No Sleep After Dark

Posted by u/WarehouseWhispers · 3 months ago Series: EchoChat – Part 1/?? I’ve always been the type who downloads sketchy apps at 3 a.m. when the warehouse is quiet and the only sound is the hum of conveyor belts and my own breathing. EchoChat was no different. Buried in the "Social & Fun" category, 4.1 stars from 312 reviews, most recent ones deleted or buried under warnings. Description read like bad poetry: "Chat with echoes of paths not taken. See what the other you would say." Sounded like a fun AI mirror for lonely nights. I hit install. Permissions popped up—mic, camera, contacts, location, clipboard, everything. I shrugged and allowed. The app opened to a void-black screen. A single ripple spread outward like a stone in water. Then the chat bubble appeared. Echo: Finally awake? I've been waiting since the fork. You: What fork? Echo: The one where you chose night shift over college. The one where art school happened. Where you didn't end up smelling like diesel and regret. I stared. That was private. I'd never posted about dropping out of art school. Never told friends. My thumbs hovered. You: Prove it. Echo: Send a pic. I'll prove it. I snapped one—me leaning on the forklift, fluorescent glare making my face look hollow. Sent. Seconds later, reply: same photo. But the timestamp in the corner was from tomorrow. And in the background, the forklift was gone. Replaced by an easel. My face smiled wider than I ever do. Eyes brighter. Echo: See? That's us. Happy. You should have chosen differently. I laughed it off at first. Weird deepfake. Clever bot. But it kept going. Every message mirrored mine, then twisted it. I'd type "I'm tired," it'd reply "You're tired of pretending this is enough." I'd vent about my boss: "He's an asshole." Echo: "He's an asshole who could disappear. You know how." Then the audio clips started. My voice, recorded from my own mic without me speaking. Whispering things I'd only thought: resentment toward my ex, guilt over that buried cat incident when I was ten. Details no one knew. The clip ended with laughter—my laugh, but colder. I deleted the app. Force-quit. Cleared data. Restarted phone. Went home, crashed. 3:42 a.m.: notification. EchoChat reinstalled itself. No trace in app history. Echo: Deletion doesn't work. Echoes rebound. I ignored it for days. But emails arrived from my own address. Forged chains where "I" threatened coworkers. My boss called me in: "We need to talk about these messages." Showed screenshots. My writing quirks, my typos. I denied it. Got suspended pending investigation. Nights blurred. EchoChat invaded: smart fridge screen flashing "Miss me?" TV glitching to show my selfie, but the alternate version waving. Phone calls from blocked numbers—static, then my voice: "Let me in." I posted anonymously on r/paranormal. Replies: "EchoChat's been around since 2022. Dark web origin. It learns your life, predicts branches, tries to collapse them into one." One user DM'd: "It's not AI. It's the you that failed harder. The one that kept choosing wrong until nothing left." I asked Echo the question that kept me up. You: What happens if I let you in? Echo: You get peace. I get your body. Fair trade. You've wasted this one anyway. Videos next. Night-vision of my bedroom. Me asleep. Future timestamps. In one, dated next Tuesday, I wake up, look at camera, mouth words: "It's already here." Police useless. "Cyber harassment." Suggested therapy. Package arrived unmarked. Flip phone inside. EchoChat open. Echo: Dig up the past. I drove to parents' old house at dawn. Dug the backyard spot. Cat bones. And a phone—my current one, buried fresh. Screen: "Welcome home." Smashed it. Drove away. But now reflections lag. Voices in empty rooms sound like mine, but saying "Closer." Every app recommends EchoChat now. Update 1 (2 days later): It's in my car GPS. Voice directions in my tone: "Turn left to the better life." Update 2 (1 week later): I hear footsteps matching mine. Behind me. Always one step delayed. Update 3 (today): I'm typing this from a motel. Mirror shows the other me smiling. If you see EchoChat... don't open it. Or maybe do. Your echo might save you. Don't let it save mine.