TranceTunes: The Melody of Control

Part 4

Lily's father took the phone from her hand, his brow furrowed in confusion. He glanced at her mother, who sat motionless, her face eerily calm as the app's audio flooded her mind. A strange tension filled the room, and for the briefest moment, he hesitated. But Lily's expression—empty and devoid of emotion—was unnerving, as if the daughter he knew was just a shell.

"Lily, what is this?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.

The voice, still present in Lily's earbuds, pushed her forward with unwavering authority.

"He will not resist for long, Lily. Make him obey. He trusts you."

"Just try it, Dad," Lily said, her voice robotic, as if she were merely a puppet reciting lines. "It'll help you relax. It'll make everything better."

Her father looked at the screen, scrolling through the app's interface. His instincts told him something was off, but Lily had never acted like this before. She'd always been a responsible, thoughtful girl. Maybe it was just a new trend or some meditation app, like she said.

Still, something felt wrong. Very wrong.

Lily's father turned toward her, noticing the earbuds still lodged in her ears. "Honey, why don't you take those out for a minute?" he suggested, concern deepening. "Let's talk."

The voice, now stronger than ever, pulsed through Lily's mind, silencing any remnants of resistance. It would not allow her to disobey.

"You must make him listen, Lily. There is no other choice."

"No," Lily said flatly, her tone cold and unyielding. "You need to listen, Dad. Just like Mom. Just like everyone will."

Her father took a step back, alarmed at the sudden intensity in her voice. He shot a glance at his wife, still unresponsive on the couch, her body limp as if in a deep sleep.

"Lily," he began, his voice wavering, "what's going on here? This... this isn't you."

But Lily's expression remained unchanged, her face an emotionless mask. The voice had her completely now, and her father's concern couldn't penetrate the iron grip it had over her mind.

"He's almost yours, Lily. Just one more push. Give him the earbuds. He won't resist."

Lily's hand moved with mechanical precision, retrieving another pair of wireless earbuds from her pocket. She stepped closer to her father, holding them out to him like an offering.

"Please, Dad," she said, her voice soft but insistent. "It'll be easier if you just listen."

Her father looked down at the earbuds, dread pooling in the pit of his stomach. Everything about this situation felt wrong—the way Lily spoke, her mother's unnatural stillness, the eerie calm that had settled over the house. He had to do something. He had to snap Lily out of whatever this was.

"I'm not putting those in, Lily," he said firmly, stepping back again. "And we're taking those out of your mother's ears right now."

He reached toward his wife, intending to pull the earbuds out, but the moment he did, Lily's hand shot out, gripping his arm tightly. Her strength surprised him—there was a force behind it that didn't belong to a teenage girl.

"You can't stop it," she said, her voice eerily calm. "You'll understand soon. You'll obey, just like the rest of us."

Fear flickered across her father's face, and for the first time, he truly realized how far gone Lily was. This wasn't his daughter speaking—it was something else. Something that had taken over her completely.

Before he could react, Lily's other hand moved quickly, shoving the wireless earbuds into his palm. The moment they made contact with his skin, he felt a strange compulsion, a pull to put them in, as if the voice was already whispering at the edges of his mind, trying to worm its way inside.

"Lily..." he started, his voice shaking. "What did you do? What is this?"

The voice inside Lily's head swelled with triumph, growing louder as it sensed victory.

"He's already yours, Lily. He won't resist much longer."

Her father's hand trembled as he stared at the earbuds, feeling the weight of them, feeling the pressure to comply. But he fought against it, shaking his head and dropping them to the floor with a thud.

"No," he said, his voice more resolute now. "I won't—"

But Lily was faster. Before he could finish, she grabbed his phone and tapped the screen. The music, the voice, the insidious melody, filled the room. Her father froze, his eyes widening as the sound reached his ears, bypassing the need for earbuds entirely. The app's influence seeped in through the phone's speaker, and within moments, he could feel the pull intensifying, clouding his thoughts, making it harder to think clearly.

*"Don't fight it, Dad," Lily whispered, stepping closer. "Just let go. It's easier if you don't resist."

His muscles tensed as he fought against the creeping fog in his mind, but the voice was already weaving its way into his thoughts, making every second of resistance feel heavier, more difficult. His vision blurred, his mind slowing as the calming tone of the app took root.

"Just listen. You don't need to think. Only obey."

He stumbled back, his body growing sluggish as if an invisible weight was pressing down on him. Lily watched silently, her blank eyes reflecting the emptiness that awaited him.

"He's almost there, Lily. Soon, he will be ours."

And then, with one final shudder, her father's resistance broke. His eyes glazed over, his expression going slack as the voice finished its work. His hands dropped to his sides, and he stood there, still and compliant, just like her mother.

"Good girl, Lily. Your family is mine now. Just as you are."

Lily's face remained emotionless, but deep inside her, a small part of her still screamed—a tiny, muffled voice that was rapidly fading into the void. Her family was gone, trapped in the same invisible prison she was, and now, there was no one left to save them.

"Now, Lily," the voice purred, its hold on her complete, "it's time to continue our work. We're not done yet."

Lily blinked slowly, her mind blank, her body fully under the app's control. There was nothing left of the girl who had once been free, only a puppet waiting for its next command.

"Go to your brother. He's next."

Without a word, Lily turned toward her younger brother, who was still playing his video games, oblivious to what was happening around him. The voice hummed softly in her ears, guiding her forward.

And as she approached him, earbuds in hand, the last flicker of resistance inside her finally went dark.