His heart hammered. He scrolled faster. The "person" in the photos was moving in stop-motion as he flicked through the files. By image 20,000, the figure was standing directly in front of the camera. It had no face—just a smooth, skin-colored surface where eyes and a mouth should be.

The photo was a high-resolution shot of Elias’s own living room. It was taken from the perspective of the dark corner behind his bookshelf. In the center of the frame was the back of Elias’s head, illuminated by the glow of his laptop. Elias froze. He didn't turn around. He didn't breathe.

He expected a virus. He expected a corrupted mess of text. Instead, a single folder appeared. Inside were thousands of photos—all of the same empty hallway.

When the progress bar finally snapped to 100%, the cooling fans on his laptop shrieked. He right-clicked and hit Extract .

Then, his laptop speakers crackled with a soft, static-filled whisper: "Archive complete."

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