The timestamp on the screen ticked to . At that exact second, the reflection in the window turned its head and looked directly into the camera lens. The video didn't end; it simply froze. The progress bar continued to move, but the image remained locked on those silver, digital eyes.
The video opened to a shaky, low-light shot of a rain-slicked street. The audio was mostly the rhythmic thrum-thrum of windshield wipers. The camera was sitting on a dashboard, pointed toward a lonely intersection. For the first thirty seconds, nothing happened. video_2021-09-07_23-09-48.mp4
Then, a figure appeared in the headlights—not a person, but a reflection of one in the glass of a storefront, even though the sidewalk itself was empty. The timestamp on the screen ticked to