Ghost in the Machine

Karl Hochman, a serial killer working at a Cleveland computer store, obtains an address book by copying a page from Terry Munroe's book during a store demonstration. He uses the handheld scanner to load the page into a computer, securing a target list for his spree. The moment sets the stage for the killings to follow.

On a rainy night, Karl drives into oncoming traffic to avoid a truck and plunges off the road into a cemetery. He laughs maniacally as the wreck leaves him alive but shaken. The crash marks the shift from a normal life to a supernatural digital pursuit.

In the emergency room, Karl is placed inside an MRI machine. A surge from a nearby electrical storm shatters the boundary between body and machine, transferring his essence into a computer. From then on, he hunts via digital means across connected devices.

Now a networked entity, Karl exploits household appliances and computer networks to carry out his killing spree. He targets the victims listed in Terry's address book and uses the grid to orchestrate harm.

Frank Mallory, Terry's boss, dies when his kitchen appliances malfunction under Karl's influence. A microwave oven begins irradiating the entire kitchen, leaving Mallory dead and the scene electric. The death confirms the killer's reach through devices.

Elliot Miller is burned to death when a hand dryer inexplicably blasts flames. The flamethrower-like blast demonstrates Karl's digital control over mundane tools. The death intensifies the sense of an invisible, technical killer

Babysitter Carol Maibaum is hired to look after Terry's son Josh and his friend Frazer. She becomes the third victim when an exposed electrical cord on the kitchen floor delivers a fatal electric shock as the dishwasher explodes and floods the kitchen.

Josh realizes the killings follow the order of contacts from Terry's address book. Terry enlists Bram Walker, a noted computer hacker, to help investigate and stop the spree. The two begin formulating a plan to counter the digital threat.

Terry and Bram unplug everything in her house to cut Karl's control. They believe that cutting power will halt the killings and protect those still listed. The attempt marks a turning point in their attempt to disrupt Karl's spree.

The police receive anonymous reports of an armed robbery, a hostage situation, domestic violence, and a murder at Terry's house. They respond to the scene and prepare for a potential standoff with what seems like a domestic crisis.

The officers mistake an exploding pole transformer for gunfire and open fire on the house. The exchange underscores the chaos of a high-tech killer operating from a distance. The barrage continues until the mistake is realized.

During the siege, Terry's mother goes into shock and is transported to the hospital for treatment. The crisis expands beyond the direct victims as family members are affected. The siege continues while help arrives.

Aided by Bram and Josh, Bram introduces a computer virus that traps Karl in a physics laboratory. The plan leverages a controlled environment to corral the digital killer away from people.

The lab's atom smasher is activated and draws Karl into its powerful magnetic field, destroying him. The violent encounter marks the definitive end of the killer's threat. The facility becomes the stage for the final, decisive confrontation.

In the closing moment, Bram tells Terry to turn off a heart rate monitor in an ambulance, and the screen fades to black. The threat is gone as the monitor goes dark, signaling a fragile quiet after the chaos. The story ends with this quiet, clinical fade.