Ajb00004 - Mp4

Elias didn't reach for the mouse. He just watched the red "record" light on his webcam turn on, glowing like a small, unblinking eye in the dark.

The file deleted itself a second later, leaving behind only a text document that appeared on his desktop:

Elias paused the video. His room felt suddenly cold. He checked the file metadata. The creation date read: September 14, 2029 . He froze. That date was three years into the future. Ajb00004 mp4

In the video, the "future" Elias whispered to the lens, "It doesn't want the data. It wants the observer."

On his monitor, the video reached the 4:40 mark. The creature in the closet began to push the door open. On the screen, the infrared light died. In the real world, Elias’s desk lamp flickered and went out. Elias didn't reach for the mouse

There was no one in the frame, but the camera moved with a frantic, limping gait. It ducked into a bedroom. The person holding the camera wasn't looking for something; they were hiding. The lens focused on a closet door. Through the slats, Elias could see a pair of eyes reflecting the camera’s infrared light. They weren't human eyes. They were too wide, set too far apart, and they didn't blink.

Driven by a morbid curiosity, he hit play again. The camera in the video turned around, and for a split second, the person holding it caught their reflection in a dusty mirror. It was Elias. He looked older, his hair graying, his face etched with a level of terror he hadn't yet known. His room felt suddenly cold

At that moment, the thrumming audio in the video synced perfectly with a sound coming from the hallway of Elias's actual apartment. He looked toward his bedroom door. It was slightly ajar.