What If You Suddenly Had Only Three Days To Live?5

By Daniel Ferszt

For those of us who dot all our i’s, cross every t, and triple check to make sure they’re absolutely perfect, creating itineraries is as commonplace as brushing our teeth. For those of us who don’t plan ahead, hopefully we’re still brushing too.

Changing behavior patterns is difficult, but what if you suddenly had only three days to live? This is the question posed by KoldCast TV’s new sci-fi series Weekenders, in which a new designer drug “LifeXtra” allows the deceased to be resurrected for 72 hours of pain-free existence, forever changing the notion of a ticking clock.

Murder victims, war heroes and loved ones can now return for up to three days after death. The world is forever changed by LifeXtra, a drug known commonly as “LX” which allows the deceased to be resurrected for three extra days of pain-free existence.

Click to watch the new Weekenders trailer

Pop culture wisdom would have you think that flying by the seat of your pants in hopes of coming across some last-minute thrills is the way to go. In reality, a meticulously planned exit to ensure you hit all your last stops would probably be far more satisfying. Here’s one writer’s idea of a grand finale, from West Coast to the Far East.

DAY ONE

Tactical Ops Training – Modesto, CA

Gunshots have been fired at a local high school. Bank robbers have taken hostages. Armed terrorists have broken into a government facility to steal biological weapons.  Whatever the training scenario provided, you’d better suit up and grab your AK-47 air gun, because you’re about to roll with a real live SWAT team in 60,000 feet of training space. The experts at Tri-Core International teach you how to quickly plan a tactical operation and efficiently neutralize multiple active shooters without civilian casualties.  You’ll step into the shoes of highly trained street soldiers on the front lines of justice.

Hollywood Top Gun Flight – Los Angeles, CA

Before Tom Cruise was scaling glass buildings in Mission Impossible 4, or even before mixing cocktails in, uh, Cocktail, he was tearing up the skies in an L-39 jet fighter in Top Gun. Hollywood Top Gun puts you right in the Danger Zone. It’s dangerous, but so is dying in three days. You’re strapped into the cockpit of a fighter jet, multiple camera angles capture your face as you climb at a rate of 4,000 feet per minute, and continue rolling as you roar over Los Angeles and the Mojave Desert. You also get to direct which maneuvers you would like to perform.  The final cut is then edited with a high-energy soundtrack for some serious action. If you’re going to leave anything behind for people to remember you by, this will be the coolest, and probably the kitschiest.

Rock N’ Roll Fantasy Camp – Hollywood, CA

Homer Simpson did it, and now you can too. Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy Camp has been described as the “ultimate music making experience”, allowing you to jam with high profile music celebrities, such as Gene Simmons, Steven Tyler, Slash and Meatloaf. Whether you shred the guitar or rock the tambourine, packages range from recording with hit record producers to performing on stages such as the Hard Rock Café and Playboy Mansion, even if you have zero talent!

DAY TWO

Virgin Galactic Flight – Spaceport America, New Mexico

Ok, so I like flying… Get ready to join the likes of Tom Hanks, Ashton Kutcher, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as you embark on a private journey to outer space.  You and your crew will blast through the atmosphere at 2,500 mph (over three times the speed of sound). The rocket motor will go silent, and you’ll suddenly find yourself rising from your seat and floating through the air; experiencing weightlessness as you summersault in zero gravity. Enjoy it while it lasts, because nothing will compare to the feeling of plummeting towards that big blue marble called home. In 2011, Sir Richard Branson unveiled his Virgin Galactic commercial space line to more than 800 drooling guests. Take off is rumored to commence this year, so stay alive a while.

Mammoth Water Coaster – Santa Claus, Indiana

Everyone loves water slides, but everyone and their mothers love a water coaster! The towering MAMMOTH at “Holiday World” (we know) in Santa Claus, Indiana (we know), is the largest of its kind, towering over seven stories high and spanning more than three acres. The breathtaking drops are designed by fun-geniuses at Holiday World, geniuses even more fun than at the Apple Store. They use Linear Induction Motor (LIM) technology to superpower six-person rafts through the 1/3-mile track.

Tank Adventures – Kasota, Minnesota

By now you may be thinking I have some anger management issues in that I want to spend my last three days on earth in a SWAT team, flying a fighter jet, and manning a tank. No comment. The thrill masters at “Incredible Adventures” will seat you in a 16-ton FV-433 Abbot for your first of three tank driving sessions. This will introduce you to the monster and get you acclimated with its 105mm gun barrel. Then you’ll step up to the speedy FV432 APC and experience a combat-like situation, plowing through the spacious course using nothing but a periscope to seek out enemy territory. The ultimate balls-out experience comes at the end, when you actually get to take control of a 60-ton Chieftain and crush a car. How? Just drive right over it, baby, drive.

DAY THREE

Sky Tree – Tokyo, Japan

You just landed in Japan on a Cessna Citation X, the fastest commercial jet in the world. Now make haste to the Tokyo Sky Tree where you’ll have the opportunity to plummet 1,400 feet to the ground in the world’s highest bungee jump. After you’ve been lifted high above Tokyo, the safety-respecting Sky Tree professionals will fit you with a newly designed suit that includes the first ever gravity-activated air bag. Then hit the wind, free falling and strapped to bungee cables designed by Japan’s aerospace industry.

Skydive Everest – The Himalayas, Nepal

Having “two feet on the ground” strikes me as quite boring. And as you won’t have enough time to climb Mt. Everest, so you’re going to have to jump it. The most absurd way to do that is via the Skydive Everest Adventure. In what is referred to as “the world’s most elite skydiving adventure to date”, it’s a chance to experience the Himalayas as very few have or ever will: from above. Accompanied by the Jump Team and equipped with supplementary oxygen, you will glide through the clouds, passing the summit and soaring by some of the highest peaks in the world.

Find Inner Peace – Jerusalem, Israel

If you aren’t already dead from the adrenaline-sucking activities to date, why not end your 72-hour excursion at the epicenter of the world’s three major religions? Whether you’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or anything else, Jerusalem is home to some of the holiest sites on earth. Make peace with the g-d of your choosing before you guys meet, and ponder the inescapable fact that whether it’s 72 hours or 72 years, no amount of time is ever enough.

But that’s just me.

Daniel Ferszt is a working screenwriter and copywriter for web and print. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he is recognized as a leading authority in raising kids with brown hair.