... — File: Death.trash.v0.8.7.4.zip

A chill that had nothing to do with the air conditioning settled in his chest. He ran the executable. The screen didn't flicker or glitch. Instead, his monitor bled into a deep, visceral crimson. A low-frequency hum vibrated through his desk, a sound so deep it felt like it was coming from his own bones rather than the speakers.

Elias stood up, his heart hammering against his ribs. On the screen, the pixelated figure stood up simultaneously. He walked to the window. The figure followed. File: Death.Trash.v0.8.7.4.zip ...

He looked down at the street below. At the edge of the sidewalk, right where the coordinates had pointed, a black van was idling. The clock on his taskbar flipped to 03:14 AM. A chill that had nothing to do with