The screen didn't go black. Instead, his webcam light flickered on—a steady, pulsing blue. A window opened, but it wasn't a video player. It was a mirror of his own desktop, except the wallpaper was different. In the mirrored version, his room was empty. No desk, no computer, no Elias.

Elias tried to scream, but the file hadn't just downloaded data into his computer. It had initiated a swap. As the figure on the screen became high-definition and solid, Elias felt himself becoming grainy. His vision turned to static. His thoughts began to organize into folders.

On the screen, the empty room in the mirror started to fill. A digital version of his desk appeared. Then a chair. Then a figure began to render—pixel by pixel, starting from the feet up. It was wearing his hoodie. It had his frayed watch strap.

//