There was a
website that only
existed for 47
minutes on February
12, 2022 at
3.14 a.m. It
was hosted on
a server in
an abandoned warehouse
in downtown Los
Angeles. The site's
domain name, Arabus
Voidcom, was quickly
forgotten until now.
Archivist and cybersecurity
specialist, Rachel Kim,
stumbled upon an
archived version of
the site while
digging through the
depths of the
Internet Archive on
October 15, 2022.
She was searching
for evidence of
a long-lost project
and instead found
a cryptic message
on the website's
homepage. The message
read, the truth
is hidden in
plain sight. As
Rachel delved deeper
into the archive,
she discovered a
series of diary
entries from the
website's creator, known
only by their
handle, Echo 1.
The entries started
on January 1,
2022 and initially
seemed innocuous, discussing
everyday life in
the small town
of Oakwood, Illinois,
but something about
the tone seemed
off. The diary
entries continued, with
Echo 1 discussing
their fascination with
an old, abandoned
asylum on the
outskirts of Oakwood.
They mentioned rumors
of strange occurrences
and unexplained noises
coming from the
building at night.
Rachel's curiosity was
peaked, and she
decided to investigate
further. On February
5, 2022, Echo
1 began to
record audio logs,
detailing their experiences,
exploring the abandoned
asylum. The recordings
were eerie, with
creaking doors and
faint whispers in
the background. Rachel
felt a chill
run down her
spine as she
listened to the
logs, wondering what
Echo 1 had
uncovered. As the
recordings progressed, Echo
1's tone became
increasingly unsettling, discussing
strange symbols etched
into the walls
and an overwhelming
sense of being
watched. The audio
logs ended abruptly
on February 11,
2022, with a
frantic message from
Echo 1, saying
they had to
get out before
it was too
late. Rachel's heart
was racing. Rachel
discovered a series
of photographs taken
by Echo 1
depicting the abandoned
asylum and its
surroundings. The images
were distorted, with
strange, unexplained artifacts
and glitches. She
began to wonder
if Echo 1
had stumbled upon
something sinister, something
that didn't want
to be seen.
The photographs led
Rachel to a
specific location, a
small, hidden room
deep within the
asylum. Echo 1
had mentioned this
room in their
diary entries, describing
it as a
place of dark
revelation. Rachel's curiosity
was now mixed
with fear, as
she realized she
was getting close
to uncovering a
disturbing truth. As
Rachel dug deeper,
she found a
hidden server containing
a single, unmarked
video file. The
file was dated
February 12, 2022
at 3, 14am,
the exact time
the website went
live. The video
was encrypted, but
Rachel managed to
crack the code,
revealing a chilling
message from Echo
1. I have
seen the void.
The video began
to play, showing
Echo 1 standing
in front of
a black abyssal
void. Their eyes
were black as
coal, and their
voice was barely
above a whisper.
I have seen
the truth, they
said, and it
has seen me.
The screen faded
to black, and
Rachel was left
with only silence
and an eerie
feeling that she
was being watched.
And then the
lights went out.