REDLINE

They had found the program within the old man's cabin after he died. It was slightly suspicious how he died, but at first, it was merely routine cleanup.

They never were able to persuade him to leave the area, despite the common knowledge he had been poaching. The proof of his hunting was right there in front of them, his trophies starting to rot as they lined his home, their antlers randomly strewn across the floor haphazardly, as if tripping in his cabin meant that you'd also take the risk of having your eye gouged out. Their eyes, slowly decomposing in the dark, seemed to be watching even after death.

They never expected for him, of all people, to be afraid of the Y2K crisis. He never seemed to be interested in technology, spare for the occasional battery he'd purchase from the local store for his flashlight, a self-titled man of the woods and land, and yet it was there, the cleanest thing there, monitor wiped of the grime that lingered in the rest of the cabin.

It was stored there: it was a known Trojan, if not relatively small in impact. Promising to update the user's calendar and all related calendars for free, it then deleted the user's data, promising to return it if only for a hefty fee.

This version was different. The original graphic for the virus was a smiling man.

His last days were strange, at least, stranger than normal. According to those in town. He had started smelling worse, of rust and wilderness, face unkept and wild. Before this, he only sold his taxidermy for a premium: now, he was almost desperate to get rid of his deer heads. 'Said they were watchin,' one woman reported. 'He was a strange fella. I don't think I'll ever get what he meant.'

It was a mistake that caused them to understand its true nature.

One accidentally bumped the old mouse with his elbow- a small mistake, but the whir of the router caused both their eyes to widen. All eyes all turned towards the screen, their eyes their mouths their skulls their antlers whirring to life along with the monitor's flare, gazing, gazing, gazing

Welcome.

Was displayed on the monitor,

We see you.