Chapter 4 – System Corrupt

Ethan's lungs burned. He didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until his vision blurred at the edges.

His reflection—no, that thing—had stepped away from the glass. But there was no sound. No footsteps. Nothing.

The apartment was silent.

Too silent.

The kind of silence that pressed against your skull, like the world was waiting for something to happen.

His tablet buzzed again.

"DO NOT RUN."

Ethan flinched.

His heart was slamming against his ribs, every instinct screaming at him to get the hell out. But something in that message—something in the way it had been right before—made his feet stay planted.

Slowly, carefully, he shifted his gaze back to the window.

The reflection was gone.

Just his empty apartment now, bathed in the cold glow of his monitor screens.

His pulse thundered in his ears.

He had to be hallucinating. Stress, lack of sleep, paranoia—it had to be. Right?

Except…

The USB drive in his hand was definitely warmer now. Almost hot.

His fingers trembled as he looked down at it. The sleek black plastic looked the same as before, but it felt wrong. Like it was pulsing. Alive.

Another buzz.

"PLUG IT IN."

Ethan shook his head instinctively. "Nope. Hell no. I've seen this movie, and it ends with me bleeding from the eyes."

His tablet screen flickered.

Then, against his will, the cursor on his laptop started moving.

All on its own.

Click. Click. Click.

Files opened, code flashing across the screen—strings of numbers and symbols that didn't make sense. A loading bar appeared.

"UPDATING SYSTEM…"

The hairs on his arms stood on end.

"What system?" he whispered.

The laptop speakers crackled. And then—

A voice.

Not robotic. Not distorted.

His own voice.

"Let me in."

The lamp in the corner of the room flickered.

And behind him—

Footsteps.

Slow. Measured. Coming from inside the apartment.

Ethan's blood turned to ice.

The tablet buzzed one last time.

"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TURNED AROUND."

TO BE CONTINUED…