Small pus-filled bumps on my scalp

Hello everyone,
I hope you're all doing well. I'm here today to share a bit about my journey and seek some advice from this community.
So, here's the scoop: at 25, I packed my bags and made the leap from Lebanon to Paris (outskirt). Financially, I was starting from scratch – no cash in the bank, but thankfully, no debts either. I hustled my way through college expenses while grinding away back in Lebanon.
Started off my professional life as a FE developer, pulling in a modest 18k for the first couple of years. Then, in year three, landed a new job with a salary bump to 35k. But suddenly, I found myself facing monthly expenses totaling 1200e ( breakdown below ) by year four got a new job with a salary of 45k brut ( 2500 monthly net ) and 48k ( 2600 monthly net ) by year five, my expenses increased with the inflation that was impacted france.
Fast forward to May 2024, and my paycheck's now at 55k (3000 monthly net)
Here's the breakdown of my monthly expenses:

• Rent: 850e
• Gym: 70e
• Electricity: 65e
• Internet: 30e
• Transportation: 45e
• Insurance: 11e
• Subscriptions: 20e
• Groceries: 600e
• Supplies:100e
• Clothes: 100e
• Restaurants: 100e

Then yearly travel trips for a total of 800e per year
Total: roughly 2000e per month and sometimes there's unexpected expenses ( family in need etc... )
So, here I am, sitting on roughly 8k that I managed to save over the course of 5years , feeling somewhat at a loss. Is France truly the right place for a loner like myself, especially with those sky-high taxes and social contributions? Do you think the system here favors families more? Maybe it's time to scout out a more budget-friendly neighborhood?
I've been toying with the idea of owning a small apartment, but no bank would give me a loan without an elusive 10% down payment even though once I stop paying rent I can surely afford to pay the loan.
Sometimes, I even entertain the thought of heading back to Lebanon, despite everything that's going on there. I just would like to have a normal life again, like back in Lebanon, have a roof over my head, be able to afford a car and have a dog :) but so far it seems impossible to do so in France without committing to a relationship and living with someone or having a roommate to save a bit of money.
Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Are hemorrhoids able to bulge out when in the process of a bowel movement than with some time(mins,hours) it protrudes back. Reason I ask is because I went to the ER for multiple reasons. I have felt a bump on my anus and do bleed. But when the doc took a look he didn’t find or feel any hemorrhoids. Internal and external. Today I feel a bump and took picture shows a small bump on my rectum. Symptoms(itchiness, uncomfortable, light pain here and there when sitting.

I've been seeing all the posts about Titan subclasses lately, and I wanted to jump in on the fun and share my ideas!
This is mostly going to be a Striker specific revamp, but I do have a universal idea for Arc...4.0 as a whole. I have been a striker main since I started playing this game back in Season Of The Splicer, I play nothing but Striker because it's my favorite subclass, despite its obvious shortcomings. Something about thundercrash satisfy Titan brain, yes?
Let's start with the Striker Aspects!
KNOCKOUT:
Knockout is actually a pretty good aspect up until your healing gets interrupted before it even starts. This is arguably the only thing that I would change about Knockout. Let the healing be uninterruptible for a few seconds. If I had to change something else though, I think I would also trade out the extra melee lunge distance for something else as well. Let's be real, the melee hit reg in this game has always been terrible, it's useless.
They had no issue removing it from Synthoceps, so let's remove it from Knockout as well and replace it with the blind verb! Give us more ways to access arc blind, Bungie! When knockout is procced, let that electrical titan fist do the extra damage it already has, and arc blind surrounding enemies! Survivability is an issue for Striker, right, Bungie? And you want us titans to punch things, right, Bungie? Then let us do so safely at the very least.
JUGGERNAUT:
Juggernaut, for what it's worth, in terms of what it was going for, it only scratched the surface of what it could really be. The frontal shield was only a small fraction of the direction that Bungie should have gone with this aspect. For this instance, I'm going to reference Warhammer 40k: Darktide's Ogryns so that you can envision the best possible image for this aspect in your head (also a game that I play fairly religiously). If you've ever played Bull Rush on an Ogryn, you'll know where I'm going with this one.
The Juggernaut aspect should give us some decent DR and let us bulldozer through enemies, trampling everything in our path. We should be able to either stun these enemies or completely knock them on their Witness-worshipping butts. Let us plow through everything in our path, and jolting everything we leave behind. Let us stagger bosses for a second so that we can stop them from advancing or let our teammates hit some quick crit damage on them. (This would be good for those agro Ogre bosses in Onslaught, would it not?) My idea is, in order for this to not be spammed on bosses and in general, your frontal shield should get broken on impact with a boss, or when it takes enough built up impact on adds, so you need to wait for your class ability to be recharged to do it again.
TOUCH OF THUNDER:
This aspect got one thing right with Striker Titan. Back in the skill tree days, I THINK it was top tree striker(?) IIRC that was a grenade class for Titans. This is why we got Touch Of Thunder, for this reason, so let's expand on this a little bit, shall we? This is something that the HoIL Stormnades build got correct. Let Striker lean into demolitionist-like combat! Let us give our enemies a little touch of thunder...and LIGHTNING!
Rollback the nerfs a little bit to HoIL. This nerf was way too harsh. On top of the universal ability nerfs, Bungie nerfed everything about this exotic. From the damage bonus, to the ability regen rate, to the duration of these buffs themselves. Imo, I always thought it was way too harsh. We're in PvE, we are not playing Gambit and Crucible. Let us have the buff for the ten seconds again, please, at the very least. Whether Bungie would want to rollback the damage and regen rate a little bit, that's up to them, but I wouldn't complain.
Striker Titan NEEDS a grenade exotic. Something like Controverse Holds, or Starfire, or Sunbracers...and definitely not something like Arbor Warden, or Ashen Wake, please. (I'm aware that Ashen Wake refunds energy on kills, but the effect it gives to Fusion grenades is just not substantial). Something that buffs the regen rate and damage of a specific grenade (I'm probably gonna go with Pulse Grenades for this one since they were one of the original Titan grenades...and Warlocks would probably get upset if we got an exotic for storm grenades, so let's spare them those feelings please).
How about an exotic that just buffs the radius of the pulse grenade itself? Turn it into a gigantic emp like bomb, or maybe enhance the pulse effect by creating a shockwave effect like that of Thundercrash, or even Kinetic Tremors...but in a arc way, of course.
I believe that letting us lean into Grenadier combat on striker is the way to go because all we've gotten are melee exotics for striker, and well... they're kinda underwhelming. Maybe they aren't? One thing is for sure, though, and it's that Striker's melee combat/capability is indeed underwhelming, and it isn't strong enough to justify using any of these melee exotics, also because again, Striker Titan is made of paper and has no safe way to survive up close, unless we do become an actual Juggernaut...with a lot of grenades strapped to our belts and chest pieces.
Bungie if you do read this, I would really really beg you to consider giving Striker Titan this Juggernaut/Grenadier identity that it needs to pair with Touch Of Thunder. This would help the class (or at least the subclass, anyways) have some form of identity and a different play style as opposed to just meleeing everything. Let us trample through everything and give us grenade energy to finish those enemies off. We were given touch of thunder for a reason, please expand upon this.
SUPERS:
FISTS OF HAVOC...more like Fists Of Glass Bones and Paper Skin:
With or without the Juggernaut Aspect equipped, let the DR and Trample effect join this super, please. Eternal Warrior's overshield doesn't do anything for this super. Bring back super energy return on melee kills also, to extend this super. FoH is by far one of the worst supers in the game, and it needs a lot of help. Let us tank some crazy damage like that of a Berserker Titan, please. Even when I proc my Berserker super on critical health, everything shooting at me takes so little HP. Let's give this super the Juggernaut feeling that is so desperately needs.
THUNDERCRASH:
Arguably my favorite super in the entire game, I love it, but it too also needs some love. Thundercrash is the only arc one and done super in the game that does not apply jolt to enemies. Change this so that Tcrashes' aftershocks apply jolt to all enemies that are in them, and let the shockwaves last longer too.
In addition to applying jolt and making more shockwaves, please buff the damage of base Thundercrash so that the amount that Cuirass Of The Falling Star is doubling...isn't still less than a Needle Storm. This is one of the riskiest supers in the game, please let it do a substantial amount of damage. Make the tradeoffs of getting into Master Atheon's all mighty stomp worth it. Let us hit like the meteor it is supposed to be.
CUIRASS OF THE FALLING STAR:
All this exotic needs is a little bump to the same level of Pyrogales. A little neutral game bump that might make it worth keeping it equipped instead of swapping it on and off. Let it blind or jolt enemies with ballistic slam, come full circle with the code of the missile.
Additional Subclass Verb(s): (Universal)
So, this one is a bit tricky, and still in the rough draft process for me, but I think this one could be used for some nice add control.
I'll call it EMP for now (electrical magnetic pulse). Let us stun enemies in place for a few seconds with this verb, allow it to keep enemies in place for a couple seconds while doing some tick/shock damage to them. Perhaps the main use of this verb should be used to stagger beefier enemies such as Taken Phalanxes, Cabal Colossus, Gladiators, Vex "red bar" Wyverns, Fallen Briggs, Hive Ogres, Scorn Abominations, etc. Hell, even Tormentors if we wanna go that far. Gives us some breathing room and buys us time to eliminate bigger threats, or regain health. Will not be as strong as suspend or freeze...but I sure think I'd be locked in place if I was getting hit by a bolt of lightning. This could also work on Champions even, but stunning them will still be the main priority, of course, unless this gets reworked into the subclasses where it's allowed to stun specific champs, then sure!
A verb of this caliber could be awesome, but maybe we don't need it? It's the only idea I could come up with, but I thought it would be worth mentioning.
Please let me know what you think and share your ideas too!

I have always been very open to the paranormal. Ive always been open to experiences. Ive had a wide variety of different types of ghostly and sometimes even demonic dreams. Ive dreamt of deceased loved ones, demons trying to possess me or take me, i even dreamt once that i died and felt the last breath leave my body. Ive dreamt of being grabbed, touched, pushed, and an evil entity passing through me. Often times when i wake up from those dreams, i can feel sensations on my body. Like, i had a dream once that a witch grabbed my hand and started to squeeze it tight…i woke up to my hand red and irritated. I dreamt once of an evil entity that passed through me and woke up to my chest feeling like it was on fire. I dreamt once of an entity touching my leg and i woke up feeling “goose bumps” and cold on that spot. Sometime last year, it went from dreams and sometimes having weird experiences when i woke up to i started hearing things too while awake. My husband had left for work one morning and i was laying in bed trying to go back to sleep when i heard the distinct sound of a child’s voice saying “mama”. Naturally i thought it was my daughter. I turned over to look at her baby monitor and the screen was black. The only time the screen comes on is if there is sound or movement in her room. But the screen was black. So i laid there watching the screen and waiting. A minute or two later, another small voice “mama”. The screen remained black. So i reached over and pushed the button, the screen came on and showed my daughter fast asleep. I got up and went over to her door and looked in, and yep, fast asleep. So i was like okay maybe im hallucinating. I went to the bathroom and just as i was finishing up, again, i hear “mama” but this time it was louder and sounded more urgent. My head snapped to the door thinking maybe this time it was my daughter, and nothing. I went and laid down and tried to forget about it and it stopped. Now speed up to recently. Maybe about a month ago or so i woke up during the night and heard what sounded like muffled giggles. I got up and went to my daughter’s room thinking again that it was her and nope. Fast asleep. I went back to bed and laid down and listened. I could still hear it. Muffled giggles but it almost sounded like muffled crying too. It was so low i couldnt really tell. Then suddenly i started smelling a floral perfume. It lasted maybe a minute tops and then all of it stopped. I went back to sleep thinking about weird it was but left it at that. I havent had anything happen since then.

It’s great for any kind of blemish! I’ve used this one and Hero brand the rest I wasn’t a fan of since it either wasn’t fully water proof or left my skin worse.
These pimple patches are a LIFE SAVOR!! I’m not one to have acne, I do get break outs during periods/stress etc and it works wonders honestly! I don’t get white heads either they’re usually the bumps without the white heads and honestly I know you’re not supposed to pick at it but I literally can’t help it- I’ll squeeze it and then once there’s a small opening I put this on it and BOOM GONE!
It says it works best on white heads and I’m sure it does, but if the pimple has a small opening anywhere you can use these and it’ll not only suck up gunk, but most importantly it shields you from what’s underneath the patch lol honestly my skin has improved significantly with these patches!

I've been gifted a broken music box and I'm really curious to know how it sounds. I thought of making a score (I can see the bumps in the cylinder) but I don't know which notes it can play and I can't find any info on it/don't know where to look it up. It's a small 18 note japanese music box.
How should I do it?
(Just for clarification, I know almost nothing about music boxes and English isn't my first language so that's why the wording may be awkward)

I've taken her to her 3 year appointment and they cleared her of having any eye issues but is it normal for her to ALWAYS be falling? She's always getting a lump on her head or bruise somewhere from falling, a lot of it is from when she's being overactive and playing and sometimes she just falls like what triggered my post is she literally was just taking off her shoe and lost balance I guess and fell into the wall and she now has a small bump, not to mention she's still healing a scratch from riding her bike super fast and falling off of it. It causes me so much anxiety because I can't imagine all these lumps are good for her poor little head and also get anxiety from what others must think when she runs by with her lumped head. I discussed it with her pediatrician and she said it was normal that their center of balance is still in their head or something like that but sometimes it's nice to hear from other parents if this is common because it concerns me so much. Any advice accepted
Also funny story when I was talking to her pediatrician about her constant falling she went and fell right in front of her and her pediatrician was like I see what you mean now io

I look in the mirror constantly. When I'm at school I go to the bathroom a lot. My hidden photos have so many selfies of myself. It's not a thing of me liking myself it's more of a thing of disgust.
I just look at every little detail and hate myself for it. My eyes are small and uneven, my jaw is uneven and too large, my chin is weak, my brows are too spare, my foreheads too big, my nose has a bump in it. It look and think about them constantly and hate it but I keep on checking myself. It's like "how bad do you look this time".
Every time I do it I'm just salty about it the rest of the day. Whenever I leave school I feel bad about myself since I was just around people.
There are some photos in my hidden library that are just god awful. There's this certain lighting I keep taking photos of myself that makes my face look terrible. It makes my face look so sour and old, I don't know how to describe it. Only the "good" ones where I'm in good conditions can I actually share for feedback, and that's only if I uninvert them too.
I feel like I'm droning on about the same point. It's just doing that has become a pretty big part of my day recently and I don't know what to do or feel about it.

59 Year Old, Male, 275 lbs, 5'11"

1. 2018 Summer - Experienced an injury to my scalp that did not heal quickly.
2. 2018 Fall - Itching dandruff spot on head appear in same area, similar to what I was experiencing on my chins since 2008.
3. 2019 Fall - The problem covered all of my scalp. A California Dermatologist (SD) me with Seborrheic Dermatitis and gave me steroid cremes, these made my skin thin. Now looked like serious burn. Leg and Head. SD starting to affect me psychologically and professionally.
4. COVID - Visited 2nd dermatologist in Maryland and they gave me liquid Betmethazone Dipropionate. Lotion. Was a liquid in a super small bottle. Got some relief but would run out in less than two weeks. Had to apply multiple times per day and still was terrible shedding. Using this was not sustainable.
5. 2023 Fall - September: Saw third dermatologist asking for anti-fungal medication. I had heard that Malassezia yeast was a trigger. The Dr. refused and I did not want to use immune suppressant he recommended and prescribed. I figured I need my immune system and looked for the trigger. Also suffer from joint pain, stiffness, lethargy, etc. etc. Suspect I may have general arthritis and getting old very quick.
6. December 2023 - Very depressed and frustrated with SD. I was told if I shaved my head this might resolve the problem. Cutting my hair very close to scalp, #0 ManScaping, did not resolve the problem... If I shaved I would have cut into my skin. However, I was better able to debris the dry skin and apply medicine. I began trimming hair to #0 every other day.
7. January 2024 - Thinking the problem was still a fungal trigger I purchased two products from Amazon: Pet Honesty Chlorhexidine Cat & Dog Anti-Itch Shampoo. It contains, 2% Chlorhexidine and 1% Ketoconazole. After washing my skin, I also used Alpha Paw - Antibacterial & Antifungal Wipes. The higher concentrations of medicine is important. Health insurance did not pay. I used these over the counter items in isolation, no oils or lotion. I would cover my head with a beanie and leave my leg open to the air. I did this after shower before bed and upon rising each morning. For the first time in 4 years I began to see some relief. I was able to reduce the amount of irritation and large areas of swelling and scaling reduced. This occurred almost immediately. Yes, using this product burns somewhat but is bearable as compared to chronic itching.
8. March 2024 - Area on my leg is getting back to normal on the edges and my scalp is now only dandruff, not huge flakes. No more open sores on head, and sores on legs reducing.
9. May 2024 - I decided to take on the issue of inflammation in my entire body head on. I started fasting. I drank only 2 liters of Emergen-C per day, iced coffee with cream for a period one week. I went on a daily hour long walk and normal routine. By day 5 of my fast the change to the SD was pretty incredible. The skin swelling on my head is greatly reduced and the dandruff is minimal as compared to weeks prior. Joint pain is gone, feel much better. I broke my fast on Day 7 with a salad and hard boiled eggs.
10. Going Forward: I will be continuing to cut hair, apply anti-fungal and fast several day on and off until I reach desired weight and skin clear completely. Currently 240 lbs, goal of 180 lbs. I am currently consulting a fasting expert and adjusting accordingly. Goal is to stay in ketosis as much as possible. Repair biome with probiotics and continue to treat skin to ward off overgrowth yeast or fungus. I am moving back west and will be doing Hot Yoga in AZ. I plan to diet, sweat, and get this cleared up for good. I will post more in a few weeks.

So some of you may remember me from my post about the horrible “purging” from my Tret and clindamycin combo that I was prescribed. After less than 2 weeks, I had a horrible reaction that left my entire face red, bumpy, and filled with white heads. I went from smooth skin with maybe a couple of pimples and acne marks to severe acne.
Even though this is an ongoing issue, it’s still a long read! I’m so sorry in advance!
About two months ago, I quit spirono due to a bad reaction I had (I wrote an essay in my history if anyone is interested) and haven’t had too much of a problem with acne returning.
My skincare routine was originally spirono (before I quit it), azealic acid and retinol, but my dermatologist said they won’t renew my prescription unless I visit them. I didn’t want to spend the money to visit them because my dermatologist is really expensive ($170 per visit) with really limited availability and always just talks about accutane despite me saying I wasn’t interested, so I decided not to book with them and to instead just go with telehealth to get my prescription renewed. This was such a mistake!
When I talked with the nurse on GoodRx care, she suggested I go on doxycycline and spironolactone- which were both medications I wrote in the notes that I couldn’t go on. I explained again that I couldn’t go on it , so she gave me a list of prescriptions to “choose” from, which I thought was a little strange but I figured that it was normal since I never used telehealth for dermatologist before. I told her I would be willing to try an antibiotic and tretinoin. She prescribed me clindamycin and tretinoin, and told me to read the instructions on how and when to use them. Thinking back at it, it’s strange that she prescribed me such a higher dosage of both (1% clindamycin and 0.05% tretinoin) but I just “trusted the process.”
I explained my routine in the original post if anyone is interested, but it was fairly simple. After just a few days though, my entire face erupted in giant bumps (not cysts, but they looked very similar. They were red inflamed legions with no pus), pimples, and whiteheads. I posted some pictures of the before vs after if anyone is interested, but just know it got so much worse after that.
After visiting my original prescriber, the doctor supervising her (this was all on GoodRx care, so the chat was accessible to everyone) told me to immediately go to urgent care (she never saw pictures of my acne post-treatment, I only described what happened. This is because you can’t send additional pictures via good rx care). I called urgent care and they said they could help with the itching or any pain, but they can’t do much besides that. My face was itchy, constantly inflamed, and in so much pain. I went back to nurse that gave me the routine. The original prescriber told me that she was considering adding me on to an oral antibiotic to help and I agreed, only for her to never send the prescription to the pharmacy. I went back to the chat and asked about the prescription only for the PCA to respond that I needed to pay for another appointment if I wanted another prescription.
So I made another appointment and explained what happened, only for a new nurse to respond and tell me to see a doctor because my acne was too severe and that I already used the treatments that they had available. She said she was unwilling to prescribe anything else due to my reaction to their prescriptions.
At this point, I spent so much money on appointments and medications and I just felt very tired and frustrated. I made an appointment with a primary care physician and explained what happened. He said the reaction was likely due to the 1% clindamycin and to stop using it immediately. I also thought that might be the case because a few days before seeing him I patch tested clindamycin on my chest and noticed that my chest felt itchy the next day, and that I had some red marks on it.
I talked with him about how I believed that I was having a reaction and not normal acne, and after discussion we settled on a steroid course for 10 days and an antibiotic for 30 days. The steroid (a corticosteroid) treats the inflammation and the antibiotic will treat the bacterial aspect. This is all in addition to maintaining the tretinoin in my routine.
Thank you to everyone that gave me advice on that post! Especially to the person that told me to understand the difference between irritation and purging. My case was NOT purging. This was clear because I had acne in areas I’ve never broken out before. I’ve also had acne for years, so I knew the itchy redness was unusual. I kept trying to convince myself that I was overreacting, but after talking to you all, my friends, and that doctor, now I realize that I should be much more careful and observant with my health.
Also, be careful with telehealth, it’s hard to get the same quality of care as an actual doctor. I deeply regret trying to be cheap and fast with my skin. I’m now, quite literally, paying for it (financially and emotionally lol). Also, don’t stay stuck in an echo chamber! I love all the support I got from you all, but it’s important to realize that the answer isn’t always “just be patient and stick with it,” if you think something is up, then talk with a professional!
I just wanted to share this update in case it helps anyone. Again, thank you so so much for all the kindness I received from my last post!

I've had my S24 Ultra for a few weeks now. One thing that 'concerned' me was the possibility of 'filling up' it's internal memory with images and videos while on vacation and unable to transfer files to my computer.
In the past I've always used a micro-SD card for additional memory, but that isn't an option with my version of the S24. I bought a very small USB-C flash drive on Amazon that I hoped I could leave plugged into the USB port.
Unfortunately, within minutes of plugging it in I got a warning that it had been removed improperly, to save any data, and to restart the phone (not the exact text, sorry). I may have bumped the flash drive to cause this, perhaps not.
After restarting the phone and inserting the flash drive, I was able to move images and videos from the phone to the flash drive and unmount the flash drive properly.
When I removed the flash drive it was quite warm and I realized that only a few minutes connected (perhaps 5) resulted in a noticeable drop in battery percentage (3% or 4%).
My conclusions:

1. I can use a USB-C flash drive during vacation to off-load videos and images and free up internal memory.
2. The physical size of the flash drive isn't an issue since it will only be connected to the phone while transferring files.
3. I should be able to move the files at night while recharging in the hotel room, so even the small battery loss is immaterial.

I'd appreciate any insight you may have into my plan.

I have a bunch of small red bumps on my forehead, like a total of 10-20 dotted all over my forehead. But I don’t think it’s acne. I’ve had this happen before where they pop up all of a sudden and then go away just as suddenly, without scarring or anything. This time it’s lasting longer than the other times and I don’t know what’s causing it. Sleep? Diet? Irritating product? Hormones? Anyone else have these forehead breakouts?

I currently work for a small bank with one other IT employee. We get along great and work together really efficiently. I take care of basically everything myself except for security which I leave mostly to the other employee and just help with when i need to. My CFO and CEO (and all employees) really like me, and I make most of the decisions technology wise for the bank. It's a nice laid-back environment where the CEO trusts my opinion and the CFO is tech literate and likes me explaining things to him which is great.
I have been at this job for 2 years now. My current role is IT Specialist. I started out at 25$/hour and late last year got bumped to 32$/hour. This is in Rural TN, so I don't expect major city money, but things are getting much more expensive up here with all the move ins.
For my certifications I currently hold:

• CompTIA - A+, Net+, Sec+, Linux+, Cloud+, Project+, Server+
• Microsoft - AZ-900, AZ-104
• AWS CCP
• Cisco CCNA
• ITIL IT service management
• ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity and Cloud Security

For schooling I went to a Tech College for 2 years and worked at said college with the IT team at the same time. It was a lot of hands on and great experience. I graduated with a Technical Degree in Information Technologies System Coordinator which is a two-year course. Then once I got my current job, I started the Cloud Computing Bachelor's degree through WGU and will be finished in one more term.
I was thinking about just bringing up that I finished my degree to my CEO when I get the diploma and see what they think it is worth. I haven't had much issue with not being given what I want before but honestly, I have no clue realistically what I should expect or ask for. I have saved them a ton of money by getting rid of the MSP's and other crap that the last IT team brought in because they didn't want to do anything besides sit there and be paid. I know for a fact that they want me to stay and like me a lot, and with us being so small they like having a friendly atmosphere between all departments which I have given them. So, with all that said I was maybe hoping for around 40$/hour but was wondering what you all think about the situation as well.
Thank you!

Species: Dog, mixed breed rescue
Age: 11 years old
Sex: Female, Spayed (she was spayed later in life than is recommended)
Weight: 40 lbs, very lean and has never been overweight
Relevant History: She has a history of both benign and malignant lumps including benign skin tags (4 years ago), benign mammary duct ectasia (4 years ago), malignant mammary tumor that was low grade/very small and caught early removed 2 years ago, had chest x-rays every 6 months since and all have been clear of indications of metastasis or reoccurance. The type of cancer this tumor was is considered a low to medium risk of metastasis or recurrence.
Current Presentation: About 5 weeks ago I noticed during a regular inspection for lumps and bumps that my dog was developing a skin infection near her rear most mammary region. She did have a run in with some fire ants so I assumed it had been an ant bite that got infected. When I brought her to the vet, the vet noted what felt like a tumor directly below the infection. It was hard to feel/palpate when the dog was in most positions, but she was able to feel it was there. The recommendation was to treat the skin infection and then, once clear of infection, proceed with lumpectomy and biopsy. She completed a 14 day course of cefpodoxime oral antibiotics but the infection did not improve. She was given a second course of the same but after 5 days it was getting worse rather than better. The vet prescribed oral clindamycin instead to see if that would clear it. She did a full course of that and when it was clear the infection was persisting we were advised to consider moving forward with the lumpectomy in case the tumoassociated hormone impact/immune impact may have been causing the infection resistance to improvement.
She had surgery on May 8th to remove the lump and some of the infection damaged tissue. Since then, her incision has stayed looking good (no swelling, no unusual colored discharge, appears to be closing up nicely) but as of yesterday, she developed an odor that I can only describe as smelling like infection. I might be wrong as I am not sure what a normal odor from a surgical site might be, but from an instinct level, it just seems off to me. She is still on clindamycin and the skin itself does not appear infected despite the odor. She does not have a fever or any other infection symptoms.
Her energy level is good and normal (she's still a highly active dog/more active than most young dogs we know), has a good appetite, and healthy bowel movements. She has no other health issues besides this. We have been keeping her confined other than potty breaks so she does not run and jump and ruin her stitches.
With all this context, yesterday we received the histopathology report from her lumpectomy. It does not sound good at all. The vet has offered a referral to an oncologist.
Clinical Report: I don't know how to attach the histopathology report directly, so I am copy/pasting the relevant sections below.
Description Haired skin, masss left caudal mammary chain: Elevating the epidermis and extending from the superficial dermis into the subcutis is a densely cellular, unencapsulated, poorly demarcated, infiltrative neoplasm composed of polygonal cells with distinct cell borders arranged in lobules, islands, nests, loose sheets, and rare tubules on a dense fibrovascular stroma. Neoplastic cells have a moderate amount of eosinophilic cytoplasm and a single round, centrally positioned nucleus with finely stippled chromatin and 1-3 prominent, round, basophilic nucleoli. Anisocytosis and anisokaryosis are moderate. Four mitotic figures are noted in ten high powered fields. Occasionally, neoplastic cells have karyomegaly, are multinucleated, or contain bizarre mitotic figures. Multifocally, throughout the superficial dermis and subcutis there are neoplastic emboli in the lumens of lymphatic vessels. Throughout the mass are small areas of hemorrhage and necrosis. The overlying epidermis is ulcerated and covered by a serocellular crust. Neoplastic cells abut and continue through the medial and caudal surgical margins.
Histopathologic Diagnosis Haired skin, mass left caudal mammary chain: Mammary gland anaplastic carcinoma – grade III (high grade) - incompletely excised - with vascular invasion.
Comments
The left caudal mammary chain mass is consistent with a grade III (high grade) anaplastic mammary gland carcinoma. Neoplastic cells abut and continue through the medial and caudal surgical margins, and surgical removal of this mass is considered incomplete. Many dermal and subcutaneous lymphatic vessels also contained neoplastic emboli, and there is concern for local or distant metastasis of this neoplasm. Full clinical staging of this dog is recommended. Mammary tumors occur commonly in female dogs, particularly in those that are intact or were spayed at an older age, and ~50% are malignant. In intact animals, tumor growth can be hormonally influenced. Mammary gland carcinomas can metastasize, most often to the local lymph nodes followed by distant sites such as the lungs and other viscera. This carcinoma is classified as grade III (high grade) according to the most recently proposed grading system. Grade III mammary gland carcinomas have the highest rates of metastasis, recurrence, and cancer-related death. The histologic pattern of this carcinoma is consistent with an anaplastic carcinoma subtype. Anaplastic carcinomas are the most malignant subtype of mammary gland carcinomas and all are classified as grade III. They have very high rates of metastasis and a reduced median survival time (~3 months). This patient should be examined for evidence of regional and distant metastasis.
My Questions for this community:
1) Based on the grade and type of cancer, what are the chances that an oncologist can help prolong things for a reasonable amount of time? I don't want to put my dog through chemo or procedures/etc if it will only add weeks or months, on the other hand, if it could add years of high quality of life than of course that could be the right choice for her. I want her final chapter to be comfortable, joyful, and peaceful. I do not want to put her through unnecessary stress just for my own sake of having more time. Her best interest is my only basis for decision making.
2) Given the odor but otherwise lack of infection symptoms, how likely is it that the cancer has weakened her immune system so much that she won't recover from the infection?

I have an '04 Toyota Matrix. Took it in for an overall inspection, knowing that it has been driving SUPER clunky for a long time. Small bumps, big bumps, cracks, etc. all sounds like I'm hitting a crater. For a year or two? Assumed it was suspension related.
Among a laundry list of things that are in bad shape, at the top of the list was to replace the entire front suspension assembly and sway link bars. But it costs a pretty penny and I'm at that point where I will have exceeded the amount of money I paid for the car and will never recoup. I'd like to save that money I would have used towards the goal of a new car in the next few years.
My question is: is it bad or dangerous to be driving on bad suspension? I mostly drive city but drive highway at least once a week.
TIA

I started stim on 5/2/24, which was the second day of my cycle/period.
Here are some stats: * I'm 37, eat very clean and lift heavy weights. I weigh between 113 and 117lbs. * I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 17 and have been taking Levothyroxine for the last 20 years * My periods are very regular. I get very bad mood swings during my Leutal phase. * AMH 1.48 and AFC 32 (12 on the left and 20 on the right) at baseline bloodwork and ulttasound in February. * I had alcohol until 2 days before my cycle started. I didn't drink once my period started. * I stopped lifting weights once I started stim. I didn't do much cardio either.
This was my protocol (Day 1 means "day 1 of stim", which is the second day of my cycle):
Day 1-Day 4 * Gonal F 225iu * Menupur 75iu
Symptoms: Slightly more emotional. Belly felt like I might be pregnant and I felt the need to be extra careful when getting out of bed etc. Overall felt my usual self.
Sex: Non penetrative. Orgasm caused no discomfort. At certain times, sucking in my tummy felt a bit like I might be pushing down on something inside me.
Tests: bloodwork and ultrasound on Day 1
Day 5-Day 9 * Gonal F 225iu * Menupur 75iu * Centrotide .25mg
Symtoms: Not much.
Tests: bloodwork and ultrasound on Day 5 and Day 8. I think they said the follicular count was 6 on the left and 16 on the right.
Sex: Non penetrative maybe around Day 5 or 6. Orgasm caused no discomfort.
Day 10 * Gonal F 225iu * Menupur 75iu * Centrotide .25mg Trigger shots at 9:45pm * HCG (Novarel) 5000 is * Lupron (Leuprolide Acetate) 80 units (4mg)
Tests: bloodwork and ultrasound on Day 10. Follicular count (that were large enough) had increased to 8 on the left and 18 on the right. Most of them were around 16mm to 17mm. I think there was one that was like 19mm. This is from memory so the numbers might not be exact.
Day 11
• 11am Azithromycin 1g (two 500 mg tablets)
I was asked to take this on Day 10 at night, but I misread the instructions and took it in the AM on Day 11. I was told this is fine.
Hydration: I drank a lot of water throughout the day in preparation for surgery the next day. I didn't eat or drink anything after 11pm that night.
Symtoms: Woke up on Day 11 with pelvic discomfort and cramps which I figured was from the trigger shots the night before. I was waddling a bit when walking. Driving over small bumps caused discomfort. After taking the Azithromicin at 11am, I felt a bit feverish. I had to lay down. I fell asleep for a couple of hours. I woke up around 3pm feeling perfectly fine. The pelvic cramps were gone as well. The rest of the day was smooth sailing, except for this feeling like my stomach was stretched beyond normal. It almost felt like I was constantly holding in my stomach because of the way it was stretching my tummy.
Tests: bloodwork on Day 11
Day 12
Retrieval in the morning. The IV stung throughout the procedure until they put me under. This was probably the most uncomfortable part of the entire procefure. I was out of the clinic in almost exactly 2 hours. It almost felt like I just went in for a blood draw and walked out. It doesn't feel like anyone did anything down there.
Before leaving the hospital they told me they were able to retrieve 30 eggs. Later in the day they left a message in the online portal saying they were able to freeze 27.
I spent the day on the couch drinking gatorade. Took a nap. Overall I'm felt great, other than for a very slight headache which started around 6pm. I had a Tylenol extra strengh which helped. It kind of felt like I drank a bit the night before and I was hungover. I'm prescribed Letrozole two times for 7 days a day and Cabergoline at night for 16 days.
Costs\ My insurance didn't cover anything related to fertility. Out of pocket cost was around $13300 ($8100 for procedure, $650 anesthesia, $35 initial tele visit, $4500 medication). I might have spent an additional $150-$300 in bloodwork.
I did have an additional $760 added to my cost because I visited a different hospital initially (Penn medicine in Philly) - they were not upfront about all the costs and ended up charging me $380 for the initial visit with the doctor (which was a bit like a sales pitch) and another $380 for the baseline ultrasound even though they told me it would be covered by my insurance. It was also really hard to get a call back from their billing team (they rarely return your calls).
Scheduling\ Main Line fertility in Philly worked with my cycle. Since I already had the baseline ultrasound and bloodwork done, they were able to get me started on stims with my upcoming cycle.
They required me to call them on Day 1 of my period to schedule to come in and get bloodwork on Day 2. I started stim on Day 2 of my period. I had my retrieval on Day 13 of my period.
End to end, starting from my first consult with them, I had my eggs retrieved in 21 days.
The hospital I was working with previously (Penn Medicine), had me going around in circles for months. It was extremely stressful. I'll write a separate post about red flags to look out for when choosing a clinic/hospital.

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.

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.