THE MOMENT
It was Gretchen's own kindness that put her behind schedule. Her apartment was only a five-minute walk away from the diner if she cut through the park. She wouldn't normally take the shortcut through the park this late at night; but, tonight was different. It was the safest night in a century. Everyone wanted to be indoors by midnight. She still had 10 minutes to get there; but, she would have preferred more time to settle herself.
Every 100 years, time stopped for everyone alive and the dead rose to live once again. It was the way things had always been. The Dead Century was ingrained into everyday life. It was knowledge as common as the sun being yellow or the sky being violet. Most businesses closed early that day; but, not Gretchen. She kept her diner open.
She tried to close early. Her last customers were a small family of three that seemed to drag out their meal longer than necessary. After some polite prodding, she learned they had nowhere to go for the Dead Century. They didn't have any money to pay for their meal either; but, they were upfront with Gretchen about that part. She didn't want anyone to spend the next century on an empty stomach and was happy to feed them. It was still 100 years; it didn't matter that it passed in the blink of an eye.
It was an easy decision to make. They had nowhere to go and her diner would be empty for a century. Staying outdoors wasn't a death sentence, but it wasn't ideal. In all of history, there were very few reports of the undead eating anyone. Most of the casualties were caused by exposure. Time stopped for them, but not for the everyday elements.
Gretchen walked through the park at a hurried pace. Then, she noticed a pair of girls sitting together on top of a picnic table. She paused and looked around the dim park. The winding paths were all well illuminated with light posts; but, she did not see anyone else. She checked her watch and did some quick guesstimation in her head. She still had seven minutes and she was more than halfway through the park.
She changed direction and approached their table. She realized they were twins. Both had coffee-brown hair and identical faces. They sat cross-legged and had their eyes closed. They looked like they were meditating, but Gretchen didn't have time for that.
"Um... hello?" She asked. One of the twins opened her bright green eyes and smiled at Gretchen.
"Hi," she said. She turned on the table to face Gretchen and unfolded her legs over the side to step on the seat. "You okay?" the green-eyed girl asked.
"Are YOU?" Gretchen asked. "The Dead Century starts in six minutes. Are you planning to spend it out here?" She glanced at the other twin, but she remained cross-legged with her eyes closed. "Where are your parents?"
"My mom's going through some stuff with one of her best friends, so she kind of wants to be left alone right now," the girl replied. As she spoke, Gretchen felt a strange mixture of emotions. The explanation seemed to hit a personal nerve somehow. "And my dad still thinks we're locked in the cabinet where he left us. That's if he hasn't forgotten about us," the girl added. Despite the horrific description, Gretchen felt mild amusement at that information.
"What...?" Gretchen was more shocked than she had time to deal with. She'd always made quick decisions and tried to make them out of kindness. She did not have time to work out the details of their home life. She shook her head to clear it. "You can come with me. My apartment is close by and I don't want you girls out here alone during the Dead Century. When it's our turn again I can try to help you more."
"No thanks," the girl replied with her own head shake. "The park is always so empty, it's the perfect place to transition."
"Huh?" this girl was giving Gretchen the strangest answers. She did not expect a 'no', but she didn't need any elaboration. She glanced at her watch, then sighed. Only four minutes left. It was the hardest, fastest decision Gretchen ever made. She focused on the girl, forced a smile, then sat down on the bench at their table.
"My name is Gretchen, what's yours?" she asked.