Chapter 1: I just hope you are real
"we are in hard times", "everyone should start praying, you should get closer to god that's what you should do...we are in the end times!"
The pastor's eyes on TV looked full of fear, his hands were shaking as if he had seen a ghost.
"we are in the end times!"
"fear the devil!"
Her screams began to become more and more erratic, as time passed in an incessant whisper that ended her life.
Now that news had traveled the world, there wasn't a person who hadn't seen that random event.
Some people thought of it as just another joke to try to get attention, but at the time of the AI, no one took it as a real video, but as a video generated by the whole world. After all, it had been a closed program interview.
Although if it had happened on the news, it wouldn't have mattered either, because for the most part every news outlet barked for the owner they had to bark for and none had the truth in their mouths.
If there was a war, one of the two was blamed and at no time is it blamed on both countries who had started the war and who caused the death of their citizens as if they were mere replaceable chips.
"..."
August 13, 2025
"we are back on the air to respond to the strange events that occurred in the last program."
"I know it was too weird what had happened, but I am sorry for the inconvenience it caused for the families who possibly watched the program."
He began the program with the presenter's apology.
His speech seemed to be being read. No one would possibly have noticed had it not been for the nervousness in his hands.
It almost looked like his hands were about to move the desk because of how nervous he was, and that nervousness was not about presenting the program. It was something else that had yet to come to light...at least for now.
"Today we have here with one of the previous guest's colleagues, both had the honor of visiting the pyramids of Egypt and were responsible for one of the world's greatest finds."
continued the presenter.
Causing the camera to short out for a second, and then showing his face as wrinkled as if time had not been kind to the person on camera.
His face was tired, as if he was struggling with something, or someone invisible as he tried to speak in those moments.
"today continuing what my great friend pablo wanted to transmit...I come to tell you the opposite of what my friend said...nothing is going to happen, humanity has always been a strong people and nothing bad will happen."
It almost seemed that the guest was going to say just that, until for a moment everything started to get weird.
A gunshot was heard on the set and the presenter fell to the floor, the place started to fill with panic, when even the person in charge of the camera left his post.
"please look at our notes, it's all there!"
"go to my house and find it!"
He didn't get to say more when the second shot rang out, causing the place to fill with static silence again.
The program had again caused a massive surge in the social networks, no one knew what had happened.
Everyone wanted to investigate what had happened to those responsible who had participated in the program.
There were people who paid hackers to find all the materials. There was too much that had apparently been deleted in the footage and video by video began to be uploaded to the internet.
With that you could no longer delete the information, everyone had it in their rooms causing that for each video there were more than a billion backups, every time one was deleted another one came out.
It was like cutting off the head of a hydra, if one was deleted, two more came out, but in a more massive proportion, things had gotten so out of control that the authorities had to come forward and reveal that that day there had been an attack on the program's studio.
They tried to hide it all as a prank by some young people, which in the end got out of hand and ended up with more than fifty deaths to respond to the videos where you could see the bodies being taken out by unidentified personnel.
"..."
Conference.
"Mr. President what happened with the guests!"
"it is true what they said!"
"the white house is hiding something about what is coming!"
The barrage of journalists began.
Everyone wanted the front page. Some had tried to mitigate the problem like good faithful dogs, but in the end there was more food than stray dogs could resist and it ended in an avalanche of fights.
"Please calm down, regarding the Enigma Channel broadcasting company, so far it has been discovered that it was all scripted by them".
"I know it was a disgrace what happened live while families with children were watching, but we have already caught those responsible, so we will take them to suffer the highest penalty that the country has".
"the conference is closed"
"president what happened to what was discovered in egypt!"
Tried to shout the last journalist, but everything fell on deaf ears, it seemed that they had not heard him or had ignored him, but no one wanted to answer anything regarding Egypt.
Things had become too dangerous in that godforsaken place.
"..."
"what a novel they made up isn't it Richard... Richard?"
Tried to wake up the beautiful lady to the young man next to her, he seemed to have fallen asleep at the beginning of the conference.
She had angel-like features, delicate lips, beautiful straight hair that made her look like a porcelain doll, although her white skin didn't help with that curious comparison.
"Yes...I hear you Emma."
He lunged Richard into her embrace, the surprise had caused a brief gasp of shock from the delicate porcelain figure.
Her arms didn't know where to go, at the outburst her best friend had had, it almost seemed like one of those cheesy novels they watched sometimes when they didn't have to worry about the next week's homework.
"You look weird...I'm sure you didn't eat something that made you sick," Emma tried to lighten the mood.
But Richard's strong arms wouldn't let her leave him, she could almost feel the tears soaking her shoulder.
The man who was two heads above her now looked like a little boy who wouldn't stop crying, as if he had been through something terrible and finally saw hope at the end of the tunnel.
"Don't worry...we should split up though, I don't want your girlfriend to think badly of that."
She broke off Emma, her shoulder was wet, possibly it would need a wash later.
"Emma...it's good to see you again."
Richard spoke at last, his eyes were full of tears, though his smile shone like a sun about to reach noon with its glowing radiance.
Although what he was saying was hard to understand.
"what are you talking about fool...if we always see each other every day".
"you should rather think about how to explain to your girlfriend the reason why you hugged a girl knowing that you already have her."
"don't talk to me about her, I think it should be over between us" he commented coldly.
His eyes filled with the quality he had shown a moment ago, he almost looked like he wanted to strangle his former partner.
Something very strange knowing that he was completely in love with her.
"..."
"I'll leave her because I realized there will only be one woman for me" smiled Richard.
If this was going to be a dream he hoped he would never wake up from this illusion.
He just hoped that this was a new opportunity and not just a bad joke of fate like so many others that had played with his emotions throughout his life.
He hoped that this was the start of something truly happy, or if not he at least hoped to get to the end with her and kick the real culprit of what was to come.