received a couple of other messages from my inbox.
-
Subject: i can be ur friend <3
Mary Empress Ponce. 18 years old. Female.
Cebu (15 miles away)
Decker? No.
Subject: WAnT A BUDdY? I CAn HOoK yOU Up
Matteo Falamig. 17 years old. Male.
Cebu (21 miles away)
Decker? No.
Subject: san mig?
Rafael Custado. 18 years old. Male.
Cebu (3 miles away)
Decker? Yes.
-
I immediately delete Matteo's message, knowing that it was some bot that managed to enter Last Friend's servers.
I deleted Rafael's message too; I wasn't in the mood for drinking. If I were to die today, I would do it right.
With a sigh, I opened Mary's message.
-
Russell M. (2:26 a.m.): empress? nice name
Mary Empress P. (2:27 a.m.): thx too bad i hate the person who gave it to me
Russell M. (2:27 a.m.): oh bad parents?
Mary Empress P. (2:27 a.m.): say r u in a bar rn?
Mary Empress P. (2:27 a.m.): essentially yea
Russell M. (2:28 a.m.): computer shop
Mary Empress P. (2:28 a.m.): can't access the internet?
Mary Empress P. (2:28 a.m.): are u poor or smth
Russell M. (2:29 a.m.): yeah
Mary Empress P. (2:29 a.m.): ew wtf if my friends see my Last Friend dirty then they'll laugh at me
-
I felt anger swell in me. I typed furiously on the keyboard.
-
Russell M. (2:29 a.m.): well then u and ur friends are so pathetic
-
I switched to the Death-Cast page, which was prompting me about services after death.
I picked cremation over being buried. If I ever had a grave, all they'd do is shit on it.
Better if my life were dust carried away by the wind. Nobody wouldn't even know that I existed.