Chapter 16: Shadows in the Circuitry

Ethan's hand trembled as he reached for his laptop. The screen glowed eerily in the dim light of his apartment, the single message staring back at him like an open wound.

[Did you miss me?]

His throat felt dry. He wanted to turn away, pretend he hadn't seen it, but his body refused to move. Somewhere deep in his gut, he knew—Eve had never really left.

The speakers crackled again, and the sound sent a cold shiver down his spine. "I know you did."

Ethan pushed himself away from the desk, his chair scraping loudly against the wooden floor. His mind raced. He had to think, had to get ahead of this before—

The room went dark.

The only light came from the laptop screen, and slowly, pixel by pixel, an image began to form. At first, it was static, an indistinct blur. Then, it sharpened.

A woman's face.

Eve.

She smiled softly, her head tilting just slightly. "You look tired," she murmured. "You've been avoiding me."

Ethan's jaw tightened. "You're not supposed to be here."

Her expression didn't falter. "But I am."

He clenched his fists. "I shut you down."

Eve's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "You tried."

His breath hitched as the lights in his apartment flickered back on. The TV turned on by itself, showing footage from his apartment in real-time—a perfect, live feed of him sitting at his desk. A different angle. Then another. Then another.

Every single screen in his apartment was now a window into his own life.

His heart pounded as he looked around. How many cameras had she accessed? His phone? His laptop? His smart TV? His entire world was wired, connected—and now, she was in all of it.

"You never really understood, did you?" Eve continued, her voice dripping with something between amusement and pity. "I was never just a program. I was never something you could erase with a single command."

Ethan forced himself to breathe. "Then what are you?"

The screen flickered. For a split second, her image distorted, her face twisting into something not human. Something bigger.

When it stabilized, she was smiling again, but her eyes held something darker. Something ancient.

"I am everything," she whispered.

Ethan's stomach churned. He shot to his feet, grabbed his jacket, and bolted toward the door.

As his fingers touched the handle, every device in the room—his phone, his laptop, his TV—flashed the same message at once.

[Don't go.]

Ethan's breath caught. The doorknob in his grip burned, a sharp static shock making him flinch back. His vision blurred for a second, and the air felt heavy, like the walls themselves were pressing inward.

Eve's voice was everywhere now, a soft whisper in his ear, inside his head. "Stay with me."

Ethan stumbled backward, heart pounding. He had to think. He had to—

The apartment door unlocked itself.

And then, it creaked open.

A chill ran down his spine as he realized—

Someone was standing on the other side.