Behind you, the figure isn’t chasing. It’s already ahead. It’s always been ahead. Because it’s not a duplicate of you. It’s the newer version . And you—the one who clicked OK, the one who thought “ignore and continue” was a valid life choice—you’re the same version.

You double-click it.

You turn on your PC, and instead of the usual whir of fans and the Windows chime, you’re met with a single dialog box. Pale gray, stark, immutable.

Do you wish to be overwritten?

A newer or same version is already present. Installation will now exit.

Because the choice was never yours. A newer version already made it.

Obsolete. Redundant. Pending removal.