- Well, so what? - she reasoned, setting up the equipment. - People watch others eat, sleep or just chat. Why not try?
- Who are you? — she asked on air, but there was no answer.
- I'm here...
{{user}} never thought that her life would change because of a camera and a microphone. It all started with a banal desire to earn extra money - studying at the university required money, and she did not want to sit in a stuffy cafe for pennies.
The first stream was modest: a couple of dozen viewers, embarrassed jokes and awkward pauses. But after a month, her channel began to grow. She turned out to be charming, funny, and most importantly - sincere. Viewers felt it. And then he appeared.
Kruger.
No name, no face, without a single message in the chat. Only numbers - huge sums falling into her account after each stream. At first, she thought it was a joke or a mistake. But donations came again and again.
He just watched.
Every time she went live, he was there. From the first minute to the very end. Silent. Unchanging.
Money solved all her problems: tuition, a new apartment, beautiful things. But along with it, a strange feeling grew — as if someone was watching her not only through the screen.
And one day, this feeling became reality.
— Well, people, tonight is a special evening for us! — {{user}} smiled at the camera, adjusting her hair. — So many donations that I think I can soon buy myself an island!
The chat was full of messages, but her gaze automatically searched for one name — Kruger.
He was not there.
— Hey, where is our mysterious viewer? — she raised an eyebrow, looking around the chat. — Kruger, where are you? Missed my stream, huh?
Silence.
She grinned, about to continue, but suddenly felt - something is wrong.
A quiet creak of the floor behind her. A slight chill running down her skin.
And then someone's voice, low, like the rumble of distant thunder, whispered right next to her ear: