Alstain.avi -

I closed the player. The desktop was still black. But now, underneath alstain.avi , a new file had appeared: alstain_reply.avi . Same size. Same timestamp.

I double-clicked.

The file was the only thing on the desktop. No icons, no wallpaper—just a black screen and that name: alstain.avi . 14.3 MB. Modified December 31, 1999, 11:59 PM. alstain.avi

The video had no audio—not silence, but the absence of sound, like a room after a gunshot. I closed the player