Then the rest of the query typed itself, one letter at a time, with the slow certainty of a lock being picked:
The cursor blinked. Waited. The ceiling bulb buzzed like a trapped hornet. Searching for- double GhostFreakXX in- ...
in the walls. in the mirror behind you. in the space between your heartbeat and the next. Then the rest of the query typed itself,
The first result was a mirror. The second was his own face. The third was a countdown. one letter at a time
in...
The terminal flickered. Not the usual static hiss of a dying monitor, but something slower. Deliberate. Each pulse of light dragged shadows across the basement walls like fingernails down a chalkboard of dust.
Four seconds left.