 Welcome to Microterrorz. Scary stories for kids. Where it's always the spooky season. Full of chills. Thrills. And spine-tingling spooks. Microterrorz are family-friendly frights for those ages 8 and up. And while our stories are for younger years, we are still talking about things that go bump in the night. And some children may not be able to handle what others can. Parental consent is recommended. Now, for tonight's Microterrorz. The computer crash. Alex was nearly there. 40 hours and 36 minutes into the game, and the final level was almost complete. He had earned more than 500,000 gold coins, obtained all seven of the barbarian gems, and had completed every single side quest the game offered. Under the gentle touch of his hand, the mouse glided across the mouse pad with ease. He clicked rapidly in one area of the screen, sending his warrior character to the final treasure chest. In it was a golden crown with glowing decor around it. Got it, Alex exclaimed with a gleeful shine. A deafening roar was coming from behind his character that he spun around, clicking the mouse to get a better look at the encroaching evil force. Its life bar had nearly depleted. Another couple of slashes and stabs from his ancient sword would put the beast down for good, and finally bring a nearly 41 hours of gameplay to an end, restoring peace to the realm. That was until the inevitable sequel, of course. Alex would have been surprised if a sequel never came. This was by far the best, most exciting game he had ever played in his life. And if he could walk into school the next morning and tell his friends that he was able to defeat the death lord in just over 40 hours, his life would be complete. The computer screen went dark, and the hum from the backside of it faded to silence. Alex just stared at the black screen, his hand shakily hovering over the mouse. He felt his heartbeat pick up. No, no, no, he stuttered, clicking the mouse and hitting random keys on the keyboard. This can't be happening! But it was happening. Alex called for his mother, and together they tried to figure out the problem. The power button didn't work, the mouse didn't work, the plugging and re-plugging didn't work. We could figure this out later, Alex's mom said. Maybe when your dad gets home from work. No, I need it fixed now! Alex exclaimed, his impatience on full display. You're going to have to wait, his mom sternly said. It's just a game, Alex. Go outside and play something else. Alex just stared at his mom. She didn't get it. No one her age got it. Maybe it wasn't important to them, but it was to him. He needed the computer fixed. The longer the problem went unsolved, the more worried he became for his progress. He hadn't saved it since... Oh, God! Alex said, remembering his last save spot was before he'd entered the Dungeon of Destroyers. He felt sick to his stomach. All of that work, all the lives lost in the realm, all the power his warrior had acquired. If a random computer crash made all of that for nothing... Well, Alex refused to let his thoughts go there. His mom left the room and Alex was quick to get on his phone and search for computer repair companies. His dad wouldn't be home for hours and Alex couldn't wait that long. Scrolling through the list of local companies, one stood out immediately. PC surgeons, we operate stat. The clip art of a man in a surgical mask holding a wiry motherboard was also a quirky plus as far as Alex was concerned. Call for quotes was highlighted at the bottom of the page. Alex raced downstairs to his mom and showed her what he had found. They operate stat, mom, he said. They could come today and fix the computer. No, Alex, she said. You need to learn patience. Wait for your dad. He might be able to help fix it. I can't imagine a house call by a computer doctor would be cheap, either. Please, just call and see if it's too much. I'll wait for dad, Alex said. Secretly hoping it wouldn't be too much. His mom gave in more than likely just to get him off her back about the issue. She called the number and inquired about the house calls. Her eyes widened when the man on the other line told her the price. Okay, thank you very much, she politely said before hanging up. She added the phone back to Alex, just like I thought. They charge an arm and a leg. Please just wait for your dad. He'll be home before dinner. Alex, angered by the situation, stormed off to his room and slammed the door. He smacked the side of the computer, still not believing he was in this mess. I was so close, he said to himself. PC surgeons were still on his mind. His mom didn't disclose the price, they quoted, but surely it wasn't anything he couldn't eventually pay the mag for. Alex made a decision. The wrong decision. Through PC surgeon's website, he scheduled a house call. Within an hour, the computer surgeon arrived. Alex did his best to intercept a ring or knock at the door and let the man in, showing him upstairs to his room where his dead computer sat on the desk. Just crashed, huh? The man said. No warning, no glitches. No, Alex said. I was playing a game and it just went out. I don't know why. The man looked at the computer over and said, Yeah, I think I can fix this. Gotta open it up first. Gotta operate, he said with a wink. Man, they really like to stick to this surgeon bit, Alex thought to himself. Over the next 15 minutes, the man took the computer apart, did his thing, and put it back together. Alex kept a near out for his mom, but when he heard her answer a call from her sister, he knew she'd be busy for the next hour or so. Aunt Harley was a talker. The surgeon pressed the power button and the computer booted up like nothing had ever happened. Alex was ecstatic. Thank you so much, he said repeatedly. The repairman put away his tools and pulled out the invoice. Who's paying for this? He asked. Alex stopped. He hadn't thought about the payment other than paying back his parents at some point. Well, my mom's on the phone right now, Alex said. What about your dad? The man asked. He's at work, Alex said. The man smiled, catching on that Alex might have gone behind his parents back to get the job done. He sympathized with Alex. You know, I have a boy about your age at home. Boys will do some crazy things, huh? Alex nodded, slightly ashamed. Look, the man began. I'm feeling generous here. I don't need payment this very second. Just give me one of their names and we'll collect later. Alex sighed in relief, giving the man his dad's name and information. He'd figure out a way to break it to them later. The surgeon tore off the top sheet of the invoice and handed it to Alex. Good luck with your game, he said. Alex walked the man out of the house, checked to make sure his mom was still on the phone, and then returned to his room. Within the next 30 minutes, he had defeated the death lord and returned peace to the realm. Giddy and thrilled, he called his best friend a gloat. Then there was a knock on his bedroom door. Alex ended the call. Then, he said, assuming it was his mom. The door opened and he was right, but she was crying. Her eyes were red and her face was wet from tears that were still flowing. Mom, what's wrong? Alex said, jumping to his feet and rushing over to her. It's your dad, she sobbed. What? What about dad? Something has happened to him. He was rushed to the emergency room. What? For what? Alex said, his heart now racing harder and faster than it ever had before. His leg was... Alex's mom sobbed and blubbered so much that it was hard to make out anything she was saying. She couldn't even form or speak a full thought. His arm, she exclaimed next. His entire arm, it was... She had a paper caught her eye. It was laying at the foot of Alex's bed. She focused on the clip art of the man in a surgical mask holding the wiry motherboard of a computer. PC surgeons, she uttered, snatching the paper up in her hand. Shot and betrayed, she looked over the invoice. You did this behind my back? She screamed at him. Alex cowered, embarrassed and now full of shame. Suddenly beating the game didn't seem all that important after all. I said no, Alex. Do you remember me saying no? His mom screamed, do you remember why I said no? Do you remember what I said they charged? Alex's mind raced searching for any answer that would get his mom to stop yelling and then he remembered. Now he remembered what his mom had said. And the words stung his entire body into numbness. They charged an arm and a leg. Thank you for listening to Mike Rowe Terrors. Join us each Saturday for another scary story. For more fun visit our website at MikeRoweTerrors.com where we will also have spooky games you can print out and play like wicked word searches, mysterious mazes and more. MikeRoweTerrors.com is also where you can find us on your favorite social media and even send in your own scary story for us to tell. Plus you'll learn more about our author Scott Donnelly who has other horrors for both young and old. I hope you'll join me again soon from Mike Rowe Terrors. Scary stories for kids.