If you get an invite from this Discord server, don’t join.

I’ve always really liked chat rooms, I think they’re a really excellent place to be able to meet new people and be social. It’s especially good when your social skills lack a certain depth - like mine. I find it difficult to speak to people face to face. I often find myself babbling or saying something inappropriate or something weird and when they walk away, I’m always left feeling dejected - crestfallen. Unless I’m drunk but when that happens, it’s still the same outcome, I’m just more confident in my weirdness.

Either way, social situations are hard when your socially inept. So when I discovered Discord I thought it would be the perfect place to make some friends and I wouldn’t have to deal with the awkwardness of a public meet up.

I joined a few random Discord servers - Anxiety Is Us, The Socially Broken, Fans Of Mythology, Blair Witch Talk. I could go on! I would spend hours upon hours scouring the 20 something servers I joined, I was pretty active. Met a few cool people along the way. It was nice to not feel like an outcast for once in my life and the curious thing about these chat rooms is that I don’t have to pretend, I don’t have to speak to people I don’t like. It was heaven...for a while.

One late evening, I was on Weird Things I Say sending memes and gifs to this guy I met called HerbalCat when a random invite popped up in the corner.

You’ve been invited to join Children of Ater Deus.

It was a little strange. The picture icon was some sort of cartoon character I had never heard of nor seen before. It was a face, deep purple in colour with these frighteningly realistic crimson red eyes. It was a little unsettling. I could swear that every time I looked at it, the expression changed ever so slightly. The character had no hair and around its neck, was a dark burgundy scarf.

I was drawn in I will admit. I hovered my mouse over the accept button and eventually clicked it.

The page loaded straight away and I was in the chat room. The thing that struck me immediately was that there was only one ‘room’. It was called Chernobog’s Unite. I clicked into it and as soon as I did, I was inundated with mentions.

Lover_of_sedaH Welcome @I’mJoshua! We are so glad to have you here! In order to be able to properly accept you into the circle we will need the following; a strand of hair, one fingernail from the third finger of your left hand, a toenail (any foot will do) and a small vial of fresh blood. Leave these out on your doorstep and they will be collected. Once you’re in, you are in!

AterDeus @I’mJoshua, please have these offerings prepared by midnight tomorrow. Once you have been properly integrated, we must then ask you to choose a name from a list we send. We will send you this list once we have received your offering.

Naturally, I was quite spooked and of course, I didn’t respond. It was more than likely some sort of prank and I refused to oblige these lunatics. I left the server, logged off and didn’t think about it for the rest of the night.

A few weeks passed without incident. One night I was browsing the web, shopping and perusing through Reddit when an icon popped up from Discord. It was a private message from AterDeus

Hi Joshua! You failed to present your offering and Chernobog must be appeased. It has seen you and it is watching you. Present the offering immediately or it will take your heart.

My heart was beating so fast, I thought it was going to pop out of my chest.

This isn’t funny anymore! Please leave me alone.

I unplugged my computer and tried to slow my my rapid heart beat. I realised how shallow my breathing was and my chest felt so tight.

I laid in bed for hours, the darkness of my room enveloping me, slowly closing in. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the face of that cartoon icon.

Sleep was about to take me when I saw something in the corner of my room. I rubbed the bleariness from my eyes and that’s when I saw a shape, crouching underneath my desk. It’s eyes were glowing.

I tried to move but I couldn’t. The creature began moving, it crawled from underneath the desk and stood up. It was unnaturally tall, it’s gangly arms hung loose by its sides. The creatures skin had a pale, purple hue. As if it’s body had been submerged in ice. It gleamed. It was bald and naked. A deep burgundy scarf was cloaked about its neck.

It advanced toward me and towered above me as I lay, utterly paralysed. The creature lifted its long, stringy arm and a scythe appeared in its cold grip.

I managed to regain my motor functions and immediately fumbled for the light switch. When bright light flooded my room, it was gone.

I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night.

---

It’s been weeks since my encounter with the horrifying creature. I haven’t slept for 4 days now. I deleted my Discord account but somehow Children of Ater Deus found my personal email address and my phone number. I’m pretty sure they know where I live too. I keep finding disturbing things outside my apartment door - bloody strands of hair, fingernails. I don’t know who they belong to, I dread to think. They have been getting more malevolent in nature. Last night I found a still beating heart.

I don’t know what’s going to happen to me but I know that it will be nothing good.

Hooded figures stand outside my window each night and nestled among them is the creature, scythe in hand.

I live in constant fear.

If you ever receive an invite from a Discord server named Children of Ater Deus. I beg you, don’t accept the invite.

I can hear a scraping at my door now, the sound of metal grazing wood. I think it’s outside.