The End of the Internet.

By Diego Galán Ruiz

The end of the internet

Everything is related to the existence of what they call "theElixir of Happiness", which is nothing more than an internetaddiction that occurs when individuals connect to thenetwork while wearing special glasses. With them it has aneffect that makes them feel happy, but they becomeaddicted. The attempt to resolve this situation with acomputer virus that apart from these people on the networkby governments not only does not help, but complicates thesituation. The problems for humanity and for Javier haveonly begun. The author shows in his pages the dominion ofsuspense. In "The end of the Internet" Nothing is what itseems. The unexpected turns leave the reader with hismouth open. Sci-fi with touches of black novel to enjoy. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: BadPress
• Release date: Nov 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781547555963

Book preview

The elixir of happiness.

The majority of people stopped going to work, the world became chaos, and the nations decided on May 16, 2023, in an extraordinary vote at the UN, to end the Internet. The signal ceased to be received all over the world. It was already late for many, had become vegetables that lived only by and for the Internet, their cure was not possible, the reaction of governments came late. These people died almost on the spot. They were like drug addicts who, because of the lack of their drug dose or the Internet, suffered a fulminant death. Very few of us were those who were not hooked: more than 99% of the population died or became seriously ill, many remained in a coma or in a catatonic state, others committed suicide when they saw their loved ones die, a few thousands of us remained alive. None of my family, friends, and acquaintances were left alive. I was 21 years old and the world I knew disappeared under my very nose. But how had this critical situation come about?

Not a year had passed since the invention of the so-called The elixir of happiness. Everything happened very quickly, the commercialization of this product took place almost at the same time of its invention, the pertinent tests were not made to verify that it did not have negative effects for the health or that I believed. At first everything seemed to be fine. People had never been so happy. Many believed that the solution to all society's problems had finally been found. There was a very similar feeling, presumably, that a middle-aged crusader would have had when he found the Holy Grail.  But one day everything changed. I remember that I was at my friend Carlos's house. He, as usual, was surfing the internet. A couple of weeks ago I had bought the so-called The elixir of happiness. They were just glasses very similar to the ones that a little over a decade ago were used to watch 3D movies. I wouldn't know exactly what effect they produced, I never got to try them, on the contrary, Carlos became almost an addict to these glasses from the very moment of their acquisition. He didn't miss a chance to use them whenever he had a free moment. That day was no exception, I chatted with them on, my curiosity was very strong and I had to ask him:

—Carlos, what do you feel when you're wearing your glasses?

He stared at me with an expression of strangeness on his face and said, with a very serene tone, that he suggested that he was in a moment of extreme relaxation.

—You can't put it into words, try them—he didn't say anything else, and he continued chatting with the same expression of serenity that he didn't stop showing during the time I spent there at his house.

As I was heading home I was thinking of the great change my friend had undergone since the acquisition of the, for my part, misnamed The elixir of happiness.. Carlos was a strapping boy, a lover of all kinds of sports, barely chatting on the Internet, but that belonged to the past. He had become a sedentary boy, barely moving from in front of the computer screen, from the fateful moment he put on his glasses, his life changed.

I was still absorbed in my thoughts when my mobile rang, it was my mother, when I answered she told me in a very nervous tone to go home quickly, I asked her what was going on, but she did not want to tell me. I hung up and intensified my march. I wanted to get there as soon as possible to find out what was going on. Soon I arrived at my house, it was located in the most luxurious neighborhood of the city, it was a big mansion, I opened the door and when my mother saw me enter, she hugged me crying.

—What's the matter, Mom, why are you crying? —I asked her with concern when I saw her crying so disconsolately.

—Javier, a misfortune has happened, —she said, almost stuttering, and you could tell she was very affected.

—Mom, tell me what's going on — I couldn't take it anymore, I didn't understand anything and I needed an answer.

—It's about Carlos — he paused before continuing, it was obvious that something serious had happened to my friend, his mother just called her —I'd like not to have to give you this bad news, your friend — before he could finish the sentence, he burst into tears.

—But Mama, tell me, what happened to Carlos?

—He's dead.

When I heard the word dead, I collapsed and had to sit down, I couldn't understand it, I had been talking to him for a little more than half an hour, and at no time did it seem to me that he was feeling bad, nor did I notice any symptom that might make me suspect that something serious was happening to him. My mother sat next to me and tried to console me, but there was no possible consolation. My best friend had just passed away.

That day I couldn't have a bite. Soon I went to sleep, sadness seized my soul. It took me a long time to fall asleep, and when I finally fell asleep, the nightmares took hold of me. My deceased friend appeared in them and begged me to take off his glasses.

—Why don't you take them off? I said to him without understanding what was happening to him.

—Take them off, please, my eyes hurt so much," he answered, screaming in pain.

I approached him and took off those damn glasses, a gloomy image appeared before me, he had no eyes, from its empty bowls came an infinite number of worms. A chill ran through my body and I screamed as I never remembered screaming. I closed my eyes in fear, and when I opened them again, I found my mother before me frightened.

—What's the matter with you, son? your screams frightened me.

—Excuse me, Mother, I had a nightmare - at that very moment a question came to my mind: could the glasses have anything to do with Carlos' death?

—Mom, when Carlos' mother called you yesterday, exactly, what did she say?

—Only that his son had just died.

—That's all? Didn't he tell you how he died?

—Not really.

—Did she seem very affected to you? 

—As strange as it may seem, she had a very serene voice and never seemed to be affected by the tragic event — it was obvious that my mother wasn't comfortable talking about it — and now, if you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it anymore. 

I decided to listen to my mother, but I still had more doubts: Why was Carlos' mother so calm and serene? It wasn't normal, the loss of her son should have left her emotionally touched. I remembered then that lately Carlos also spoke in a very calm and serene tone. Was it a coincidence or maybe there was something else?

I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast, I hadn't fully recovered from what had happened yet, but I decided I had to eat something. I had just sat down when the doorbell rang.

—I take it, Mom —I open the door and to my astonishment, a police badge appeared in front of my eyes, a man in his fifties, blond with blue eyes, not very tall, with curly hair and a disheveled appearance, was his wearer.

—Good morning, I'm Agent Hannibal Harvey, you're Mr. Javier Galan.

—Yes, I myself, to what do you owe your visit?

—I am in charge of the investigation of the alleged suicide of Carlos Rios.

—Did you say suicide, had he not died a natural death?

—If you don't mind letting me pass, we'll talk better inside your house, let's go inside and I'll explain everything to you.

I let him in and we sat on the sofa, and my parents came in.

—Dad, Mom, this is Agent Hannibal, he's in charge of the investigation into Carlos' death.

My father, who was a very serious man and not at all accustomed to dealing with the police, was very distant all the time, he didn't feel comfortable at all. My mother was totally different, she was delighted with the visit of the policeman, curiosity could with her, I wanted to know what had really happened. I, for my part, was not completely at ease, I was convinced that the policeman had serious suspicions that I knew something, it was no surprise, I was the last person to see Carlos alive.

The policeman didn't put us out of any doubt, apparently, Carlos jumped off the balcony moments after my departure. Some people who saw him fallen into the street heard him screaming: my eyes, my eyes.

—Forgive me, Mr. Officer, he was wearing glasses when he threw himself out? I asked him, "I asking if he was sure that how it was.

—No, what glasses are you talking about? said the officer with a strange look on his face.

—Did you heard of the " The elixir of happiness.

—Yes, I've heard something, but I don't know what it is.

—Well, such an elixir is really a pair of glasses.

—What do those glasses do, if I may ask? he asked intrigued.

—I don't know; I've never worn them. 

—I know, he said, —my father, who had been quiet until that very moment, surprised us all, he had no idea that I had tried the glasses. They make you feel such great happiness and such enormous relaxation that all your problems disappear.

—George, I didn't know you had those glasses," — said my mother with an expression between astonishment and anger. 

—Sorry, I didn't give it any importance, I thought you wouldn't mind, Vanessa, I bought them last week.

—I'm sorry, Dad, but I have a little doubt, what's the relationship between the glasses and the Internet? Carlos always wore them when he chatted.

—It's very simple, they only work when you're surfing or chatting on the Internet.

Agent Hannibal, who was listening very enthusiastically to our conversation, decided that it was time for him to speak. 

—Excuse me, gentlemen, but I don't think this leads us anywhere, I've only come to ask Mr. Javier if Carlos told him at any time yesterday or in previous days that he had the intention of taking his own life—he seemed a little angry, that for a few moments we passed him and started talking to each other had not made him any fun.

—The truth is, no, I'm sorry I can't help you.

—It doesn't matter, if you remember anything, give me a call. Here's my phone number," he wrote down the number on a small piece of paper, got up, said goodbye to us, and made his way towards the door.

—Don’t worry, I’ll do it — I opened the door and said goodbye to him, then I closed it and went to where my parents were sitting.

My parents were arguing. My mother hadn't been happy about buying glasses without consulting her, and I tried to put peace.

—Don't take it the wrong way, Mom, Dad didn't do it in bad faith, I thought you wouldn't mind -my dad winked at me as a sign of approval, my mom instead seemed not to like it at all and continued to reproach my dad for his attitude.

—I decided to stay out of the discussion. I went to the kitchen, ate something and went for a walk. As I closed the door I could still hear my parents arguing. If there was one thing my mother had, it was that she would never twist her arm if she believed rightly.

I walked aimlessly for a while, my thoughts focused on Carlos' last words, just as in my dream he complained of pain in his eyes, I regretted not having asked Agent Hannibal one last question. I was curious to know if his eyes would be damaged. If this were so, the relationship with the glasses would seem logical, perhaps these were the cause of his death. I also realized that it was very important to be sure of this, more people, including my father, could be in danger.

Emptiness.

The day after Agent Hannibal's visit a sense of emptiness took hold of me. All my desire to find out what had happened disappeared, I couldn't explain what I was feeling. Actually, just empty, as if something or someone had absorbed my vital energy. My parents behaved as suspiciously as they behaved strangely, they talked secretly, and if they saw me coming, they would suddenly shut up. When I asked them what they were talking about, they told me that nothing important, only business matters that, in their opinion, did not have to concern me, in the face of this situation that made me feel so uncomfortable, it was preferable for me to be on the street rather than in my own home.

But outside the home, I still felt perhaps even more of an emptiness that could even leave me with no air in my lungs and give me a choking sensation that would scare me and provoke real panic attacks. The loss of Carlos had been such a hard blow that I was not convinced