Watched

This story is not based on actual research and should not be taken as such. All events that happen in this story are entirely fictional, but coincidences may happen

Do you ever get the feeling that you're not alone? Why do you get that feeling?

According to many sources (BBC news, the CUT, Psychology Today, and more), it's really quite unclear. Some say it's to prevent us from blundering, some say it's "leftover" from being watched as a child, but most say that it's our eyes picking up on more than we know. But those don't sound right. How come we get that prickly sensation of not being alone though we are certain we are alone? How come we just feel like we simply cannot be alone if we see nothing? If we know we should be alone?

Well, there must be more to it. Have you ever felt alone when you should not be alone? Alone, yet you are surrounded by people? Well, there is no word for that. But during the ties that you know you are alone, yet not alone - the best you can say is that you feel like you are being watched - even if you know you are not.

Now, let's take that one step further. Have you ever had the feeling of being watched in a dream? You know you are not being watched, yet you feel like you are. Then when you wake up the feeling is still there, stronger than ever. You cannot escape the feeling of not being alone.

Imagine that feeling. Try to imagine not being able to feel alone and you may realize how much you miss the feeling of being able to feel alone. Oh sure, most people don't want to be alone their whole life. But most of the time, just a few minutes alone may be what you need. Some things are better done alone, especially if it is a stranger you are with. What would you do?

---

It started with just one post. A simple post that read :

 "You are not alone. They are not alone"

People began to react. A seemingly simple post made then feel - uneasy. Watched. They tried to say something, yet they can't seem to say anything. They can't write it, they can't communicate it to any other person except for one way - typing.

Soon you would open your inbox for any site - be it a large media site or just a small locally run server - and all you would see is that post. One by one each of your friends will say it. One by one each of your friends would - change. One by one. You, being clever, quickly noticed a pattern. Your friend would say "the text", then quickly block anyone who hasn't said "the text" and change to act - different. But you couldn't just figure out what it was that's different.

You tried to talk in real life, but whenever the subject got round, it's as if you had the overwhelming urge to not say anything. That bad, bad thing would happen if you id. So what did you do?

You started to talk online. You would hope for responses for people like you, people shunned for not saying "The text". Soon, more and more people were saying it. It was like a virus - and people began dropping their defences. You were smart and skeptical. You knew you had to keep up communications yet prevent those who did say "The text" from reaching you. So you changed your account so that only those you knew had not broke could contact you.

You started getting paranoid. You moved away to a remote location without internet and started to calm down. Sure, you had cut yourself off from the modern world, but it was better this way. No internet, and all communication was either written or verbal. No one could say anything about "The text" - if they knew anything about it at all.

Years passed and you grew to love your quaint little neighborhood with it's simple view on life. That is, until you received a letter in the mail. It was handwritten in rough, uneven strides.

 "Dear [Your name]
      You are one of the lucky ones. [unintelligible] cannot spread without the media and you have successfully managed to cut that off from your life. I'm sorry to say, but [garbled] have got to be. [Names of friends and family] have all been struck down. I am one among them. I don't have much time left. They are coming.

      I don't know what they do or who they are, but I know what they are. They are your worst nightmares."

"Your worst nightmare" resonates within your head as you see a little black phone sitting on your desk.

Ping.

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