“No,” Leo said, biting into the donut. The sugar tasted like ash. “I think I’m about to become one.”
It was 2:47 AM. The apartment smelled of cold coffee and regret. Outside, the city hummed its indifferent lullaby. Leo had no reason to believe the site was real. He’d found it buried on page fourteen of a search for “average life expectancy after smoking relapse.” A link with no metadata, no preview text, just the pale blue URL staring back like a dare. www.death clock.com
He typed: Leonardo Frank Warren. D.O.B: 04/12/1987. Gender: M. Country: USA. Lifestyle: Smoker (1 pack/day). Sedentary. History of depression. No current medication. “No,” Leo said, biting into the donut