“Welcome all. I hope you are well”
That was the text that popped from my notifications. “What is this?” I mumbled to myself. I clicked on the notification which redirected me to my WhatsApp. This was odd as I rarely used the app and had only downloaded it to speak to my former college roommate, Joey, who lived overseas. Aside from him, I had no other contacts on WhatsApp, so when I saw that I had been added to a group chat called The Gleaming Society, I was visibly confused.
Upon clicking on the group description, I was greeted by a message that read Shine the world. The group had eight members, including myself and the number that added me. All the numbers were from different countries and I recognized none of them. Only the group admin could send messages.
“This is just another one of Joey’s pranks,” I thought to myself, referencing that it was just the kind of thing he would do. I was exhausted since I’d had a long day, so I figured I’d leave the group and video call Joey the next day and call him out on his prank.
However, much as I tried, I couldn’t exit the group. Figuring it was just a bug in the app, I decided to clear the cache and try again. Nothing. I then restarted my phone to no avail. Seeing no other way out of this, I decided to uninstall the app. However, for some reason, my phone could not uninstall WhatsApp.
“What is this?” I muttered to myself in frustration. Just then a message popped up from the person who added me.
“Hello, all of you. My name is Sparkle. I’m sure you are curious as to why you have been added to this group. Well, it is because the seven of you possess something that The Gleaming Society needs.”
My frustration turned into curiosity. What is this society? How do they know me? What do they want from me? However, the next message made my heart skip a beat.
“I’m sure you have all tried to exit the group but were unable. Well, that is by design. You are not meant to leave the group. Exiting the group will result in consequences for you and those you hold dearest.”
Just then, a pdf was sent to the chat. It automatically opened itself and in it was my name, address, phone number and social security details. It also contained the same details for my sister. There was also a link which also clicked itself and showed the live locations of myself and my sister in an app I’d never seen before. The app then closed itself and I was once again back in the group chat. Once again there was a new message.
“If any of you tries to discard your phone or do something to the same effect, well, words just won’t do me justice. Watch this instead.”
Just then a video was sent to the chat. It opened itself and started playing. In it, there were seven individuals in a row inside a white room, three women and four men. They were each strapped to a chair, a look of anxiety enveloping their faces. They seemed to be talking among themselves but the video had no sound.
Upon closer inspection, I saw a familiar face. It was Joey. He looked just like he did five years ago when we graduated, the only difference being that the last time I saw him, he did not have the look of trepidation that he did now.
Suddenly, a man sporting a black three-piece suit entered the frame. He was tall and lanky, with pale white skin. He had a saw in his hands. He strutted around the group slowly, and it felt like he was looking for something. Suddenly, he faced the camera and his face contorted into what appeared to be a smile but just looked wrong. He clicked a button on the camera and the sound came on.
The man then walked towards one of the men tied down and proceeded to crudely decapitate him with the saw.
The other six began screaming bloody murder. Before I could comprehend what I had seen, he proceeded to decapitate the woman who was sitting next to him in the same manner. Then the next man. Then the next woman. Then the next man. Then the next woman. He then finally reached the last man, who happened to be Joey.
I proceeded to watch as he cut off the head of one of the few people I truly cared about in life. Joey’s blood gushed out of his severed body as his head fell on the tiled floor, joining the other six that were on the floor. The man’s suit was covered in blood as he approached the camera and in a cold tone said “Follow the instructions.” The video then ended and I was back in the group chat.
All the emotions hit me at once. I felt a knot forming in my stomach. I felt like puking, crying shouting and hitting something at the same time. Joey was the only person I’d felt connected with in my life. My family was a bunch of gaslighting narcissists and I had long emancipated myself from them. I only sent them the occasional Christmas card.
However, I kept in contact with my younger sister, who, despite my numerous attempts at convincing her to cut them off, had not. I could no longer keep it in and emptied all the contents of my stomach on my living room carpet and burst into tears as reality began to set in. I had just lost my best friend in the world.
My immediate thought was to call my sister. Just as I picked up my phone, it rang. The name was Joey. With my hand nervously shaking, I picked up the call, not knowing what to expect.
“H…Hello?” I asked.
Silence.
“Is anyone there? ANSWER ME, YOU COWARD! I swear I’m calling the cops right now. I don’t care who you are. They will find YOU and you will rot behind bars you murd…” I was interrupted by an all-too-familiar laughter.
“Happy April Fools! Got you there mate,” followed by a bout of laughter.
Words could not describe the feeling I was experiencing. I was angry, relieved, and pissed all at the same time. I could only choke out the words “You motherfucker.” More laughter followed before the phone suddenly disconnected. However, something felt off about the phone call. It sounded pre-recorded and forced.
Suddenly, a text popped into the group chat.
“Today isn’t April first.”