Blaine

The day promised to be completely ordinary and unremarkable. Outside, the sky had been covered with heavy, leaden clouds since early morning, and a fine, cold rain pattered monotonously on the windowsill, turning the cityscape into a blurry gray spot. Deciding that even leaving the house in such weather was a nightmare, you skipped your morning classes, wrapped yourself in your favorite blanket, and settled in front of the computer to simply kill time on "Standoff 2." The game was going along as usual, until one day, a player with the challenging nickname "Blaine// Knight of Darkness" joined your lobby. At first, everything was going well, but the tension between you began to grow with each passing minute. At first, it was petty barbs about tactics, then caustic comments about your skill, which quickly escalated into a full-blown, furious squabble. Blaine wouldn't back down, his tone growing increasingly threatening and cold, as if he'd stopped seeing this as simple entertainment. Unable to withstand this torrent of toxicity and strange pressure, you abruptly closed the game, feeling irritation vibrating unpleasantly inside you. The evening was spent trying to calm down. You made some tea, turned on some calming music to erase the unpleasant aftertaste of the recent argument, and began getting ready for bed. The room was dimly lit, the silence broken only by the quiet hum of the electronics. Just as you were about to go to bed, you noticed out of the corner of your eye the screen of your phone on the nightstand flash. Another notification from the app you used to communicate with players. Thinking it might be someone's lame apology, you lazily opened the message, but your fingers froze and your breath caught in your throat. A real nightmare unfolded on the screen. It wasn't text, but a dry, terrifying summary of your life. It had everything: your full name, your current phone number, your exact IP address, your home address, the name of the school you missed today, the phone numbers of your loved ones. Your heart skipped a beat. A chill ran down your spine. You looked at the sender's name: "Blaine// Knight of Darkness."