Jean got home, threw his backpack onto his bed, and booted up his laptop. It had been a rough day, and all he wanted now was to chill with his squad on Discord. The usual notification dinged, and he saw the familiar icons of his friends lighting up in their group chat: "Otaku Lair."
He adjusted his headset, clicked on the voice channel, and waited for the banter to kick off.@AnimeLover21 (Evan): "Yo, what up, degenerates? 💀"@MilfHunter (Luca): "Chillin'. Just got roasted by my mom for watching Attack on Titan. Apparently, giants eating people isn't 'dinnertime material.'"@HentaiMaster69 (Ty): "Pfft, moms don't understand. Gotta get her on some wholesome Fruits Basket or something. Anyway, y'all gotta check this out."A link appeared in the chat, tagged from Ty. It was a TikTok link, with a cryptic title that just read: "WTF??! Real??"@RemSimp4Lyf (Jean): "Bruh, this better not be one of those dumb prank videos. Last time you sent something, it was that toilet monster prank, and I nearly pissed myself."@HentaiMaster69 (Ty): "Nah, fam, this is different. Just watch. 🧟♂️ Trust me."Jean clicked the link, the video loading up TikTok. It showed a guy, maybe in his twenties, holding his phone in selfie mode as he talked frantically. His face was pale, his eyes wide and darting around nervously."Dude, I don't know what's happening, but something bit me," the guy on the video whispered, lifting his arm to reveal a gnarly bite wound. Blood smeared around the teeth marks, and he looked like he was on the verge of passing out. "I think... I think it was a person. They came out of nowhere and just bit me. I don't feel right..."He started swaying, his face turning even paler, as if he was about to collapse. Just then, the screen shook as if the camera had been dropped, and a blur of motion followed—a blood-curdling scream, and then darkness.@AnimeLover21 (Evan): "Holy shit! Is that... is that supposed to be real?"@MilfHunter (Luca): "Nah, that's gotta be fake. No way someone's out there getting bit like that. We're not in Highschool of the Dead, my dudes."@RemSimp4Lyf (Jean): "For real, though, that bite looked nasty as hell. What if he just got into a fight or something?"@HentaiMaster69 (Ty): "Dunno, man. Looked way too real for that. You saw how freaked out he was? I'm telling you, it's sus."@JesterKing69 (Jordan): "Okay, so, we're thinking it's real or nah? Cuz that was some The Walking Dead shit right there."As the group argued about the video, a new user joined the chat, their name highlighted in a bright blue.@LordKagome: "Gentlemen. I have removed the video due to improper categorization. Please keep all 'horror' content in the designated #horror-anime channel. This is #general, thank you."Jean rolled his eyes as soon as he saw the username. Lord Kagome, the server's mod, was notorious for his strict enforcement of rules. He was also the type of guy who, according to rumor, lived in his mom's basement, wore a fedora, and thought of himself as a "protector of anime culture."@MilfHunter (Luca): "Bro, come on. It was just a video."@LordKagome: "Rules are rules. If you cannot adhere to them, then perhaps this server is not the right place for you."@AnimeLover21 (Evan): "Dude, it was literally just a TikTok link. Relax."@HentaiMaster69 (Ty): "Yeah, bro, tip your fedora elsewhere. We're just chilling."@LordKagome: "You children think everything is a joke. I am only trying to maintain order. If I let one horror video slide, where does it end? Chaos would ensue. This is not the Wild West."@RemSimp4Lyf (Jean): "Come on, man. We just thought it was interesting. It's not hurting anyone."LordKagome didn't respond right away. A few seconds passed before he replied, with a slightly altered tone.@LordKagome: "Interesting, yes. But also likely a hoax. People are so quick to believe in nonsense these days. I am here to ensure that only proper, relevant content is shared. Now, if there is nothing else..."With that, LordKagome logged off the voice chat, leaving the boys groaning in frustration.@JesterKing69 (Jordan): "Man, that guy's the worst. He acts like he's running some anime military operation."@AnimeLover21 (Evan): "Straight up neckbeard energy. Like, bro, calm down. This isn't that deep."@HentaiMaster69 (Ty): "Bet he's in his basement right now, polishing his katanas and whispering to his anime body pillow. 'M'lady...'"The whole group cracked up, knowing that Ty had nailed the description. LordKagome was infamous on the server for his fedora-wearing, rule-enforcing antics, and they'd all had run-ins with him before. The guy treated Discord like his kingdom, his sacred duty to keep it "pure."@RemSimp4Lyf (Jean): "Anyway, back to that video. Do y'all think that was just a hoax or...?"@MilfHunter (Luca): "I dunno, man. It looked legit. But also, people can do crazy stuff with special effects nowadays. It could just be some dude clout-chasing."@JesterKing69 (Jordan): "Yeah, but the way it got taken down so quick? Feels kinda... I dunno... sketchy."They sat in silence for a moment, considering the possibility that maybe, just maybe, the video was real. They'd seen their fair share of weird videos online, but something about this one—its abrupt disappearance, the shaky camera, the guy's terrified expression—had struck a nerve.@AnimeLover21 (Evan): "Alright, let's say it's real. What the hell are we supposed to do about it? Like, what if there are, like, actual zombies out there?"@HentaiMaster69 (Ty): "We'd probably be screwed, let's be real. None of us can run for shit, and the only guy who knows anything about fighting is Lord Kagome and his katanas."@JesterKing69 (Jordan): "Honestly, we'd be so dead. The 'Virgin Squad' gets taken out in the first wave of the apocalypse. Headlines practically write themselves."@MilfHunter (Luca): "Speak for yourself. I'd be the one to survive by faking my way through it. Find a chick, act like I'm the hero. Easy."@RemSimp4Lyf (Jean): "Luca, you'd be cringe-acting the whole time, and the girl would probably feed you to the zombies just to get away."@MilfHunter (Luca): "Nah, nah. I got the moves. When it's life or death, they'd see my real charm."@AnimeLover21 (Evan): "Luca, your 'charm' is why every girl you've ever tried to talk to in real life has ghosted you."They all laughed, knowing how true it was. As much as Luca tried to play the cool guy, he was notorious for his awkward attempts to flirt. The jokes continued, each of them coming up with ridiculous scenarios of how they'd fare in a zombie apocalypse.@RemSimp4Lyf (Jean): "Okay, but seriously. What if this is actually happening? I mean, weird stuff has been going on lately. I saw some news about people acting strange downtown."@HentaiMaster69 (Ty): "So what? If it's real, we bunker down. Grab some supplies, play some Resident Evil to get hyped, and see what happens. We've got the internet—at least until it goes down."@JesterKing69 (Jordan): "Real talk, though. If it does go down, we're heading over to Lord Kagome's place. Bet he's got a zombie survival kit ready to go."@MilfHunter (Luca): "True, but he'd probably make us fill out a waiver just to enter. Dude would try to make the apocalypse a Discord server with fifty channels for each survival skill."They laughed, half-nervous, half-excited by the idea. Even though they knew the chances of a real-life zombie apocalypse were slim, the possibility had sparked something in each of them—a mix of fear and thrill at the thought of escaping their mundane lives.As they wrapped up their conversation, a chill settled over them. They'd joked about it, laughed about it, but deep down, each of them felt a strange sense of unease.@RemSimp4Lyf (Jean): "Guess we'll just keep an eye out for more vids. If this thing's real, we'll know soon enough."Q: Do you know a discord mod like LordKagome?