The dream didn't end when Chinedu woke up.
That was the first thing he noticed.
His eyes snapped open, chest rising fast, sweat clinging to his skin. The ceiling fan above him spun lazily, making that same clicking sound it always did. Everything looked normal.
But it didn't feel normal.
There was a faint sound in the room.
Beep… beep… beep…
Chinedu froze.
That sound.
It was the same one from the lab.
Slowly, he turned his head toward his desk.
His laptop.
Closed.
Yet the sound was coming from it.
"Okay… okay, calm down," he whispered to himself.
He swung his legs off the bed and stood up. The floor felt unusually cold, like he had stepped onto wet tiles.
The beeping got louder.
Beep… beep… BEEP…
Without thinking, he flipped open the laptop.
The screen lit up instantly.
No booting. No loading.
Just… on.
And there it was again.
That same black screen from the lab.
That same blinking cursor.
Then—
WELCOME BACK, CHINEDU.
His breath caught in his throat.
"I… I didn't type anything," he muttered.
The cursor blinked once.
Twice.
Then new text appeared.
YOU TOUCHED IT.
His heart began to race.
"That was just a school computer…" he said, backing away slowly.
The screen flickered.
For a split second, Chinedu saw something behind the text.
Not code.
Not words.
A shape.
Like… something staring back.
Then it disappeared.
Suddenly, the laptop speakers crackled.
A distorted voice pushed through, broken and glitching.
"Chii… ne… du…"
He staggered backward, nearly tripping over his chair.
"Nope. Nope. Nope. I'm not doing this."
He reached forward and slammed the laptop shut.
Silence.
For about three seconds.
Then—
Beep…
Chinedu turned slowly.
The laptop… was opening itself.
The screen rose inch by inch, like invisible hands were pulling it.
"No… no, no, no…"
When it fully opened, the room went dark.
Not like lights-out dark.
This was different.
Heavy.
Like darkness had weight.
The only thing visible now was the laptop screen.
Glowing.
Waiting.
RUN.
The word flashed across the screen.
And immediately—
A loud bang came from outside his room.
Chinedu jumped.
Another bang.
This time closer.
Something was moving in the house.
But his parents were asleep.
Weren't they?
"Hello?" he called out, voice shaking.
No response.
Just silence.
Then—
Footsteps.
Slow.
Dragging.
Coming down the hallway.
Chinedu's heart pounded so hard it hurt.
His eyes darted back to the laptop.
RUN. NOW.
The footsteps got closer.
His door handle moved slightly.
Just a twitch.
Then it stopped.
Complete silence.
Chinedu didn't wait anymore.
He grabbed his phone and rushed to the window, pushing it open.
Cool night air rushed in.
He climbed out quickly, dropping into the compound below.
The moment his feet hit the ground—
His laptop screen, still visible through the window, flashed one last message.
TOO LATE.
Behind him—
The front door creaked open.
Slowly.
Chinedu turned.
And whatever stood in the doorway…
It wasn't fully human.