Wake up, Xander.
The voice, a woman's voice, whispered in my ear. The voice was soft, yet
cold. It pierced my soul like knife. It felt so real. I could feel her
breath on my face, and I could almost see her calm eyes boring into me. She
was there, and she was pulling me out of sleep.
I groaned and tried to slip back into the world of dreams, but the voice was persistent. Soon, I was awake, lying face down on my desk. A million thoughts raced through my mind. Then, I remembered. I was at the computer; I must have dozed off. I lifted my head from the keyboard and wiped a bit of slobber from my chin. How long had I been asleep? I groggily turned my head to the side; the digital clock near my bed read 3:00 AM.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and yawned, stretching my tired muscles. The voice in my head still echoed faintly. It was distant now, as if spoken through a wall. The haunting image of a woman in black drifted through my many thoughts.
The desk about me was an electronic rat nest. Two computers sat dormant, and one was thrumming softly like some great beast, asleep. Various wires and boards hung in odd directions, and modems lay splayed open on the desk, like surgery patients forgotten. Lights flickered on and off, and the room was constantly filled with the humming of machines.
I tried hard to remember what had happened in my dream, but it would not come back to me. All I remembered was the woman in black, and her softly echoing voice. I shook my head to clear out the last of the cloudiness and squinted at my black computer monitor. There was text on the screen, followed by the flashing cursor.
Wake up, Xander.
I flew out of my computer chair, backing up to the wall of my apartment. My chair fell loudly to the ground as I pressed my trembling form against the wall. I put my hand over my mouth as my blood pumped in my head. But then, the words were gone. They had been there, on the screen! But now, the computer was quietly humming and the monitor was blank. The blinking cursor was no more, and it was if the message was never there. Had I imagined it?
"What the."
I picked up my rolling chair from the floor and sat back down, inspecting the black screen closely. The words had vanished; there was nothing there.
"And there never was," I convinced myself. I took a deep breath to calm myself and settled back in my leather chair, studying the screen. I almost leaped out of my chair again as the phone rang. I sighed and ran a hand through my untidy brown hair. I was jumping at every noise. This was getting ridiculous. I slipped the wireless phone off the hook and held it to my ear. "Hello?" "You're late." "What? Who is this?" I sat down on the side of my bed. The covers were messy and undone, and my pillow lay crumpled in the corner.
"Alex, it's Zack. Where are you?"
I slapped myself on the forehead as I remembered. I fell back onto my untidy bed, leaning my head against the wall.
"Sorry, I fell asleep at my computer," I apologized. I glanced over at the blank monitor as an image of the message flashed through my mind.
There was a sigh on the other end, and I could imagine the annoyed look on Zack's face. "Again?"
"Yeah.again."
"Man, you're becoming obsessed. Who is it you're looking for?"
"Trinity. He cracked the IRS Database a few years back, and I'm looking to find him," I answered.
"Yeah, why exactly?"
"I'm not sure," I said, realizing suddenly that I didn't know why I was.
"Yeah well, it was a wild party man, you missed a good time."
"I know, Zack. I got work tomorrow, so I need to get some sleep. Talk to you later."
"Yeah, whatever man. See you."
There was a click as my friend hung up. I sighed and lowered the phone back on the cradle. I was about to get up and shut down my computer for the night when the phone rang yet again.
I growled and picked up the phone, annoyed. "What, Zack? I told you-"
"Wake up, Xander." It was the woman's voice. The same one from the dream. My mouth dropped open and I fumbled for words. "Wh-who is this? How did you do that on my computer? How do you know that name?"
"Wake up, Xander."
"I am awake!" I almost yelled.
"No. No, you're not, Xander."
"What is that supposed to mean? Who is this?"
There was silence for a few seconds. Then, the woman on the other end took a breath.
"The Matrix has you."
The line clicked and went silent. "The Matrix?" I set the phone down slowly and looked at my computer monitor again. On the screen, was a single line of green text: 16805 128th St. NW.
I stared at the address for a long time, thinking. Then, I jotted the line down on a slip of paper and slipped on my jacket. As I stuffed the paper into my pocket, the monitor again went blank. I shook my head in disbelief and headed out the door. As I rode the elevator down to the lobby of my apartment building, one phrase was etched into my mind: The Matrix has you.
I groaned and tried to slip back into the world of dreams, but the voice was persistent. Soon, I was awake, lying face down on my desk. A million thoughts raced through my mind. Then, I remembered. I was at the computer; I must have dozed off. I lifted my head from the keyboard and wiped a bit of slobber from my chin. How long had I been asleep? I groggily turned my head to the side; the digital clock near my bed read 3:00 AM.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and yawned, stretching my tired muscles. The voice in my head still echoed faintly. It was distant now, as if spoken through a wall. The haunting image of a woman in black drifted through my many thoughts.
The desk about me was an electronic rat nest. Two computers sat dormant, and one was thrumming softly like some great beast, asleep. Various wires and boards hung in odd directions, and modems lay splayed open on the desk, like surgery patients forgotten. Lights flickered on and off, and the room was constantly filled with the humming of machines.
I tried hard to remember what had happened in my dream, but it would not come back to me. All I remembered was the woman in black, and her softly echoing voice. I shook my head to clear out the last of the cloudiness and squinted at my black computer monitor. There was text on the screen, followed by the flashing cursor.
Wake up, Xander.
I flew out of my computer chair, backing up to the wall of my apartment. My chair fell loudly to the ground as I pressed my trembling form against the wall. I put my hand over my mouth as my blood pumped in my head. But then, the words were gone. They had been there, on the screen! But now, the computer was quietly humming and the monitor was blank. The blinking cursor was no more, and it was if the message was never there. Had I imagined it?
"What the."
I picked up my rolling chair from the floor and sat back down, inspecting the black screen closely. The words had vanished; there was nothing there.
"And there never was," I convinced myself. I took a deep breath to calm myself and settled back in my leather chair, studying the screen. I almost leaped out of my chair again as the phone rang. I sighed and ran a hand through my untidy brown hair. I was jumping at every noise. This was getting ridiculous. I slipped the wireless phone off the hook and held it to my ear. "Hello?" "You're late." "What? Who is this?" I sat down on the side of my bed. The covers were messy and undone, and my pillow lay crumpled in the corner.
"Alex, it's Zack. Where are you?"
I slapped myself on the forehead as I remembered. I fell back onto my untidy bed, leaning my head against the wall.
"Sorry, I fell asleep at my computer," I apologized. I glanced over at the blank monitor as an image of the message flashed through my mind.
There was a sigh on the other end, and I could imagine the annoyed look on Zack's face. "Again?"
"Yeah.again."
"Man, you're becoming obsessed. Who is it you're looking for?"
"Trinity. He cracked the IRS Database a few years back, and I'm looking to find him," I answered.
"Yeah, why exactly?"
"I'm not sure," I said, realizing suddenly that I didn't know why I was.
"Yeah well, it was a wild party man, you missed a good time."
"I know, Zack. I got work tomorrow, so I need to get some sleep. Talk to you later."
"Yeah, whatever man. See you."
There was a click as my friend hung up. I sighed and lowered the phone back on the cradle. I was about to get up and shut down my computer for the night when the phone rang yet again.
I growled and picked up the phone, annoyed. "What, Zack? I told you-"
"Wake up, Xander." It was the woman's voice. The same one from the dream. My mouth dropped open and I fumbled for words. "Wh-who is this? How did you do that on my computer? How do you know that name?"
"Wake up, Xander."
"I am awake!" I almost yelled.
"No. No, you're not, Xander."
"What is that supposed to mean? Who is this?"
There was silence for a few seconds. Then, the woman on the other end took a breath.
"The Matrix has you."
The line clicked and went silent. "The Matrix?" I set the phone down slowly and looked at my computer monitor again. On the screen, was a single line of green text: 16805 128th St. NW.
I stared at the address for a long time, thinking. Then, I jotted the line down on a slip of paper and slipped on my jacket. As I stuffed the paper into my pocket, the monitor again went blank. I shook my head in disbelief and headed out the door. As I rode the elevator down to the lobby of my apartment building, one phrase was etched into my mind: The Matrix has you.