Hacked

eNtRy sIX

"Phil," I said, "it's done."

My eyes had adjusted to the darkness once again after eight more hours in the bathroom.

I had downed two more iced coffee drinks and my fingers were covered in blisters from braiding and twisting the thin wires together.

The glass box was filled with water, and the water was filled with salt.

"yES. nOw, cOnNecT tHe wIREs tO tHe cOmPUteR."

I did as I was told.

"noW, aRouND yOuR nEcK aND foReHEad."

I did as I was told.

"nOw, tHe scALP. jUsT thE suRfaCE, it wiLL oNLy hURT a BiT."

I did as I was told.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I continued to do everything Phil instructed me to.

After inhaling the oils and rubbing them only neck, I reclined on the rolling chair. I felt the back of my head become submerged in the water.

I was so tired. Calming oils, indeed.

"Phil..." I mumbled. "I can't keep my eyes open."

"gOOd. sLeEp, dAN. jUsT sLEeP..."

* * *

I opened my eyes, gasping for air.

I sat up and...

I was in a bed, and the wires were gone from my body.

"What...?"

I looked around at the room I was in. A bed with crisp white sheets. Baby blue walls. A fern growing in a bright red pot. There was a wide screen on the wall, but it had been spiderwebbed with cracks.

It was a hospital room. A child's hospital room.

"Dan!"

My gaze shot to the door.

"Hello?" I called out.

"Dan!"

I got to my feet and slowly walked to the door, opening it.

Outside the calm room, everything was bathed in a deep red light. Piles and piles of metal scraps and...stuffed animals?

"Dan, where are you?"

I stepped foreword and the door behind me slammed shut.

"Dan!"
I spun around, hearing the voice close behind me.

The door and room had disappeared, a man in their place.

White leather hospital uniform, complete with electric blue lining. Clean boots, clean gloves.

Black hair, soft blue eyes, and a kind smile.

I sobbed.

"Ph-Phil?"

He smiled again. Wider. Wider. His teeth turned razor sharp. Blue eyes darkened to red. Crisp hospital uniform changed to black.

The virus.

My virus.

"Hello Dan."

Not able to hold myself back, I jumped foreword and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I was shaking. Tears were dripping down my face and I was...I was laughing so hard. I wasn't me anymore.

Phil's shoulders tensed at first but then his arms relaxed and wrapped around my waist.

"Thank you so much, Dan. Thank you for fixing me."

"How is this possible?" I said as I pulled away and gaped at him in wonder.

Phil blinked at me curiously, that sadistic smile not leaving his face.

"My technology, like I have said before, is very uniquely programmed."

I nodded, then pushed past him and pointed to the empty space where the hospital room and door once were.

"And...and what was that room?"

Phil took my by the wrist and lowered my hand, then held it in his own. His hands were like ice and his fingers claws, but I didn't want him to let go.

"All of these questions you ask are unnecessary Dan."

His hand disappeared from mine and I quickly turned around. He was sat, about fifteen meters away, on what appeared to be a couch. But it was crafted from metal sheets and patched of old, yellowing fabrics.

I laughed again, running and sitting down on the opposite end of the couch. I pulled my legs up and sat cross-legged, facing him.

"You asked me for information regarding what Pj said, did you not?"

"I did."

"Good." He used his pointed fingers to push the black fringe back, away from where it lay in front of his inhuman eyes, and stared at me intensely as he spoke.

"Pj's father, Henry Liguori, was one of the head scientists in charge of building me. Whenever I met with children to examine of comfort them, he always observed from cameras. He created me."

"But, another inventor was secretly designing a new program for my job. When Pj's father died of a tragic heart attack, they simply replaced me."

I absorbed all of this information, listening intently.

"That's why he got so pissed off..." I whispered in realization. "He didn't want to think about his father."

Phil nodded. "Of course. Very smart, Dan."

I grinned. "Thank you."

For a split second, he glitched into the kind version of himself.

I chose to ignore it and not pay it any mind, but I should have. Because I noticed that there was something different about this version that time.

He was shaking his head wildly, tears streaming down his face.

A/N: SO SPOOKY!

AHHH I can't believe I have this many reads in, what? Like four days?? THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Keep sharing and tweeting, it means a lot friends. ❤️❤️❤
ALSO: the beautiful fanart for today's chapter header was drawn by probably_howell on Twitter, so go give them some love!
If you ever draw something and would like me to use it as a chapter header, let me know!