On September 6, 2022, 27 years old Austin Deacon went missing from his home in the state of Iowa. After a two-month search with no results, Austin’s family wished to share Austin’s most recent online activity with the public to seek additional help in finding their son.
The following is a post made by Austin, user TinHead130, on the internet forum [REDACTED], August 6th, 2022.
Hey guys. So I had another nostalgia trip last night, as one does, and came across a game I’m sure the majority has forgotten. It’s called BullsEye Online and it’s basically an FPS from the old days, think 2005. No fancy graphics or hard mechanics, just run and gun.
Anyway, I wanted to play it again but big surprise - the company behind the game is no more and apparently it went out of business all the way back in 2007. I guess I just stopped playing one day and never returned, because I didn’t know the game died so fast until last night. I distinctly remember seeing all the servers full, but I digress.
Is anyone here familiar with the game and if so, is there anyone who still has the files? I really wanted to play it, even if the servers are gone and I’m forced to play against bots. Much appreciated!
The conversation below is between Austin and user somethingpurple:
somethingpurple: Hey! I used to play that game too! There’s this site called no-stalgia where you can pretty much find any old school game you can think of as long as someone’s decided to upload the files for it. You can download a .zip of the game and you’re good to go! Here’s the link to BullsEye:
[REDACTED]
TinHead130: Thank you so much bro! Can’t believe other people still remember this gem!
EDIT: Went to multiplayer for the hell of it and I was shocked to see there’s one server that’s online? Who’s hosting it?
somethingpurple: Idk tbh. Could be the guy/people who uploaded the files. Some of these old online games have entire teams of fans behind their revivals and i guess the have the money to sustain at least one semifunctional server?
TinHead130: In any case, my IGN is the same as the one I have here, so feel free to hmu in game!
somethingpurple: Will do!
The following conversation is between Austin and his friend Eric on the social platform Discord.
August 6th, 08:20PM:
A: yoooo
E: sup
A: remember BullsEye Online?
E: perhaps?
A: fps, came out back in 2005 ish? we used to play it after school
E: might be ringing some bells
A: managed to find the game files and turns out some fans are hosting a server!
E: lemme check it out and i’ll get back to u
E: oh shit! didn’t this game die like a decade ago lol
A: yeah but i’ve got the urge to go apeshit for a couple of rounds like we used to. you down?
E: just don’t get me addicted. i got work tmr
End of conversation.
August 8th, 9:45PM:
A: i mean you can’t expect to have good ping in a server hosted by a bunch of random dudes across the country
E: it’s not the ping it’s the hitreg, never gave it much thought when we played back then but goddamn does it suck lmfao
A: sounds like a skill issue to me
E: couldn’t catch ur nick anywhere and i musta tabbed like 20 times
A: the max player count is 20 tho, you definitely saw me
E: that’s even sadder lol
A: shut the fuck up lmao, at least don’t ragequit when you have trouble aiming next time
E: sure bro, anyways gotta bounce but i’ll hit u up when i get home tmr
A: gn fam
The dialogue below was found on Austin’s phone. These are the messages exchanged between him and his girlfriend, Jessie:
August 11th, 12:20PM
A: are we doing the no-talk-for-two-weeks thing again? cause it’s getting annoying
J: what’s getting annoying is me having to practically beg you to take me out on a date
A: i’ve told you it’s more complicated than that, my dad is going through some tough shit right now
J: i get that Austin, but understand that people grow distant sometimes and you just can’t help it, they’re adults and so are you, let your parents handle this on their own
A: i’m sorry i’m making my family a priority, i guess
J: no Austin, that’s not what i meant… and that’s the other thing, you keep misinterpreting my words as if you’re trying to make an excuse to be ignorant! i’m so sick of your shit sometimes!
A: god, do i know what that feels like
J: you know what? fuck off!
The following conversation is between Austin and user somethingpurple, taken from Discord:
August 11th, 8:12PM:
SP: How’s it been?
A: relatively good, and yourself?
SP: Not bad. Been playing some BullsEye today. I hear the server’s been booming recently. Player count hasn’t exceeded 6 people before, now we’re looking at 18-20.
A: yeah i’ve been pretty hyped to play ever since. never thought an old school game would pull me back in this hard lol
SP: Nothing wrong with indulging in some nostalgia every now and then. Makes you remember where you came from and how far you’ve come.
A: i feel you, i’ve been wrapped up in so much stupid shit in my personal life that i forgot what having fun felt like
SP: Anything I can help with?
A: nah, it’s just personal relationships. i can’t get along with anyone these days and it’s giving me so much stress just thinking about it, so i retreat to BE whenever i get the chance, helps take the edge off
SP: I get you. I wouldn’t mind just locking myself in my room and doing what I want all day. Just me and my own thoughts.
A: yeah, i’ve had these moments too.
SP: We could play a few rounds if you’re feeling down?
A: sure, why not
August 13th, 05:45PM:
E: ayo?
A: what’s up?
E: smth weird is going on in the BE server
A: elaborate
E: u gotta come check this out, the admin or whatever has been spamming the chat with weird ass texts
A: hold on, i’m hopping in
A: okay, that’s a bit creepy?
E: ikr? he’s been going at it for like half an hour
A:
[03:47] Whispered by C77JS: LEAVE THE SERVER
[03:49] Whispered by C77JS: LEAVE THE SERVER
[03:51] Whispered by C77JS: THEY’RE WATCHING
[03:56] Whispered by C77JS: PLEASE
yo did you get these whispers too?
E:
[04:00] Whispered by C77JS: THEY WILL SHUT IT OFF AGAIN
[04:06] Whispered by C77JS: THEY KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE
A: they’re probably just fucking with us
E: someone hasn’t touched grass in a while lol
A: kinda creeps me out tho, like what’s with the begging and the dox threats?
E: just some drama queen, it’ll blow over in a day or two
A: gonna send this to somethingpurple, maybe he’s up to date with what’s going on
E: that ur egirl’s name?
A: it’s the dude who sent me the game files stfu
The following dialogue was taken from Austin’s phone. This is his last conversation with his father, Daniel:
August 14th, 06:30PM:
A: I want you to stay calm, dad
D: When are you coming over for dinner?
A: I don’t know. I’ve been looking into jobs ever since I got fired from the last place and Jessie and I are having another fight. My head is a mess right now, I’m sorry.
D: What happened between your mother and I is not your fault. That’s all I want you to know.
A: I know. I just don’t want you to think I’m picking sides between you two. I don’t agree with what she did.
D: Look, we’ll handle this. But it’s nice to hear from you every now and then. Makes me think this marriage had meaning.
A: Dad come on.
D: I’m sorry. Call me whenever you can talk again, okay?
A: I will, dad. Love you.
August 17th, 07:40PM:
A: ya boy landed a job
SP: Congrats man! Where you working?
A: this diner, it’s called Delicio’s, pays well but definitely not the endgame for me lol, probably gonna jump ship in a few months tho, i’m just saving up for now so i can see my dad
SP: Hey, it’s still something! By the way, that reminds me… I gotta tell you something.
A: sure, what’s up?
SP: So… I’m sort of part of the team behind BE’s revival.
A: wow okay, why didn’t you say anything until now?
SP: Basically, we’re short on staff and resources, so think of this little fiasco as a half-baked experiment to find people who actually care about the game’s future. We’ve been in contact with former BE developers and they told us they really wanted to get the game back up and running. Once this little accident happened, we thought it’d be the perfect opportunity to seek out new additions to our team- someone who’d be willing to moderate the server and look after the game’s prosperity while we work in the background.
Thanks to those chatlogs you sent me a few days ago, the guys and I went to town on the server and implemented some much needed hotfixes to get rid of the issue. Turns out a former player found a backdoor into the server and managed to mess around with the chat and a few other things, but that’s already done and dealt with.
A: good to know you handled the issue but are any of us in danger of getting doxxed now? the dude said “they know where you live”
SP: Just a wannabe hacker, nothing to worry about.
A: and what’s this about finding new people?
SP: What I’m suggesting here is that you join our team and become a member of something big. We want to increase our workforce and help bring this game out of the dust and back on the shelves, but this can’t happen when there’s only 6 people working on it, excluding myself.
A: that sounds really exciting, believe me, but i just can’t take up that offer.
SP: What’s stopping you?
A: everything is happening so fast these days. it’s a bit too much for me.
SP: I see. In hindsight, I should’ve realized that this is putting too much pressure on you. I know it’s a bit out of the blue, but ever since I saw your post about BullsEye, I’ve considered you a potential addition to the team.
A: why me in particular? aren’t there other people who are just as interested in the game as i am? the server’s never been that full since i came in.
SP: They don’t really play the game because they want it to be revived. The play it in between the rest of their lives - just to pass the time. You told me your circumstances. I know you care about this more than anything, it’s your safe space. I want to simply expand this opportunity to more people, host more servers, and truly bring this thing back. I may sound like an uptight asshole, but I truly care about the future of this project. I believe we can make a huge change.
A: i need some time. this is a bit too much for me rn.
SP: Don’t let this opportunity go to waste.
August 25th, 09:55PM:
A: i don’t i know if i should go through with it
E: i mean, uve been playing that game a lot
A: yeah
E: like a lot
E: don’t you think ure becoming borderline obsessed at this point? ure gonna be spending time in that game for a while if u decide to go work for them
A: then again, it’s not like i have anything better to do in my life. would you prefer i work in a crappy diner all my life? haven’t been on speaking terms with Jessie for half a year now. nothing is going right in my life and to be honest, this is the only thing that’s brought me any sort of peace and quiet these past few weeks.
E: austin, u barely know these people. and who’s to say this will ever go off financially? ure making a poor decision, just get some rest and think it over
A: this game brought me back to my childhood, i like playing it cause it reminds me of the days when i wasn’t so stressed. every time i load up a round i feel like i don’t have to worry about anything beyond the screen. it’s relaxing and i want to pursue this opportunity of finally doing what i want. i’m done having my mind wrapped around Jessie or finding a stable, long-term job. i want some peace and quiet.
E: just give it some time and don’t be so rash, all i’m saying
September 4th, 4:56PM:
A: hey
SP: You’ve been quiet for a while, but I’ve seen you in the server a few times. What happened?
A: i went incognito this past week. wanted to think about your offer regarding the job.
SP: I assume you’ve made a decision?
A: i’m in.
SP: Thank you. I think you’ve made the right choice.
The dialogue shown above is the last conversation on all of Austin’s social platforms.
September 4th, 11:20PM, deleted Discord conversation:
A: who are you?
Unknown user (nickname “undefined”): Please hear me out and don’t block me
A: okay? go on
U: You’re going to get kidnapped tomorrow. Get out of the city.
A: who is this?
U: My name’s Nicholas. Do you remember the weird messages in the server?
A: were you the one who hacked it?
U: It wasn’t hacked. I sent them out to everyone who was there at the time as a warning.
A: warning for what?
U: Someone from the people behind this whole thing accessed the server’s registry files and got ahold of everybody’s personal information. You included.
A: do you have any evidence for all of this?
U: I do, but just talking to you right now is enough of a risk. If I make another move, I risk getting caught and deleted.
A: hold up, so you’re saying the team behind BullsEye is a bunch of doxxers who abduct people or whatever?
U: I know it sounds absurd, but you have to listen to me. There are only a handful of times where I can get ahold of you like this. You must leave the city ASAP.
A: and where do you suggest i go?
U: Nowhere. You have to be on the move at all times. They have your address, but they still don’t have you.
A: and what’s this about you being deleted? none of this is making any sense to me.
U: I don’t remember what happened, but I know that I was out for a while and when I finally came to, I wasn’t me anymore. I wasn’t in my body, and yet I was still aware of everything.
A: okay, now i’m really creeped out. were you drugged or something? did they take your organs? i’ve read enough creepypastas to know where this is going and it was fun while it lasted, but you’re getting blocked, dude.
U: Please don’t do it! I need your help! If we lose contact, they’ll do this to someone else!
A: yeah, okay bro.
[User has been blocked]
One month later:
Erictacular has joined the lobby.
[02:27] Whispered by C77JS: ERIC
Erictacular [whispered to C77JS]: wha
[02:35] Whispered by C77JS: IT’S AUSTIN! PLEASE HELP ME!
Erictacular [whispered to C77JS]: yo if this is a joke it’s not fucking funny. how do u know that name?
[02:46] Whispered by C77JS: THEY TOOK MY BODY ERIC! PLEASE TELL SOMEONE! ANYONE!
Erictacular [whispered to C77JS]: idk who’s having a laugh over there but you can go fuck yourselves
[03:01] Whispered by C77JS: NO ERIC IT’S ME! IT’S AUSTIN! PLEASE DON’T LEAVE! THEY’RE GOING TO SHUT ME OFF AGAIN! I DON’T WANT TO BE IN THE DARK AGAIN! PLEASE ERIC!
Erictacular has left the game.