The black screen on the monitor began to shift. The darkness wasn't solid anymore; it was grain, moving like smoke. Slowly, a shape began to form in the 8k resolution—a silhouette of a woman standing in a vast, grey expanse.
Suddenly, the audio spiked. A screeching mechanical howl tore through the room, vibrating the desk and cracking the glass of a nearby picture frame. Elias lunged to mute the volume, but the cursor wouldn't move. The file wasn't just playing; it was overriding the system.
Elias looked at the clock on his wall. It was 11:45 and 50 seconds. The audio returned with a deafening, crystal-clear snap.
He heard Lauran’s breathing. It was steady, rhythmic, and strangely calm.