It had been a long day. A ten hour shift. My body was aching, and I needed something to zone out to for a little while. So I hopped on my phone and starting watching videos.
Swipe, an ad for an obviously fake video game. Swipe, a woman screaming profanities at the camera while a smoke alarm beeped incessantly. Swipe, ad. Swipe, viral dance video. I rolled my eyes. The algorithm was all over the place tonight.
Swipe. A live video. A man and a woman sat at a small round table, enjoying a secluded, romantic dinner. They were engaged in conversation, seemingly enjoying each other’s company.
Why would somebody be filming a date? That’s oddly invasive and…unromantic. Whatever. I kept watching,absentmindedly as I lay in bed, slightly dozing. The sensation of falling awoke me as I jolted fully awake. I glanced at m screen to see the couple still sitting and chatting, but the tone had changed.
The woman’s shoulders slumped slightly and she was giving guarded looks to the man sat across from her. And I could see why. What used to be average looking, upper class man, had….shifted. He was taller, his hair went from a light auburn to a smoky cinnamon. His jaw defined, and his cheekbones sharpened more than humanly possible.
Is this a speed dating thing? I immediately thought. Then I realized the men were wearing the same exact suit, with the same exact accessories.
My attention was rapt now. This wasn’t your average live. And then, she looked directly into the camera, a panicked look in her eyes. Something was definitely off.
Suddenly, a message from an unknown user appeared on the top of my screen. “ I know you’re watching…” it began. I tapped on it immediately, fear burning in my chest.
“ I know you’re watching. Please. I don’t know this man. I don’t know where my date went. I’m scared.” I look back at the screen, and see the woman sitting alone, typing furiously into the phone, hurriedly putting it away, and sitting awkwardly still as the man came back into view.
He sat down, and stared at her, a small grin creasing his face. I looked on in horror, as her shoulders began to droop, and her eyes looked like they had trouble opening and closing.
“He’s drugged her.!” I shouted to my empty apartment. I went to hit the report button, but then it would automatically close the live. Morbid curiosity took over. I need to know how this ends.
Once she’s fully asleep, the man walks over to her, and taps her on the shoulder. She doesn’t move. He gestures to someone offscreen. Two men come into view who pick her up from the table, and carry her away.
The man then straightened his suit, walked towards the camera, his eyes burning holes through the camera lens.
Horror gripped me as I realized his entire body was shifting. It was as if he was scrolling through different characters, the smile on his face growing larger by the second. With one last step, he crouched down until his face was in full view.
Still flipping through faces, the smile dropped from them, and a serious look appeared. He raised his finger and shushed me.