Trapped in the Dark Web: A Dangerous Website

I’ve always loved tech. It’s my job. It’s what I love. But I never expected to find something like this—something that would mess with my mind.

It started on a regular Tuesday. I worked late at my tech company in Novi Sad. The office was empty. I was alone at my desk. While working, a message popped up on my screen. It was from someone I didn’t know.

"Check this out. You won’t believe it."

There was a link. I clicked it, curious.

The website opened. It looked strange. The background was black. Words flickered on the screen. At first, nothing seemed special, but then I saw the message:

"Your fears are watching."

Although I found it unsettling, I didn't give it much attention. Probably just a weird site. But then something strange happened. A picture appeared. It was blurry, hard to see, but it looked like me. My heart raced. How did it get my picture?

I quickly closed the website. I assumed it was a joke. However, I kept thinking about it. What was that site? How did it have my picture?

I returned to the website the following day. I was unable to go. The page loaded. This time, the message said:

"You are not alone."

Then another picture appeared. It was a picture of my girlfriend, Ana. She was sitting at her desk, looking confused. The screen changed again. A picture of my mom appeared. She appeared nervous, as if she hadn't gotten any sleep in days.

What was happening? Who was behind this?

I clicked around, hoping to find answers. But every click took me deeper into this strange site. It wasn’t just showing pictures. It showed parts of my life—moments I had forgotten. The more I looked, the more real it all felt.

Soon, I couldn’t tell what was real anymore. Was the website messing with my mind? Why was it showing pictures of my family?

One night, something strange happened. I awoke. Ana was looking at me while she sat on the side of the bed.

Silently, "Are you okay?" she inquired.

I sat up quickly, scared. "What’s wrong?"

"I saw you," she said. "I saw you on the dark web website. You were talking to something, like you knew what was going to happen next."

I was confused. "What do you mean?"

But Ana didn’t answer. She got up and left the room. I thought I had gone crazy. Could the website be doing this to me?

I tried to forget. But every time I opened my laptop, I found myself going back to that website. I couldn’t stop. Each time, it showed me something new—something too real. My life was on that website. It wasn’t just pictures anymore. It showed me my worst fears.

One last time, I opened the website, hoping it would end. But something worse happened. The screen flickered. A video started. It was me again. I looked at my cellphone as I waited in front of my apartment. My hand twitched. Then my voice came through the screen. But it wasn’t my voice. It was a distorted version, saying:

"They know."

I panicked. What was happening? Who were "they"?

The website wasn’t just a website anymore. It controlled me. It pulled me into something I couldn’t escape. The line between the website and my real life was gone. The more I looked at it, the more my family and friends became part of it, too. I saw their faces on the website. They were scared. Their worst fears were there, too.

Now, I wasn’t just watching. I was trapped.

Comments

most visited

My Therapist is Gaslighting Me

Shadows of the Cailleach

The Town That Never Lets You Leave

The Isolation Experiment

Lost in Belgrade

The Shattered Mind

The AI That Knows Me Better Than I Do