Page 24 of White Noise

At me.

I take one step back before I can stop myself, and the picture sharpens. Another step and his face becomes clearer, the static thinning around him while my pulse starts hammering hard enough to feel in my throat.

“Stop.”

The word slips out before I can swallow it.

The keyboard starts behind me again.

Don’t stop now, little echo. Every fucking second you’re afraid of me makes this easier.

I stare at the screen. “What the fuck does that mean?”

His mouth moves inside the television, but the answer comes from the monitor behind me.

You feel that panic? Mm, yeah. I know you do.

My heart kicks harder, which feels like my own body turning traitor. The picture sharpens again, Silas becoming clearer through the static as I force myself to shake my head.

“No.”

His mouth moves on the screen, but this time the answer doesn’t appear behind me.

The speaker beside my bed crackles.

I spin toward it.

A low male voice comes through, distorted at first, then settling into something deep and cold enough to make every hair on my arms lift.

“Still think turning off the fucking Wi-Fi matters, little echo?”

I stare at the speaker.

His laugh comes through quietly, barely more than a breath.

“Go ahead. Pull another cord. Turn off another device. Fuck, smash them all if it makes you feel better. I could get off on watching you pretend any of it is going to save you.”

My grip tightens around the knife.

“Stay the fuck out of my house.”

The speaker crackles again.

The television screen pushes outward.

I stumble back as the actual glass bends toward me from the inside, stretching farther than glass should ever fucking move before snapping back into place.

A scream tears out of me as static explodes across the screen. Silas becomes clearer for one horrible second, and his voice comes through the speaker again, lower now, almost pleased.

“Fuck. Do that again.”

My stomach drops and he laughs softly.

I bolt.

I hit the hallway and take the stairs too fast, nearly losing my footing halfway down before catching the railing. By the time I reach the kitchen, I’m breathing hard and every electronic thing I own suddenly looks like something he can use.

So I start ripping plugs out of walls.