Episode Details

I Found Out What Happened to My Friend on the Dark Web
by TheRealDeltaX on Reddit
There used to be a small YouTube channel called “Sam's online food review." It was run by my best friend Sam Rider, a channel full of videos that consisted of Sam eating and reviewing food and drink before a camera. His channel garnered around 10,000 subscribers, which although wasn’t huge, was big enough for Sam to be dedicated to it. I can recall numerous times of sitting in the passenger seat of his car staying out of his shot as moments prior he announced he wanted to video himself trying something he picked up in the Store, only moving after he signed off with his “signature” thumbs up or down and his catchphrase “I like it” or “I loathe it." He was liked for his friendly attitude and happy all round good guy persona. He was well received by his audience. Rarely, were there any hate comments and when there were Sam would shrug them off and keep smiling. Sam was always Smiling.
“Sam’s online food review” went dark 7 months ago, with no warning, no notice, just deactivated. I didn’t hear or see from Sam despite numerous phone calls and house visits to no avail. 6 days after his channel was deleted, I called the police to do a welfare check on Sam, I was worried he had fallen ill or hurt himself, the police made entry into his property and found nothing, and Sam was declared a missing person.
A Week after Sam was declared missing, a dog walker discovered a horrifically mutilated corpse on a railway line. The body had severe lacerations all around the head, arms, chest, and legs and was almost cut in two across the waist. The decomposing internal organs were splayed out of the gruesome V shaped cut. The autopsy report noted that although no direct cause of death could be confirmed, it was likely the large slit in the throat that brought on death. The autopsy also turned up questionable findings, including the body missing its stomach and heart, long strips of flesh removed off the chest, arms, and lower back, and that the body was exsanguinated. The scene wasn’t remarkably bloody yet the body was almost completely drained of blood. Two weeks later the police had identified the deceased, despite the damage that had occurred to the corpse. The teeth were intact enough to get a viable reference for dental records, and my worst fears for Sam were realized--it was him. The police investigated, but could not find forensic evidence of any other person being on the scene. They eventually came to the conclusion that he was hit by a passing freight train. The Lacerations and disembowelment attributed to being dragged under, and the missing organs explained away as being eaten by wildlife, a fox maybe.
Sam's Mother decided it was best to cremate what remained of her only son. I stood next to her as the Beech coffin was pulled into the large furnace. As the door closed and the gas jets ignited with a whoosh, she broke down into tears, and so did I. I stood there sobbing for the entire 90 minutes it took for one of the people I grew up with and shared so many memories with was vaporized.
I mourned my friend and did my best to move on, and it was going well. I got distracted, got a new job, and started dating a girl I met through my work. A few months passed and even though I missed Sam, things were going well--right up to the point when I was browsing Reddit at 3am when I received a Facebook message from the account of my dead friend.
I froze, seeing his Profile Picture in the messenger bubble, a picture taken during good times with Sam's wide smile plastered on his face. I felt a sudden chill, a profound sense of fear enveloped me, you know the fear that makes you cold and your limbs ache as the slow drip of adrenaline spreads throughout your body. With dread, I opened the message. It was a Link to a file sharing website. I stared at the seemingly random amalgamation of numbers and letters that made up the URL. My he