He scrambled for the mouse, trying to close the program, but the cursor wouldn't move. The drumbeats grew louder, shaking the glass in his windows. Another line of text appeared:

"To stop the sting and end the fear, the next player must appear."

Elias laughed, typing his name into the prompt. As soon as he hit Enter, the room temperature spiked. The smell of damp earth and rotting vegetation overwhelmed his small apartment. A dialogue box popped up, but it wasn't a choice. It was a command. "Elias rolls a five. The floor is now a hive."

The drums began to beat in the distance, echoing through the streets. The curse wasn't just on his computer anymore. It was on the network. If you'd like to continue this story, let me know:

Should the next "player" be a or a clueless kid ?

Elias realized with horror that the RAR file wasn't just a game. It was a digital gateway. He grabbed his phone, hands shaking, and did the only thing he could think of to survive. He uploaded the file to a public cloud and hit "Share."