Nigel was standing on the top of a massive platform in a dimly lit area. Although the platform was hard to see, a faint light appeared in the distance. He started moving in the direction of the light.

Where am I?

As he strode across the passage, a dense fog rolled in, making it difficult to stay on solid ground. He lost his balance as he accidentally stepped off the path, but regained it before plunging into the vast expanse of nothingness.

Is the path narrowing?

Despite the fog, the passage was easier to navigate because he was moving toward the source of the light; to Nigel’s surprise, he found it to be a lantern. He picked it up, and the path shook. He heard a rumbling sound that gradually became louder. It sounded like an angry mob pounding against the stones of a castle. The rumbling was under him now. He shifted positions and tried to anchor his feet so that he wouldn’t fall. To his astonishment, stone stairs leading downward appeared on one side.

Those weren’t there a second ago.

He was considering descending the newly formed stairs when a massive roar reverberated throughout the cavern, dungeon, or whatever plane of existence he was in. A moment later he stumbled, trying to regain his balance as the path rumbled and shook in regular intervals. It reminded Nigel of a movie where a massive tyrannosaurus rex was terrorizing some kids. Not wanting to find out what was at the other end of those footfalls, Nigel descended into the depths of nothingness.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

As he clambered down the endless staircase, the air was thicker, and it was harder to breathe. The stairs shook from above. He could hear pieces of rock or other debris shatter as it fell onto the staircase. The creature—or whatever it was pursuing him—let out a scream. Nigel looked up to where he’d come from and saw a pair of menacing eyes looking at him.

He stumbled, then fell.

Nigel awoke next to a sleeping Jet. His T-shirt was drenched in sweat. He didn’t know how long he had been asleep, but he didn’t want to go back to that monster.

Why am I feeling anxious again?

He glanced at the alarm clock as he headed to the bathroom to relieve himself. It was half past four in the morning.

Plenty of time to check on my malware tracking progress.

Soon after he was examining the results of his scan. The manufacture for one of the rubber quaky devices matched the serial number found on Peter’s computer.

I got you now.

When Nigel examined the database and associated log files, he discovered each device had a “phone home” feature. This meant the device would send information unique to any system that the flash drive was plugged into, allowing the malware author to track the location of each device as it infected each new computer.

I need to get my hands on one of these devices to study.

As Nigel completed this thought, a comforting hand caressed his shoulder.

“Come back to bed, Nige,” Jet said.

He looked into her eyes. She looked as beautiful as ever. He gave her a smile, then followed her back to bed.