2⢠Murder
5:17pm
Remember, when we met in Wichita, at Darko Rugerâs âsuicide?â
I beat you to town, made friends with Darkoâs Mom, who was enjoying a bottle of Jack Danielâs for breakfast when you knocked. She got up cursing, but came back smiling, clutching your hand, calling you the Great Claire Bodine!
People call me what they wish.
Brown hair swept up, crackling green eyes, lanky, lovely, holding a bouquet of flowers and wearing a neck to knee smock that flattened you to two dimensions.
A classic Tahari A-line, thank you.
Mom left the room for a vase, I shook your handâŚquite a grip you got.
You told me you were with the Huffington Post.
I was at one point a few years ago, I reviewed some shitty books for them for free
You met me with a lie!
OK YES! I met you with a big fat lie.
But what wouldâve happened if I told you I was a flack for ScarySmart? Youâd already emblazoned your homepage with a screed against DevilsGame, âThe most virulent, violent and invidious videogame ever created!â
So when Darko was found dead in his bedroom and Mom bemoaned his obsession with DevilsGame, your mission was to merely CONFIRM for your faithful DevilsGame was to blame.
Why did you put Darkoâs âsuicideâ in quotes?
Because now I understand it was more like murder.
!!!!!????
Honestly, the energy changed the moment you walked in. Mom relaxed, telling stories about Darko, even laughing.
MURDER YOU SAID?!
Iâm explaining. While you charmed Mom, I excused myself to the washroom, but actually went down the hall to Darkoâs room.
The door was cracked open, exuding death âMom hadnât heart to clean. My phone light frightened a phalanx of flies buzzing over the tsunami of waste carpeting the floor. Boxes, bottles, bags, wrappers, food and drink still stinking, thriving colonies of roaches and ants, and something LARGER rustling under a mound of pizza boxesâŚperhaps a catâŚperhaps not.
Where are you going with this?
Doc, I would say this in church:
Evil was there, in the smell, the shadows, the vermin, the hum and whir of Darkoâs scummy, still running computer, perched on a footlocker at the center of a depression in the trash. I waded and crunched over, grabbed the thumb drive Iâd cloned his drive onto, and got the hell out.
When I got back in the living room, I saw by the fire in your eyes Mom had blown my cover â so I bid adieuâŚ
You cloned his drive, and found what??
Thought Iâd made a clean getaway, too, till you tapped my shoulder and I cracked to your BlackBerry, âDevilsGame was a lifeline for that poor boy, not a noose!â In retrospect, insensitive, given Darko was found hanging by his faux leather belt from his bedroom doorknob.
Nathan, youâre bleeding, headed for Tokyo, but still babbling ominously about Wichita. By the time you tell me whatâs actually happening, you may be dead and Iâll surely be asleep.
While you reminisced, I posted alerts about LookU1 emails/texts on GoodOnLine and SCROOPL.
THANK YOU, BLESS YOU!
I already feel a fool for doing it. So, your prize notifier ran amuck, promising prizes you canât deliver! I can understand why youâre hysterical â but probably the only thing youâre bleeding is profits!!
Doc, you donât understand. This virus kills devices. It kills people. And itâs just getting started.
Arriving JFK now. Gotta change my bloody shirt. Back soon.
Dr. Claire Bodine
Executive Director - Goodonline.org

The American Psychiatric Association suggests that âwhile research is limited, a 2016 study looking at adults who participate in Internet gaming found that almost 14 percent were identified as at-risk of Internet gaming disorder.
Motherboard cites research by the University of Hong Kong suggesting that while only 39 percent of the world has access to the internet, a whopping 6 percent of the worldâs population is addicted to the internet. Though many countries, including Japan, officially recognize internet addiction as a diagnosable disorder, America has only begun research in this area.
A not uncommon method of death, e.g., LâWren, fashion designer and Mick Jaggerâs girlfriend:
LâWren wanted to âensure suicide workedâ | New York Post
âGive credit card info, bank acct info to collect cash prize! Or click here to start enjoying your DevilsGame credits!â
SCROOPL, according to their website, âis a faith-based search engine for those looking for biblical, theological, and religious web content.