Vid_20201203_134436_611mp4 | Plus ROUNDUP |

Elias found the file in a "Recovered" folder on an old microSD card he’d unearthed from a desk drawer. While most of the photos were of blurry lattes and forgotten sunsets, the file felt different. It was dated December 2020—a time when the world was quiet, masked, and lived mostly through screens.

The figure in the red coat turned their head just enough to catch the edge of a profile, but before the face was revealed, the video glitched. Bright green digital artifacts streaked across the screen, and the audio turned into a harsh electronic hum. Elias checked the timestamp: . VID_20201203_134436_611mp4

He closed his eyes and tried to remember where he was that Tuesday. He searched his old calendars and emails, but December 3rd was a blank. No appointments, no sent messages. It was as if that specific minute had been edited out of his life, leaving only this 12-second clip as evidence. Elias found the file in a "Recovered" folder

He looked at the file name one last time. The numbers were just a date and time to anyone else. To Elias, they were now a coordinate to a memory he was never supposed to have—or perhaps, a warning from a version of himself that had already lived through what was coming next. The figure in the red coat turned their