Chapter 8
He had to know for sure. His hand was shaking slightly but his resolve was firm. He tapped the blue and white icon of his official banking app. The application opened to a login screen. His thumb moved over the digital keypad. He typed his four-digit password. He had used the same password for years. It was his mother’s birthday.
The loading circle spun for a second. It felt like an eternity. Then the screen refreshed. His available balance was displayed in large black numbers at the top of the screen.
$143.00.
Adam’s breath caught in his throat. It was real. The money was actually there. It was not a dream. It was not a hallucination. He sank down onto the edge of his bed. His legs felt weak. He scrolled down with his thumb. He had to see the transaction history. He saw the list of his recent activities. There at the very top were two new lines.
DEPOSIT: $2.50
DEPOSIT: $2.50
His eyes widened. He shot up from the bed. He felt a surge of energy so powerful it was like an electric shock. He started pacing back and forth in the tiny room. He ran a hand through his hair. A loud shout escaped his lips. It was a mix of terror and exhilaration.
"Who was that man?" he yelled at the empty apartment. "And what did he give me?"
Some time passed. Adam was standing against the wall far from the bed. His phone lay on the thin mattress. The screen was still lit up. The banking app with its impossible numbers was still open. Adam had his arms crossed over his chest.
He was leaning against the cool plaster of the wall. He was just staring at the phone. He was staring at it like it was a venomous snake.
In that time he had thought through every possible scenario. He had tried to find a logical explanation. But nothing made sense. He did not know who the man was. He did not know how a person could create such a thing. A phone that could just generate money out of thin air. Was such a thing even possible for a human to make?
He had looked deeper into the banking app. He had clicked on the transaction details. The two deposits had come from two different accounts. They were random account numbers he had never seen before.