It was pointing at him.
Her hand wasn’t waving anymore.
“Windows 7 Ultimate. Pliek build. November 2. No exit. Welkom thuis.” (Welcome home.) It was pointing at him
Jeroen’s speakers, unplugged, emitted a low hum. Then a soft, clear voice—not a system chime, but a human whisper—said in Flemish-accented Dutch: “Waarom heb je me geactiveerd?” (Why did you activate me?) clear voice—not a system chime
Jeroen never formatted that drive. He couldn't. He sold the laptop for scrap the next day, but that night, his smartphone lit up on the nightstand. No SIM card installed. No Wi-Fi. but that night