His phone buzzed on the desk. A new notification from an unknown sender. He swiped it open with trembling fingers. It wasn't a text message. It was a file transfer receipt.
On the screen, a man was sitting at a desk in a dark room. The man’s back was to the camera. He was wearing a grey hoodie Elias recognized. On the desk sat a half-empty can of peach seltzer and a stack of external hard drives. You have requested : Fbi.Most.Wanted.S03E21.MP4...
Elias didn't wait to see the face. He slammed the laptop shut, but the audio kept playing. The speakers didn't emit the sound of the show. Instead, they broadcast a low, rhythmic thumping. Thump. Thump. Thump. His phone buzzed on the desk
The timestamp in the corner was current. It read: Elias glanced at his desk clock. It was 11:14 PM. It wasn't a text message