And on the screen, a new live feed appeared. A different time. A different place. This one was a top-down view of a narrow bed in a cramped PG room in Bangalore. A young man in a grey t-shirt, sitting at a laptop, just as a shadow detached itself from the wall behind him.

The last thing he saw was the subtitle, winking off the screen like a satisfied smirk.

Arjun didn’t even have time to scream.

When he turned back, the movie had advanced. Now it showed the PG’s common kitchen. The time stamp in the corner read 10 minutes from now . In the video, Arjun watched himself walk in, pick up the kettle, and pour himself a cup of water. Only, the water was black. And as he drank, his reflection in the stainless steel sink didn’t mimic him. It smiled.

You are not watching this movie. This movie is watching you.

Arjun clicked download.

The URL was a jumbled mess of numbers and fake .icu domains, the kind that changed every week to stay ahead of the cyber police. But the name Isaimini was eternal, a whispered legend in every college hostel and budget Android phone in Chennai.