Lisa Stone - Stalker

His best pal Lee initiated a pop-up chat box and they exchanged a few messages about their days. Lee’s mother had remarried and the new baby demanded an unreasonable amount of attention so wanting to make it up to Lee (read: ingratiate himself) his stepfather had upgraded Lee’s computer and then left him alone. Their community was full of TBIAs: teenagers bribed into absence.

Having chatted with Lee, Jackson said hi to a few others he knew and then another message from Lee appeared. We’ve just lost a member, you interested? Attached was a piece of code that Jackson recognized as coming from the dark web.

Yes! he returned straightaway.

I’ll tell the group to expect you. Go in the main gates and you’ll be shown to The Charter of Secrecy where you need to sign. See you on the other side!

Thanks, man. On my way!

Jackson felt his pulse quicken as he copied and pasted the code into the browser, working on a specially adapted external drive to get around the security controls on the laptop itself. He knew such organizations existed, buried deep in the dark web; he also knew they were by invitation only, and you didn’t speak about them to anyone outside. He felt very privileged. This was where cyberspace met the real world and fantasy and reality collided. Once you were in, there was no going back and he was more than ready for the challenge.

Suddenly his computer screen filled with an interactive image of a massive iron gate, beyond which lay a Transylvanian type castle. The sound was on and he heard the gate creak open. An avatar appeared with his name on it. Cool. His excitement and anticipation increased. He began moving the avatar up the path towards the castle, flanked by barren and desolate graveyards. Dead rats, snakes and other half-gorged animals littered his path. Nothing lived here but ghouls and ghosts – the avatars of other members. Their faces matched their names: Devil, Demon, Vampire. They appeared suddenly out of nowhere from his left and right, trying to scare him into turning back. They snarled, bared their teeth and tried to halt his progress up to the huge wooden doors of the castle but he persevered. This was the test, a chance too good to miss. He might not be invited again.

Finally making it to the castle door, he pulled the bell cord and the doors creaked open. He shuddered as two poltergeists appeared: the transparent souls of dead children. Screeching, they flew in his face and he instinctively ducked out of their way. Then an arrow appeared, pointing to a crimson velvet curtain like the one surrounding, a coffin in a crematorium. As he approached, the curtains parted and he entered a small chamber. In front on the lectern, a large book lay open titled The Charter of Secrecy . He had to sign it by typing in his name. He heard applause.

‘You are now ready to complete your first challenge,’ a disembodied voice said. ‘Once complete you will be awarded your new undead identity. The price of failure is your demise. Do you understand?’

‘Yes, I understand,’ Jackson said, his voice faltering.

The room vanished and the screen filled with a scroll.

Hack into the CCTV in a store of your choice (the bigger the store the more points).

You have one week to observe, then break in to the store and take an item or items to the value of at least £5000.

Other members will be monitoring your progress on the live footage and will decide how many points you will be awarded.

Once complete you will be given your next task.

When you reach level ten and have proved yourself you will be able to meet other members for the ultimate real-life challenge.

Jackson smiled to himself as his fingers flew over the keyboard and his spirits soared at the thought of what lay ahead. He’d meet the challenges head on, quickly prove himself and move up the levels to the ultimate real-life event. He could picture the praise and adoration of the other members when he met them for the first time after he’d set new records for completing the tasks. Yes, he’d impress them all right. This was his ‘calling’, his vocation. Here he was valued, in charge and his life had meaning and purpose. Without it he’d be nothing – a nobody – but in this he would excel.

Five minutes later he was in, looking through the CCTV cameras of Rumans, the biggest store in town. He watched and waited, and at closing time he saw Susie, the cashier, collect the day’s takings from the tills and take them to the safe in the back room. He zoomed in as she entered the code to the safe and took a snapshot of the screen.

All that remained now was for him to choose a day and time to break in. He’d steal a lot more than the minimum of £5000. In the meantime he’d get to know Susie. She was really pretty, sexy, and not much older than him. As she left the store he launched the software that allowed him to look through the lens of her phone, and followed her home.

This story is fiction but the technical details and the dark web are true. Sophisticated interactive games are freely available, many are violent and there are cases of people having killed after watching them. The software and technology is already on the Internet that allows spying through phones, CCTV cameras, laptops and tablets. This story could happen. It might already have.

To learn more about Lisa Stone and her books, please visit www.lisastonebooks.co.uk

What effect did Derek’s father leaving have on (a) Derek and (b) his mother?

How had this affected their relationship?

Why do you think Derek’s role online of watching and controlling his clients is more appealing to him than the real world? Would you describe him as manipulative?

How would you describe his sexuality?

Disaffected young people are drawn to violent online games. Why do you think this is and what, if anything, can be done to stop it?

The Internet generally needs better controls. Discuss.

What has been the positive and negative effect of the World Wide Web? What changes would you like to see?

Do you think Derek really has learnt his lesson?

Lisa Stone lives in England and has three children. She has always been a writer from when she was at school, with her poems and articles featured in the school magazine. In her teens she began writing short stories, a few radio plays and novels. She finally made it into the bestseller charts with Damaged i n 2007 which she wrote under the pseudonym Cathy Glass. Since then she has had 27 non-fiction books published, many of which have become international bestsellers. Her first fiction novel, The Darkness Within , was published in 2017.

The Darkness Within

Books by Cathy Glass:

Damaged

Hidden

Cut

The Saddest Girl in the World

Happy Kids

The Girl in the Mirror

I Miss Mummy

Mummy Told Me Not to Tell

My Dad’s a Policeman (a Quick Reads novel)

Run, Mummy, Run

The Night the Angels Came