Hacked

enTrY tHrEe

"How...?" I leaned foreword with wide eyes, placing my shaking hands on the screen. "What...what are you?"
The face shuddered, and for a breif moment it's eyes were bright blue and kind, it's smile soft. Then, it returned to its former state.
Beady pupils and blood red eyes with streaks of neon yellow. It was hard to look at, but if I'm being honest the high cheekbones made the task slightly easier.
"I aM," it said in a voice that seemed to vibrate through the entire room, "pHiL.exe. my fILEs haVe bEen reCOVerEd."
I pulled away from the screen as I felt the strangest thing. Someone was holding my hands. I knew it. Of course, I couldn't see any hands holding mine. I felt them.
I knew that it was this...this virus.
"I LiKE yoU...YoU arE diFFeReNt."
"How are you able to d-do that?" I asked, looking down at my hands. My mind was swirling with thoughts and questions.
Had I made this? Or was this waiting to be awakened when I found it in Area 8?
The virus blinked and looked me up and down. The invisible hands pulled away from mine and he smiled.
"I aM NoT yoURe avERaGe creatION. i am caPABle oF ALL fi5ve seNSeS. EmOTIons."
I swallowed as a nervous laugh escaped my lips and I attempted in making a joke to see if the vi...if Phil was telling the truth. "Like a dating sim?"
I watched as Phil's eyes flashed in a rainbow of colors and his toothy mouth opened. His laugh sounded like a mix of pre-recorded sitcom laughter and television static.
Soon, I found myself howling with laughter along with him. My shoulders relaxed. My pulse slowed to a comfortable tempo.
God...how was I so stupid...
"THat woULDnT haVe bEEN my gO-To exAMplE, bUT wHy NoT."
I opened my mouth to speak, but my stomach rumbled.
"Damn..." I whispered, blushing from embarrassment. "Um, I'll be right back. You just...uh..."
Phil's face flashed again to the blue eyes and, dare I say it, adorable smile.
"I wiLL NoT gO anYWheRe, daN."
I nodded, somehow not able to remove the smile from my face, and left the bathroom.
I went through the living room to the kitchen area and flicked on the light, blinking rapidly and wincing.
"Ugh," I muttered, "I really should have taken breaks from that..."
I opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of pre-made iced coffee. I also took a box of cereal and some chocolate-chip cookies from the cabinet.
As I did all of this, warmth blossomed in my chest.
Not only had I knocked out fixing an entire computer console in just five days; I had discovered something incredible. Something living and something...something like a friend.
And I never knew that I had been so horribly wrong.