Rebbeca stretched her calf muscle on her dining room chair. She was gearing up for her usual nightly run. She was dressed in her bright blue sportswear and her white Nike trainers. Worn from all the exercise she’d done over the years. She was always into exercise. Healthy body, healthy mind as her mother used to say. As she headed to the door she grabbed her phone and opened it to check her texts. She noticed a notification for a new app called GAINS. It was described as an all-around fitness app for any athlete, mixing classical music, with timers and speech. She downloaded it, registered it, and placed her wireless earphones in it, locking the door behind her.

“Hello, I’m Jason. I’ll be your guide on your weight loss journey. Let’s begin.” Said the calm voice over some quieter Beethoven. Rebecca liked the idea of this app. She started her run gently as she was still in the city centre. She looked at the time on her watch. 21:16. She headed towards the park. Her usual spot. “For the next five minutes slowly try to increase your speed.” The voice said. As she approached the park the app perked up again. “A walk in the park is a good idea.” Rebecca stopped as she thought this was weird, as she was sure she hadn’t switched on location settings. She palmed it off as she just assumed she had or the app was clever. Now she was in the park she was starting to speed up her run. She looked at her watch again. 21:36. She rounded a corner past the children’s play area. “That slide looks a little dangerous.” The app said. She thought this was an oddly specific detail. Maybe a coincidence. She continued. “Watch out for that puddle.” The app said as she stepped into a fairly deep puddle. Now Rebecca was scared. How did the app know there was a puddle there? She stopped and looked around. “You look nice in those Nike trainers, Rebecca.” This startled Rebecca. She hadn’t told to app her name. She turned and bolted in the first direction she could. She didn’t care where she was going, she just wanted to get away. Mozart blaring into her ears. The park was pitch black at this point. She couldn’t make out where she was. This wasn’t her usual route through the park. Panic set in. She felt surrounded by all sides. She stopped to catch her breath. Would she ever get out? Her phone suddenly pinged. She detached the phone from her thigh and looked at it. It was a message. She stood there staring at the screen for what felt like forever. “Open it.” The app said. She complied. The message read, “Found you.” Below was an image. It was a woman standing in the dark. Rebecca stared at the image until the realisation set in. It’s her! She heard the sound of crunching leaves behind her. She heard a voice, but this time it was not from the app. “Found you.” It said. Rebecca turned and screamed.

It wasn’t a message. Not picture nor word. Just a sound. Nothing more. It was high pitched, grating… eerie. It didn’t vary much, but you could tell it was a human scream. Or at least it once was. Its tones had clearly been twisted into dissonant antiharmonies, autotuning out any imperfections in pitch. Each change was intentional, puppeteered. Impossible. You could make no sense of it. It wouldn’t stop. You tried pressing every button. Turning your phone off. Restarting it. NOTHING WORKED. The sound was driving you mad. You took deep breaths. One at a time. Trying to hear something different. Maybe it was a message. You tried to change the volume. It only got louder. Never went down. You dove deep into your phone settings and adjusted the levels of each sound quality. You turned the bass up. The high ranges. The low. It twisted the sound, but the sound was essentially the same. You finally found the file it was playing from. You had never seen it before. You couldn’t delete it. Couldn’t edit it. Couldn’t stop it here either. You began to pull on your bleach-fried hair in panic. The noise triggered every sense of flight or fight possible. You heavily considered chucking your precious phone into the glassy lake behind you, but then you would have no form of communication with anyone. You would be stranded. Your heart raced like a prize horse. How had this gotten on your phone? It had never left your side. You hadn’t seen anyone since arriving in the mountains. The neighbors kept well to themselves. This was supposed to be a relaxing break from the bustle of working… overworking… Your nerves were truly worn thin. You tossed your head back as the sun disappeared behind the streak of evergreens on the horizon and released a soul-baring scream so guttural every ominous bat in the vicinity bolted to the hills to find their insect victims elsewhere. Your howl blended into the auditory attack like an alpha wolf joining the cries of the pack. The fissures in your sanity deepened, immediately filled with the jagged, churning sound waves of the shriek. You were becoming the sound. Or rather, it was overtaking you. Suddenly, the sound stopped, but this time the silence was closing in unbearably, crushing your fragile mortal body. Fingers shaking, you unlocked your phone and pulled up the file, craving its presence like a drug. You spammed the play button until its comforting waves drowned your thoughts out again. It washed over your brain, gleaning clarity from chaos. You knew what you needed to do. You knew the piece you had been missing before. You uploaded the file to some app that really shouldn’t have been on your phone either. It was sinisterly titled “The Noise.” As if your fingers had a mind of their own, they danced across the screen to reverse the sound. It was still horrendously cacophonous, but this time the scream held words: “W I L L Y O U J O I N U S.” You could tell it was not a question. Your head spun terribly from the auditory discord wreaked on yours ears. Abruptly, you realized you had no idea who “you” was anymore. The darkened world around grew darker still until it faded to black. Webbed cracks crawled across the phone screen. Head collided with dock.

Im addicted The lyrics are my drugs I breathe the melodies through my lungs

I cant live without The notes The symphonies and the beat

I surrond myself with Words of pain and with words of hope Blasting through my speakers and phone

505 starts to play i can feel in in my bones I can feel it in my chest The words are my lifeline

Fat funny friend Repeats of loop Reminding me who i really am Beats timing with my heart

Watch World bleeding through my veins Causing too much pain But i cant turn it off

Music is my lifeline A place to stay connected with no friends and no recollection

Ok but seriously Guys I need song recs, I like Indie pop and rock My favorite Band/ Artist whatever you wnat to call it is Arctic Monkeys

Cold and weary the moon was covered that night and it was hard to see clearly. We headed toward Galileo Street, across from that brick School adorned with vines. I could not yield the vision of warm ocean mist spritzing our faces while the tide ticked our feet & ankles. Your white cotton-linen shirt gleamed in the dark just fine, I was lost in a cologne of Tobacco and Pine. My senses now empowered on different realms than before, be it a summer’s electric spark, or a journeys detour. Yes, memories fade like denim with time, so we sit and press rewind. You left early that morning from Galileo Street, as all the Fisherman did, we said goodbye as we always did. Suddenly, your soul became one with the ocean, a wave wrapped you in its embrace, the maiden wasn’t spared either but she fought just as hard against fate. Among the pearls in a sea of love, anchored by all goods sake. Tales of sailors again only secrets of deep, only known, by Galileo street.

** Sinister: Giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will be happening.**

	Every generation has different categories that they would call “Sinister.” Most of us in the older generation well lets say older than generation z. They were born in a weird time in life. We would all get mad because they were smart enough to get rich from the internet, and then Corona ruined us and it forced us all to get more into our phones, but now GZ was to force to also learn from home with computers. Which lets be honest that year ruined all those kids from real learning. 

	Worst thing is that now you can find anything on the internet. Anything. Have yall heard about Google Photo? They will show you where that picture is posted all over the internet. So like they say “Whatever you do in the dark will come to light” if the right person is looking for it. 

	My sinister obsesssion (I hate to admit it) but it’s to see what my ex has been doing. HA I know STUPID.

At this point I know im not in love with him anymore. He treats me like a dog. Literally. He’s been in a relationship while being with me so in a sense hes never been single bevause he gets caught cheating and stays with them but this time he got the bitch pregnant. Still wont let me see my daughter and I can’t even throw a fit about it b because then “Im crazy and on drugs”

He’s cheated on her during the whole pregnancy and even a week after she had the baby. Do I feel about it? No. The bitch deserves to be gas lighted by him like I was. Plus I tried to warn her in the beginning that he would cheat on her with me and sure enough he did. I offered her to call all the shots so I didnt have to communicate with him just her, but she decided to be a bitch so she got what she deserved. Are they still together? Yes but they’re miserable with each other.

Which makes me question did I make him more miserable I would even let him cheat. Pay for our vacations. No other bitch has done that for him but still not good enough.

The crimson hues of the photo drew me in immediately; like an art critic staring at the walls of a new exhibit, I knew artistry and I wanted to know more. I studied the framing of the photo, thought about who took it, where they might be now, who the person in the photo was and how I could meet them. Even though they were dead.

Even through the screen I felt their being, their soul. I felt their fear, before they died, the sorrow during, and the content nature of after death in their facial features. I thought about what would happen if the picture was taken down and I would never be able to see it again. It shocked me, but I felt saddened by that …

I read through some of the comments. The poster of the photo was anonymous, but the commenters on the thread had identified the setting of the photo as Virginia, from the outside rolling hills and barely-visible landmark in the back. Whoever this person was had died there, and whoever had taken the picture was there, too. I wanted to be their next subject, the next target of their artistry.

I grabbed my car keys and began to drive.

In the palm of my hand, lies my potent drug, It’s constant pull is a siren’s call, It whispers low, it tempts, enthralls. Through veils of smoke and nights too long, Its grip on me is ever so relentless and strong.

With every notification, I feel a rush, a thrill. I am enthralled to my digital pill. It makes my senses dulled, my mind adrift, my spirit lifted, Oh god, I feel so high.

Dawn breaks, the night recedes, But still, I feed my insatiable needs. Through the haze, my spirit bleeds, Yearning for peace from these insatiable creeds.

It had started as a necessity, to keep a watch on her sick cat, while she was at work. She had loved to watch her little sweet heart using the app that was connected to it. The camera had cost too much to just leave it lying somewhere unused, so she had started using it as a security camera. It had been pointed out of her kitchen window next to her front door. Out of habit she checked the camera footage very regularly. It was just an innocent silly thing she did, until she saw him. He had moved in to the house of the opposite side of the street just a week ago. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen and now she could look into his window and get to know his routine without him knowing.

She learned his whole daily schedule within a week and now she could finally start planning her next move. He needed to feel how much she loved him. She even sacrificed her work ethics, just to get to know him better and better every day. She needed to make sure that he wasn‘t some kind of weirdo or creep, before approaching him, didn‘t she.

Next week she will introduce herself and afterwards delete the app from her phone. Probably. Maybe. Better make sure he will be safe in the future too.

I spend every day Looking forward to the moment When I get to turn off my brain

Funny TikToks, a glass of wine Snacks eaten until only crumbs remain A TV show I’ve already seen Because let’s face it There’s comfort in same

When I flip this switch My anxiety stops The lights are technically on But no one is home

It’s only here When I have nothing to prove No one to please
It’s time that I can truly own

I love this time but I do wonder Is it bad that That doing and feeling nothing Is my greatest wish?

Am I truly alive if I spend every day Living for the off switch?

I re-read conversations Scroll back to once told jokes Remember your opinions And your smile through the phone

First year we walked The Gardens Last Summer made Fall plans Had visions of forever Full trust The best of friends

Your birthday’s in my calendar Your face lights up my screen Remember that time Back in ‘09 We were happy you and me?

But you’ve left for Mississippi And you’ve never kept in touch Messages, just filled storage now Conversations left untouched

I still love you Though you hate me Still dream of you each night I miss you in the mornings And I miss the way we’d fight

I miss the way you texted me And the Home Screen on your phone I think of how you held me tight While I lay in bed alone

Mom says it’s high time I move on Dad still curses your name And yet here I am at 2AM Scrolling once again