Hacked

enTry NinETeeN

Listening to the sound of the waves lapping at the pebbly beach, I lay with my eyes shut and my arms behind my head.
It had been a bit longer than a year since the three of us fled to Brighton together.
It had turned out that there were still a decent amount of people living there. None of them had ever seen us before, thank god.
There were a few little shops and restaurants still open, and we were able to make some friends. Pj had even found himself a girl. Her name was Sophie and we all loved her.
There were enough people, actually, that even I was able to move on for a bit.
One of the older men there had once been a surgeon, and I had him remove the drive and wires from my back in exchange for helping him clean up his house. The only anesthesia I had was alcohol, and it was the worst experience of my life, but the last traces of Phil were gone after that.
But then of course, everything came tumbling down.
I felt someone sit down beside me and start pulling my curls into a tiny braid.
I opened my eyes a crack and looked up at Chris.
"Hey Sleeping Beauty," he said with a joking wink, "I have some news."
I smiled. "Good or bad?"
His smile became smaller. "Well, I guess it depends..."
I sat up on the ground, picking up my grey t-shirt from where it sat wadded up beside me and tugged it on. "What is it?"
He ran a hand through his hair and anxiously tugged at his pink and black gloves. "The trailer's door is busted. And one of the tires."
I raised an eyebrow. "Can't we just get Mr-"
"I asked him already." Chris looked down. "Nobody knows what to do."
I bit my lip. "We...we have to back don't we?"
"It'll only be for one night, Dan. I swear. And you don't even have to leave the trailer! Pj and I will go get the things we need, we'll come back and get some sleep, and then in the morning after we fix the tire we'll come straight back here to do the rest."
I swallowed and turned my head, gazing out at the waves in thought.
"Fine," I sighed, "let's go."

...

Pj and Chris got home, but instantly fell asleep and wouldn't leave until morning.
So, after sitting silently in the trailer for two hours, I decided to walk around the city for a bit.
Thankfully, I had grown longer hair and much tanner after being in Brighton for so long, and with my oversized jacket from one of the shops there I would be totally unrecognizable.
I decided to go get a drink. Nothing much, but just enough to relax. I sat outside at a little cafe table, the cool wind ruffling my hair.
I had forgotten how much I loved the city. Maybe...maybe one day I'd come back permanently.
After finishing my glass of wine I started back to the trailer in the night.
But...as I grew closer...something felt off.
Since we had parked in such a dark area, covered from the rest of town, I couldn't hear people but...I heard a crackling.
I started to run, my shoes crunching against the gravel with each step. The night became brighter with a horrible orange glow.
And then I turned the corner.
The trailer was on fire. Blazing, red flames that licked every surface.
I screamed, running up to the door. The knob sent sparks up in a gold cloud, practically blinding me.
I fell back my eyes wide.
And then...
I felt soft hands close around mine.
"daNiEL..." an all too familiar voice said, ringing inside my brain. "tHe stOVe wAs ElEctRiC."
I screamed once more, leaping to my feet and running as fast as I could.
Back to my old apartment.
Back to the computer.
Back to where I could eliminate this virus once and for all.

A/N: Header art by Queen Maddox.