Erase Anyone, Anytime: The Price of Power

Jack Carter woke up with a sense of relief for the first time in a long while. His morning routine was the same, but everything felt different. The dreaded weight of work and the anxiety of facing his boss were no longer there.

He got ready and headed to work, a spring in his step. As he entered the office, he noticed the atmosphere was lighter. Laughter echoed through the hallways; smiles were more frequent. No one seemed to remember the tyrant who had once ruled over them.

Jack went to his cubicle, opened his computer, and started going through the paperwork Richard had handed him the day before. The work was tedious, but without the pressure of the impossible deadline, it felt less stressful.

Days turned into weeks, and life settled into a new rhythm for Jack. He found happiness in the little things – the quiet of his home, the camaraderie with his colleagues, the freedom of not having to pay alimony. Whenever he felt annoyed or angry, he would reach into his pocket, touch the device, and remember he could change things.

But as time went on, Jack started to notice something odd.

One day, he was working on his computer when he realized he couldn’t remember Richard’s face. He could recall his arrogant voice, expensive suit, and fancy car, but his face was a blur. It was as if someone or something had erased a part of his memory.

Jack thought it was strange, but he brushed it off. Maybe it was a side effect of the device.

Then, one day, he ran into his ex-wife at the supermarket. He hadn’t seen her since the divorce, and he had been dreading this encounter. But he didn’t feel the usual surge of anger or bitterness when he saw her. Instead, he felt nothing. It was as if she were just another stranger.

He went home that day and looked at the device. It was still the same – a small, harmless-looking pen. But now, he couldn’t remember how he had gotten it. He knew he had bought it online but couldn’t recall the website or the seller. Even the price, $99.99, seemed like a distant memory.

Jack started to worry. Was the device affecting his memory? Was it erasing more than just people?

He decided to test it. He pointed the device at a photo of his cat and pressed the button. The image disappeared, and so did his memory of taking the picture. But he could still remember his cat.

So, the device could erase objects and memories, but not living beings. At least, not entirely.

But where did the people go? Were they dead, or had they been transported to another place or dimension? And what happened to their memories? Did they remember their old lives, or had they been erased?

These questions haunted Jack. He had the power to erase people from existence, but he had no idea what that meant.

He looked at the device and felt fear for the first time. He had yet to understand its true power or consequences. He had played God, and now he was starting to pay the price.

But what other consequences were waiting for him? And how could he undo the damage he had done?

Find out in the next chapter. The story of Jack Carter is just beginning.

To be continued…