Because I don't always have the chance to respond to every comment, and because I thought it would be amusing to answer some of these. Also, because y'all leave the best comments ever, and they always make me smile and brighten my day (and occasionally leave me laughing so hard I frighten the dog), I figure I'd pay you back with a little something, at least. 

Is this story true? 

Not as far as I know ;) 

Some elements (the narrator's recent job loss and anxiety about unemployment payments being too low) were culled directly from my life. But the actual story -- the mysterious photos on the Deep Web and everything else -- is 100% fiction. 

Is the Deep Web real? 

Yes, more or less. The "deep web" basically refers to all of the sites that can't be accessed by regular search engines or browsers. The "dark web" refers to the hidden sites that are used for illegal purposes. There are special programs that can be used to access these sites and surf the web anonymously, and some criminals do take advantage of the anonymity to do crime. 

However, most of the stories you hear about the deep web are just urban legends, for the most part. The deep web is pretty much just as dangerous (or not-dangerous) as the regular web, just in different ways. 

I thought you were a boy! 

So did everyone, apparently! Look deep inside yourself and wonder why you imagined that a story about someone surfing the internet was a boy. You may find the answers you seek. 

Are you going to write any more? 

Sadly, probably not. Because of the rights issues involved in the TNT Horror Contest, I no longer own all of the rights to this story. In other words, it's not necessarily my decision to make. However, I may end up writing something else about the deep web in the future. Until then, keep an eye on my profile for all my other horror stories! 

When can I watch this on TV? 

At the moment, Tales From the Crypt has been put on hold. However, TNT does still own the rights to the story and could theoretically do something with them in the future. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything. 

So what's actually going on? What's the real answer? 

I do have my own explanation/idea of what's really happening behind all of this strangeness...but isn't it so much more fun to fill in the blanks with your own imagination? I love hearing reader theories, so keep them coming.