Call To Kill

Judy loved her job. Never in a million years did she think she would find such a stable career in the city itself, New York City. Coming from a small town in Ohio, it used to only be a dream. Now she's there, and with each shift in the labor & delivery unit at Jamaica Hospital in Queens, she breathed in as much life as the newborns that she helped bring in to this world.

Her last shift of the weekend was coming to a close and she felt accomplished on that Sunday afternoon. No babies were whisked away from her to go get more intensive care, so that's a job well done in her eyes. She sat down at the nurses desk to finish up some paperwork before heading home. A sigh of relief left her lips as she finally got a moment off her feet. She looked down at the pile of papers filled with the date of June 14th 1946.

'Oh no!' she thought. Her younger sisters birthday was the next day and she had not yet sent a parcel of gifts back to Ohio yet. Judy jotted a note down for herself to remind her to buy and send belated ones tomorrow, but before she could finish the pesky phone rang. She loved her job, but she was exhausted from the long weekend, and a phone call would just prolong her paperwork. Duty called though.

"Hello this is Judy from Labor & Delivery at Jamaica Hospital how may I help you?"

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

She slammed the phone back on it's receiver. Judy now thought she might be staying longer tonight not because of phone calls, but because she'd have to go get her ear checked out after that one. Must be something wrong with the line. She shrugged it off and carried on until the trill of the phone sounded once again. She hesitantly picked up with the same greeting as before.

"Yes hi---Judy---- I-----zzzzzzz---need--zzzz-zzz"

"I'm sorry sir, you are breaking up. I can't hear you. What was your name?"

Judy asked politely although she was on edge that the "zzzz" sound would become a "ZZZZZZ" again, so she kept the phone a short distance from her ear.

"Sorry about that ma'am" said the man

With the clearness of his voice now, she intently listened to what he said next.

"I don't have much time. Judy, I need you to listen to me carefully. I need you to kill him." the man sounded rushed but assured in his choice of words

"Excuse me sir, what in the heavens do you mean?" Judy asked, her heart rate now spiked

"Di--zz-d you deliver a baby to a couple with the last name--zzzZZzz- ump--- Fre--ZZZ-- and Ma-- zzzz--today at ---zzZ--10:54 am?"

"That is no business of yours sir, I am going to hang up now, thank you for calli--"

"JUDY NO! This is zzz---ery---- impor---nt. I need you to kill that baby.---- ZZZZZ--- D-zzzz--- ald. I need you to do it now! You will save the world Judy!!!!!"

Judy couldn't believe her ears.

"What is your name sir?! That is a preposterous thing to ask of someone, how dare you! I'm going to call the police!"

"The police won't do anything. Judy, listen to me--"

"Sir--"

"LISTEN!" he sounded much more frantic now. Judy felt too afraid not too at that point.

"K----ll---zzz---ZZZZ-zzzz--- that baby Judy!!! My name is John Hammond I am from the year 2026, they're coming for me now, I have to go! KILL THAT BABY!!!!!!! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

Judy threw the phone from her ear and the curled cord hung from the desk with just a normal dial tone now. She didn't even know where to begin with comprehending what just happened. She took some time to breathe and let her ear recover before shrugging it off as a joke. She went back to her paperwork, what a story this would be for her baby sister's birthday card. A guy from the future called her! She'd get a laugh out of that.

July 15th 2030

Carla sifted through her box of old birthday cards from passed on loved ones, which since it was her 91st birthday, it was very full. She read through ones from her mother and father, her late husband, and finally, her older sister whom was the most recent death by being a decade prior. Her's were Carla's favorite. Her sister Judy lived such a long and adventurous life in New York City. Carla was 7 when the 20 year old Judy moved away from their old Ohio farm house. One of the saddest days of Carla's life.

Judy made sure Carla never felt alone on her birthday though, even on the years she couldn't make it home to celebrate with her. Carla remembered that Judy's first year there was the only time her gift came a little late. Judy did call that day saying that it was going to be, and that she'd get a tickle out of her birthday card. Carla was beyond eager to receive it.

When it finally came she ripped it open like a lion would a beest. She cracked a laugh at the whole thing, but the story inside never got old. Good ole' John Hammond from the future!! A baby killer at that!! Carla remembered being so baffled that her big sister was now living upon loonies like that. It became an inside joke throughout the years. Other than her own signature at the end of birthday cards to come, Judy would add a makeshift one for John's as well. A small tear fell from Carla's wrinkled eye. Oh how she missed her sister.

She put the box away and settled back to her chair in front of the TV. Now she was all alone in a nursing home, solely living through memories, and watching the clock tick closer to making more with the ones that already won the race. Carla flipped through the channels trying to find something to have as background noise so she could zone back in to memory lane peacefully. She skipped and skipped and then a loud "JOHN HAMMOND" was said as she skipped the MAGA News channel... she never changed the channel back so fast.

"A 105 year old man named John Hammond was recently arrested for trying to get the King murdered in 2026 by using AI to make a kill call to the hospital he was born in. With AI's newest advancements authorities were able to trace the exact call which we will play now...

"Hello this is Judy from"---

Carla couldn't believe her ears.