DNG-9906 - The Flash Drive That Copies Fear

At first glance, the device appears to be an ordinary flash drive, an unbranded, 16GB storage device with a generic metallic finish. But it is no ordinary flash drive, the source of something so insidious. Every document that's been opened from it appears to pull the user further down a well of paranoia, and the growing sense of dread seems deeply personal, with absolutely no way out.

The flash drive was discovered in a donation box in a pawnshop in rural ████████, where it had been left anonymously. It is unknown who was the owner of this flash drive.

Key Details

Item: Unbranded Flash Drive
Storage Capacity: 16GB
Physical Description: A plain metallic casing, slightly scuffed, with no logos or branding. The only identifier is a scratched-in marking on the side that reads "VOID."
Condition Upon Discovery: Functional but heavily encrypted; initial scans showed no sign of damage or malware.

Discovery

The flash drive was first acquired by a collector specializing in second-hand tech. Plugged into a laptop, it behaved normally with one folder exception titled "FEAR." Inside, a series of files were there, titled by primal human fears:

Isolation.mp4
████████████████.mp4
Drowning.txt
TheDark.jpg

Harmless enough names, perhaps, but inside each had an experience very specifically tuned to the psyche of its viewer.

Reported Anomalies

The flash drive exhibited several behaviors:

File Regeneration: Files deleted from the flash drive would reappear within hours, often accompanied by new ones that seemed tailored to the user’s specific anxieties.
Untraceable Metadata: Attempts to track the creation or modification dates of the files resulted in corrupted data or nonsensical timestamps (e.g., “00/00/0000”).
Physical Symptoms: Users reported an immediate sense of dread when interacting with the files. Prolonged exposure caused heart palpitations, cold sweats, and, in one extreme case, fainting.

Personal Testimonies

BuriedAlive.mp4:
One team member shared their experience with this file. The video was nothing more than static at first, but within moments, it began to depict what appeared to be their own face, screaming from beneath layers of dirt. This member, who had no prior history of claustrophobia, reported waking up in the middle of the night gasping for air and clawing at their bedcovers.
TheDark.jpg:
Another member encountered this seemingly innocuous black square. Viewing the image caused their surroundings to dim unnaturally, leaving them disoriented and scared of shadows for several days.

Investigative Experiments

After acquiring the flash drive, our team conducted a series of controlled experiments. Here’s what we observed:

Encryption:
While the files were accessible using ordinary software, any attempt to copy, move, or analyze the data resulted in corrupted outputs.
Personalization:
The files took on an ever-evolving nature, considering the user's interaction. For instance, a new file titled Waves.wav appeared after a team member mentioned being terrified of drowning. Once opened in an audio player, the file played the sound of rushing water with muffled screams.
Connectivity Issues:
Most devices connected to the flash drive experienced power surges or random reboots.

Despite numerous investigations, no source of the anomalies could be determined.

Possible Origins

The flash drive’s origin remains a mystery. The marking “VOID” etched on its side raises additional questions. What does this "VOID" stand for?

One theory suggests that the flash drive acts as a digital mirror, reflecting the subconscious fears of its user back at them in increasingly vivid and distressing ways.

Current Status

The flash drive now resides in our collection, safely isolated from other devices. Our team avoids even plugging the drive in.

While many items in our collection carry unsettling stories, this flash drive stands out for its ability to infiltrate not just machines but minds. For now, its files remain untouched.