I…Without a source in void…Blank nothingness, no substance, material solidified, primordial concepts birthed from a dreaming consciousness left alone for immeasurable time… It was fear of the fragility to make existence…The first semblance of identity, already assumed the highest of dreamer, and miraculous freewill, a potential probability of "OM" unraveling. To vocally create after the amassed power to do so, could be a mistake of hellish surrealism, a failure of truth if it was to last eternity-should the beginning entities choose evil by choice, as made to believe, they're finite beings…inconceivable forever is a God… The perfection becomes the most vast elaboration conceivable, and, with a noise so loudly ultimate, the voice splices through the nothingness with a bang so violent, a literal universe awakens into momentary coalescence, attracting itself together into form at ultimate light speed, and yet slows down into a divisional amount of substances eventually labeled…linear, motion and time arrived…All of them asked if it was a perversion…no straight lines, folding on itself…ya, I smoke weed in my basement… The smartest said a vibratory process in an elastic inert medium, filling up universal space…a visible manifestation of a whole spectrum of electromagnetic waves, it's condensed hard, mixed within itself, from the inside out even made to expand…Gravitational warps, mass balls of weight create autobons, super highways ships can travel…sun's are harnessed, free energy exists, the utopian reality becomes actuality…some can only survive so long without destroying themselves before thousands of years fighting to survive…entire star systems or planets are capable to mobilize themselves into safety zones, remaining self sustaining and untouched by anything harmful for millions of years…in a bright future we'll never be "in"… "Swat!Smack!!!"...fly guts on my acrylic painting…cat urine soaked spotted drywall underneath the drop ceiling of a basement cellar attempt of a rental... space heater warmth resting on a concrete block of stone cold landlord profiteering, profit on an unbreathable musk heap. Mold permeates, damp dirt on a fresh spring rain, draining wetness into it... downloads of WiFi network binge watching the phone for t.v...Bi-law Officer's want to see me drooling on a pillow scratching my nut's in a torn up empty room, to drop an investigative neighbor's complaint of dwelling in decrepitude, that lowers the value of their home...at least my landlord isn't knocking with a human skin costume-because he's really a giant cockroach looking for "Orion's Belt", no, he's looking for regular handjobs from my ex's, and I know this from an eight minute recording of his request, obligingly sent to me from one of them...there are no bug's in the basement, just centipedes and daddy long legs, plus flies, attracted to the poop stained carpet above the bowing drywall, above me... there's no vent cover as the metal pops out through support beam's fitted with the heat tubes terribly hollow, this space is industrial...my particle board door has a dent two inches deep from a rock an ex took to it...it's about four inches thicker on the bottom, water has warped the wood to not close properly…I'm underground enough to survive like a roach in nukes,.though..Joe's apartment had company… People die of respiratory illness due to bedbugs or roach's...Overweight people run health stores, or give "qualified advice" for dietary athleticism…The most easiest of jobs make the most money, as nepotist's live as kings and queens upon the slavery of the less. The division is social and darwinian, brutality, and dominance…and it's a fluke for an individual to charm or be born into the luxurious…the unshared fullness may even morally be the great undoing… It is fear to lose such comfort or control. The very thought of equal entity implies shared power, and that is power to destroy. Why trust the loving power of another??? An epic story of hypocrisy and chosen specials… Dialectical psychosis to believe the purity is real. In cloud's to finally catch up to the surface of this original "bang", the noise gets louder…and I pop through the thought subjugated…big inhale… The entrance door, swelling out from the makeshift framing, jarring a gap that no seal's could fix. It's letting in breezes uncomfortable and chilling, and to get to that entrance, is a steep wooden step set that looks rather haunting... I was frightened I might have ended up in a freezer bag when I viewed the place before renting...took it because it was cheap, and I'd be alone with the grace of freedom, since a God's given none...the doorway is jarring to every female that's attempted a visit in this "abode", and bid farewell... I hear Shakespeare's dogs bark, the cat's patter as Ken's bus bird's chirp, flying over the nest, ambulance sirens, neighbor's arguing, and we have raccoons and squirrels inside, scratching and defecating along with the mice in almost every wall…it's Noah's Ark again…

I’ve got an NB Mx-5 that I’m looking to mod, I’m just wondering how to go about it and how to deal with insurance. It’s on a classic policy and only covered 3rd party for limited miles.
I’m currently doing the accessory mods and haven’t mentioned anything to insurance - upgraded to OEM wheels with NS2Rs, yellow stuff pads, braided lines, aluminium rad, upgraded coolant hoses, Meister R Zeta CRD and just an M2 backbox. I’ve also got a hardtop and intend on tracking it soon enough too.
The plan is to go FI, still debating between Turbo or Supercharger love the sound of the Supercharger but feel for the price and performance turbo is a better shout.
I’m just cautious of how to go about it with insurance - if I crash my car I won’t be covered if it’s my fault but I’m cautious of my policy being voided when paying out for damages to a second party’s car.
The car hasn’t got an OBD port which makes things handy (no dashboard lights if I prick about with the exhaust), but to pass emissions and go FI ill need to go with a sports cat and a few other mods.
Anyone dealt with insurance on this shite?

The Montreal Screwjob. Could it possibly be the greatest Kayfabe of all time?
The Montreal Screwjob is etched in wrestling history as a night of betrayal and controversy. But what if everything we thought we knew about that infamous event was wrong? What if it was all a meticulously crafted work, a kayfabe so elaborate and convincing that it fooled the entire world?
A Conspiracy of Convenience
Imagine this: Bret Hart, facing an impending departure to WCW, needs a way to leave the WWF without tarnishing his reputation. Vince McMahon, desperate to keep the WWF Championship off WCW television, needs a way to strip Hart of the title without alienating fans.
The solution? A conspiracy of convenience. A plan is hatched to stage a shocking betrayal, a "screwjob" that would allow Hart to lose the title while maintaining his image as a fighting champion. The incident would generate massive heat for Shawn Michaels and the WWF, setting the stage for a lucrative feud and a new era in wrestling.
The Art of the Double Cross
The Montreal Screwjob was a masterclass in deception. From the secret meetings to the on-screen betrayal, every detail was carefully choreographed to create an illusion of reality. Bret Hart's genuine outrage and Vince McMahon's villainous turn were so convincing that even seasoned wrestling insiders were fooled.
The use of the "disqualification finish," a classic wrestling trope, added another layer of complexity. By losing the championship but not the fight, Hart maintained his reputation for WCW while fulfilling his contractual obligations to the WWF.
Flaws in the Illusion: The Emotional Factor
The most compelling evidence against this conspiracy theory is Bret Hart's raw emotion in the aftermath of the Screwjob. His anger, frustration, and betrayal seemed too real to be fake. The accounts of backstage turmoil and the locker room's collective outrage further support the narrative of a genuine double-cross.
However, could this be the ultimate kayfabe, a layer of deception so deep that even the participants themselves believed it to be real? Perhaps Hart's emotional outburst was a calculated move, a way to sell the storyline and ensure its lasting impact.
The Verdict: A Masterstroke or a Myth?
While the Montreal Screwjob conspiracy theory is undeniably intriguing, it remains just that – a theory. The evidence, both for and against, is circumstantial, leaving room for endless speculation and debate. However, even if it were merely a myth, the fact that it continues to be discussed and dissected decades later speaks volumes about the power of kayfabe and the enduring allure of the Montreal Screwjob. Whether a genuine betrayal or a masterfully executed work, this event stands as a testament to the blurred lines between reality and fiction in professional wrestling, forever leaving fans questioning what's real and what's simply part of the show. It's a mystery that may never be fully solved, but the intrigue surrounding it only adds to the legendary status of the Montreal Screwjob.

She’s refusing her sleep aids and wanders around the house until wee hours. She’s more irritable than normal which is considerable because of her ODD and mood swings. She eats junk food compulsively if unsupervised, harasses the cats, watches things she knows she shouldn’t that trigger her.( I’ve disconnected the tv. )I’m not able to sleep at night again just like before her hospitalization because I have no way of knowing if this will lead to her going for walks at night like it did before, or hurting the animals or her brother or something worse.
She physically and violently terrified her brothers cat on purpose two weekends ago because it tried to go into her closet by slamming the closet door while he was halfway inside. He was unharmed physically(thankfully his reflexes are much faster than hers and he skedaddled) but extremely upset and avoided her for awhile. We immediately had an equally extreme conversation about how unacceptable that was and for now she seems to be curbing the physical aggression with the animals even though she won’t actually let them be if she’s not told directly to.
She harasses her brother and acts like she’s in charge and berates him until he retaliates if I’m in my bedroom while they’re awake. She tries repeatedly to bully me if I wear makeup, do my hair or dress in a way that isn’t tomboyish or frumpy. She tries to control any purchase I make. Most moves I make in fact, become about her. I can’t discipline without a blow up. I can’t parent my other child without her trying to insert herself and make that also about her. I can’t buy myself a pair of $12 dollar earrings for Mother’s Day without her being nasty to me about it. She lies to me, her teachers and who knows who else to minimize consequences at the expense of anyone, so long as it’s not her. I’m losing my objectivity, my patience and any willingness to communicate with my child when I would’ve cut contact entirely with any other person for acting like this if she weren’t my child and 16.
But it’s the sleep that bugs me the most. I can’t sleep at night because of her and I can’t sleep during the day because the maintenance crew has been working around my building with loud equipment from 7am to noon since I moved in last may.
I’m coming to the realization I can’t parent this teen if she won’t let me and the people who think they can, have already admitted after two weekends last summer that they were wrong. That leaves the father who she accused of rape(who may or may not have done so but has admitted to hitting her across the face and saying abusive things)who will try to regain custody of her if I don’t keep trudging through this until I snap. I’ve talked to multiple help lines about options. I’m doing everything there is to be done already, watching as the same patterns start all over again. The kicker is, because she’s attending group and taking all her other meds I’m told she’s doing well.
This isn’t well. This is hell. But good luck trying to prove it, because she’s apparently got them all believing she’s fine and it’s me, her teacher, her brother, all the other kids in her group, and her father who are the ones with the issues. I am at a loss. I cannot parent this way. I am literally being prevented from doing so with things as they are now. I finally told her tonight that either she starts acting right, listening without intent to argue, takes her sleep aids or this will not be a permanent housing situation. I hate saying it. I never wanted to. But I can’t work or provide or parent my other child if I don’t sleep. Anyone else I could call the cops for a disturbance. I really do feel like this kid thinks she’s got me figured out and pushed into a corner. It’s time for a wake up call about a mother’s boundaries in whatever way she can understand it.

So almost two months ago my ex boyfriend of almost two years broke up with me out of the blue. We hardly ever fought. If there were disagreements we just talked to each other. And I though we did the same with problems in our relationship and our lives. I was really happy. We had a really good relationship. Him breaking up with me left me completely broken. I not only lost my partner, but my home and my beloved cat and my life as I knew it in general. Almost two months later, I still cry everyday and have a hard time adjusting to my new life. But it has gotten better. Until last Friday/Saturday. We had not been in no contact at all. We had been texting, me telling him about my feelings, sending each other videos of the cats etc. And we also saw each other at least once a week. So before last Friday we had seen each other on Saturday. It was completely "normal". I decided then to not text him anymore, unless he were to text me first, so I did. Then Friday, after not talking for almost a week, he tells me to come over to get the rest of my stuff. The way he texted was already really cold and when I got there on Saturday he was so cold and so unfriendly to me. I kept asking him: What happened? What did I do? Why can't you be normal with me? And he just kept telling me: Taking your stuff with you is normal. We got into a bit of a fight, he got really angry. It really shattered my heart a second time. I don't know what I did to upset him so much. I texted him the next day telling him that I'm still super upset because of what happened and I want to know what's going on with him. At the end of that day, he texted me a long paragraph basically about how shit his life now is because of me. Him having to pay for the flat on his own now, him not having any close friends like I do etc. One thing he did say, I hung out with our friends the other day and I didn't ask him, if he wanted to go instead. I told him, how I'm sorry I didn't think about how he felt, but I also told him that the other stuff got nothing to do with me. He agreed after a while. He told me that he's starting to hate me, even though this isn't my fault... We kept texting a bit the next day. Or me texting and him replying me in one line stuff like "We can't ever be friends anymore" even tough that is something that he very much wanted. Or "you should go to therapy" "you'll probably understand me in a few years" I honestly don't know what I did to change our situation like this. I don't know what changed during this week we didn't talk. I think I've honestly been really nice to him, doing stuff for him, even though he broke my heart. But this person that he is now with me... It feels like I don't know him anymore. I've known him for almost 4 years and he has never acted like this. He has never been mean to me like this before..

I'm working in embedded C. The device receives ascii text one character at a time over a serial port and I would like to recognize when certain regex patterns appear in the stream. The character rate is highly variable and there are other tasks to perform, so I can't simply block on the serial port and collect data as a string.
What I want is something like PEARL with various rules and actions, but with a one-char-at-a-time input. And it has to play nice with other round-robin tasks.
The goal would be to do something like stringRecognizer() in the code below. The pattern rules would be regex that are pre-compiled by the lex-generator for (e.g.) recognizing the strings "CAT", "DOG" and "PIG" and returning an appropriate enum value that would trigger an action.
The function is stateful, so it knows if it has seen (e.g.) C and then A, so a subsequent T would return ACTION_CAT but an R (or anything else) would return ACTION_NOT_DONE and move on. A D would also return ACTION_NOT_DONE but move the state into the DOG rule (so CADOG would eventually trigger the DOG rule). There might be a rule to reset the state machine when a new-line or carriage-return is seen.
I've looked at lex, flex and re2c but none provides a stateful pattern recognizer. In all cases the state machine pulls data from either a string or an input stream, but is otherwise fully blocking. When the lex() function returns (to main()) all state is lost and restarts when a new string is supplied.

while(1) { doTask1(); // blink led doTask2(); // read a sensor if (serialInputHasData()) { char c = getch(); action_t action = stringRecognizer(c); switch(action) { case ACTION_CAT: doCatFunction(); break; case ACTION_DOG: doDogFunction(); break; case ACTION_PIG: doPigFunction(); break; case ACTION_NOT_DONE: break; default: break; } } } 

(Apologies for the length)
So here is mine. I (37M) made the decision, earlier this year, to leave the company I co-founded a few years ago. I've since been re-prioritizing, working out and improving my health, eliminating stressors, and planning my next business moves (basically self-focus). Last Fall I reconnected with a close friend (32F) that I had lost most contact with for a few years.
We used to work together years before and became close quickly and easily. We were always naturally flirty and still are, and one day she opened up about her feelings for me to which I happily reciprocated. This is where the problems began. Reason being that years prior I had gone through about 3 subsequent relationships/situations that destroyed my trust and desire for being vulnerable romantically. I had just given up for the foreseeable future. This reveal from her occurred during this aftermath period and I was unable to process, comprehend, and alleviate doubts/fears appropriately, preventing me from communicating with her about it almost altogether. She persisted and was graciously cool about what I'm sure was confusing to her with my horrible communication abilities at the time. Eventually she moved on and we just remained friends, with her leaving for a new job not long after. She also entered a relationship with a mutual acquaintance soon after that (randomly, not because of our situation). She was happy and growing in her life and I found joy in that but my missteps haunted me since she moved on. I meant the reciprocation but knew then that I couldn't be what she deserved and refused to use her affection for my own happiness. I also knew that I owed her an explanation, as I couldn't stand for her to possibly think I found something wrong or undesirable about her, leading to my actions before. It just never felt appropriate to do while she was seeing someone.
FAST-FORWARD (Don't laugh too hard at that)...
After leaving the job myself and helping start a company and going my own direction, my feelings never waned off but I didn't dwell. Around 4-5 years had passed. I would see her randomly here and there, still in her relationship, and it was always nice. It was apparent she was excited by my presence and always made the effort to share a hug and some time talking. We have an incredibly solid friendship and banter base that will always be around. Despite that, the occasions she would be where I was became scarce and it was back to the usual. During the days leading up to my decision to leave the company, I just needed a trusted friend to talk to. I ran into a mutual friend of mine and hers and during the catch-up they mentioned they had hung out with her recently and that she had ended her relationship. Now, someone in my position would probably relish in that information. I'll admit I wasn't bummed by it. I realized, however, that I more just missed talking to her and felt I should reach out. So I did.
Now we are caught up (It annoys me as well)...
Since last Fall we have been catching up and bantering better than ever and it has been great. The natural flirtation and everything has been there but more in-line with where we are now in life. She had mentioned her breakup during the initial reconnect, but never mentioned anything further from her end nor inquired about my status. We just focused on the stellar conversation and regained contact. I knew my feelings never went anywhere and they just became more enhanced as we kept talking (only via text to this point). I knew the possibility that she was seeing someone else was there but didn't really care. I wasn't much to expect her to consider letting her guard down a second time with me, especially without having spoken about what happened before. After much thought, I made certain I was sure of how I was feeling about myself, her, and the situation and texted her about meeting up. She was very excited to do so and we set up a plan and ended up meeting recently. I was just purely excited to see her again in-person, but the obvious hopes and desires we as people have are always there. I knew part of me would be gauging it all to see where we both stand.
It was a fantastic meet up but she did mention her breakup quite early on and also that she was dating someone currently. It did NOT hit me like bricks or whatever saying applies. It wasn't great to hear for that part of me that was hoping, but I knew it could be a thing going in. The real impact was the reevaluation of much of the previous conversations we had made, with before having no knowledge of her dating someone during so. It never got out of hand, just that natural flirtation and sharing of trusted information that can seem to have dual tonality to them. You just never know until you know. The evening carried on and we kept bonding really well and having a great time as friends (the tone it needed to take). I'll mention that this person is an amazing, generous, loyal, independent, and confident individual that overcame a lot of insecurities in life (like so many of us do or hope to do), and has incredible integrity. She would not intentionally disrespect the person she is dating. One of her many admirable qualities. We continued catching up and relocated to grab a bite to eat. During this portion we bonded on more things and I was finally honest with myself internally that I can't fight the fact that I do, in fact, love this person and it made me excited. I knew though that I had to now have that conversation about what happened in the past, which was long overdue and needed to happen before anything else could be broached.
I promise I'm going to wrap this up (I appreciate your patience if you got this far)...
It was now nighttime and a reasonable time to part ways. I knew my chance was now or never so I inquired if we could park for a second and chat. We did and I just went into it in the best way I could that respected her current situation (I feel too strongly and respect her too much to let my feelings disregard her boundaries). She listened and received it like a total boss, which is no surprise. Luckily it hadn't impacted her too poorly and the new knowledge alleviated any doubt she may have had about herself. I didn't really expect her to even remember it all anyhow. I just had to know she knew what happened and where I stood/stand. Human nature being what it is, I toed the line a few times with my words but I always made sure she knew I meant all due respect and meant it. Some things just build too much pressure when you hold on the them and they eventually get released. She was very reassuring that I was behaving and even revealed new information from her side of it back then and now. She allowed me to express everything I was able to within the boundaries present and was very kind about it. Obviously I had now revealed that I still maintained feelings for her amidst it all. I am not a pro on the subject of attraction, but I'm not an idiot either. The eyes and mouth can speak volumes, and I saw what I'm sure I subconsciously wanted to see. I knew I would run risk of breaching her trust if I persisted too far and I was feeling bad about keeping her out as late as it was, so I asked if I could make a couple inquiries that were appropriately worded. She agreed and I asked if after my idiocy back in the day when she approached me, was that where her feelings for me had stopped. She quickly and softly whispered "No.". I took that in and decided to ask, hypothetically, that if she had no attachments and I were to approach her, would I receive a half-way positive response. She had a slight pause and said "More than half-way.". Despite a heavy desire to explore further, I knew I shouldn't and by happenstance she got a phone call right after this. She said she needed to take it and it was her dad. I stepped out of the car but doing so I happened to notice the name on the dash screen (we had taken her car the the restaurant). I don't know her father personally or know his exact name, but it wasn't the one on the screen. I didn't and likely won't read into that too much, but thought I'd share it in here. Anyway, she handled the call quickly and got out to hug and say our goodbyes. We shared a long hug and exchanged thank yous and then found the opportunity to enact a fake threat of a gentle kidney goosing from some flirty banter a few days prior. She enjoyed it. We then parted ways asking each other to inform of their safe arrival home. Which we did.
So there you have it. Obviously there are many ways to dissect something like this. I feel we both behaved rather well even though I feel a bit of guilt and hope I haven't caused her any undue problems, as she is in a great place in life (mainly because of her personal and professional growth, not necessarily the dating). I also don't regret unburdening myself the way I did. I think we both deserved it for different reasons.
I suppose I'm just curious of your thoughts on it all. I'm doing alright after it all but know the dynamic is different now. She is likely juggling a thought or two just like I am, but we still talk as friends. She is content where she is but I could tell that, if perhaps the timing was different, we wouldn't hesitate to get together. I hold excitement at the thought but will not wait on chance. She is walking her path and me my own. Those paths may indeed converge one day, but her friendship is something I won't gamble away nor would she to mine. It also may never happen. These are the realities.
Thoughts/anybody else out there?
Thank you for your indulgence.

I'm not sure if this kind of post is allowed here and I'm sorry for the rant, but I'm the kind of person who feels shitty about making a big deal out of my achievements to the people in my life, so i thought I'd shout it into the void and probably delete it later.
In 2016, i was 26, working at my local liquor store, struggling to make ends meet. Nothing wrong with the retail life - i respect the shit out of anyone who can take it for longer than i did - but i was miserable. I decided to try to do better for myself and the world around me.
I craigslisted and linkedin'd my way into a marketing job, satisfying the "better for myself" part, at least. I worked my way up for six years. I was happy and comfortable, but i decided i couldn't continue to work away at nothing that mattered while ignoring everything that was happening outside my window. I took the LSATs (not well, but well right) and applied to law schools around the country, hoping to become a public defender or a small time civil rights lawyer. I picked the one that gave me the best scholarship and moved with my incredible wife and my cats across the country.
I should clarify at this point that i am in many ways the antithesis of the classic type A, hustle culture law school archetype. I am, to most of my friends and daily, a starry-eyed, longhaired hippie who smokes too much weed and reads too much sci fi - but it turns out the only thing i hate more than working hard is the feeling that I'm squandering the gifts I've been given in this life.
All that is to say that the last two years have been the hardest thing I've ever done - but in short, somehow, miraculously, my lackadaisical ass has absolutely fucking crushed it at every turn. As a result, i ended up in a position i never expected. The law school universe and the legal job market is insanely old school and hierarchical, and a lot of people told me it wasn't worth it to start this process if i couldn't get into a top ranked school. Transferring from the school i got into to one of those schools requires being in the top 10% of your class, and then some. I never hoped that would be an option for me - i just wanted to do well enough to keep my scholarship, find a job, and start making a difference. I was encouraged by a mentor to expand my expectations - to see if i could climb the shitty, arbitrary power ladder with an eye towards opening up more opportunities to do more of the kind of good i always talked about.
Today, at the age of 33, i got accepted as a transfer to a "top 14" law school -- the kind that means I'm gonna be able to use my degree and my skills to help people, and maybe, hopefully, not just a few people on the front lines of a fucked up system, but a lot of people, in a structural way. I know a lot of people hate lawyers for a lot of good reasons, and that many of the lawyers people hate start out with the best intentions - but all i can do is try to climb as high as i can and keep my eyes open while i try to be one of the exceptions.
I see a lot of shit on the internet about remembering when you dreamed of what you have right now. Eight years ago, i couldn't have conceived of this path for myself. I've spent so much of my life, so many sleepless nights, remembering all the missed opportunities and things I've done wrong. I'm so glad i found a way not to let that past define me - that i didnt settle for less without trying, one more time, for real and with all that i had, to see if i was capable of more.
I'm so fucking proud of myself, guys, and so excited for the road ahead. I hope if you're wondering about taking a leap, you take it, so that you can feel this way, too - because holy shit, if my ass can do it, so can you.

Something no one is talking about was the original diss record Meek Mill did to Drake. In that song he mentions Drake getting pee'd on. I believe he was hinting to or alluding to some of the weird things that go on behind closed doors in the industry. There are countless stories and testimonies about the rituals and occult parties that go down in Hollywood. You can literally go on youtube and see actual people from the industry talking about their experiences.
There seems to be patterns with their strange fetishes and activities. R. Kelly peeing on girls, P Diddy and Young Miami and their golden showers. Doja Cat talked about eating feces, and Nas talked about the things he had to eat/drink for satanic rituals in his song "You're da man." I can't help but wonder if the "Champagne" in Champagne Papi is code word for Champagne Showers. I think the photo of him wearing blackface is an example of the blackmail and secret "tapes" that they have on all the celebs. It's come out that the elites like to use the tactic of blackmail to keep the industry in line, drugging and r*ping an artist on film or having them do other unspeakable acts. I wonder what kind of weird things they have on Drake?

The footprints of human feet where they should not be refutes entire idea of evolutionism.
We see human footprints where they should not be so the evolutionists claim it must be monkey with human feet like "lucy". "The prints, unlike the feet of chimps and Australopithecus africanus, have the big toe in line with the foot. Tim White, perhaps the leading authority on the subject, was quoted in a book by fellow evolutionary apeman researchers as saying:
‘Make no mistake about it, they are like modern human footprints. If one were left in the sand of a California beach today, and a four-year-old were asked what it was, he would instantly say that someone had walked there. He wouldn’t be able to tell it from a hundred other prints on the beach, nor would you. The external morphology is the same. There is a well-shaped modern heel with a strong arch and a good ball of the foot in front of it. The big toe is straight in line. It doesn’t stick out to the side like an ape toe, or like the big toe in so many drawings you see of Australopithecines in books.’4
An evolutionist from the University of Chicago, Russell Tuttle, has said:
‘In discernible features, the Laetoli G prints are indistinguishable from those of habitually barefoot Homo sapiens.’5
However, to conclude that humans made them would be ‘ruled out of order’ by the dating! "- https://creation.com/lucy-walking-tall-or-wandering-in-circles
We see human footprints with dinosaurs in TX. The evolutionists want you to believe human prints were really made by dinosaurs. We see cat print there as well.
Russian confirmed Texas findings.
https://answersingenesis.org/dinosaurs/footprints/human-and-dinosaur-footprints-in-turkmenistan/
Human feet are always human feet. Only in evolutionism do they claim maybe it was dinosaur or monkey with human feet or alien. This is clear bias and delusion. Visuals https://youtu.be/3i401qa2ZEU?si=4SGO_CMNIk5-X_TI

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[Lost Castle](https://store.steampowered.com/app/434650/Lost\_Castle/) *(Very Positive)*
[Metro 2033 Redux](https://store.steampowered.com/app/286690/Metro\_2033\_Redux/) *(Very Positive)*
[POSTAL: Brain Damaged - Connoisseur Edition](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1359980/POSTAL\_Brain\_Damaged/) *(Overwhelmingly Positive)*
[Prodeus](https://store.steampowered.com/app/964800/Prodeus/) *(Very Positive)*
[Quake II](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2320/Quake\_II/) *(Very Positive)*
[Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer](https://store.steampowered.com/app/859570/Secret\_Neighbor\_Hello\_Neighbor\_Multiplaye) *(Very Positive)*
[Sniper Elite 4 Deluxe Edition](https://store.steampowered.com/app/312660/Sniper\_Elite\_4/) *(Very Positive)*
[Songbird Symphony](https://store.steampowered.com/app/909820/Songbird\_Symphony/) *(Very Positive)*
[Soulstice](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1602080/Soulstice/) *(Mostly Positive)*
[The Legend of Tianding](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1406850/The\_Legend\_of\_Tianding/) *(Overwhelmingly Positive)*
[Trover Saves the Universe](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1051200/Trover\_Saves\_the\_Universe/) *(Very Positive)*
[Valfaris](https://store.steampowered.com/app/600130/Valfaris/) *(Very Positive)*
[Valfaris: Mecha Therion](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1647920/Valfaris\_Mecha\_Therion/) *(Very Positive)*
[Wolfenstein 3D](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2270/Wolfenstein\_3D/) *(Very Positive)*
[Zombie Army Trilogy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/301640/Zombie\_Army\_Trilogy/) *(Very Positive)*
HAVE: PAYPAL OR TRADE
The rest of these I honestly just need to offload more quickly so I will sell them at a loss at 5 for $3, 10 for $5, or 20 for $8. I will sell all of the titles below as a giant bundle of 92 games for $25.
[10 Second Ninja X](https://store.steampowered.com/app/435790/10\_Second\_Ninja\_X/) *(Very Positive)* [AER Memories of Old](https://store.steampowered.com/app/331870/AER\_Memories\_of\_Old/) *(Very Positive)* [AETHERIS](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1786010/AETHERIS/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Alchemist Adventure](https://store.steampowered.com/app/521620/Alchemist\_Adventure/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1333470/Alex\_Kidd\_in\_Miracle\_World\_DX/) *(Very Positive)* [Arsenal of Democracy: A Hearts of Iron Game](https://store.steampowered.com/app/42850/Arsenal\_of\_Democracy\_A\_Hearts\_of\_Iron\_Game/) *(Very Positive)* [Arx Fatalis](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1700/Arx\_Fatalis/) *(Very Positive)* [BLACKHOLE](https://store.steampowered.com/app/322680/BLACKHOLE/) *(Very Positive)* [Block'Em!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1529220/BlockEm/) *(Positive)* [Brunch Club](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1045120/Brunch\_Club/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Call of Juarez](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3020/Call\_of\_Juarez/) *(Very Positive)* [Chenso Club](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1454730/Chenso\_Club/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Clustertruck](https://store.steampowered.com/app/397950/Clustertruck/) *(Very Positive)* [Colt Canyon](https://store.steampowered.com/app/940710/Colt\_Canyon/) *(Very Positive)* [Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/386620/Cook\_Serve\_Delicious\_2/) *(Very Positive)* [Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1000030/Cook\_Serve\_Delicious\_3/) *(Very Positive)* [Creepy Tale](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1224020/Creepy\_Tale/) *(Very Positive)* [Dark Deity](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1374840/Dark\_Deity/) *(Mostly Positive)* [DARQ: Complete Edition](https://store.steampowered.com/app/433550/DARQ\_Complete\_Edition/) *(Very Positive)* [Dead Age 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/951430/Dead\_Age\_2\_The\_Zombie\_Survival\_RPG/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Dead End Job](https://store.steampowered.com/app/827610/Dead\_End\_Job/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Deadly Days](https://store.steampowered.com/app/740080/Deadly\_Days/) *(Very Positive)* [Deep Sky Derelicts](https://store.steampowered.com/app/698640/Deep\_Sky\_Derelicts/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Double Cross](https://store.steampowered.com/app/838010/Double\_Cross/) *(Very Positive)* [Embr](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1062830/Emb) *(Very Positive)* [Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG](https://store.steampowered.com/app/921800/Encased\_A\_SciFi\_PostApocalyptic\_RPG/) *(Mostly Positive)* [ENCODYA](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1137450/ENCODYA/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Funtasia](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1795010/Funtasia/) *(Mixed)* [Garbage](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1253710/Garbage/) *(Mixed)* [Golf Gang](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1151050/Golf\_Gang/) *(Very Positive)* [GRIP: Combat Racing](https://store.steampowered.com/app/396900/GRIP\_Combat\_Racing/) *(Very Positive)* [Grotto](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1538850/Grotto/) *(Very Positive)* [Havsala: Into the Soul Palace](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1732750/Havsala\_Into\_the\_Soul\_Palace/) *(Very Positive)* [Heaven Dust](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1032590/Heaven\_Dust/) *(Very Positive)* [Hero of the Kingdom](https://store.steampowered.com/app/259550/Hero\_of\_the\_Kingdom/) *(Very Positive)* [I Am Fish](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1472560/I\_Am\_Fish/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Ironcast](https://store.steampowered.com/app/327670/Ironcast/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Joggernauts](https://store.steampowered.com/app/747620/Joggernauts/) *(Very Positive)* [Juicy Realm](https://store.steampowered.com/app/732370/Juicy\_Realm/) *(Very Positive)* [Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth](https://store.steampowered.com/app/234270/Ken\_Folletts\_The\_Pillars\_of\_the\_Earth/) *(Very Positive)* [King of Dragon Pass](https://store.steampowered.com/app/352220/King\_of\_Dragon\_Pass/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Lawn Mowing Simulator](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1480560/Lawn\_Mowing\_Simulato) *(Mostly Positive)* [Looterkings](https://store.steampowered.com/app/397310/Looterkings/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Mad Experiments: Escape Room](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201550/Mad\_Experiments\_Escape\_Room/) *(Mostly Positive)* [MagiCat](https://store.steampowered.com/app/656970/MagiCat/) *(Very Positive)* [Maid of Sker](https://store.steampowered.com/app/826940/Maid\_of\_Ske) *(Very Positive)* [Mech Mechanic Simulator](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1044980/Mech\_Mechanic\_Simulato) *(Mixed)* [Minute of Islands](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1049710/Minute\_of\_Islands/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Mortal Glory](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1097530/Mortal\_Glory/) *(Very Positive)* [Necrosmith](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1949190/Necrosmith/) *(Very Positive)* [Nomad Survival](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1929870/Nomad\_Survival/) *(Very Positive)* [OUT OF THE BOX](https://store.steampowered.com/app/576960/\_OUT\_OF\_THE\_BOX/) *(Very Positive)* [Peachleaf Pirates](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1156510/Peachleaf\_Pirates/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Pesterquest](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1144030/Pesterquest/) *(Very Positive)* [Rebel Galaxy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/290300/Rebel\_Galaxy/) *(Very Positive)* [Rebel Galaxy Outlaw](https://store.steampowered.com/app/910830/Rebel\_Galaxy\_Outlaw/) *(Mixed)* [Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered](https://store.steampowered.com/app/667720/Red\_Faction\_Guerrilla\_ReMarstered/) *(Very Positive)* [Red Line](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2143050/Red\_Line/) *(Very Positive)* [Repella Fella](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1008860/Repella\_Fella/) *(Very Positive)* [REZ PLZ](https://store.steampowered.com/app/911680/REZ\_PLZ/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Rising Hell](https://store.steampowered.com/app/657000/Rising\_Hell/) *(Very Positive)* [Shift Happens](https://store.steampowered.com/app/359840/Shift\_Happens/) *(Very Positive)* [Silver Chains](https://store.steampowered.com/app/975470/Silver\_Chains/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Slaycation Paradise](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1643850/Slaycation\_Paradise/) *(Very Positive)* [Songbird Symphony](https://store.steampowered.com/app/909820/Songbird\_Symphony/) *(Very Positive)* [Spirit of the Island](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1592110/Spirit\_of\_the\_Island/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Spirit of the North](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1213700/Spirit\_of\_the\_North/) *(Very Positive)* [Spiritual Warfare & Wisdom Tree Collection](https://store.steampowered.com/app/624550/Spiritual\_Warfare\_\_Wisdom\_Tree\_Collection/) *(Positive)* [State of Mind](https://store.steampowered.com/app/437630/State\_of\_Mind/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Strategic Command: World War I](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1096930/Strategic\_Command\_World\_War\_I/) *(Very Positive)* [Streamer Life Simulator](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1261040/Streamer\_Life\_Simulato) *(Mostly Positive)* [Super Buff HD](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1295220/Super\_Buff\_HD/) *(Positive)* [Surgeon Simulator](https://store.steampowered.com/app/233720/Surgeon\_Simulato) *(Very Positive)* [Switchball HD](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1588760/Switchball\_HD/) *(Very Positive)* [Tallowmere](https://store.steampowered.com/app/340520/Tallowmere/) *(Very Positive)* [Telepath Tactics Liberated](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1849820/Telepath\_Tactics\_Liberated/) *(Very Positive)* [Tempest Complete Edition](https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/4300/Tempest\_Complete\_Edition/) *(Mostly Positive)* [The Deed: Dynasty](https://store.steampowered.com/app/460960/The\_Deed\_Dynasty/) *(Very Positive)* [The Horror Of Salazar House](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1405440/The\_Horror\_Of\_Salazar\_House/) *(Very Positive)* [The Indie Mixtape](https://store.steampowered.com/app/352640/The\_Indie\_Mixtape/) *(Mostly Positive)* [The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia](https://store.steampowered.com/app/940680/The\_Textorcist\_The\_Story\_of\_Ray\_Bibbia/) *(Very Positive)* [The Town of Light](https://store.steampowered.com/app/433100/The\_Town\_of\_Light/) *(Mostly Positive)* [The Wild Eight](https://store.steampowered.com/app/526160/The\_Wild\_Eight/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Time on Frog Island](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1717510/Time\_on\_Frog\_Island/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Truberbrook](https://store.steampowered.com/app/757300/Truberbrook\_\_Trberbrook/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Tunche](https://store.steampowered.com/app/887450/Tunche/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Tyrant's Blessing](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1520760/Tyrants\_Blessing/) *(Mostly Positive)* [Unity of Command: Stalingrad Campaign](https://store.steampowered.com/app/218090/Unity\_of\_Command\_Stalingrad\_Campaign/) *(Mostly Positive)* [UNLOVED](https://store.steampowered.com/app/321270/UNLOVED/) *(Very Positive)* [Warman](https://store.steampowered.com/app/887420/Warman/) *(Very Positive)* [When Ski Lifts Go Wrong](https://store.steampowered.com/app/638000/When\_Ski\_Lifts\_Go\_Wrong/) *(Very Positive)* [Whos Your daddy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/427730/Whos\_Your\_Daddy/) *(Very Positive)* [X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack](https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/4453/XMorph\_Defense\_Complete\_Pack/) *(Very Positive)*
WANT
Open to offers, big fan of metroidvania/souls-likes/retro shooters/indie games.
Cloud Gardens
Dark Light
Dorfromantik
Foregone
Pode
Project Warlock 2
Satisfactory
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Steam wishlist

It is a man, old and scraggy. He wears a jacket that lays over the red plaid button shirt and blue jeans. He wears an old baseball cap and a pair of glasses. He yelled something to Dad, holding his hands up like he was pleading, although we couldn’t hear it over the truck engine. They talked, but we couldn’t hear what they were saying.
“Hey, what are they saying”, I asked, while petting Matt’s hair, calming him. The old man then put his hands down and came close to Dad in a cautious way. They seem to start having some kind of conversation.
“I don’t really know, hopefully, something good”, Mom answered. They talked for a little while, with daylight beginning to disappear, giving us a sense of dread, and making me more worried about what weird creature was going to show up. Eventually, the old man turned and pointed toward what I think is the northeast. They then shook hands and walked back to their respective vehicles. “What’s going on”, Mom asked as Dad got into the truck.
“Well, our new friend here invited us to dinner at his farm”, Dad replied.
“Does he have supplies?”
“Well, he says has supplies for us to make the journey.”
“Should we even trust him? We just met h-”
“Relax, he’s just an old man, living alone at his farm, feeding his cows. What could go wrong”, Dad countered. The old man then entered the truck that was running and drove slowly, expecting us to follow him.
“Alrighty then, but we have to be cautious”, Mom said, with her suspicions of the old man. We then followed the old truck along the dark, frozen road. It just feels like something is going to show up along the road, but nothing happened. Matt did eventually stop crying, but he is still upset about the Joe escape thing.
“Where are we going”, Matt lamented, with the prior series of events in mind.
“I guess somebody is offering us dinner”, I answered.
“Why can’t we just go home?”
“It’s only going to be a stop, like a hotel. After that, we go to our new home, I guess”, I said, taking another look at Matt and cradling to comfort him. “It’s going to be okay.” I stared out into the darkness. I looked to the sky from the window and I faintly saw something in the clear, dark sky, lit up by the waning moon. They were brilliant, green auroras that defy the bright moon, dancing across the sky like ribbons in the wind. The truck eventually took a right-hand turn into another road, with us following suit. I can see a bright, orange light emerging from a patch of tree. When we passed by, it seemed it was a house, at a farm, burning in a massive flame.
“I guess those people aren’t so, uh, lucky”, Dad said, taking a quick look at it before looking at the road. Passing by, we went on and continued to follow the old man’s truck. We passed onto another intersection until he turned into a driveway to what I believe to be his farm. Going into the driveway, I can see an old house, along with a dilapidated farm further away, barely visible by the headlights. The old man parked by the house, where there were a few other trucks there. We parked alongside the truck and we got out into the cold, near-silent night.
“Welcome to sanctuary, where all are welcome”, the old man bellowed. This is the first time I’ve heard his voice. Matt was the last to get out of the truck, slowly and clumsily climbing out of the truck.
“What’s your name”, my Mom politely asked the old man.
“Oh, I guess your husband didn’t tell ya. My name is Steven, but you can call me Steve”, the old man said, with some crackling in his voice. “I am very proud to host a dinner for you and your family”, he continued. “What’s your name, ma’am?”
“Oh, my name is Janice”, Mom replied, quite pleased at his politeness.
“Hello, Janice, and what are their names”, Steven asked, pointing to me and Matt.
“That’s my daughter Kate and my son Matt”, Dad said to Mom.
“Oh, what wonderful names for a couple of beautiful children you have”, Steve grinned. “Come, it is dangerous out here.” We followed him to the house, which looked like it had seen better days. He entered through the double-set door, the first a solid door and a screen door behind. Entering the house, it smelled like what you’d expect, old man. Looking onto the floor is made of glossy wood and walls with cracks, likely caused by the earthquake. It is dark in there, lit by candlelight from many candles, yet it’s fairly warm here. I don’t know why we went into the house, but Dad was right, Steve is just a lonely, old man. Matter of fact, there seems to be nothing wrong here, other than the cracks in the walls. “Sorry, the power went out. Had to resort to the candles. I knew my wife would come in handy”, Steve explained as he took his coat off. “Oh, supper will be ready right away. Had to use the fireplace to cook. Also, can you take your boots off?” We took our boots and set them aside. We went into what seemed to be a living room, with dusty old-style furniture.
“So, where do we sit”, Mom asked.
“Oh, well, follow me”, Steve commanded, leading us to the dining room, with a long, wooden table and six wooden chairs, along with their corresponding old-fashioned plates, glasses and cutlery, lit up in the candlelight. We noticed that everything on the table was covered in a thin veil of dust. “My apologies, the recent shocks dropped a bit of dust on the table”, he explained as he noticed us looking at the plates and moved into another room nearby. “Take your seats if you like.” We all settled onto the chairs, and blew off our plates of the dust settled there.
“When will we eat”, Matt impatiently said.
“Once Steve comes out with the food”, Mom answered. Matt sat there with a tired look on his face. Dad seemed to be in a better mood than before and it looked like he wanted to start a conversation.
“Hey, should we talk about something”, Dad asked. I then see Steve with a bowl and a silver plate.
“Here we go, may not be much, but at least it’ll fulfil the soul”, Steve said, smiling when he served us mashed potatoes and meatloaf. “So, shall we pray?” That came unexpectedly, as we are not too religious, but we were in his house and gave us shelter and food.
“Sure, we can do that”, Mom said and we all bowed our heads and put our hands together. Steve cleared his throat
“Thank you, Lord, for this good food to feed the soul in these hard times. I shall pray, in the name of the Lord and Jesus Christ, that these hard times shall be over, so we can get on with our lives. Amen.” We raised our heads and grabbed whatever food there was onto our plates. “Oh, there’s no gravy, so we have to deal with bare potaters and meatloaf.”
“Oh, not to worry. Thank you for the food”, Dad thanked Steve. We began to eat the food once we got it sorted.
“So, what brings you here”, Steve asked.
“Well, there is an evacuation order in effect for this area, so we had to go to Regina”, Dad explained, with Steve taking in every word. “So, we came from Strasbourg, we tried going south towards Regina, but we hit an obstacle in the way and we had to take another route, leading us here.”
“And we encountered a few odd things along the way”, Mom added.
“Huh, interesting. What do you guys think is going on”, Steve inquired.
“By the things we saw, we have no idea. Dinosaurs, devil dogs, hell pigs, the whole deal. I shouldn’t forget the earthquake. They told us a pipeline leak caused by the earthquake”, Dad clarified to Steve.
“Hmm… is that so”, Steve wondered. “Wonder what I think is happening? The Rapture is happening. Do you know how the Bible tells us of the end times? Good people sent to be with God and his kingdom, the rest here to suffer the Hell unleashed by Satan.” By this point, he was beginning to rant, but we couldn't stop it as we all began to feel tired and powerless. “So, the Devil will send his demons in the form of these illusions so that they can torment the sinners. It is happening, it is-” Steve manically continued as I drew towards blackness and his voice becoming less coherent. My vision is now all black.
I saw those same lights, but more rapidly than before. I then emerged onto the same clear sky, but something felt different. I can smell something in the air. I can smell what seems to be chemicals in the air. Looking down, I was terrified. Dark, grey rock in the shape of ropes and folds, similar to those I saw of lava flows on a volcano in pictures. This went on as far as the eye could see. I can see no tree this time, just the cooled lava everywhere. I then walked, feeling every bump and crag. I thought I walked forever until I heard a rumbling sound and woke up.
I am in total darkness. It is cold and it smells like cow manure. I tried to move my hand, but it seemed to be bonded behind my back by a rope. I tried to move my feet, but they were also bound by rope to the legs I tried to speak, only to realise my mouth was agape by a cloth in my mouth. I heard shuffling nearby but I could not see. It was then shone in light when Steve entered the door, holding a candle, revealing all of us in the same situation. I then can see what we are in. We are in that same wooden dilapidated barn we saw earlier and seems to be more damaged than the house, wood creaking can be heard.
“These sedatives are more effective than I thought. Maybe I should use them more often”, Steve smoothly explained, like he’s some kind of agent and began pacing. “Wonder why you are here? Well, I wondered the same thing to myself, why didn’t God take me to his heaven? When I first heard of the government telling us of those evacuation plans, I thought it was that, a leaking pipe. I began to notice things I couldn’t believe myself, at least at first. Earthquakes, weird creatures showing up, people disappearing, the whole spiel. I connected the dots. The Rapture is happening, for sure, but why me? Why was I the one left here on this Earth”, Steve calmly ranted, pacing around the barn, but it seemed to sound crazier and angrier the more he paced. “I thought I had lost my way. I’ve been unfaithful to God and his son. But, I realised that God always has a plan and he left me on this Earth to serve a purpose. I wondered what my purpose was until I had a moment.” He then stopped in place and calmed down. He turned to look at Mom with accusing yet crazed eyes.
“I’m supposed to keep the sinners here in line, to earn a place in God’s kingdom, or suffer in Hell. I know you are a sweet woman, Janice, but your treachery with Satan is over and I am going to do what’s right.” Mom then looked at all of us, with assuring eyes like that of an innocent yet caring mother we all know knew. I began crying and trying to speak through the cloth, but I was helpless to watch by. “Forgive me, Father, for what I am going to do.” He then pulled a knife from his pocket and plunged it into Mom’s neck with no mercy. I looked away once he did that, trembling, with tears pouring out and my vision glazed and I fell limp. I could see my brother tearing up, but he did not look away. I can hear Dad behind me, with his screams of agony and anger covered by the cloth. It felt like I was in slow motion, taking in every moment.
I then heard the chair, screeching as Steve dragged the chair containing Mom’s lifeless body towards the door, leaving behind a trail of blood. I couldn’t bear to see my mother like this. I shut my eyes very hard and hoped it would go away. The door then shut, leaving us alone with a candle, fearing what would come next. I stared at the candle, seeing it dance in the flames like a woman dancing in the darkness. Is this how it’ll end, I thought. End up dying to this sick man? My Mom was killed in front of me. I sobbed with that thought, then I began to think about the inevitable death of me. I hope there’s something after I die. Maybe I’ll see Mom again.
It was silent for a while, nearly no sound other than our moans. Dad seems to be fidgeting at the back of his chair, rocking it slowly. Looking past him, I shuddered at the glistening pool of blood, where Mom was last alive, could be my fate. I then see Dad release his arms from the back of the chair and remove the cloth from his mouth. He silently stood up and bent down to untie his legs from the chair legs. He then went to me and removed my cloth.
“H-h-how did you do that”, I silently wept, fearing that Steve would show up at the door and kill us all.
“My binding is loose. The old man probably took a liking to me”, Dad whispered. “I should remove your binds.” He untied them, releasing me, doing the same for Matt. “Now, we need to be quiet.” We then walked, quietly, along the painfully creaking wood in the near dark, following the blood trail, glistening in the candlelight. We cringed and dreaded each sound we made and watched the door in case it began to creak open. A few silent steps later, we made it to the door and we slowly opened it so as not to make any noise. What was revealed to us is nothing new, other than the blood trail continuing in the snow directing towards the back of the barn. “Okay, Kate, Matt, you guys run to the truck.”
“What about you”, I sobbed.
“Don’t worry about me”, Dad responded, giving me his keys and forcing them into my hand. “If I’m not back in a few minutes, leave. Don’t look back, take care of your brother, okay? I love you, no matter what happens.” He then kissed me on the head and ran to follow the blood trail. We quickly walked towards the black truck, stranded there for maybe hours. Getting closer, freedom is getting closer. When we got to a fair distance to the truck, I heard footsteps behind me and, the next thing I knew, I was knocked over to the ground into the hard snow on my face. A hand turned me over to give me a glimpse of a crazed Steve, his eyes wilder than before.
“Oh, yes, trying to escape”, he bragged. I looked at him, frozen in fear, like a deer in headlights and he caressed my face with his bloodied blade. “You do have a pretty face, but I’m afraid you are just one of Satan's creations, made to pull me to lust.” He then raised his knife in the air when a familiar side emerged, out of the blue.
Joe came and bit him in the arm that was holding the knife. Steve screamed in agony the moment he realised what happened. He shook Joe off and stood up to stand his ground. I stood up as Joe hissed and walked around the crazed being he wounded, not in fear but in aggressiveness. “Is this one of your pets, demon”, Steve screamed as Joe came in for another attack, but Steve countered that with a slash to the snout. Joe then ran away, whining, into the darkness. This sequence of events gave me the chance to enter the truck on the driver’s side. I had some trouble starting it, besides this is my first time driving a truck.
Steve menacelily walked towards the when Dad came barreling and tackled him to the ground. Dad was on top when he went limp. I finally put the keys in the engine turned it on and backed out, with memory serving me the instructions on such a vehicle. Steve pushed Dad’s body and stood up, but by that time, we left the farm.
“Turn back, we have to get Dad”, Matt cried, but I was very emotional, accepting what happened. I felt that, without my parents, I feel… useless.
“Dad’s dead”, I screamed at Matt and he began gagging uncontrollably in tears. I began to feel sorry for him. “Sorry, I, I don’t know.”
“It’s okay”, Matt sniffled. “I guess Mom and Dad are dead anyways.” It was silence for a few more minutes, tears welling in our eyes.
“Hey, our parents are in a better place”, I said, trying to make the situation positive.
“But we are stuck here, without them? Don’t we deserve to go to a better place?”
“Don’t say that”, I huffed and I paused for a bit. “I know we are in the, uh, right place now. Let me tell you something, once we get to Regina, I will take care of you, no matter what life throws at us.”
“What about Joe”, Matt asked.
“He’ll be fine. He probably found his girlfriend already.”
“Hey, don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“I, uh, I don’t have one. That I know of”, I spoke, bringing me back to Sam, remembering that she’s the only friend that I ever knew, and I left her. Without her, I felt alone, no one would ever relate. I began to tear up. “I don’t have any friends. I am alone,” I sobbed.
“What do you mean? I’m your brother!” I looked at Matt, and smiled, happy that he acknowledged that we were in this together.
“Thank you”, I thanked him. I slowly stopped on the road, just to hug Matt hard, crying my eyes out. We then heard what sounded like an elephant in front of us. We looked up to see a walking snow-covered brown fur wall with four pillar-like legs in front of us. Its curved tusks gleaned in the light and the eyes reflected in the light. The furry trunk waved around like a searching snake from a tree. We both knew what it was.
“Hey, look at that, a woolly mammoth”, Matt said, excitement running through him. At this point, we weren’t surprised.
“Yep, that is a woolly mammoth”, I added. The mammoth turned to us on the road, seemingly confused about where it was. It looked at our truck and seemed to growl, like an elephant. We are starting to realise this thing is becoming aggressive.
“Uh, should we move”, Matt asked. I remembered hearing something about standing your ground in case of an encounter with an elephant. I hoped it would work for a bigger, furrier version of one.
“No, we have to stand our ground.”
“But, it’ll attack u-”
“Trust me!” I then honked my horn and it backed up. It then rushed, then stopped, a mock charge. Eventually, it moved out of the road, disappearing into the darkness. We sighed in relief.
“That was close”, Matt sighed. I then continued to drive in the night, headlights leading the way. The road is bumpy, as noticed by every ditch and peak we hit, but surprisingly, Matt was fast asleep. I began to get comfortable driving and used to the road by that point. It was silent for a while until we hit a smaller intersection. That is when the truck shut down, completely and stopped. I tried the gas many times but with no effect. There is no light, nothing. It is near-darkness here, shone only by the moonlight.
“Shit”, I yelled, desperate to turn the truck on without much success. Matt woke up, confused.
“What happened”, he yawned.
“The truck turned itself off. I can’t get it back on”, I fretted and at that moment, Matt was just as panicked as I am.
“Why?”
“I-I don’t know. One moment, we were driving, another it just-”, I quavered, when I heard something rustle in the distance. We stood still, hoping whatever it was didn’t find us. I looked around, hoping to see something in the moonlight. I then see a long, walking animal. It looked like some sort of alligator at first, except for a dinosaur-like head. Once I strained my eyes to the darkness, my fear levels rose as I could see it walk on its hind limbs, with its forelimbs dangling nearly touching the ground.
It was wandering around on the road when I heard a near-crocodilian growl at Matt’s side of the truck. Another of those creatures appeared, seemingly looking into the window like a hungry bear, giving us a chance to see its scaly head. Its exposed alligator teeth gleaned in the light like knives, but more terrifying was the eye. Its serpentine pupil shone brilliantly in the light like eyes in the dark. It then ducked down, gave a hiss, and moved towards the other one. A few more showed up and formed a group.
“What should we do”, Matt asked. “Should we stay?” I looked around, hoping for another way to escape them without them noticing. I further strained my eyes and mentally mapped out the area. There is a cemetery on my right-hand side, a grain bin storage yard on my left and a series of trailers on the other side of the highway, which is ahead of us, from the storage area. There, I see a series of white, storage buildings, something we can go to and wait it out inside.
“Okay, so slowly open the door”, I instructed Matt. The click of the doors opening cringed us. We looked at the group, but there was no response from them. We then, as slowly as we could, opened the door and stepped out. Still no response. Matt then quietly ran to the other side, towards me. “Okay, we are going into the storage yard and go to the other entrance”, I said, pointing to the other right-hand corner. I wanted to get as far away from these things as possible before making a safe crossing. “Then, we cross the highway on the other side, run into the buildings and stay there for the night. Are you ready?”
“I guess”, he whispered, looking at me in fearful doubt.
“We are going to do this”, I whispered back. We then silently ran over, having to rely on our night-adapted eyes, to the corner, walking past the bins. We made it and nothing behind us so far. “We’re good so far.” We then crossed the road and noticed nothing. We noticed a tanker truck, leaking some sort of fluid across the road. I easily recognized it as fuel, based on its distinctive, sickly smell. I wouldn’t be worried about it if it weren’t for a collapsed light pole that is somehow still flickering with electricity near the area where the fuel would be flowing. We quickly avoided the fluid when I froze to see the group of the walking alligators, running towards us. “Run!” Matt tried to run, but one of those things appeared and clamped its jaws at the back of his neck. He yelped in pain and it took him down to the ground. “Matt”, I yelled, helplessly watching as the creature tore into him.
Matt reached out his arm before the others came to him, then a flash of fire came. At this point, I knew what happened, but I couldn’t even think before it exploded. It blew me towards the building, far away. I was knocked out for a few seconds before I regained consciousness, groaning in pain on the ice. I noticed something especially painful just below my chest. I reached towards the area with my hand. I pressed on it, more painful than ever and raised my hand, only to see blood, brightened by the fire. I realised I was wounded, maybe by shrapnel made by the explosion.
I looked toward where the truck was and all I saw was a blaze. Those things weren’t there, at least. I also noticed something else, too, there’s no Matt. I tried to look around for something, some sort of sign of my brother within the fire, but I saw none. I then wept, realising I had failed. I have failed to keep him safe. I have failed to give him a better life. I failed him as a sister. I could’ve done better. The thoughts poured in as tears glazed my eyes. At that moment, I failed to look around me.
I noticed a dark thing beside the blaze. I thought it was Matt, preparing to greet him back, even though I knew he couldn’t survive the explosion. The image became clearer and clearer as I noticed it was one of the walking crocs that, glazed by the fire, was coming towards me.
“Just kill me”, I screamed, preparing to painfully die to meet my maker. The creature was about to attack me when something large, silent as the wind, came charging and clamped down its massive jaws, filled with conical teeth on the hapless creature and raised it. The crocodile struggled before going limp with a crunch within its strong jaws. The big, dark and scaly monster that it is towered over me and is as long as a bus, possibly longer. Its large legs are a contradiction to its small arms that hide beneath its scarred, bulky body.
It turned to look at me with an oddly bird-like expression, revealing in the firelight numerous scars from battles I could never know and looked at me with its beady bird-like eyes, breathing out wisps from its nostrils like a dragon in the cool air. I recognized it as a creature I know too well, a T. Rex. I breathed heavily and sickly, looking at the thing, nearly expecting me to drop the body and go after me. Instead, it simply walked away, carrying its bloody prize with it, and steadily retreated into the darkness.
I then lay down in agonizing exhaustion on my back, thinking of the next step of action like I'm on a suicide mission I would never come back from. I looked in the direction of the graveyard and had one thought. I guess I am dying. a graveyard will do. I struggled to stand up, noticing my blood-soaked clothes and felt a broken left leg. I grasped my wound, limping step by step and enduring the sharp pain while shaking in the cold. Every step I took, I remembered all the memories, good or bad, that I had with my parents. My brother. My friends. My family. I eventually reached the cemetery and slouched at a tree.
“Guess I’m joining you, guys”, I said, speaking to the snow-covered gravestones, only to hear something. A familiar sound of chirping emerged and, lit by the blaze, it was a sight I can hope for. “Joe, what are you doing here”, I depressingly cheered as Joe went to me and curled up in my lap as if he were a cat. I noticed the new-found scar he had on his little snout, but I paid no mind as I petted him. “I guess you came back. Thank you so much for what you did”, I thanked him, not expecting such a loyal creature would be with me, comforting me, to the end, like what my mother used to do when I was a newborn. I heard another noise, this time a deep rumble.
I thought it was another earthquake coming, but it got louder the closer it got to me, becoming more animalistic only felt small vibrations I barely felt. Joe stayed put, oddly enough, as T. Rex, different from the first one, came. It walked towards us until it stopped short of us. It began to produce a low-pitched, bird-like purring, attracting Joe. I realised something, that this T. Rex is Joe’s parent. He joined the rest like him, whom they showed up and all chirped around.
The grown Rex then brought its snout closer to me, not to kill me, but to look at me. It did not reveal its teeth and was still purring. I put my hand out and its nose came close to it. It rubbed it against my hand and started to pet its cold, scaly skin as it breathed through its nose and put it on my chest. I rested my head on it before it pulled away. It gave out a hiss, but I knew it wasn’t that of a threat, but more of a thank you for bringing its small, sometimes immature, child home.
That gave me relief, as it felt like I at least did something for once. They walked away, along with Joe, towards the darkness amongst the gravestones in the cemetery. I glimpsed one last desperate look at Joe before walking beside his parent. I looked up at the sky and I could see all the stars, twinkling, and the dancing green auroras. I began to feel limp and felt the cold embrace of death coming over me, tears pouring out of my eyes. The sky then grew brighter and brighter, the stars faded into the light and I could see my family welcoming me to a new home. It then slowly went black, darker than a cave.
You would think this is the end of me. It wasn’t, or else I wouldn’t be writing this right now. I eventually woke up in a hospital in Regina. I was told I was rescued by a team that transported me while I was in a coma. The doctors said I was very lucky to be alive, as the shrapnel narrowly avoided my vital organs. After that, I was adopted into a new family, but I was only with them for a couple of years before finding a new job and moving out.
As for Sam, I don’t know what happened to her. I would like to think she is safe, somewhere else. As for my family, I think of them all the time. I was in a depressive period right after that. Eventually, over the years, I accepted that they were gone and went to a better place. For Joe, I would like to think he is all grown up, like his parents, and becoming the king of the jungle. I hope we meet again.
As for the evacuated area, it wasn’t some pipeline rupture that caused an evaluation, but an anomaly, with the exact reason not known. There are excuses for the claims of weird stuff going on in there, from disease to chemicals, to eventually a previously unknown geological event, but I saw through it all.
You may ask how, it's because I've been there. Take it or leave it, this is the story I have. As the decade came by, cover-ups were made to hide it, even walls were put around it. Since the incident, the exclusion zone grew from a mere 80 kilometers in diameter to 460 kilometers in diameter, emptying entire cities of the likes of Regina and Saskatoon. I had to move to North Battleford, by the recommendation from the same government covering it up, making me think that time will tell before the floodgates of truth open.
The anomaly didn’t have a name initially, however, over the years, everyone agreed on one name in particular: The Saskatchewan Anomaly.

TW: mentions of suicide, self harm, brief mentions of physical, mental and child abuse along with a few other things that might trigger people.
I, (13-15 female) have a small group of friends. (All around 13-15, mainly female) But there has been some major drama in our friend group and I need advice on what to do.
I've had this friend who we'll call Sam. Sam and I have know each other since we were around 6 yrs old. We met in YeaPrimary 2. (For all the people not from the UK, that would be 1st grade)
We have known each other from then all the way until now. But this is when the drama starts.
For context, My group of friends has 4 people in it. (Including me) and one of these friends, who I'll call Rich, wanted to meet sam. But since Rich lives at least 4 hours away from us, I decided to set up an online game for us to play and for Sam and Rich to get to know each other and ask each other questions.
Sometime into the game I get a private message from Sam.
That's when Sam told me she had a crush on Rich. (We were less then 10 minutes into the game aka less then 10 minutes knowing each other) And she asked if she should tell him. I was (mostly) happy for my friend as she hasnt dated for a few years and told her to shoot her shot. And turns out, Rich liked Sam back. So they started dating.
BTW, Sam had just ghosted someone she dated online and did role-plays with, a few days before this happened. (Keep this in mind)
So some background, our entire group of friends play online role-playing games (In a private server) since we all like being able to make role-plays and storylines, except Sam. (She can be really picky)
This is how Sam and Rich basically went on dates. They also invited me to join them sometimes so they had someone else to play the "extra characters" in their role-plays. Their role-plays mostly consisted of guy x guy, mafia bosses and the typical cringe gacha storylines from 2018. I hated the 'maifa guy buys a slave' type tropes they did but I did it with them anyway because Sam always ended up getting mad and ignoring me if I said no or suggested something different.
This whole role-playing thing went on for a few months. That's when I saw Sam online with Mike. (Mike is the name of the person Sam dated online before Rich, I was friends with Mike and still was at the time despite their break up) I decided to join them and see what they were doing on a server together. (Sam had told me and Rich several times that she hated Mike and she always said he was a "alpha bad boy wannbe")
Once I joined I looked in the chat I saw a bunch of messages like Kisses softly (From Mike) and "You're sexy~" (From Sam) I was extremely confused and decided to ask Sam about this later when she wasn't on the server. She said something along the lines of "I was joking around, I never actually broke up with Mike 🤣".
So I was extremely confused and asked Rich if he knew about this.
That's where it all went to shit afterwards. (Don't worry, it gets worse)
To give a short rundown since this post is already long, Sam was cheating on Mike with Rich while also cheating on Rich with Mike as they both though that Sam dated them and had blocked the other person. When Rich 1st confronted her she said they were in a polyamous relationship. (They were not) This kept happening until eventually Mike blocked everyone (Except me) and really didn't talk to any of us. (Or so I thought.)
I always thought that Rich and Sam shouldn't be dating but I stayed out of it because Sam is the only friend I can really talk to and hang out with, without feeling anxious.
Then I found out that Sam was cheating on Rich AGAIN with a girl from her class called Jaime. Then she cheated AGAIN with a girl from my class who I'll call Autumn.
So not only did Sam cheat on Rich with 3 different people. She did it SEVERAL TIMES WITH THOSE PEOPLE.
I eventually distanced myself from the group as a whole. (I also was in hospital which helped me to ignore all of the drama as I was recovering from surgery)
That's when I found a message in the group chat. (The group chat had me, Sam, Jaime and one of Sam's friends in it as well) The message said "Imagine if Rich knew about you dating me and Autumn 🤣💀" from Jaime.
I told Rich literally everything including screenshots and evidence I had. He didn't believe me until he asked Sam which to that she laughed about it and told him that her adhd made her do bad things. Rich then went into a major depressive episode and he wouldn't respond at all to anyone.
Rich even cut himself and attempted suicide. (He has home issues and several mental illnesses, which Sam knew of) Thankfully he survived.
But here's the thing, Sam and Rich GOT BACK TOGETHER AFTER WHAT HAPPENED.
I was absolutely fucking horrified by this as it seemed to be a severely toxic and maybe even abusive relationship (Psychologically) since Rich had Bipolar and Sam used to blame him for acting weird and blamed him for her cheating.
Here's where I think I became the asshole.
I made a throwaway account and took screenshots of everything and sent them to Jaime, Autumn, Rich, our group of friends and basically everyone who knew of the drama. Which included most of the school. (And even random people from other school that knew some of the gossip)
Then it got revealed that Sam had ONLINE SEX WITH MIKE AND RICH WHILE SAM WAS DATING BOTH OF THEM AND AFTER MIKE SUPPOSEDLY BLOCKED HER!!
And then it turns out that Sam, who is bisexual, called Richs gay BFF( I'll call him Matt) a gay bastard and the F-slur. TWICE.
Ans then it turns out, after Sam had cheated on Rich the first or second time, Rich started DATING MATT AND THEY ONLY BROKE UP BECAUSE RICH FELT GUILTY.
Then Sam and Rich got into a massive fight which lead to Rich attempting suicide again. Sam said, and i quote, "womp womp🙄" when told about Richs second sucide attempt and also then Rich told her that his cat had died.
They then broke up and he blocked her on everything.
I felt horrible. I felt like I shouldn't of told everyone what Sam did and I shouldn't of put myself into their relationship..
I felt really depressed and guilty and I thought (and still do) that it was all my fault..
I honestly think I'm the asshole and I shouldn't of done anything considering I don't have any dating experience at all and I don't have any of the disorders Sam or Rich has...
But I've always been told to get a second opinion on everything so I wanted to ask Reddit. (Not the most logical way to do it but I'm desperate af)
So Reddit, AITAH?
I'm sorry if the spelling or wording is off, I'm writing this at 3:13 am and I have school at 8:30. But I am desperate to hear someone else's opinion on this as I feel i am going insane. I'll try and answer any questions as best as I can.
(Ps. Sam has dyslexia and supposedly has adhd as well which she uses as an excuse for why she cheated and blamed Rich. She also used the excuse that her home life is terrible. Which it is. Rich has autism, adhd, bipolar, lack of awareness and is physically and metally abused by his parents. And before I forget, my mother was walking home from work one night and saw Sam HITTING her MOTHER with a stick and laughing about it)
I will honestly appreciate ANY help or opinion given on my situation..

Was feeling nostalgic lately and I was starting to remember some old Warriors Youtubers and some videos they made from back in the day. I'm talking 2010-2015. I was wondering if anyone else remembers these?
Squirrelflight's Lament by Pumpkin Claws (originally under their old account Hawkstorm221). A lot of their old videos have actually been found and posted by various Warriors reupload channels, but this is one that still seems to be lost. It was a short video to the song Hymn for the Missing by Red, and it showed Squirrelflight grieving (or lamenting) over Ashfur's dead body, and his spirit comforting her I believe.
Cat and Mouse Ashfur AMV by Poppy*something*. Song was by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, I can't remember the artist's full username but I know it had Poppy in it.
Youtuber known as XxBrightheartxX or xXxBrightheartxXx, something along those lines. She had a gray-and-black OC called Brightheart (not the canon Brightheart) and the OC's mate was a bright red tom called Bloodpelt or Bloodclaw I think. She made a lot of MS paint AMVs/PMVs with her OCs, a lot of which were pretty gory. Off the top of my head I remember she made an AMV to the songs Time of Dying by TDG and Sweets Time (which I think was from Touhou? unsure).
Artist that many people in the community suspected was Demonslyr on a new account. For some context, Demonslyr was pretty popular back in the day and mostly made Warriors spoof videos, however she eventually disappeared and for some reason her disappearance blew up, a lot of people spread rumors that she had died. She actually did return to Youtube under the name Mama Tad (now Rihse), but before that another Youtuber popped up who had a veeery similar art style to Demonslyr and many people speculated it was her (tho it turned out not to be). I cannot remember anything about her username for the life of me, but anyone who was active in the Warriors Youtube community during this time might remember this as it was a pretty big deal. The only video I remember of this account's was a speedpaint of Ashfur to the song Perfect by Hedley.
If anyone else remembers any of these users/videos or even has any of these videos archived somewhere, please let me know! And feel free to drop any old deleted Warriors content you may remember in the comments below!

I had a dream. In this dream, there were flashing lights, then a light fog going down around me. I emerged to see a lush forest. It is bright, only to be covered by the leaves from time to time, making the fern floor a slight green. There are drops of water falling from the trees on occasion like so much. The only thing missing is the sense of touch and smell. I heard something rustling from the bushes. Turning around, I woke up.
Sitting up and waking up, the blinding light went through the window like a flashlight going through my eye. I became irritated once the blinding migraines came right after. A loud series of knocks all at my door to my right.
“Hey, Kate, do you want pancakes”, the sweet voice of my mother loudly asked. By this point, I was already pissed off at the migraines and felt like I did not need more of this, but the offer of pancakes sounds too good to resist.
“Yes, coming”, I said. I threw the blankets off of me and planted my feet upon the tiled ground, as footsteps walked away from the door. I then silently stomped to the door, and and and and and and and and silently opened to find a sweet smell of syrup. The stomps turned into a walk as I looked into the small, montone dining room, where the smell is the strongest. Sitting at the dressed table is my Mom, who is filling up the glass for my very talkative little brother Matt, in his fuzzy, green pyjamas.
“Hey, there’s Katy”, Matt exclaimed. Slight annoyance welled up in me, because of his bratty voice. I gulped down my slight hatred for my brother and sat beside my mother. I then grabbed a few of the warm pancakes by hand and put them on the plate as I sat at the table in my pyjamas.
“Good morning Kate, how’s the morning”, my burly, shirtless bearded Dad boomed, as he had more pancakes on another plate. “So, you woke up for the pancakes, didn't ya”, he joked.
“Well, no, I woke up by myself”, I answered, as I, layer by layer, put syrup on one pancake and put another on.
“How? An alarm?”
“Uh, the sun. Duh." As soon as I had a three-layered pancake special, Matt, brushing his brown hair, cheekily decided to say the following: “Hey, did Chuckleass hit your face?”
My Dad began to laugh but wasn’t impressed, so she scolded him. “Matt! Don’t ever say that, especially to your sister!” I was thankful my Mom was there, while Dad was not helping. Finally, the laughing fit that was my Dad is over.
“No, really, listen to Mom. That was disrespectful of you,” Dad said as he gave a wink to my brother.
“Really? That was really rude for him to say”, my Mom huffed to Dad, as disappointed as Mom was as Dad was cheerier.
“At least it is funny”, he exclaimed. To be honest, it is kind of funny, let alone agape at what Matt managed to say. Even Mom gave my Dad a smirk, who calmed down. We ate breakfast after that and I was full after the first two pancakes. I became tired and went back to bed. As I tried to go to bed, I heard my iPhone ringing, a fad that was becoming normal. I looked at the screen and it was my friend Sam.
“Hey, I was trying to sleep here,” I grumbled.
“But that doesn't mean I don’t get to talk to my best friend. Can we meet at the school”, she said, being persistent about it. I mean, couldn’t we just meet when school is tomorrow?
“Fine, I’ll be there in half an hour”, I replied. Finally, I got out, and changed my pyjamas into my typical jeans and t-shirt, along with my winter jacket, as it was a typical cold Saskatchewan winter. I told Mom and Dad that I’d be going to meet Sam. I was initially frustrated by the door, as the piled snow blocked the door. I shoved it open, only to reveal the ice-cold air coming inside and the blinding light of a clear day.
Snow covered everything. Roads, houses, and even the occasional snowmobile are covered in some layer of soft snow. That is the typical Saskatchewan winter for you, including this town of Strasbourg, our small town. Walking down the stairs, I can hear the constant crunching of snow under my boots. Walking down the streets, I wonder why I am doing this. Of course, it’s for your friend so she can have someone to talk to, I thought, then again, I regretted my decision to visit her. I could’ve told her that I couldn’t come because of sleep. Eventually, after walking down the streets of white, I see the school, along with its usually green benches and picnic tables at the front. Sitting on one of the benches sits a winter-clothed figure. A figure I recognize.
“Hello”, Sam exclaimed.
“Hey there Sam. How’s the job at the convenience store”, I asked.
“Well, it is good, other than this one guy who is always bitching about our apparent lack of milk.”
“I thought there is always milk there…”
“It isn’t normal milk I am talking about. I am talking about almond milk. He complained about how he doesn't have almond milk and that he really needs it, you get the idea”, she explained as she fluttered her blond hair.
“I guess. I mean, all he wants is almond milk. No harm done here.”
“But he should’ve gone to another store. Instead, he stayed. I even, ARRG, I just can’t. How does someone handle these types of people?” She then took out a cigarette and lit it with her lighter. “You know, I wish I could get away from here and just live in Regina. Just live a normal life.”
“I mean, it is pretty normal here. Nothing too crazy at least. I have heard a lot of crazy stuff in Regina.”
“What crazy stuff?”
“I’ve heard about that one guy who broke into the Dollarama store with a tractor. Broke in just to get a pack of hot dogs.”
“That just sounds made up. How do you know?”
“Got it from my Dad. He’s a cashier now.”
“What happened to being a security guard?”
“Better pay. It is-” At first, I didn’t notice. It was a soft shaking at first, so I assumed it was the train passing by. It became stronger.
“Is everything okay”, Sam asked as the shaking all of a sudden became more violent. So violent we can barely stand. We fell into the cold snow and the shaking continued. It continued for a few more minutes. At this time, it felt like the world was ending. I could hear glass breaking, and wood falling on the road, I was scared. With my face on the cold ground, I could hear the hum of the earth, shaking. Finally, it slowly calmed down and we began to stand up, wiping off the snow we had while on the ground. “What the hell is that?”
“I think that was an earthquake. But, why”, I said, stuttering over my own words in confusion. It shook me up, literally and mentally. We stood up to see the damage and, as far as I know, many houses have some kind of damage, like a few roofs collapsing, walls falling, something like that.
“Well, looks to be a bad one”, Sam said, still perplexed but scared as I am.
“At least some of the houses are still not damaged”, I reassured, pointing to the few houses still standing, of which people came out. Some ran towards the damaged houses while others looked in confusion. A few more came out of the damaged ones, seemingly unharmed.
“Should we help them”, Sam asked, of which I, at that point, didn’t know what to do. A thought then went through my mind about my parents.
“I have to go back.”
“Back where?”
“To see if my parents are okay.” We said our goodbyes and I ran on the road. I saw a few police cars sitting beside houses, even fire trucks. The police and firemen are just as confused as everyone else. It seems the damage was widespread, but not as bad as I thought it would be. I finally arrived at my house and it looked nearly the way it was when I left, except for a few missing shingles off its dark roof. I wanted to go inside. What prevented me, at least at first, was the damage that might be inside. What if they are hurt? They’ll die if you do nothing. Those thoughts dreaded me throughout. I knew my Mom and Dad were in there, I knew I might get hurt. Do I wait for the firefighters to come or do I go in? I simply stood there, out in the cold. A final thought came in to make my decision: fine, I’ll do it anyway. Shouldn’t be too bad, is it?
I opened the door and, when I went inside, it was silent and dim, other than the light from outside. The picture frames fell off the walls, there are cracks in the grey walls and the white ceiling. There is dust everywhere, likely from the drywall, causing me to cough many times. I tried to look but it was dark. “Hello”, I hollered. I got a response.
“Hello”, the concerned but deep voice of my Dad responded. A blinding light came from the kitchen and shone on my face. “Kate? What are you doing here?”
“I am just worried you guys are hurt”, I remarked.
“Hurt? I nearly died”, Dad crowed sarcastically.
“We are okay. We are under the table”, my Mom said with reassurance.
“This is so cool”, Matt cheered. I thought oh, at least they’re alive. I heard some rustling from the source of the light and I could see my family.
“Are you okay”, Mom asked.
“No, I’m okay. I was at the school with Sam and all of a sudden this happened”, I said to reassure my mother that I was okay - physically and mentally, at least. I then heard sirens just behind me on the road. It’s the police.
“Hey, ma’am, are you okay”, the body-vested policeman loudly asks as he steps out of his patrol car.
“Yeah, I’m fine, my family is in the house”, I replied. The policeman ran towards me and stepped in front of me. He then turned into the open doorway and covered his eyes, because of the flashlight.
“Hey, is anyone there?”
“Yeah, we’re okay”, my Dad responded.
“Okay, this house is not safe to stay in. Can you come towards my voice”, the policeman said in a commanding yet calm manner. The light turned off and footsteps came slowly towards the door. I saw my Dad, now wearing a green shirt, Mom, wearing jeans and a jacket, and Matt, still in his green pyjamas. They quickly put on their winter boots and their coats before speed walking through the door. The policeman then took one last look with his flashlight in there. “Anyone else in there?”
“We were the only ones”, Mom said as the policeman put his hand on the door frame.
“Did any of you get hurt”, the policeman asked. They shook their heads.
“Well, maybe my opinion on this town. Maybe a documentary”, Dad joked, but no one seems to be into his jokes now. The firemen then arrived a few moments later and offered us blankets.
“Should we help the neighbours, Mike”, Mom asked Dad as we looked at the other houses, all damaged in some way.
“I guess. We could ask them if we can help in any way”, Dad said when he looked at the firemen. “I mean, we’ll be in their way.” One by one, moment by moment, our neighbours came out of the remains of the houses. Luckily, it seems everyone is okay, minus a few injuries. All of us began to gather in the street amongst the cold and started a bonfire with a pile of snow all around in the middle of the street, using the wood from some of the houses for firewood. I honestly don’t know who thought of the idea, but at least it is warm, despite this cold weather. Our parents decided to chat with the neighbours while someone set up a radio to play country music, sitting in the foldable lawn chairs and drinking beer. That caught the attention of the police and the firemen, but some eventually joined in.
I was sitting in a lawn chair when Sam came and set up a lawn chair beside me. “Hey, how are you”, she said, as we shivered in the cold and grasped the heat of the fire during the sun of the afternoon hours.
“I’m fine. The parents are fine. Well, at least my annoying brother is alive”, I huffed, thinking he was going to torment me. Sam looked at me with an expression of inquisitiveness. “What?”
“I mean, that’s what brothers are for. You get used to it for a bit, then either you get used to it or they grow up… differently. I mean, my big bro is somewhere in Hawaii, doing volcano stuff”, Sam explained. “What I’m saying is, they are necessary in life. You may not have fun with them, but they can save you one day.”
“Well, Matt isn’t saving me now”, I rebuked. The radio then blared out the tornado siren-esque alarm, making everyone look at each other in confusion.
“Well, just about time”, one man said. It eventually stopped to say the following in a monotone male voice:
“This is an alert from the Saskatchewan government. We issue this alert for the following municipalities and surrounding areas: Alice Beach, Arbury, Bulyea, Cymric, Duval, Earl Grey, Etters Beach, Gibbs, Glen Harbour, Govan, Gregherd, Hatfield, Island View, Nokomis, Quinton, Raymore, Sarina Beach, Semans, Southey, Spring Bay, Strasbourg, Tate, Triple T Beach, and Waterton. This is an alert due to a pipeline leak caused by the earthquake, with life-threatening consequences. Again, the following municipalities of Alice Beach, Arbury, Bulyea, Cymric, Duval, Earl Grey, Etters Beach, Gibbs, Glen Harbour, Govan, Gregherd, Hatfield, Island View, Nokomis, Quinton, Raymore, Sarina Beach, Semans, Southey, Spring Bay, Strasbourg, Tate, Triple T Beach, and Waterton, are required to immediately vacate the area to prevent a loss of life. Stay safe.”
“Is this a joke? A pipeline leak”, another person asked.
“A whole area for a broken pipeline”, another suggested. Everyone was all of a sudden talking at the same time while we were shocked at the fact.
“A pipeline? Leaking? Why such a large area for a leak”, Sam asked.
“I have no idea”, I said, confused as to the events happening. I saw some people arguing with the policemen, but I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying over the talking of the others. Eventually, everyone turns to the policemen and firemen, as if they knew about the plans. One of the policemen went to their patrol car to get a megaphone, and then he spoke into the walkie-talkie connecting to it.
“Hey, everyone calm down”, he bellowed and most gave their attention to him. “My name is Russel Simmons, and I am the chief of this department here. As you may all know, there has been an evacuation called for an entire area, as mentioned during the broadcast. t. I did not know this beforehand, just like every one of you. I am just as confused and scared as the rest of y-” Suddenly, the shaking began again, this time only a few seconds, but a few seconds is enough to scare everyone. “Stay calm! Everyone stay calm”, the chief begged the panicking people. Slowly but surely, everyone calmed down. “We can get through this. Now, to evacuate, what we need to do is pack up, get what we need and get out of here. Meet with us at the Tempo gas station to get fuel, if necessary. After that, we will go south to Regina, where we’ll be staying.”
“What about the stuff in our houses”, a woman asked.
“For that, we can’t go into the houses. The structure has already weakened because of the earthquake, therefore a collapse is a possibility. We cannot risk a life here, so we can’t”, Russel explained.
“My house looks fine, why can’t I go in”, an older man asked.
“Like I said, sir, the houses are at risk of collapsing.”
“What about the water? We can’t just leave it around in our houses. We need that”, a younger man said.
“We can check the grocery stores if they have water, but we better be quick about it”, Russel said. Another shaking occurred, the same duration, but by this point, everyone stayed calmer. Dad then met up with us.
“It is time to go”, Dad suggested. “We have to make it to Regina, as soon as possible.”
“Well, I guess it’s time to go”, Sam said. We then share a hug. “See you later… sometime.”
“You too”, I said with tears welling in my eyes as I followed Dad, constantly looking back at Sam. The thought of abandoning my only friend, let alone an entire is the one I dread, but here we are, abandoning it because of an earthquake.
“It’s going to be okay”, Dad reassured. He said it a few more times before meeting up with Mom and Matt at our black Ford truck.
“Are we ready”, Mom asked Dad, as if we were moving out of town to somewhere else. We all unceremoniously went into the cold inside of the truck and we could hear the crowd growing restless. Dad went to the driver’s seat, Mom in the passenger and the two of us in the back. Dad got the truck started and drove out of the spot. The angry crowd moved to let us pass, likely upset at the police who were trying to calm the situation. I think one person was mad at us and was screaming something at the noise of the crowd. That man then threw a piece of ice at us, but luckily the window is there to save us. Once we passed them, we sped off through the streets. Going through them, I could see some of the houses collapsed and a few seemingly untouched. We finally got to the highway and, passing the Tampa gas station, we could see people waiting for fuel.
“Should we stop for gas”, Mom asked.
“I don’t think so. We have a full tank of gas and there are too many people. With the situation we are in, things might be bad to worse”, Dad explained. “If we could stop in Bulyea, to pack more up.”
“When are we going home”, Matt complained.
“No, honey, there is no home left for us. Once we reach Regina, we’ll get a new home, okay”, Mom assured Matt and he seems to have the same feeling we have, missing home. At least we can agree on something for once. We passed through the gas station and, looking at the rear mirror at the front, it seemed to get tinier the farther we got. We sat in silence along the icy road with banks of snow. The inside of the truck got warmer and more comfortable. Luckily, there are fuzzy blankets in the truck to snuggle in.
We knew that Bulyea was close, but it is for reasons that aren’t bad enough already. Black, dense smoke in the distance, lofting to the east. We already knew something bad happened.
“Should we even go to Bulyea”, Mom asked. Dad looked at her and back in the road and gave a nod. “We can’t. Remember what you said back there? It is worse here-”
“I know. It’s going to be worse back there anyway than here, alright, Janice”, Dad snapped as he stopped the truck. This is the first time I have seen Dad this mad. I am starting to think he is just as afraid as us. “I’m sorry, I just missed home, but we had to get out.”
“I know, so do I”, Mom said and they shared a kiss. “Now, what?”
“Go to town and salvage what’s left.” Dad drove the truck and went into town. There, we noticed where the smoke came from. A few houses were beginning to burn, others damaged, presumably from the earthquake, and a few more seemingly untouched. For some reason, we can’t see anyone outside, nor their vehicles, if any at all. It seems to be like a ghost town.
“Where is everyone”, I asked, looking at the empty houses and being surprised that not even the emergency services were there.
“I don’t know. Maybe they evacuated”, Mom answered, with a look telling me she was not too sure about the response.
“Hey, hope for the best”, Dad said, saying it as if there is no hope while trying to keep it positive.
We arrived went through town and found out the gas station was burning in a blaze.
“So much for water”, Mom said, looking at the burning wreck. “Hey, how many kilometers did we travel?”
“Why is that important? Worried about gas”, Dad chuckled, in an attempt to cheer the mood. “I can chec- wait, how many kilometers does it take to get here?”
“Uh, fourteen”, Matt responded. My Dad looked at the dashboard in a confused state. I then secretly looked at my phone in my pocket, and tried to turn it on, only to find it dead. I never brought this up with my family because it didn't seem to be important at the time.
“Seems we travelled a kilometer but yet wasted half our fuel. I don’t know what is happening to the truck”, Dad said, further confused. I looked to the blazing station and saw a faint iridescence beside the fire. I was about to point it out when Matt spoke.
“Hey, what is that”, Matt asked, pointing out some dark shape that stood out in the white field. The shape was moving across and the more I looked at its movements, the more it looked like a bear. It then seemed to notice us and seemingly ran towards us.
“We are going now”, Dad yelled and put on the gas, driving off quickly. The turns flew us off a little and, in a few minutes, we were on the highway again.
“What was that”, I asked.
“I think that was a bear.”
“Why did we take off?”
“It was chasing us! Would you like to know what happens when we stay?” Dad then gave out a sigh. “I am sorry, but I had to make a choice.”
“I guess we won’t be staying”, Matt questioned.
“No, we won’t. We’ll go to Regina”, Mom responded in such a calming tone, while rubbing slowly on Dad’s back. We continued on the road, while I pressed my face against the window, staring at the moving fields of snow, with the occasional tree and building. I then slowly closed my eyes, bringing me to a world of darkness.
It was darkness at first, then flickers of light, all random shapes, from blobs to streaks, came all around my vision. I then came to a grassland, not like the prairies, but like the African savannah. Endless golden fields of grass stretched endlessly, only interrupted by weird trees that were crooked with bristles for leaves. The sun is setting in a brilliant series of yellows and oranges. I then heard rustling behind me. That is when I woke up, but not on my own.
“Hey, Kate, you need to see this”, Matt said in an odd confusion. I looked around and thought of nothing unusual.
“See wha-” I faltered as I looked ahead at the road. Ahead of the truck, the road is cut off by some kind of wall. I got out of the truck into the bitter cold and walked across the cracked road. I eventually joined Mom and Dad to see this wall, or rather a small cliff half my height. It seems someone cut the whole road and got the ground where I am to sink. I could even see what was below the road. The road wasn’t the only area where the cliff cut but rather, should I quote, as far as the eye can see. “What is this?”
“It might be some kind of fault line”, Dad said.
“Fault line? What is that”, Matt asked.
“You know, cracks in the ground that cause earthquakes? The one you learn in school about the San Andreas fault? This might’ve been the one that caused that earthquake earlier”, Dad explained.
“So a new fault line is appearing in Saskatchewan”, Mom said.
“Seems to be.”
“So, how are we going to get to Regina”, I asked. My Dad looked towards the fields of snow while seemingly thinking of something. It was a few minutes before we heard something odd. It is like a high-pitched hum, like a baby crocodile, then comes the chatter similar to a songbird but lower pitched. We all went to the truck, except Matt, who was more curious than afraid.
“Hey, I can see something”, Matt advised. Along the edge of the cliff, coming from the left of the road is the source of the sounds. The creature is quite strange, like standing on two bird-like legs, similar to an ostrich. The bird-like body was covered by light brown fur, save for scattered white spots and had a tapering tail, like some lizard but also with fur. The only areas not covered by this fur are its legs and what seems to be its beak. When it got closer, I came to make out its appearance. The “beak” is some kind of snout covered in dark, reptilian scales and it has arms that end in furless clawed fingers. I knew what it was, and it was frightening as it was confusing.
“Matt, come back. That is a dinosaur”, I yelled, hopefully persuading Matt of his curiosity. As soon as I said that, the creature stopped.
“Dinosaur? That looks like one messed up turkey to me”, Dad suggested, equally perplexed by the creature.
“Hey, Matt, come back! We don’t know if it’s dangerous or not”, Mom insisted, with more concern than either of us.
“But it’s not doing anything bad. It looks cool”, Matt said, not even concerned about this weird creature.
“Listen to your mother, Matt”, Dad hollered, in agreement with me and my Mom.
“Oh, come on, we could make him do some tricks.” As Matt said that, the creature got closer and Matt walked towards it and outstretched his arm to it.
“Matt! Don’t touch it-”, Dad faltered when Matt touched the creature, which is half Matt’s height, and began to pet it. The creature then began to purr, like a cat but more bird-like.
“See, not so dangerous. Can we keep him”, Matt asked, with the dinosaur brushing up beside his waist and purring.
“No, we can’t. We don’t know what it is”, Mom pleaded and I do agree.
“Oh, please, I promise I will take care of him. It’ll be the coolest pet ever.” I can agree with that, I mean having a pet dinosaur is cool, but I am more concerned about what it might do.
“I think it’s a bad idea”, I yelled to Matt.
“No, it won’t. Please”, Matt begged. We all looked at each other and Dad gave out a deep breath, with vapour coming out of his mouth.
“Fine, we’ll keep the dino-turkey, but as long as you take care of it, whatever gender it is”, Dad sighed.
“Yes! Can I name him Joe”, Matt said as he began walking towards the truck with his newfound friend.
“Joe? We don’t even know if it’s even a boy.”
“I don’t care. I want him to be a boy”, Matt protested.
“I guess Joe it is”, Mom said as she turned to Dad with a look of regret.
“I guess we have a family pet now”, I said under my breath to no one. We then went back to the truck and I sat in. Dad went to the driver’s seat as usual and Mom in the passenger. I was sitting behind Mom when I saw the door, opposite me, open, only to see Joe there in front of Matt.
“Hey, do you wanna meet my family”, Matt beamed when he picked him up. I can see Joe’s face more clearly. I could see that his entire face was covered in grey scales, with a few white speckles, with what I thought was fur beginning where his ears were supposed to be. Joe looked at me with a bird-like expression with his bird-like eyes. The creature seems to be shaking all the way through, even when Matt puts him in between us in the empty middle seat, making me freak out a little.
“Why are you putting it beside me”, I shuddered. “Did you make sure he doesn’t have rabies?”
“Don’t worry, he’s just cold”, Matt reassured. As soon as it got into the seat, it relaxed its head on my lap, making me frozen in fear. In surprise, Joe began to purr.
“What is he doing”, I asked.
“I think he likes you. You can pet him if you want. He’s harmless”, Matt assured. I then cautiously took my hand out and touched his brow area. It felt cold and reptilian, and I moved my hand towards his fur. I realised they were feathers, not quite like a bird, like fuzzier. I stroked across his spine and he was cold. Matt then covered the feathered creature’s body with a blanket.
“What should we do now”, Dad asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe take another route”, Mom responded. Dad then started the truck and turned it around.
“The rural roads would be hell. Maybe go to Earl Grey, and see if there is anything there.”
“Hopefully not like Bulyea.” Dad then looked at his rear-view mirror to look at Matt.
“Hey, do you know what, uh, Joe eats”, Dad asked.
“I don’t know”, Matt said, with a look like he doesn’t know.
“I mean, he has to eat something”, I said, now more comfortable with Joe. I lifted his lips to see a series of fangs lining his jaw. Joe didn’t take that too kindly and nudged. As he did that, he rolled to his side to reveal his hands. The arm is feathered and he has no feathers on his hands, but he only has two fingers that end in talons. “What, why does he only have two fingers”, I asked.
“Maybe a genetic defect. Like my cat Fluffy with his extra thumbs”, Mom suggested.
“Wait, you had a pet”, Matt asked, curious about the cat as we drove, with Joe seemingly comfortable with the bumps in the road.
“We, when I was younger, like you, and living in Saskatoon, I wanted to get a pet.” Mom explained as she looked at Joe. “Well, not quite like you have. Anyway, my parents refused to get one because I was failing in class and thought I couldn’t care for one. One day, I think a snowstorm was happening. I was walking down a street, fighting against the snow. I stumbled upon a box, covered in a blanket lying on the sidewalk. I looked inside and I saw kittens”, she said, her eyes glossy.
“Sadly, most of them died in the cold, except for one. An orange, fluffy kitten, fighting for its life. I took it, put it into my jacket and took it home. I entered our house and the kitten was fine, but my parents were furious. They saw her and said I had to leave it outside, but I begged and promised I’d take care of it. They said we could keep the kitten, as long I kept the grades up. So, I named him Fluffy, because he’s fluffy.”
“Where is he now? Why is he not here”, Matt questioned.
“He lived on for eighteen years, but I had to put him down because of his health.”
“Why didn’t you buy another cat”, I prodded.
“We just couldn’t afford it, we don’t have enough income. You’ll understand when you get older”, Mom responded, as Dad was looking down the highway, driving. I looked down and Joe was sleeping. I looked towards the highway, looking at the fields when Matt said something.
“I need to go to the bathroom”, he said, holding at his groin. I also need to go to relieve myself, but Matt called it first.
“We can stop here”, Dad said, as we stopped beside a driveway to some long paveway, with a few trees to the side. I recognized it through our trips to Regina: we have arrived at Gibbs. Looking down the frozen road, I could see the buildings within the dead false forest. I took this moment to speak my urge.
“Yeah, I need to go, too”, I declared. Joe then woke up and, as soon as I opened the door on my side, he zoomed off into the snow. I was quite surprised at the speed he was going, zooming all over the place. Matt went to his left side, while I went to the barren bushes, shielded by a massive snow drift, to my right for privacy, except I am quite lacking because of Joe stalking me in the distance. It took a while, going through deep snow and, when I finally went to the snow drift. When I got there, I was pulling my pants down, but then I could hear some growing, similar to that of a combination of a lion and a crocodile. Where is that coming from? Never mind, it might be Joe, I thought.
“Go away, Joe”, I said, thinking it was Joe, seemingly angry at something. Nervous, I finally got to business, a little slow because of Joe nearby. I then heard the growl again. This time, I looked up and saw Joe, but he wasn’t growling. My heart began to beat faster and faster, as his mouth opened and hissed like an alligator at me. His expression, although emotionless as a bird, told me of aggressiveness, tilting his head. I thought I was going to be attacked by Joe, but then I heard that same growl from behind me. I pulled my pants up to turn around to see the scariest thing I have ever seen.
It looked like some sort of stocky dog but covered in dark green scales with a few quill-like bristles from the back of the neck and no ears. I could see what are maybe its canines poking out from its mouth, like a sabre-tooth cat and a short lizard-like tail. It looked more reptile than, well, dog really except for its eyes. I could see the hunger in its eyes. I heard more growling to my other side and saw another of those things. Joe began making that baby crocodile noise and we ran to the truck. I turned around and ran.
“Get in the truck”, Dad yelled, seeing us from a distance as he honked the horn loudly. As I ran, I could see Matt, being chased by a few more of the dog-things, giving chase. Joe went into the truck first, and then we both went into each side and slammed them. Dad then sped off very quickly, scared they may get to us.
“What was that”, I panted, confused.
“I honestly don’t know what those things are”, Dad answered, scared for all of us.
“I want to go home”, Matt pleaded, tired from running away from those things.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be home soon. I promise”, Mom reassured.
“Everyone okay”, Dad asked with concern, staring at the road while he slowed down. We all looked at each other in fearful confusion, even Joe. I looked at Joe, and he then looked at me. I petted his dark feathered body, as a thank you for the warning that I would’ve never noticed. “Okay, we are moving on”, Dad concluded. We sat in silence, although I was still petting Joe.
“Hey, Matt, do you know what dinosaur he is”, I asked Matt.
“I don’t know. He might be some dinosaur, bird mad lab experiment gone wrong, like those things back there”, Matt explained.
“Or some mess-up chicken in a lab”, Dad suggested, still looking at the road.
“I don’t think he was a chicken”, Matt rebutted. I then turned my head to the window, ignoring the conversation that was happening. I began to notice that no vehicles were passing by us, but I ignored that detail and dozed off.
I saw those same lights in the dark vision of my closed eyes. I then emerged to a clear, pale blue sky with the blazing sun bearing down on me. Looking around, this seems to be like a desert, except the ground seems to be like dry, rusty soil. It feels hot here, hotter than one of those summers in my former town. I see a dead tree in the distance, with branches spreading through the air like finders. I heard a sound behind me.
“Wake up! We are here”, Matt said as he shook me awake. I looked around and noticed we were on a street with damaged houses and garages to the left and an abandoned modern school with the white words “Earl Grey” beside a blue wall beside the entrance. The school lies hiding behind a metal fence with dead trees behind it. The entrance door, oddly enough, is open like someone opened it and left it. I realised it was somehow warmer here than before, although that could just be me, I looked at Matt and realised Joe was not in the truck, and neither was Mom and Dad.
“Hey, where’s Mom and Dad”, I asked Matt.
“Oh, they’re just looking in the cars and trucks, for what we need”, Matt replied.
“And Joe?”
“Oh, just running across the road.” Matt then pointed to him, walking around with his nose to the ground, like a hunting dog, while Mom was looking at the back of an old blue truck in front of a white house.
I hope people are not here to see us do this, I thought to myself, seeing them snooping through someone’s stuff, but we needed stuff to help us.
“Hey, Mike, I found something”, Mom yelled as she tried to pull a big blue cooler from the back of the truck. Dad then came from an RV down from the truck and came and helped her. He then put it down on the road and opened it. They both plugged their noses and backed away.
“Fish? Who leaves fish in a cooler in the back of a truck”, Dad gagged. Joe then looked up, seemingly in excitement and ran towards the cooler. He stuck his nose in the cooler and pulled out a pike. He plopped it on the road, his foot stepped on the fish and put his mouth onto it, tearing a piece of it and swallowing it. “At least somebody likes rotten fish”, Dad rasped.
As we looked in surprise, we could hear something from the school. The minute we heard it, a loud boar-like roar came out from the school. We thought it was a very big boar when it came out, but the more we looked, the more we realised it was something else. Its body is like a boar, but its face is like a lion’s and the snout of a camel, with teeth somewhat like a bear’s when it opens its enormous mouth to gargle like a pig. Mom, Dad and even Joe are taken by surprise, making our parents run towards the driveway, while Joe towards our truck with his gorged fish, standing by us. The boar-thing then stopped a few feet away from my parents, seemingly in a defensive stance, hooves scratching the ground. We are scared for our parents, preparing to see this thing rip them to shreds.
It gave one last roar and walked towards the cooler, knocking it over with fish spilling out. It stuck its snout in the fish and swallowed one down. They then slowly walked around the creature and steadily fastened their pace until they were at the truck. We all quickly got in and Dad backed up quickly.
“What the hell was that”, Mom panicked.
“I don’t know, a pig from hell”, Dad responded. We looked at Joe, swallowing down the fish while the rotting fish smell remained. It looked at us in confusion, as we were. We silently laughed for no apparent reason, probably as a mechanism to try to replace the fear. We then heard a shaking in the truck, startling us. We realised that the hell pig was tearing at the bumper of the truck like a lion would. Dad hammered the horn, making the thing back up in surprise. Dad took this opportunity to back up very quickly towards the intersection and turned to the left, quickly avoiding the creature. We sat in silence, except for Joe who was chirping.
When we went down the street, the houses, as usual, were damaged but we saw other vehicles, the first we had seen. Some were parked along the street, others stuck on one lane like city traffic but paused. Weirdly enough, there are no people in the vehicles, nor anyone outside. Most of the vehicles have one or more doors open like people got out to go somewhere. We drove past all the vehicles in the other lane. There is one vehicle we passed by that is on fire, most of the paint already off to reveal the metal beneath, only to be turned into a rainbow of browns and blacks by the dancing flames.
“What. Happened. Here”, Mom slowly asked, as confused and terrified as us. We had a feeling of dread, seeing all the abandoned vehicles.
“That’s the least of our worries. We should be looking for supplies”, Dad responded.
“Hey, how much do we have”, Mom asked Dad, worried about using up the fuel.
“Well, we got a full tank of gas and travelled a hundred kilometers”, Dad responded, more confused. “Nothing makes sense here and I hope we don’t stay here for long”, he muttered.
Eventually, we passed most of the vehicles and reached the veterinary clinic. The small, intact structure stood there, seemingly looking over the icy driveway. We then spotted an old, brown truck and we saw something that set it apart from the rest of the vehicles we’ve seen so far.
“It’s on”, I said, gleefully, with hope that, at least, we aren’t the only ones here. The headlights beamed brightly, and we realised it was getting dark. We also noticed that the street lights aren’t turning on.
“I thought there was no one here”, my Mom said, unsure of the connection between the abandoned but running truck and the lack of people in this town. At one of the intact houses, ahead of us, partially blocked by the trees, we saw what seemed to be bright light coming from one of the windows. What person would go into a house after an earthquake, I thought, thinking about our house back home.
“Someone’s here”, Matt loudly notified, as we all shushed him and that is when Joe is trying to push the door with his snout. “What is he doing?”
“Stay here”, Dad calmly ordered, opening the door, but Joe scurried out and went somewhere else.
“Hey, come back”, Matt called out, with no success. Joe eventually disappeared into the night, never to be seen. Matt then had tears welling up in his eyes like he was about to cry. I hugged him to comfort him.
“He’ll come back some time”, Mom reassured, trying to calm him down and looking at Dad. Dad nodded and grabbed a flashlight that was equipped in the truck. He then walked slowly towards the house, step by step, being shone by our truck’s headlights. He looked back at us and put his hand up when the light in the house moved. It seems to move towards the front door of the house. Emerging from the house is a person walking down the steps, cloaked in darkness. Dad then took a few steps back as the figure came. Finally, the figure stepped into the light.

• Species: Cat
• Age: 10
• Sex/Neuter status: Male Neutered
• Breed: Domestic Shorthair
• Body weight: 10 lbs
• History: Diagnosed with Small Cell Lymphoma of GI two years ago. On Prednisolone and Chlorambucil. Multiple ultrasounds (including recent) and blood test shows no reoccurance of cancer in body. Recently brought to vet for unrelated symptoms. Lethargy, unable to really meow, excessive drooling, eye dischange, possible mouth pain, squinting
• Clinical signs: Extreme Lethargy, usually chatty cat doesnt really meow anymore, squinting eyes and a ton of discharge, nose running and recently been droollng alot. keeps making mouth smacking noises. been on and off going on a few weeks now. Seems to have hit a high point of fatigue today after his ER visit yesterday. One thing that caused me to bring him to ER was I was giving him his usual medicine and he kind of cried when I tried to open his mouth.
• Duration: 3 weeks
• Your general location: Northeast USA
• Links to any test results, X-rays, vet reports etc. that you have: Results attached. Blood tests came back OK. Platelet count confirmed OK. Ultrasound came back fine. Cat had fever of 104 going into vet and leaving it 6 hours later. Given sub fluids.

Here is a summary of the last couple visits:
4/29/24 AFAST: negative peritoneal effusion, no obvious abnormalities TFAST: La:Ao ~1:1, intermittent B-lines, negative pericardial/pleural effusion CBC: HCT 33%, WBC 11.96K, Neut 10K, Lymph 1.15K, Plt 220K Chem17/lytes: Glu 205, BUN 9, Creat 1.3, Phos 3.1, Ca 9.4, Na 156, K 3.5, Cl 118, TP 8.1, Alb 3.5, Glob 4.6, ALT 13, ALP 41, GGT 0, Tbili 0.1 PCV/TS: 32%/7.6, serum clear CXAXR: 1. The appearance of the stomach, small intestine and colon can be compatible with a nonspecific generalized functional ileus (e.g. gastroenterocolitis or infiltrative bowel disease such as IBD or the clinically reported gastrointestinal lymphoma). There is no evidence of small intestinal foreign material or mechanical obstruction. Consider initiation of therapy for generalized functional ileus and if clinically indicated, abdominal ultrasound might be pursued for further investigation. 2. Mild constipation. 3. Normal thorax. 4. Incidental small defect in the cranial endplate of L5 of uncertain etiology, likely a schmorl's node.
5/12/24 PCV/TS: 30/7.8 CBC: RBC 6.02 (L), HCT 29 (L), PLT 31 (L), bands suspected, rest unremarkable Blood smear: Majority of neutrophils appear toxic. Platelet clumping noted, suspect that platelet number is adequate. Chem17/lytes: Glu 177, rest unremarkable BP (doppler): 100mmHg FUO standard panel submitted to idexx Respiratory PCR panel submitted to idexx AUS with Radiologist: Conclusions/recommendations: 1) Mild gastritis. This is suspected to represent a secondary rather than primary condition however a flare up of small cell LSA cannot be completely excluded. Cursory evaluation of the cervical soft tissues did not reveal any abnormalities as well. Recommendations: Pending results of other testing, consider a GI panel if not recently performed, empirical treatment for gastritis and complete the work up for FUO
Treatments/Plan:
LRS 100ml SQ Ondansetron 0.5mg/kg SQ Convenia 8mg/kg SQ Rx mirtazapine TGH Rx famciclovir x 14d to pick up at pharmacy Rec to follow-up with pDVM in 1-2 days if CS not improving/worsening

I need more friends to hang out with. I love the ones I have, but they're either too busy with family life or they take too much energy to interact with regularly. People grow apart sometimes, and that's totally fine. It has just left me pretty lonely. As introverted and protective of my me time as I am, I need good people in my life.
A little about me:
I'm very laid back and non-judgmental. It's impossible to know what's going on in someone's head, so I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, even if they piss me off.
I have been divorced since 2021, and I've been happier for it. I have always struggled with depression and anxiety, and my marriage certainly didn't help. Therapy and dedication to self-improvement has been immensely helpful, though. I still have my bad days, but I am light-years ahead of where I was just a few years ago. I'm currently single and would like to be in a healthy romantic partnership at some point, but I'm not in a hurry to be attached to anyone. It needs to happen organically.
I'm a firm believer in choosing kindness and empathy. Even if someone doesn't deserve to be treated with kindness, I do it anyway for my own sake. I come from a long line of hotheads, and I have been an asshole more times in my past than I care to admit. I try very hard to walk a fine line between not being a doormat while always being the bigger person.
I love science fiction. Star Trek, Star Wars, The Expanse, Dune... If it takes place in space and/or on other planets and involves weird but cool shit, I'll likely love it.
I love heavy music. Deathcore, metalcore, hardcore, nu-metal... If it's heavy, I fuck with it. I go to concerts regularly, mostly heavy bands. I do like other music, too, though. Love me some jazz and folk. I can definitely get down with some hip-hop and rap if I'm in the right head space.
I love going to the movies. I typically see at least one movie a week.
I love cooking. Admittedly, I tend to get stuck on the few recipes I already know, but I'm always willing to branch out and try new things.
I'm very introverted and can be pretty quiet, but I can carry a conversation. When I speak, I try to do so with intention. There are certainly times when I need to get stuff off of my chest, but I try not to just brain dump on people. I tend to be a homebody, but I get cabin fever quickly if I stay inside for too long.
I love art. I'm not much of an artist myself, but I have a soft spot for paintings and drawings.
I love animals. I have a cat named Chani. She's a brat, but I adore her.
I feel like that's a pretty good summation of my personality without giving too much away. If you think we would vibe, I would love to hear from you. The closer you are to me, the better, but I'm never opposed to driving an hour or so to see good people.
The final thing I'll say is please don't ghost me. If at some point you decide you're not feeling me or the chemistry just isn't there, just tell me. I promise I won't take it personally or make a big deal out of it. Thanks.

So, I started using SmartCat, and I’ve been struggling since I’m more used to translating on google sheets (translating a visual novel), so the most i can do on google sheets is adding the codes which is tiring tbh and still CAT tools don’t help in that regard, but anyways, I don’t understand how tags work?
I’m translating from en to ar, and I completely change the structure in the target language, so most of the time the translated texts don’t need a line break and they flow together but (even tho i don’t know how to make line breaks on SmartCat), I checked out the visual novel to see where tags are placed and most of time they’re after line breaks and sometimes they arent, so basically should i use tags regardless and they actually necessary or just leave some segments unconfirmed since they will mess up the flow?
I hope some can make sense of my question.

In this vibrant community, expect passionate discussions about cars ranging from classic beauties to the latest releases. Members engage in spirited debates, comparing the merits of different makes and models. From the rumble of muscle cars to the sleek lines of luxury vehicles, there's something for every enthusiast. Dive into conversations dissecting the latest automotive technology, dissecting engines, transmissions, and performance upgrades. Be prepared for in-depth analyses of new releases, with members eagerly sharing insights and opinions on design, performance, and innovation. Whether you're a gearhead seeking technical knowledge or simply enjoy the thrill of the open road, this community offers a welcoming space to fuel your automotive passions.

Context: I’m 24, currently unemployed for the past two months (actively searching for work and working with job developers), no assets and have close to 65k in debt but 25k is OSAP which I’m not worried about because they’re on pause and have no interest
Of the remaining 40k, 30k is from my student line of credit that just recently got converted into a loan. The rest credit card debt (8.7k) from three different cards, one is 6.6k the two are about 1k each
The vast majority of my debt is from funding myself through school. I worked and received OSAP but still needed the line of credit since those weren’t enough for rent and groceries.
My credit score was always excellent up until two years ago where the credit card debt started building. My cat got very sick and long story short i maxed out my 7k credit card on him (worth it, he’s healthy and happy now) and that’s where all the cc debt comes from. I’ve always made my monthly payments that are over $300 on that one cc alone but it all just goes to interest so the principal hasn’t come down much, same with all my other debts
I pay roughly $750 towards debts a month. I just can’t afford that + rent + groceries + other essentials like bus pass, phone bill and medications etc. I quit my low paying job because of an extremely toxic environment and never thought it would take me months to find literally any min wage job especially since I have a degree + leadership experience on my resume.
I’ve only made it this far without working because of what I got back from my tax refund but I have literally no more money left to pay all my debts and am considering filing for bankruptcy (I have an appointment with an LIT to seek professional advice)