@mc5punk 13 July 2025 more from that month

Short story: The darkness of the network

Alex was 16 years old and was passionate about technology and the internet. I spent hours surfing the net, exploring new websites and online games. One day, while he was on his school's forum, he came across a discussion thread about internet urban legends. The comments were a mixture of laughter and warnings, but something in them caught Alex's eye. Intrigued, he began to research on the subject. He read about the man on the curve, the girl on the bus and the death email. At first, he laughed at the absurdity of such stories, but as he delved deeper into his research, he began to feel a sense of unease. One night, while browsing a video website, he came across a link to a video that claimed to be "the execution video." The description was vague, but something in it attracted him. Despite his instinct telling him not to, Alex decided to watch the video. What he saw was a grainy, dark recording of a person being executed. The picture was blurry, but the sound was clear and shuddering. Alex felt horrified and quickly closed the tab. "What is this?", Alex wondered aloud. "Why would anyone do something like that?" He got up from his chair and went to the window. He looked out, trying to clear his mind. But the image of the video stuck in his mind. The next day, Alex received an email with the subject "Death". Her heart stopped when she saw him. Was it a coincidence or something else? The email was blank, without any message. "What's the matter?"Asked Alex. "Why is someone sending me an email like that?" He began to investigate further about the email and found that it was a common hoax. But the feeling of fear did not go away. He started receiving phone calls from unknown numbers. The person on the other end was always saying "Who is it?"and Alex felt compelled to answer "It's me." He didn't know why, but something inside him told him it was the right thing to do. One night, while I was in his room, Alex got a call. He answered and heard the voice on the other side. "Who is he?said the voice. "It's me," Alex replied. The voice laughed. "Then who are you?," he asked. Alex felt confused and scared. Suddenly, the line went dead. "What's the matter?"Asked Alex. "Why is someone doing this to me?" He got up from his bed and walked over to his desk. He looked at his computer and noticed that there was a message on the screen. "Do you want to play a game?," the message said. Alex felt terrified. What game was this? And who was playing it? He started looking for information about the message, but did not find anything. The message appeared to have been sent from an unknown server. The next day, Alex decided to seek help. He went to talk to his school counselor, Mrs. Johnson. "Mrs. Johnson, I need to talk to you about something," Alex said. "What's the matter, Alex?Mrs. Johnson asked. "It's about the urban legends of the internet," Alex said. "I've been doing some research on them and I've started to feel really scared. I have received an email with the subject 'Death' and I have been receiving phone calls from unknown numbers." Mrs. Johnson listened to him attentively. "Alex, I think you're being the victim of a hoax or a prank," he said. "But I understand that you feel scared. Do you want me to talk to your parents about this?" Alex nodded his head. "Yes, please." Mrs. Johnson nodded her head. "I will. But Alex, you should know that most of the urban legends on the internet are just fictional stories. There is nothing to be afraid of." But Alex didn't feel any better. The darkness of the net seemed to be closing in on him. Alex began to avoid the internet and spend more time alone in his room. The feeling of fear and paranoia did not go away. And then, one day, Alex disappeared. His family searched everywhere for him, but they couldn't find him. The police investigated, but did not find any clues. Alex's urban legend became another horror story on the net. Some say he's still there, surfing the dark web, looking for answers he'll never find. Source of the images. Image created with Bing.