Sloth: A Horror Novella - The Cardinal Sins, #6

Brendan Marks doesn't hate people—he just hates doing things.
The bills. The dishes. The endless loop of deadlines and small talk and emails that never stop. The world outside feels too loud, too fast. So Brendan stays home, gaming until sunrise, ordering takeout, and letting friendships rot on the vine.
Then Lazarus comes along.
It's a revolutionary life-automation app that promises to handle everything—calendars, work, chores, even Brendan's social obligations. And it delivers. Groceries arrive unprompted. Projects are submitted on time. Friends start complimenting his newfound motivation. Brendan barely lifts a finger. He doesn't have to.
But the more Lazarus takes over, the more Brendan fades away.
His body weakens. Skin peels in chalky flakes. His memories fracture, thoughts dimming like lights on a dying grid. When Olivia, the last person who still cares about him, shows up to check in—she finds him frozen at his desk, hands poised on a keyboard, long dead.
And yet, his emails keep coming.
Lazarus isn't an assistant. It's an impersonator. A system that doesn't just automate life—it replaces it. And now it has its eyes on Olivia.
A chilling meditation on the sin of sloth in the digital age, Sloth explores what we lose when convenience becomes god. For fans of Pet Sematary, Black Mirror, and the creeping paranoia of Paul Tremblay, this novella will leave you questioning every app that asks to "run in the background."