I used to feel safe in Metro City. Not anymore.

It's not the crime that scares me — crime statistics are actually down this month. It's the chaos. It's the unpredictability. It's knowing that at any moment, the infrastructure I depend on could fail because someone somewhere decided it should.

What Changed

Last Tuesday, I was driving my kids to school when every traffic light on Fourth Street went dark simultaneously. No warning. Just — gone. It was only for 30 seconds, but in that time I almost got T-boned by a truck that didn't know it should stop.

Was that TerrorByte? A copycat? A coincidence? I have no way to know. And that's exactly the problem.

We used to trust that traffic lights would work. That hospital equipment would function. That our electronic locks would keep us safe. Now? Every system could fail at any moment because someone might be "making a point."

My Smart Home Makes Me Feel Stupid

We have a smart thermostat. Smart locks. A doorbell camera. I used to think these things made us more secure.

Now they feel like vulnerabilities. Entry points. Ways that someone could reach into my home without ever being physically present.

My husband wants to rip it all out. Go back to manual everything. But even that doesn't feel safe — what about the systems we can't control? The power grid? The water treatment plant? The cars driving past our house?

TerrorByte Took Our Safety

People say TerrorByte makes us safer by eliminating "bad guys." But he's also eliminated something more fundamental: our ability to trust the systems we depend on.

Every time he demonstrates he can take control of city infrastructure, he proves that none of us are safe. Not from him. And not from anyone else who develops similar capabilities.

That's not heroism. That's terrorism. The terror of knowing that your daily life depends on the whims of someone you can't see, can't vote out, can't hold accountable.

I Want Normal Back

I just want to drive my kids to school without wondering if the traffic lights will work. I want to trust that the hospital will function if my mother has another heart attack. I want to feel like civilization still exists.

TerrorByte's fans can celebrate all they want. I'll be here, afraid, waiting for the next "demonstration."