A cold draft hit the back of Elias’s neck. On the screen, a tall, distorted figure in a tuxedo stepped out from his digital closet. In the real world, Elias heard the creak of the floorboards behind him. He froze, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.

He realized then that the zip file hadn't just downloaded a game. It had mapped his reality and invited something in.

On the monitor, the tuxedoed guest leaned over Elias’s digital shoulder, its face a void of static. "You’re late for the toast," a voice rasped—not from the speakers, but from the air inches from his ear.

Elias stared at his own reflection in the monitor. His eyes were watering from the strain of not blinking. He saw the figure reach out a long, pale hand toward his throat.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed on the desk. A text from an unknown number: “I’m outside your window. The door is locked. Why is there a zip file running on your PC? SHUT IT DOWN.”