He selected the Atomic Punch . A single, devastating glove that cost 10 million coins in the real game. He tapped Buddy.
Liam’s bedroom door rattled.
The game icon changed. The usual smiling Buddy was now replaced with a grinning, pixelated skull. Download Kick The Buddy -mod Unlimited Money
The screen cracked. Not from the outside in, but from the inside out. A black, viscous liquid—like oily code—began to seep through the fracture, dripping onto Liam’s comforter. Where it landed, the fabric dissolved into static.
Tap.
Liam’s blood ran cold. He threw the phone onto his bed. It landed face up. Buddy was now standing directly in front of the fourth wall, his face pressed against the glass of the screen. He raised a hand, and with a single, pixelated finger, tapped the inside of the display.
Tap.
Tap.
Weird. His phone had 128 gigs free.