Part 6
I told myself I wouldn't open Discord today.
I lasted 12 minutes.
I open the app slowly, like it might explode if I rush it.
No pings.
No chaos.
No messages.
…Wait.
No messages?
I check again.
The server is completely silent.
General chat: nothing.
Memes: nothing.
Even the bots aren't saying anything.
This is wrong.
This is VERY wrong.
I scroll through the member list.
Everyone is online.
All of them.
But nobody is talking.
I type carefully:
"hello?"
Seen.
No reply.
Five people read it.
Ten.
Fifteen.
No one responds.
I feel uncomfortable.
This server is never quiet.
Never.
Then, finally, someone types.
"…"
That's it.
Just three dots.
Then another person types the same thing.
"…"
And another.
"…"
Within seconds, the entire chat is filled with dots.
Line after line.
"…"
"…"
"…"
I try to stop it.
"Okay very funny guys stop."
No one stops.
They just keep going.
It's like they're… synchronized.
Like they all decided this at the same time.
Or something decided for them.
I scroll faster.
Dots.
Only dots.
Thousands of them.
Then it changes.
One message appears.
Different.
"watching"
I freeze.
Who sent that?
I check the username.
It's just called "server"
That's not a user.
That's not possible.
I try to click it.
Nothing happens.
The dots stop instantly.
Silence again.
Then every single user goes offline.
At the same time.
One by one.
Gone.
Gone.
Gone.
Until it's just me.
And "server."
I don't type.
I don't move.
Then a message appears.
From "server."
"good job mod"
I don't remember doing anything.
Another message.
"you stayed"
My screen flickers.
The server icon glitches.
Then everything goes back to normal.
Messages return.
People start talking again like nothing happened.
"anyone up?"
"lol"
"what's going on"
I sit there.
Staring.
Shaking my head.
Nope.
I'm not dealing with this today.
I close Discord.
And for the first time…
I turn off notifications.
Let the server handle itself.
What could possibly go wrong?