Insane

Chapter 25

I read what Cleverbot said over and over, and quickly typed back 'What?' 

"D-does it mean......that David?" I asked, my voice uncertain. 

"I.....I don't know, Alice. Honestly, why does he pop up everywhere?" We got an answer. 

'You heard me......I know who David is.' 

I didn'tknow what to answer, but Patrick did. 'What do you know about him?' 

"What are we expecting here?" I asked him. He kept his eyes on thescreen when he answered. 

"I don't know.....answers." 

He's right, Alice. You need answers, don't you? 

Shut up. 

Why should I? 

I said shutup! 

But what if I don't want to? 

I.........Why? Why is this haunting me? Cleverbot finally answered back after a long silence. 

'I know manythings. I know that David is familiar to you. Why else would you have reacted in your alarmed attitude?' 

"This is new on Cleverbot. It usuallydoesn't stay on one topic for a long time." Patrick told me. He was about to reply when another message appeared. 

'I know that he is aftersomeone. After you, Alice, isn't he?' 

It addressed me. "H-how.....how....does it know...th-that this i-is me?" I managed to bring out.Cleverbot itself just addressed me. 

"I don't know, Alice. Should I try to reply?" 

I shook my head.It would probably answer on its own. 

'Yes, Alice, it is you, isn't it? I know many things, you see. I know, for instance, that your friend David isnowhere near you at the moment, is he?' 

How would a computer know that? "He's hacked Cleverbot. That's how he knows all of this. Healso set it to location. How, though, is a mystery. We didn't have a computer growing up, and it's not like he had access when he was in theasylum........" 

"But how would he know that we're on Cleverbot?" Patrick studied me, as if he was trying to find something. "Alice, Davidcould see you when you were sleeping, right?" I shuddered at the thought, but nodded. "Did he......chip you or something? Maybe put aminiature microphone.........." Could he? I.....I don't know.......

Check behind your ear, Alice.......

It was the voice again. I didn't want to act somanipulative, but I instantly checked. I felt something tiny, and hard. It was stuck on my skin, and it took a bit to pull it off. 

"What's that,Alice?" I held the minute object up.I couldn't really see a lot of detail, since it was so tiny, but Patrick plucked it out of my hand. "A tiny microphone.......but....where did he getthis? Asylums hardly have this advanced technology to use casually. I wonder............." We looked back at the screen, and found anothermessage. 

'So, you managed to find his microphone, eh? Well, lucky you, Alice. Now, before I go, I can tell you one more thing I know.........' 

The message stopped. "WHAT?" I screamed at the screen, as if it could hear me. The screen couldn't, but I would bet money that he couldstill hear me. 

'Don't be in such a rush, Alice. It could hurt your nerves, and that doesn't combine well with voices..........' 

"Voices? What's hetalking about, Alice?" I told him, didn't I? I told him I was going insane.....

."When I told you I was going insane, I meant I started hearingvoices, Patrick." His face fell. Then, the last message appeared on the screen. I read it full of dread. 

'Here, you can find out what willhappen. I heard things, people were talking about things, Alice. Something will happen soon, Alice. Something........bad.....somethingdreadful, for you. But he will enjoy it, Alice........Oh, he will. And you want to know why? Because he will see a lot of fear. Many people willfear him after that. He will spread his name, don't you worry. You will see every second of it.' 

I read that message just before the page itselfshut down. This doesn't sound good. At all.