Six Days
"Daniel. I am glad you're here to see me. I know I don't have very long." Rachel has been in the hospital for only an hour, and her heart rate is slowly dropping. Doctors have been trying to figure out what is the cause to this. A healthy girl, they do not believe that drugs or alcohol are a factor in her current state. Her health records show no signs of any health deficiencies or running diseases in the family. As Dr. Kevurkon departs from her room to leave her with Daniel, her boyfriend, she explains how she ended up in the hospital.
"This isn't like you, Rachel," Daniel exclaims. "You've been acting so weird in the past six days, and here you are, lying on your deathbed, with probably, oh, I don't know... Ten minutes to live?!"
"Daniel, I am going to explain to you everything right now. It'll sound stupid, and very unbelievable, but it is true. And when I finish, I have a job for you. Just bear with me." says Rachel.
Daniel sighs. "Fine. Start from the beginning."
DAY 1
September 10th, 2013: The iPhone 5S and 5C are released to the public and sold.
Unfortunately, Rachel is late in running to the Apple Store to get one, since she was just finished with track and field. By the time she arrived, the store said they ran out. "Eh, whatever. It's just a phone, anyways. Besides, I can get it anytime in the year or in the future," Rachel mutters to herself as she goes home.
"RACHEL!" Daniel yells. "Hey, girl. Oy, you look down."
"I'm not," Rachel replies. "I'm just... Hungry."
"Some thing is wrong."
"Okay, I was a bit late in getting the new iPhone and I didn't get one."
"...That is really no reason to be sad about. Seriously. I don't even know if I should even comfort you at all."
"Don't worry. It's just a phone anyways."
DAY 2
September 11th, 2013: Rachel goes out for a walk, grabbing her rainjacket. "Ugh, Canadian weather. One day, you're sunny, the next day, it's raining, and the next day, you're bringing thunder while it snows all at the same time." Rachel mutters to herself. While taking a stroll in the park, she notices a box. "Damn it, people! I get the cardboard boxes can biodegrade, but that does not mean we should still throw them away!" Rachel yells. No one responds. "Wow, what an idiot I am."
When she picks up the box, she observes it, only to realize it is an iPhone 5S box. Excited, she decides to open it, and alas, there is the phone. But inside the box is a small note. When she opens it, it reads
"To whomever who found this box; You are an idiot for opening Pandora's Box. There is no hope in here. The only hope that can be found is by getting rid of this cursed product. I don't care how you do it. It is for the sake of anyone who plans on using it. -Rick"
She disregards the note's instructions, and runs back home with her new toy.
DAY 3
September 12th, 2013: For the past few hours, Rachel has been transferring data from her old phone onto her new phone, and decides to call Daniel first.
"Come on, pick up, pick up..." Rachel says as she grows impatient.
"Hello?" Daniel replies.
"Hi, Daniel! Guess what? I finally got a new-"
Before Rachel can even tell Daniel the news, a loud screeching noise emits from her phone. Any smartphone user would know that if their phone does anything like this at all, they would end the call or, if they are that scared, throw it to the wall and cry as they see it get broken. For Rachel's case, it was a whole different story.
The screeching noise was loud, but as Rachel flinched from it's first hearing, it began to draw her closer, making her want to hear it even more. The screeching noise grew louder and louder. Rachel didn't know it, but the high-pitched noise that was being emitted was actually a voice talking to her. She could hear a voice, not Daniel's, not Siri's, but something talking to her, echoing into her mind.
The call then ends, with the noise also coming to an end, as she wakes up, and wonders what has just happened to her in the past few seconds.
Later on in the day, she goes to visit Daniel to tell him about the phone.
"Daniel, I didn't buy this phone." Rachel says.
"You did a five-finger discount?!" Daniel yells.
"I don't date criminals, give that back to the Apple Store now! How did you even do it?!"
"No, Daniel. I swear. But I did find this in the park yesterday."
"Rachel, you can't take anything from the park. What if someone lost it- Somehow- And finally realized it?"
"There was a note saying the person didn't want it back."
"All the more reason to give it back to him!"
"Your my boyfriend, can't you be supportive for-"
As Rachel was about to ask him to be more supportive towards her, the same high-pitched noise from earlier comes back, and echoes in her mind. Although it is distorted, Rachel can hear the "voice" telling her to experiment with her phone. The noise ends.
"Hello?! RACHEL?! Did you not hear what I just said?!" Asks Daniel, furiously as Rachel has been ignoring him.
"Sorry, Daniel. I have to go. Now." Rachel replies.
"Wait! You didn't hear anything I said? Rachel, come back!"
As Daniel watches Rachel run back home, he mutters to himself. "It's like what they say; 'My phone is my life'. What has technology done to us?"
DAY 4
September 13th, 2013: It is 2:30 in the morning. Rachel is up, writing in her journal.
"09/13/13, 2:30 AM
I am more than scared in my life. No one can help me. This insane voice that keeps echoing in my head, and it's not imaginary! I fucking hate it!
It is a curse for me to have. All the photos I've had of me with my boyfriend have been deleted, the people in my contacts list are being removed from me... And I don't even remember them!
The phone was dying today, and I tried all the chargers, old and new, to charge it. Stupid of me to know that I cannot use the old chargers, but when I tried the new ones that I got, they didn't work at all! They aren't damaged or out-of-date. It's like this phone wants to die!
Today, this woman who proclaimed to be my mother entered my room. I didn't even know I had a mom. Did I? Oh god... What if I did and I'm just that stupid enough to not know I have had one? That would be a bit funny. Would it?
The phone has done some crazy things to itself, as well. Instead of showing me what time it is, which is now 2:36 AM, it's just... Counting down. Right now, it reads 45:24:39, and it keeps counting down. I don't know what it means!!!
I've been trying to call Daniel to help me, but every time I try, the... Voice, comes back... It pisses me off because I am trying to figure out what it wants from me. And it pisses me off even more if THIS is what the note was trying to tell me. Is this all some sort of a harsh prank? Some sort of evil app installed onto the phone? Why is technology turning its back on me? Why is it being so inferior with me?!
Okay... I am even more scared than ever. The phone just gave a pop-up. It's trying to talk to me... Fucking insane, as it sounds, but it looks like it's trying to talk to me. And I'm crying right now because this is what the message says:
"It's become appallingly clear that our technology has surpassed our humanity."
If anyone finds this journal, please he-"
Rachel falls out of her seat, and hits the ground hard, before she can even finish her story. She is slowly losing her health, and as she pays attention, she finally realizes the horrifying truth; The timer on her phone is counting down how much time she has to live.
DAY 5
September 14th, 2013: Rachel is on her hospital bed, crying as she sees the timer on her phone say "27:32:31". Dr. Kevurkon has come back with the results as to why she is in the hospital, although she already does and if she tells him, she wouldn't believe him.
"Rachel, I don't understand any of this. Your family has told me you're always in top-notch condition, you're on a sports team, and you have no history of health problems. This is probably your first time here, I suppose?" Dr. Kevurkon asks.
"Yes, it is," replies Rachel. "But can you please do one thi-"
The voice echoes in her mind again. Rachel starts to scream, as she can hear the voice much clearer than the past occurances.
"How dare you attempt to get rid of me. To get rid of me is like getting rid an important piece of yourself. Don't you see, or are you too ignorant? Whatever happens to me will end up killing you. You might as well face it. I am more powerful than you. I have succeeded in controling you. And you will be the first person in history to be actually be killed by a phone that succeeded in taking your life."
"LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!!!" Rachel screams as the voice talks to her. With no other choice, Dr. Kevurkon calls the other doctors to help sedate her. Before she calms down, the voice gives its last words to her:
"I am you, but you are not me."
DAY 6
September 15th, 2013
"And that is why I am here, Daniel. Please believe me." Rachel says with a weak voice.
It is near impossible for Daniel to believe that his girlfriend is dying because of the phone. He gives her a concerned look, but having no other explanation as to why she is in the hospital, he looks at the phone. It reads "00:03:29".
"Rachel, are you asking me to... Destroy this phone? Or just simply hide it from humanity?
Are you asking me to save you?" Daniel questions.
"It's too late to save me," Rachel replies. "I don't care what you do with it... Get rid of the phone. Don't answer it, don't add anything onto it."
"Alright..."
"If the phone is my life, I want you to end it now."