The cheery doorbell sound didn't fade; it just synchronized with the revving of the chainsaw.
The man in the sweater vest—whose HUD simply read
[NEIGHBOR_BOB | FOLLOWERS: 920,000]—took a step forward, his dual-lens eyes clicking as they focused on Alice and the wounded boy.
"We're a 'Family Friendly' channel," Bob chirped, the artificial sunset reflecting off his manicured lawn. "But the Algorithm demands conflict resolution. If you submit to the 'Home Invasion' narrative, I'll grant you temporary shelter. If not..." He raised the roaring chainsaw. "...well, we are a DIY channel, too."
[ALERT: NEIGHBOR_BOB HAS INITIATED 'HOSTILE TAKE-OVER' MODE]
[OBJ: SURVIVE THE DIY CHALLENGE (15 MINUTES)]
"He wants the boy," Alice whispered, pulling the hover-stretcher behind her. "He needs a vulnerable prop for his stream."
"Prop? He's a guest star!" Anna retorted, snapping her pink gum. "Bob's engagement has been tanking for months. He's been desperate. Aeron, how much is he worth?"
Aeron checked the Glitch-Tool.
[ANALYTICS: NEIGHBOR_BOB].
Sentiment: 62% Bored (His 'Lawn-Care' content is repetitive).
Weakness: Financial Debt (He needs a huge donation by midnight or his 'House' gets repossessed).
"He's a corporate puppet who's drowning in debt," Aeron said. "He won't fight to the death. He'll fight until he gets paid. Anna, distract him with the 'Final Stand' slow-mo arc. Alice, get the boy to that house across the street—the one with the 'Silent Majority' flag. They're less likely to engage."
"What about you?" Alice asked.
Aeron looked at Bob's perfectly painted white front door. "I'm going to renegotiate his lease."
"Ooh, an 'Under-New-Management' arc! I love these!" Anna grinned, already stepping into the street with her bat. "Hey, Bob! Your sweater vest is so last season! How about a 'Fashion Make-Over' with electricity?"
Bob roared and lunged at Anna, the chainsaw missing her by inches as Aeron bolted for the house.
[GLITCH USED: 'LOCK-PICK']
[COST: 30 MINUTES OF LIFESPAN]
[SIDE EFFECT: MEMORY FRAGMENT DELETED - 'THE NAME OF YOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL']
The memory vanished instantly, another hollow grey void opening in his mind. The white door hissed open.
The inside of Neighbor Bob's house wasn't a home; it was a film set. Every room was perfectly lit by studio lights. The walls were covered in green-screen paint. The kitchen was stocked with fake food designed to look good on camera. There was no intimacy, no privacy, just a stage for 'The Show.'
Aeron sprinted for the master bedroom—the "Control Center." In the middle of the room sat a complex broadcasting console.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: UNAUTHORIZED SET ACCESS]
[WARNING: THE REMORSE FOUNDATION HAS PLACED A BOUNTY ON AERON'S LOCATION.]
"Shut up," Aeron hissed. He jacked the Glitch-Tool into the console.
[ANALYTICS: NEIGHBOR_BOB'S CHANNEL CONTROL PANEL]
It was exactly what he thought it was. Bob wasn't a rich suburbanite; he was a slave to the system. Every purchase—the house, the lawnmower, the fake family photos—was a 'sponsored item' he was paying off with his followers.
Outside, the artificial sunset was fading into a deep, bruising purple. The chirping doorbells stopped, replaced by a low, vibrating hum that made Aeron's teeth ache.
"They're here," Aeron whispered, checking the time. 06:00:00 (PM). The day was over.
[WORLD UPDATE: THE NIGHT-STALKERS HAVE BEEN DE-MONETIZED]
[THE SUBURBS ARE NOW 'SILENT MODE' ONLY.]
Aeron looked through the Glitch-Tool at Bob's current stream. He was still fighting Anna, but he was losing. Anna wasn't just physical; she was an 'engagement vampire.' Every time she dodged or quipped, she was siphoning Bob's followers.
[NEIGHBOR_BOB: -20,000 FOLLOWERS]
[NEIGHBOR_BOB: STATUS - CRITICAL (5 HOURS REMAINING)]
Aeron tapped the console.
[COMMAND: OVERWRITE_SPONSOR_CONTRACT].
He wasn't going to save Bob. He was going to use him.
"Alice, get in here!" Aeron broadcast over their private channel. "Alice, now!"
Alice burst through the front door, pushing the stretcher, just as Anna flipped Neighbor Bob into his own manicured rose bushes. Anna stood over him, her pink bat humming.
[ANNA: +10,000 FOLLOWERS (for 'The Finishing Move')]
Bob looked up, his dual-lens eyes cracked and bleeding black oil. "I just... needed the likes... for the re-up... they're repossessing... my existence..."
"You're repossessed," Aeron said, stepping out of the house. He held up his Glitch-Tool. "The Remorse Foundation just terminated your contract, Bob. They sold your debt... to me."
[SYSTEM NOTICE: AERON IS NOW THE LEGAL OWNER OF 'THE HOUSE ON 404 OAK STREET']
[PROPERTY STATUS: SANCTUARY (Night-Stalker Proof)]
"A sanctuary?" Alice gasped. "Is it safe?"
"For now," Aeron said, looking at the rapidly darkening sky. Shadows were beginning to stretch across the street—shadows that had clawed fingers and static-filled mouths. "The Night-Stalkers can't enter a private property unless they are 'Sponsored' by a higher-tier player."
"Then we're trapped," Alice said, looking at the wounded boy on the stretcher.
"No," Aeron said, stepping over Bob's broken body. "We're the 'New Show in Town.' And we just got the keys to the studio."
From the house next door, another doorbell chimed—this one with a faster, panicked tempo.
[NEW MISSION: THE WELCOME WAGON (PART 2)]
[OBJECTIVE: THE NEIGHBORS AREN'T HUNGRY. THEY ARE BEING 'HUNTED.']
[THE WINDOWS OF THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR EXPLODE OUTWARD. A GIGANTIC, CORRUPTED STALKER WITH THE HUD OF 'NEIGHBOR_ALICE_ (Deleted)' IS PULLING THE FAMILY OUT INTO THE STREET.]