"System Locked," the text read in broken English. "All files encrypted. Send 0.1 Bitcoin to the following address to regain access."
Alex stared at the screen, his heart hammer-drilling against his ribs. His college essays, his family photos, and his saved passwords were all gone, locked away by a digital wall he couldn't breach. He had tried to steal a game about elite counter-terrorism operatives, and in doing so, he had let the terrorists right through his own front door.
Suddenly, his screen flickered. The familiar Windows desktop vanished, replaced by a terminal window with lines of green code scrolling rapidly. Panic flared in his chest. This was not the game installer. A red box appeared in the center of his monitor.