The Whisperer in Dissonance — Ian Welke

Annie sleeps in fitful spurts dreaming of an altered world populated by drone-like slaves and gangly masters. Her dreams leave her panicked and ragged as if she hadn't slept at all. Is there a barely audible voice buzzing in the background hum? Or is the sleep deprivation driving her to delusions? When a computer virus spreads across email, social networking, and phone texts, people begin exhibiting the drone-like behavior from her dream. Who can she trust? Can she learn to distinguish what is real from the background noise, or will she become just another drone? When dreams come true they're usually nightmares.