The file appeared in Elias’s downloads folder at 3:14 AM. He hadn’t clicked a link, and he certainly hadn't authorized a transfer. It sat there, nestled between a PDF receipt and a software update: download-15.mp4 .

He opened his bedroom door. There, resting on the hardwood floor just outside his reach, was a small, silver key. Heart hammering, Elias scrambled back to his computer to delete the file.

It now read: download-16.mp4 . And the progress bar for the next video was already at 99%.