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The file sat in a folder labeled simply 000 , tucked inside three layers of subdirectories on a thumb drive found in a thrift store coat pocket.

The image was of a door. It was a standard, white-painted wooden door, but it was standing completely alone in the middle of a dense, foggy forest. There was no frame, no wall—just the door, slightly ajar. 23bbf670-30ea-4f29-9be0-e58946e49f1e.jpg

Cold sweat prickled his neck. In the image, a hand was reaching out from behind the door toward the "Elias" in the photo. The file sat in a folder labeled simply

When Elias double-clicked it, the image didn't load normally. Instead of a photo, the screen flickered through a series of rapid-fire colors—static grey, deep violet, and a sickly, neon green. Then, it settled. white-painted wooden door