I’ve always been a geographically inclined person. Maps, atlases, globes - you name it. If it had anything to do with the world and its locations, I was all over it. That’s why the day I discovered Geoguessr, an online game that challenges you to guess the location of a random place on Google Street View, I was hooked.
I quickly became one of the top players in the community, my name often appearing on the global leaderboards. I could recognize the subtle differences between Norwegian and Swedish road signs, the distinct architecture of Russian dachas, or the unique flora of the Australian outback. It wasn’t just a game to me; it was a passion.
One day, as I was eagerly waiting for my daily challenge to load, I received a message on Discord. It was from someone I didn’t recognize, but I was active on the Geoguessr Discord server, so I often received messages from fellow players looking to discuss strategies or share interesting finds.
The message read: “Hey, I found an interesting level I think you’ll like. The name is ‘Your World.’ Give it a try!”
I shrugged it off as just another random level created by a fellow enthusiast and decided to check it out. I searched for “Your World” in Geoguessr and clicked on the result.
The game loaded, and the first location appeared on my screen. Almost immediately, a strong sense of deja vu washed over me. The scene displayed a tree-lined street, with a mix of old brick buildings and newer apartments. Colorful murals adorned the walls, and the bright blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds. It was a beautiful day in Quebec. I knew this not only because of the license plates on the parked cars, but also because I had spent my childhood years wandering around these very streets.
As I panned around, I saw it - my childhood apartment. The old brick building with the fire escape running down the side, the small park across the street where I’d played countless games of soccer with my friends, and the distinctive green awning of the corner store where I’d spent my allowance on candy and comics.
“Wow, what a coincidence!” I thought, amused. For a moment, I wondered if the person who sent me the level was a childhood friend, or someone who knew me well. I shook off the thought and decided to just enjoy the game.
I zoomed in on the map in the bottom right corner of the screen, easily navigating to the exact spot in Quebec where my childhood home was located. I placed my marker and clicked “Guess,” earning a perfect score of 5,000 points. A sense of satisfaction washed over me as I prepared to tackle the next location.
The screen refreshed, and my heart skipped a beat. There, in front of me, was the exterior of my current home. The familiar red brick, the flower beds I’d spent hours tending to, and the old oak tree in the front yard that seemed to have been there for centuries - there was no mistaking it.
My excitement from the previous round quickly turned to unease. This was no longer a fun coincidence, but something more sinister. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as a shiver ran down my spine. I stared at the screen, my cursor hovering over my house, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was being watched.
I hesitated for a moment, then decided to switch tabs and check the Discord message again. I glanced at the username: “Marcus#7146.” A sudden surge of anger welled up within me. That’s my name. How could this person have known so much about me, and why were they contacting me like this?
Frustration overcame my fear, and I attempted to message the user back, demanding an explanation. To my dismay, I found that the user had already blocked me. I couldn’t let this go, so I quickly sent an email to Discord Support, informing them of the situation and asking for assistance in tracking down the user named Marcus. In the meantime, I changed my account password just to be safe.
My mind raced, but I realized that Geoguessr was still running in the background. I switched back to the tab, my heart pounding in my chest. Despite the unsettling situation, I felt driven to continue playing the game and documenting everything that happened. I took a deep breath, clicked on my house, and earned another perfect score of 5000 points.
As the next location loaded, I braced myself for what might appear on my screen. I was met with an image so horrifying that my heart dropped to my stomach, and I stumbled back from my chair, gasping for air.
On the screen was a grainy, low-resolution image of a dimly lit room. The walls were bare and stained with what looked like mold, and the only source of light came from a flickering, bare bulb that swung slowly from the ceiling. In the center of the room, my worst nightmare was realized: my parents, hung lifelessly from the ceiling, their faces contorted in expressions of pain and fear.
Tears blurred my vision as I stared at the image, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. The loss of my parents had been a devastating blow to me when I was just a teenager. They had vanished without a trace one night, and despite a thorough investigation, no one had ever been able to determine what had happened to them. That night had left a gaping hole in my life, and now, staring at the haunting image on my screen, it felt like the wound had been ripped open once again.
Unable to process the pain and horror of what I was seeing, my fingers trembled as I moved the cursor, desperately trying to guess the location of the room. My mind was a storm of emotions, and I could barely focus on the task at hand. I knew it was irrational, but I felt that if I could just pinpoint the location, I could somehow make sense of the nightmare that was unfolding before me.
In the heat of the moment, I clicked a random location in Africa, not caring if it was accurate or not. As the result came up, it showed that the location was in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It was clear that whoever had posted this level was deliberately concealing the true location of the picture. My heart sank even further, the weight of hopelessness settling in.
In a fit of rage and despair, I slammed my fists down on my keyboard, sending keys flying in all directions. I didn’t care about the damage I had done; the pain I felt inside was far greater than any physical destruction I could cause. Unbeknownst to me, my outburst had caused the game to advance to the next location, but I was too distraught to notice.
With tears streaming down my face, I picked up my phone and dialed 911. When the operator answered, I struggled to form coherent sentences through my sobs. I told them about the Geoguessr level, the pictures of my childhood home, my current residence, and the horrifying image of my deceased parents. The operator listened patiently, trying their best to calm me down and assure me that they would send someone to my home to investigate.
As I continued to talk to the operator, I glanced back up at my computer monitor. My breath caught in my throat, and my heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice as I saw the image that now filled the screen. It was a photo of my mother, but not as I remembered her. Her once kind, gentle eyes were now filled with terror, and her face was almost unrecognizable, covered in blood, bruises, and deep cuts. Her once beautiful, auburn hair was matted and clumped with filth. The only thing that assured me it was her were the clothes she was wearing - the same outfit she had on the night she disappeared.
The picture was so gruesome, so heart-wrenching, that I couldn’t bear to look at it any longer. I slammed my laptop shut and threw it across the room, shattering it into pieces. The sound of my own screams filled my ears as I collapsed onto the floor, my body wracked with sobs.
I felt like I had been plunged into a living nightmare, and there was no escape from the torment and pain that consumed me. The room seemed to close in around me, and I gasped for breath, feeling as though I were drowning in a sea of despair.
As I lay there for what felt like hours, curled up on the floor, I heard a faint knock at my front door. I knew it must be the police, but I couldn’t find the strength to get up and let them in. They pounded on the door again, louder this time, but I remained frozen in place, unable to move, unable to speak.
I wanted to tell them everything, to beg for their help in making sense of the madness that had taken over my world. But my voice was gone, stolen by the terror that gripped me. I could only lie there, shivering and gasping for air, as the darkness of my own tormented mind threatened to swallow me whole.
In the end, there would be no hope, no answers, no solace to be found. I was left to face the horrifying reality that someone had been watching me, playing with me like a puppet, and there was nothing I could do to stop them. The fear and dread that now consumed me were all-consuming, leaving me utterly broken and alone in my grief. As the police finally forced their way in, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever find peace again. The cruel game had shattered my world, and I knew that nothing would ever be the same.
Eventually, the police managed to break down the door and found me lying on the floor. They took me to the living room and sat me down on the couch, trying to get me to calm down and explain what had happened.
I told them everything - about the Geoguessr level, the pictures of my childhood and current homes, and the horrifying image of my parents. They asked me for the name of the person who had sent me the level, but all I could give them was the Discord username. They wrote it down and promised to follow up with both Geoguessr and Discord to see if they could track down the user.
One of the officers also asked to see my phone, and I reluctantly handed it over. They navigated to the Geoguessr app and checked the level “Your World.” They didn’t open the level, but they did take note of the URL and the username associated with it. They promised to investigate further and see if they could find any leads on who had created the level.
As they prepared to leave, one of the officers gave me a sympathetic look and said, “We’ll do our best to find out who did this, but in the meantime, I suggest you stay off Geoguessr and any other apps or websites that might connect you with strangers. It’s not safe.”
I nodded numbly, not really hearing his words. All I could think about was the image of my mother, battered and broken, and the sickening realization that someone out there had done this to her.
After the police left, I slumped down on the couch, feeling empty and defeated. My bedroom was still a mess, with broken glass and computer parts scattered everywhere. I couldn’t bring myself to clean it up, though. It felt like a physical manifestation of the chaos that had taken over my life.
I pulled out my phone and opened the Geoguessr app again. I scrolled through the levels, my eyes landing on “Your World.” Despite everything that had happened, I couldn’t resist the urge to play the level again.
I clicked on it and started playing, going through the first four locations - the old house, the current house, the hanging, and my mom. Each one was still as unsettling as before, but I pushed through, determined to see what the final location had in store for me.
As I clicked through the fifth location, I was greeted with an image that immediately caught my attention. It was a street I recognized immediately - a small shopping district in Halifax.
I swiped my finger across the screen, turning the camera around on the Google Street View car
And it showed a butcher shop.