Page 114 of Kill Feed

They think this means something bigger than it does. Vulnerability perhaps, or progress. But this is merely to pass the time until Dante comes back. Ok fine, yes, I do enjoy their company, and I did miss hanging out with them without having to look over my shoulder all the time.

“OK, are we doing this or what?” Lucas chimes in as he slides off the couch onto the floor, sprawling his arms over the coffee table, almost knocking a board game piece off.

Amani huffs a laugh in response before stretching her arms over her head and standing up. “Hold on, I need to go to the bathroom,” she says, eyes flicking over to Lucas. “Don’t touch anything while I’m gone.”

He throws his arms up in mock surrender, a grin set in stone on his face. “I won’t.”

She disappears down the hallway, soft feet scuffing over the wood.

I lean back into the couch, one ankle hooked over my knee, beer cold against my palm. Beside me, Lucas suddenly scoots closer, head tilting up to look at me.

Too close, actually, and I glance at him from the corner of my eye. “What.”

He grimaces. “Why do you say everything like you’re about to stab someone?”

“Conditioning.”

He snorts before his expression softens again, weirdly serious this time. “No, but actually.” He rubs the back of his neck, eyes dropping to the clutter on the side table. “I meant what I said, man. Thanks for tonight.”

I stare at him for a second longer than necessary. “That’s the second time you’ve said that.”

“Yeah, well.” He shrugs awkwardly. “Whatever.”

His words scratch at something in my head. What is he on about, and what’s with this behavior? Is this what happens when people fall in love? They get all soft and mushy and sincere… I don’t like it.

Wait. Fuck.

Is… is this what’s happening to me? The mere recognition has me fidgeting with the silver bracelet at my wrist.

A sharp digital chime cuts through the apartment, almost distorted at the edges. I furrow my brows, reaching for my phone although I’m not sure whether it was mine or Lucas’s.

“The fuck was that?” he states as he pulls his phone from his pocket.

My pulse spikes for half a beat before narrowing as my gaze locks onto the screen. Static tears across the display in black, grey, and white lines before settling onto a purple glow.

Lucas lets out a nervous laugh beside me. “Uh… Adrian?” My eyes shoot to his immediately.

The fuck?

The same static dances across his phone, and we both just look at each other dumbfounded.

The screen flickers again as another chime breaks through the air, pulling my attention back to the phone. It goes completely black before an animated skull appears, rotating and glitching. Its jaw twitches unnaturally as static crackles over the speaker. Then words flash across the screen in harsh neon letters.

KILL FEED.

My stomach drops as recognition settles under my skin, sending a buzzing to my ears.

“Uhm, guys.” Amani’s voice enters the room as she steps out of the hallway, phone in hand. “I think there’s something wrong with my phone.”

This isn’t happening. Shit. What is even happening?

Her eyes dart between us. “Your phone is doing that too?” A nervous laugh escapes her, but it dies halfway through the room, staring at our blank expressions.

“What the hell is this?” she asks, holding up her phone with a grin that doesn’t match the sudden tension crawling at the back of my neck. She turns her phone to look at the screen again as a mechanical voice speaks through all devices.

“Welcome, Players.”

My stomach twists hard enough to make me push off the arm of the couch. I cross the room before I even realize I’m moving and grab the phone from her hand.