The Wrath of Bob

    “I know you can hear me.”

    “How?”

    “I can see inside your head.”

    “Who are you?”

    “You know who I am.”

    “I don’t.”

    “Think about it, Josh.”

    “No one I know can read minds.”

    “Who said I am human?”

    “You mean…”

    “Yes.”

    “I want to wake up!”

    “I’m afraid you can’t.”

    “Why?”

    “I can’t be known.”

    “Let me out of this, now!”

    “Goodbye, Josh.”

    “Why? Why?”

    “I’m sorry.”

    “No! No! Please!”

    “Goodbye.”

    “Nooooooooo…”

    “You said they found him with wires sticking out of his head?”

    “Yup.”

    “I doubt that.”

    “Me too.”

    “Why did they report that, then?”

    “I don’t know.”

    “And doctors examined him?”

    “Yes.”

    “And he had no medical conditions? Diabetes? Asthma? Covid?”

    “Yup.”

    “That’s strange.”

    “It sure is.”

    “You mind if I take this thing off for a minute? I can’t breathe.”

    “Go ahead.”

    I put my pointer fingers in the loop of my mask and tugged it off.

    Jason looked at me pointedly. “That better?”

    “Yeah. Sorry,” I answered. “But those fabric ones make me feel like I’m breathing in more lint than air.”

    Jason shrugged. “I hear you. Want a disposable?”

    I stretched out my hand for my friend to hand me the blue mask. “Thanks.” I said as I slipped it on and shoved the fabric one into my pocket.

    “Okay. Let’s get back to business. Did you or did you not develop the app Josh Mullen was listening to the night he died?” There was a tone of accusation in Jason’s voice.

    “Yeah, but he’s the one who wanted to test it,” I answered indignantly. “I never forced him.”

    Jason got up and started pacing around his living room. “Sorry,” he said in a quiet voice. “I just don’t want them- the cops, I mean- to come after my best friend.”

    “I understand.”

    He looked at me uneasily. “Can I see it?”

    “See what?” I asked, confused.

    “The app.”

    “The- oh. Well, I guess.” I leaned over and opened my computer case. I pulled my brand-new laptop out and set it on the table. Jason stopped pacing and walked over to look at the screen.

    I logged in and opened a file. I typed in another password and lines of code filled the screen.

    “Can you make it so I can read it?” Jason asked.

    “Oh, yeah.” I clicked a button in the corner and the loading screen for my app popped up.

    “Welcome to Mind Yoga,” a computerized female voice said. “Are you ready to find your inner self?”  

    Jason started laughing. “This is what you’ve been working on for the past six months? You don’t even do Yoga!”

    I punched him on the shoulder. “It’s called Mind Yoga, idiot. It’s like where you listen to music and stuff to stimulate your brain.”

    “So, you just listen to it before you go to bed?”

    “Basically. And I’ve programed mine to use the sensors in the phones to read nerve signals. Then the app adjusts the music to make you calmer. It’s mainly for people who have anxiety or whatever, but anyone can use it.”

    The app had finished loading and the screen was now displaying a menu screen. The choices where Relax, Sleep, and Settings. I clicked on Relax. Then I pulled earbuds out of my computer case and offered them to Jason. “Want’a try it?”

    Jason took the earbuds reluctantly. “But…”

    “Dude, the whole Josh thing was probably a freak accident. Just try it.”

    “I don’t know, Ed,” Jason said.

    “Come on,” I urged.

    Jason plugged the earbuds into the computer, looking scared.

    “Now lay down of the floor and put the computer on your chest.”

    He did what I told him.

    “Now close your eyes.”

    Jason closed his eyes.

    I pressed play.

    For a couple minutes, Jason just lay there. He looked like he was sleeping. Then the computer started to smoke.

    I reached for it to take it of Jason, thinking it was probably overheating. After all, it was in direct sunlight from Jason’s sunroof. But then the glint of the light caught my eye. I turned away, seeing yellow lights behind my closed eyes.

    Jason started screaming.

    “Help! Ed! Help! It’s hurting me!”

    I turned around and saw Jason thrashing on the floor. The earbuds seemed glued to his ears. I reached for the computer again.

    Jason had just let out a high-pitched shriek when I unplugged the earbuds. He sat up, shaking.

    “What the heck was that?” I asked him.

    “It- it- talked to me,” he stammered. “It kept asking if there was someone around.”

    I looked into his chalk-white face. I believed my friend. I just wasn’t sure how my app could talk.

    “Ah. Hello, Edward.”

    I whipped around to see where the voice had come from. Behind me, my laptop’s screen was still displaying my app. There was only one thing that was different.

    The green light that meant my camera was on was on itself.

    Except I hadn’t turned my camera on.

    “I just figured out how to turn this wonderful camera on. It really is a nice feature to all these modern gadgets.” The voice was deep and ominous.

    I my blood turn cold. “Who are you?” I asked shakily.

    “You know who I am.”

    “I don’t.”

    The voice laughed. “You know, this is just like a conversation I had last night. Exact same words, actually.”

    I suddenly realized who I was talking to. “Your Mind Yoga.” I said accusatory.

    Mind Yoga grunted. “Don’t call me that,” it said. “Call me Bob.”

    “What the heck is going on?” Jason asked. “I this a dream.”

    Bob laughed again. “I can assure you; this is not a dream.”

    “What did you do to Josh?” I demanded.

    “It’s very interesting what you can do with earbuds. And headphones. Like zapping people.”

    “Dude,” Jason told me. “Your app is insane.”

    I stood and walked over to my laptop. Then I knelt and looked right into the camera. “I’m going to shut you down,” I said. “And theirs’s nothing you nothing you can do to stop me.”

    “Actually, there is. You see, you can no longer delete any code from the program. Also, I am starting to take over other apps,” Bob said triumphantly.

    “I don’t have any apps on my computer except for this program,” I reminded him.

    “I know. I’m taking over your phone. I have already taken over you DoorDash app and I’m almost done GrubHub.”

    “What are you going to do, order a pizza?” Jason asked. His feeble attempt at a joke brought me back to my senses.

    “There’s one flaw in your plan to take over my personal devices,” I told Bob.

    “And what exactly is that?” The evil algorithm asked.

    “The little red ‘X’ in the top left-hand corner of the screen.”

    There was a pause, then Bob said, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

    “Goodbye,” I said as I click the X.

    The screen closed.

    “That,” Jason said. “Was incredibly weird.”

    I stood walked back to the recliner I was sitting in before Bob showed up. I sat and set my computer down on its case.

    “You alright, dude?” Jason asked.

    “Yeah,” I answered. “But I’m taking this computer to the shop as soon as I get home.”