"The heck?" I yelled, my voice echoing off the bare walls of my tiny apartment. A glowing red screen floated in front of me, its vivid hue making my head throb even more.
"The Editor," read the glowing letters at the top of the screen.
I blinked hard. Maybe it was the hangover-or three hours of sleep-but this was not normal. "I should stop drinking," I muttered, pulling myself out of bed. My head throbbed as I staggered toward the bathroom.
This was all Sara's doing. That woman had the knack of making my life miserable. It doesn't matter that she is my boss; she has no right to guilt me into going out with her and her friends for a drink.
Sara Simmons, the youngest female entrepreneur in City X, owner of the powerful yet pretentiously named Starlight Tech. A tech company that had dominated most of the city's corporate landscape. And me? A nobodies—a mere data analyst with a monthly income of $3,300. Decent? Not really. Between rent, groceries, bills, and the ever-looming student loans, I barely scraped by. Skipping meals wasn't a lifestyle choice—it was survival. Quitting, however, wasn't an option either. Sara was notorious for laying people low who dared to leave her company on less than amicable terms. A colleague of mine tried once and ended up a laborer in some third-tier city. The employee certificate she handed out was practically a death warrant if she wasn't happy with you. "Shit!" I yelled, almost slipping as I entered the bathroom. My reflection stared back at me: messy hair, bloodshot eyes, and a defeated expression. Great. I was officially losing my mind, seeing red screens now. It had to be my imagination, fueled by too many late-night system novels. But still, why a bright red screen? That's way too weird of a color for a screen.
Later
Chewing on a sandwich hastily prepared, I decided to humor the glowing screen. When my fingers touched it, the display altered. Names started filling in on the screen—names I recognized. My neighbors. Uncle Peter downstairs. Joshua Lewis next door.
Each of the names was accompanied by a small pen icon. Out of morbid curiosity, I clicked on Joshua's name.
Joshua Lewis, my neighbor, was a mystery man, age 31. He rarely spoke to anyone, but he was infamous for his nightly adventures. Two girls every night, as regular as a clockwork, followed by morning arguments with his neighbors. I was one of his favorite victims, and so was the family next door. They detested how his lifestyle might "corrupt" their little Eight.
When I clicked the icon of a pen, there was a text box with a microphone and a keyboard.
"Am I supposed to type or speak?
"I am a good friend of Damian, my neighbor and I bring two virgins to my room every night," I mumbled. After a moment's thought, I tapped on the microphone symbol. Dumb if I tried using a keyboard if speech-to-text option is there. Not that it would really work. For all I know it could all just be my imagination. I leaned closer and spoke, "I am a good friend of Damian, my neighbor, and I bring two virgins to my room every night. But starting today, I would ask one of them to go to his room because he's my brother. I don't fight with people, and I'm a loving person."
I gazed at the words in utter stupidity. Why the bloody hell had I written such a thing? "Even if this thing is real, it can't work like this," I grumbled, chuckling dully.
Just as I had eaten half of my sandwich, I had to get up.
Why?
Because.
There came a knock at my door.
"Who's disturbing me this early?" I complained, pushing my half-eaten sandwich aside. When I opened the door, my jaw almost hit the floor.
It was Joshua, my neighbor. And he was smiling. Smiling. An unbelievable sight.
"Hey, Damian, my dude! Want to get some grub before work? It's been a long time since we've hung out. We should grab up for breakfast and lunch, so we can actually converse. What do you think?" he asked in his unnervingly friendly tone.
I blinked. "Uh… I just ate breakfast, and I usually skip lunch., " I replied, trying to sound casual. This was weird. Joshua never talked to anyone like this, least of all me.
"Yeah? It sucks. I have to eat alone even today? You know what? No worries, man!" he said, laughing. "You see, I've got my eye on this girl—she is great. And guess what? She has a sister. I can hook you up! You would hit it off with her for sure. Beautiful, both of them. We could, you know, jam together tonight—you with the older one, me with the younger. Of course, I am not talking about foursome or something. You talk the older one to your room, I would take the younger one to mine. She is totally your type. And what is the use of all that handsomeness of yours, if you don't score with girls, ehh?"
I stared at him, my expression frozen in disbelief. Was this really happening? It was exactly what I'd written in that ridiculous text box.
Joshua clapped me on the shoulder. "Anyway, let's catch up later, yeah? Oh, and if you ever want to start a business, let me know. I've recently got some new connections that could help you out. Most of them are related to Tech industry, including production and promotion companies."
That part was new. I didn't write anything about business connections.
"Yeah, sure man. I will let you know when I'll need them. Thanks,"
I said, making my smile look genuine as well, and slowly shut the door. As soon as it clicked shut, I leant against it again with my heart beating within me.
The screen's existence is real. Now, I tried to pinched myself.
"Oww."
The pain is genuine. Definitely, this thing is happening.
I let out a sharp exhalation of breath. "Looks like I have to figure out how this thing works before I do anything else," I thought to myself.
"I wonder what all I can do with this screen. ", I couldn't help but think with a smile.
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