Ghosted in the Chatroom

The midnight air was heavy with silence as Alex sat alone in his dimly lit room, staring at his laptop screen. The glow illuminated his face as he scrolled through an endless stream of messages on the mysterious chatroom he had stumbled upon. It was called Specter Link, a place rumored to connect the living with the dead.

Alex had always been skeptical of the paranormal. He was a programmer by trade, a man of logic and science. But tonight, curiosity had gotten the better of him. The chatroom wasn’t on the regular internet; it was buried deep in the dark web, accessible only through a cryptic URL passed around on obscure forums.

When he entered Specter Link, a message immediately popped up on the screen:

Welcome to Specter Link. Speak with the departed. Enter at your own risk.

The chatroom interface was basic, almost archaic. A black background with white text scrawled across it. Users’ names flickered on and off, some blinking like faulty neon signs. Most names were nonsensical strings of letters and numbers, but one caught Alex’s eye: EtherealEcho.

Curious, he clicked on the name, opening a private chat window.

Alex: Hey. Is this real, or is this some kind of elaborate joke?

The response came almost instantly.

EtherealEcho: Depends on what you believe. Why are you here?

Alex hesitated. He’d never lost anyone close to him, but the idea of speaking with the dead fascinated him. He typed:

Alex: Just curious. What about you?

There was a long pause before the reply came.

EtherealEcho: I’m looking for someone. Someone who ghosted me.

Alex chuckled. “Ghosted” had an entirely new meaning in this context. He leaned back in his chair, relaxing a bit.

Alex: Isn’t that what this chatroom is for? Connecting with the dead?

EtherealEcho: Sometimes. But not all ghosts are dead.

The response sent a chill down Alex’s spine. Before he could reply, another message appeared.

EtherealEcho: Tell me, Alex. Do you believe in revenge?

Alex’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. The chatroom had gone from intriguing to unsettling in mere minutes. He typed a cautious response:

Alex: Not really. I think people should move on.

EtherealEcho: Move on? What if you couldn’t? What if someone trapped you in a moment you could never escape?

Alex felt a knot form in his stomach. The air in the room seemed colder. He glanced around, half-expecting to see someone standing in the shadows. The chat pinged again.

EtherealEcho: Let’s play a game, Alex.

Alex: I’m not really in the mood for games.

EtherealEcho: Oh, but you’re already playing. You joined this chatroom, didn’t you? Here’s how it works: I’ll ask you a question. If you answer wrong, I’ll take something from you.

Alex’s pulse quickened. He considered logging off, but something kept him glued to the screen. Curiosity? Fear? He wasn’t sure.

Alex: What do you mean by “take something”?

EtherealEcho: You’ll see.

The screen flickered, and for a moment, Alex thought his laptop had crashed. Then a new message appeared.

EtherealEcho: First question: What’s the name of the person you regret hurting the most?

Alex’s hands froze. Memories he had buried began to surface. There was only one person who came to mind: Jenna, his ex-girlfriend. They had broken up a year ago after a messy fight where Alex had said things he couldn’t take back. He hadn’t spoken to her since.

Alex: Jenna.

The screen stayed silent for an unnervingly long time. Just as Alex was about to close the laptop, the next message appeared.

EtherealEcho: Correct. Do you think she’d forgive you if she knew the truth?

Alex’s heart raced. How did this stranger know about Jenna? He typed furiously:

Alex: Who are you?

EtherealEcho: Second question: Where were you the night she disappeared?

A cold sweat broke out on Alex’s forehead. Jenna hadn’t just left him—she had vanished without a trace. Her friends and family had searched for months, but no leads ever surfaced. Alex had been questioned by the police, but he’d told them the truth: he had been at home, alone.

Alex: I was at home.

Ethereal Echo: Liar.

The word seemed to leap off the screen. Alex’s vision blurred, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He clutched at his shirt, gasping for air. The screen flickered again, and an image appeared—a photo of Jenna. She looked pale and lifeless, her eyes staring blankly into the camera. Alex recoiled, his chair scraping against the floor.

Ethereal Echo: Third question: Do you remember what you did to her?

Alex’s hands shook as he typed:

Alex: I didn’t do anything!

The screen went black. For a moment, the only sound was Alex’s ragged breathing. Then the laptop powered back on, but the chatroom was gone. In its place was a folder labeled Confession. His trembling hand moved the cursor to open it.

The folder contained dozens of files: photos, videos, and text documents. Alex’s heart sank as he clicked through them. Each one revealed fragments of a night he had tried to forget. There was footage of him arguing with Jenna, his face contorted in anger. Another video showed her storming out of his apartment. The final file was a grainy video of Alex dragging something heavy through the woods.

“No,” he whispered, shaking his head. “This isn’t real. This isn’t real!”

But deep down, he knew it was. He had buried the memories, convinced himself they were nightmares. But the evidence was undeniable. Jenna hadn’t vanished—he had made her disappear.

The chatroom reopened on its own, Ethereal Echo’s name glowing on the screen.

EtherealEcho: Last question: Are you ready to join me?

Alex stared at the words, his mind racing. He couldn’t let this happen. Desperation overtook him as he slammed the laptop shut and grabbed his phone to call the police. But the moment he unlocked it, a message appeared on the screen:

You can’t escape.

The lights in the room flickered, and a shadow moved in the corner of his eye. Alex turned, but there was nothing there. He backed away, clutching his phone, as the room seemed to close in around him. The air grew thick, and a faint whisper filled his ears.

“You ghosted me, Alex. Now it’s your turn.”

The whisper turned into a deafening roar as the shadow engulfed him. Alex screamed, but no sound came out. The last thing he saw was his laptop screen, where Ethereal Echo’s name faded into nothingness.

Weeks later, a new user joined Specter Link. Their username flickered for a moment before stabilizing: Ghosted Echo. Their first message appeared in the chatroom:

Ghosted Echo: Anyone there?

The chatroom responded with a flurry of names, but one stood out:

Ethereal Echo: Welcome to Specter Link. Let’s play a game.