Bb-720p-hd-13-jan-2023-mkv -

On the monitor, the "child" was no longer in the crib. It was standing directly in front of the lens, its face filling the 720p frame. The matte grey eyes were glowing now, a soft, pulsing blue.

He didn’t remember downloading it. He didn’t even remember being at his computer on Friday the 13th of January. But there it was, sitting in the corner of his screen, its generic icon mocking his growing unease. bb-720p-hd-13-jan-2023-mkv

It was a fixed-angle shot of a nursery. It was impeccably clean, decorated in muted greys and whites. In the center of the frame stood a crib. Above it, a mobile of silver stars spun slowly, though there was no breeze. On the monitor, the "child" was no longer in the crib

In the crib, a small shape moved. Elias leaned closer, his nose nearly touching the monitor. A toddler sat up, but its movements were jerky, frame-perfect and eerily precise. The child turned its head toward the camera. Its eyes weren't blue or brown; they were the dull, matte grey of unpowered LEDs. "Identify," the voice commanded. He didn’t remember downloading it

The video player opened to a black screen. For the first thirty seconds, there was only the sound of rhythmic breathing and the faint, mechanical hum of a server room. Then, the image flickered to life.