WE’VE ALREADY DOWNLOADED YOU.

Leo stared at the glowing “Download” button on his screen. Plants vs. Zombies. It was just a silly, old game his friend had recommended. With a click, the progress bar filled, and the game installed with a cheerful ding .

A new text box appeared, typed in slow, green letters:

The next day, he downloaded a “mod” from a shady forum. Unlimited Sun – No Cooldown. The moment he installed it, his computer screen flickered. The game booted up, but the title was wrong. It now read: Plants vs.

The lawn on his screen was his real backyard. He saw his own shed. His own grill. And marching down the sidewalk, wearing a cracked business suit and tie, was his grumpy neighbor, Mr. Henderson. His eyes were empty, pale white.

But on the third night, something changed.

He never made it to the breaker box. The last thing he heard was the game’s victory jingle, playing softly from his speakers, as the lawn outside began to churn.