Seven

let a train veer off the rails

let a great arch crumble into the abyss

let a plane fall like a wounded star

let a large crash light up the sky

“Look,” Jun says, looking at the top of the screen.

“Seven,” Anya mutters.

Jun brings back the group chat, where Anya can’t bother with the conversation. But she is interested in one thing.

“How did you find this group chat?”

“I didn’t,” Jun answers. “I was invited to it.”

“By who?”

Jun was sitting upright on his bed. The nurse had just taken his vitals and given him his medication.

Ding!

He reached over and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. He opened it and saw that he had a new notification.

You have a new chat invite from Ling. Tap to join.

Ling? Who was that? Jun couldn’t recall anyone he knew going by that name or even that alias on his phone.

“Everyone was welcoming,” Jun continues, “but it seems like we were all invited by this person named Ling. And…”

“And?” Anya probes.

“He was also the one who said that the poll would change.”

“Ah, Anya, Jun.” Anya looks up while Jun turns around and sees his doctor walking towards them. He looks at Anya. “Do you have a minute?”

Anya nods and follows the doctor toward a small room with pale-coloured walls, a small desk, and an examination table.

“I heard Jun’s doing well,” Anya says.

“He is,” the doctor reassures. “But…”

That’s a word Anya has come to dread.

“It's true his condition improved,” the doctor continues as he takes a seat at the small desk and gestures for Anya to take the seat opposite of him. “But there’s a chance that he will relapse even worse than what happened the last few years.”

It was years ago, but Anya remembers the day like it was yesterday. Jun was in so much pain. His body convulsed and his jaw clenched tight, teeth grinding against the pain. His eyes were shut, his knuckles turning white at how hard he was clutching the blanket. The relapse had been severe, but Anya had convinced him to go through with taking the painful medication rather than gambling with fate on a surgery that would likely take his life.

Anya’s brows pull together in silent worry. “How big are the chances?”

“More than half. But the good news is that the chances of a successful operation are higher than in previous years. But that also means the cost is higher.” Anya glances down. “Both of you are still young. I… I don’t mean to pry, but your parents—”

“They’re not here anymore,” Anya interrupts.

The doctor solemnly nods. “I’m sorry.”

Anya forces a smile. “How high are the chances of success are we talking about?”

xxx

Jun is on his phone when Anya enters his room. “What did the doctor say?” he asks, turning off his screen.

“He… asked me my thoughts on your surgery.” Anya sits in an empty chair next to Jun’s bed. “The same one we keep talking about for years.” When Jun remains silent, Anya asks, “The chances are higher this time, but it’s still not—”

“I want to do it,” Jun interrupts, looking her square in the eyes. “Even if there’s still a chance it'll fail.” Then, jokingly, “Besides, maybe we won’t be around anymore.” Anya frowns. “We need close to a year to prepare anyways and Hour 0—”

“This is serious, Jun.”

Jun raises his hands as if declaring innocence. “Just trying to lighten the mood.” Then, his face turns serious. “But, you promised, remember?”

How can Anya forget?

“Sis,” Jun said softly, taking her attention away from the flowers she was putting in the vase next to the hospital bed. “I want to live.” He looked at her. “Like everybody else.”

“You will,” Anya said. “Just… Give it a little more time. The risk is too high right now.”

Just endure it for now, Anya wanted to say. These painful episodes… just endure them until the chances of success are much higher. But Anya couldn’t bring herself to say that out loud. She could never truly understand the pain her brother went through, but he had always voiced high hopes for success despite the odds. Whatever happened, he didn’t want to continue living out his life at a hospital—that had always been his argument.

"This isn't living," he had argued. "This is prison."

“You always say the risk is too high," he muttered.

“But am I wrong?” Anya asked sternly. “Besides, the doctor said that if we wait, the chances of success might improve. And once that day comes, I promise we’ll go through with it.”

Is there any excuse she can give not to go through with the surgery now? Sure, there’s still a chance of failure, but she can’t imagine the look on Jun’s face if she goes back on her word.

“I remember,” Anya finally says. She holds her brother’s hands tightly. “Let’s do the surgery.”

And hopefully, by next year, Jun won't feel like a prisoner in his own body anymore.

xxx

Despite it being long past working hours, the train is still crowded. Anya is standing near the middle, tightly holding a handle. Sitting in front of her are two students in uniforms, and when Anya happens to look down, she sees that one of them has Hour 0 open while the other is on a forum.

“They say it’s really going to happen,” one of them says quietly.

“Because Ling said so?”

Anya glances at one of them.

“Yeah. He didn’t just say the poll would change… Like, he even predicted what the options were going to be.”

“That just means he’s the one who made it. What’s the big deal?”

“Aren’t you curious? Like who he is?”

The student shrugs. “I guess… but it’s not like anything will happen.”

“Yet, you still voted,” the other deadpans.

“Well, it’s kinda fun. And I want to see the results.”

Curious, Anya takes out her phone and opens the app. As expected, she’s greeted with the same question and options she saw on Jun’s screen. The student is right. There doesn’t seem to be a way to see the leading vote unless you vote yourself.

That’s one way to get people to act, Anya thinks.

Swiping the app away, she opens another browser, types in Hour 0 poll change, and sees a flurry of forum topics and comments.

I’m taking the high-speed rail to see family that day. Just seems like a bad omen…

dude I have a flight that day wth.

What crash are we talking about here? Like a car crash? A pileup? Building explosion Or what?

Ling… Who the heck is he?

That one catches Anya’s attention, and she opens the thread.

My sister got an invite from someone named Ling to a group chat on Hour 0… No one we know goes by that name. She hasn’t been feeling great lately… but she’s been using the chat to cope. But idk… I’m afraid it might backfire.

Anya thinks back to the conversation between her and Jun just before she’s about to leave.

“We’re all kind of similar,” he said, looking at his phone to Anya. “The people in the chat, I mean.” Anya, who had just put on her coat, put her hand on her brother’s shoulder. “Just… sort of fed up with the life we have.”

“Jun…”

“I know you think Hour 0 is stupid and stuff, but we don’t always talk about that,” Jun continued. “Sometimes we just share things.” A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. “It’s kinda nice.”

“What about Ling?”

“He sometimes talks with us too, and I don’t think he’s a bad person.”

Suddenly, the train comes to a screeching halt, and Anya lurches forward.

Amidst the confusion, a semi-calm voice comes from the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve encountered an unexpected issue, and for your safety…

Anya faces forward as the conductor’s voice feels further and further away. She slightly squints and makes out a number imprinted on the dark walls of the tunnel the train’s currently stuck in.

7