8(1)(1)(1)(1)(1).mp4

The video was only eight seconds long. It showed a dimly lit room—a basement, perhaps—with a single wooden chair in the center. A man sat there, his face obscured by the low resolution and grain. He wasn't moving. He was staring at a monitor that the camera couldn't see.

Elias felt a cold prickle on his neck. He tried to delete the file, but a dialogue box popped up: Error: File "8(1)(1)(1)(1)(1).mp4" is currently being used by 'SYSTEM'. 8(1)(1)(1)(1)(1).mp4

In the video, a shadow moved behind the Elias on the screen. Elias didn't turn around. He couldn't. He was too busy watching the file name on his desktop change one last time: The video was only eight seconds long

At the seven-second mark, the man turned his head slightly toward the camera. His mouth opened as if to speak, but the video cut to black. He wasn't moving

The media player opened one last time, unprompted. The video was no longer grainy. It was high-definition. It showed the same basement, the same chair. But this time, the camera was positioned behind the chair, looking at the monitor the man had been watching.