The Haunted Blog (Part 1): Discovery

Welcome to "The Haunted Blog," a gripping web serial that plunges you into the enigmatic realms of the digital unknown. In Part 1: Discovery, we meet Steve, as he stumbles upon a mysterious blog that foretells horrifying events before they unfold. As curiosity transforms into a relentless pursuit of truth, Steve unravels a web of predictions that transcend the boundaries of coincidence.

Keep reading...but first, the legal bit:

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact jensequel.com

---

The apartment was dark by the time Stephen finished writing for the day. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head as he leaned back on his desk chair. His back cracked in at least three different locations, and he smiled at the feeling. He noted the time and realized he had been going at it for four hours straight. Something he hadn’t done in quite some time.

His stomach felt hollow, and he pushed away from his desk to scavenge for food. Flicking the desk light on as he went, his laptop and blotter were sufficiently illuminated as he walked toward the small kitchenette. He didn’t bother to turn the light on here as he didn’t intend to stay long, and the refrigerator provided enough light to see by.

He grabbed a bottle of Heineken and pulled a Styrofoam take out container from the top shelf. Opening the lid, he sniffed it just to be sure it wasn’t rotten and rummaged around in a drawer for a clean fork. When he didn’t find one, he selected a soup spoon instead.

He really did need to go to the store, but he was on a deadline and couldn’t afford the time. As he returned to his desk, he tossed the container beside his mouse and took a look at the file he had been working on. After a quick edit he verified it was complete. He popped the top off his beer and downed half of it while grinning like a fool.

“God damn Steve if that’s not the best work you’ve done so far.”

He raised the bottle in a salute to himself before setting the beer beside his computer. He leaned forward and opened his email provider. After attaching the file and sending it on its merry way, he closed his browser and reached to finish his beer. Before his fingers could wrap around the bottle, his computer dinged as he received a message.

“That was fast,” he muttered to himself as he opened his browser to see one unopened email.

Check this out.

Steve frowned, noting a link was within. He picked up his phone and called his buddy Ted who sent the message.

“Hey,” he said into his cell phone. "Did you just send me something?”

“Steve-O!” Ted cheered through the other line. “I see you got the link. Did you open it yet?”

Steve copied the link and opened a new browser window to open it in. “Opening it now,” he said dimly.

The website loaded with a standard format for a list of blog entries, ads, and forum posts. The landing page was generic with a black background and neon green lettering with The Haunted Blog on the header.

“Let me know if there’s anything good on it.”

“You mean you didn’t browse it?” Steve grumbled. He scrolled through some of the posts finding random posts of accidents, natural disasters, and tragedies.

“No, man, haunted shit is your passion not mine.”

“So far nothing spooky.”

“That’s disappointing.” Ted replied. “Hey, are you going to watch the game?”

“That’s your passion, not mine.”

Ted chuckled over the line. “Touché bro, touché.”

Steve watched as a new article posted on the site. Reading the headline, he leaned closer and clicked on the link to read more.

“This is odd,” he said as he skimmed the article. He laughed as he read the outcome of the game in question. “I hope you didn’t bet on it,” he said as he leaned back in his chair.

“How so?”

“Nichols will be out in the first quarter with a concussion.”

Ted joined in on the laugh. “Not funny bud, not funny at all!”

Steve watched as several more articles were posted on the site. Each listing a wide range of topics. All were centered on tragedies.

“If you change your mind about the game, Judy made a huge spread and you’re welcome to eat even if you don’t watch the game.”

“Just ordered take out,” Steve lied, eyeing the leftovers still sitting on his desk. “Maybe next time.”

He ended the call and placed his phone on the desk. Finishing his beer, he walked to the fridge to grab another one. While he was away his cellphone lit up as it began to sync with his laptop. By the time the data was synced, Steve had returned to his desk and the screen on his cell phone darkened.