THE RED ROOM
- legend has it that there are websites on the deep web
Where you can pay to watch a live murder.
These are called Red Rooms, named after a popular Japanese urban legend.
Why is it called a Red Room?
Let this story by username Violent Sumire explain.
It was my rare day off.
A day where I didn't have to worry about all the traveling and the chaos that usually accompanies my work.
A day where I can just relax.
Most people might spend it doing something active: going out camping, or to an event or to play sports.
I like to spend my break by being sedentary.
Cuddling up with a good book, looking up random things on the internet, and general lazing around are my favorite things.
I was doing the second thing on my list when something strange happened.
I have a pretty new laptop with the newest operating system.
So when the popup came up on my screen, it was a bit surprising.
Not just because i have popups disabled, but because the format and the style of it was of the older operating system.
I frowned, hoping that I didn't have a virus or something.
My first thought when anything goes wrong with my computer.
The message on the popup was written in Japanese and it read, ' Do you like it? '
The text was in the black and the background was a bright red.
There was nothing else in the ad.
I scrunched my face in confusion, but I figured that it was just one of those
' Congratulations, you win a new game console ' type of things that messed up.
The website that I was on wasn't the most legitimate looking.
I shrugged it off and clicked on the big red X in the corner to close it out.
I left the site as well for good measure, and decided to get some tea before streaming some shows.
I was only gone for 10 minutes, but when i came back into my room the ad was there again.
(Bleep)
Now i was more worried about the possibility of a virus.
I didn't have anything open on my computer, so It definitely wasn't just some popup.
I close out of it again and went to run a computer scan when it appeared again.
(Bleep)
Except this time, a voice followed it.
- [Computer Voice] Do you like it?
- It was a high pitched child's voice.
The voice seemed to echo as if someone was talking in a tunnel.
It rang in my ears so I reached to turn the volume off, but my computer was already muted.
I felt goosebumps travel up my spine.
I closed out of the popup again, but it simply came right back up,
(Bleep)
The voice louder.
I immediately closed my laptop.
Nope, not today, I muttered out loud.
I went to go out of my room, but my door wouldn't open.
I frantically pulled on the knob.
There was no lock on the door.
There was a pinging noise behind me and I jumped.
I looked at the computer on the table with bated breath.
- [Computer Voice] Do you like red?
- The voice now asked.
At this moment, I knew this was.
How could i not? It was a very popular urban legend in Japan.
This was the Red Room.
I ran to my window and threw open the curtains.
I pushed at the frame, but it was no use.
It wouldn't budge.
I looked out and hoped that someone would be outside, as it was still in the middle of the day, but the street outside was sparse.
Behind me the child's voice was growing louder.
The question now in a continuous loop.
- [Computer Voice] Do you like red?
Do you like red?
- I felt tears of frustration running down my face as it grew harder an harder to hear my own thoughts, but i needed to get out.
My phone was in the kitchen, so I couldn't call for help.
I looked for something
I could use in my room.
I grabbed my chair and began to use its legs to try to break the window.
It took a few tries, but I could begin to see the cracks form in the glass.
I also noticed that my room was growing darker, even though the sky was cloudless blue.
I stood still, the chair no longer in my hands, but on the floor, forgotten.
I should have ran to window and broke off the rest of the glass to escape, but a foreboding feeling in the pit of my stomach prevented from moving.
That, and the breath on the nape of my neck.
(Exhaling)
- [Computer Voice] Do you like the Red Room?
- [Computer Voice] Red Red Red~
- Of course i like the red room.
I've always wanted a red room.
This room is not red.
I have to fix that.
I searched around my desk.
Box cutter.
Perfect~
Hands isn't enough. I need more
Have to make sure not to waste a single drop.
(Knocking)
The bagging at the door woke me up.
(Speaking in Japanese)
I recognized that voice.
It was my co-worker, Sora.
I groaned. What is he doing here on my day off? I slowly open my eyes and almost passed out as dizziness suddenly hit me.
There was a splintering of wood, an intake of breath.
What happened in here?
I barely caught his questions as my vision went black for a second.
What are doing here? I managed to mumble.
I looked up into his face and realized that i was sitting in the middle of my room.
You didn't come into work today, so i came to check up on you.
Right on time too it looks like.
My head was starting to clear and i felt stinging pain from all over my body.
It's my day off.
Sora gave me a look.
That was yesterday.
I looked down in confusion, too tried to hold my head up and saw my hands.
They were covered in blood.
My eyes traveled up my arm where cuts were engraved in almost every part of my skin.
I had apparently taken off clothes as well and my legs were in the same state as my arms.
I looked up at Sora fearfully.
Let's get you to the doctor.
He gently wrapped a blanket from my bed around me and carried me.
It was then that I noticed the state of my room.
RED.
There was a blood all over the walls. My blood
I pulled on Sora's clothes.
My laptop. Check my laptop
Setting me down gently on my feet, he opened my laptop.
There was a single window open. A single screen with black text, framed in bulky old fashioned window.
- [ Computer ] Do you like Red Room?
Hello everyone I'm miruma mitsuji thank you everyone for reading my story
And I'm sorry for my grammar~
