It was a digital mausoleum. The background was a repeating tile of static clouds, making the text hard to read without highlighting it. A midi file—an 8-bit rendition of a pop punk song that had been charting when Leo was twelve—sat disabled in the corner. The browser didn't even support the plugin anymore. It was silence where there should have been noise.
"Archive complete," Leo typed into the master log.
He closed the browser tab.
User: The_Game_Master Date: Dec 25, 2004 Message: "Merry Christmas Buddy! Thanks for the cheat codes."
User: XxSkaterBoyxX Date: Mar 16, 2007 Message: "Dude don't be like that. We're here for you. Call me." profile galleries buddys last 10 posts guestbook
He opened a new tab. He wasn't supposed to do this—it was against protocol—but he did it anyway. He searched for Sarah_Starlight on a modern social media site. It took a few tries. She had a different last name now.
The page loaded with the distinct, jerky lag of an underfunded server. The layout was a grid of thumbnails, each bordered by a jagged, faux-3D picture frame graphic. It was a digital mausoleum
User: PixieGurl88 Date: Mar 16, 2007 Message: "Happy Birthday!! Wait, what happened? Are you okay? Message me ASAP."
Leo scrolled further down. The dates grew closer together, then sparser. The browser didn't even support the plugin anymore