24 [Episode 1]

7 A.M. the phone starts to sing a crazy punk song ment to make people jump and bang their heads like animals. David opens his eyes a little bit confused and then searches for his phone on the bedside, picks it up and stares at the display for a couple of seconds. It was a hidden ID phone-call and the hour made it even stranger. He decided to pick up anyway:
-Ya.
-Souls are needed today.
And then silence. David just froze with his phone close to his ear speechless.
-Who is this and why are you calling this early in the morning?
-Are you up for it?
-Up for what? You’re making no sense at all...
-God doesn’t care about you! Do the right thing!
The conversation ended there. David took another look at the phone, busy trying to figure out who could do such stupid jokes so early in the morning. He entered the phonebook and scrolled down to one of his friends’ number and hit dial. It rang for like 10 seconds and then a hoarse voice answered:
-What?
-Don’t “what” me! Why the hell are you in the mood for jokes like this at freaking 7 in the morning?
-David, I am sleeping. Was and to be honest still am. If you are trying to challenge me with a riddle this is not the time. I’m going to hang up now and get back to sleep. Bye!
Confusion was the word anyone could read off David’s forehead. Obviously the one that called him wasn’t his friend, their voices were nothing alike. “Such a terrible way to wake up and God, I am so hungry!” he said in his mind and then got out of bed to find out that his room was awfully cold. He got dressed real fast and as the cold clothes touched his skin he started to shiver. With his eyes completely opened he went to the kitchen and drank some water to ease the pain in his throat. Then he started his daily routine: coffee, breakfast, reading the news on the internet with a big focus on what new movies were released. Without realizing he lost himself through web-pages and when he decided to take a look at the clock it was already 10 A.M.
-Damn, time’s flying so fast!
He picked up his phone and dialed his girlfriend’s number. She answered really fast:
-Good morning David!
-Hey honey! How are you?
-Just woke up, my head kinda hurts. You?
-Just fine. I woke up like 3 hours ago... Actually somebody woke me up. I got a strange phone-call from a hidden ID number telling me that I don’t know how many souls are needed today and that God doesn’t care about me. Haha! It must have been a crack-head or one of my friends was in the mood for stupid jokes.
-Ha! Well, at least your day started off with a bang!
-Not exactly what I had in mind but I guess you can say that. Honey, I dreamed about you last night!
-Really? What exactly?
-We were in a strange place that seemed familiar in some way thou I can’t picture it now. Anyway, you were begging me to stay and even thou I was screaming my lungs off that I am not going anywhere you just kept on crying and begging. Then you just disappeared and strangely my grandfather was right behind me saying that I did the right thing. And I was like “But I didn’t do anything!”. Really weird!
-Weird indeed... Have you ever dreamed about your grandfather before?
-Yes, lately he comes in my dreams almost every night. I have no idea why this is happening considering the fact that when I met him he was old and in the dreams he looks just like 30 years old and seems to always carry a sword with him. If I give it a better thought... Damn! Last night the sword was stained with blood...
-If only I had your dreams! I again dreamed about the exams and me failing them. Nightmare after nightmare...
-Aw, honey, calm down it’s just your mind letting you know that you fear failure. To be honest if you dream about the exams so much it means that they mean a lot to you and that you want to pass them no matter what!
-I guess so. Listen, David...
“Souls are needed... Why does this sound familiar?” While his mind was flying through other place his girlfriend didn’t stop talking.
-So? What do you say?
-Yes! I mean... What? Sorry I was thinking about something else.
-Oh God! I said let’s go to the cathedral later today, I feel the need to pray a bit!
-Sure thing honey! Now get your pretty ass off the bed and start your day! Call me when you’re ready so we can meet.
-Okay, love you!
-Love you too, bye!
David just kept on staring at the phone without knowing what to do next. Everything around him seemed to disappear in that moment and he felt a strange emotion that he couldn’t explain, like he had to do something today but couldn’t remember exactly what. The date was 12 December, nothing important, nothing noticeable, just another Saturday with no school and no plans. Except, of course, going to the cathedral with his girlfriend so that she can pray a bit to pass her exams. Nevertheless, David couldn’t understand why she’s making such a big fuss about the exams since they are at the end of January.
Faculty was important to him as well but he never gave it as much importance as his higher purpose to find a rule or a pattern that could explain reincarnation or how and where the soul is after the body stops supporting it. In the past few years he became so obsessed about it that he felt like a weirdo and decided to hide this thing from the others. Not even his mum or his girlfriend knew about his strange hobby, only his dead grandfather. David used to talk with him in his dreams and even if this made no sense at all he simply loved it. It was his only method of easing the pressure that would gather in his mind whenever he came to a dead end. In his dreams his grandfather, with a sword in his right arm, was always guiding him with new information and hints and even if they weren’t always clear or meaningful, they were enough to keep David going on his goal. “Death is only the beginning isn’t just a saying, I’m sure of it! There must be something I can’t figure out at the moment, there must be something hidden somewhere!”
-Ah, yes! “Victim souls are needed” this was the sentence! Now, where have I read it?
David opened his internet browser and googled the phrase. Way too many results appeared but by doing a quick filter he found what he was looking for. “So the balance must be kept. Awesome, now this is useful!”. Then he remembered something else, he read earlier today that at the local maternity 24 children were born today, which was an all-time record for his small town. Again confusion filled his mind and he started to stare at the monitor without thinking anything. “Does this mean that people are supposed to die today?”


To be continued...