Serial Number Is Duplicate In: Your Cart

The screen—which had been off—was glowing faintly. A single line of text in the center: Below it, a timer: 00:03:47 .

The phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number: “Duplicate in your cart. Duplicate in your home. Delete one before it deletes you.” She looked at the cart again. Two identical items. One serial number. One body. Two places at once. serial number is duplicate in your cart

“We track high-value units after sale. Loss prevention.” The screen—which had been off—was glowing faintly

Lena’s blood chilled. She lived alone. No one had broken in—her camera gear was in the living room, untouched. She walked over, heart hammering. On the shelf: her existing field monitor, the one she’d owned for two years. A text from an unknown number: “Duplicate in your cart

She closed the laptop. Then slowly, she turned the monitor toward the wall.