Snook - Dark Web Reddit Stories

Episode Date: November 22, 2025

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Hey, what's up guys, and welcome back to another Reddit Stories video. And today we will be going into some dark web Reddit stories. Yeah, super scary, but super interesting at the same time. This video will be long, and it will just be super good and a great video to listen to if you're studying, working, relaxing, or just want to watch a video. And yeah, thank you so much for stopping by. And like the video if you haven't already because it helps the channel out a ton. And also subscribe to the channel because that also.

helps out a ton and it's also the channel's goal to be at 500,000 subscribers before the end of the year. So please subscribe. And all right, anyways, without further ado, let's get into some dark web Reddit stories. The part of the deep web that we aren't supposed to see. I'll assume you all know about the deep web. Well, what you've heard is true. It's not a great place. While some people are there to score weed or firearms or even out of sheer curiosity, others, well, they're obviously not up to anything good. But I'm not here to talk about any of those sickos. I'm here to talk about what lies beyond that point.

The more cryptic and unexplainable part of the internet, the part that nobody's really supposed to see. There was an infographic that cropped up a while ago, not sure when. The eight levels of the internet. Maybe you've seen it. As interesting as it was, it's complete bunk. I'm sorry, but polymeric, fousy goal, derivation means, nothing. In the premark system, I guess somebody's a fan of Warhammer. No, there's no quantum

mechanics involved here. However, that doesn't mean it was an easy place to find. Now, I'm not going to begin to tell you how I'd get here. It's unlikely that you'd be able to, even if I did. I'm not tuned my own horn here. I just didn't have a life outside of this. I was warned, of course. Everybody told me I wasn't going to like what I saw, that I wouldn't even understand it. Now I'm passing off that warning to you. Don't try to look for this. There's no official name for this place, or at least I haven't seen one. There are rumors, however. These range from an Illuminati chat room to a virtual holding cell for experimental AI gone rogue. In reality, it's a lot worse. After a long and painful process of breaking down firewalls, encryptions, solving bizarre philosophical riddles,

and following hidden links, I was finally directed to a blank page with one line of text and a text box underneath. Quid, Corrice, Latin for What Do You Seek? I remember feeling surprised, but in retrospect, I didn't know what I was expecting. I'll admit, I was a bit stumped here, partially because I didn't know the answer to that question. I had no objective. I just wanted to see if I could do it. I tried some generic answers at first, I typed in The Truth and Enlightenment, you know, Matrix shit. Nothing happened. I tried a bunch of answers, but none of them worked. I was getting frustrated at this point. Maybe this was a gag page. Maybe I really hadn't figured anything out, if only. I tried something off the wall,

not sure how this came to me or why I thought it would work, but I typed in, What Also Seeks Me? Now that I think about it, this might have been an AI. To my surprise, the page went blank. like fully blank. I waited after about five minutes, I was directed to what looked like a forum. No, not even that. It was more than basic. Just a list of links over a brownish yellow background.

The links themselves were indecverable, just seemingly random sequences of characters, symbols, and letters. A lot of them I had never seen before. It almost looked like an alien language. Obviously just a code I didn't understand. At this point, expectations were off the wall. Each link was a shot in the dark. I clicked on the first one.

It loaded up a live feed of what seemed to be the Paris catacombs. I watched for a while, but it was ultimately uneventful. I moved on to the next link. It was a shaky video in a dark setting, but I could make out men in tactical gear. They were in a house, opening doors and sweeping each room. Eventually, they kicked one down to reveal a creature, tall and humanoid, with scaly skin. It was gnawing on a dismembered arm. They tried shooting at it, but it escaped out the window.

The video stopped there. Well, I was floored. What the hell is this? It looked to be real to be unreleased film footage. I was officially intrigued. Maybe this was worth the months of headaches and bloodshot eyes after all. I couldn't stop now. I started working down the list of links.

With each click, everything got more and more bizarre, more disturbing. I stumbled upon a document called the Paragon Project. detailing trials of human experimentation that would lead to superhuman levels of strength and durability. It was an apparent success, looked official too. There were essays on space-time anomalies, glitches in reality, and apparent pictures of alternate dimensions. There were detailed explanations regarding Area 51, the Bermuda Triangle, Assassinations, Disappearances, the true nature of the Holy Grail. One of the more upsetting ones was a document referring to a

world-ending bomb, a nuke that's 720,000 times stronger than the one dropped on Hiroshima. I don't want to know why we would need that. I found contingency plans for different kinds of apocalypses, nuclear winter, biological weapons, viral outbreak, some more peculiar ones were called the Marianas Trench Admiralty, the bluntly labeled strange man on the 15th floor and one simply referred to as blackout. Recovered logs of Skinwalker hunting expeditions. 9-1-1 transcripts from residents of a town in Texas that went missing in 1977 and even the journals that belonged to the people involved in the deal of past incident. They didn't go insane because of the snow. I spent hours on there,

looking through pages and pages of things I felt like I wasn't supposed to see. I came across a trailer to a silent film made back in 1910, one that apparently made people claw their eyes out. after watching that nearly derailed the whole industry. There was a live stream of a hooded man sitting in front of a camera, head crouched down. He eventually lifted his head, even though he had no mouth, a deep guttural, hello, came through my speakers. Somehow I knew it came from him. I didn't stick around for that.

There were obscure sets of step-by-step guides that involved things like cutting off your own limbs and sewing on a corpses, performing religious incantations in the middle of the Siberian forest, and going to coordinates that apparently housed captive fallen angels. It was unclear what any of these were supposed to achieve. There was also a 20-second-long clip titled, The Futility of the Living? I didn't watch it. That's when I realized there was no way

even the highest form of organized government had full control of this. One of the scariest things about this whole experience was that I didn't find an end to the list. No matter how far I scrolled down. I think I had to meltdown and pass out eventually because I woke up on the floor in the middle of the night. I looked at my computer screen to see looped helicopter footage of a massive crab-like creature tearing apart a coastal island. I clicked off of it.

I just sat there for the longest time. I couldn't comprehend what I was seen, and I don't think I really wanted to. Now, I'm not really sure why I kept going. My brain was screaming for me to take my computer out to the lawn and smash it into pieces, but I didn't. I noticed something I had him before. A small message at the bottom left-hand corner of the... screen. I don't know if it was always there or not. It was hard to read so I had to squint. More Latin. Translated into, are you satisfied? There were two options underneath it.

Yes and no. Now, I knew the answer to this question. Hell no, I wasn't satisfied. I was horrified, scarred for life. But I should have clicked on yes. If I just clicked on yes, it would have taken me out of that godforsaken place, back to comfort and sanity. Even right now, I can't tell you why I clicked on no. But once I did, the page seemed to refresh. It was still the same basic setup, except there were only four links. This time, there were no recognizable numbers or characters. Hell, it didn't even look like anything that could have come from this world. Just a collection of extremely crude symbols that didn't give any sense of a pattern or direction. I clicked on the first link. After about 20 seconds, I slammed my computer shut.

I can't describe to you what I saw. All I know is that I wasn't supposed to see it. Nobody should ever see something like this. It's not only that it didn't make any sense. I can't tell you why it didn't. I couldn't begin to grasp the images I was seen. It wasn't graphic or anything, not like that. I just couldn't recognize anything.

I can make out things moving, but not in a way any creature on Earth has ever moved before. colors that I'd never seen before. Just thinking about it gives me a split in headache. This is my best attempt at visualizing it. We have three dimensions here on Earth. We can move forwards, backwards, left, right, 72.4 degrees southwest, etc. These things weren't restricted to that.

I can't explain it any further. All I know is that I didn't want to watch one more second. I don't think I would have been able to. I left my room for the first time in a while. I was planning to leave my house. I needed fresh air. To take a walk or something. Hell, I was thinking about running a marathon in the middle of the night

just to get my mind off that shit for a few hours. I was putting on my jacket when I heard a knock at the door. I stopped dead in my tracks. Obviously, I wasn't opening up. About a minute and five more sets of knocks came before somebody spoke up. Open up. We know what you did. But we're not here to hurt you.

We just want to talk. The tone wasn't threatening. Eventually, I obliged. I opened up my door to two, tall, slim men in suits. They smiled at me. Can we come in? I still don't know how they found me. I thought for sure that I was off the grid.

We sat down on the couch. I guess I was just waiting for answers at this point. One of them looked at me and said, What were you looking for? I don't know, but I'm not going back, I responded. He smiled again. Like this is what he wanted to hear. The other one piped up.

Who do you work for? His tone was a bit more aggressive. I just shook my head. Look, I didn't know what I was getting into. I wasn't looking for anything. They just stared at me for a while. I'm not going to tell anybody, trust me. They finally responded.

We're not worried about that. Doubt anybody believe you. Another smile. Somehow it felt genuine. We just wanted to know what your priorities were. In retrospect, that was a very strange question. Just do us a favor and we'll leave, I perked up. Give us the device you used to access it.

I didn't ask any questions. I ran upstairs and basically tossed them on my laptop. They both smirked at me one last time before heading out the door. Just as they were about to leave, one of them turned back. I don't think you need to be told, but don't try this again. And don't show anybody else how to get there. either. Well, no. I didn't ask who they were. I'm not sure I would have even wanted to know. It's been a week now. I don't go on the internet so much anymore. After this, I'm going to try and

forget, to try and not to think about it anymore. I'm started having horrific nightmares. I've been seeing a therapist for that, but I don't think it's helping. Anyways, I'm not going to let this consume the rest of my life. The thing is, I'm afraid this might not be possible. There are some things we aren't supposed to know about, probably for our own safety and sanity, don't try and seek them out. It's better that way. However, it might be a bit too late for me. The part of the deep web we aren't supposed to see.

Part 2. Down, the rabbit hole. They say that curiosity killed the cat. It's funny, that almost feels like a personal attack at this point. Haven't forgotten about that night. I mean, it's not just something you can see. Stop thinking about. What the hell was that last thing I saw? Strange thing is, it never even comes up in my nightmares.

It's always the other stuff. I swear I can see the dude with no mouth every time I close my eyes, but maybe it's not so weird. My brain couldn't comprehend it the first time, so how could my subconscious produce a recreation? Shit, I don't want to think about it anymore, but I can't. You see, my problems aren't just in my head anymore. I thought I was done with this shit after the men in black. paid me a visit. I thought it was over. In retrospect, that was just wistful thinking. No, it was delusional. After what I saw, I guess it doesn't work like that. I guess the world just isn't

that simple. Here's what's been happening. Wednesday. It's been three days since I've gone back to work and I think I'm being followed. No, I'm sure I am. The thing is, the first time I didn't really notice. Whoever the hell they are, they've been using different vehicles. Always the same routine. After work, I get into my car and start driving home. Another vehicle always tails me until I turn into my driveway. They just drive past. Now, if it happens once, whatever, but three times, under normal circumstances, I could call it a coincidence. For obvious reasons, I can't do that right now. I'm not really sure what the hell they want. Maybe they're trying to monitor me. God, that's all I hope they're trying to do.

If that's the case, I'll just lay low and ride it out. Just give them what they want. Thursday. This time I tried to get a glimpse of them in my rear view. Windows were tinted. Great. Again, I pulled into my driveway and they kept going. Now I know I said I was just going to ride it out,

but this kind of shit really does take a toll on you. I don't want to deal with whatever the hell this is anymore. I swear they're following closer and closer each time. Friday. I did something different today. Took public transit instead of driving. I've never needed a drink more in my life, so I went to a bar after work. I guess this was more of a experiment to see how closely they've been tracking me. If they've bothered by the waiting, then they can go fuck themselves. I'm still living my life. Although I couldn't keep my eyes off the window the whole time I was in there. After getting sufficiently wasted, I flagged a cab down. And surprise, surprise,

There they were, right behind us. But here's what I didn't expect. It was the same car from yesterday. Looks like they gave up the incognito act. Not sure how to feel about that. Damn it, something else had changed. They didn't just keep driving this time. After the cab dropped me off, I turned around to see that damn car parked,

half a block away from my house. I just went inside. The hell was I supposed to do? Calling the cops didn't even occur to me. But to be honest, I don't think that would have helped. It's in three hours now and they're still here. I haven't been watching them the whole time, so I don't know whether or not they're actually in the car.

Not fun to think about. There's no way in hell I'm sleeping tonight. It's about 2 a.m. now. I just got a text message. Private number. Here's what it said. Leave your house. Don't use the front door.

They're still there. Come to the all-night diner about five blocks away. Don't think about driving. They'll know. Be quick. coming in soon. Don't get followed. Leave your lights on. I froze after reading this. They're coming in? For what? Who the hell's texting me? Now, I don't know what you would have done in this situation, but I took the warning. I was paranoid as hell at this point. Buzzed and tired, I put on a jacket

and went out my back door. I also took a backpack with my other laptop in it. Not sure why, but I felt like I needed to. I waited for a second before I climbed my own fence. When I was sure nobody had noticed, I started heading towards the diner. After about 40 minutes, I finally got there. Would have been shorter, but I pretty much ducked into the bushes every time a car passed. I scanned the patrons, a table of drunk college kids, a few truckers, and a dude in a hoodie typing away on a computer in the back.

He didn't look thrinding. Actually, he looked pretty scrawny. I made an educated guess. I walked up to his table and sat down. He looked up at me. Hi, what do you want? You texted me. There was a brief pause.

I got worried for a second. Was it not him? But he broke the silence. Right. They follow you. No, I don't think so. He nodded. All right.

And then he laughed, like this was supposed to be funny. Man, you screwed up, didn't you? Hard to disagree with that. Where are you doing anyways? Where are you trying to find? Nothing. I swear, I just did it for the hell of it, I guess. He just stared at me and amused disbelief.

Oh, well, that's fucking lame. Would have been cool if you were a spy or something. He chuckled again. Look, who are you? How did he know they were after me? Who are they anyways? I pelt them with questions. All right, settle down there.

I'm not going to tell who they are. I don't know either, but I will tell you they don't have good intentions. Fantastic, I thought. Well, how do you know about them? He paused. They came after me. One second, I'm reading about demons on the moon. and the next I'm getting my door kicked down.

This was months ago. I skipped town. I was confused. Wait, what do you mean? They tried to kill me, dude. I couldn't believe this. And you were just viewing the links. That was it. You teach other people how to get there or something?

He raised his eyebrow. No? Why do you ask? I was floored. They didn't do that to me, I said. They just came by, took my laptop, and gave me a warning. Now it was his turn to look shocked. Really?

He seemed to think about something for a while. He then proceeded to ask me what they looked like. Just men in suits I responded. What did they ask you? Was his follow-up question? Again, I just told him. But then I remembered the last thing they said to me. They also asked me what my priorities were.

Weird-ass question. His face went blank for a second. Yeah. Yeah, strange, ain't it? What followed was an uncomfortable silence. I finally asked him to think that had been on our mind ever since that night. that page was just four links. What the hell is that supposed to be?

He raised his eyebrow and told me he didn't know what I was talking about. This is where things got strange. After I told him a rough explanation of what I had saw, his expression changed completely. I could make out a sudden flare in his demeanor. What did you type of the prompt? He asked me. What also seeks me, I answered.

I was thoroughly confused at this point. Isn't that what you did as well? He just shook his head. No. He then shut his laptop and stood up. Well, where the hell are you going? I inquired. We've been here too long.

Look, I know you have questions, but I can't answer them for you. Go to a motel tonight or something. And just like that, he was gone. What was I going to do? Stop him? I still have no idea who the hell this guy is and the only thing I got out of him was his name. Jackson. And even that's probably fake.

Tired as hell and still a little bit drunk, I left the diner and tried to stay hidden as I, looked for a nearby motel. Obviously, this wasn't fun. Now here I am, sitting in some sketchy motel at 4.30 a.m. I can barely keep my eyes open, but I also can help, but look over my shoulder every second I'm awake. This is the pinnacle of shitty situations. I guess I'll try and get something sleep. Nothing else I can do. I'll figure it out in the morning. Saturday. Well, I guess it's been Saturday for a while, actually. It's 8 a.m. now. Barely got any sleep. I have this creeping, ominous feeling in my gut that something just isn't right. I turned on the TV,

anything to clear my mind for a bit. What I saw next did the opposite of that. It was a news report. A man strangled to death in a KFC bathroom, but the person murdered was one of the guys that came to my house and took my computer that night. No suspects. I just stared at the screen for the longest time. What the hell was going on? My phone suddenly buzzed, a different message from a private number. This is what it said. Go to the swimming pool on 5th Street. In the men's locker room, go to locker 128. The combination is 12, 27, 33. Further inspections are in there. Do so before this text gets intercepted. Don't bring your phone. Of course, how stupid is I? My phone was still on me. Surely whoever was after me would have been able to track me. This never even crossed my mind.

Out of curiosity, I peeked outside my window. Sure enough, the car was. The car was that's been following me was now parked right there. Luckily for me, I caught my first glimpse of the driver and the passenger getting out. They were both wearing gloves and one was holding a briefcase. They're walking towards the entrance now. After I've emailed this to myself and a friend, I'm going to need to think quick. I've already dropped my phone in the toilet and I'm going to need to get rid of this laptop next, but people need to know that this happened.

If you hear from me again, looks like I found way out of this. What a goddamn shit shit. show this has been. The part of the deep web we aren't supposed to see. Part 3. The Chase. Well, here I am again. I'm currently on a plane headed to Scottsdale, Arizona. I haven't actually been out of state in six years. I thought I would eventually, just didn't expect it to be under these circumstances. Anyway, let me back up a bit first. This is what's happened. Right after I disposed of the laptop, I heard my lock being tampered with. Somebody was trying to pick it. Now, I've never been great under pressure, so you can imagine how I was feeling.

But the human mind is an interesting thing. When you think you're at the end of the line, your will-to-live really ramps up. The balcony, I thought. Only way out of this. Without hesitation, I ran out and climbed over it. Fortunately, I was on the second floor, so I didn't break my legs. Now came a decision. Run or hide.

Both didn't seem too promising. Shit, I thought. I was panicking. That's when I spotted its salvation. A cab parked on the other side of the lot. I bolted for it. I tapped on the window, startling the driver. Mr. Horvatt, he asked?

Well, no, it wasn't, but I nodded anyways. You said 8.40, didn't you? He looked at me in confusion. Finished early, let's go. There was anxiousness in my voice, but I tried to hide it. Last thing I needed was for this guy to think I was a lunatic and drive off. I got in, told him the address, and we got out of there. As we left the law, I looked back.

The two men I saw coming out of the car were now on the balcony where I just was. I could tell that there was a dead stare directed right at me behind their glasses. Despite all this, relief washed over me. It was short-lived, however. I relayed the message I got in my head. Do so before this text gets intercepted. That meant I was still on the clock. If they don't know where I'm headed yet, they will soon.

We finally got to the place about 15 minutes later. As soon as it got in and I rushed into the locker room. It was mostly empty. I kept repeating the combination of my head. This was the only thing I had. I didn't really care about getting answers before, but it seemed like I had no choice now. I finally found the locker. Didn't know why this guy chose such a massive place.

12 left, 27 right, 33 left. I swung it open. Sitting there was an older Blackberry model in an envelope. I opened it up to find a plane ticket, $2,000 cash, and a sticky note. In horrific pensmanship, the words, check phone, password, snake tracks, were scrawled across it. I obliged and booted up the ancient device. I remember being slightly amused. I always begged my parents for one of these when I was a kid. This is a far cry from that. I took a quick look through with the phone. It was mostly blank. No apps downloaded, no pictures, nothing. There was only

one contact. Bluntly named, call me. So I did. After just one ring, a voice answered. There was a sense of tentativeness in his tone. Somehow it sounded familiar. Who is this? Uh, who, well, how the hell was I supposed to answer this? Should I say my name? I got your message. I finally responded. There was a brief pause. His response caught me off guard.

What's your religious affiliation? His tone had gotten a bit more aggressive. Why the hell was he asking me this, I thought. I don't have enough energy to question him, though. Raised Protestant, but now agnostic, I guess, was my answer. He seemed to breathe a quick sigh of relief. Then he cut the line. Well, shit, is this guy nuts or something?

My thoughts were interrupted as I got a message. He'd sent me a dress and a room number. Meet me. Was the only other thing he typed. I looked at it for a second before coming to my senses. I'm an idiot. I should have just taken this stuff and bolted. I heard the door to the locker room swing open.

Then footsteps coming towards where I was. Sprinting, actually. I flipped shit. I shoved the stuff into my pocket and started looking for a way out. Again, there was really only one option here. I started making a break for the pool entrance. As I ran, fucking gunshots started bringing out behind me. I could tell they were using silencers, but boy, that doesn't do a whole lot when you're only 40 feet away.

I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my side. I saw a bullet penetrate a locker right up ahead. God, that didn't miss by much. I ran faster than I thought I was ever able to. I almost slipped into the damn pool that I stumbled out. The lifeguard shouted after me as I burst out of the emergency exit. I couldn't stop there. I hurried along, making turns every minute.

looking over my shoulder the whole time. It's a good thing I was downtown. I blended into the sea of people easily. At one point I saw a pair of policemen. I considered telling them. I really did. But what's that going to do? They'll search for these two guys, turn up with nothing, monitor my house for a couple of days, and then call everything off. It wasn't going to solve anything. I finally ducked into a hair salon. I couldn't run anymore. The barber just looked at me like I was insane. Screw it, I thought. might as well make myself less a recognizable while I'm here. I got him to shave it all off. I spent the rest of the day making various purchases,

a used laptop, new set of clothes, some bandages, and a pair of shades. At least something good came out of this. The flight was supposed to be in a couple hours at this point. I called the cabin made my way there. And that's where I am now. I've got a long trip ahead of me still. Let's see what happens next. As I made my way out of the airport, I recoiled at the heat.

God, it's November. How does anybody live here during the summer? I called another cab. Got to the address. It was a holiday in. I laughed to myself. How ominous, I thought. I made my way up to the room and knocked on the door.

A billion thoughts were running through my head. What if it was a trap? I actually thought about just running away for a second, but I realized that wouldn't accomplish shit. After about a minute the door opened, a wave of surprise washed over me, but in retrospect this is exactly who I should have been expecting. It was the other guy that came to my house that night, the one that didn't get strangled.

He didn't look great, however. He had a black eye and a busted lip, and just looked tired in general. He looked me over before gesturing me in. He had a slight limp as he walked. Nice haircut, he muttered softly. He sat down on the bed and I sat on the couch across from him. There was a long silence. The whole time he just stared at the ground.

To be honest, I don't know what to say, so I said nothing. He finally spoke up. Might as well let you know what's going on. He then proceeded to let it all out. About four years ago, there was an incident in the Paris catacombs. I got chills after hearing this. Four teenagers decided it would be a good idea to wander off during a tour. I guess they got lost or something because they weren't there at the end.

The police pretty much swept everywhere. No sign of them. Eventually, the government decided to set up infrared cameras all around the place, just to see what would turn up. One day, one of the cameras picked up movement. nobody anticipated what they were going to see next. It was hell manifested. An abomination of writhing limbs somehow stuck together squirmed across the screen.

There are four human heads stuck in the top of this thing. You can guess who they were. I was beyond speechless. I thought about that video of the catacombs. Glad I didn't stick around for the grand reveal. He continued. They decided to send elite forces down there to exterminate it. Apparently it took out 12 men before they put it down.

Now the question was what they were going to do with the video. They couldn't just get rid of it, but they didn't want anybody to see it either. And this was around this time the whole Snowden thing was going on, so they didn't feel comfortable with just using government servers. So this is where the website you saw comes into play. They got the most seasoned technical experts they had to bury it somewhere deep in the internet. And I'm talking about as deep as they could go. Nobody was supposed to know about it.

Nobody was supposed to find it. And nobody was even. even supposed to know what to look for. I racked my brain for over this. Sure, I knew my way around, but there was no way in hell that I was on par with government experts, so how did I find it? He continued, and it worked well for a while. They made a pact with governments worldwide.

Anything that deemed unfit for public knowledge went on that site. There were even precautions. For every real thing on there, they posted four fake ones. For the select few that managed to find it? Wait, what? I couldn't believe this. He just chuckled. Yeah, most of that stuff he saw was bullshit.

Most. The videos are harder to fake. I didn't know how to feel about this. I was slightly relieved, I guess. Just slightly. He kept on. The logic behind this was that once people found these things, they'd look further into him. However, since they were fabricated, nothing would come up and the page would be disregarded.

Just a gag site. At least that was the idea. I knew where he was getting at. What about the people that just started looking into the real things? side. Look, nobody would have ever given a shit if they started spouting it off to their friends or on the internet. People would think they're crazy. It's the damn people that just have to go and find proof. The ones that plan to publicize it. Yeah, they get silenced. I was about to say something. I think he noticed because he cut me off. Look, don't put that moralistic shit on me. They don't have

to do it. It was their choice. They were committing a crime. Do you really think public knowledge about any of these things would help anybody? No, it wouldn't. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, all right? To be honest, I had to agree. But here's where things really went to shit. He went on. Before, there would be maybe two breaches a month,

and then it skyrocketed up to 20, and then 50. They looked into it. Apparently, there were rumors circulating around the deep and dark web, a rumor about a page that held secrets nobody was supposed to see. They decided to find out how easy it really was to access this place just from reading forums and shit. It took the experts about 20 minutes to find it just by solving weird fucking riddles

and then following these concealed links that would spawn from them. And then there was the final prompt. What do you seek? You've seen it, no? I nodded. Apparently, there's a lot of different answers that could work. Anyways, it didn't make any sense. Everybody that was supposed to know about this was grilled.

Somebody had to be doing this, all right? Nobody fessed up. honestly everybody seemed genuine when they said they didn't do it they knew the consequences after a brutally in-depth investigation nobody was resolved and then it hit them back in 2010 they had also finalized an experimental AI i'll spare you the details but it went off the rails nobody could control it as soon as they thought they could corner it into a virtual trap just disappeared it didn't come up again until now he paused after that like he was waiting for me to connect to the the dots. So you think that this AI resurfaced and is now directing people there? I asked.

He said that he doesn't think that's the case. He knows it is. It's the only feasible explanation he stated. But why? I don't know, he responded. I was starting to get a hunch now about why this was happening to me. These people, they aren't after me because I saw those links, are they? He just nodded. It's what I saw after. You think this AI has something to do with it? Another nod. Well, what did I see? He took a second before speaking. I couldn't tell you.

There's some things that I don't even know about it. All I can tell you is that there are some groups, some people out there, beyond any government that are after this kind of stuff, this forbidden knowledge, and somehow they know that you've seen it, and they want to know what you know. And they come after you as well, I asked?

Yeah. They know we talk to you. A wave of guilt came over me. Did I get that guy killed? However, that guilt quickly turned into frustration. Well, what the hell am I supposed to know? I don't know the hell I saw. A dry chuckle came out from him.

Well, they don't care, do they? They'll jump at anything. And who do you work for? The government, I finally asked. The question had been on my mind since I got there. Sort of was all he responded with. He got up, taken out a pair of. car keys. We got to figure this out. We got to go. Go where, I asked. Vegas.

In any other situation, I would have been ecstatic. We went outside and he led me to an older beat-up sedan. Inconspicuous, he said with a smile. I could tell you're just trying to lighten the mood. The drive was long and arduous. We barely spoke. My brain was fried at this point, so I didn't even bother asking any more questions. I did remember one peculiar conversation we had, though. Listen, if anything happens to me, there should be a file on the Blackberry named Contingency. Everything you need to know will be there. I remember feeling flustered. What? What could happen to you? I responded.

I don't know. Just in case, I guess. Don't lose that phone. In reality, I knew there were a lot of things that could happen. I just didn't want to admit. He woke me up when we arrived at McCarron. I was confused. You have plane tickets? Don't need them, he responded. We got out of the car and I followed him in. What happened next was strange. He just walked past everyone.

The check-in, security, everybody. He didn't even pay attention to him. Not to me either. That's when I started to wonder who the hell this guy really was. As we walked past the various stores and restaurants set up near departures, he took a sharp turn. I stumbled, keeping up. He walked towards an unassuming door set up right between two shops.

He swung it open and I followed. We walked down a bunch of corridors, turning every so often. Various men in suits paced us, but didn't seem to acknowledge our presence. We finally got to another door. This one required a key card. He took one out and scanned it. I didn't realize how huge this place really was until I thought about it after. We must have passed at least 15 other hallways.

Anyways, the door opened up to look like a long flight of stairs. We trekked down for about five minutes before we got to what looked like another terminal. Now, it didn't look futuristic or anything, just a regular damn terminal. surely there's no planes taking off here i asked he said i was right that's when i noticed the train tracks now we wait and he sat down on the bench well great i'd given up trying to piece this together my head so i didn't bother asking what this place was let's just see what happens i thought but as soon as i'd find out things are just not that simple these days i spotted a washroom sign towards the back and i headed for it as i was watching my hands after finishing up i noticed what looked like a card stuck into the

the side of the mirror. I plucked it out and looked at it. It was a standard business card size, just plain white with black text, and here's what it said. From far and wide, we search for meaning. As seconds passed since the time of weaning, our destiny is sealed, will face the wrath. We don't need hope. We have our faith. We will not stop until we're dust, all for God in whom we trust. creepy, I thought. And then I turned it over. In big, bold letters was F-O-T-L-G. No idea what that's supposed to be. However, in that moment I felt that something just wasn't right. It's that creeping sensation you get when something just feels off. I needed to tell him, whoever the hell he is about this. I opened the door and he was gone. I searched around the terminal for a bit, but he was nowhere to be found. Hell, there was nobody else there. The place started. The place started rumbling slightly. The train was coming. Well, I sure as hell wasn't getting on by myself. I looked around a bit more before I heard footsteps coming back down the stairs. Great, I thought. He's back. Then I realized it wasn't just one pair of steps. There were multiple. Instead of

seeing a familiar face, I was greeted with four of what I assumed to be men. I couldn't tell because their faces were covered with a burlap sack that had eye holes carved out, kind of like the one scarecrow wears and Batman begins. The only difference was a symbol that seemed to be spray painted on the forehead is supposed to be. It was simple, a vertical semi-circle with angular arrows going through it. As I recall, the rest of their get-up was normal, just plain street clothes. I was frozen, and then I realized that one of them had liquid dripping off his glove. Dark liquid. The next few moments were a blur. I remember the train pulling up and those guys starting to run towards me. I started bolting for the train. It was a weird one.

one, only one section and one set of doors. I don't think I saw a driver. As I ran up to it, the doors opened automatically. I remember frantically looking for a shut button, but there wasn't one. I just stared in horror as those freaks got closer and closer. As they got within about 10 meters, I closed my eyes and just prayed for the best. I opened them when I heard kicking and banging at the door. It wasn't opening up for them. I watched their crazed eyes, follow me as the train started moving. I was safe, but only for now. I turned on the phone again and took a thorough look through it. Sure enough, the text file he mentioned was there.

Guess I'll read it soon, after I'm done with this. Now I don't know where I'm going, and I don't know what's waiting for me there. My head's pounding. All I know is that I should have just stayed on Google. The part of the deep web we aren't supposed to see. Part 4. Revelations. I'm not so sure what to think anymore.

I mean, it's not like anything was clear cut before, but the world just continues to make less and less sense. I open up the contingency file. This is what it contained. Failsafe, agent, incapacitated, Elias, Jack Rust, Identity, Redacted, Custom Message. Hello there. If you're reading this, I suppose I'm out of commission. Shame, I guess. I'm going to assume that we've at least made it to the terminal. Here's what you need to do. Get on the train. Do so as soon as it comes. There's only a 10-second window where it'll open for anybody. Now it's going to be the fifth. Count them. The fifth stop you'll need to get off at. There won't be any announcements, no indictions, nothing. Do not fall sleep, just pay attention.

This train goes fast, but it'll still take a while. Be patient. While you're in there, do not look out the windows. There's nothing to look at anyways. You'll be in a tunnel. Nevertheless, it's better that you refrain from doing so. You see, we've been having problems recently. Sometimes something stares back at you, and you can't really look away. Now, what I'm going to mention next isn't likely. I'd say it's a one in a thousand chance, but you don't have the means to deal with it. So you'll need a heads up.

If at any one of these stops, you see or hear the door opening, hide under the seats. There shouldn't be anybody getting on right now. Just close your eyes and wait for them to leave. Now, if they're still there after the fourth stop, I'm sorry. Once you've arrived at the fifth stop, get out. It'll be another terminal, very small one. There should be stairs to the right and the ladder to the left. Do not even think about going down the stairs.

As you go up the ladder, it should start getting darker. Don't worry, this is what's supposed to happen. Keep feeling upwards. Eventually you should touch something solid. It's a fake rock. Push it up and climb out. Put it back when you're done. You should now be in the dead wheat field.

This is Texas. Between Crockett and Sutton County, to be specific. Start looking around. There should be a small abandoned farmhouse visible a few miles in the distance. Go towards it. Once you've gone in, look for a basement. This place isn't big. You should find it easy enough.

Once you have, go down there. Now the lights don't work so it'll be dark. Turn the brightness up on your phone if you have to. You should be looking for a big red, door. There's only one, so if you think that you found it, you have. There's going to be a numerical set of buttons right by the handle. The password is 532-5678. Now, this next part's a doozy. Not that you have to do anything crazy, it's just what I'm about to tell you. You see, the reason these people knew where to find you was because they went through us first. We've been

monitoring you ever since you started getting close to finding that page. I didn't tell you because Well, why would I? Apparently there was a mole informant in our midst. We believe that he was a member of a cult that we thought was defunct a while ago. The faction of the lost gods. That's what they called themselves. I won't go into detail from here. All I'll tell you is that they would go to the ends on the earth to find what you saw that day.

That's their one and only objective. They aren't the only group seeking this. However, they're the only one that we're worried about. I guess once they started hearing about those riddles, they thought that this thing was trying to communicate with somebody, with them trying to lead them there. But this is the part that didn't make any sense. The thing that had stumped all of us, you were never supposed to see what you did. It wasn't supposed to be there.

We have no clue why it was. One of the strangest things was that nobody had even created the page that had popped up on. We don't know how you found it. You were the first person that saw it since we took it off the site. This is where things got hairy for us. As soon as the informant noticeist, he called in a raid on our taxes headquarters. That's the one you're going to. It was a massacre.

They stole our equipment and started tracking you down on themselves. Luckily for me, I wasn't there for that. I was already on my way to you. Now, we don't work for the government. We just work with them. But these politicians, they have a real antiquated code of ethics, a real antiquated idea of how to fix things. You see, these cult members aren't so easy to find.

If they were, they would have been neutralized a long time ago. Because of that, there exists a contingency protocol for this exact purpose. Blackout is what they call it. If they ever find out that this group had any chance of finding whatever it was that you saw, they'd put it into motion. Trust me, that's not going to be fun for anybody. They aren't willing to take any more risks. That's why we didn't tell them.

Why we didn't tell most people in our own organization, they might spill the beans. However, if you're still reading this, that means desperate measures can wait. Once you've gone in, go directly straight until you've reached what looks like a control room. In the far right corner, there should be on an older desktop mounted to the wall. Luckily, that's one of the few things that you didn't take. Boot it up, it's going to prompt you a password. Type in, primordial.

A trap door should open in the middle of the room. Walk down those steps and you should find yourself facing a bunch of file cabinets. Start searching through them. looking for a folder under the name Kane Hunter. He's an old friend. It's ordered alphabetically, so it shouldn't be that hard. That folder should contain his address. I understand that this is a lot of work for just one piece of information. However, this guy moves around so much I just didn't bother keeping up. You need to go and find him. He'll have the answers to that I don't. At this point, he's our best shot. Tell him Ben sent you. I'll leave you with this message.

Mankind must not go back to hiding in fear. No one else will protect us, and we must stand up for ourselves. This government protocol is not the way we go. Good luck. That was the end of the message. This was a lot to take in, to say the least, but it sounded like I had a job to do. Luckily, nothing else got on the train with me. It took a while, but I finally got to the basement door in the farmhouse.

As soon as I walked in, a wall of stench hit me. I reflexively gagged. A massacre. Those words rang through my head. I found a light switch on the wall and flicked it. As the stale incassadent light washed over the place, I understood what he meant. It was a massacre indeed, and nobody was there to clean it up. Holding my breath, I stepped over the decaying uniform to corpses.

As much I would try to avoid looking at them, I couldn't stop myself from glancing down every so often. I was about to pass out when I reached the control room. I followed the instructions and found the folder. As soon as I did, I got the hell out of there. Once I was back outside, I read through it. Kane Hunter was 45 years old and he lived in Hong Kong. Shit, I thought.

I was starting to hate traveling. It took me a while to find a road. I eventually managed to hitchhike into town. From there, I got another ride to Dallas-Fort Worth International. That's where I am right now. I'm tired beyond belief at this point and it doesn't help that the back of my damn neck's itching like hell. The flight was long, so I got to contemplate the past week.

There were a lot of unanswered questions still lingering, and I really don't know what to expect from Kane Hunter. I remembered that train terminal. The card I found in the washroom, F-O-T-L-G, faction of the lost gods. Shit. I finally arrived in cab to the disguise address. I was running low on funds at this point.

During the drive, I watched as the glimmering lights of the city moved past me, On the surface, the world just seemed to so straightforward. Guess it really starts unraveling when you look into it. I got dropped off at an unassuming apartment complex. I guess you could call it middle class. I buzzed his room number. It took a while, but somebody finally answered. Who's this?

He sounded surprised as if he wasn't used to visitors. I took a second to think about what I was going to say. Ben sent me. I need help. Was my ultimate response. Almost instantly, I heard the front entrance on the front entrance unlock. Well, here we go, I thought. I started making my way up the seventh floor. As I was about a knock on his door, it opened up. A rather unkempt, middle-aged man pulled me into his room,

looking extremely anxious. He paced around as I took a seat. He finally stopped turning to me. What's you needed help? Has otherwise deep voice croaked as he said this. I knew that I was about to tell him something he didn't want to hear. I saw that thing. In a new, he knew. I saw that thing. now there's people after me. His facial expression contorted as he heard this. Who's after you? Do you know? His speech was quick and discombobulated. The faction of the lost gods is what I think they're called, was my response. Now his face went completely pale. They're back? I flinched as he cursed loudly right after. He sat down, burying his face into his hands. He looked back up at me. What happened to Ben? My silence was enough of an answer. He just nodded.

He was a good guy. I just nodded back in response. I heard him mumble something under his breath, but I couldn't make it out. Now it was time for me to ask the big question, the question that nobody seemed to have the answer to. What was it that I saw? He just stared at me for a couple of seconds, and then he finally spoke up. I used to work on a space station named Cornwall Swann. You heard of it?

No, I hadn't, and that's what I told him. Well, that's because you're not supposed to. Now, I really had no idea where this was going. He went on to tell me about this Comoros 1 used to orbit space 1,500 kilometers away from the ISS. It was meant to be used for navigation and communication, he stated. That's what they told us, anyway. They were doing other stuff up there for sure. Why else would they not tell the public it existed?

Anyways, it didn't last long. One day, we get a message from NASA. There was a signal of sorts, coming from somewhere deep in space. well, more like some kind of anomaly, something that didn't make sense. They didn't elaborate on what that was supposed to mean. Anyways, they estimated that came from beyond the Cooper Belt. All of this was strange, of course. They decided to check it out.

He paused, letting off a quick sigh as he did so. They sent an interstellar probe towards the signal. It was estimated to reach there in about nine years. And it just so happened that about nine years later, I'm back up in space after taking a single. a hiatus on Earth. While there, we get another message. The probe had reached where the signal had approximately been emanating from. They were going to transmit a feed for us to watch. I raised my eyebrow. He just chuckled at my confusion. Yeah. We've come a lot farther in terms of

space technology than the public has led to believe. At this point, I don't think you should be surprised. Anyways, everybody's crowded around the monitors, waiting to see what the hell that probe picked up. Keep in mind that there were only about 10 people. in the room at the time. It was too tight to fit more, so we were going to be the first ones aboard who would see it. The transmission eventually blinked onto the screen. He stopped rubbing his temples as he did so. It almost seemed like it hurt him to think about. Everything went by quick. It only took a few seconds for the screaming to start. People were banging their damn heads on the floors and walls. It was chaos. Everybody lost their minds after seeing what was on the monitor. The only

The only reason I survived was because I didn't actually get a glimpse of it. I was still in the bathroom when the transmission came through. I got out as soon as I heard the commotion. I still passed out, though. Guess I'm not so good with blood. All I remember being hitting the floor and seeing a lone person still glued to the screen. He was the only one watching at this point. When I woke up, they started asking me questions, but I had no answers for them.

I didn't see it. Wait, so what was the cause of death for them, I asked? Sward, mostly blunt force, he responded. Everybody in that room found a way to kay themselves. What the hell, I thought? Was this really what I had seen as well? So what happened to the other guy, the guy that you said was still watching? He passed that as well, but only for a minute.

Other than that, he said that he was fine, never even really brought it up. When they'd asked him what he'd seen, he'd just shrug and say, they didn't know what they were talking about. I knew him, actually. His name was Blake. He'd always been a strange guy. There was another pause. I kept trying to work this out of my head. Kane kept going.

But that wasn't the end of the story. I parked up. He got fired soon after. He seemed to just stop caring about anything that was going on around him. He'd make these strange, dark outbursts every so often, and it would scare the hell out of everybody you worked with. He was going insane. After his last day, he went off the grid.

His family, the few friends he had, none of them knew where he went or where he was going. There were no traces of him anywhere, but unbeknownst to everybody, he was going around the country, recruiting people into some cult that he'd created. You can guess what it was called. It didn't take long for me to put it together, the faction of the lost gods. That's right, he continued. He'd even written and released a manifesto explaining why this was necessary.

He'd go on about how there was something inherently wrong with the inner workings of our external world and that we weren't even supposed to see. apparently our system was corrupted, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. He was bad shit, or maybe it was what he'd seen that made him that way. He went on to explain how Blake had been looking for something the whole time he'd been recruiting members. He'd been looking for the probe footage. You see, that probe is still there, transmitting whatever the hell that thing is to the feed that only the government had access to.

I'll assume you've seen the site where all the sensitive knowledge goes. I nodded. Wouldn't be here if I didn't. At first, that's where they stuffed it. According to them, a few hackers banging their heads on keyboards every now and then wasn't that big of a deal. But after what had happened to Kronos, almost nobody dared to look at it. The few who tried, well, you know the story.

But here's where things get incomprehensibly fucked. What I'm about it to tell you, almost nobody knows about? This includes 99% of government agents. He took out a cigarette carton and lit one up. He took a long, heavy drag before continuing. After about six months, I went back to the Cornos. They offered me a severance package to just retire and keep my mouth shut, but I decided against it.

I was too cocky. I tried to pretend like what I saw it didn't affect me. That shit was a mistake. He asked his cigarette and lit another one. It was a routine work day. We were finishing up some maintenance when we heard a deep humming sound coming from somewhere outside the station. It wasn't like anything we'd ever heard before. Even now I can't replicate what it sounded like in my head.

It was just strange. A bunch of people started staring out the windows just to see what was happening. I didn't join in. After that probe footage, my curious side pretty much disappeared. However, what happened next made me question what kind of universe we really live in. I was eating lunch in the mess hall when I heard commotion coming from the hallways. I would have checked it out, but that's when the screaming started. It wasn't normal.

Honestly, it didn't sound like anything that a human being should have been able to produce. I remember looking at everybody else in the room. They weren't moving. We were all on the same page. A couple of guys actually barricaded the entrance with chairs, however, we couldn't keep our eyes off of it. There was some kind of light bleeding in from the cracks under the above the door, but something was wrong about it.

The light wasn't any color we'd ever seen before. The familiarity of these descriptions got my mind racing. That was it, wasn't it? This is what I had saw. he continued. I remember getting lightheaded just from looking at it for a few seconds. The next hours were excruciating. The screams didn't stop.

Our collective sanity was being pushed to the brink. We all just sat, fingers in our ears, and our eyes closed, waiting for the end of this shit. Eventually the door opened up and we were escorted out. I remember looking around to see the white walls of the station now staying with red. 90% of the crew died that day. We had questions, of course, about what had happened. However, everybody that would have known was now dead. He leaned back in his chair, finished another cigarette out of the carton.

This time it was accompanied by a sweep of whiskey. He went on. I arrived back on Earth shortly after. This time they didn't offer me my job back. Just a severance check and a non-disclosure. Though it's not like I cared at this point. Would have quit regardless. Now here's the connection to what you saw.

That day I was at my house, mulling over my life. Then I heard a knock at my door. It was Ben. He asked me what the hell had happened on Corros. I told him, but the thing I didn't understand is how the hell he knew that something had ever even happened. He had never even worked with NASA, so I asked him about it. He said that a wave of distress calls from the station all came through at once. They out-described exactly what I had gone through. The problem was they had no means of dealing with this. We would have taken too long to organize a rescue mission. Everybody was at a loss for what to do. That's when the higher-ups came up with something off the cuff.

They had a hunch. It was actually more of an experiment. They checked up on the website. Sure enough, it had been breached once again. Somebody was viewing the probe footage. They tracked it down to an abandoned warehouse in San Antonio, which is where Ben was at the time. At that point, he was just a field agent, so they contacted and told them to go check it out. He drove there along with the SWAT team. When they arrived, it was a blood bath. They started getting shot at as soon as they walked in. Whoever was doing it was trying to protect something. Half the team was killed before they managed to secure the place. They detained the shooters and started sweeping the rest of the building. There was nothing on the upper floors, but then they got to the basement.

There was just one person down there, sitting in front of a computer monitor. They approached him slowly, barking at him to put his hands up. He ignored everything. A SWAT member eventually got close to him. That's when he started screaming out of nowhere and shot himself in the head. There's no doubt that he got a glimpse of that screen. Nobody approached him after that. They all just kept pointing their weapons at him and telling him to turn around. The guy eventually did. He said that it was Blake. Ben recognized him because he'd become infamous around governmental circles. He said that there was blood seeping from his eyes and nose, skin pale as the moon. He only said one thing. Kane stopped inside. He took a big swig of the whiskey and looked at me dead center. You can't stop it.

If this doesn't happen today, it'll happen eventually. Our reckoning has yet to come. come. Ben said that this chilled him to the bone. He told me that Blake had said it in such a tone and conviction that just made him feel despair and emptiness inside. He shot him right after that, as well as the monitor. They rounded up the rest of the cult members and took them into questioning. They wouldn't cooperate, obviously. They all just repeated the same words over and over, some weird fucking motto or something. Anyways, the higher-ups got there a couple hours later. They congratulated Ben and told him to go home. The distress reports had finally stopped coming in from the cornroofs. Wait, my interjected. The reports. Did they stop as soon as Blake got shot?

Kane chuckled. It was a dry one. No humor in it. Yeah, he continued. You're figuring it out, aren't you? Here's the conclusion that came to. Whatever the probe was picking up, whatever Blake was watching, it was watching him back. Somehow they were communicating with each other. This was horrifying to think about. Ken continued. He was sending something towards earth, something beyond our comprehension that we were never meant to see. Who the hell knows what it wants from us? Probably nothing good. Anyways, they decided to make sure that nobody else ever saw it again. They disconnected from the probe, stopped the stream altogether. I'm sure the thought process was that if we don't seek it out, then it won't notice us. Wait, what? I nearly said at him.

How the hell did I see it then? That's what I was wondering, he said. You got an answer. I tried telling him about the AI, but the word just stumbled out of my mouth into an incoherent mess. He just looked at me in confusion. An AI, what the hell are you talking about? he asked. On that website, there was another prompt that brought me there. That's how I found out.

Prompts, what the hell are you talking about? Screw it, I thought. He clearly didn't know about it. There were still too many questions pressing against my brain anyway, so I didn't linger on this. How many other people do you know that I've seen it? I asked. He scoffed. The ones that are alive? You. This sent chills down my spine. He went on. Which begs the question. How long did you look at it for? Just a couple of seconds, right? No, I responded nearly half a minute. After I said this, his face went blank. I just shrugged. Look, I don't. I don't know what to make of any of this. Was all I managed to stammer out.

With the shocked contemplative expression on his face, Kane just looked it up at the ceiling. As he did this, the words from the contingency message rang through my head. You were the first one that had seen it since we took it down. But why me? Why was I so special? Why did I have to see it? Kane started speaking again. Computers may know more about humanity than we ever will.

I just stared at him in confusion. One odd statement to make. He went on. If it actually wasn't AI that sent you to that page, maybe it means something. Mean something. Like what I retorted. Nobody else seems to be able to handle seeing that thing,

but like Blake, you appear to be an exception. I really thought about this. He was right, wasn't he? Whatever the hell this thing is, it seemed to push people to the brink of insanity after just a few seconds of exposure. I mean, I sure as hell didn't know what that I saw, and I certainly didn't like seeing it,

but I was more or less in a normal state of mind. However, there was one more question I couldn't ignore. Those members of the cult, they were detained. They weren't the only ones, were they? There were other members? Kay nodded. They tried to tell themselves that they were it, that this was done, that's everybody wanted to believe.

Undersimidating Blake's influence was the biggest mistake they could ever made. At this point, I didn't want to think about it anymore. I needed a break from this discussion. I asked him if there was somewhere I could rest. He told me that there was a spare mattress in the closet. I need to sleep, but not before I finished getting this out. A million thoughts are still running through my head as I rate this. Ben said that the guy was our best shot, but nothing's been resolved.

Hell, what was he supposed to do? Maybe this blackout contingency was necessary. If everything I've heard is true, it might be the only option. God, this itch on the back of my neck is killing me. Anyways, it looks like I'm going to have to make a decision soon. Edit. Ken and I just heard somebody trying to open the door. He took a look through the peephole and told me

there were people with weird masks on standing outside. This is not good. The part of the deep web we aren't supposed to see. Part 5. Finale. You know how they say that time flies when you're having fun? Well, that also applies when you think you're about to get smoked. It didn't take long for them to break down the door. The thing is jumping out the window.

wasn't an option here. I tried opening an event in the washroom, but they were already inside the apartment. I remember seeing cane fish a pistol out of a kitchen cabinet before getting bodied by some behemoth of a man. This all happened in what felt like seconds. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the butt of a rifle coming towards my face. I woke sometime later, face down on a dusty floor in a dim, empty room. My head was pounding. I wasn't restrained, but there was nowhere to go. One door leading out, and it was deadbolted. I turned my head to see cane pacing on the other side.

Look, I didn't lead them here. I tried to reason with him. He looked pissed. Oh, I don't doubt that, he responded. Not on purpose, at least. They know that I can't help them. Would have tried a while ago. He followed it up with a sigh.

This is fucked. I turned away from him and started feeling around the walls. I was under the delusion that there were some secret way out. A delusion it was. After my futile attempt at escape, I just sat down at a corner. There was no good ending to this, I thought. Kane seemed to read my mind because he chimed in. You know you can't tell them how to get there.

He looked at me again. This time his demeanor was dead serious. You can't let that thing lose over here. That's not an option. Initially, I was annoyed. He was asking me to take what was surely torture and then death, but then I thought about it. this was bigger than me. There was no way out of it.

The door suddenly swung open, about five people stepped in, all sporting those damn bags over their heads. Two had shotguns. You're awake. Good, said the one in front. I instantly recognized that voice. Was it really? He slipped it off, revealing a big shit-eating grin.

It was Jackson. It didn't have to be like this, you know. You could have just told me how to get there. I thought back to the conversation we had in the diner. I clearly told him what I had entered at the prompt. Did that not work for him? But I put that thought to the back of my head. At that moment, I was nothing but angry.

Like it would have mattered, but psychofucks would have ruined the world regardless. He just sighed. Ruin. Look, I don't expect you to understand, only to cooperate, but this world, it isn't right. It was a mistake. So you just follow the orders of some crazy dead guy, huh? Kane laughed. It sounds like you guys are the mistakes.

One of the men walked up and whipped the shotgun barrel across his face. There was a terrible cracking sound as he fell to the floor. He started coughing up blood. Why do you guys just kill me? I can't help you. Wouldn't if I could, he muttered as he sat against a wall. Jackson chuckled. No, this is something we all need to see.

The more people who stand witness, the better. It's the greatest salvation anybody could ask for. He was just blowvading nonsense at this point. I didn't feel like arguing, however. There was no changing his mind. I had questions, though. How'd you find me, huh? It doesn't make any sense.

He walked over to me and reached behind my ear. I felt a sharp pain at the back of my neck as he pulled out what looked like a tiny computer chip. Oh, so that's what it was. I just let out an exasperated sigh. funny enough this wasn't our doing he said as he flicked it away what the hell are you talking about i spat at him but then i thought about it when those guys were shooting at me in the locker room i swear i felt something hit my neck but in the moment you just don't care jackson smiled as he saw the horror on my face we can thank those guys for that it's just a shame they won't be here to see it everybody always resists

only the lucky ones truly get it i recalled benjamin his message. A lot of groups are after this, but were only afraid of one. Who were they? I asked him. Don't know, he replied. Never mattered anyways. I was reliving the whole journey in my head at this point, thinking about where I messed up. How'd you get to the terminal? You needed a key card. Jackson pulled one out of his pocket. Oh yeah, I forgot. They killed everybody who had one. I was beyond frustrated at this point, not even just to him at this whole damn situation. The thing that you want to send over here?

Do you even know what it is? He paused for a second. A look of pure contemplation was plastered across his face. I'll tell you what, Blake told me. It's not for us to know. We don't belong here. In every second we remain, the universe deteriorates. We need to correct this.

It's funny. These guys actually thought they were doing something good. Blind faith, huh? I retorted. You guys are pathetic. Jackson scrunched his nose at this. His expression contorted it into one of pure rage. That's enough.

He gestured to the two men standing beside him. They started dragging me out of the room. As we left, I could hear Kane screaming at me, screaming that I couldn't give in. I tried wrestling the shotgun away, but it was a pathetic attempt. There was nothing I could do. They tossed me into another room. This time it was larger. I guess the rest of the cult was also in there, because about 15 people stood,

lining the perimeter out of the room, all with those bags over their heads. There's also a computer setup in the middle, wires running everywhere. They forced me into a chair in front of it and strap my legs down. Go ahead. Jackson's voice echoed from behind me. Everybody's waiting. I refused at first. I really did, but I guess that's what they were expecting. First came the waterboarding. Don't know if you've experienced it, but it definitely wasn't pleasant.

However, it also wasn't enough. What came next almost was, however. One of the men took out a butterfly knife and started slicing my piquetoe off slowly. He did this over the course of what felt like an hour. Then came the salt. It was pain that transcended anything I've ever felt before. He finally finished up by soldarizing it. You have nine more. Jackson's voice oozed from behind me. You can end this any time. You can die the way you're supposed to. Hearing him say this just gave me more innovation to tell him to fuck off, but I'll admit it. I was nearing my breaking point. The next part was excruciating beyond belief. They started scraping the skin off of my shoulder. It wouldn't have been that bad if it wasn't for the boiling

water. They poured on it afterwards. Okay, all right, I blurted out. They stopped and started applying some cream to the burn. It was pure ecstasy. I heard Jackson breathe out what sounded like a sigh have relief. Smart guy. This was all a ruse, however. I just needed a break for the second. My plan was to get to the prompt and then flip the damn table over. If they were going to torture me to death, I was going out with a bang. The human spirit is hard to break. A billion thoughts ran through my head as I went through the whole fucking process again, memories of family and friends, better times. I solved these riddles and encryption until that damn question popped up again. Quid, I was about to enact my spree of destruction when I noticed something.

Something small in the corner of the monitor. It was hard to read so I had to squint. It was text. Just two words. In English this time. Don't worry. I just stared at it for a second. What the hell was it supposed to mean?

That's when I came to a realization. I recalled what Ben had told Kane. It was only Blake sitting at that computer in the basement. He was the only one watching. Everybody who saw this thing went insane and cade themselves. Somehow, the AI also knew this. I smiled to myself. I felt somebody poke at my back.

Don't tell me you've changed your mind. We can change it back. Jackson's voice rung out. Don't worry, I responded. I answered the prompt question. What also seeks me? The familiar list of links soon appeared in front of me. I started scrolling down,

clicking on various links until a familiar question appeared in the corner. I clicked yes. And just like that, there they were. The four links. I leaned back in my chair. Well, there it is. First link's the one you're looking for. I watched as they all gather around me. This, the first time you're going to see it, I asked. I could see Jackson nodding out of the corner of my vision. Blake did make one mistake. He thought that we weren't ready. We were always ready. They unstrapped me from my chair. Jackson put his hand on my shoulder in appreciation.

You don't know this, but you just did something good. Spare me, I responded. Has Ben still alive? I needed to know. Jackson nodded. Well, where is he? Why does it matter at this point? I just want to tell him to brace himself.

I owe him that at least. Jackson sighed. He took out a piece of paper with an address and postal code scribbled on to it and handed it to me. Good luck with that. He gestured to a couple of armed members. Follow him out in case he lied again. They obliged. I could barely hold in my grin as they walked me out. They closed the door behind them and trained their shotguns on me. There was only one thing I could do at this point. I just waited, listening intently. There was a few muffled voices before silence. I started counting. One, two,

three, four, and then came the screams. Even though I was expecting it, I still flinched. Cain was right. Those sounds should not have come out of a human being. The two guys guarding me flipped shit. One of them ran inside and the other stumbled on his feet. He was looking back and forth between me and the room, so I disarmed him easily and shot out his kneecaps.

I guess he hit his head hard on the floor because he went limp. That's when the cacophony of gunshots started ringing, out from inside the room. It lasted for about 10 seconds, as was followed by silence. With a shotgun in my hand, I walked inside. Bodies were lying, half-hazily scattered around the room. Pieces of the burlap sacks they were once wearing were now stuck to the bloodstained walls. The monitor was face down on the floor, shards of screen everywhere. There was only squirming figure left. Jackson. Guess he really was dedicated to this. He was muttering something incontrrehensible as he snaked his way towards a stray pistol. I thought about finishing the job

for him. Would that just be putting him out of his misery? Instead, I went around the room and took the clips and shells out of every weapon. He gave me one last look before I left. His skin was paler than snow, arms and legs trembling, expression, a mix of shock, dismay and confusion. It looked as if he was pleading for something. I just flipped him off and closed the door behind. behind me. This is what he wanted, wasn't it? I walked down to the room where Kane still was. I picked up the keys from one of the bodies. At this point, the cream on my shoulder, as well as the adrenaline was wearing off. A wave of pain hit me at once. I stumbled a bit before I got to the door and unlocked it. Kane jumped when I saw walked in. He seemed relieved at first and then horrified.

Did you? The words faltered out of his mouth. I just shook my head. He exhaled and solace. He wanted to take a quick peek inside the room before we left, just to make sure. Jackson was still in there, twitching violently in the corners facing away from us. That was the last I ever saw of him. This will be a pleasant surprise for somebody, Kane said before closing the door. We got out of there after that. Turns out we were in the basement of some abandoned factory outside city limits. We hitchhiked back into town. We got back to Kane's apartment where he decided to buy me a plane ticket back. Least I could do, he stated.

So where, too? You said you were from Delaware? I looked down at the address in my hand. No, I... I need to go to Vegas first. Kane chuckled. Drinking away this whole experience, huh? Understandable.

He started booking the ticket. Do you want to see him? I asked as he was finishing up. He raised his eyebrow. See who? Ben. He paused. staring at the ground for a second before answering.

No, not really. He looked back at me. Tell him I wish him the best, though. Tell him to be careful. He said it in such a somber tone. I could tell he just wanted to be done with this whole thing, to never think about it again. Seeing Ben wouldn't help that.

He gave some cab money before we exchanged goodbyes. I had to ask him one last thing before leaving. You think that's the end of him? He thought about it for a second. before answering. It has to be. I started heading for the airport. I gotta say it feels weird walking around with a toe missing. I'll get used to it, I suppose. Once in Vegas, I took another cab to the address. It was a run-down house in the middle of a sketchy neighborhood. I hurried in and started searching. I must have looked through the entire place before hearing a soft groaning from the basement.

I hurried down there and started yelling Ben's name. The groaning got louder. It was coming from a room in the back. I tried the handle. Locked. I eventually just kicked it down. Dust blasted me in the face as I walked inside. Ben was lying there on a dirty mattress in the middle of the room. He had bruises all over his face and looked like he hadn't eaten in days. There were packets of instant ramen strewn all over the floor. He turned over to look at me and smiled. Knew you could do it, he uttered out. I looked around the room. There was a small television set smashed onto the floor. Yeah, they wanted me to watch it on the news, he grinned again. Like hell I was.

I picked him up and let him out of there. It's a right. I'm good, he said as he stabilized himself. Once we were outside, he took a deep breath. God, I don't even want to think about what I caught in that dusty-ass room. I laughed. This shit was finally over, I thought. Ben got himself checked and patched up.

I also got my shoulder looked at. We ended up hitting the slots, going to a seafood buffet and karaoke bar after. It was the best time I've had in a while. I was getting ready to leave the morning after. Ben said that he had work to catch up on. Truth be told, so did I. I mean, it's not like my job would be waiting for me when I got back. You never actually told me, who you worked for, what did you do, I said to him as we were getting ready to leave the hotel.

He chuckled. Yeah, that was on purpose. Oh, come on, after all of this and you're still keeping in a secret, I gave him a casual nudge. After all this and you still want to know more, he pushed me back. It was my turn to chuckle. Touche. The cab ride to McCarran was quiet, so it was the walk to the terminal. I was headed back to Delaware and he was going to South Korea.

He finally spoke up about two minutes before his boarding call. I like to think that I do my best to try and protect the world from the strange shit that dwells within it. To try and secure the stuff out there that humanity shouldn't ever see, to put them away in containment forever. He slapped my back before getting up to leave. Keep in touch, yeah? You know how to find me. And just like that, he was gone. I waited about 30 more minutes before my flight was ready to go.

I slept like a baby the whole time I was in the air. When I actually got to my house, there was police tape surrounding it. I knocked on my neighbor's door to ask her what had happened. I mean, I already knew, but I had to fiend some kind of evidence. She seemed surprised when she opened up for me. Apparently she saw two men enter in my house and called the cops that night I went to the diner. Everybody's been looking for you. Where the hell did he go? Uh, sight scene, I answered.

Did they catch them? No, she responded. But they found these weird-ass cards all around your house. It said like F-T-L-O-G on the back or something. Who the hell were those nutcases? I chuckled to myself and thanked her. After explaining the situations of the cops and giving a statement, I was finally back to square one normalcy.

I found a new job soon after and settled back into a routine. It was over, huh? But even though I try not to think about it anymore, it seems like a daunting task. Sometimes I lie in bed just staring at the ceiling and trying to picture what I saw in my head. I still had too many questions. There were three other links, weren't there? What the hell were those? I tried to tell myself that I didn't care, but,

That was a lie. I think about what Kane said to me on a daily basis. You and Blake are the exceptions. Maybe it means something. Maybe it did mean something. I feel that sight calling to me constantly. I know that sounds strange, but I can sense it. Those links are just waiting to be seen by somebody.

By me. The AI still tries to communicate as well. I've been getting small messages on the corner of my screen even when I browse the surface web now. Are you satisfied? Is what they say. Good question. Was I?

I ordered myself on the dark web. I know you're frowning. The title is weird, I know. But if you could just give me a moment, I'll explain. I'll have to be fast, though. I don't know how close they are. Essentially, I ordered myself on the dark web. I'm a D user.

I'll admit it. Green is my usual go-to, but I buy that off my friend. If, however, I want to get something a little head. heavier like acid or Coca-Cola, I'd just order it off the dark web. A few clicks, some Bitcoin transfers, and then boom. I have acid in my PO box. I'm also a curious guy. The dark web has always intrigued me.

Up until a few days ago. I'd only been on there to buy D's off-sites. Some of my friends gave to me, but late one night I was sober and at home, which was a rare thing for me. So since I was bored, I decided to boot up my tour browser. and try and see what sort of fucked up shit I could find on the dark web. If you've ever been on the dark web, you'll know that you can't just search up Red Rooms or Hitman for hire and get results.

No, you have to find links to these websites first. So I hopped back onto Google again to try and find some links to a messed up website. I know it's weird that I was actively searching for the worst, but as soon as I got on the dark web that night, at a sense of morbid curiosity that overcame me. Anyway, I spent a little while trying to find some links. Anything that I found, though, was either too tame for me or the links didn't work. At this point, I was about ready to give up, and I wish I had.

But in one final attempt, I clicked on Reddit, hopping onto the R-slash deep web. I didn't think I had much to find, so I just scrolled through hot for about half an hour before sorting by new. Then I found it. One simple text post-titled Slayers' Assassination, and life-ruining services in the text box in the post was what seemed to be just a random assortment of numbers and letters, Z-Y-3, D-K-Y-T-C-A-U-B-K-K-2-Y-3, for those of you curious. It took my tired brain a second to figure out what it was,

but I realized pretty quickly. It was a link, presumably, to a Hitman website. So I decided to paste the link into my dark web browser, And what do you know? It worked. But before I decided to go any further, I figured I should go back to O.P.'s profile to see if they had posted any other dark web links. However, when I went back to the post in question, O.P.'s profile was deleted.

Weird. Anyway, I reopened my dark web tab and hopped onto the site. Up along the top of the website was its name, Slayer's assassination and life-ruining services. and next to it what looked like to be a skull inside of a crosshair. I chuckled when I saw it. The site must be fake. Upon scrolling down, however, I was not disappointed. There was a paragraph of white text on a black background,

in a small box to the right of the text that just said, Place in Order. The text was the main part, though, as it took up most of the page. It read. Slayer's assassinations and life-ruining services offers everything from acidity. attack, crippling, blinding, castration, torture, R-word, beatings, and good old death. We have the lowest prices out of any other company running similar services, and we are worldwide. We have a dedicated and experienced group of staff based all over the world, so if we need someone

to be assassinated, or maybe you just want them scarred for life, don't hesitate to contact us. Again, I laughed. This has to be satire, right? Hell, I was even tempted to order it on someone just to see what would happen. Ironically, I actually have a half-decent job so I can afford it. Better not to risk it, though, I thought to myself. I was about to close my computer and call it for a night when I heard a knock at the door. I live alone, so it was unusual for me to get visitors, especially so late at night.

But when I opened my door, it was just my good buddy Mark, who also happened to be my green plug. As I opened the door, he didn't hesitate to let himself in and shove a big baggie full of green in my face. This dude is the best shit I've had in a minute. We got to try some. I couldn't say no. Cut to a couple hours later. It's early morning and Mark and I are chilling on the couch, both blazed as fuck. He suddenly decides to get up and I assume he's going to get some leftover pizza,

but he walks over to my desk and computer. Slayers' assassinations. Are you going to kill someone or something? He mutters. What? I reply? Your computer, dude. It's got some hacker shit on it.

It's a dark web, man. Don't fuck with it. At this point, I'm still on my couch. Half asleep and not paying full attention. However, I sat up pretty fast when he said the words, Hey man, let's order a hitman on you. I hopped up and walked over to my PC. Part of my brain was screaming, no.

What the fuck are you doing? but the majority of my brain, which was also the high part, was thinking about how funny it would be to order a hitman on myself. So, I agree. I did make him get out of my chair, though, because I didn't want him seen what my credit card numbers were as I transferred some Bitcoin. At the end, after I wrote down all my personal details,

like my address, age, and even a photo, I had to select what I wanted to happen to me. I just selected plain old assassination, as it was actually cheaper than some of the other things. I could have paid an extra a couple of grand to be beaten before my death, but even my high brain didn't want to splash the cash too much on my own death. God, this is ridiculous. Anyway, I placed the order and then replied to a confirmation email, and boom, it was done. A couple of clicks, and I had ordered myself on the dark web. Mark and I laughed about

it for a while, and then he left about an hour later, and I fell asleep not too long after. I woke up around 9 a.m., which meant I got at least six hours of sleep, even if it felt like I got three. I got up and out of bed, throw on some track pants and a cotton shirt, yes, I sleep naked, and brood myself a coffee before sitting down to play some games and just enjoy my Sunday. You can imagine how shocked I was when I saw that I had ordered my death the previous night. Even though I thought the site was bullshit, I still felt a pit open up in my stomach. Even when I'm high, I usually can make sensible decisions. I chuckled. Not like I could remember it anyways, but I guess Mark's new shit really was good. I would assume a normal human being would do something else,

but I was still kind of out of it from the night before, so I just carried on with my day. I was a little more paranoid, sure, but as I said, I just assumed it was bullshit. I even laughed at the email I got from the website, saying that their hitman has been dispatched and was on its way. It was like ordering a package on Amazon. I was tempted to email back and ask for some same-day delivery, but I didn't need to ask because that's exactly what I got. I didn't see it arrive, but around the time I started to cook myself a shitty dinner, I noticed a blacked-out sedan parked on the other side of the road from my house. I didn't live in a rural area, but there is a lot of trees and bushes between each of the houses on my street, so I'd be

surprised if any other house saw the car except for mine. At this point, I was freaking out. What if this site was real? Even though I'm a big guy, I was freaking out. I don't own any weapons, aside from a slightly larger than average kitchen knife, fuck it, I'm confronting it, I decided. I put on a hoodie and slid the knife into my front pocket before waltzing on out of my house and walking right up to the driver's side window of the vehicle. Even I was astonished at my own courage.

Knocking on the window, nothing happened. It was rather anti-climatic. I was fully prepared to have a fight for my life, all because I did something really dumb while I was baked. But like I said, nothing happened. I even put my head right up to the window as if there was a reflection to try and get a better look to see what's inside. I could barely see what was inside the car, but all I could make out were two empty seats. No one was even inside.

I had got all hyped up for nothing. I decided to wait out by the car for a bit. But after half an hour or so, I was hungry, and I had to go back inside to take my dinner out of the oven. I swear, it was only a minute between me going inside to take my dinner out of the oven and looking back out of the window and the car being gone. on. I didn't hear it go. Guess I'm eating my dinner with all the curtains closed and doors locked, I muttered to myself. I just started to calm down when the power shut off. It was sunny outside and coupled with the car. I now knew that this was the real deal. I had signed my own death warrant. I ran into my upstairs bedroom and locked the door and then hid under the bed. I couldn't call the

cops. What would I say? Oh yes, hello sir. Turns out while super high, I paid five K for some anonymous hitman to kill me, and now he's arrived. Send an officer ASAP, please, and thank you. So I just stayed hiding under my bed, and I still am now. I've been here for an hour now writing this. Think of this as an epitaph. I know I'm screwed. Just a minute ago, I heard my back door slowly creak open. This piece of writing may seem humorous to you, the reader, but in reality, as you read this, I'm under my bed praying to God that lost all faith in me years ago to spare me. to let me go. But I know that won't happen. My bedroom door just opened, and I can see a big pair of black boots. Don't do jobs off the deep web. This all started a week ago. When I lost my job

and was running behind on bills, I lived in a simple house, and that job was all that held my life together. After a night of drinking and watching TV, I started looking for a new job. Most of them looked boring, just nine to five office jobs, but one caught my office. It was an ad to the side of the screen that read, High paying jobs for hire. This isn't just your normal nine to five job. In desperation, I clicked on the shady ad. Slowly, but surely, a new website loads,

with multiple links to different jobs with different descriptions. Deep web jobs. House sitting. $100 per shift. Stay in a camera room. Watch all rooms. Keep the house safe. Rules and link.

Seems easy, I thought to myself. God, do I regret that. Crop harvest. $150 per field. Harvest a field of corn. Tools are provided. Rules and link. Reading down all the jobs

that the house sitting seemed the easiest so I clicked on the link, eager for the $100. On the screen, I sign-up sheet popped up, asking for my email. I typed it in quickly and was met with a message. We hope to see you soon. Satisfied with that,

I hopped in bed and turned off the lights. I start to drift off when I hear a buzz from my phone. Irritated, I get up and check my phone. A new email. I thought to myself. I clicked on the notification. Your application has been accepted. Thank you for applying to the house-sitting job. You will stay at the house from 12 a.m. until 4 a.m. and you must follow these rules. Your money will arrive at 6 a.m. after your shift. Always, no matter what you hear or see, stay in the camera room. Either don't bring your phone, or if you do, do not turn it on, even if you get a notification. I will not email you during your shift. Make sure to bring something that can play music fairly loudly.

Arrive at 12 or a little before 12. If you arrive past 12, do not enter the house and send me an email. From 12 until 1, you are allowed to roam the house, but make sure to be in the upstairs camera room by 1. Turn all lights off, lock the doors, and close the blinds. From 1 until 2, watch the cameras. If you see a man in the living room watching TV, turn that camera off. Until you hear the TV turn off from downstairs, ignore any sounds you hear around the house.

If you feel anything touch you, stop moving and close your eyes until the feeling goes away. From two until three, open the blinds in the camera room. If you hear a voice from the window, do not look at them. The conversation will be normal and once they say goodbye, it is safe to close the blinds. This event can happen any time in the hour. If you see a woman cooking in the kitchen, you have a blue button on your desk that turns on a loud sound in the kitchen. Press and hold that button until the woman disappears. From 3 until 30, 33, turn on your music device as loud as possible.

Cover your ears, close your eyes, and ignore any sounds or movements around you. If the music stops, make any sound of your own to drown out what is happening around you. After 333, you are allowed to roam the house until 4. Do not leave before 4 and do not leave more than 5 minutes after 4. If any rules are not completed correctly, hide under the desk and do not move until 4. That is all. Your shift starts tomorrow night at 4.71 Peterson Drive. Sincerely, Mr. Salazar.

I must have read that email 10 times over thinking this was a prank or something. No way do I have to actually follow these crazy rules, I thought to myself. Intranced at how specific the rules were, I put my phone back down to charge and went to sleep. Still confused by that email. All I could do the next day was thinking about what that email said. Man in the living room, woman in the kitchen, conversation with a person in the window. It all just seemed so crazy to be true. But I couldn't help but to find myself 15 minutes before 12.

with an old iPod in my pocket, standing at 471 Peterson Drive. I entered the house. It had a sort of old but still livable vibe to it. The house was dusty, but the kitchen and living room were spotless. I made my way upstairs and at the end of the long hallway stood the camera room. It was barren and small, but nothing but a chair, a camera monitor, and a couple windows in it. I sat down in the chair. Man, I hope this is worth it.

It wasn't. Looking at the computer's clock, it's 1203. I have one hour to look around the house. First, I head back to the living room, closed blinds, locked doors, and turn lights off. Repeat that for all rooms, and at 1256 I was back to the camera room. As soon as it hit 1 o'clock, I felt a sudden dread, telling me to get up and leave right now. I turned on all the cameras, and, on the back of my neck, it felt as if a feather was resting on it. I froze. Keep calm, Chris. keep calm. I closed my eyes as I remember the rules. It felt like hours, that feather tickling the back of my neck, but I held out, not moving and keeping my eyes closed. The feather went away. I opened my

eyes, relieved, and heard behind me slow, coordinated footsteps. I whipped around, the footsteps went away, and a slow chuckle came from the camera speaker. The man was watching TV. The TV was lit up with some cooking show, and the man was chuckling while watching the show. I turned that camera off and hoped I had done it fast enough. The sound from the TV echoed up the stairs, chilling me to the bone. What the hell is this place I thought to myself? Feeling queasy, and how is it only 120? The next 20 minutes were creepy as can be. Unknown sounds bounced around the house, the man laughing at the TV, watching all the cameras until the silence hit me hard. The TV had been off, and dread had fell upon me again.

The noise from the TV had been a constant for the past 20 minutes, but now that is off. The silence felt threatening. I slowly turned on the camera and found the room to be empty. I sighed in relief. For what felt like an eternity, my eyes darted around the cameras, on edge, until the clock made a quiet beep, and it turned two o'clock. I rose from my chair and opened the blinds revealing the pitch black lawn outside.

I sat back down as the clanging of pots and pans ringed to my ear. ears. I looked down at the blue button beside the monitor, then at the lady, now cooking black eggs in the kitchen, and I was about to press the button. Hi, Chris. A woman's voice came from the window. I froze, gluing my eyes to the monitor, forcing myself not to look away at the window. Huh. Hi, how was your day? My voice was shaky. It was obvious that I was scared. I was just strolling around the neighborhood, saw you were here, and I just wanted to say hi. The window she was talking to me through was high enough up the ground to need a large ladder to get to. How was your day? My day was, it was fine, thanks. The woman in the kitchen started to get

louder. Okay, well, I have to go. It was nice to meet you. It was nice to meet you too. Bye. I wanted to get up. I wanted to just close the blinds and never hear her voice again, but something just told me that you should not get up. Wow, you're a smart one. I thought that would get you. Hmm, maybe next time. Goodbye. I waited a few seconds.

The last thing I wanted to see was the face of that lady talking to me, so I waited until I was sure she wasn't there anymore. Then closed the blinds. Once that ordeal was over, I realized that the lady in the kitchen was gone, even though I never pressed a button. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, I thought. I'd broken one of the rules, and it was only 2.30.

Now I'm sitting under the desk, typing this on my iPod, and there's a lady with a ragged apron on, walking in circles around the room. I'm scared to make any noise, so please, if you see an ad for dark web jobs, don't click it. Update. It's 4.30 now. I made it out of the house, and I'm safe. My left leg is a hurt a little, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you what happened.

The lady from the kitchen walked around the room, making soft groans and drooling everywhere. I kept as silent as I could, freezing time she turned in my direction. A small beep came from on the desk, notifying me that I had turned 3 o'clock. The lady in my room melted into the floorboards, screaming a scream of the utmost agony and pain. What I was supposed to do at this point was turn on the music on my iPad, close my eyes, and cover my ears, but hiding under my desk. I didn't know if I still had to do that.

I waited and waited on silence was all I could find until the, The walls and floors of the house started to contort. The house shifted and moved into what looked like faces popping out of the walls. The only description of the sound I can think of is a scream of terror itself. I couldn't take it anymore. My mind told me to get up, to run, to get out as fast as I can, but I knew I couldn't. I closed my eyes and turned the music on. The screams were drowned out, and it seemed almost calming, but in the back of my mind,

I knew what was happening around me. The music blared loudly and my eyes stayed glued shut. Then the music turned off. I opened my eyes and the house was normal again. Shakily, I stood up and looked at the clock. 3.34. I got back under the desk and lay there terrified but nothing happened and I was sitting there for 35 minutes until the final beep from the clock came, telling me I could finally leave.

I got up, walked down the hallway, down the stairs to the front door and finally the sweet, cool air of the night hit my face, and in that moment, I felt a relief that was almost euphoric. I walked home and picked up my phone, and when I was to email Mr. Zalazar, his email was gone. The website was gone, and there was no trace of him at all. I tried to fall asleep, but I couldn't get the faces out of my head. The look they had can't be explained. I don't know if I'm going to get my money back, but at this point, I don't care. I just want to never go back to that house again.

update it's six o'clock now a package somehow appeared at my door and inside was $80 and a letter the letter is as follows you can't escape hello again chris i see that you showed up for your shift this morning i appreciate that but during your shift you broke one of the rules i've taken $20 off of your pay because of that i'm pretty sure you're already aware but i can tell you you don't want to go back most people don't and i'm here to say you can't By entering that house, you pretty much signed your soul away. No matter what you do, you will always be at that house by 12. That is all, sincerely, Mr. Salazar. Part 2. My sleep last night was horrible. I couldn't stop thinking about what happened on my first shift the whole day I stayed in bed terrified for midnight to come, but it had to come eventually. 11.57. I begged that nothing would happen to me. 11.58. I put my mind.

my iPod in the trash. 1159, I lay in bed and close my eyes. I feel pressure on my feet and my soft bed disappears from under me. I opened my eyes and find myself inside that cursed house again with my iPod and a printed paper of the rules in my hands. What? How is this possible I think to myself? I ran to the door, slamming my fists against it, wanting any way out but to no avail I couldn't leave. I defeatedly walked up the stairs and sat in the camera room chair. I sat there, crying for an hour until one came, and with it came the man laughing at the TV. I turned the camera off and continued to sob, not caring about the sounds around me, but then I felt a hand wrap around my neck. I froze, closed my eyes, and tried to control myself. The grip closed tighter and tighter

until I could barely breathe. Then it finally left me alone. I gasped for air and grabbed the printed paper of rules given to me at the start of my shift. I looked at the printed sheet of rules and at the bottom was a handwritten message from Mr. Salazar himself. Good luck. I looked back up at the cameras and composed myself. Okay, Chris, you can do this. You've already been here once pulled together. I listened, not hearing the TV anymore. I turned the camera on and the clock let out a small beep. It had turned two o'clock. I stood up to open the blinds but hesitated. Did I really want to talk to her again? Regardless, I pushed the thought away and opened the blinds to be met with a face only insane people would call a woman. It looked as if she hadn't eaten once in her life.

Her skin looked like it was airtight to their bones, and she had no meat in her body. Her smile was literally ear to ear. Her skin sacked down at least two feet, and her eye sockets had large, black, bloodshot eyes with tiny, beady yellow pupils. Hello again, Chris. I closed the blinds as quickly as I could and went to hide under the desk, but the desk is just a block, no space to hide under. I don't know what to do. I hear slow footsteps coming up the stairs.

Oh, God, the doorknob is turning. The door is locked. Oh, thank God I remember to lock it. She's screeching from behind the door. She's slamming her hands on it. It's only a matter of time until she breaks the whole door down. What do I do? And all right, guys, that wraps up Dark Web, Reddit Stories.

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