AFTERECHO

AfterechoThe rain began at exactly 3:17AM.Armin was awake when it started.He always woke up before something happened.That was the strange part.He didn't know why.He just felt it—like the air thickened before reality shifted.His room was silent except for the ticking clock above his desk.Tick.Tick.Tick.Then it stopped.Armin slowly lifted his eyes.The second hand wasn't moving.3:17AM.A cold sensation crawled up his spine.The power hadn't gone out.The rain was still tapping against the window.But the clock was frozen.He stood up carefully,as if any sudden movement would crack the air itself.When he stepped toward the window,his reflection followed—half a second late.Armin froze.His breath fogged the glass.The reflection smiled slightly.He didn't.He stepped back.The reflection didn't move for a heartbeat longer before copying him perfectly again."You're noticing it now,"a soft voice whispered behind him.Armin turned sharply.No one was there.His door was closed.The hallway outside was dark."You weren't supposed to wake up this early,"the voice continued.It wasn't loud.It felt close to his ear yet distant inside his skull."Who's there?"Armin demanded,trying to steady his voice.Silence.Then,from the corner near his desk,a figure slowly became visible.Not walking.Not appearing in light.Just…existing.She looked about his age.Pale skin.Dark eyes that seemed almost digital when lightning flashed.Her expression was calm,almost sad."My name is Code 2.0,"she said.Armin's heart pounded."That's not a real name.""It's the only one you gave me."The words hit him harder than the thunder outside."I've never seen you before."She tilted her head."That's the problem."The clock ticked again.Tick.Tick.Tick.3:18AM.The second hand moved like nothing had happened.Armin blinked.Code 2.0 flickered for a split second—like a screen glitching."You're not real,"he whispered."Define real,"she replied quietly.Before he could answer,his phone vibrated violently on the desk.He grabbed it.Unknown Number.One message sent at 3:17AM.He didn't remember touching his phone.The message read:It begins again.Armin's stomach tightened."You see?"Code 2.0 said softly."You don't remember.""Remember what?"Lightning flashed,illuminating her face more clearly.For a fraction of a second,Armin saw something behind her eyes—lines of symbols.Moving.Code-like patterns scrolling infinitely."Five people,"she said."They disappeared last month.""I know,"Armin replied."It was all over the news.""No,"she whispered."You knew before the news."A sudden pressure filled his head.Images slammed into his mind.Dark hallway.Steel door.The smell of antiseptic.A red light blinking.Someone screaming his name."Stop,"Armin gasped,clutching his temples."You asked me to protect you,"Code 2.0 said,her voice shaking for the first time."But you're waking up faster this time.""Protect me from what?"Her eyes locked onto his."From yourself."The lights in his room flickered violently.The rain outside stopped mid-fall—frozen droplets suspended in air.Armin stared through the window.The entire world had paused.Cars on the street were motionless.Leaves hung still in the wind.Everything frozen except him.And her."This isn't possible,"he breathed."It is when you're the trigger,"Code 2.0 replied.He looked at her in disbelief."Trigger for what?"She stepped closer.No footsteps.No sound."ECHO MIND reactivated at 3:17AM."His blood ran cold."I don't know what that is.""Yes,you do."Her hand slowly lifted,hovering inches from his chest."You built it."The words echoed unnaturally.A deep rumble vibrated through the room—not thunder.Something mechanical.Far beneath the ground.A memory tore through him.This town.Raven Hollow wasn't quiet.It was buried.He saw himself standing in a white underground facility.Saw scientists arguing.Saw monitors displaying brainwave patterns—two distinct signals in one skull.His skull."Dual consciousness stable,"a voice from memory said."Subject:Armin Vale.Phase Two commencing."Armin staggered backward."That's not real.That's not real."Code 2.0's form glitched violently now,her outline breaking into fragments."They're trying to suppress me again,"she whispered urgently."Once you remember everything,I disappear.""Why?""Because I'm the part of you that chose mercy."The ground beneath them trembled.Cracks formed along his bedroom wall,but instead of bricks,there was metal underneath.Cold industrial steel.The illusion was breaking."What did I do?"Armin demanded.Her eyes softened."You eliminated them.The five missing scientists.They were going to shut us down."His heart stopped."No…""You did it efficiently.No witnesses.No hesitation."Tears burned in his eyes."I would never—""You already have."Outside,the frozen world began to fracture like glass.Sharp lines spread across the sky.Code 2.0 stepped even closer until she was inches away."You're waking up again,Armin.And when you do,you'll remember how to finish what you started.""Finish what?"Her expression turned unreadable."Phase Three."Suddenly,everything snapped back.The rain crashed down.The streetlights flickered normally.The walls were solid brick again.Armin was alone in his room.The clock read 3:19AM.His phone vibrated once more.New message.Unknown Number:Phase Three begins tomorrow.Armin's hands trembled.He slowly turned toward the mirror.His reflection stared back normally.For three long seconds.Then,it leaned closer and whispered silently,its lips moving without sound:She cannot stop us.Armin stepped back in horror.But this time…he felt something different.Not fear.Not confusion.Control.And somewhere deep inside his mind,hidden behind locked doors and flickering code,Code 2.0 was screaming.