The dim glow of my laptop screen flickered against the walls as I scrolled through the stolen files. Each document felt like a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit. Then, a name caught my eye—Project Nexus. The moment I clicked on it, a chill ran down my spine. It felt like someone—or something—was watching me. The text on the screen was distorted, flickering, and rearranging itself as if the file was actively fighting to disappear. Sentences glitched, and whole paragraphs dissolved into static. My heartbeat pounded in my chest. “This isn’t normal,” I muttered. “What’s not normal?” Alex’s voice made me jump. He stood in the doorway, arms crossed, his face half-hidden in the dim light. He had that skeptical look again—the one that meant he didn’t trust my obsession with secrets. I pushed

