Itchy bumps on roof of mouth

https://imgur.com/a/RjbmhU9
I have eczema on my fingers that occasionally flares up and itches, along with a small patch on the front of my chest that occasionally flares.
However, I have not had eczema present this particular way (localized itchy patch of bumps on back of neck/hairline - only on one side). Does eczema present like this picture? I do not recall any changes in things I use, wear or eat.

I’ve gotten braces 3 days ago now and they’ve been causing me to gag. They aren’t touching the roof of my mouth but they just do so because they are in my mouth. I have a strong gag reflex and a fear of throwing up so I’m not sure on what I want to do. Do I cancel the braces treatment? Are there any alternatives to straightening my teeth that don’t affect me this way?

i'm working on a novel and would like to know if anyone could tell me any improvements i could make to the first chapter and prologue
Prologue
The day had started the same way it had for the past two years. The only difference was that I was going home. The hallway was crowded with people walking to and from their classes. Everyone was crowded next to each other so the halls were making the area feel claustrophobic. All the people talking mixed with the summer heat made me feel like I was locked in a sauna. I walked with Preston to the last class we would ever have together and as usual he was smiling. I never got why he always smiled even in situations where people should be sad he still smiled. He knew what today meant for me and he tried to keep light of the situation. I kept my head down away from what was ahead of me. My mind was too clouded about returning to see my family to notice anything in front of me. I walked into another student. It felt like I had walked into a wall. I knew immediately I had walked into tree. I stumble onto the ground and the commotion around me slows down to make room for us. He turned his bulky body around and apologized profusely without saying a word even though I had walked into him. He helped me off of the ground before hurrying down the hall.
“Alexandria, are you doing okay?” Preston said he had tilted his body downward so I had to look down to look him in his eyes. The way he was standing made him look like an idiot but he didn't seem to care. The way he acted made me laugh, which caused his smile to widen.
“I'm doing fine, just got lost in my head.”
“Thinking about how you’ll leave soon,” he said
“Was it that obvious?” He was the only person I told about me being an exchange student. I came to spend high school in Newkinawa and he was the only person I ever hung out with.
“I see what you mean,” he said “Newkinawa is a beautiful place with beautiful people to live in it…myself included”
“You wish,” I say with a smile we continue walking through the hallway “I'm just not excited to go back yet”
After I say that his smile grows wider “So you will miss me after all”
“I wouldn't say that much” I responded whilst smiling.
We had made it to our last class only to see it closed with a sign labeled “Uma incident” Uma was a student known for messing with the chemistry lab and destroying school property in the process. I've never actually met her but Preston says “She's a little weird but still nice”
“Guess class is canceled for today,” Preston remarked with a smile “Wanna go out to the court till the bell rings.”
“Sure let's go” I respond
The place we ate every day was outside. It used to be a tennis court before I moved in. Now they put trees and flowers all over the place. Preston really liked the blue color of the flowers but it just never clicked for me. I look over at Preston and he's staring up at the sky. There are a number of clouds in almost enough to block the sun but it still pokes its rays through and lands on Preston's face. The clouds swim in front of the sun till they block out the sun's light. Preston faces towards me.
“I'm gonna miss you Alexandria” he says
“You know you can just call me Alex,” I replied. I start to smile again. “I'll miss you too!" He smiles toward me again as we get up to leave as the clouds start to clump together and rain slowly falls. As we're walking back to the school there's a loud tearing sound followed by screams as the ground shakes.
The ground tears itself apart as the dirt and stone erupt from the ground. The sky blackens and a pale blue light escapes the earth. Then creatures erupt from the ground in a violent ejection from the earth creating a white pillar diffusing as they reach higher in the air. Some are clawing their way out of the cracks like maggots out of a corpse. People are swept into the updraft screaming for their lives.
The creatures descend like a tidal wave and tear apart any people caught in their path. They storm out of the crack in hundreds as more cracks in the earth form. Me and Preston started running away as people were screaming behind us. A girl running next to us has her legs slashed by a creature. The monster begins to tear open her chest as she chokes on her own blood. The monster shovels her lungs and innards into its decrepit mouth. Me and Preston keep running until we're met at the entrance of the school and we catch the attention of a monster as it begins to savagely rush toward us. The monster resembles ghosts my father told me about. But this one looks monstrously horrific. It floats in the air and opens its mouth so wide it nearly replaces its entire torso; its jaws hold savage teeth each the same old gray color of its body. Its eyes glow a rotten yellow color through the dark. It stretches out its arms showing its giant hands and claws like fingers. It swipes at us leaving a giant claw mark on the door behind us but Preston ducks my body down to avoid the attack. We run around it as the monster swaps its focus to another bystander. Screaming past us. Me and Preston run into the parking lot as people scream around us. We hide next to a car.
“What the hell is happening!?” I yell to Preston. More of the creatures fly over us and swoop down to people like vultures on roadkill devouring the fleeing people.
Preston starts to breathe heavily ”we need to get out of here and someplace safer”. As we were talking one of the monster phases through the car we were hiding next to forcing us to run into the street.
“Lets go to your house till things cool down” i say to Preston through panted breaths
“Wait couldn't we head to your house instead” Preston says.
“Why would that matter your house is closer anyways” i respond
“But-” Preston is interrupted by two creatures swooping above us to grab another person. The two monsters begin to pull the person apart while he writhes in pain before having his flesh be torn in half and having his organs be devoured.
“Come on lets go!!” I say as I grab his hand and run even faster.
By the time we reach Preston's house any living person is gone. On the street are just corpses laying torn and mutilated on the roads and sidewalk. The air in the neighborhood feels cold despite the season being summer. When I walk down the street I can still hear the occasional horrific wail the monsters give off. We move closer to Preston's house and I can see him sweating. He looked more worried than before when the creatures were chasing us and he kept darting his eyes away from his home.
“Preston, are you feeling okay?” he doesn't respond to my question and keeps darting his eyes. He walks slowly behind me and as I reach for the door handle and when I touch it it feels nearly freezing. I wrap my hoodie around my hand and slowly open the door. The house is quiet so me and Preston creep further into his house. The inside is cold and damp as if we were locked in a freezer. The further we move into the house the louder a subtle chewing sound is heard.
“It sounds like rats are eating a dead cow over there” I whisper. Preston continues to stay silent behind me. We slowly walk closer towards the kitchen and the sound gets louder and louder and louder until we reach the room.
We're met with a rancid smell of vomit and blood. My blood starts to run cold and every instinct in my body is telling me to run. I can feel Preston breathing get heavier as we get closer. We turn the corner and see Preston's mom lying on the ground dead with one of the creatures hunched over slurping her intestines. The sight causes me to vomit alerting the monster to our presence. The creature turns around and its mouth turns into a mortifying grin as it flies into Preston's moms body. The corpse begins to rise and spur splashing blood over the kitchen. When the corpse stops spasming it picks itself up from the ground and with glazed over eyes it holds its intestines in its hand and gives us the same grin it did when it was outside her body. The possessed corpse lunges at me and starts to chase me around the kitchen. The body is running into the walls and cabinets spraying its blood and other loose organs around the area as I'm avoiding its assault. The corpse leans over and ejects one of its loose intestines towards me, wrapping me in it. It pulls me towards it so fast I'm flung towards the ground. The corpse limbers over to me and raises its free hand aiming for my head. The creature's deranged smile causes the corpse’s cheeks to tear apart. It places both of its bloodied and demented hands on my face and starts to press my skull into the ground. I struggle to breathe. The room starts to get dark and blood escapes my head.
Until Preston jumps on top of his mothers corpse with a kitchen knife and repeatedly stabs it in the head. The possessed body tries to shake him off but he keeps stabbing, blood gets in on his face and tears start to escape his eyes. The creature violently ejects from the corpse's mouth causing her head to nearly explode and Preston stops stabbing the body. The body falls over in a splash of blood and organs. The monster leaves phasing through the roof leaving Preston crying over his mother's body. As the blood mixes with the tears he collapses to his knees crying. I walk over and hug him as the air around us turns bitter and the chill of death leaves the room and us with it.
Chapter 1 Eclipse
It's been 2 months since the apocalypse started. We've kept ourselves alive by looting grocery stores and houses, we hide from the creatures as we have no way to fight back against them. Preston came up with the idea to call them glanter’s. He’s looking better since we left his family home but I can tell something is wrong with him that he's not telling me. Everytime I ask him about it he tells me it's no big deal. I asked him earlier today and he just told me
“don't worry about it, I'm over it” without even looking at me. Now we're walking through the street and I'm walking behind Preston, I can barely see his head past the giant bag we're both carrying on our backs we use to carry supplies. I look up at the sky and it's still pitch black except for the moon giving us any amount of light. Preston turns around to face me.
“Let's check out that house, it might have some cool stuff in it” he points to a white house to our right. The house is a two story building with steps leading to the front door. There's a generator poking out from the backyard. The driveway is empty save for a couple of dried blood stains and tire marks. It's similar to the other houses in the neighborhood except for a couple broken windows.
“Sure why not” We head over to the house and I see something shining on the side of the house in the corner of my eye. I turn my head to look at it closer but it quickly disappears before I can see it clearly.
“Probably squirrel or something” I mumble to myself. Preston walks up the stairs to the house and I walk up the steps behind him as a breeze blows past my face. Preston tries to turn the door knob but the door is locked. I start to pull out a lockpick I grabbed at the store earlier. I motion towards Preston to move out of the way as I kneel down to pick the lock. It takes me a couple of minutes to unlock the door so I walk inside the house and Preston follows behind me while closing and locking the door. The doorway of the house leads to a dark room so I take a flashlight out of my bag to illuminate the area. Were put into the living room and bookshelves are on the walls and a large TV sat in front of a large black couch with smaller chairs surrounding it. Dust is covering every surface of the room and spiderwebs litter the corners of the walls. The area smells like moth balls and there's a lack of blood anywhere nearby.
“Guess the owners got out before the Glanter’s got in, '' I say to Preston. When he doesn't respond I turn around and he's already looking further into the house. When I find him he's managed to find a flight of stairs that lead to a lower portion of the house.
“I'll check on him later,” I think to myself as I headed towards the kitchen to see if we could restock on food. I walk past a bedroom and remark on how childish it looked. The walls were painted with blue and green stripes and a bunk bed sat on the right wall. There's a chest at the foot of the bed so I walk over and lift the top off of it. The box is layered with children's toys, a multitude of dolls, bears, and figures all jut out of the box. I notice a small robot toy and inspect it in my hands.
The cold metal makes my hand shiver and the sharp body shape makes the robot bigger than my hand. There's red lining around the robot's buttons surrounded by the cold gray of the robot's “skin”. It reminds me of a toy my little brother had. My heart feels heavy as I worry about what happened to my family. If they're alive, dead, or worse…possessed. The thoughts send a chill down my spine but I push them aside for now. I put the toy in my bag and exit the bedroom.
I can see the kitchen is down the hallway so I walk down the hall and enter. The kitchen is pretty clean except for a couple of dishes in the sink and the dust. There's a table seated for 3 people in the center of the room. I start opening the cabinets in search for any food or water. There's boxes of cereal leftover on top of shelves and a mix of chip bags and cookies in neat boxes stationed in the cabinets.
“Score,” I say to myself as I begin to put the snacks into my bag. When the cabinets are empty I look inside the fridge. The inside of the fridge ran out of power so most of the food inside is rotted. There are a couple of bottles of water in the front so I shove those in my bag. There's also a bag of oranges that still seem to be healthy in the back. I grab them and toss them on the table. There's rotten sandwich meat hidden in the drawer of the fridge.it smells like a dumpster outside of a butcher shop. I wrinkle my nose at the smell. I look around the kitchen for any bread with no luck.
I continue to look through the fridge until I hear Preston scream from another room. Immediately I bolt out of the kitchen leaving my bag behind and run towards the lower part of the house. I run down the stairs and nearly trip on the steps. The stairs lead to a big room. There are posters to tv shows and movies I don't recognize. The walls are painted black and there's a bear skin rug on the floor. I notice Preston standing next to a really big TV hyperventilating. I walk over to him and ask him.
“Are you ok? What happened?”
He talks through deep breaths “I… saw a… spider.”
“What?!” I respond in confusion.
“It was really big and I had jumped at my face”
“Sure it was.” I say while laughing “Let's go upstairs there's some food in the fridge we can eat”
“Wait, I think you should check this out.” He says while pointing towards one of the walls. I grab Preston's flashlight off the floor and face it towards the wall. Hanging halfway off the wall is a large map labeled Newkiwana scavenger hunt of 76.
“I think we should take it,” Preston says “You can read a map right?”
“A little but I'm not the best at it,” I say to him “can you read a map?”
“it shouldn’t be too hard it’s mainly pictures any way I'm sure I can figure it out”
I walk over to the wall where the map is hung there are trophies covering tables and shelved in their own personal cases one of them reads “1st place 100-meter swimming competition for 1986 Zack Hemmingway” and another one reads “2nd place 100-meter swimming competition for 1989 Zack Hemmingway”
“Guess this guy really liked swimming,” Preston remarks while staring at a wall of newspaper clippings. All of them are about the same person in swimming competitions. All labeled different things like “a new record for Zack “the dolphin” Hemmingway”,
‘Zach Hemmingway our star plans for the future” all the newspapers are about this kind he has paler skin and a bulky enough build to swim pretty well. Most of the pictures have him coming out of the water in a pool, his long black hair soaked and sitting at his shoulders. Another one has him sitting at a desk over a pile of books and his hair in a knot , “vicious wipeout ends the Dolphins career”, and “ex-swim champ Zack Hemmingway found in a drunken stupor outside strip club.
“Everyone has their own hobbies I guess,” I say as I take the map off of the wall and fold it up. “Sucks what happened to Zack though” I walked over to Preston’s bag and put the rolled map in one of the pockets. I walk back up the stairs and Preston grabs his bag and follows behind me.
We make our way towards the kitchen and Preston starts looking through the fridge for anything to eat. I grab an orange from the table and throw it at his head. The fruit bounces off his head and rolls on the floor. He turns around and grabs the fruit from the floor
“Why did you throw an orange at me?”
“It's the only food we have unless you plan on eating spoiled a sandwich“ He starts to peel it while walking towards the table. We both take a seat and start to eat the oranges from the bag. He plants his feet on top of the table and bites into the fully peeled orange. I grab a water bottle from a bag and start to drink from it as Preston says.
“I saw a dvd player in that man cave downstairs we could watch a movie if it still has power”
“Sure it could be fun.” Me and Preston spend the rest of our time eating until the bag of oranges is emptied and we head back downstairs. Preston grabs the DVD player from under the table and blows the dust off the top of it; he plugs it into the wall as I plop myself onto the couch. He plugs the DVD player into the TV and sits on the recliner next to me. He presses a few buttons on the remote and the TV lights up. I squint my eyes at how bright it is. It's the most amount of light I've seen that didn't come from a flashlight. I notice there's a box filled with DVDs. I pull the box over towards me. I ruffle through the box and see movies like Silence of the Lambs, Terminator 2, and Home alone.
“Dude some of these came out just before the world turned inside out” I say to him.
“Really? Let's play one.” He responds. I toss him Terminator 2 and he puts it into the DVD player.
We spend the next couple hours watching movies and laughing together. It's some of our only moments of peace we’ve had since the end of the world and to me it's the most fun I've had yet. We're putting in the next DVD when there's a loud crash outside and the TV shuts off. Preston goes behind it to see if it's still plugged in.
“I think the generator outside is busted” i say
“It seems that way” Preston replies while backing away from the tv” i'm gonna go check it out”
“Don't worry I got it” I say as I hop out of my chair. Preston waves goodbye as I head up the stairs. I make my way back through the hallway leading to the living room and front door. I reach the door and start to turn the knob. I open the door wide as a car speeds down the street. I step out of the door to see what had happened when I hear the screech of a glanter. It cuts through the sky like an unholy opera singer. A group of them fly by and chase the car as I rush back inside the house. I slam the door shut and look through the window as I see a couple of smaller glanters grab and shake the car violently looking for the driver. They tear at it, ripping off doors and breaking the windows. The driver screams as the seats cover with blood and he's ripped out of the car as multiple smaller glanters tear and bite off parts of his body like piranha's until his body is completely devoured. I run back to the man cave to warn Preston about what had happened. I spot him laying in his chair spinning a DVD disc on his finger.
“It's not safe outside right now”
“Why not?
“There's glanter's outside, they just ate a dude in his car”
“Did they see you come inside?”
“I don't think so , they flew off before I went inside.”
“well we're not dead so I'm gonna say they didn't see you. But let's stay here for a couple more hours just to be safe”
“Sounds good i'm gonna go find the master bedroom.” I start to walk back up the stairs to the house
“ Hold on why do you get the master bedroom” Preston says while walking after me.
“Because I'm gonna find it first” I say as I start to run to find the bedroom. He chases after me in pursuit of the bedroom. Me and Preston run around the house looking for the master bedroom. We look through room after room finding closets, the garage, a bathroom and a door leading to a balcony in the back of the house. I manage to run into the bedroom and yell out to Preston.``Found it!!”
He comes walking into the room breathing heavily from the running. We both check out the room. The walls are painted a cream yellow and the bed takes up most of the room's center. The bed has burgundy sheets poking out from its bottom and a quilt with multi-colored floral designs lay sprawled out on top of it. There's a wardrobe built into the wall and a black leather couch sits comfortably on the left wall.
“Dibs on the bed” I say as I jump on top of it. I stretch out on top of the quilt and search for a comfortable part to sleep in.
“Where am I supposed to sleep then?” Preston complains
“You can sleep on the couch it looks soft enough” I respond while pointing towards the couch “I saw some spare blankets in one of the closets”
“Alright i’ll be right back” he mumbles to himself “why do i always get the couch”
“ I'll be right here if you need me,” i call after him. I sit up on the bed and start to look around the room more. I notice the entrance to the wardrobe is cracked open slightly. I hop out of the bed and grab a flashlight from my bag as I walk into the wardrobe. I turn on my flashlight and stare in awe at how many clothes are in there. The room is only half as big as the bedroom but it's still bigger than any closet I've ever had. The wardrobe is full of shirts, dresses, pants, and shoes for men and women. I immediately start to look through the shoes to see if any fit my size. I throw a pair of black high heels behind me as Preston finds me in the wardrobe. He looks around before asking me.
“What are you doing?”
“Finding a new pair of clothes to wear cause I've been wearing the same pair of jeans for waaaaay too long”
“Fair enough. Is there any guy stuff in there?”
“Yeah right there” I hook my thumb behind me to point to the other end of the closet.
“I'm sure they won't mind if we take a couple of things…they're probably dead by now anyways,” Preston says with a slight grin on his face. The way he said made me spin my head to look at him but he was already on the opposite end of the wardrobe looking at suits.
I shake away the thought and continue looking for any pair of sneakers in my size. 40 minutes pass before I walk out of the wardrobe holding a new pair of jeans and a black guns-N-roses t-shirt. I toss the clothes on top of the bed and check to see if the shower in the bathroom still works. I turn the dial and wait for a moment. The shower head chokes a little before water comes pouring out. I reach my hand under the showerhead to feel the water. The water is cold, it causes my hand to shiver when I take it out. I shake the water off and say to myself.
“Good enough” as I start to take off my old clothes and get in the shower. The cold water bounces off my skin, it sends shivers down my spine but I still get the old dirt from the last few months off of me. I step out and see a couple of dry towels hanging off of the door. I grab one and dry my body off and grab another to wrap around my head and dry my hair. I step out of the bathroom and Preston is still inside the wardrobe. I put on my new clothes while his back is turned and walk over towards him when I'm finished.
“Still haven't found anything,” I ask him
He turns around “Nothing yet, the only thing interesting was this coat.” He holds a leather coat up to me. The coat is made of black leather and has a skull covered with blue flames on the back. There's a black shirt inside the coat with a skeleton hand making a thumbs-up embroidered on the front.
“ That's pretty cool, it's better than what you're wearing right now at least” he's outfitted in a blue hoodie with holes on the chest and tears at the sleeves. He also has a shirt with a faded picture of a blue flower printed on it.
“I guess you're right” he gets up from the floor and exits the wardrobe. He lays the clothes on the couch along next to the blanket and pillow he brought into the room.
“The shower works so you can get yourself clean In there,” I say to him
“You know, a shower sounds really good right now.” He gets up from the floor and grabs a pair of pajama pants that were laying next to him. He leaves the wardrobe and enters the bathroom, closing the door behind him. After a moment the water turns on and I hop on the bed to get ready to sleep. I squirm myself into the quilt and rest my head against one of the pillows. I shut my eyes and fall asleep listening to the passive sound of the shower like rain on a car.
I'm in a void. It feels like I'm standing in a puddle of water that reaches to my knees. I wade my way forward looking around for anything in the darkness. In the distance I can see 3 figures l. I moved closer to them and their silhouettes get clearer. I realize they are my dad and brothers. I start to run towards them kicking up water behind me until something grabs my leg. It pulls down violently forcing me under the water without a breath of air. I kick at the thing grabbing me until something grabs my other leg. I look down and see two glanter's each with a monstrous smile on their faces. They stare back at me and one of them tugs my leg harder than before and tears it off of my body. The water around me turns red as the glanter laugh's. The other smiles wider as it starts to fling me around the water forcing any air left in my lungs to be forced out as I scream in pain. The glanter throws me away and I can see my family slowly fade into the distance as I'm flown away.
I struggle to swim back to where I was, one of my legs is missing and the other is broken. The glanter's find me again and I try to get to the surface to escape them. I'm flapping my arms in any attempt to escape as one of the glanter's flies in front of me and grabs my arm. I look at the monster with tears in my eyes as it bites my arm and tears my body away from it. It flings my body away and with my remaining arm I clutch the wound as the water floods into my body leaving me in the void I started in. I look around and the glanter's seem to have left. I turn behind me and see my family again, this time I'm closer than before.
I grit my teeth and drag my body towards them slowly as I leave a trail of blood and tears behind me. I finally reach my family and grab one of my father's shoes. I stare up and he looks at me. His stare causes me to feel cold as a grotesque smile grows on his face. I stare in shock as my brothers each have the same look as my father.
I shoot up from my sleep panting heavily in a cold sweat.
“It was just a dream..just a dream…just a dream” I look at my hands as tears fall into them. I look around the room and see Preston sleeping peacefully on the couch. The room feels frozen in place as a chill runs down my spine. I get out of the bed and walk out of the bedroom. I make my way through the dark hallway and find the entrance to the balcony I saw earlier. I creak open the screen door and head outside. The Balcony is pretty large, about the size of the kitchen in the house. There are some chairs knocked over next to a table and I pick one up to sit on it. I look out into the expanse of the neighborhood, houses lined up next to each other, dozens broken apart by roads, and dead bodies scattered across the roads.
I look up in the sky and sit back in the chair. The sky looks empty except for the moon giving this world its only source of light. Without the moon, we’d be left in darkness. It hangs in the sky alone, no stars, no clouds, nothing but itself, and the void of the sky. I think back about the dream I had. My dad and my brother's all dead and possessed and then they kill me. I start to tear up thinking about it. I try to wipe away the tears but it’s no use. I'm too scared for my family. I don't know where they are if they're alive if they're worried about me I don't know anything! I start to quietly cry into my hands. I don't know how long I'm sitting there until I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn my head to face it and I see Preston. He was smiling and looking at me. I turn away to wipe my tears and he walks next to me.
“I heard you sneaking out of the bedroom so I followed you to see where you were going.” he says “but that's not my question.” he pauses and looks at me “my question is what’s got you feeling so down?” he leans over the railing of the balcony
“It's nothing, I just came out here to clear my head.” I say as more tears escape from my eyes in big slow drops that ride down the sides of my face.
“if you don't feel like telling me you don't have to but i'll be here if you ever change your mind”. He looks up at the moon before turning to face me and his smile widens “I'll always be here with you…trust me I'm not going anywhere”
I stare up at him and wipe away my tears as a smile grows on my face to match his. I get up and stare over the balcony with him. “So where are we heading next?” I say to him, Preston pulls the map we got from the man cave downstairs out from his pocket.
“After I got out of the shower I decided to take a look at the map for anything interesting we could see.”
“Ok did you find anything?” i ask
“I did,” he points at a spot on the right of the map. “We should head to the museum”
“I didn't want to go to a museum before the apocalypse why would i want to go now?'' I ask him.
“Well the best part of museums is the cool stuff right”
“Yeah what about it”
“The only problem is that you could only look at the fossils and armor but you could never take them.”
“So you want to rob a museum?” Prestons eyes light up at the question
“Exactly they might have a really cool sword I could use, or I could sharpen a dinosaur tooth and use that as a weapon, there might be a cursed shield that can summon the dead to fight for you. This opportunity is too good to pass up. We need to go!”
“That does seem pretty cool but wouldn't carrying that stuff weigh us down. What if a glanter is chasing us and we can't run fast enough because of the stuff we took from the museum.”
“We’ll only take things that are light. Even then I could just block the glanter with my newly acquired 2000 year old shield.”
“Fair enough we can go in a couple hours” I yawn and stretch out my arms. “Cause I'm feeling way too tired to walk all the way over there right now.”
“Alright i'm heading back to my couch and THEN we’ll head out to the museum” he leaves the balcony and heads back to the master bedroom leaving me alone on the balcony.
“Thanks Preston I'm not leaving either” I say into the sky. I turn around and walk back inside the house, closing the balcony door behind me. I walk back into the bedroom and Preston is hunched over and holding a flashlight looking at the map. He’s drawing lines through roads and marking X’s in different areas.
“What are the X’s for?” i ask him
“They’re places that glanter’s usually stay around. I'm marking them off so we remember not to go through them, or at least be more cautious.”
“Cool. Did you find where we are right now?” He points to an area where the lines all converge out of.
“Right around here is where the neighborhood ends. So if we follow this path we can make it to the museum in one piece” I pat him on the back and take the map from his hands.
“Get some sleep Preston, we have a full day tomorrow” he grins to himself before laying down on the couch. I put the map back into my bag and hop on the bed to get to sleep. I cover my body in the quilt and roll over facing away from Preston as he falls asleep. I nestle myself into the bed and slowly fall asleep to get ready for the next day.
I'm awoken by Preston shaking the bed I'm sleeping on. My eyes open and the room is foggy, I wipe away the sleep from my eyes and focus my attention towards Preston. He's practically jumping out of his skin with excitement, he's already fully dressed for the trip and shaking the bed with a wide smile on his face.
“Ok ok i'm up the air feels heavy as a groggy feeling fills my body. I wipe my eyes and the room starts to clear up. I turn to face Preston. He's still shaking my bed to wake me up, he’s already fully dressed and nearly jumping out of his skin in excitement.
“Ok ok, i'm up you can stop shaking the bed” i say
“Then get up we’ve got a long walk ahead of us” he says as he stops shaking the mattress. He grabs the map from my bag and points to one of the red lines.
“We're gonna follow this way to the museum. We’ll move past the hotel around the ice skating rink and around the park. We’ll mainly stick to walking through the streets, we might have to go rooftop hopping to avoid any glanter’s if we see them but i'm sure we won’t reach that point.” he explains
“Wait, wait, wait, why are avoiding the skating rink and the park” i ask
“ everytime we go near the park there's weird noises and light coming out of it”
“And why can't we go to the ice skating rink?”
“I didn't think it would be important”
“It couldn't hurt to check it out at least”
“Fine we could make a detour”
“Ok and how do you plan on getting on top of roofs?”
“I'm sure we'll figure it out when we get to it”
“Ok man as long as you’re sure '' I yawn and step out of the bed. Preston starts to put the map in his bag. I walk into the bathroom with my clothes and change out of my pajamas. Minutes later I walk out and see Preston sitting on the couch twiddling his thumbs.
“Finally you're out” he smiles at me before handing me my bag and slinging it over his shoulder. We took a last look inside the kitchen to see if we missed anything. Afterwards we leave for the outside. The cold air bites at my face but Preston walks down the stairs, his face buried in the map. I jog to catch up to him as we both head into the street.
“Hey Preston, could I see the map?”
“Sure” he hands over the map and continues walking. I look at the map and the numerous lines drawn on roads. I look at the corner of the map and notice a small map key with numerous symbols for different areas like a library, school, hospital, and more. There's even a way to tell how far away each location is. The text reads “1 inch=5 miles” I quickly count how far we are from the museum.
“Dude this museum is like 100 miles away.”
“Yep it'll be a long walk, it'll take us a while to get there”
“Did you plan on us walking there the whole time?”
“We might find bikes or something.” he pauses “well i did think we would walk the whole way”
“This is gonna take us weeks to get there!”
“Did you have anything else planned?”
“Well…i guess not but we should still try to find some bikes or something”
“Ok if we see any way to travel faster we’ll take it”
“Alright cool” I hand him the map back and he folds it back up and puts it in his bag. We walk further until we leave the gated neighborhood we started in. Preston takes the map back out and looks at it before he turns right and continues walking. I follow him staring forward at the expanse of the road. The outside of the neighborhood is surrounded by roads all leading to different parts of Newkinawa. We walk past a sign that reads “Coretown 20 miles ahead” I nudge Preston towards the sign and he checks the map again.
“Yep, the museum’s in Coretown. Would you believe the residents were pretty proud of it. Should be a fun place to explore” he says
“Yeah but it’ll take us a million years to get there.” i complain
“Lighten up, I'm sure it will be worth it”. We continue walking down the road slowly making our way to Coretown.

I'll go first.
You must sit when using straws.
Because when I was about 7 years old, I was at a sleepover at grandma's house with my 5 year old cousin. I had a wide hard plastic straw in my mouth and was running after my cousin. I tripped over the phone cord and fell. The straw cut a strip of skin on the roof of my mouth and it was just hanging there. I didn't wanna get in trouble so I just pushed the skin back in place and held it there with my thumb until it stuck back where it belonged.

21M, 180lbs, no medical history.
These weird bumps showed up on my forearm about a month ago and haven’t changed since. There is no pain or itchiness. I don’t know what it could have been caused by. Should this be a cause of concern?
Photo: https://imgur.com/a/TebnEFZ

36 year old female,smoker(1/2 pack daily), do not drink & no drug use Diagnosed with: hypothyroidism, degenerative disc disease, lymphadema in both legs, tmj, adhd, depression, intercystial cystitis and had severe symphisis pubic dysfunction in one and only pregnancy
Please let me hear your thoughts on what could be causing all of this. I've seen multiple doctors & specialists & no one seems to have a clue as to what the diagnosis is as of yet.
A couple months ago I saw an endocrinologist bc I've been having lots of weird symptoms for many years, that I thought were just due to my hypothyroidism , but pcp said I shouldn't be feeling this way. Symptoms are: chronic fatigue, hot flashes, cold intolerance ( only sometimes & I can start shivering ) excessive sweating ONLY on the left side of my face/scalp & right side of face Is bone dry. This only happens when I wake up in morning or when I wake up from a nap. The sweat pours down my face into my eyes, & soaks my shirt & hair. Been happening since 2012 and has gotten worse. Chronic, severe constipation , thin nails( won't grow,split easily & have vertical lines ), knee pain ( cracking & pain ) , back pain, finger swelling, especially after waking in morning, dry & itchy eyes ( sometimes ), sugar cravings, very low libido ( like non existent ) , brain fog, forgetting words mid sentence, horrible concentration, low motivation, etc..
Endocrinologist did blood work. Came back low in iron, vit b12 & vit d. Cortisol at 8 am came back at a 4.7, so she had me do an acth stim test. Baseline 8 am cortisol was a 3.8, acth injected, and cortisol at 30 mins was a 14, at 60 mins was a 18. She doesn't know what's causing this & said cortisol is low but acth stim test showed I'm in normal range ( but on low end of normal). She does more blood work bc symptoms get worse, & I start having mild headaches. Ana panel comes back positive/abnormal. Ana antibodies come back at a 1:80 .I'm referred to a neurologist & rheumatologist, which are booked months out.
Then, a couple weeks later, the mild headaches turn into daily headaches, that are getting very painful, & lasting for hours. Start getting weird pressure in my eyes & behind my eyes. Very dry and irritated eyes. Ears popping. Dizzy episodes where the floor looks like it's moving back & forth & I start feeling like floor is vibrating beneath me. Headache won't go away for 3 days in a row, & eye pressue/pressure around my eyes & even behind bridge of nose is horrible.
I go to er. They do CT scan. Er doctor Says nothing emergency related, but I do see partial empty sella is notated on results. Er doctor refers me to an eye specialist.
Eye specialist dilated my eyes & says everything looks great. Says I might have thyroid eye disease & tells me to come back in 2 weeks for measurements without dilation.
Symptoms get worse. Nonstop headache/pressure in forehead, around / in eyes, dizziness & I'm seeing weird black things in bottom peripheral vision. Almost looks like I'm still looking through my glass frames, even when I take them off, but only the bottom sides/corner of my frames. Like dark areas.
Go to urgent care. Given steroid & toradol shot. Looks in my ears. Sees nothing. Tells me if shots don't help, go back to er.shots helped for maybe 2 hours & then symptoms are back. Also have salty liquid substance drop into my mouth from somewhere & it tasted like salty water.
I go to another er. Blood pressure not extremely high, but high compared to my normally perfect pressure. Er doctor says he's worried I have iih and does a lumbar puncture. Opening pressure is a 21. Drains csf down to a 15. Er doctor calls a neurologist & is told might not be iih bc a 21 is high but very borderline & says not to start me on meds for iih. Told I need to see a neurologist asap . Symptoms DO go away after lp, but day after lp I start having new type of dizziness where I have episodes of feeling like I'm on a spinning ride pushing me to left & nausea.
See new neurologist & she has no idea what's happening. Says doesn't sound like iih bc some symptoms don't match. Wants to do a mri of brain & orders pitutary protocol as well. Spinning feeling is horrid & I beg for a Stat mri & wishes granted. Have stat mri next day.
Havnt spoken to neurologist yet ( it's been about 1 week. ) I read my results on line. Everything looked normal except something about a concave superior margin and minimal foci t2/wave hyperintense periventricular and subcortical white matter.
Please..I need your thoughts. Thank you.

• species: dog
  
• age: 4.5 years
  
• sex/neuter status: spayed female
  
• breed: Thai street dog (Embark lists as Southeast Asian Village Dog)
  
• body weight: 21 kg
  
• (not) Short history:
  

Rescue history: rescued with siblings from street at 3-4 months old; adopted at age 1.5 yrs
Health history: luxating patellas in hind legs, previously graded at 2, not been much of a problem since getting more in shape at age 2 or so (only pop out maybe once or twice a year); has once had pancreatitis (managed to quickly steal bites of rotten rabbit in woods before I pulled the rest out of her mouth), successfully treated with antibiotics; no other chronic health conditions, in good shape (walks 3x/day for a total of 1.5-2 hours, short runs 3-4x/week and some longer weekend walks/hikes, no known allergies
Vaccination and other regular medical care history: vaccinated at regular intervals with all recommended vaccines for our area, plus the ones our vet lists as recommended if contacting other dogs (which we do infrequently directly - she is generally shy and mostly prefers to be alone) and the ones for travelling nearby but south with one other vaccine recommended for that area, plus Lyme yearly; receives check ups, bloodwork, and stool samples at the intervals recommended by the vet
Medications: Nexguard in winter, Nexguard spectra in summer

• Relevant clinical signs: normally sheds for ~2 months in fall, ~2 months of spring, brush with curry comb and/or using fingertips to shake out loose hair (short coat) daily. Sometimes (in the last few seasons) has also had skin flaking for some of her shed. Is this normal or possibly linked to a the shampoo I used (Furminator deSHEDDING ultra premium shampoo) or some other factor. Last bath with the shampoo was two days ago. Have noticed a lot of flaky skin in the last couple days, but don’t think it only started after that bath. Last bath before that was several weeks ago, but I clean her paws and any dirt/mud on her feet or coat after every walk with dog wipes, and she licks her coat clean daily like a cat (and she hates baths) and she is pretty clean all the time. Her skin looks fine under her coat, she does not seem itchy at all or uncomfortable (no increase in scratching or shedding, no other behavioural or physiological changes). I care about my dog and want to make sure that I’m doing right by her - any thoughts about changes I should implement, or if I don’t need to worry?
  
• Length of time you have seen these changes: unsure, definitely within the last week, increasing in last day; have also experienced on past 2 shedding seasons
  
• Links to any test results, vet reports, X-rays etc. that you have: last bloodwork and stool sample (2 months ago) came back normal but **”There were some coccidia cysts in her stool which came from rabbits (most likely). These are not pathogenic to her (or to humans) so treatment is not indicated” (our neighbourhood has hundreds of rabbits and is covered in rabbit droppings, impossible to avoid
  
• general location: southeastern Canada, it is spring here, temperatures are increasing, humidity is high (70+% every day the past two weeks), pollen is in the air, mosquitoes and other bugs coming back
  

I'm writing this in the morning, as my anxiety is currently through the roof.
I(17F) am currently a junior in high school, an upcoming senior. I started wrestling my sophomore year, so I am currently in my 2nd year wrestling. Fyi, my weight class is 114-121lb (It fluctuates, and I can bump up or down). I've been weightlifting for around 3 years.
We're currently off-season, and our coach suddenly announced an open mat today after school.
Every practice or a match, my anxiety is undeniably pretty high, as we don't have a female coach and all of my team mates are male.
I love our coach; he scouted me to wrestling as he saw me train in the school gym, and ever since he's been an amazing mentor and a supporter of mine.
I feel obligated to commit to wrestling next year too (since it's my last year of high school too), but it is undeniable that after every season so far, I always think "I never want to go back to the mat."
The lack of female acquaintances is large, and I kept pushing because I didn't want that to be the reason for me to quit, since I love the sport of wrestling so much. But every wrestling gym I find, every open mat, every practice, I feel that anxiety and isolation.
This may be weird, but It's humiliating that I have bo0bs and I have periods.
Anyways.
I currently feel like a hopeless ball of anxiety and sadness. I wish I was a guy. (I'm not trans. I FEEL female all the time, but on mat, I wish I wasn't.)

Hi guys! We left Punta Cana on Thursday and we just noticed these raised bumps on my skin that are very itchy. Also, my daughter has a lot too. I’ve tried benadryl cream and not really that effective. And looks like they are growing. How do we get rid of these? Thanks!

32, Female, 185lbs, OCD in the form of obsessive skin picking (excoriation disorder), generalized anxiety, major depressive disorder, PMDD, ADHD.
diagnosed with keratosis Pilaris last year. Doc told me to take bleach baths every day for 2 weeks and then once a week after that, she also gave me a weird liquid topical that smelled like rotten eggs mixed with permanent marker and said to put it on affected areas. Literally nothing changed. Tried tretinoin and that made me insanely itchy.
Fast forward a few months and I'm in school and having a lot of stress and picking. I found a spot on my breast next to my areola that looked like an ingrown hair. I picked it. A couple dark hairs came out. But then I noticed a white patch underneath. I've seen them before and just thought nothing of it, but this time I was inclined to pick.
Well when I was picking at it, I noticed there was ZERO pain and I thought that was weird. I picked some more and SO many little hairs came out. Like... more than 50 hairs, all kind of see through. Some where really short hairs but others were like 1 to 2 inches long. but if I had a couple hairs, I'd roll them between my fingers and it would make this small grey/black ball. So I assumed it was little hairs like peach fuzz or velus hair. If I don't pick at these, they sometimes develop into little zit type things, it goes away and they turn back to this grayish brown colour bump in that first picture. These bumps are shiny waxy looking.
I have these bumps all Over my thighs, hips, stomach, and breasts. I do my best not to dig at them and haven't in a long time until last night. When I realized it was one of those bumps, I stopped picking and showed my BF and bestie because I've never been able to show any one before and it makes me feel nuts.
I asked my doctor about these bumps and she didn't know. She sent me to a dermatologist where I got the KP diagnosis but she quickly said "I have no idea what those are" when I told her about the bumps with lots of hair in them, i suggested velus hair cysts as that was the only thing that makes sense to me when I try to research, but she dismissed that in 2 seconds and said if it was, I would have a lot more and in clusters. I feel like i have a ton.. I felt super rushed and dismissed and I should have advocated for myself but I get a little anxious with new doctors, and she looked to be my age if not younger and I found that intimidating.
First 2 Pic is what my bumps look like before picking. Second pick is after removing the ingrown hair and a bit of skin and then I see the white like in the other pics. I also included a video of pulling some hairs out.
I should note that I have successfully removed all the white before, one that I had on my belly. I removed SOOO many hairs. At the end, some of the hairs would give me a little electric jolt, assuming I was pulling hairs wrapped around tiny nerves or something. When I got all the white out. I found some weird greasy little blob things that sort of resembled the bigger yellowish black heads you can sometimes get. I covers half a paper tower with these little blobs, I stopped because I hit something that made me bleed a lot for like a half hour. After I gave in and stopped, I noticed where I got the blob things from, there was now a little empty gap under my skin that I could feel was like hallow under my skin, about the size of a quarter. I assumed I had removed some subcutaneous fat but I'm no doctor.
I should also say that I have also removed all the white without having to go that deep, to reveal fresh pink skin. I have scarring from it but the grey bump is gone in those places. I wondered if I had more of these on my body and started picking at similar spots on my legs. Some had a bunch of white and hairs come out, some just had a little black head thing and a couple dark hair but that was it, no white underneath.
Also yes I know I was picking with fingers and that's a no no and so is picking with tools but I just can't help it. My fingers look dirtier than they are because I had picked for a few minutes at other areas.
I hope someone has some type of insight. Thank you in advance kind reddit peopl,things

Hi there
I currently live in a city in Maine and a couple of months ago, I started having itchy red bumps appear on my body at random places.
I spent two weeks in Paris and the flares stopped, then they started again as soon as I got back in Maine. Same thing after I got back from spending two weeks in Canada and now it seems it has gotten worse, as I started having dyshidris (eczema) on my hands; it's driving me crazy!
I have a very restrictive and strict gluten/dairy/grain free diet that I have maintained in all three countries so it can't be the foods per se. I have eaten the exact same foods.
I have also eliminated deodorant as well as toothpaste as suspects
It seems there is something in my Maine/U.S. environment that triggers this. Could there be something in the water? Detergent? Any Ideas?
Please help!

about a year ago i saw that i was getting bumps on the back of my knee. i had no idea what it was, it would get super itchy and i just ended up spreading it so much more by itching it. after not being able to figure out what it was i went to my doctors and they said it was molluscum i was put on an oral anti biotic to try and help my body fight of the virus but that didn’t work. i later went to the dermatologist and was given 2 options i could use a cream called Tretinoin or cantharone treatment (beetle juice) i first went with the Tretinoin cream because it was less invasive and harsh. after a couple months of using the Tretinoin some of the bumps went away but i was still left with so many and i was very irritated because i wasn’t able to show my legs in public without feeling insecure or grossed out by it. so i went back to the dermatologist and got the Canthrone treatment (beetle juice). they applied a small amount to each bulb and covered them up after 4 hours all my bumps were now blisters and i had to thoroughly wash the beetle juice off (pretty painful for the first day or 2 but definitely a small price to pay for this virus to go away) after the 2nd day my blisters had popped on there own and i was washing the areas with anti bacterial soap twice a day while covering with gauze and bandaids until i saw the white part was no longer visible (the white part is what contains the virus) i stoped covering them to let them dry out and breath and now it’s been 6 days since my treatment and i’m just left with scabs that will heal like normal. stop waisting your time on home remedies and just go to your dermatologist and ask for canthrone (beetle juice) it’s painful for a few days and the blisters are a little scary but it is the only thing that has finally got rid of this virus. DONT ITCH them, use anti bacterial soap, don’t re use your towels after showers, change your sheets often, don’t put on clothes that have been worn already, sweating will make it worse and places like public pools, hot tubs, toilets is where you can most likely catch this virus too. i hope my story is helpful in some way to someone one dealing with this.

Chapter 10
Location: On the Road to the Citadel
POV: Risp
Risp observes her Captain, Esthala, berate Esthala's husband, Silann. She is pissed that they attacked the Caravan. He tries to explain that one of the guards recognized them. She says that it doesn't matter if a dozen old soldiers are on a trail. He says it mattered to the Guard, but they are all taken care of. No survivors except the boy who ran off. She tells her husband to go find the child. He says there is no point, he'll be dead soon enough. No water or food. She tells him he should be easy to find then. Silann says he doesn't want to kill a child. Risp pipes in that she will lead a troop to find him if necessary. She mentions that SIlann's troop took a lot casualties and that they shouldn't have. Silann says the guards were veterans and one was Gripp Galas. He says he fell to a spear in his back and that firing the wagons was a mistake. Risp does not like the spouses bickering and thinks it gets in the way of their mission. She asks if Hish Tulla is in her keep. If so, she will likely investigate the smoke. Esthala says no. Esthala tells her to take 6 of her own troops and find the boy. If they encounter anyone from Tulla keep to escort them to the scene.
Risp longs for the day they will be in the citadel looking nobles in their faces. She thinks her and her sisters will be the personal staff under Osserc once he takes command of the Legion. The presence of Gripp Galas was unfortunate. He was a footman to Anomander before he retired. She asks Esthala what he could have possibly been doing guarding a caravan. Esthala asks Silann if he examined Gripp's body or gear. SIlann shakes his head and says the spear unhorsed him and his corpse rolled in a crevasse. Esthala asks if he went down and checked if he was actually dead. He said there was no need, he was covered in gore and the crevasse was bottomless. Risp asks, who's gore? Stating that he was stabbed in the back. She tells Silann to get her the soldier who stabbed him. She wants to know what type of armor he was wearing. Silann says the leader of the Caravan killed that soldier. Risp demands to see the spear. Esthala grabs it first and examines it. Says it might have been chain armor and if it severed the spine he was dead, if not he was just wounded. Silann yells that he fell down a crevasse. Risp asks, fell down or rolled down? She dispatches six more of her troops.
Location: Tulla Keep
POV: Sukul Ankhadu
Sukul summons Rancept, the keeps castellan, to the top of the High Tower and asks if he knows about the smoke. "Rancept, it was said, was the offspring of a drunken woman and a sadly sober boar". His face shows that he brawled a lot and his nose was broken and pushed back giving it the appearance of a pig's snout. He is rumored to be a 1000 years old, but looks older. Rancept says that Lady Hish told them to stay put. She said there is trouble coming. Sukul says, it's here and that the burning smells like hides. Sukul fears that it's Orfantal's caravan that has been attacked and wants to investigate. If it's bandits they need to know. Rancept says they aren't bandits. Sukul says she knows and insults him. She says she wants 15 houseblades and a fist of tracking dogs. He says she'll get one houseblade and Risp. She complains that he's supposed to protect her and he says he will. The one will be him. She questions his ability by saying he barely made it up the stairs. He says he's fine except for the nose she keeps trying not to look at. She says fine let's get a horse. He says they will be on foot.
Location: On the Road to the Citadel
POV: Orfantal
Orfantal is alone with no blanket or fire. He feels nothing like a hero. He still feels that he betrayed his horse. He wishes the bandits had cut him down instead of his horse dying. He is very cold and tired. He decides he is not afraid of the dark and closes his eyes. The cold begins to fade. He is jolted awake by a footfall on gravel nearby. A voice says, "there you are". Orfantal tries to run and falls over. The voice says, "Easy! It's me, old Gripp." Gripp touches his shoulder and feels that he is chilled to the bone. He says he has a camp close. Gripp says he wouldn't have lasted the night and what he did with his horse was a smart move because they would not follow him. He picks Orfantal up and takes him to his camp. Gripp has a wrenched knee and a wounded back, so it takes longer to bring him to camp. Gripp sets him down and puts a blanket over him, then proceeds to rub his skin hard. Orfantal pushes him and curls up in the blanket. Gripp says he can't sleep now. He has to wait until he's warm. Orfantal asks if they fought them off. Gripp replies no. Orfantal says heroes always get stabbed in the back. Gripp says not just heroes, then asks if Orfantal can sew. Orfantal says he's seen the maids doing it. Gripp says he needs some sewing in the morning. He also says he may not wake up and if he doesn't to follow the road East, but to stay off of it.
Gripp says they will be hunted. He tells him to take his story to Anomander. Orfantal asks if he killed anyone. Gripp says two on accident. Orfantal doesn't understand and Gripp says it's better to wound. If they have to take care of wounded they won't be as able to track them. Gripp tells him that Haral did well and bought Orfantal some time. Gripp says it took him a long time to get out of the crevasse. He saw what they did to Haral's body. Gripp says he has burned every face into his brain.
Location: Tulla Keep
POV: Sukul Ankhadu
At the gate of the keep Sukul says that Ribs is all bones. Rancept says he has a tapeworm and that skinny dogs live longer. Ribs is 12 and cross-eyed. Rancept took the sword and spear she brought leaving her only a dagger. They open the gate and Ribs goes out scouting ahead. Sukul is skeptical of his ability. Rancept says Ribs knows what we're about. Sukul asks, How? Rancept shrugs and says he goes on occasion with the dog. He goes to speak with the Deniers in the hills. Lady Hish wants no misunderstandings with them. Sukul says they are bandits, Rancept responds that it's a hard life and to think of it as a road tax. She says it's extortion. Rancept replies, "It's only extortion when someone else is doing it". Ribs is waiting in a clearing and as soon they get there, he takes off on a side trail. Rancept says we aren't taking the main path. He also says that Lady Hish has an arrangement with the Deniers. They keep a watch on the paths not patrolled by the Tulla tax collectors. He tells her they can't talk anymore as night carries voices. Sukul complains. Rancept says they can turn around. He tells her to look at Ribs who is sitting ahead. He says Ribs is telling them that there are strangers in the hills. She follows him quietly but is upset that there isn't more grandeur in this outing.
She was sure that Orfantal was lying dead somewhere ahead. Killed only to keep him silent. Lady Hish had hinted at trouble coming and she knew there were lawless people like her sisters. Her imagination of this night is not matching up with reality and she is tired and wants to stop. Daydreaming she bumps into Rancept. Before she can fall he grabs her and pulls her close. He tells her there are riders ahead and to ask no questions. She starts to speak, but he puts his hand over her mouth and says that they wait for Ribs.
Location: Outside Tulla Keep
POV: Risp
Risp and her 12 soldier party are using hidden trails made by the bandit Deniers. Now that the Hust Forge was paying well for minerals, most Deniers had given up banditry. Mining was more lucrative. She wonders why the Hust are making more weapons. She knew civil war was coming. Hunn Raal says it will be short. They will kill all that oppose them and then Urusander will marry Mother Dark. She covets command of the Wardens once they are folded into the Legion. She thinks Calat Hustain is only commanding them because he is noble and that he is mismanaging them. They come upon an abandoned denier settlement. One of her soldiers says the hills don't feel as empty as they should, and suggest 4 scouts. Risp agrees. They come to the sight of the fired wagons. The sergeant with the feeling points out the crevasse that Gripp went into and he tells her he thinks Gripp rolled. Risp says she will climb down with lanterns to check for Gripp's body.
Location: Outside Tulla Keep
POV: Sukul Ankhadu
Ribs comes back to them and indicates that the Riders are coming from the North and that they aren't bandits. Sukul asks if he knows that from the wagging tail. Rancept says, "That and the drooping left ear." They come to an abandoned village. Sukul asks if this is how Deniers live. Rancept says they used these huts, but that the huts have been here for 5000 years at least. He says about a dozen horses went through here going towards the ambush and that they can take a different trail to go opposite of it. Rancept goes to one of the huts and says there is a passageway. Ribs is a bit scared. Roots have grown across the portal and Sukul wonders how there are roots if there are no trees. Rancept says there is a tree just not in the way you are thinking. Sukul notices that she can see all the details of this place, but that there is no light source. That bothers her. As she gets further in the tunnel, she can't see anything. She comes to an opening and Rancept tells her to stop looking with her eyes. She doesn't know what he means. Rancept says, "This is Dog-Runner magic." She says it's impossible as Dog-Runners aren't this far east. Rancept responds by saying these weren't always Tiste lands. Sukul says Tiste were always here, but that it's not Rancept's fault that he doesn't know that. It's his lack of education. Rancept says, "Dog-Runner magic is all about fire, and earth. Dog-Runner magic fears the sky. Fire and earth, and tree and root. They’re gone from here because the forests are gone."
He says that Deniers have some Dog-Runner blood in them and that they are in a Dog-Runner temple and if she opens her sense she will see that. She asks why Ribs is so scared. Rancept says he has memories of the Ay. He takes her hand and says there is a Dog-Runner witch down here with them. Sukul is alarmed. He says the witch won't bother them, she might be dead, but he thinks she's just asleep. She gives up and asks him to tell her how to see. He says close your eyes. He tells her to picture the cavern and says there are hundreds of large wolf skulls. These are the Ay and they are the reason for the Dog-Runner name. She asks him to describe the witch. He says he thinks she was very powerful. There are offerings to her in the form of jewels and animal teeth. Much of her body has transformed into roots and branches. Her skin is like bark. All the roots they have encountered have come from her. She gasps and says, you cut through them. Rancept says in his ignorance he wounded her. He is very sad about it.
He says the Dog-Runners have heavy facial features, but laugh and cry with ease. They do not understand lying and, "To speak with a Dog-Runner, milady, is to be humbled and to feel blessed". Some Tiste didn't like that. She asks if he believes that she sleeps. He says he believes yes that she is the one. She questions the one. He says Dog-Runners believe that their greatest witch, the dreamer, stayed behind when they left to keep emptiness from the world. Sukul wonders if that is in opposition to Mother Dark. Rancept says that is beyond him. Sukul asks if Rancept is a Denier. He says he doesn't stand against Mother Dark. That's not really an answer, but she knows she shouldn't have asked anyway and apologizes. Rancept asks if she can see what he described. She says yes and, "We stand inside the cavern, like errant thoughts inside a skull." He grabs her hand and says those were not her own words. Sukul says they are in the witch's dream and she is trying to make sense of us. There is danger in this and Rancept says they must leave. She pulls her hand away as she can now see with her eyes closed. She asks if the witch has a name. Rancept says, "she is named Burn. She dreams so that we may live. All of us: Tiste, Dog-Runner, Jaghut, Thel Akai, even the Forulkan. She dreams, to give us our freedom." She asks if he had brought her anything. He says he would have to be a Denier to do that. She reaches for her bag. He tells her to be careful. She takes out a stone from the Dorssan Ryl. For her brother lost in the wars. He says this gesture must not be careless. She may bind Mother Dark to the Sleeping Goddess. He says if she has faith in Mother Dark it will bind them and also the Deniers will be bound to the Tiste.
She asks him why he brought her here. She wants the Truth. He says the Truth is that Tiste schooling is rubbish. She laughs at this. Rancept tells her to put the stone away. He says that burn is a Dog-Runner still and what greater gift could you give her than laughter. She has blessed Sukul. Rancept says she has healed the Sleeping Goddess with her laughter. Rancept is grateful. He says the roots no longer bleed. He takes her hand. They both know she no longer needs guidance, but they are friends now. Sukul says the Deniers need to know of that temple. Rancept says there's no need and that he admits he is a Denier, but doesn't like that word. He says that sharing her dreams he saw a river and that she dreams of it.
Location: Outside Tulla Keep
POV: Risp
Risp is climbing down the crevasse. She knew in her gut that Gripp's corpse wasn't down here. She finds his trail and follows it out. She sees that he is bleeding and has a bad knee. Risp's sergeant tells her he went after the boy from here and says they found a chest in the wagons with the Korlas crest. He says the child was likely a hostage on the way to the Citadel. That is the reason Gripp was here. The boy was to be Anomander's hostage. This is very troubling to Risp. Her sergeant now explains the loyalty and pride of house Korlas and she wonders about his loyalty. He says they have to find Gripp and the boy and make it right. Meaning they need to hang Silann. The boy being a hostage complicates the matter and her soldiers have a healthy fear of Anomander. Risp says she must tell Esthala about this change in plans and that Esthala will have to kill her husband, because he couldn't be trusted to keep his mouth shut. She thinks she'll have to kill this sergeant too.
Location: Outside Tulla Keep
POV: Sukul Ankhadu
Rancept tells Sukul that 3 riders had been dispatched from the party of Legion riders. He says they weren't part of the killing, but they are all Legion and they don't want to be seen. Ribs is curled up warming Sukul's toes and she now has fondness for the dog. Rancept says they will go to the scene and maybe Ribs can tell them something. Sukul says he's just a dog. Rancept responds, "Milady, he’s my dog." Sukul asks if he is a priest of the Deniers. He says there aren't any and Dog-Runners have witches and warlocks called Bonecasters. She asks if they throw bones. He says it's more like transforming bone to wood or bone to stone. He says they gave the Jheleck the gift of Soletaken. Sukul says she hopes that Lady Hish values him. If she doesn't she will steal him and ribs away. He says that's nice, but he will serve Hish until he dies. Something tells her of a deeper love than just a Castellan to his lady. Sukul asks if Ribs is just a dog. Not a Soletaken. Rancept says just a dog. If he was a Soletaken at some point, he forgot and is now just a dog.
Rancept surveys the scene and is more sure that it isn't bandits. Sukul says, "I will never be one for war" Rancept tells Sukul that the dead are just sacks of organs. Once they die, what makes them more is gone. It's best to think this way when confronted with slaughter. Sukul doesn't like this because if you can see animals and people as just sacks then it is much easier to tear them open. She asks Rancept if there is a smaller grave. He says the boy got away at least initially. She says she thinks they need to see if Orfantal is still alive. Rancept is surprised that a hostage would only have these caravan guards. Sukul says there may have been a reason for it. She asks if his nose can be healed. He says the best way is to break it again and he's tried it 6 times.
He goes to the cairns and counts them remembering that Sukul asked him to prepare food for seven people. He says someone else got away. He says ribs can track him, but they aren't equipped for more nights. He suggests that ribs goes on and they return. Sukul says he's just a dog. She says we should not take the road back to the hold. She doesn't want to meet the rider sent there by Risp. She asks if there are any more secret temples. He responds, "Nothing we’d call such, milady."
Location: Outside Tulla Keep
POV: Corporal Renth
Corporal Renth had been given orders from Hunn Raal that no violence was to take place. All plans were on hold. Renth didn't like Raal's plans and had thought about defecting to Anomander's houseblades. He didn't because of his loyalty to Urusander. Renth wasn't bothered by the slaughter or Deniers. They weren't Tiste to him and they worshipped old gods. The highborn were different. They were Tiste. His first group to relay orders to was Esthala. On the way he sees a muddy boy in the middle of his path. Renth asks him if he wants to get run down and tells him to move. The boy says, "I am named Orfantal,’ said the boy, ‘of the House Korlas, and I claim the right of protection.' Renth doubts this and sees a glitter in Orfantal's eyes before he feels a stabbing through his chain. Gripp pulls him off the horse and twists the knife as he pulls it out. He says, for Haral. Renth is confused, but dies.
Location: Outside Tulla Keep
POV: Orfantal
Orfantal is horrified when he sees Gripp spit into the dead man's face. They had seen the rider coming and needing a horse Gripp told him the plan. Orfantal thought they would steal the horse and then pay the man back eventually. Gripp grabs the horses reins and tells Orfantal they would ride to Kharkanas. After seeing the look on Orfantal's face. Gripp gruffly tells him that we are in a civil war now and that is the enemy. Gripp wants them to know it was him who killed Renth and that he was coming for them. He takes out a knife and cuts off the head, then carves his initials into it and tosses it in the middle of the road. Orfantal thinks, "All the heroes are dead. I am lost. We are all lost."

Chapter 1

Alyssa awoke with saltwater in her mouth and nose. She hacked and sputtered, only to realize she was sinking deeper into a pitch dark pool. She closed her eyes against the water's sting, and as her panic rose she flailed with arms and legs. She was desperate to regain bouyancy, even as she choked out the brine from her burning lungs. Determined, she broke to the surface again, gulping in air between ragged coughs as she fought to stay afloat.
Treading water, she opened her eyes and nothing changed. The darkness in the echoing chamber was complete, and she had to fight down another surge of panic as she took in the precariousness of her situation. The cold water sapped her strength, and her heart raced as a sudden scream of terror welled up from within.
Alyssa winced as her own scream echoed in her ears. She choked out the last of the salty water, then took a deep breath, trying to force herself to calm. "Okay, okay," she soothed herself, voice trembling slightly despite her efforts, "we're okay."
After another steadying breath, Alyssa began building a mental catalog of her situation. Her clothes were soaked through, but she wasn't finding treading water to be too difficult, yet; a future problem. Other than her lungs, nothing hurt, and those were recovering. She could still feel her toes and fingers on both hands, meaning no paralysis, that she could find. Nothing seemed to be seriously wrong, except that she had no idea how she'd come to be in a pitch dark echoing chamber filled with water.
Calmer, now, Alyssa tried to recall what she had been doing. The last thing she remembered was walking along the shoreline, feeling immensely lonely. The sound of the waves coming in, closer and closer, was still vivid in her mind. She could still remember the coarse feeling of the sand between her toes. The saltwater air had filled her lungs as she wondered how she could be in such a beautiful place, and still feel so sorry for herself. With a bitter laugh, Alyssa lolled her head back in the water and stared into the endless void. Well she certainly had reason to feel sorry for herself, now. Still, the memory of how she came to be here was distressingly absent.
Drip … Drip … Drop.
As her adrenaline faded, Alyssa could hear the slow, steady fall of water into the pool. Was the water level rising? She couldn't tell without knowing more about the chamber she was in. Determined to push back against her growing despair, Alyssa decided to explore her environment more thoroughly. A shiver coursed through her spine as she felt out to either side as far as her arms would go and couldn't find a wall, nor did she find purchase beneath her feet. After a moment of hesitation, Alyssa expanded her search. She swam forward, keeping her hands ahead of herself.
She didn't have to go far before she bumped into an uneven stone surface. Alyssa wasn't sure in the dark, but judging by the smoothness of the rock she guessed it was some kind of river stone. She followed the stone wall around for a ways before deciding it was curved inward. Pushing off, Alyssa turned and reached for the other side, then followed along the wall and repeated the crossing a few more times. She decided that the cavern was roughly circular, perhaps half again as wide as her armspan at its widest stretch, though without light she couldn't be certain she had ever crossed it straight. She considered her options as she clung to the side of the chamber.
Drip … Drip … Drop.
The steady sound was maddening in its repetition, and Alyssa let out a huff of annoyance. Thinking on it, though, she was sure the water had been steadily falling into the chamber the entire time she was here, and she didn't think the water level had risen. Not that she had any way to really know for certain, but if she was right, it implied there was some way for the water to get back out. Could she get out the same way? Taking a deep breath, Alyssa ducked beneath the surface and swam down. Her kicks were hindered by her sodden skirt, but following along the cavern wall as she descended, Alyssa felt the cavern floor after a depth of maybe twice her height. Ten feet wasn't even as deep as most home swimming pools.
Alyssa gulped down air as she returned to the surface, thinking hard about what she'd found. Another shiver coursed through her veins just before she dove down to explore the bottom further. Like the walls, it was uneven but smooth. She could feel some small cracks, and feel the water rushing past her fingers near one or two of these. That, then, was where the water was escaping to. Frustrated, she resurfaced one more and banged her fist against the stone wall. "Damnit." She knew she wouldn't be swimming her way out of here.
For the third time, Alyssa shivered, and she realised that she was starting to lose feeling in her toes. The water temperature wasn't frigid, but she could feel it sapping her strength. Was it ninety-six degrees for hypothermia? Ninety-five? She couldn't recall, but it wasn't important, without a thermometer. She was going to die, here, if she didn't find a way out, and soon.
Drip … Drip … Drop.
Straining, she tried to focus on the sounds around her once more. The incessant dripping of the cave was her only remaining hope of finding a way out, and she had no idea how to reach the ceiling. Alyssa squeezed her toes in an attempt to restore some feeling, while she thought about the problem. After a moment, she began exploring the cavern walls again, this time searching for something to stand on rather than just learning about her environment. After a few turns about the chamber, she found a small shelf just a few feet beneath the surface, large enough for her to put a single foot on.
She pushed herself up, trying to go slowly as she felt along the wall for anything to grip onto. She couldn't find purchase before her momentum carried her too far from the wall, but she did feel roughly how high the ceiling was just before she splashed back into the pool. "Yes!" she celebrated the small victory as she surfaced, fueling her hopes of an escape with that realization that she could probably wedge herself between the ceiling and the shelf if she was purposeful about it.
Returning to the wall, she tamped down on the urge to shiver again, then surged straight up, putting her hands above her to try and catch the ceiling. Water cascaded around her in a torrent, her water-logged clothing threatening to drag her back to the depths, but she held on until she was steady. Alyssa allowed herself a small smile for her success, though some part of her thought it felt more like a grimace, before she began feeling along the cavern ceiling with her hands. Like the rest of the chamber, the stone was smooth and uneven, but it had sharper protrusions here and there that might serve as handholds. Alyssa was reminded of the wall climb at the local mall. She'd never been great at it, despite her friends dragging her to try it every other weekend during high school.
As she continued exploring the ceiling, another involuntary shiver wracked her body, and she set her teeth against the growing chill. "I'm going to get out," she promised herself, just as her hand found open air where she'd expected stone. She nearly fell, but she caught herself and explored the edges of the hole. She couldn't even reach the entire thing from her perch! The ledge was rugged and sharp, and just barely far enough from the wall that she had to strain to reach it. She explored as far around the hole as she could, certain it was large enough for her to fit through. Excited, Alyssa grabbed onto the ledge with both hands and tried to pull herself up, but her grip wasn't solid enough. She immediately slipped back into the water with another splash.
Alyssa surfaced with a growl, feeling a surge of determination and stubbornness. Reclaiming her perch on the shelf, she pushed up to the roof of the chamber once more. This time she knew her target, so rather than wasting time and grip with exploration, she just focused on steadying herself, there. After a few breaths, she reached up to grab the ledge again, trying to find solid hand-holds.
As she swung out from the wall, her sodden skirt trailed through the water, weighing her down. She held on for longer this time, uttering a harsh noise as she strained to pull herself up. She managed to get her chin to her fingers before her grip failed her again, and the feeling of freefall sent her heart thrilling before she splashed into the cool water once more.
When she surfaced, Alyssa let out a frustrated growl. "I had it!" she admonished herself, before finding the ledge once more. A third time, her efforts were fouled and she fell into the water. In frustration, she peeled her skirt off her legs and abandoned it to the murky brine. With the drag gone, she had an easier time holding onto the ledge, and on her fourth attempt she nearly managed to pull herself all the way up before her arms gave out and she slipped back into the water with yet another scream of frustration.
She knew she was close, but she obviously wasn't going to make progress while her muscles were burning with fatigue. Floating on her back, Alyssa glared up into the darkness as her emotions swirled around her, threatening to drag her into despair. Hope and frustration warred within her, each trying to gain the upper hand. She clung onto the determination that she had almost made it, but as she dwelled on the problem above her, doubts began to surface. What if she couldn’t pull herself out? What if there wasn’t a way out above?
Anger surged through her at that thought, hot and fierce. She refused to accept that fate. Closing her eyes, she focused on the anger and used it as fuel for her resolve. She just needed a moment to catch her breath, relax her muscles, and try again. She was going to get out.
When she swung out for the fifth time, Alyssa’s fingers gripped tightly to the rock above. She pulled herself up into the black with a roar of determination and frustration. She got her chest over the lip, then reached one arm forward hastily in search of a better hold. She found purchase, then pulled a leg up and got one foot on the ledge. With a scream of exultation, she pushed herself the rest of the way out of the chamber and into the tunnels above.
With a feral noise of triumph, Alyssa slid onto the cool, damp stone of the tunnel, then rolled onto her back and lay gasping for air. Her muscles were twitching, and she was still cold, but she was no longer in the water, and that was a massive improvement, even if the dark and damp of the unknown was around her.
Alyssa wasn’t sure how long she lay there on the stone, but as her panting and muscle spasms gave way to shivering and goosebumps, she admitted to herself, “I have to move.” But it was hard to keep going; her body felt heavy and drained from the exertion of just climbing out of the chamber below, and she wasn’t even sure where to go next. With a groan, she pushed herself up to a sitting position, fighting the exhaustion and mounting sense of dread that threatened to claim her.
Carefully, she crawled forward on hands and knees, every movement an effort. She could feel the edge of the hole she’d just emerged from, but that was obviously a deadend. Instead, she pressed on, hunting for an alternative. The rough stone scraped against her palms and knees as she inched along, her progress painfully slow.
The cavern descended, and Alyssa's heart sank when her hand plunged into another pool of water. She pulled back, relieved that the bank was shallow enough she could easily get back out of this pool. Nevertheless, she paused to consider her options, then turned to explore in the opposite direction. After several minutes of fruitless searching, she realized that the water-filled passage was her only way forward.
Alyssa let out a heavy sigh of frustration as she lowered herself into the tepid water. She gritted her teeth as the cold crept back into her bones, but willed herself to keep moving. The tunnel continued its descent, and soon the ceiling plunged into the pool, forcing her to submerge if she wanted to continue. Alyssa hesitated, barely holding back her desperate tears. Swimming blindly through the flooded passage seemed like madness, but what choice did she have?
Taking a deep, gasping breath, Alyssa plunged beneath the surface and swam forward with powerful kicks of her legs. She kept one hand on the stone above and the other stretched out in front of her, searching for obstacles. As her lungs began to burn with the need for oxygen, panic threatened to overwhelm her. What if the tunnel never resurfaced? If she went much further, she was certain she would not be able to make it back. Still, she had no alternatives; no other way to proceed. So she swam forward into the unknown, gambling her life on an exit while desperately ignoring the growing panic in the back of her mind.
A subtle glow in the murky water caught Alyssa’s attention, and the tunnel veered sharply upward. Desperate for air, she kicked towards the light, discarding caution as she propelled herself forward and up with both arms and legs. Hope surged through her as she swam towards the surface.
When she emerged from the water, gasping and sputtering for air, Alyssa let out a cry of relief. Mushrooms! Glowing mushrooms filled the room, their glow dim but omnipresent. She marveled, letting out a delighted laugh at the sight of the water’s reflection erupting into a cascade of colors on the cavern ceiling. Alyssa took a deep breath, and although the air was musty and stale, it had a sharpness and movement to it that the previous chamber hadn’t. Where there were mushrooms there was life, and where there was wind there was an exit. For the first time in hours, Alyssa smiled, as she pulled herself out of the pool onto the bank.

Chapter 2

For the second time in several hours, Alyssa lay on the ground catching her breath and allowing her muscles to relax. The swim through the watery airlock–she couldn’t think of any other way to describe that tunnel–had been far more mentally taxing than the physical exertion of pulling herself up out of the first chamber. Nevertheless, it required a great deal of effort and she was exhausted.
As she lay on her back, Alyssa tried again to remember how she got here. She remembered vividly her walk on the beach, and then … water. There was nothing in between. She wasn't even sure how much time had passed, but judging by the way her stomach was starting to groan in protest, and by the fullness of her bladder, she was fairly sure it had been several hours. On the other hand, she could account for at least two of those since she found herself in the chamber, unless her estimate of time was very off.
Her deliberations were cut short by a small squeaking noise, not far away. Alyssa eased herself up and turned towards the noise. There in the field of mushrooms was a small white and brown mouse, cast in an eerie glow by the mushroom's bioluminescence. Alyssa watched in awe as the mouse nibbled on the mushrooms, waiting to see what would happen. She didn't know enough about mushrooms to judge their safety for herself, but if the mouse could eat them, she figured they were probably safe for her to try, as well. After all, weren't mice used for drug testing all the time?
The mouse seemed oblivious to Alyssa’s presence, and she held her breath as best she could while she counted the seconds, trying to decide how long she should wait before trusting the results. Hours, probably, if she was honest with herself. Just when she was about to give up on the idea, a sudden movement caught her eye. Beyond the mouse, swift as could be, a slithering figure stole towards the unsuspecting rodent. “No!” she called, and her hand found a rock. Hastily, she threw it towards the onrushing creature. The rock went wide, but the serpent’s stealth was spoiled, and the mouse quickly darted away from its assailant, deeper into the mushrooms.
The snake let out a hiss of annoyance, and Alyssa was briefly overwhelmed by a sudden feeling of immense displeasure. She wasn’t surprised the snake was annoyed, but the sheer vehemence she felt was almost as if sensing her own emotions. Its lunch foiled, the serpent turned and slithered away, leaving Alyssa and the mouse alone in the chamber once again.
Alyssa waited, still and quiet, as the chamber settled back into silence. She wondered whether the little mouse had escaped the field of mushrooms entirely, or if it was still here. But something told her to wait; a sense of hesitance and uncertainty that felt sourceless and yet compelling.
Eventually, her patience paid off, and the little mouse poked its head back out of the mushrooms, staring after the snake. It emitted a soft, hesitant noise, then furtively darted out of the field into the open. There, it paused to stare up at Alyssa, studying her with a raw curiosity that nearly overwhelmed Alyssa as much as the snake’s displeasure had. She also sensed gratitude from the little mouse, though how she knew that’s what it was feeling she could not say.
“Are you hurt?” she hazarded, as she leaned in towards the mouse. The little creature took a quick step back, and the curiosity was immediately replaced by uncertainty.
Alyssa straightened up to give the mouse space. The feeling of uncertainty slowly faded, and she tilted her head in curiosity. “Why can I sense what you're feeling?” she asked the mouse, though of course she knew it would not reply.
The mouse watched her for several more moments before taking a single daring step forward. Alyssa sat very still, and after another moment it took a few more steps towards her. Soon, it was near to her knee, its little nose twitching incessantly as it sniffed at her dampened skin.
“I’m afraid I don’t have any food on me,” Alyssa said, still not moving but to talk. The mouse sat back and stood up on its hind legs to peer up at her. Alyssa could sense its curiosity turn to acceptance, and then, before she could protest, the little mouse leapt up onto her leg. She gasped in startlement, surprised at the feel of its soft fur and the tickle of its little claws brushing against her bare skin.
When it reached her hip, the mouse scurried under her tee shirt, and Alyssa made a choking noise of displeasure as it crawled, with quick movements, up her back and out of the tattered collar. When it came to rest on her shoulder, Alyssa held her breath, not daring to move. She watched the mouse out of the side of her eye, and a sense of appreciation flooded into her perception. Slowly, she turned her head to see the mouse staring at her. With a twitch of its whiskers, the little creature poked its nose against her cheek, cool and damp, before turning to look at the mushrooms.
“You think they will be safe for me?” she asked quietly, as she turned to follow the mouse’s gaze. “But raw mushrooms …” she complained, with some disdain. The mouse touched its nose to her cheek once more, and Alyssa sensed insistence. With a sigh, she mumbled, “Why am I trusting a mouse?” before ever so slowly–so as not to dislodge her guest–she leaned forward to collect a handful of the morsels.
Alyssa straightened and studied her collection of mushrooms thoughtfully. Arranging them by size, she selected the smallest and glanced at the mouse out of the corner of her eye once more. "You're sure about this?" she asked, her voice echoing in the damp cavern. The mouse couldn't speak, of course, but Alyssa felt a strong sense of certainty from her tiny companion. Or maybe that was just the discomfort of hypothermia, exhaustion and her painfully full bladder talking.
Hesitantly, Alyssa popped the smallest mushroom into her mouth. It had a surprisingly rich, earthy flavor, reminiscent of the forest after a rainstorm. As she chewed, the spongy texture yielded, releasing a burst of liquid that filled her mouth with a strange, electric tingle. The sensation was not unpleasant, but definitely unfamiliar. She swallowed, marveling at how easily it went down despite her reservations.
Emboldened by the lack of immediate ill effects, Alyssa quickly consumed the other mushrooms. With each one, the tingling sensation spread, until her whole body hummed with a kind of vibrant, restless energy.
Cupping her hands together, Alyssa scooped up some of the cool water and drank deeply. The liquid soothed her throat, but did nothing to quell the building sense of excitement and unease. She leaned back against the rock, trying to steady herself as the mushrooms’ effects took hold.
It wasn't hallucinations, but a profound shift in Alyssa's perception. The cave seemed to come alive around her; the rocks and water pulsed with a subtle, resonant energy. She felt a surge of confidence and clarity, as if a veil had been lifted from her eyes. With trembling hands, she tore a strip from the bottom of her t-shirt and fashioned it into a makeshift pouch. She wasn't sure what lay ahead, but having a source of food could prove useful. She filled the pouch to the brim with the glowing caps, marveling at their strangeness, before tying it securely to her hip.
"Okay," Alyssa whispered, her voice sounding strangely amplified to her own ears. "I guess we follow the snake." The thought of the serpent sent a ripple of fear through her companion, but she reassured him, "Don't worry, I won't let it get you." The little mouse was still afraid, but it seemed to understand her meaning, and nestled up against her neck, soft fur gentle on her skin.
With a deep breath, Alyssa rolled to her knees and stood, her legs trembling slightly. The mouse clung to her, its small heartbeat echoing her own. Alyssa could feel its mix of curiosity and trepidation, mirroring her own complex emotions. "Come on," she muttered, "let's go." She started forward into the gloom, following the serpent's path and the promise of fresh air. Using the glowing bundle on her hip as a makeshift light, Alyssa navigated the narrow tunnels with confidence. Her bare feet found easy purchase on the cool, damp stone. She progressed at a much more comfortable pace than the slow, exploratory crawl she'd been limited to in the submerged chamber. As she followed the winding tunnel, it sloped gradually upwards, and a light fog crept in, curling around her ankles. Alyssa's heart quickened. She dared to believe she was nearing open air, and a potential end to this nightmare.
Yet even as hope blossomed in her chest, each step brought a growing unease from the small, furry companion on Alyssa's shoulder. The mouse huddled closer to her neck, its nose twitching incessantly. As they rounded a corner, a new scent filled Alyssa's nostrils: earthy mud and a hint of ozone, in stark contrast to the mineral-rich dampness of the caverns. The tunnel widened sharply ahead, seeming to fall away into a murky expanse. Through the haze, the silhouette of a massive tree trunk promised an escape from what she had almost believed might be her tomb.
"We made it," Alyssa breathed, a swell of triumph surging through her. The mushrooms' influence still thrummed in her veins, confidence mingling with her own burgeoning anticipation. She quickened her pace, emerging from the cave mouth into the cool, damp air. Alyssa paused there, one hand on the stone wall, as she breathed in the scent of her freedom.
A twilit forest stretched out before her, dotted with towering trees that reached for an unfamiliar sky. Alyssa tilted her head back, marveling at the stars glimmering above. Their patterns were strange, yet mesmerizing; their strangeness only matched by the comfort they brought her. Alyssa knew the constellations were wrong; that they matched nothing she'd ever seen before, but right now all that mattered was the comfort in knowing that she would not die in that cave.
A squeak of pure terror from the mouse jolted Alyssa from her reverie. The force of her companion's fear nearly knocked the wind from her. Alyssa swiftly sought the source of the mouse's fear. There, beside the nearest tree, stood a tall, gaunt figure, a serpent slithering up its leg. The figure's cold blue eyes glared at Alyssa with a chilling intensity.
As the snake continued its ascent, the figure lifted a hand, guiding the snake to wrap about its too-long neck. Subtle, thorny protrusions emerged from the figure's chin, and the snake rubbed itself against them, hissing as it impressed its displeasure upon the figure, no doubt casting Alyssa as the villain in its tale.
"H-hello," Alyssa stammered, suddenly acutely aware of her vulnerability. She took a guarded step back and brought her hands up defensively. The figure's presence was oppressive, suffocating. Even in her desperation, Alyssa knew she wanted no part of any help they might offer. Still, she needed time to think. She had to find a way past them without provoking their ire, and an attempt at being polite was all she could come up with in the moment.
The figure spoke, its voice a grating rattle. "You have violated the ancient agreement, and trespassed beyond the barrier." Alyssa was sure she didn't know what any of that meant, but before she could say so, the figure continued, "There are consequences for your meddling, child, and I am come to deliver them."

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Mike tossed and turned in his bed. He mumbled in his sleep. He was trapped in a memory.
Mike's feet pounded the concrete, and wind rushed in his ears. He was sprinting through a railyard in Philadelphia, away from the scene of his first kill. He was halfway to HQ when he met a squad. They have to be investigating the shots. “HALT! STOP RUNNING GODDAMNIT!” Mike stopped a few feet in front of the squad of soldiers; their weapons were pointed at him.
Mike was struggling to breathe.
The point man asked, “Identify yourself.”
Mike answered, pausing between breaths. “2^nd Lieutenant Mike Anderson. C company. 2^nd platoon.” He patted his pistol as he inhaled. “I shot to warn. We’ve been infiltrated. They are bulletproof. I killed one. Its body is 500 meters.” He pointed behind him, “that way.” He turned around, “Call in the contact.”
One of the men began to reach for his radio before the point man interjected. “Hold on that.”
Fucking dickhead.
Mike angrily said, “That was a fucking order.”
The point man, a sergeant, was unfazed. He asked, “How did you kill one if they’re bulletproof?”
Mike answered, “I stabbed it.”
The sergeant frowned and paused for a moment. “Take us to the body.”
This motherfucker...
“Look at me with your flashlight.” The sergeant started to open his mouth; Mike cut him off furiously. “DO IT GODDAMNIT!”
The sergeant acquiesced. He turned on his weapon light and flipped up his NODs. As soon as he saw Mike in color, his eyes widened, and he slowly bleated out, “Jesus H Christ.”
Mike growled, “Give me a fucking radio.”
If you want something done, you gotta do it yourself.
Without any more hesitation, a private unplugged his headset and tossed his radio over. Mike started to jog at an easy pace. He looked behind him and shouted, “With me!”
The men looked at the sergeant, who stood for a moment and then started scrambling after him. Mike was headed for the motor pool. He started calling on the radio.
Alarm first…
“All stations, this is Charlie-2-6. Flash message. Hostile infantry have infiltrated the AO. I repeat, hostile infantry have infiltrated the AO. Be advised, hostile infantry are hard targets; they are bulletproof but can be stabbed. I repeat, hostile infantry are hard targets; they are bulletproof but can be stabbed. Out.”
Now the contact…
He got on battalion HQ’s frequency.
“Warchief 6, this is Charlie-2-6. Contact, one hostile infiltrator. In the storage lot, aisle three, row forty-niner. About six mikes ago. The hostile had full coverage armor that was resistant to rifle fire, but I was able to stab through it. Intel should send someone to pick up the corpse. Over.”
The radio cackled back to life. “Charlie 2-6, this is Warchief 6. SITREP. Over.”
“Warchief 6, This is Charlie-2-6. Wait, over.”
Mike turned to the sergeant, “Unit?”
The sergeant answered, “Squad 4, 1^st platoon, Bravo company.”
Mike brought the radio back up to his face and said, “Warchief 6, this is Charlie-2-6. I grabbed Bravo-1-4 and am Oscar Mike to the ASP to get AT weapons for Charlie. Relay to Charlie-2-7 for SITREP on Charlie 2. More to follow, over.”
Mike had a plan hatching in his head.
Mike turned to the squad he’d requisitioned and asked, “How many of you can drive stick?”
Three men piped up.
Mike was relieved; he couldn’t drive a manual, and his plan wouldn’t have worked for the whole battalion with only JLTVs.
“Warchief 6, this is Charlie-2-6. Request permission to make a new ASP and start AT resupply for the whole AO. Over.”
Before he got his answer Mike shouted, “DOWN!” as he heard a scraping hiss. He dove into prone and heard grunts as the rest of the squad did the same. Just moments later, Mike was deafened by ear-shattering booms. The ground shook as the railyard was rocked with explosions.
Mike cringed as his ears rang and small debris rained down on top of him. The barrage lasted thirty seconds. After it stopped he quickly asked, “Anyone hit?”
The sergeant looked around and answered, “No. We're good.”
Mike sighed in relief and keyed his radio. “Warchief 6, this is Charlie 2-6, acknowledge. Over”
He waited for a minute.
Shit… Not this…
“Warchief 6, this is Charlie 2-6, acknowledge. Over.”
He was met with no response.
“Charlie 6, this is 2-6, acknowledge. Over”
Nothing but static. Despair started to settle over Mike.
Mike switched to the open channel and asked, “This is Charlie 2-6, is there anyone out there? Acknowledge, please. Over.”
After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Mike slammed his fist into the ground and screamed, “FUCK!”
Mike took a deep breath. He got up. “Let’s move!”
No matter what happens, we’re fucked if we can’t shoot back. Mike prayed that the lack of secondary explosions meant that the ammo dump hadn’t been blown to hell.
Mike and his commandeered squad raced to the motor pool. Thankfully, it was still intact.
Mike stopped and turned, “Hold here.”
Mike flipped up his NODs and marched inside the little brick building with a sheet metal roof like he owned the place.
“Wha-”
The Motor Sergeant started to talk, but Mike didn’t have the time nor the inclination to listen. The tall lieutenant leaned on the desk and peered down at the motor sergeant. His gore-spattered jaw was clenched, and his stormy blue eyes were locked onto the sergeant. His stare bore a hole into the poor sergeant's soul. “Three trucks, now.”
Mike didn’t explain why he needed the trucks or who gave him permission to take them, but something about his presence exuded enough authority to get the Motor Sergeant to obey without question. Perhaps it was the commanding tone he took or the way he carried himself. Maybe it was his height, piercing stare, or the blue blood that caked most of his body. Something told the motor sergeant that this was not a man whose patience should be tested.
The motor sergeant meekly said, “Yes, sir.” His hands even shook a little as he produced three sets of keys.
Mike's convoy skidded to a halt just outside the old warehouse that was packed to the gills with ordinance. He leapt from his truck and ran inside, followed by his commandeered squad. A little bit of weight left Mike's shoulders when he saw Martinez and Decker leaning up against a wall.
The S-4 ran to Mike and asked, “What's happening?”
Mike responded, “We got hit, radios are jammed. Help me load up these trucks with AT. After that’s done, I want you to start moving all the AT we have into the row of shipping containers on the edge of the lot.”
The S-4 nodded and started shouting orders. He had heard Mike's earlier call about the enemy being hard targets. Forklifts began to zip through the isles of the ammo dump, ferrying AT weapons by the pallet.
Mike shouted, “Decker! Martinez! With me!” as he ran to help load the trucks.
Mike was back in the cab of the lead truck in his little convoy. It was soon to be broken up; Mike was in front, going to Charlie 2 with Decker and Martinez.
Mike started ditching his rifle and ammunition.
I won’t need these; I might as well save some weight.
As he was setting his last magazine aside, he was nearly deafened by the roar of hundreds of explosions.
Martinez bellowed, “CHRIST!” as he swerved to dodge a flying container, scraping Mike's side of the truck against the wall of containers with an awful screech.
Martinez screamed, “THE FUCK DID THAT COME FROM?!”
The container must have been thrown from an explosion in front of them somewhere.
Mike roared back, “JUST KEEP FUCKING DRIVING!”
Another huge explosion rang out, followed by dozens of smaller explosions, ripping into the night like a Chinese firecracker.
That was the ammo dump…
Sweat ran down the lieutenant's brow as he stared out the windshield, counting the seconds. He could hear the supersonic cracks of suppressed rifle fire.
“STOP HERE!”
Martinez slammed his foot on the brake, and the truck came to a screeching halt inside the perimeter of Squad 1. Mike hopped out of the cab, slamming his NODs back down over his eyes midair.
It was chaos.
Mike nearly gagged at the stench of scorched flesh and burnt hair. He could smell the wounded far more clearly than he could hear them. The hisses of steam from enemy fire and the bubbling splats of molten metal from impacts on the containers almost entirely masked their screams.
Mike shouted, “RESUPPLY!” as he hustled to help Decker get the truck unloaded. He climbed up as the first members of Squad One approached the truck. Mike started chucking AT4s out onto the ground. Sergeant Williams, the squad leader, peered into the truck and frantically said, “Orders, sir?!”
“SITREP?” Mike replied.
The sergeant was a nervous wreck, literally shaking as he spoke. A far cry from the confident man he had given a Kit Kat to earlier. “Contacts across the river. Two dead, four wounded. Mech suit things strafed us and flew to the west. Chang hit one with a stinger, but it didn’t go down.”
“OK. I want you to hold here. If you see a red flare, fall back into the tunnels. Don’t bother shooting them with your rifles. Use AT.”
The sergeant nearly jumped out of his boots as a stack of containers collapsed.
Mike continued, unfazed by the interruption, “Fall back a row if the one in front gets shot apart. Got it?”
Williams stared blankly at him.
Mike hopped down from the truck and asked a nearby private, “Whose 2^nd in command?”
The private shrugged, “I have no idea.”
Shit!
Mike led the sergeant away from the others. He grabbed the shell-shocked sergeant’s shoulders. “Keep it together, man. They can die. I’ve already killed one.”
No reaction. Mike cursed and shook the man's shoulders. “WAKE UP! I just need you to keep it together for a few more hours!”
The sergeant looked down and sobbed, “I can’t.”
Fuck! What do I do!?
Sergeant Williams slid down against the wall of the container.
Mike stuffed the string of expletives he had on his mind. It would do no good. Instead, he said, “Just stay here.”
Mike ran back to the truck. “Decker, I need you to take this squad. You hear what I told Williams earlier?”
Decker nodded. “Yeah. Hold, stay in cover, rally at the tunnels at the red flare.”
“OK, good.”
Mike shouted, “DECKERS IN CHARGE!” and hopped back into the truck.
Mike turned to Martinez and said, “Let's go.”

Hi there
I currently live in a city in Maine and a couple of months ago, I started having itchy red bumps appear on my body at random places.
I spent two weeks in Paris and the flares stopped, then they started again as soon as I got back in Maine. Same thing after I got back from spending two weeks in Canada and now it seems it has gotten worse, as I started having dyshidris (eczema) on my hands; it's driving me crazy!
I have a very restrictive and strict gluten/dairy/grain free diet that I have maintained in all three countries so it can't be the foods per se. I have eaten the exact same foods.
I have also eliminated deodorant and detergents as suspects, as well as toothpaste.
It seems there is something in my Maine/U.S. environment that triggers this. Could there be something in the water? Any Ideas?
Please help!

I’m 31F, take Prozac for the last 8 years, and I do not drink, smoke, or do drugs. I do take a daily multivitamin, Olly for women, and 200mg of magnesium glycinate.
I’ve been getting these bumps on my inner thighs for a long time. They are super itchy and uncomfortable, but not necessarily painful.
My thighs have always touched, so friction issues have always been a thing for me, especially in the summer, but when I was about 21, it seemed to get worse. I stopped shaving my inner thighs, which seemed to help with the bumps.
About 3 months ago, I decided to try shaving my inner thighs for some dumb reason. That seemed to set off this cycle of inflammation and bumps, and now it’s like the bumps refuse to heal.
I do wear slip shorts under my dresses to prevent friction, but the bumps still won’t go away. I never wear jeans and haven’t in years. I just hate the way they feel. When I wear pants, it’s leggings or jeggings. 90% of the time, I’m in dresses.
This is not a hygiene issue. I shower daily, usually twice, and always scrub my entire body. I’m someone who takes personal hygiene pretty seriously and has solid skin, hair, and dental routines.
Things I have tried using to get rid of the bumps are salicylic acid, Amlactin, physical exfoliation with sugar scrubs, kojic acid soap, Hibiclens, tranexamic acid, bee propolis salve, and neosporin. Some of these things have helped make it more comfortable and less itchy, but here I am 3 months later and the bumps are still there.
At this point, I’m worried this could be caused by hidradenitis suppurativa. I am trying to book an appointment with a dermatologist, but the area I live in has rapidly grown, and doctors have long wait times right now.
Thank you!

I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth out exactly a week ago. My pain is minimal around the extraction sites. However, I have pain on the roof of my mouth, about 1.5 inches back.
Has anyone else experienced this? What could this be?