Of course no- Wait what?

Next morning I woke up because of a weird feeling I never experienced before. If I had to place it it would be something like receiving a notification that my app was integrated with the “Submission Accelerator API”. What.

That realization was enough of a shock to wake me up entirely and look around the still empty room. I could still feel the notification in my mind, but I saw nothing that would explain what the fuck. I really wanted to attribute it to a dream I was having. Yeah. That must be it. It’s not like I would see anything when I unlock my phone and…

[Your app was integrated with the “Submission Accelerator API”!]

I rubbed my eyes again. Notification was still on the screen. I pinched myself but didn’t wake up. So I had to conclude that the notification was real.

Okay. So why do I have such a weird notification from my own app? There was a simple rational explanation: I got hacked! That’s it. Some cyberstalker decided to play a prank on me and inserted a couple of lines of code while I wasn’t looking to scare me! There is nothing supernatural going on! It’s not like I felt the exact wording of notification in my head!

Fuck. It’s not hackers. Unless they figured out how to hack people, this was definitely not anything any human could do… Any human but one that is! Who is that human? Me! I must’ve sleep-walked to the computer, sleep-coded in a few lines, then went to sleep after compiling a new build. And these weird feelings are nothing more than me remembering what I did!

There! A rational explanation! Now I can just carry on with my day!

I turned on the screen and tried especially hard to ignore the fact that the code in front of me didn’t look at all different from the last night. I watched a couple of morning videos and by the time it hit 1 PM I was ready to face the music in my “Dark Embrace”. Gosh, what a fitting name…

I deliberately ignored my phone, the weird notification still there and in my mind. It’s definitely not the case that I’m psychically linked to my phone! It’s just that I’m constantly thinking about it and so I perfectly remember what that notification said. There is nothing weird going on!

I don’t have a magical app that turns people into slaves!

When I clocked in, Lucy was already sitting in the back glued to her own mobile device. Nothing really changed since yesterday and I again would have 4 hours of a solo shift, followed by a 4 hour ‘mommy hell’. And now I had to somehow persuade these people to let me stay.

“How are things, Lucy?” I tried to ask 2 hours later, only to be met with silence. “Listen I need to-”

“No. Do it yourself.” Goth snapped at me without stopping whatever she was doing on her screen.

“It’s not that. Listen, Stella might fire me soon and-”

“Oh! Gosh! How totally unexpected!” She said in a sarcastic deadpan. “I would be totally devastated. For at least a microsecond. That’s how long you need to nut, right?”

I steeled myself against the insult. It’s fine, it’s just words of an annoying teen who wants to hurt me. It doesn’t mean anything. Remember the plan. “Well, if I’m gone, who’s going to do your job for you? You will be paired with another hire and they might not be as-”

“Oh no! Work! My only weakness!” She turned to me and gave me the most disinterested stare. “Whatever will I do?! I should probably suck your cock now or something!”

“I just want you to tell Stella you don’t mind working with me. It’s going to be better for the both-”

“Aha. But you losing this job is going to hurt you more than it will hurt me. You want me to save your ass?” She looked up and thought for a few moments. “Alright. Do the rest of this shift on all fours, don’t talk but bark like a dog you are, and let me hit your balls each time I see you and I _might _tell Stella that you are not a fucking loser who should die in a ditch.”

She lifted her leg up towards me. “I’m waiting, puppy boy.”

I hated myself for actually considering. I was done for without this. If I can’t make Lusy want to keep me, Stella will throw me out. I began to shake. I have to do this. I have to…

[Warning. Subject ‘Lucy Barrens’ has a submission score of -100! User’s direct actions won’t have the desired effect!]

What.

Lucy burst out laughing. “Oh my god! You have such a dumb face! I’m posting this everywhere!”

I didn’t really hear her.

I pulled out my phone and saw the second notification.

This wasn’t, couldn’t be caused by me and me alone.

There was only one explanation.