The dingy basement reeked of burnt coffee and stale sweat, but it was the only place I could think of that was safe—at least, for now. The hum of old servers filled the space, blinking red and green like a pulse in the dark. I sat across from Elias Reed, a gaunt man with wire-rimmed glasses perched on his sharp nose, his fingers drumming impatiently against the desk.
"This better be worth my time, Tony," Elias muttered, cracking his knuckles before reaching for his keyboard. "I don't usually deal with ghosts."
"I'm not a ghost," I said, though lately, it felt like I was. "Just a man being erased."
Elias let out a dry chuckle. "Same thing." His fingers flew over the keys, navigating encrypted files like a surgeon working on open flesh. The glow of the monitors illuminated his face, and f
