He didn't have a webcam folder. But there it was—a new directory on his C: drive, timestamped the exact second he'd clicked download. Inside: 847 video clips. Each one showed him sleeping over the past three years. Each one had been recorded from his own laptop's camera. But the angle was wrong. Too high. Like the camera had been floating near the ceiling.

Then the man stood up, walked off-screen, and the video ended.

Leo laughed nervously. A prank. Maybe a leftover script from a horror short he'd edited months ago. He ran a virus scan. Nothing. He restored from backup. The backups were also PLAY_ME.mkv .

He heard the folding chair creak behind him.

The video opened in Netu Player—which he hadn't installed. The interface was stark white, almost surgical. In the center, a single frame showed a man sitting in a folding chair. The man looked exactly like Leo. Same receding hairline. Same coffee stain on his shirt.

And in the corner of his dream, a tiny progress bar read: Installing to host... 97% complete.

The room was empty. But on his desk, a new file had appeared: PLAY_ME_FOREVER.mkv .