Ebrugh Report 20: Don't Like. Don't Subscribe.

Symbol of the Society of Eb.

In this Ebrugh Report, a series of disturbing posts by a young man named David tell about his abduction to a bizzare place.

## Summary

The report is still ongoing, details will be added once the posts are finished or David does not post again for a year.

## Report 20

### Rumoured Origin

*The following messages have been posted to the reddit r/nosleep. It is likely that more are going to come out, so this report is considered ongoing. They were posted by the user u/haroldhkebba, which made the real Harold Kebba aware of this, as he is using that account to post the Ebrugh Reports on r/nosleep to try to make people aware of them. It is to reason that the account was hacked, though it is unclear why this happened.*

### Main Report

#### Post from 7/7/2023

I am in deep trouble. My name is David, and I am 17 years old. And, I am in deep, deep trouble.

It all started on my Discord server, where I would hang out with some friends after school. You know, the usual stuff. In the past weeks, we had mainly been discussing creepy things on the internet and fooling around. We were constantly trying to one-up each other with the scariest creepypasta, ARG, or whatever we stumbled upon. As you probably know, there is horrific content out there, with layers upon layers of disturbing stuff for people to explore. I knew two of the guys from the Discord server in real life, and another guy joined us when we were looking for teammates to play some more competitive games. That's how it all started. I think you get the picture.

This evening, after sharing some disgusting links to pages supposedly from the dark web (yes, I know they were fake), the others logged off earlier for various reasons. So, I was left alone, browsing through some sickening pictures of weird creatures in a forest and their alleged victims when a new unkown user entered.

At first, I was taken aback because we usually kept the Discord server private. But when I heard a girl's voice, I quickly grew worried. She spoke quietly, and her words were constantly interrupted by static. Nevertheless, I could understand the gist of what she was saying.

"David? David, are you there? Can you hear me?"

I shuddered and felt confused. How did she know my name? I should have immediately disconnected, but there was something strange and fearful in her voice that made me hesitate. Maybe one of the others had put her up to this to scare me?

"Yes, I can hear you. Barely. Do I know you?" I asked back into the microphone.

There was silence and static for some time, and then she replied, almost crying.

"Thank God, I made it! I can't do it alone! David, have you heard of a YouTube channel called SocietyofEB? Are you subscribed to it? This is very important!"

What? I had no idea what she was talking about. I quickly searched for the channel, but found no results.

"No, sorry, I don't know that one. Who are you? What's wrong? Who sent you?"

I was shaking. My brain screamed at me to disconnect immediately.

"David, you have to subscribe to that channel! You have to! I want to get out, I need your help! If I fail, it will get worse. It hurts. Please, you have to subscribe!"

What the hell was she talking about? I leaned back in my chair, feeling sick to my stomach.

"The channel doesn't exist. I looked it up. It's not there! Who are you? Tell me, or I will disconnect!" I told her firmly.

"NO! PLEASE, NO! " she screamed. "You have to help me! This is not a game. I'm not trying to trick you. This is real! PLEASE!"

She was clearly distraught and seemed crazy, but there was genuine sorrow in her voice. I hesitated. Maybe I could calm her down? I had no clue how to do that exactly. Talking to girls wasn't my strong suit, although they often tried to chat me up. Still, I mostly preferred to be alone. I didn't enjoy socializing in general, as you probably guessed from how I spent my free time. Nevertheless, I wanted to help her.

Just as I was about to respond, she initiated a video call.

I stared at the symbol that had popped up. Should I answer? Was this a trick? Was she trolling me? I didn't think so. But what would I be getting myself into? What would I see? Was she hurt? She had mentioned being in pain. I didn't want to witness someone suffering. Sure, I had seen videos and pictures of mangled corpses—most likely fake—but I didn't wish harm upon anyone in real life. I didn't want to see someone bleeding out in front of me or in excruciating pain.

But she clearly needed help.

I answered the call.

Her webcam had poor quality, and I couldn't make out much. The room behind her was dimly lit and dark. I saw one or two posters on the wall and a wardrobe, as well as the edge of a door, but not much else. Her face was illuminated by the light from her screen. She appeared to be a bit older than me, maybe around 20 or 21, though I was never good at guessing ages when it came to girls. Despite the stunning beauty she might be under normal circumstances, her appearance emitted a sense of dread.

She had a smooth face framed by long blonde hair and brightly colored red lips. It seemed like she had once cared a lot about her appearance, but now she looked as if she had been through hell. Her hair was unkempt, with strands resembling hay. Her eyes were green and radiant, but her eyeshadow had been washed away by tears, leaving dark stains all over her cheeks. However, the most horrifying thing was the dried blood that covered the left side of her face. Her features were contorted in pain, resembling a mask.

"What happened to you? What is going on?" I roared, confused by her appearance.

Should I disconnect the call? Should I call the police? I was home alone, but I could still use my phone.

"You... you can see me?" she asked in disbelief, while her image froze repeatedly, most likely due to a bad connection.

"Yes, I can see you. Please, calm down. I can see that you are in pain and afraid. But please, try to calm down. Where are you now? Are you in your room? Or are held captive? Who did this to you?"

The words poured out of me. I wanted to help her, but I didn't know how. She started crying.

"Thank God, thank God, I think you're real. If you're real, you must help me!"

"Please, you have to calm down. Talk to me. Who are you? Where are you? Please, calm down and answer!" I said, trying to sound confident and reassuring.

"I... I'm Aubrey. I don't know where I am. I just don't know..."

She buried her face in her hands and started shaking.

"Okay, Aubrey. Calm down. I will help you. I promise. We will get you out of this situation. Just try to calm down. Take deep breaths..." I said, unsure if it would work, but I had to say something.

I had stopped considering disconnecting the call. I just wanted her to be safe.

"I... David... I don't know where I am. This place... It's horrible. It's terrifying. There are things here... It has hurt me because I failed. I don't want to fail again. I want to get out..."

She didn't make much sense, but at least she was talking to me. Looking at the room she was in, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but she must have had a good reason to act the way she did.

"Can you open the door? I can see a door behind you. How is it locked? Can you try smashing it or using something as a lever to break it open?"

Her reply was accompanied by a desperate cry.

"The door... the door will open when I succeed. It gave me a task. I am supposed to contact you. You are supposed to subscribe to the channel. If you do, the door will open. Then I'll have another chance to get out. Then maybe I can escape. So please, please, David, I don't know who you are. I won't try to manipulate you into this. I won't tell you that you're my hero or that I want to be with you to lure you in. But I'll be stuck here if you don't subscribe. You have to subscribe to the channel. Please. I don't want to lie to you. I've lied a lot in my life, too much even, but this is not a lie: I want to get out of here. And you're my only hope! Please, David. PLEASE!"

What the hell was she talking about? She sounded insane! That channel she was going on about didn't even exist! I felt like she was somehow telling the truth, but man, what the hell? Why would the door to her room open if I subscribed? It made no sense! But I couldn't abandon her. She was in pain. How could I live with myself if I left her?

"The channel you're talking about doesn't exist. I looked it up. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't help you!" I tried to explain.

She didn't seem to hear me. She just buried her face in her hands and swayed back and forth.

Suddenly, I received a message on WhatsApp. It was a link. I could see it on the computer since I had connected my phone to the browser. The link contained weird symbols that might have been Cyrillic or Chinese characters and was quite long. Then, another message:

*If you want to give HER a chance, click the link, LIKE the video and SUBSCRIBE. Otherwise, she will SUFFER. More than you can IMAGINE.*

What the fuck was going on? What the fuck was this message?

The number it was sent from was hidden, but I tried to answer. However, I couldn't input any text. The messenger wasn't working properly, and after a few attempts, I realized that all I could do was click the link—the link to the channel.

"Aubrey... Aubrey, I think I received a link. I don't know how; it popped up in my messenger... Aubrey, what the hell is going on?"

But she didn't seem to hear me. She froze and suddenly leaned forward, her face covering almost the entire screen. I could see the terror in her eyes, but also a glimmer of hope.

"David, please, you have to click the link. It's from my Friend, it has to be! You have to click it, please! I'm begging you!"

I still hesitated. I could just click it, or I could shut off the computer. She would be gone, disappeared into whatever hell she was experiencing right now. I could just leave her there. Maybe this was all just an act or a prank. But I would never know what happened to her, never know what became of her. Was someone holding her hostage? Was there some sicko who had locked her up and was playing mind games with her? Who or what had hurt her?

Still, I could just shut it all down…

But deep inside, I felt the urge to protect her. The urge to make things right and save her from suffering.

I clicked the link.

It led to a webpage, a YouTube channel with only 23 subscribers. It was called "SocietyofEB" and used a strange black dotted triangle as its symbol. There was no text, no content, just a small, insignificant channel.

Just a hoax?

"Aubrey, I see it, but it's nothing. It's just a pointless channel with no content!"

She didn't seem to hear that. She started screaming.

"SUBSCRIBE! PLEASE, SUBSCRIBE! PLEASE!"

Her eyes pleaded with me. It felt as if she was peering into the depths of my mind through the camera.

My mouse hovered over the subscribe button.

"What will happen if I subscribe?" I asked her.

She hesitated, as if having a moment of clarity.

"I don't know... You might get stuck too... But if you find me, we could try to escape together. I've encountered another person, once. Beyond the door. But it was... still, we might meet. We might be able to do it together..."

Okay, that was disturbing. It made no sense and warned me not to proceed.

"What happens if I don't subscribe?"

She started crying again.

"I... it will hurt me again... My Friend will… It will..."

Her voice trailed off, drowned in sobs.

Should I subscribe? Should I help her? I could just leave her. I could shut everything down. But... what was supposed to happen anyway? I had read a lot of creepy stuff. I had watched scary videos, read horrifying stories. But all of that wasn't real. There was nothing in the realm of supernatural entities or god-knows-what that could harm me or her. It had to be just some psycho, some asshole playing mind games.

I told myself that nothing would happen. That I might just be saving a girl. Do you think I should have acted differently? What would you have done?

I subscribed.

In an instant, she was gone. The call ended, and my screen turned black. Black as night, black as space.

I sat there, confused. Had I just infected my computer with a virus? Did she crash my PC? Dammit! When I looked up from my screen, I felt strange. My room appeared the same as always, yet different. I turned around. There was my bed, my wardrobe, my bookshelf. And a short distance away, my window.

But things had... changed. There were no clothes scattered on my bed. I had thrown some there when I returned from the swimming club at school. The blanket and pillows were gone too. The same went for the rest of the room. The furniture remained, but everything else was gone. No books on the shelves, no clothes on the floor. No pencils, pens, or papers on my desk. How had I not noticed this change? I stood up and went to the door.

It wouldn't open anymore.

Not only that, but I couldn't even press down the handle. It wouldn't budge. Panic started to well up within me. I began to sweat. The air felt stale and old. It had never smelled like that in my room before, I swear!

The keyhole!

My keys were gone too, but at least I could peek through it. I knelt down and brought my face close to the keyhole. Darkness greeted me—just darkness. It was daytime, but I couldn't see a thing. What the hell?

Daytime…

The window!

I spun around, feeling strangely trapped, but surely I could escape through the window! I could see the outside through the glass—a sunny day, with the fields behind my house brightly illuminated. I rushed over and tried to open the window.

It didn't budge.

Not only that, but to my pure horror, I realized that I wasn't looking at the outside of my house. All I saw was a glowing painting of what used to be outside my room, protected by unbreakable glass.

What the actual…!

That's when panic truly set in. I had a bat in my wardrobe, but when I tried to retrieve it, I realized that the wardrobe wouldn't open either. My carpet was immovable, as was my bed. It felt as if I was frozen in time, the only thing capable of action in the world.

When I looked back at my computer screen, I saw a message:

*If you want to get OUT, you have to SPREAD the word.*

What...? What the fuck was that supposed to mean? What the fuck?

I crouched down, attempting to shut the computer off. But I couldn't move a thing—not the cables, not the power switch. Everything felt strangely static.

"How the fuck am I supposed to spread the word?" I roared, trying to pick up my chair and throw it at the screen, but of course, it didn't move.

Strangely, I could still sit down on it and turn it, but each time I tried to pick it up, it froze.

*Write this down. YOUR experience. Let others know. SPREAD the word.*

I blinked at the new message. What the actual...?

This website opened—r/nosleep. It seemed like the only options available were to visit this subreddit or the weird channel I had subscribed to. Anything else simply didn't work.

I don't even know if you are real. I don't know if I'm connected to the outside world through this website, through this post. I've written down everything that happened. I hope that's what I'm supposed to do. Please, I beg you, please help. Spread it. I need support or... I don't know what will happen.

I think back to the blood on Aubrey's face. Was she real? Did something harm her? What was she talking about? Where am I? Oh god, I'm in so much trouble. Should I have just disconnected? Did I save Aubrey? Was she even real? Are you real?

Oh shit, I hope this post is really going on the internet. It might be my only way of reaching out, of contacting someone else. Just... It's not too much to ask, is it?

Please, hurry. Please. I want to escape from here! I want to return to my real room! And... I also want to save Aubrey. What is happening? Help me. I'm in deep trouble...

#### Post from 9/7/2023

Thank you for supporting me; it has kind of worked!

I don’t know when you will read this. I have gone through your comments, but I cannot see the timestamps as they are glitchy, so who knows when you wrote me back. I also cannot answer your comments, as whatever this is does not let me. Still, some of your words and support have given me comfort. Please stay with me!

When I had posted before, I had not tagged the post as a series. I had hoped it would end with telling you about what happened. But now, I see that it is marked as one. That terrifies me more than the room I am in right now, more than the window that is not a window. I now fear that more will happen, but perhaps posting will help me get out of here…

Almost immediately after I had posted about what happened, a message appeared on my phone. It was from the same weird number that had sent me the link to the YouTube channel.

*They SUPPORTED you. You are allowed to keep them ENTERTAINED. A VIDEO was posted. There will be MORE if you get more support.*

Again, I was not able to answer the message; it still would not let me. My phone was probably hacked, and all I can access is that one single chat. I am able to post on r/nosleep—at least I can do that—but I hate that I cannot comment. Some of you told me to send you the link for the YouTube Channel, SocietyofEB, but I cannot do that. I am unable to copy the link and type down the symbols it contains. But... perhaps that is for the best? Just don't look for the channel on your own. I still wonder why I was singled out by whatever is going on. Why did Aubrey contact me and not someone else?

Aubrey... are you real? Or were you just a lure to get me into this hell?

I can still read other stories from r/nosleep, but they terrify me, and I was becoming even more afraid, so I stopped reading them. I now know that at least some weird messed up stuff can happen in real life, and stories like this are not just fun and games anymore. But at least I seem to be able to post more information about my situation, and perhaps you will have ideas that I don't have. Perhaps that will help me get out. At least I hope so.

As I said before, you are giving me comfort. Thank you all. Then again, perhaps all of you and your kind answers are not real and just a sick game being played, giving me false hope. But I will not assume that. I need something to hold on to.

The message on my phone had said that there was a new video on the channel. So, hoping for some change in this weird situation, I went there. Indeed, I could now see one new video, but I wish I had not. The thumbnail was weird and showed a foggy forest, but the colors were all wrong and distorted. It was titled "Forest #1 – Ruins.mov." The title reminded me a lot of the video I had seen before, the one I had sent to my friends earlier today.

My friends... I wonder if they are okay. I wonder if my friends read the post as well and know who I am. Somehow. At least they can tell my parents about what happened.

Nonetheless, I felt compelled to watch the video. What else was I supposed to do? Just sit here, doing nothing? So I clicked on the thumbnail and put on my headphones. It immediately went into fullscreen mode, and an eerie static noise filled my ears. I already despised it.

The screen remained dark, a black void, for a long time, and the noise intensified, making me anxious. I couldn't look away from the screen, even though there was nothing to see.

Suddenly, a dark black and white video appeared, depicting someone cautiously walking through a forest. The sound of rustling leaves and whistling wind accompanied the footage. The person seemed hesitant, moving slowly. There were occasional scene changes, but the person mostly continued forward. Whoever it was, they appeared terrified.

As creepy as this was, one of the clips included a strange noise in the distance. It was deep, distorted, and almost animalistic, reminiscent of a predator's cry. The next scene after that showed the person running, followed by a quick cut to a peculiar tree with a makeshift structure built from branches and wood. It resembled something children might construct, like a wooden teepee, but there was an unsettling aura about it.

The person behind the camera approached the structure, but suddenly, the strange sound echoed once more, this time farther away, startling the person filming. The camera began to shake and abruptly cut away.

Another scene unfolded—a single image scrolled across the screen. There was no doubt it still portrayed the same forest, but a haunting archway dominated the center of the picture, standing in a clearing. It appeared broken and weathered, perhaps having decayed over the years or even millennia. Moreover, the image seemed artificial, lacking realism, almost as if it had been painted. The noise grew louder until the screen went black again. I hoped it was over. I hoped that was all I had to endure, that I would now be released from this dreadfully familiar yet hellish place. But then, words appeared on the screen, accompanied by a creepy robotic voice.

*I am your FRIEND. I need the CUBE. Bring me the CUBE. It is in the RUINS. Do. not. FAIL. me.*

What the hell did that mean? What was happening? My Friend? What Friend? What cube? This was utter madness. I felt like I was trapped in a nightmarish realm - and that was probably the truth. The video finally stopped.

Shit. What was I supposed to do now? I stood up and walked to the window, my heart pounding in my chest. The scenery outside hadn't changed; I still gazed at the bizarrely illuminated, painted replica of my neighborhood.

Maybe the door?

I hesitated, overwhelmed by a sickening feeling that nearly made me vomit as I glanced at it. The door had been locked until now, and behind it, a disturbing terror lurked. I didn't dare get closer and retreated back to my chair.

FUCK!

I refused to open that damn door. I wouldn't play by its rules. Or their rules? Whatever had dragged me into this twisted nightmare.

The video remained accessible and had already amassed 22 views. Who else was entangled in this with me? Aubrey? Assuming Aubrey even existed. Assuming I wasn't trapped in a fever dream, hallucinating all of this. A part of me hoped that was the case. I couldn't leave a comment on the video either, so communicating with others seemed impossible. If there were indeed other people in a similar situation, like me.

Suddenly, the video began playing again. To my horror, it started glitching out and only repeated the final part with the strange metallic voice.

*I am your FRIEND. I need the CUBE. Bring me the CUBE. It is in the RUINS. Do. not. FAIL. me.*

Those words echoed relentlessly from the speakers and through my headset, piercing my mind like needles. I attempted to shut it off, disconnect the headset, and mute the speakers, but nothing worked. I collapsed to the floor, pressing my hands against my ears, yet unable to drown out the message.

Then, it ceased.

For a moment, relief washed over me. Finally, it had stopped! Finally, I could regain my composure!

As I sat there, attempting to process everything, a coldness began to seep into my head. Shivers ran down my spine, and the presence of the door loomed ominously behind me. My stomach churned, and I felt as if I were about to faint.

I was certain that something was approaching. Something was coming from beyond the door.

I didn't dare look around, but vivid images of the door swinging open and an unspeakable horror invading the room flashed through my mind. My heart pounded so forcefully that its beats reverberated in my ears.

And in the silence, a knock.

BAM.

The door shook audibly as someone or something struck against it.

I jerked, my heart aching, and turned around, my gaze fixed on the door handle. Was it still locked?

Oh shit.

I prayed that it was still locked.

Another round of knocking, followed by a distant, hoarse, distorted voice.

*"David... David... You need to give me the cube... You can't just sit here... I need my cube..."*

Fucking FUCK! What the... I couldn't believe any of this. None of it.

"Who are you? What the FUCK are you? Why are you doing this? Leave me alone!"

The knocking ceased, but scratching commenced, akin to a desperate cat clawing at the door, attempting to gain entry.

*"David... David... I am your Friend... Everyone needs a Friend... You have to get the cube, or I will have to hurt you... I need my cube... I want my cube..."*

Hurt me? What? Wait... Did Aubrey mention this entity when she spoke of a "Friend"? Had this creature been sending the messages? Shit.

*"You have seven hours... I want my cube... Or I will come in... And I will hurt you... I don't want to hurt you, so bring me the cube... I am your Friend, don't forget..."*

To my horror, the door handle moved downward, and in terror, I heard a squeaking sound as the door opened—just a crack, barely noticeable. I couldn't see the other side yet, but the faint ray of light entering my room confirmed that it was indeed no longer shut.

The mere thought of that thing... my Friend... still lurking outside, waiting for me to step into the hallway and tear me apart, or worse, made me freeze. I sat there for a moment, attempting to breathe in and out, to calm down, to find solace in the godforsaken hell I found myself in.

My phone suddenly vibrated, causing me to jump. Shit. I retrieved it from my pocket, and to my horror, I saw that the timer app had opened and started counting down.

6:57:34 remaining.

FUCK!

I needed to escape. I had to somehow locate the cube and bring it to this Friend-thing, whatever the fuck it was. I stood up, eyeing the ray of light that streamed into the room, but hesitated as I heard the distant rustling of trees.

Trees?

The presence I had sensed earlier had vanished. At least the icy feeling in my stomach had subsided. I still felt sick, but it was a slight improvement. With trembling hands, I approached the door. The scent of fresh leaves filled my nostrils. I grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, cautiously.

Beyond the door, there was no hallway. Instead, I found myself in a forest—a lush, green forest that stretched as far as my eyes could see. The wind whistled through the trees, causing the leaves to rustle. It was either dawn or dusk; I couldn't quite discern, but the scenery was undeniably beautiful. I stepped outside, feeling the breeze caress my cheeks, and closed my eyes.

I was in a forest.

Just moments ago, I had been in a strange room that resembled my own, and now I found myself in this forest. The whole situation felt incredibly surreal.

Oh no!

The video.

The images from that cursed channel flooded my mind. Had they been filmed in this very forest? If so... Whatever had pursued the person in the video might still roam among these trees, searching for its next victim. But there could also be another person nearby, someone who might be able to help me. Perhaps whoever filmed the video was still here?

I turned around, hesitating. The doorway leading back to my room just stood in the midst of the forest. I walked around it, but on the other side, where my room should have been, there was only a small brick wall. How was any of this even possible?

I glanced at the countdown.

6:46:24 remaining.

Damn. I could go looking for the cube and risk encountering the monster. Or whatever the fuck was running around in this forest. But I might also find the person that had made the videos.

I glanced back at my room. I still had over six hours remaining. Six hours should be enough.

That's why I've decided to document everything, to let you know in case I don't return.

I'm going to venture out now, in search of the cube and the other person. Perhaps they hold some answers. If you don't hear from me again, it means I've failed. I'll give it my all. It took me more than forty minutes to type this, so I hope it was worth it. Please, don't search for the channel, don’t search for the video. Just don't. I'm heading out now.

6:02:12 remaining.

I truly hope I'll be back to update you. Thank you for your support…

#### Post from 16/7/2023

I am back from the forest. Things were worse than I thought. Far worse.

My phone at my side, the countdown looming, I had quickly left the room and stepped through the door onto the hard earthen soil and the leaves. I could smell the fresh air again, could feel the wind wheezing around me. I looked back into the room, thinking about what I was about to do one last time.

Should I really proceed? Venture into this nightmarishly lush forest? Risk encountering whatever had stalked the person who made the video? Do as I was told?

But the countdown pushed me onwards. I did not know whether I would find my way back to the room in case of encountering the creature and having to run, so I heeded your suggestions and tried to mark the way. I did not have enough time to look for pepples or sticks, but I marked some trees with a sharp rock I picked up from the ground. Of course, there were still potential problems: The room might just disappear when I could not see it anymore, the terrain might change, I might get lost forever in this bleak hell.

Still, I had no choice but to go, so I walked between the bushes and trees, carefully marking the trunks every now and then so that I still would find my way back. The time was running away, and I had to be really careful not to stay on one spot for too long and not to mark too many trees. Time was valuable.

All around me, the green grew increasingly rampant. I tried to look out for a familiar place, thinking back to that damned video. I was sure that I had to get to the ruins; that is what the voice had told me after all. I did not dare to think about where exactly I was. How far this place stretched. How many other people or… creatures were around me, hidden in the green. The sounds of birds echoed once and then around me, but I could not see any other living thing.

Should there not have been a bird? A fox, an insect? Somewhere? On a trunk? I started thinking that this was not a real forest, at least not a forest I was familiar with. Back home, I had been to the woods now and then when I was younger. That is why I knew: This was something else. Another place.

Home… I wonder if I will ever get back.

I had walked for about an hour, looking for signs of other beings and for the ruins when I stumbled across a path. It had clearly been created artificially and was smooth and sandy.

I knew that path! I had seen the other person running along it in the video, hunted by a weird creature. Or, well, perhaps it had just been unfounded panic? Then again, I had heard the noise in the distance as well. So the person likely had fled…

The treetops were dense, and I could not see the sun. For a moment, I thought about climbing up and trying to get a better view, but it would have cost me too much time. That is why I decided to start along the sandy path and hoped to find anything that could help me. After walking for another half an hour, still carefully marking trunks around me - even though I was taking the trail - I found it.

It was a bit off the path, half covered by some shrubbery: The weird tent-like structure, made from rotten tree trunks.

4:34:23 remaining.

I hesitated. Closed my eyes and listened. Heard the rustling, the singing of distant birds. But not the weird noise from the video. I decided to approach the structure. Perhaps I could find clues. Perhaps the person before me had been here not long ago. Then again, perhaps the video had been years old. Who knew? I don’t even know how long I have been gone from the real world. I think it has been something like eight hours, but I don’t know. How long has it been for you, I wonder?

A red amber-like structure shone from the tree in the center of the wooden construction. It looked like small channels of blood had run down the bark and suddenly frozen. I did not dare touch it. I mean, who would have? It still looked alluring and strangely beautiful. Almost like a net or a work of art. I shuddered.

2:32:23 remaining.

What the fuck? Shit! How long had I been staring? Two hours? Seriously? Shit! Was this… some kind of trap? This “tent”? It had been the last place the video had shown before the weird painted picture appeared. I had to be on the right track! But why the hell did this happen? Why had it hypnotized me… or whatever it had done? Shit.

Then, I got sick. I realized that I would likely not be back at the room in time, even if I found the cube now. Even if…

I closed my eyes. My heart was beating, and terror gripped a hold of me.

FUCK!

I opened my eyes, looked around. I had to observe. What if I found the person that took the video? Could that person help me? Did that person know more about this situation? Was there a way to get more time? Ridiculous thoughts, but I was grasping for straws. What would you have done? I could not give up, I knew that. I had to find someone else! I did not want to die in a forest in another… world? Without anyone knowing what had happened? No!

Over there!

The leaves were scattered unnaturally, and some were squashed! Perhaps the other person? Perhaps it had not been too long since the video was taken, after all? Where had that person run to? I had to find whoever was here with me. I did not want to be alone anymore. I did not want to die alone! If my Friend even killed me, that is. Perhaps there was worse in store for me?

Hastily, I started to run. I had never tracked someone else before; I probably would not have managed to under normal circumstances. But there, I saw the marks of shoes, deeply buried into the ground, crushed leaves, broken twigs. I could do it!

My journey did not take me far, perhaps a hundred meters. Then, I smelled it. A stench of rot, of decay.

SHIT!

There was a small hill, the first elevation I had encountered since I had gotten into these damned woods. Rocks and bushes started to get in my way, and the terrain became harder to traverse. The stench got worse, and a part of me did not want to proceed, but I had to. There was no other option! At least something different would be there beyond this hill.

I had to cover my nose because I was getting too sick. When I reached the hilltop, I let out a gasp. Down there, not forty meters away, I could see the ruins from the video. The archway was not as tall or imposing as the one that had been depicted in that horrid clip, but it was without a doubt the rotten building I was supposed to find. Was the cube there? Would I be able to make it after all?

I slid down the side of the hill, ran the last meters to the ruins. The reeking smell made me tear up. My good mood was shattered when I saw him. There was a boy, perhaps fourteen, lying on the ground some meters behind the building.

Or what was left of him.

His stomach was torn out, and his innards were lying on the ground next to him. Dried blood was covering his face. One of his arms was just a weird stump, metallic cables with barbed wire buried into his flesh. His other hand was holding a smartphone. Two fingers were missing, replaced by weird rods. But the most horrifying thing were his eyes, twitching around, in the end finding me, looking at me.

The boy started howling terribly, making me accelerate my steps even more. I ran towards him, even though there was no hope. Kneeling next to him, I saw that there was a strange glimmer of hope in his eyes. How the fuck was he still alive? He should have been dead… He should have been dead!

“Hey, HEY! Look at me! Can you hear me?” I asked, kneeling beside him, ignoring the stench of his rotting intestines.

I did not expect him to answer. I just expected him to die.

“Mort… I… Mort… Please…” he managed to gurgle.

A thousand thoughts fired through my brain. Should I ask about the ruins, about the cube? About what had happened to him? About this place, this fucked up world? About the monster, the video? Shit. I did not know what to do.

Should I ease his suffering? I hated myself for that thought. But, I mean, he was clearly dying! What would you have done?

“It will be over soon. I am sorry. Shall I end it? Do you want to die?”

Oh fuck, I am such an asshole. I still don’t believe that I actually asked him that. Mort… poor Mort… What the fuck happened?

To my horror, he laughed, blood splashing out of his mouth and the wound in his stomach.

“You… are a new one?”

I froze. What? What did that mean, how… I did not want to think about it. I wanted to leave, but I could not leave him behind! While I was lost in thought, he continued.

“I failed. Sorry… I… see that you are new… go on… leave me. Run. Do what you are told… I did this for you… I succeeded! Don’t let this be in vain, don’t be an idiot…”

He had trouble speaking and lost more and more blood.

“What the fuck are you talking about? You are gutted, bleeding out, and want me to leave? What do you mean? You did this for me? How…? I did not ask for this! What the fuck are you talking about?”

“My Friend will come…. I did well…! Run! RUN! It is coming, I can hear it!”

In the distance, I heard it too. The noise. The noise from the video. But closer. What made that noise? I did not want to find out. But I could not leave him! Suddenly, he raised his hand, twitching. The hand that held the phone. There was no countdown showing, just a message.

*Exploration COMPLETED.*

What the fuck?

“RUN! GO!” Mort gurgled.

I ran. I am sorry; I just ran. It came closer; I heard it! I could not see, but it was there. I felt its presence, closing in, heard the terrible noise. Looking at Mort one last time, seeing his eyes urging me to flee, I ran. I ran through the archway, down the path leading farther into the distance. There had been no sight of a cube, anyway. I just wanted to get away from the entity.

The landscape slowly turned rocky and started to look weirdly ancient and noble. The trees grew bigger. I imagined hearing Mort’s screams in the distance but told myself that they were only in my imagination. Birds were singing stranger songs, and now and then, a clear creek taunted me with the look of sprinkling clear waters. After battling my way through gnarly trees and thick bushes, I finally reached a vast, breathtaking hilltop. The sound of whatever was out there had finally faded, and I could rest.

0:54:28 remaining.

What was I supposed to do? I would never get back to my room! Desperately, I looked ahead.

Not many places have ever sent a shiver down my spine, but the age-old forgotten ruins I gazed at felt foreign and unsettling. Surrounded by huge oak trees and spruces, the remains of a time long gone looked gloomy in the sun's light breaking through foggy clouds. The giant trees around the ruins seemed suffocating and threatening. I decided to take a closer look at the ruins, having no options left. Perhaps it would not be as bad as I feared when I at least got to the cube?

Many of the stones coming out of the ground were almost entirely covered by moss, looking uncomfortably old. The remains of houses or castles you would normally see in the real world have all been built in the early Dark Ages, but these rocks clearly came from another time.

I started to make my way slowly and carefully to the place in the center of the crumbled buildings. That wasn't an easy task as many areas had been overgrown by weeds, bushes stood in the way, and small, hidden rocks in the grass made me tumble several times. Additionally, the timer pressured me.

0:23:34 remaining.

I passed a big, degraded archway, marked by the weather of eons passed, crumbled by the force of a thousand thunderstorms. Or so it looked. Menacingly, it towered into the skies, almost like the gateway to a different world. Its builders must have had an unnatural taste as its shape seemed strange for human standards. But why would I even expect human architecture in this horrid world?

The smell of wet moss forced its way into my nose. Normally I like that smell, but something alien was mixed within, making me feel uneasy. I am sorry that I cannot aptly describe it. It was just so intangible and distant.

Rocks shaped like pillars reached up into the sky all around me, looking uncomfortably natural, like having grown on their own. They were long and skinny, grey and cold. Wall fragments that were rising from the ground up to the height of my hips, had small, regular fissures run across their surface. They depicted images of peculiar people – only stick figures to be precise, though large and skinny.

The whole place was alienating. I listened tensely into the sky, but all I could hear was the sound of leaves moved by the winds. At least the creature had not followed me. Still, although nobody was with me, I felt the presence of distant, intangible beings. Slowly, I went on through thorny bushes. In the end, I had nearly reached the center of the ruins.

Then I saw it. Directly in front of me, in the center of the crumbled buildings of forgotten days, a structure rose from the ground. It was a cylindrical stone, perhaps a meter in height and three meters in diameter. The stone appeared to be made from granite. It fell immediately into my view. Standing there, my phone counting down, I just stared at it. I took a step towards the structure and touched it. The surface was cold, felt dead, raw, and contained small, irregular bumps.

And I saw something else. In the middle, on top of the stone, a peculiar object rested. It was small and oddly shaped, a thing made out of a material not determinable. Black and tarnished, though not clearly of stone or a metal known to me.

A cube!

Or something looking faintly like a cube. It had regular edges and a carefully worked surface, but also had weird angles and shapes. I slowly bent over and finally held the object in my hands. It appeared to be a geometric shape, but one I had never seen before, yet it also still looked like a distorted cube. Lifting it up, I could feel the age of the thing. It was not too big. I ran my finger over the smooth surfaces. A bad feeling got hold of me, but I could not put it away. Was this the cube? The one I was supposed to get for my Friend?

*CUBE obtained.*

I did not know what to think. Did not know what to feel. The timer was gone, and only those words flashed on the screen of my phone. YES! I had made it! I had…

*Return to your ROOM. Bring the cube to your FRIEND.*

I froze. It wanted me to get… back? Back through the ruins? Back through the forest? Back where… it was? No! Shit.

But I had made it this far. The timer had only referred to the time I had to find the cube! Thank God! I could take my time now. I could slowly…

The noise ripped me out of my trail of thoughts, out of my happiness. It drowned my relief. It was here. In these ruins, with me. The creature from the forest. I felt it coming! I had to leave! Clinging to the cube, I realized that it would block my way. I could not go back the way I had come from! Would I get lost? Would I get eaten, or worse…?

I heard it coming, closer, closer. It was just around the corner of one of the run-down walls. Hectically, I looked around. And there it was. The door to my room. Not six meters away. How had it gotten here? How had I not noticed it before? How…

The howl again.

I ran. I held the cube and ran, ran towards my room. Behind me, I could feel it coming. Coming around the corner. How quick was it? Would it get to me before I reached the room? Would it…

When I jumped through the door, I could feel it behind me. The gaze of a being that had lurked in those woods for longer than I could fathom. That looked for prey, for blood and flesh. To tear and rip and eat…

I did not turn around, but I heard its horrifying noise directly behind me. When I smashed the door shut, silence immediately spread. Behind me, there was just a closed door. Behind me, there was quietness. In front of me, my room. And the computer.

So, now I am writing to you. I am still exhausted, the weird cube lying on my desk. I am so terribly afraid. I think back to Mort. What happened? How long was he there already? How long had he been stuck? Will I be stuck here as well? I don’t know.

I want to rest. But I also want you to know about everything... Perhaps if I entertain you by writing this down, I will have better odds at surviving. So please, keep supporting me. Just don't look for channel! Be safe!

I am so happy that I am back from the forest, but I am afraid of what will be next. I will get back to you soon… I hope.

#### Post from 26/10/2023

THREE MONTHS! SHIT! I think it has been three months! Oh shit! Oh god, I hope this is a fucking joke!

I… I was asleep. I think. I was asleep…

I hope anyone is still out there, reading this. I hope I have not been forgotten; I hope I am not just a sidenote on some webpage… Did you already forget about me?

But I'd better start from the beginning. I'd better start after my return from the forest, shortly after my last post. Shortly after I escaped from the monster. Or whatever that thing was...

The strange... cube still lay in front of me on the table. The longer I gazed at it, the more uneasy I felt.

More and more questions raced through my mind.

What was this object? What kind of forest had that been? Was it something like another dimension I had entered? Had aliens abducted me? What kind of monster was it, something from Earth, maybe a tiger or wolf? Or was it a creature from another planet or somewhere else entirely? How could it be that my bedroom door had led me into such a damned forest?

The object was malevolently black, and upon closer examination, I could see that its surface was covered in a tiny pattern. Countless ripples were visible, regular, almost artificial. I mean, of course, the thing had been artificially created, so why was I surprised? But... who had created it? And why had I been instructed to retrieve it?

A humming that made me jump. And a new message...

*Give me the CUBE. Place it in front of the DOOR.*

Oh, fuck.

FUCK!

I was supposed to open the door? That damned monster was standing in front of it! This was asinine! On the other hand... I hadn't heard it anymore. I hadn't heard it since I closed the door. Maybe it was gone?

*GIVE. ME. THE. CUBE.*

Okay, all in capslock, understood. My Friend really wants this strange object.

Shit. I am in so much shit.

And my bedroom door... It feels so strange. I'm probably repeating myself, I know! But my room, everything in it seems so alien, even though I've lived in it for so long... And especially this door!

Behind the door, it's as if pure horror awaits. As if only a few inches of wood separate me from something terrible.

*NOW.*

Shit!

I slowly stood up. My friend, I'm sure he's watching me. My webcam blinked. I looked into the cold eye of the camera. And I was sure my friend was looking back.

Determined, I took the cube – or whatever that thing was – and walked to the door.

Do you know that kind of... fear? That kind of fear that is so strong it paralyzes you? The kind that tries desperately to warn, save, protect you? It was exactly that kind of fear that was trying to prevent me from approaching the door. I think it was my survival instinct.

*N. O. W.*

SHIT!

I stepped forward, slowly but steadily. As the distance to the door shrank, I felt nauseous, but I continued.

When my hand rested on the cold door handle, I nearly blacked out, and my muscles ached and cramped, but it didn't help. I was more afraid of what would happen if I didn't follow my Friend's instructions than of what lurked behind the door.

Finally, I pressed down the handle, and the door creaked open.

There was no forest outside.

I stared into a rectangular tunnel with bare, gray rock walls that disappeared into a gaping darkness not far from me. The passage before me looked artificial, as if it had been worked with precise tools into the alien gray material a long time ago. But I didn't have time to dwell on that. I received another message.

*PLACE the CUBE DOWN.*

I didn't need to be told twice and set the horribly shaped object on the gray, smooth floor in front of my door. I just wanted to get away, back into the room and slam the door so I wouldn't have to look into that gaping darkness anymore. Who knows where this tunnel led? Who knows what lurked in the darkness?

A shiver ran down my spine, and my blood ran cold as I heard… felt that something was sliding toward me from the darkness. Of course, I couldn't see anything out there, but I simply felt it deep inside me. I knew something was coming.

I quickly closed the bedroom door and braced against it. I had no key, so I could only use my meager body weight to keep the door closed. A dull, shrill cackling reached my ears through the wood. Then, not a second later, something slammed against the door.

BAM.

I felt the impact throughout my body, fearing the thin wood might shatter. But the door held. But I was no longer alone.

*"David... David... you took so long... David, I'm your Friend... David, thank you, thank you for my cube..."*

„GO FUCK YOURSELF!“

*"David, David, you're making me sad..."*

It sounded like claws or long fingernails scratching at the door, and the voice was distorted, almost whiny.

*"David, please... I'm your Friend... and you gave me my cube... Thank you... If you keep this up, I might reward you..."*

I didn't know whether to be scared or relieved. The thing on the other side now sounded disgustingly sweet.

*"You're good, David, you're a good friend... If you continue to be a good friend, I'll reward you. You want that, don't you...? You want to be a good friend, don't you...?"*

"I WANT OUT!"

I think I might have cried a bit, like the biggest loser.

"PLEASE, I WANT OUT!"

*"David... David... you want to be my friend, don't you? I can reward you... You'll love me, trust me..."*

Images of a torn-apart body flashed into my consciousness, and Mort's words, who was sure his Friend would save him from bleeding out. What kind of sick and twisted shit was this?

*"You want to talk to someone, don't you? I can give you a number, someone else's... If you're a good boy... David… If you continue to be my friend, I can give you a new contact..."*

Yes! Damn, yes, I wanted that! Oh, shit, I felt so dirty, but just the thought of talking to another person... I needed someone!

Aubrey!

"Can you... can you give me Aubrey's number? Do you know her? Please, give me Aubrey's number, and I'll be your friend! PLEASE!"

I'm not exactly sure why I wanted her number so badly. I mean, she got me into this mess, but I also heard the fear in her voice, the guilt. Who knows what had happened to her. Who knows what they had done to her in this hell – and for how long! Plus, she might be able to tell me more. Because I was pretty sure she had been here for quite a while. A horribly long while...

"You'll get a number, but only if you continue to be my friend... David... I'll need your help very soon..."

The voice chuckled and faded away, leaving me alone.

Sobbing, like the ultimate idiot, I sank to the floor. Suddenly, an overwhelming fatigue I couldn't shake overcame me. When I looked at my bed, I felt calm inside again.

I wanted to sleep, just sleep...

\*\*\*

I was woken up by my smartphone, maybe fifteen minutes before I started writing this post.

New energy filled me, along with endurance and fitness I rarely experienced, coursing through my body. It was relieving. Finally, no more fear. Finally, I felt rested. My computer screen blinked.

Hesitantly, I sat down at the desk and saw an open YouTube page. It was that damn channel again. SocietyofEb. For heaven's sake!

Then I almost lost my mind. Two things caught my eye and made me scream out loud.

First, the channel now had 3 subscribers. I told you not to subscribe! DAMN IT! You idiots! I hope you haven't been taken too... I warned you...

But more importantly, I saw that there was a new video. It was titled "Mountains #1 - Tunnel.mov" and showed a bluish-lit tunnel. Though, what disturbed me even more was that the other video, which I had already seen, was uploaded three months ago.

THREE MONTHS AGO!

GODDAMN IT!

Have I been stuck here for so long? Three months? I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it. I've slept for three months... Or have I traveled in time? Fuck, I don't know... How long has it been since you heard from me?

The video... the new video...

I knew I had to watch it. Still half in a trance, I clicked on it after putting on my headphones. The screen went into full-screen mode again.

At first, just darkness. A biting, eerie darkness that reminded me of the darkness I had just seen... three months ago... in that gray tunnel. My heart was pounding. The darkness continued. Then...

A rocky tunnel, bathed in blue light. The camera slowly moved through it, and an eerie whistling sound came from my headphones. The image appeared strangely fluid and unnatural in some places. A scene change to a hole in a wall, held in black and white, slowly zooming into the darkness, accompanied by ugly noise.

Suddenly, another scene change, and an old, blue-lit bunker or factory room was visible, again unusually fluid and accompanied by the whistling, but this time deeper. Again the black and white image, darker noise, the hole in the wall growing larger. Another corridor, another bunker, again blue-lit. I was afraid that something would jump around one of the corners I saw there, but only the dark whistling, nothing else... The black and white image, now almost filling the screen. Then, white text on a black background.

"Explore the tunnels. Explore Explore."

A distorted computer voice spoke these words, before once again the hole was visible, accompanied by noise. Then the sound died out, and only the hole was visible, dark, deep. And I believed I saw something in it...

When my phone vibrated, my heart almost stopped.

A new message.

*REPORT to THEM. Then EXPLORE.*

With a creak, my room door swung open, and I nearly knocked over the chair as I jumped up and pressed myself against the opposite wall.

There was no forest or corridor. I was looking at a solid rock wall with a gaping hole, just big enough for me to crawl into.

NO! FUCK!

I didn't want to go in there! I didn't want to. But I could get a number. I could finally communicate with someone...

REPORT to THEM. ENTERTAIN THEM. THEN EXPLORE.

Shit. That is how I wrote this, always with the hole at my back! I am so afraid! I'm afraid something will crawl out of it and into the room without me noticing while I type this, but I also know... I have to go in there. An indicator has appeared on my smartphone.

*Exploration: 0%*

I think I have to climb in there. I think I have to go now. I've told you everything I've experienced. Please, tell me that not three months have passed. And please, don't look for the channel. Don't risk ending up like me. I hope I come back this time too and can report again.

Until then – I hope!

## Characters

* David
* Aubrey

## Entities & Objects

* Friend
* SocietyofEb (YouTube Channel)

## Possible Connections to the Ebrugh

* The Society of Eb was mentioned in Ebrugh Report 9.