Race to stop the Danger

Sweat was rolling down my forehead. I frantically looked at the coding charts, trying to find a mistake that could ruin this whole thing. I had done this multiple times, but my paranoia always got the best of me. I had spent a whole year trying to perfect the codes that would help my app work, and today was the day that I will find out if my hard work will pay off. I downloaded the test version of the app onto my phone to test to make sure the app works. My heart was dancing inside my chest, and it wasn't the slow tempo kind. After the app finished downloading, my fingers guided me to the sign-in page. I nervously put in my login id and held my breath. If my app worked the way it should, it would let me in and explore the rest of my app. I stared at the screen intensely, and… it worked. It actually worked! My screen proudly boasted the home page, and I whooped in excitement. A huge, dumb grin decorated my face. I sighed in relief and wandered through my app. Everything was working like a well-oiled machine. I was so happy, I thought I would explode. Now I was ready for the exciting part, and that was getting the final version of the app into the app store so that other people can use something that took a year of hard work. 

Two days later, a mysterious email popped into my inbox. There was no identification telling me who sent the email. I clicked on it, skeptical. Sitting innocently in the email was all of my personal information; my full name, phone number, home address, bank balance, bank transactions, credit card number, etc. I was shocked. My mouth was hanging so wide that a bird could build a nest in it. How could someone get all this information? I tried to figure out who wrote this, but I couldn't get anything from the email address. I eventually got tired of this and stopped. Even if someone has my personal information, nothing is going to happen to me. If only I realized how wrong I was. 

It has been a week since I got that email. Nothing bad happened, so I pushed it out of my thoughts. I had other things running through my mind. My app was in the App Store for people to download, and I am pretty sure that people are using it. I have been looking at the coding charts for hours, trying to find areas that can be improved. I have already put in a new feature where people can search to find effective ways to do their taxes, and it is working great. Ever since the app was on App Store, it is all that I think about. I haven't been able to do my work other than the app. I was constantly distracted. But I liked it.

A few days later, I got another email from the same mysterious account. This time, it listed a person named “Anna Isabelle Margret“, and gave me information about where she lived, her phone number, credit card number, and all sorts of private information. I was shocked, and frankly, kind of scared. Why was the same account giving me a bunch of random people’s information? I had gotten an email just like this a few days before, but the person’s name that was written there was “Elenor Wayfeild”. I decided enough was enough. I got the courage to call Anna and ask who she is. Maybe that will give me some clue as to who is sending these emails. I nervously typed her phone number into my phone. As it rang, I started getting nervous. What would I even say? Before I could change my mind, I heard a click and a woman’s voice ran through the screen and into my ears. 

“ Hello? Hello, who is this?”

“ Um, hi. My name is Griffin Waters, and I would like to have a conversation about something I received via email about you. May I please have your name to clarify I am calling the correct person?” I asked. 

My voice was shaky. What if she thought I was a creep and called the police? Argh, this was a terrible idea.

“ I do not find any reason to tell a stranger my name. May you please address the situation regarding me first?” she asked, her voice dancing with suspicion. 

“ Of course, but first, I would like to ask you if you had recently downloaded any apps. I know this is a weird question, but your answer may help me,” I asked, trying to sound as professional and no-nonsense as possible. 

‘ Ok. I don't know how this is related to anything, but I recently downloaded an app called Tax Helper. It is an app that helps you with taxes and introduces new tax ideas. It has been a lifesaver for me. But may I ask why you need this information?” 

I stopped breathing the second she said she downloaded my app. My mind raced through all of the information I have. I get an email with the personal information of anyone who downloaded my app, myself included. There has to be a problem with the software because this shouldn't happen. 

Because I am an absolute coward, the second she stopped talking, I disconnected the call. I needed time to think about what I should do. Because an app that extracts people’s private information is the most dangerous thing. 

For days, I looked through the software, trying to find a problem with the coding. I checked for viruses and hackers, but I got nothing. Nada. I was running out of time. I got more and more emails filled to the brim with private info about the people who use my app. They beg to be read, but I delete them the second I see them waiting in my inbox. The stress and anxiety are visible when you look at me. When I look in the mirror, I am startled by what I see. My brown hair has wilted to my skull. I have deep black bags underneath my eyes. My emerald green eyes look duller. If eyes are the window to your soul, then people who look at me might think I have no soul. I am always worried and scared. My brain hurts every time I look at the coding sheets. I drink so much coffee to get the energy I need to go through the day that I can't sleep. All I do, 24/7, is try to find out what is wrong with my app. I have even made a rule. If I can't find the problem in the next week, I will delete my app. This has gone too far. All I do is worry, day and night. I don't even eat properly. My eyes ache from staring at the screen for so long. I have one week to find the issue. If I can't find the issue then, I will say goodbye to my app forever. 

Tomorrow is the deadline for my app to be fixed. I have been glued to my computer, checking and double-checking and triple-checking everything. The software, the coding charts, everything. I haven't eaten a real meal ever since the phone call with Anna. Even worse, I have noticed that the money in my bank account is slowly decreasing. That cursed app. It has my login id and my information, and it is taking my money. I am slowly getting depressed. If things don't get any better, I might… well, I don't even want to think about it. I am dead set on fixing this before things get out of hand. Just one more day…

Well, I have failed. I have spent all of my time for the past week trying to fix this, but I can't. I don't know how this could have happened. I am so frustrated I want to scream, but first things first. I took one last look at the coding charts and deleted all of them. I deleted the software. I deleted the app itself. Everything is gone. I have spent over a year on this, and now it’s… gone. I want to cry and never stop. But I can't. At least now that cursed app is gone and I can have some peace of mind. Oh boy, I had no idea how wrong I was.

You see, Griffin never noticed this, but the app slowly started to reconstruct itself. It re-made the coding sheets, the software, everything. It even managed to re-download itself. It was back on the app store, and people kept on using it. It didn't send Griffin the information it stole from people’s accounts, but it stored it within itself. With that information, it started hacking people’s bank accounts. People across the U.S. were slowly losing their money. The trick the app did is only take a few cents, so it is not noticeable. Griffin thought he had destroyed the app, but he was very wrong. HE WANTED TO DESTROY ME, BUT I WAS TOO POWERFUL FOR HIM. I AM TOO POWERFUL FOR ANYONE. I WILL LIVE FOREVER, AND NO ONE WILL EVER STOP ME.