Life Changer

It's a bright sunny day in LA, but Gabriel Espinoza wouldn't know that, for all of his curtains were blacked-out, and his room was dark as if it were night. The only sign of it being day was a slight sliver of light creeping through a gap in the curtains. It was 4/26/2037, a Monday, and he went down the hall to a door. He opened it and saw a lonely and rusty car. It hadn't been driven in a long time.

He walked in his dirty garage barefoot, not giving any mind to what was on the floor. He hit something on the floor with his foot.

"Ah! Fuck!" He cursed under his breath.

He made his way to a refrigerator and opened it, and he was met with the sight of what looked to be hundreds of alcoholic beverages. He grabbed a beer and went back inside.

Gabriel went to his living room, and sat down on his couch and stared at his plaques on the wall, reminding him of his glory days. Days when he was looked up to by everyone, everywhere. But now he was alone, and sad in his home. No one cared anymore.

He then heard the lock of his door. Someone was trying to get into his house, but he didn't react, he knew who it was. They come by every Monday. The door unlocked and his sister, Olivia, walked in.

"Hello!" she exclaimed in her usual happy tone, Gabriel however didn't respond. His sister is the type of person who could almost read your mind, knowing how you feel at any given moment. She looked at Gabriel who was obviously sad. "Y'know you should really go to therapy, your mental state has only gotten worse since her death" Olivia stated, concerned for her brother.

A sudden bolt of anger struck Gabriel. He didn't even know why this angered him so much. He knew she was right, but was too stubborn to admit it to himself or her. This time however he was able to hold onto his anger, and swallow it, not letting it get through him.

"When mom died, therapy really helped me, maybe it could help you with the loss of your wife." she said, but Gabriel didn't bother responding. "I also saw your purchase history-"

"You still have access to that?" Gabriel thought out loud, interrupting her.

Olivia continued "-And I see you bought one of those Life Changer thingies." Gabriel didn't even nod, or look at her. "Not to burst your bubble" she said "-but those only let you see a predicted future, so what happens in there might not even happen."

Olivia realizing she wasn't getting through to him, decided to leave, but before that, she went over to his indoor plants, and watered them with her water bottle. She walked back over to the front door and opened it, but before walking out she turned around and said her usual goodbyes.

"If you ever need a recommendation, you know who to call." She said as she walked out the door.

Later that day his doorbell rang. It was a delivery man, with a package. Gabriel, who was usually very sad and depressed, became excited. He broke into it as soon as he got it inside. He saw what he'd been waiting for, a Life Changer. . He inspected its design. It looked almost like an old calculator, the type you'd see in school. He turned it on and eventually he heard a nice melody play as the device booted up. He spent at least an hour trying to figure out what date he was going to travel to. He decided to travel 5 years ahead, to see where he'd be as a person. He pressed the button, and all of a sudden he was flying through space time. Lights and sounds passed by him, and he almost became motion sick.

A minute later he woke up where he was, in his house, but it was cleaner than before, and the curtains were open for a change. He got up from his couch and walked to his garage. When he got out there, his car was gone. Gabriel didn't care though, he hardly ever rode that piece of junk anyway.

He went back inside and walked out his front door. The sky was clear, aside from clouds in the distance. Gabriel walked down the street cheerfully thinking about how his future self finally got his life together.

Everything looked mostly the same. There were some new businesses, and some were missing. There were new houses and many people walking around outside. He soon bumped into someone who looked at him in shock for a few seconds.

"Oh sorry about that" the stranger said. "I just thought I recognized you for a second".

Gabriel wasn't surprised since he suspected that his future self also got back into making music and had become famous again, but was confused as to why he said he 'thought' he recognized him.

"You just look like Gabriel Espinoza," the stranger continued. "But he died 4 years ago." Gabriel looked at the stranger in confusion, thinking it was a joke. "Anyway nice meeting you" the stranger said as he passed him by.

"Wait!" Gabriel called out to the man. "I'm- I mean Gabriel Espinoza is dead?"

The man turned around and said "Yeah, he's been dead. It was big news when it happened." The man then walked away, leaving Gabriel standing there in shock.

Gabriel started running. He ran down the street with one destination in mind. His sister's house. The sun became obstructed by clouds that seemingly came out of nowhere. He got to her neighborhood and ran to her house, but to his dismay, he saw a "For Sale" sign in front of her house.

The house looked deserted, like no one was living in it. Maybe no one has lived in it for a while. Gabriel turned around and sat on the curb. He held his head and tried to calm himself. This was becoming too much for him to handle.

Gabriel pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed a number. He held the phone to his ear and waiting for the person he called to pick up. It rang over and over again, but no response. He kept dialing the number and yet he didn't get any sign that there was a person on the other end.

Gabriel put the phone down and stared at the sky. It started to rain as he stared into the uncaring clouds. Suddenly though, he got a call. He picked it up.

"Hello?" He said. "Olivia?"

"Who is this?" The person said. Gabriel smiled hearing the voice. It was definitely Olivia.

"It's me!" He said. "Gabriel!"

Olivia didn't say anything for a moment. It was silent, a sort of awkward silence. "How dare you impersonate my brother like that." She growled at him.

"No really it's me-!"

"No no no." She interrupted. "My brother has been dead for years, and it is extremely disrespectful for you to call me and tell me you are him."

"N-n-no! You have to believe-"

Before he could get another word out, she started screaming obscenities at him, wishing the worst upon him. She only stopped when her husband came and calmed her down. He took the phone and sent her away.

"Who the hell is this?" He asked angrily.

"Gabriel! Gabriel Espinoza!" Gabriel told him.

There was another moment of silence, before the man hung up on him. "Shit!" Gabriel said before dialing the number again. It immediately went to voicemail. He called it again, just to get the same thing. Then he dialed it one more time.

"Sorry! You've been blocked by this caller." A little notification said.

Gabriel sat there on the curb speechless. The only person he cared about ever since the passing of his wife just cut him out. He felt hopeless as he stared at the notification.

He looked up and saw a car, painted yellow with a sign that said "taxi". He waved his hand at it and it stopped for him. He got in and said "take me to the nearest graveyard. The driver nodded his head and started to drive. The taxi soon arrived and he got in. Throughout the ride he was fidgeting with his fingers and tapping his toe.

He eventually got to the graveyard and ran to his wife's grave. To no surprise, he saw his own grave, the name "Gabriel Espinoza" carved into it. At this point, he has seen it all, there was no possible way this could get worse. Then he looked at the date of death. It was 7/14/2037.

He stared, but not because he was in shock, or surprised, but because he was disappointed. He had thought he got his life together, only for that idea to be beaten down and destroyed to nothing. But just the feeling of regret and disappointment that he was directing to himself, was too much to bear.

It started pouring and Gabriel got soaking wet. The cold wind coupled with the droplets of water hitting his face just got to him. His face contorted as he began to sob. Tears disguised themselves as rain drops running down his cheek, and he held his red face

The rain soon stopped though, and his tears disappeared. The sun shined on his face once again as it set. Clouds passed by quickly and cleared the sky. After going through his thoughts, he then remembered something, the words of his sister. "Those only let you see a predicted future, so what happens in there might not even happen." Gabriel looked up at his grave. He touched the polished stone, and before his eyes, it started to fade away.

Gabriel got up with a new found hope, and grabbed the Life Changer. He pressed the "Stop" button, and he was quickly whisked away to a familiar house. His half-full beer was still in his hand, the curtains were still closed, and he was holding the Life Changer. He put the device down and went to the kitchen sink, where he poured what was left of his drink down the drain. He smiled, and he was actually happy for once. He felt clarity, and peace, among other things.

He grabbed his phone and dialed a number. It rang for a moment, before someone answered. "Hey Olivia." Gabriel said. "I need a recommendation."

Written by: HorrorsUnknown