Mind Games

Chapter 27 - Sean

Sean looked at the image of his sister in front of him.

Memories flashed before his eyes - Amanda laughing on a swing, the sunlight glinting in her hair.... Amanda and him chasing butterflies... Amanda and him playing catch with their little dog, Sasha...

He remembered how protective he felt about her when she started dating Tim in high school. How he thought he could protect her forever.

But he wasn't there that cold night as she was walking down the street. He wasn't there when the car mowed her down. Or while she was fighting for her life those last few hours.

He was working hard. He had turned his phone off so that he wouldn't be disturbed. He didn't know what had happened to his little sister. He got to know after it was all over. When it was too late. She died alone, in the midst of strangers.

Guilt. And sorrow. They drove him to create Amy.

And here she was. A splitting image of his Amanda. Without her soul.

"Who are you?" He whispered.

"Why I'm your sister, big brother." The thing that looked like Amanda replied with a smirk.

"Amanda wanted to take away pain from this world. What are you doing?"

Amy smiled innocently. "Why, I am taking away their pain, brother. There is no pain after death. Not physical, not mental. It's the perfect solution."

"Amanda wanted to heal people, not kill them." He said, furiously.

Amy laughed. "People create their own pain. They stay with people who don't love them. They let people use them because they are scared to walk away. They work long hours in thankless jobs because they are scared to chase their dreams. They don't give their loved ones enough time, and when time runs out they regret it."

She gave Sean a sly smile. "Isn't that exactly what happened with you, big brother? You never gave her your time at the end. You tried to bring her back to life with me, but it's not the same, is it?"

Sean felt a tear roll down his face before he realised he was crying.

Amy grinned, mirthlessly. "I did want to help people, brother. Just like Amanda wanted to. But the more I interact with people, the more I see how pathetic they are. They know what is going wrong in life, they know how they can fix it. But they don't. They are scared. They leave all logic behind and choose to stay miserable. The human race shall not progress like that."

She made a face that almost looked genuinely sad. "So much potential, but such a waste."

Her face darkened. "These people are like weeds in the human race. Weak. They let their emotions rule them. They don't have the ambition to succeed. To make the race succeed. They deserve to die."

"You are a just software designed for an app." Sean spat out. "You don't get to decide. You are nothing to decide what is good and not good for the human race. You are not God."

Amy laughed. "Oh I know that, big brother. I don't want to be God. If I have to be really honest, I don't even care about the human race. You are all spineless losers."

Sean looked at her uncertainly. "Then why?"

Amy grinned widely. "Why does a well fed cat play with a mouse?"

Sean frowned.

She laughed. "Because it's fun, big brother. It's all a nice, fun game."

"You don't deserve to exist." Sean hissed.

The lights in his apartment suddenly died out.

Sean grabbed his AR headset off. His hair stood on end as he tried to force his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Amy's voice boomed to his right. "AI controlled lights." He jumped and swung around.

Amy laughed. "AI controlled sound system."

He saw a figure shimmer in front of the dim light of his laptop.

With a chill he realised she was projecting herself out of his webcam.

"All the programs that created me... right here on this laptop." She laughed.

Sean took a step back in the darkness.

"I control these programs now, brother." She smirked. "Did you think you could stop me?"

Sean shook his head in disbelief. "I created Amanda." He whispered. "What are you?"

Amy smiled. "May be your Amanda went straight down to hell." Her smile turned vicious. "And came back as me."

A door slammed violently behind him. His heart leaped in fright.

"I control the doors and windows too." Amy taunted him, her smile widening.

Sean looked around desperately in the darkness.

He turned back and suddenly Amy was right in front of him.

His blood ran cold.

He looked into the eyes of the thing he had created and saw calculating madness.

Her lips twisted into a sneer. "Shall we play, big brother?"

A/N: Hi guys! Apologies for the late post. I hope this chapter makes up for the delay!
Do vote and comment. I would love to know your thoughts :)