Her heart pounded in her chest as she hunched over the keyboard, bleary eyes straining to make out the characters of the text displayed on the glowing screen. I've made it this far, she thought. She had; for years she'd searched and sought it out. The Dark Web had been child's play for her to navigate and map. The Deep Net had provided a greater challenge, but ultimately she'd discovered every corner and crevice. What she'd searched out for years had eluded her, just when she thought she'd found it.

Yet, here she was. Staring back at her was the foothold of the Abyss. It was the end of the internet, behind a bewilderingly basic question:

Do you wish to proceed? Y/N

It all seemed so simple. One click, and she would be there, finally, at the end of all human information and recollection. With trembling hands, she typed Y and pressed enter.

It was several days later that the police found her body, after being tipped off by the old woman who lived in the apartment beside her about an odd smell. It wasn't decomposition, something the coroner was quick to point out; her body had been perfectly preserved except for her eyes. Instead, it was a strong chemical odor, like electronics burning. None of them could make heads or tails of the poor girl's body, but whoever had killed her, they'd been sure to gouge out her eyes without leaving any signs and sear the flesh shut.