I move slowly through the forest. Every step cracks dry branches under my feet—too loud in the silence. Then I hear it: faint radio static, unstable, like a signal trying to exist.

The echoes are wrong. My footsteps return delayed… but only sometimes. A sudden squelch cuts through. Then a laugh—short, broken, and way too close.

I look up. A figure stands behind a tree. A mask. Stillness. No breathing.

The static surges. Another squelch. The world dulls, like the signal is collapsing around me.

I look back.

It’s gone.

No wind. No insects. Just a low hum… and one last weak click.

Then silence.