Piece-9 . The chair beside her was no longer empty. Someone sat there, face blurred beyond recognition. Valya’s posture changed. Straighter. Colder. She didn’t look at the blurred figure. “Betrayal is when the person who taught you the rules breaks them and calls it a lesson.”
I clicked Piece-5.avi .
The video ended. The folder had no other files. Valya---Piece-5.avi
She was leaving a trail.
The drive contained only one folder: . Inside, ten files. Piece-1.avi through Piece-10.avi . No thumbnails. No metadata beyond the date. Piece-9
Valya, alone again. The voice asked nothing. Valya looked directly into the lens. Her eyes were wet but her voice was steel. Valya---Piece-5.avi
Ten pieces. Five dashes. Three dots.