Press Start to Play
This is a Recording. Recording. Recording.
This is a recording. Recording. Recording. Recording. Recoooooorrrrrrrrrdddddd-
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Press F1 for options -> enter safe mode? ->> no ->> resume
Paul punched his screen. Again. Of course. Only when he needed to use his actual laptop did this happen.
He threw his laptop on the ground.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH
Paul’s ears shriveled, and he held his hands over them…the sound was –
Static —-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------System////—---fail/—----------/alt,cntril,dlt—------------------------------
Press F1 for options -> enter safe mode? ->> yes->> loading
Paul was in safe mode. He opened up his doc and continued the report, only the text was basic. Safe mode was akin to beta testing, and he had to reread what his doc said.
“Press start to play.”
Play what? There was no start button on his laptop. He checked the cursor, reread the keys.
“PRESS START TO PLAY!”
This time it came from the speakers. Paul jumped upon hearing it.
Where was the start?
“PRESS START TO PLAY!!!”
It was coming from Paul’s pocket now, and his stomach looped. His vision blurred, and the room spun.
It was his phone.
He caught his breath, picked up the phone, and looked at the screen.
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Press F1 for options -> enter safe mode? ->> no ->> resume
Paul stared at his phone. There was no such button.
SCRRRRRREEEEEEEEEECCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
He grabbed two throw pillows and put them over his ears. He pushed them as tightly together as possible.
He looked back at his phone, and it was as if nothing happened. He looked at his laptop, and it was on the home screen without the safe mode.
Paul jumped up. He paced around the basement.
He sat back down. He looked at his laptop, and he went back to his doc.
“Today, I tried it again. I started out careful, but I got careless...”
Clack clack clack clack clack.
“but she didn’t listen or appreciate me. I wanted to help, but she clearly didn’t learn…”
Clack clack clack clack clack.
“in the trunk, bound, gagged…”
Clack clack clack clack clack.
“fault for this happening. I didn’t want to. I had to. Otherwise, I…”
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH
Paul fell out of his chair.
“Press start to play.”
The laptop was still on the normal screen. He grabbed his phone. It was fine.
“PRESS START TO PLAY!”
He looked up and his TV was on.
“PRESS START TO PLAY!!!”
Paul pressed start on the remote.
The Breakfast Club turned on, but it started at the end of the film. Bender’s fist was in the air, and “don’t yoooouuu forget about me” was playing.
Swoosh.
It’s an infomercial. “The new safe mini cams can be installed ANYWHERE for next to nothing. I’m Charlie Chay, and I recommend the Chay mini cams. They can go in your children’s rooms, the patio, doorway, office..”
DISTORTING
“Cloossseeettt, baaaaaseeeemmennnnnnt, ttttruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnk…”
SWOOSH.
Football. Boston beat St. Louis, 27 to 17. “Thank you, Tom. I’m here with Boston quarterback Antonio Diaz. Antonio, we would love to hear what was going through your mind in EACH of your QB sneaks.”
A handsome young man with the battles of war looks at the camera dazed next to the man in a suit and a $400 haircut.
“Well, I just first want to thank…”
STATIC
“if it weren’t for the…”
STATIC
“only pulled off the sneak since…”
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
“We know what you did, Paul!”
SWOOSH
The news. “We are reporting live from the shopping center where Andrea Bre…”
STATIC
“tried to fight him off…”
STATIC
“caught on CCTV…”
STATIC
“description shortly…”
Click.
Paul turned it off. His heart was pounding, and his breaths were short. He wiped sweat off his face.
“Hey there, don’t you want to join me?”
Paul didn’t jump this time. The voice was sweet. Also sultry.
“What are you waiting for? Don’t keep me waiting.”
Paul listened but couldn’t place the sound.
“Paul, you left me mid chat. I’m still on your phone, silly.”
Paul grabbed his phone. A gorgeous woman was on the phone app. He stared.
“Pick your jaw back up, Paul. Talk to me. I’ve been missing you.”
Paul shook his face. He rubbed his eyes. The woman was dressed suggestively on her bed.
“Paul, are you going to say hello?”
Paul caught his breath. “Hi?” It was an NSFW app. Did he download this? “Ma’am, how long have we been talking?”
The woman laughed a gentle laugh. “Paul, sweetie, we’ve talked each day for a month. Though I can’t say we ‘just talked.’” She smiled the loveliest smile.
Paul didn’t recognize her or the app. “How do you know my name?”
She winked at him. “Paul, baby, you’re spending how much again to ask me our story you know?”
Paul looked at the phone. He went to his history. He couldn’t find a trace of the app.
She was gone.
This is a recording. Recording. Recording. Recording. Recoooooorrrrrrrrrdddddd-
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Press F1 for options -> enter safe mode? ->> no ->> resume
“Paul, you know you want me. You always did.”
His laptop lit up. She was there. “Ma’am, how are you on my laptop?”
She blushed and rolled over in the bed. “Paul, is this really how you want to spend our time today?”
Paul felt his breath get slower. His eyes got bigger. “I don’t know who you are. How did you go from my phone to my laptop?”
She pulled the camera in closer. “Hey, it’s your money, Paul. It’s Delilah, remember? You found me, stud.” She spoke more quietly. “Check your emails.”
Paul looked around the basement. He opened his emails to see nothing. Nothing at all. He checked his sent mail and drafts.
NOTHING.
He went to talk to her again, but she was gone.
Then he noticed a deleted email. He opened it.
Clack clack clack clack clack.
“nice of you to offer that, but it’s really not how it works…”
Clack clack clack clack clack.
“thing you can do is to leave bigger tips for my services. It really is the best way to…”
Clack clack clack clack clack.
“appreciate your kindness. Really though, you don’t need to…”
Clack clack clack clack clack.
“would rather you not do this again…”
This is a recording. Recording. Recording. Recording. Recoooooorrrrrrrrrdddddd-
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Press F1 for options -> enter safe mode? ->> no ->> resume
The laptop died.
“Paul, sweetie, you can’t get away from me that eaassillly,” she sang.
He looked around. She was on the TV.
She let out a gentle laugh. “Baby, I wouldn’t just leave you like that.”
“What’s your name, really?” Paul asked. Did she look familiar?
She let out another gentle laugh. She kept a sweet smile. “Paul, we’ve been through this. I can’t tell you that.”
“Then how do you know my name?”
She made a silly face. “Your PayPal statement, Paul.”
“You said I found you. How?”
She looked a little confused. “I think you downloaded the app and must have liked what you saw? I wasn’t there, Paul.” She let out another gentle laugh.
Paul saw a letter on the screen. “Delilah, can you please zoom in the camera for me?”
She lit up. “Now this is feeling more like us, Paul.” She zoomed in.
He saw the letter closer, but he couldn’t read it. “A little more?”
Her eyes looked a little surprised, but her smile didn’t reveal it. “Okay, Paul. How about… now?”
Paul got up from the chair and went closer to the screen. The city was only two hours away. The name? Andrea Brendoza. Paul shook. “Is your name Andrea?”
She shot a glance at him. “Never contact me again!” She started to shut her laptop.
Paul spoke fast, “Wait, wait, please, tell me, what’s going on?”
Her smile was no longer gentle. Neither was her laugh. “Check your trunk and you tell me, Paul!”
This is a recording. Recording. Recording. Recording. Recoooooorrrrrrrrrdddddd-
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Press F1 for options -> enter safe mode? ->> no ->> resume
The TV died.
HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK
Paul looked around.
HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK
Paul stood up and walked to the stairs.
HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK!
He ran up the stairs but tripped at the top. Oooof. He landed on his hands. His arms were red lines. They were sore.
He had to get to the garage. He went through the hallway, and stopped the door. He saw his car. He went to open the trunk, but it was locked. He ran to the kitchen to get his keys. He stopped in front of the mirror. Why was he bleeding from his eyes and nose? It wasn’t even dried. Hmph.
He grabbed his keys and ran back to the car. The trunk wouldn’t open. He was about to force it when the radio turned on.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
“This is Col SHHHHHH Math SHHHHHH with traffic. On the I, we have a four-car pileup causing SHHHHH…”
Paul sat in the driver’s seat.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
“It’s Pizza Bay, where all your local favorite ingredients are customized. Protein? Pepperoni. Chicken. Bacon. Canadian Bacon. Sausage. Veggies? Green Peppers. Red Peppers. Onions. Broccoli. Cheese? Mozzarella. Provolone. Cheddar. Brendoza…”
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
“I watched a change in you, like you never had wings. Now you feel so alive. I WATCHED YOU CHANGE…”
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
“We’re staking it our sir. The suspect appears to be in the garage, as seen through the sniper scope in the garage window. No, nobody knows what he’s doing. The suspect appears to be just in the driver’s seat. Yes. We can move right…”
The trunk popped open. Paul got out of the car and ran to the trunk.
He lost his breath and threw up at what he saw.
A knife, ropes, gag, duct tape, white liquid in a bottle, and shackles in a duffle.
No person.
He let out a sigh of relief.
“Press start to play.”
Paul heard it, but he didn’t know where it came from.
“PRESS START TO PLAY!”
He lost his balance.
“PRESS START TO PLAY!!!” Darkness.
This is a recording. Recording. Recording. Recording. Recoooooorrrrrrrrrdddddd-
Static —-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------System////—---fail/—----------/alt,cntril,dlt—------------------------------
Press F1 for options -> enter safe mode? ->> no ->> resume
Paul faded back in the back of a car. The sirens were loud. He overheard the radio.
“Suspect subdued. He will be treated for minor lacerations and then taken to city…”
All sound was muffled, and his vision was blurred.
“Obsessed with SHHHHHHHHHH tried to SHHHHHH followed her SHHHHHH…”
His head hurt. His nostrils were burning. But his heart rate slowed.
“Attempted to SHHHHH -doza was able to defend SHHHHH is being treated for non life-threatening injuries, but she did a number on him. He went home and passed out…
Paul faded back out. He smiled.
“PRESS START TO PLAY!!!”
This is a recording. Recording. Recor…..
Static System////—---fail/—----------/alt,cntril,dltPress F1 for options -> enter safe mode? ->> no ->> end.
I love your story
Hawtorn! Good story! I wasn’t expecting the end! Pulled me right in read straight through! Nice!