Strep throat muscle

Some health-conscious individuals, particularly those following carnivore or heavily meat-based diets, argue that plants produce toxins to protect themselves. Therefore, they claim, consuming these plants introduces harmful substances into our bodies, potentially leading to severe allergic reactions or impacting biological processes.
Understanding Natural Toxins in Fruits and Vegetables Indeed, most fruits and vegetables contain certain natural toxins as their defense mechanism against pests and harsh external factors. However, these naturally occurring toxins don't always effectively deter insects. For instance, wild tomatoes often have more pests than those grown in gardens.
The Beneficial Compounds in Plants Plants contain polyphenols and carotenoids, which protect them against ultraviolet radiation and pathogens. These compounds also have unmatched antioxidant properties, along with other health benefits. Eating these plants brings these protective and healthy properties to our diet, supported by countless studies.
Human Physiology and Toxin Sensitivity From a physical perspective, humans are much larger than insects. The quantity of toxins that affects insects is unlikely to impact our bodies significantly.
Natural Toxins Found in Fruits and Vegetables Plants produce a remarkable array of enzymes used to create complex chemical compounds for defense against pathogens and animals. These are known as "specializing compounds." Without these compounds, plants would quickly be consumed by insects, herbivores, and humans.
These harmful potential toxins are found in roots, tubers, stems, fruits, buds, and leaves. Indeed, in sufficient quantities, these toxins can cause significant harm or discomfort to humans, entering the body through inhalation, ingestion, or direct contact.
Here’s a breakdown of some natural toxins and how they might affect us:
Toxin: 𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐈𝐃𝐒 Foods: Potatoes, eggplants, coffee beans, tea leaves. How they harm: Alkaloids are organic compounds derived from amino acids, mostly with strong physiological effects. They often affect the central nervous system, and some can damage the liver by obstructing blood microvessels.
Toxin: 𝐆𝐋𝐘𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐒 Foods: Lima beans, soybean hulls, flax seeds, bamboo shoots, apricots, and almonds. How they harm: Glycosides have several annoying groups. One type, cyanogen glycoside, attaches to mitochondria's cytochrome and blocks the electron transport chain, leading to comas. Another, cardiac glycosides, inhibit an enzyme controlling heart rhythm.
Toxin: Protein Toxin Foods: Castor beans, abrin, white snakeroot. How they harm: Protein toxins can enter cells and prevent them from producing essential proteins.
Toxin: Oxalates Foods: Spinach, soybeans, various beans, potatoes. How they harm: Oxalates contain crystals that can irritate the skin, mouth, tongue, and throat, potentially leading to breathing difficulties, pain, and stomach aches. Oxalates can also bind with calcium, leading to severe hypotension and muscle spasms (tetany).
Toxin: 𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈-𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐒 Foods: Horsetails, Bracken (fern family), Cinnamon, Mexican vanilla, tonka beans, strawberries, apricots. How they harm: Anti-vitamins are toxins that work against vitamins in the body. Coumarin, found in significant amounts in cinnamon, breaks down vitamin K, while Horsetail and Bracken conflict with thiamine.
Toxin: 𝐅𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐒 Foods: Parsley, celery root... How they harm: Furocoumarins can cause digestive issues in some individuals. They are also phototoxic, meaning they can cause severe skin reactions when exposed to sunlight.
Toxin: 𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐒 Foods: Various beans (kidney, peanuts...), grains. How they harm: They can cause stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Conclusion While it's important to be aware of these natural toxins, the benefits of consuming a varied diet rich in fruits and vegetables typically outweigh the risks for most people. The toxins in typical serving sizes are generally well below the harmful levels, and many of these substances can be reduced or eliminated through cooking.
Adopting a balanced diet, considering both the protective compounds and potential toxins in plants, is key to optimizing health.
https://youtube.com/shorts/1aRZD8vVbQI?feature=share
#HealthyEating #NutritionFacts #FoodSafety #PlantBased #ToxinsInFood #DietAndHealth #NaturalToxins #FruitsAndVeggies #HealthAwareness #FoodScience

I called (techincally, texted) in sick today on account of strep throat. i lost my voice and its hard/painful for me to speak. my only response from my boss was "call me before 12pm today". what do i do? is she allowed to do that? i have plenty of sick time. we're understaffed but that isn't my problem.
she has a history of doing this with lower-ranking employees. people higher up on the totem pole don't deal with this. she's actually been spoken to by the union about this, but she still continues. should i ignore her??

I (26M) have a mild case of sleep apnea and i’ve been dealing with through changing positions and stuff but that works half of the time and end up waking up. But, recently i have been focusing on breathing through my nose instead of throat muscles when i’m about to sleep and surprisingly works really well. So can i train myself to breathe through my nose? Is that a thing?

Age: 22 Sex:Female
https://ibb.co/YBtRkqg
Lump is on the Circle.
Before i notice it, i had Sudden toothpains, nose pressure, forehead pressure, Facial shooting pains in cheeksbones, nosebridge.
Swaying balance
Under my chin lymph nodes gets hurts/sore sometimes but no lump.
I've been sneezing a lot of times too everyday
Runny nose/stuffy nose all day
Sometimes sore throat/strep throat
Random hoarse voice
I dont think its a mono
Also had small tiny bruises on my legs appears day by day. yellow,green,purple.
Random right ear ringing

A subliminal is something that will work regardless of a mindset. What it does is it reprograms your mind by replacing your old beliefs with new ones. But why do people still don't get results? 1) Maybe they're not consistent? (They switch playlist often) 2) Maybe they have a strong resistance (negative thoughts towards their desire or the subliminal itself) 3) Not having faith in Subliminal at all?
4) Fear of not getting results if stayed consistent to a certain sub (and thinking that they wasted their time doing that)
5) Always seek perfection
The technique that you can add up to your day to day routine.
1) Make a new chat or group chat in your Whatsapp or Telegram or you can even create a new email and name it "Universe" (or "God" if you're religious). And act as you're writing a mail to the Universe/God. Thanking them on how grateful you are. How happy you are about your desires, Describe how they helped you in your journey, how you always get results. Inshort, take it this way, you're a person who met God/Universe months ago and they gave you a blessing for your successful life and now everything works in your favor. So what you do is write them as if you're writing an email to God/Universe on how great your journey is going and how thankful you are to them.
Once you do this, use text to speech to convert it to audio, I would recommend https://www.dupdub.com/text-to-speech
They have emotive speech. Which means the words are emotionally charged, which will help the subconscious grab better. Now use that audio and make a silent subliminal by following Rasen_God's post. https://www.reddit.com/useRasen_God/comments/z5r7iu/how_to_create_a_subliminal_audio_requires_pc/ Yes you can use a theta audio and layer it. Note: i wouldn't recommend layering affirmations, you can do it but max two should be fine.
And now comes the fun part, once you download that audio, now use it as your alarm at 3:33 am. The reason I said 3:33 am is because every person has different sleep schedule. And here comes another interesting part, there's something called REM(Rapid Eye Movement) period: "The phase of sleep in which most dreams occur. During REM sleep, a person’s brain activity, breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure increase, and the eyes move rapidly while closed. The muscles in the arms and legs become temporarily unable to move. REM sleep is thought to play an important role in memory and learning. During normal sleep, a person goes through four to five sleep cycles that last about 90 minutes each and include both REM sleep and non-REM sleep (light to deep sleep). Also called rapid eye movement sleep."
And the REM period doesn't happen consistently it lasts up to 90mins each cycle. And i feel like the most common will be around 3am.(3:33 is just for being fancy - angel number). Altho You can use multiple alarms but i believe one should be good n enough. What i feel like the sub will work the best in REM period.
An example of the script: I feel so good today. I love myself so much. I just love everything about me Thank you universe. i’m so grateful to you for making everything work in my favour. thank you universe, thank you for helping a lot in my journey. I am an expert in manifesting now. I usually get all the results within 24 hours now. Sometimes i get results instantly. isn’t that impressive? I recently used a subliminal for clear skin and guess what! i got results only within just a few minutes. Isn't that so coooool? life is so easy now. my skin is so clean and clear now. i am so handsome and good looking. thank you universe, thank you for making my skin so clear. i remember, few days ago a girl came up to me and said that i look really very attractive and i have a glass skin. she also said that my face was the most glowing and charming face that she ever saw in her entire life. i am just so happy today. I'm so grateful to the universe for making everything work out perfectly, I'm so full of love and laughter, it's like I have a giant smile on my face constantly."
I am so happy i finally understood detachment. I don’t expect results anymore. its funny to see how i just don’t care about them anymore. thank you universe. thank you for making me detach from all of my expectations and making me live in the end every time. I am also having a very good quality sleep these days. And you know what? I get super vivid lucid dreams everyday about my desires and i love it. Yes, you heard it right, i lucid dream every night. I feel so fresh and energetic waking up early morning. I feel so confident every time. My life has improved a lot, so much improved that if i listen to a particular subliminal topic today, i get results within 24 hours anyhow regardless of anything. Isn’t that cool? I'm bursting with gratitude and joy, the universe has done such an amazing job and the results are mindblowing!. I have the best life ever, my life is so good, i am so happy, thank you universe, i love you.
------What to include in the script----- 1) self love
2) detachment
3) gratitude and joy
4) an example of how a person complimented you 5) you've become expert in manifesting now
there's an option to select what emotion you want. I personally like "excited" and "cheerful"
You see the bold paragraph? if you choose to layer, make it a bit different than than the first para. I know some people say using same voice for layers still works but i like to play safe, so use different voices for each of them
One tip from me: Control your emotions, Yes you heard that right. If you had a bad day, be happy still. Always be happy no matter how bad the situation is. I know its hard to now show up the actual emotions but that's what sorts out the winners from the losers. When you learn to control your emotions, you get more n more stable. Your subconscious is no more messed up now, i believe it aligns with the conscious (which makes it easy to manifest).
-----------The End-------------
Also, i have started using subliminals now. I've just been following knowledge all these days. I'm 2 months into subs, i haven't been consistent with any of the subs, i enjoyed researching more than listening to subs. I'm now kinda done with all the study(will still do a lil bit everyday).
This will be my routine.
I divided it with two phases. 1) Morning 2) Night
before that, i want to say that i'm kinda interested in v1er's subliminals rn. Yes i know making your own subs are better but still, idk i really liked v1per's style of making subs and affirmations. 1) Morning
I will listen to MOAB 1.0 and then my playlist 3x-5x
2) Night
I will listen to MOAB 2.0 and then my playlist Note: If you're using v1per's subs as me, use the LION formula for night, i do that too. So listen to 2.0 once and then LION playlist once.
That's all
Yes i know MOAB 1.0 and 2.0 both in a day might be overkill but i have a solution for that 😉
(S Module)
{S} = {MOAB 1.0 Legacy[ItsaKid(2024)]} X {MOAB 2.0[ItsaKid(2023)]}
{R Module}
{R} = {MOAB 1.0 Legacy[ItsaKid(2024)]}
{R} = {MOAB 2.0[ItsaKid(2023)]}
{E Module}
{E} = {MOAB 1.0 Legacy[ItsaKid(2024)]
-obsession
-crying
-mental breakdowns
-nightmares
-sweating
-eating more
-pain
-headache
-sore throat
-negative thoughts}
{E} = {MOAB 2.0[ItsaKid(2023)]}
-obsession
-crying
-mental breakdowns
-nightmares
-sweating
-eating more
-pain
-headache
-sore throat
-negative thoughts}
Yes you can use the A module for a certain sub and add a magic formula there. Here's the magic formula:
example:
{A]= { Clear skin [Synergy(2017-ish)

• heal scars
• pale skin + overnight results }

note: these are just my theories that i came up with. and its experimental. I haven't tested it yet. I just have tested the MOAB E module thing and it worked for me, i didn't feel a single side effect at all. Sometimes i felt a few of these, but that just lasted like a few seconds lol. The E module is powerful.
Upvote if you like the post, your upvotes make me feel like it was worth writing the post and it inspires me to write more such. :)
peace

So last year, during October through December, I ended up getting strep throat five times at least, and I was put on amoxicillin, cefdinir, keflex, and a couple more antibotics that I forgot the name of, but I ended up starting to feel really fatigued: diarrhea at least three to nine times a day, constant dehydration, bloating, a bad sour taste in my mouth almost all the time, my stomach constantly making bubbly gas noises and feels weird and uncomfortable, especially when I am trying to sleep, and when I was tested, I did have a lot of inflammation. In January, I tested positive for both A and B toxins of Cdiff, and I took Vancomycin 125 mg of it for around 8 days, and then it turned bad. :( So I had to recall the doctor and get another dose of Vancomycin 125 mg to get rid of it. While taking Vancomycin, I was told to follow a low-fod diet, which I did, and there was no improvement in any of my symptoms at all except that I had diarrhea only one to three times a day. What I thought was weird was that it was changing from hard stool to diarrhea in the same BM, and there was a lot of mucus almost every time I went. In March, I got tested for Cdiff again because I thought no way. It's over; every symptom is the exact same except the diarrhea. Another thing I find weird is that it turns different shades of green and yellow even when I have not eaten anything green or yellow that day while also being on equate soluable fiber and Align probiotics, but I ended up testing negative for both toxin A and B. In early April, I made the switch to Pysllium husk only because I kept having diarrhea 3–4 times a day, sometimes all It was mucus, which wasn't helpful because I was trying to stop having diarrhea every day. Here I am a month later, and I am on powder psyllium husk only, no probiotic currently because it just continually makes me use the bathroom more. But after switching to psyllium husk, I am only on 2 teaspoons, and almost immediately, if not 15-20 minutes after taking it, I immediately have to use the bathroom, and yet again, it's still diarrhea, basically. I'd love to know any advice, as I am getting a hydrogen breath test for Sibo in a couple of months. If you or anyone you know has experienced something like this, please let me know how they were able to heal it:)

Guilt can eat you alive, I can say I experienced it first hand.
When people think of cannibalism, notorious serial killers like Jeffery Dahmer, Ted Bundy will pop into anyone's head
Though there is another type of cannibalism that is far less comprehensible then just regular, and that is auto cannibalism. Eating oneself.
Its even been labeled as a disorder called autophagia, usually co-morbid with things such as schizophrenia, psychosis, the types of things that will put you strapped to a bed basically.
I have autophagia, but I'm not crazy? I work, I go to school, I have friends, I have a life.
Sure I may have a little bit of darker thoughts then some people but that can be hidden
Until I decided to take action on it.
First it started with scabs, disgusting, I know. Eating scabs is something you wouldn’t normally see but it's just like someone biting their nails or chewing their coffin nails. It wasn't a bad thing, even if the taste was bad.
Food fills your senses, you can feel it on the flavor coating your tongue till it goes down your throat. Scabs on the other hand are grainy and have somewhat an iron kind of taste. It could go from feeling liquid pus to dried blood at times to. I accepted these tastes, I don't know why. I don't know. Then a stench, a stench you can taste, it's as if eating a band-aid that you have had on for the weekend was shoved down your throat.
I know it was disgusting
I felt disgusting
And somehow it just made me keep doing it
After a while of this I needed something more, I needed more tastes.
What is beneath the pale skin that I see, how white is a bone, what will muscle tissue look like before a wound clots with blood. What did all of these things taste like inside of me. I could go on about the details I was so morbidly curious about my body.
But I am not fucking crazy.
I can't be, I still function, I can see, I can work, I can eat. I can do everything a person can do, it's like living a double life of just someone I truly wanted to be and it was a curious person to explore, needed to explore what lied beneath me.
I started cutting myself, first it started with tiny, open wounds that showed a white sheet beneath. It was intriguing. I would pry at my cuts, open them with my fingers as wide as I could, try and peer at what was inside of me.
Eventually I got to see though.
Now, before I go into to much detail about this I did at this point show some kind of… off-ness my friends realized. I would get band-aids more often, not caring to answer my friends questions on why I was. I started to take energy pills because I was always cutting I got tired, so quickly. I stayed awake to cut, I maybe got two hours of sleep those days.
My family told me during this time of my life, there was nothing behind my eyes. It was was just dark, there was no flickering interest of anything. I would avoid there eyes but when they caught a glimpse it was as if they were struck with the fear that I wasn't human anymore because of my lack of life.
I had an obsession at this point.

Can somebody give me some actual tips on how to “de-swell” my gums on my upper teeth? I’ve only had my braces for a few months, I haven’t even had my bottom braces put in yet.
My gums on my upper teeth are swelling so bad that it is extremely painful to floss. I can brush my teeth and eat just fine without any pain but flossing is the most painful feeling i’ve felt in a long time. I’ve basically resorted to not flossing on the upper part of my teeth.
Before you guys say “go see a orthodontist,” I can’t for a few weeks because my next appointment isn’t until a while. My dentist appointment got canceled because I got strep throat which sucks.
But anyways… what do you guys recommend? I would absolutely go to my neurologist but I can’t because my mom just will not take me. I can’t even drive. I know this is a slight emergency, but it’s painful. I know my gums are swelling from my braces because my top teeth gums are swelling, while the bottom teeth gums are not swelling almost at all.

I started off this week feeling a little under the weather Monday. I thought it was allergies since this time of year kills me. Nope by Tuesday I knew it was for sure Strep. Urgent care confirmed. I texted everyone I saw on mother's day including my mom who is on chemo and my 93 year old grandma. I thought we were lucky cus everyone else in my house appeared healthy.
Then this morning one of my 3 kids woke up with a sore throat. My husband took himself and all 3 kids to urgent care. Everyone except one kid had Strep. I texted the baby's daycare to let them know and I get back "oh yeah half the teachers were out last week with Strep. Sorry Baby caught it. Poor thing." Are. You. Shitting. Me. I would have never taken my kids to my mom's for mother's day if I knew the whole damn daycare had Strep. Seriously? When I feel less like death I'm going to be having an unfriendly chat with the daycare director.
So on top of not being able to eat or sleep cus I feel like my throat is made of glass shards I had my 10 year old openly sobbing all day due to throat pain (she's had all the pain meds, cold water, tea, lozenges)AND the world's most unbothered energetic 8 month old to take care of for the afternoon. The other 10 year old was obviously avoiding us to avoid the plague. Husband works remotely so he went back to work for the afternoon, which fair he did take the kids to urgent care by himself. Also he was working while having strep so that sucks. I at least took off Tuesday and today.
THEN, because life doesn't suck enough my mom calls to let me know not to worry but she's gonna go to the ER. Why? Cus she thinks she has shingles. When did the symptoms start? Saturday. She gets to the hospital... it's totally shingles. Oh and she's getting transfered to the big city hospital due to complicating factors. Oh and BTW has the baby had her chicken pox vaccine? 🤦‍♀️ You're kidding me right now. A kid with Strep AND chicken pox... though I'm not sure I'd ever be able to tell because this girl is in the middle of an eczema flare up that looks like hives some days... she's on the wait list at the dermatologist but won't be seen until October.
So now I'm so worried about my mom cus she's honestly not doing good with stage 4 cancer and now shingles. I'm pissed at literally the universe about all the germs on this damn planet. On top of that my brother who isn't speaking to me and I'm not speaking to thought mom being in the hospital was a good time to extend an olive branch. But I'm so tired I can't see straight.
The end. I hate it.
ETA: After a couple hours of sleep I can see that my brother's text was nice, helpful and well meaning. So I might not be ready to hold hands and talk about my feelings, but I can do a little rug sweeping for my mom's sake.

After several hours, and many ruined combat servitors later, the Muse sat in the Officer's Mess Hall of the Conqueror. Tessarius had left him, saying that he had nothing to fear from the Astartes of the XII. He was supping on the same pale nutrient paste the Astartes supped on. He wished he was back with Fulgrim aboard the Pride of the Emperor drinking wine and eating real food when a woman sat on the seat across from him.
"Hello miss," he coughed, rising from his seat in a gesture of decorum. He bowed slightly. "Heinrich Verity," he grinned and extended a hand to shake hers.
"Rose," she said without extending her hand in turn. A bit flustered he sat back down on his seat.
"A pleasure Mamsell Rose," the Muse said. The woman had a hard look about her. Strong, fit, scarred. Maybe someone from the clans of the Gunnery Deck? But why did she wear the Butchers Nails of the XII? He couldn't fathom why she had been allowed up here.
"You're Fulgrim's thing then? Is that right," she said assuredly.
Heinrich's posture sharpened slightly, his eyes narrowing.
"Excuse me," he asked.
"Her Muse? Or whatever? The one Lotarra is up in arms about because you destroyed a few servitors with that voice of yours?"
The Muse blushed slightly. He wasn't a singer. He didn't really understand where the Noise he was able to produce came from.
"Well yes...that is me I suppose. I do resent being referred to as the Primarchs thing though," he felt a disturbing force welling in his throat. "We are partners if that's what you meant."
Mamsell Rose laughed long and hard and banged the table, the laugh settling into snorts and giggles.
"Are all you III Legion bastards so proper," she asked.
"Are all XII Legion crewman allowed to dine in the Officer's Mess," he bit back angrily.
Mamsell Rose stood. He saw the Nails in her scalp ticking. He wasnt entirely sure how the horrid Archeotech affected the XII, but he was aware of the influence they had on the aggression of those cursed to wear them. Her powerful muscles flexed as she easily vaulted the table to sit on the stool next to him.
"Oh pretty little Muse, we are more alike than you think," she said wrapping her arm, impossibly large, around his shoulders.
"How do you mean Mamsell," he asked doing his best not to flinch from the contact and staring into her black eyes.
"We're both damned," she said flatly, in a near whisper. "Angron made the whole Legion get the Nails. Many fought it. She killed them. I underwent the process to make her happy...because I love her so," the Muse saw tears welling in the Mamsells eyes and how hideously the Nails began to tick. "Tell me pretty Muse...what have you done to make Fulgrim happy?"
Heinrich thought of the many surgeries he had undergone at the hands of Lieutenant-Commander Fabius. Thought of the power now welling in his throat.
"I've...everything in my power. I love her," the Muse whispered back.
"And yet here we are. Two damned things. In love with damned things," Mamsell Rose said.
"Primarch Fulgrim... and Primarch Angron... are loyal children of the Emperor. I dont understand..." Heinrich stammered.
Rose caught him easily by the throat and squeezed. Heinrich watched the Nails ticking harder than ever, tears streaking down Rose's face.
"If you think that? If you really think that!? Go back to Fulgrim when we're in orbit over Istvaan III. ASK HER WHY WE'RE REALLY HERE!"
She threw him then. He passed over a few tables before landing on the floor of the Mess Hall dragging chairs with him until he was sprawled in a mess.
When he got up Mamsell Rose was gone.

Timeline… - 2022-ish: started feeling like I have a harder time retaining memories. I blamed it on getting into my mid-late 30’s.

• April 2023: I started having air hunger sensations…it’s not that I can’t breathe but I rarely the sensation (or relief) of taking a full breath. Nearly 24/7, not exacerbated by activity. ER didn’t see any obvious reason so sent me in my way. My GP had me run tests on my heart, lungs, GERD, some bloodwork, other stuff and it came up dry. They kinda shrugged after awhile and said it didn’t seem to be killing me.
  
• mid-late 2023: I started noticing some pressure sensations low in my throat. Nothing terrible, but every once in a while. GP blamed it on gerd, then left their practice. I started with a new GP who (sorry) fucking sucks. Starting from scratch, only this time I’m a stranger to them and they don’t seem invested in me at all.
  
• February 2024: I thought I had strep but couldn’t talk or swallow on day 3. Turns out I had a pretty serious abscess in my throat and wound up in the hospital for half a week. No known cause. Was released but it took 3 weeks to start feeling normal again. ENT didn’t seem concerned, nor was the second opinion I got. GP successfully gaslit me into downplaying it.
  
• April 2024: since being let out of the hospital, I’ve had the same sensation as in Feb three times, just not as bad. Sore throat for a few days, then goes away. I went to a new ENT who ordered an MRI which showed a 1.6cm thyroid nodule. ENT then ordered an ultrasound which I did today. Got the report in the patient portal, no word from the new ENT yet.
  

Ultrasound Findings:
FINDINGS: RIGHT THYROID LOBE: 4.8 X 1.6 X 1.7 cm. LEFT THYROID LOBE: 4.7 X 1.3 X 1.7 cm. THYROID ECHOTEXTURE: Echogenicity: Normal. Vascularity: Normal Isthmus: 2 mm NODULES: Right lobe: 1. 6 × 5 x 4 mm hypoechoic noncalcified solid nodule (TI RADS 4). 2. 11 × 11 x 9 mm predominantly isoechoic nodule with internal echogenic foci (TI RADS 4). Left lobe: 3. 7 x 7 x 5 mm complex predominantly hypoechoic solid nodule with internal echogenic foci (TI RADS 5). 4. 7 x 7 x 5 mm cystic/solid hypoechoic nodule with internal echogenic foci (TI RADS 4).
Whomever read the report recommended a biopsy of at least 2 nodules.
I’m thinking that the memory fog, air hunger, abscess, pressure sensations could all be stemming from this. I’m now waiting for my referral office to get me in with an endo…who knows how long. The new ENT takes many days to read test reports, make referrals, contact me, do anything so I’m feeling really fucking anxious. Endo’s in the area only seem to accept referrals even if it isn’t required by insurance.
Anyone have any advice? I haven’t told my family yet because there’s a bunch of other serious stuff happening and I don’t want to pile on.

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share my story with anyone who cares to read. I’m 32 F and relatively healthy.
At the beginning of December 2023 I developed a sore throat, which is how all of my typical colds start, but it was just a little worse than usual. Also had a fever of around 100. I wasn’t concerned.
A few days later, the sore throat was subsiding and a lymph node on the left side of my neck became very swollen and tender. I called my PCP’s office, and they gave me a few suggestions saying it sounded like a virus. I called again a day or two later because my fever went up to 103. I was seen by a doctor who wasn’t my PCP, and he did COVID and flu tests. He thought my throat looked ok (no white spots, etc) so didn’t test for strep.
Started vomiting later that night and my fever spiked to 104 over the weekend. I called my local ER and told them my symptoms. Again I was told it sounded like a virus and it would have to run its course. (I was taking acetaminophen and ibuprofen around the clock for my fever too).
Monday morning I couldn’t take it anymore and drove myself to the hospital, luckily only a few minutes away. I’d never felt so sick and weak. I also had noticed a little swelling in my right hand, and some red spots appearing around it. I spent most of the day in the ER with various tests and scans being done. At one point the nurse was checking my blood pressure, and couldn’t believe what she was seeing (systolic pressure was in the 80s) so I was wheeled to another room. The next reading was better, but the third reading was very low. I wasn’t getting much info from anyone about what was going on, until the nurse told me they were following their sepsis protocol (giving me lots of fluids). The doctor thought I had an abscess or necrotic tissue in my neck, but there was no ENT doctor locally, so I was taken by ambulance to a hospital 2 hours away.
Spent the rest of the afternoon/evening in that ER where they did more tests and put a central line in my neck. By this time my right hand and part of that arm were quite red, swollen and VERY painful. They wrapped it to try to keep the swelling down.
I was admitted to the ICU and was there for 1-2 days, but spent a total of 10 days in the hospital. I had surgery on my hand/arm so they could be sure I didn’t have necrotizing fasciitis. Luckily I didn’t. What they found in fluid/tissue samples from my hand and in my blood was group A strep. I also developed a blood clot in one of my carotid arteries at some point. I did have the start of an abscess in my neck, but it didn’t need to be drained. I had trouble breathing due to fluid in my lungs so I was on oxygen most of the time. I was so weak and only had the use of one hand, I couldn’t roll over in bed (or do hardly anything by myself). Not an experience I’d wish on anyone. 5 months after having surgery (and OT) my hand is still pretty stiff and painful at times. My PCP called it traumatic arthritis.
Just mind blowing to me that this all happened so quickly, and had I not managed to get myself to the hospital that morning I probably wouldn’t be here right now. I’m glad to have found this community to hear other’s stories and know I’m not alone in this experience!

I held the package close, its precious contents pressed against my spine. The steady beeps that communicated life drove my exhausted legs forward. Even with the combat stimulants running rampant through my blood, my nervous system bringing fibrous polymer muscles to their brink, and a set of assisting servos practically tripling my stride speed, I was exhausted. The sun and its rays bared down on me like a predatory dragon, each ray a fang made of flame, ready to tear open my suit and scorch my skin…but not today.
“Not today!”
I picked my stride up and sent every muscle in my body past overdrive, I tore stone and sand as I sprinted farther forward and collapsed. I had finally made it to one of the only rations of shade on the desolate moon surface. As I hit the ground and retreated into the shade, I removed the pack from my shoulders and gently laid the box down. I opened the zipper that held the sunshade on and looked at the pale figure inside.
“Hello my love, I hope you’re resting well, we finally made it, now just time to wait…and you'll be better again”
I took my helmet off and took a deep breath before beginning to set up camp. I thought back to the mission room, where I was nearly denied entry to Io
“You understand the journey you’re undertaking has never been completed before? This is a mission that as of this moment has a 100% rate of failure. Do you not think it would be wiser to simply say your goodbyes and prepare for a life without her?”
I shook my head as the council stared at me with tired expressions and pained eyes
“I am three times decorated am I not?”
The head minister nodded and shuffled her papers, reading slowly from the top page
“Argon Lethius, 12 tours, 7 rotations, 153 confirmed neutralizations, 3000 pending, strength record unmatched, augmentations class S granted. You’re also the sole surviving candidate of the sky petal program”
The sky petal program, an experimental research project I had taken part in to pay for my wedding. The core concept was simple: graft photovoltaic cells onto our skin and use nanotechnology to create a bio-mechanical ecosystem within the dermis.
The result was going to be humans capable of photosynthesis, making us less susceptible to nutrition based disaster. Rejection however was high in the program and when your body is trying to fight its skin, things get ugly quickly. A dormant gene I had passed on from my mother allowed my body to accept the prosthesis but at great cost, I was now essentially allergic to solar radiation. When I'm planetside I'm just fine, but if I was in an area devoid of atmosphere, the nanotech would go overkill, usually producing energy akin to solar flares from my skin.
“Mr. Lethius, your feats and skills are unmatched, your circumstances are impossible to reproduce and the dedication you’ve shown to this coalition has been unwavering. Which is why we sympathize with your loss, and grieve with you. Crystal was-”
I snapped at her
“Is…she’s still alive”
The minister nodded and corrected herself
“I'm sorry, Crystal is an incredible addition to this council, and we are deeply sorry both internally and externally. But the dragons of Io have no official record, and the sunlight alone could overcharge you in a day, leaving not only our best military asset but also his sick wife stranded without hope of rescue”
I nodded and spoke solemnly
“3 days supply, and a ship to drop me off, if I don't respond in 4 days, come get my body and bury her where we fall. She loves it there. Even if I can't save her, I want her to rest somewhere she would be happy”
I snapped back to the present and finished setting up camp. Unpacking our supplies and connecting a set of solar panels to her cryo-chamber. I watched her take deep breaths through the ventilator as I threw a tarp overhead and began digging into the rockface.
“You’ll be ok my love, by this time tomorrow you’ll be your old self again”
I dug for hours, tearing holes in my suit and flaying the skin from my fingers. As my blood hit the white dirt and stained the cracked surface, I felt a degree of nausea rise up from my stomach. Saliva filled my dry mouth and I bit down on my tongue to prevent the vomit. Bile reached the back of my throat and I dug my fingers into the dirt, searching for the Will to resist my body’s urges. The sun couldn’t take me, my mind couldn’t shake me, I would not buckle before saving her. Before long I couldn't go on, and I needed to rest.
I swallowed hard and sat back, laying down and looking up at the harsh sky.
“Hindsight is 20/20, we can keep trying new things but sometimes this is just how things work out, I’m sorry”
I nodded as the doctor left the room and she sat motionless in her gown.
“That guy didn’t know what he was talking about, there’s so many treatments, we’ll just go to another doctor”
She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and looked up at me
“I’m tired of my love, can we go home?”
I nodded without speaking and embraced her, feeling her slow and weakened heartbeat against my chest, its rhythm in sync with my own.
“Sure, We’ll go home”
That was the last time I saw her awake, she fell asleep on the car ride home…and never woke up. I was able to bring her to the hospital where they revived her, but she was comatose, most likely asleep till the cancer kills her.
“I’m sorry my love”
I looked over at her chamber before bringing my hand up to my face and staring at the mangled flesh of my palms.
“A drop of blood for a question, a thousand heartbeats for an answer”
I heard the voice in my head as if it was a thought I had formulated all on my own, but the voice was different, it didn’t belong to me nor anyone I had ever heard before.
“A single tear for a favor, an entire ocean for its completion”
I crawled to the spot where my blood had dripped into the ground, the sand was stained red but almost completely dry. I leaned over it and thought about my honeymoon, I thought about vacations and work, time together and apart, moments where she was everything. I thought about the idea of my life without her, and then it came like a flood. Tears flowed freely from my eyes and drenched the ground, the first falling square on the red stain in the sand. The liquid pooled on top and a small ribbon of crimson fluid flowed upward into the tear drop. The ribbon danced and waved in a thin line through the microscopic ocean.
“What is your question?”
The voice came from above me now, and as I slowly looked upward, a loomed overhead, blocking the sun from view, and causing my heart to skip a beat.
“What…is your question”
Before me now stood a massive beast, speaking in the voice I had heard in my mind and digging his gargantuan claws into the sand. The tip of each toe ended in a blade that was crystalline and almost translucent. Each blade too had a glowing orange stripe that when shifted, turned the sand underneath him to panes of glass. His arms were broad and powerful, covered in green scales and his maw hung open with a light blue mist emanating from his teeth. He was the dragon, the one from Io who space gods told legends about.
“I…I want to know something about my wife”
He knelt down on his two front arms and brought his eyes to my level, a kindness flowing between his seemingly infinite pupils.
“Your wife. She is a story I myself cannot seem to get over. What do you wish to know?”
I looked up at him and let out a deep breath before gesturing to her
“Can- can she be saved”
His gaze snapped to her case and he slowly moved over to where she slept
“You brought her with you, of course you did, you could never leave her behind.
I crawled over and knelt next to him, tears still flowing from my eyes.
“Please tell me, can she make it?”
He turned around and knelt next to me, putting a massive hand gently on my shoulder and speaking softly.
“My boy, She’s already made it, just not in the direction…you were hoping”
He tapped the monitor screen and it stopped showing vitals, instead displaying a digital sign in dark red letters. I read them aloud to myself.
“Subject deceased, time since last recorded activity. 37 hours 22 minutes 48-49 seconds”
He nodded and spoke calmly
“You wanted to badly for her to live, you saw her living, even when she wasn’t”
I slammed my hand on the crate and opened the lid, picking her up in my arms and putting my ear to her chest.
“Come on, come on. You’re ok, you’re ok”
I clutched her in my arms as silence arrived to my ears. I rocked her and cried into her soft silken hair. Her pale skin had lost its glimmer and I pressed my forehead against her own. I spoke through tears and a tightened throat
‘No, she cant die, I found you! I finally found you! Come on sweetheart you’re ok right? Just wake up. He's here baby we made it, please just wake up, please”
The dragon loomed over head and let out a deep breath, speaking gently, so as not to disturb the silence
“She is gone, and even I cannot save her”
I felt my skin begin flaming as I turned my head back up toward him
“Then what can you do? What can you do if you can’t bring her back to me? Why are you a legend if you cant make her breath again?!?”
He whispered softly into her ears and I felt the wind of the world around me change
“Because I can send you to her”
The planet fell silent and she disappeared along with the dragon. The camp was gone, my hand had been healed, my suit was gone and instead I wore a thin white shirt and loose cotton shorts. I was comfortable, and as I stood to my feet I felt as if my thirst had been quenched, my hunger satiated, I was…ok.
“Hello?”
I called to the emptiness, and before long a soft sullen voice spoke back.
“Hello darling”
She took my face in her hands and turned me around, holding my cheek as my whole body shook
“Hi beautiful”
I brought my hand up to her own and felt her soft warm skin against mine, I pressed my head into her hand and leapt forward, bringing her close and up into the air as I spun her around. She laughed as I gently set her down and wrapped my arms around her.
“I’m sorry you can’t stay”
I looked at her and spoke quickly
“What do you mean I can’t stay? The dragon sent me to you, he sent me to see you, so we can be together again”
She shook her head and kissed my softly, as she pulled away she put her hand on my chest
“It’s not your time hero, I’ll see you eventually, but this is goodbye for now”
I woke up on the sand, the dragon standing over me, holding her body as she began to slowly turn to dust. His tears fell on her degrading body as he handed her to me, and lowered his head.
“I'm sorry, it’s never permanent, did she tell you goodbye?”
I took a deep breath and held her in my arms before walking a few paces forward, and laying her down on the sand. I spoke calmly as tears streamed down my face.
“Yea…she did”
He nodded
“That is more than most get, was she smiling?’
I wiped my eyes and laughed
“Yea…she was”
He fluffed his wings and let the world around us grow heavy with winds
“Then your mission is complete”
I continued to cry as I looked back at him and spoke in a wavering tone
“Did you know I was a general?”
He strolled over and sat next to me, watching her particles flow away with the storm
“You were the most powerful general of all time, incapacitating but never killing, for a man with your rank one must usually commit vast atrocities but you…you never took one life”
I nodded and watched the wind whip and carry sand alongside her body
“I didn’t want to take life, I was reprimanded over and over but I always knew there was a better way, she wanted me to try, to make it so at every opportunity we could fight without ending lives…she hated senseless death…and I think I see why now”
He spoke calmly, wiping his eyes as the last of her bones turned to crystalline dust in the wind
“Her death was not senseless, in fact you'll find that when something as beautiful as her dies, it becomes impossible to make sense of it. That does not mean it happened without sense, and it does not mean her death must be for nothing. When men first meet me, they offer a drop of blood, and that is all I require for the question, but to gain my favor, they must give up a piece of themselves”
I sighed and looked up at him
“What do you need from me then?”
He gestured to where her body had sat moments ago
“You just let the biggest piece of yourself go without a fight. You have paid for more than enough trips to see her”
I nodded and spoke without waiver
“I'm not supposed to keep visiting her though, am I? She won’t be happy till we see eachother again permanently, and if I show up prematurely…she would probably be pissed. So ,I guess now I just live?”
He laid down in the sand and let out a deep groan
“I don’t think I’ve lived in quite some time, I’ve been stranded here for so long, evading capture to exist within my freedom, too afraid to face the cosmos again”
I patted his side and gripped what was essentially his ankle
“You shouldn’t be afraid, fear doesn’t do anything for men like us. Maybe we should sit a while, and see if your fear doesn’t go away”
He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes, laying down as I watched the sun rise over the horizon. My heartbeat continued, but as I watched the last of her ashes swirl through the air, I found a modicum of peace, and I thought about her.

It seems like she’s feeling insecure again. I keep my eyes shut tight, preparing myself for the song and dance I had been through so many times before. The weight of the bed shifts under me as she crawls under the blankets. A cold limb flops over my torso, wrapping me in a frigid embrace. I resist the urge to flinch as the moist, squishy mass of flesh presses into my forehead, a tickling droplet of fluid slides down my face and over my tightly pursed lips. Not daring to move, I waited patiently for the words I knew must come. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, a muffled teary voice sounds in a desperate tone:
“Do you...”
The voice falters, emitting several low-pitched, labored gurgles before continuing:
“Love me?”
Without hesitation I respond, as gently as could be managed:
“Of course I love you. But it’s time to go back to sleep now, okay?”
The gurgling continues, higher pitched now, like an excited baby. After a few moments the squishy mass detaches itself from my forehead, and the weight in the bed shifts. The gentle smacking of feet against hardwood floor, and a door quietly closing across the house resound in the otherwise silent room. Sitting up on the edge of the bed, I rock gently back and forth with my head in between my legs, resisting the tears that are fighting to escape. I allow a few moments of this pointless self-pity before forcing myself to stand up.
I walk down the hallway to the bathroom, not allowing my eyes to stray to the door to what used to be my room. A look in the mirror reveals that my forehead has already started breaking out in small orange pustules, along with a small streak of them where the fluid had dripped down my face. At least it didn't get in my mouth this time. That isn’t a panic I would like to revisit. I retrieve the small bottle of vinegar from the medicine cabinet and apply it to a cotton ball, beginning the tedious task of treating my face. A harsher acid would probably do a better job, but I prefer to avoid the stinging even if the pustules disappear more slowly. It’s not like I need to look handsome for anyone. It’s unlikely she can even really see me.
Once my skin is sufficiently covered in the stuff, I grab a bucket and mop, and clean the wet footprints from the hallway, and from the living room where my bed is located. Most of the wood flooring throughout the house is already somewhat corroded, but I’d prefer to keep my home intact to the extent that I am able. Although it’s up to anyone’s guess what manner of hellscape the bedroom must look like. I hadn’t been in that room in a long time. That was her domain now, and there was no reason for me to enter. No reason to take that risk.
I light the small gas cooktop in the kitchen and get to work making food for the day. Canned food is surprisingly appetizing when there’s nothing to do but eat. It would taste better with some seasoning, but there was no point in going through that much effort. This food serves one purpose, and that’s to keep us from starving. I slide one plate under the crack between the floor and the bedroom door and sit down in the living room with the other plate in hand.
The book on the coffee table catches my eye as it does every morning. Sighing, I pick up the ratty collection of pages and flip to a random one. One of the few books on the “Great Plague” as they call it, that was ever published, or at least, the only one I could ever find. Titled “The End” by Jared Kramer, It was more of a fanatical opinion piece than a proper informative book, but Kramer at least provided a bit of information on the virus, how the transformation works, and what methods could be used to, in his words, “Cure” the afflicted. A shotgun was noted as the best medicine, with gasoline and matches being a close second. Near the middle of the book, the portion that was coincidentally staring back at me from the pages, it turned into a near unintelligible ranting on the philosophy of consciousness. Apparently, Kramer had only just begun to consider whether blowing the afflicted’s brains out was a morally reasonable decision. He had never come across as a particularly intelligent guy in his writings, and my assumption was that he was simply the only person who wrote fast enough to get a book published before the plague became a worldwide epidemic. Towards the end of the book, Kramer does a 180 and states repeatedly that “Accepting the transformation is the only road to salvation”.
“Salvation... as if”
My words perish in the empty air, a death rattle of frustrated skepticism.
I had never quite understood what that actually meant. Salvation would be something like deliverance from harm, harm being the only thing that the plague brought to the world. The book thuds as I carelessly toss it back on the table. It's obvious that the author was in the process of transforming as he wrote the final passages, but they never ceased to bother me. Perhaps I'm just fixating on those words as a way of keeping my mind occupied.
There’s really no reason to focus on such pointless things.
--------------------
The following night my sleep was peaceful and uninterrupted. She usually shows up once a week, if not less frequently. After waking, the bathroom mirror reveals that the pustules ha subsided slightly, leaving my skin smooth, if not free of the noticeable blemishes. A subtle glint of light shines off of my head and my heart rate accelerates.
Surely not.
Surely it was a trick of the light.
I begin rifling through my matted hair furiously and there it is. A single, silver hair hanging in front of my forehead.
I guess this is it then.
She made sure I had sworn on everything under the sun. Her stupid goofy smile reflected in my memory.
“First grey hair and I’m outta here mister”
To think that a silly little joke between us had turned into this solemn responsibility. The steel of the revolver was cold in my palm. My eyes locked onto it, unsure of when it had made its way from the drawer of the coffee table into my hand, or for that matter, when I had entered the living room. The earth seemed to be rotating at impossible speeds. Everything was black except for the gun in my hand and the book on the coffee table. That goddamn book. One of the pages had begun to tear away from the others, no doubt a result of my less than careful treatment of the thing, and a single word seemed to assault my fragile psyche.
Salvation.
I get it now
My heartbeat slows marginally as the unravelling of this book that I’ve read so many times presented a welcome distraction. There had been nothing left for Kramer, or anyone else for that matter, in a world that was dying around them. His salvation was freedom from the great plague. His call to “accept” the transformation, was not the same as giving in to it. After all, hadn’t he expressed over and over again exactly how to “find release” as he called it, from the infection.
Kramer, unlike me, had accepted that there was no life in transformation, no being, no humanity, and no way back. His moral dilemma had come to a close, likely with a bullet in his brain.
A reluctant chuckle rose through my chest and escaped my throat. It didn’t sound like me. It was twisted, choked, and raspy. She had always known hadn’t she, that I would stay in this house with her. That’s why she had forced me to swear up and down on something as silly and inevitable as a grey hair, before locking herself in that room five years ago. Knowing her, it had all been for my own good, a way for her to look out for me even after she was long gone.
The creak of the door was like nails on a chalkboard. I laid my eyes for the first time in years on my wife, or at least, what was left of her. I had seen the afflicted before, but seeing her in this state brought a blockage to my throat that nothing could have prepared me for. Her head had been obscured by the typical growth, characteristic of the great plague, A mass wider than her torso which was completely wrapped around her head, the loose flesh sagging down onto her shoulders. Large orange boils were dotted across this mass, as well as glistening, concave pits, where those boils had burst and left scars. The thick external vein structure wrapped around it was partially translucent, providing a window to the tar-like substance flowing slowly throughout. The worst thing, however, the thing that forced my tears out of my eyes and onto the corroded floor, was her body. Her clothes had long since disintegrated, leaving a sight that was fundamentally identical to what I remembered, with one exception. The excess weight of the mass upon her shoulder had atrophied her spine, which had crumpled, leaving her torso contorted in a grotesque fashion, the flesh and muscle folding in upon itself in places.
I had let this happen. I had as good as desecrated my wife’s corpse by leaving her in this state, by convincing myself that a cure would be found for a plague that had long-since been eradicated by other means. I did this.
My hands move as though without instruction from my brain, raising the revolver to my eye-level, pointing at the place where my wife’s head was concealed amid that horrid mass of flesh.
Her head tilted upwards slightly, as if she was looking at me with eyes that had been long-since obscured. That muffled, teary voice sounded out from amidst the heap weighing on her shoulders. Despite myself hesitated for just a moment, savoring the shadow of a voice that I would never hear again.
“Do you love me?”

“Beasts all over the shop…You’ll be one of them, sooner or later…”
The strange Hunter turned around and exhaled. His breath was visible against the night’s air.
He’s bloodlusted. Aegis, I hope you have a plan.
Shimmer saw Elpis step back slightly, with a shocked expression on her face. She shakily raised a claw and pointed at something on the ground.
No. It… it can’t be.
That’s… horrible.
A shattered red jeweled necklace lay strewn across the ground, beside the mangled corpse of the Silkwing.
The Hivewing in front of the three swung his axe to the side. As it was a trick weapon, he was able to change its form on command. The axe had two forms: a shortened form that acted sort of like a sword, and an extended form specialized in crowd control and reach.
He extended his axe and Shimmer heard a low snarl from his throat.
“Do we kill him?” Elpis asked, a hint of fear in her voice.
“We don't have a choice. Steel yourself.” Aegis muttered and brandished his silksabers. The blades gleamed in the soft light of the three moons.
The hunter was taller than all of them, one head taller than Aegis and two taller than Shimmer and Elpis. Black tattered robes clung to him, marking him a Shadowhunter. Blood from tonight’s hunt stained the black fabric, showcasing his expertise and experience in the hunt. He wore a rounded dark-gray hat, and bloodied bandages covered his eyes. Shimmer wondered if he could even see.
Corpses of both beasts and dragons were scattered about the square-shaped courtyard, an equal amount of gravestones breaking up the open space. His teeth were uneven as if he had been eating and chewing rough bones. Blood dripped from his mouth down his neck, and his Hivewing stingers flexed in anticipation.
“Be careful,” Aegis started, “He’s going to use magic. Elpis, don’t use any of yours.” He told the hybrid dragon beside him, and she nodded.
The hunter walked slowly around them, searching for a weakness in their structure, and then spat out a lump of coagulated blood.
“That stench of squalid blood. No beast will be spared.” He half-muttered and half-growled. He tipped his hat respectfully, before lunging at Elpis. She dove to the side, and tried to retaliate with her scythe, but just slightly missed.
This hunter was agile, surprisingly so considering how old he looked. Shimmer gripped the handle of her silkhammer, knowing it wasn’t the time to strike. She stepped backward, seeking cover behind a grave, while Aegis leaped forward with the intent to pierce the frenzied hunter’s heart. Once again, the hunter rolled to the side and sent his axe hurtling towards the smaller Silkwing. Shimmer felt fear grip her heart, but Aegis avoided the blade. He fell back and motioned for Elpis to stay back.
“A sporting hunt. But alas, I’ve forgotten to ask your name.” Aegis growled, and the hunter laughed a sick, disturbing laugh.
“The name’s Gascoigne.” He shot back, and jumped into the air, slamming his axe down where Aegis was a split second ago. Shimmer’s ears rung from the sound of the impact. Her antennae subconsciously curled in defensively.
“Gascoigne. That’s a nice name. I’ll tell Ludwig you were a proud hunter till the end.” Aegis replied and sent his twin blades slicing into the hunter’s thigh. He recoiled, and a gleeful laugh escaped his bloodied mouth.
“Hehe… the sweet stench of blood. Just… just marvelous!” He exclaimed and raised his off-talon towards Aegis.
“Aegis! Get down!” Shimmer called, and a burst of flame erupted from the hunter’s claws across the courtyard. The limited magic the Hivewing had that he was willing to use in this hunt.
Aegis fell back, hissing in pain as a few stray flames singed his tail. The hunter chuckled under his breath, and Elpis took advantage of the opening he had presented her. She thrust the blade of her scythe toward him, opting for its sword form as of now, and the hunter knocked the blow aside. He countered with a kick to the Ice-Hivewing’s ribs, and she was sent to the ground. She coughed up a spurt of blue Icewing blood, and the hunter lifted his axe for a finishing blow.
Shimmer roared out and swung her hammer toward the hunter. The silk connected it to her wrists as it flew through the air, and it hit the hunter square in his side just as his axe was falling. He was sent into the opposite side of the courtyard, coughing and sputtering, but with a faint smirk on his face. Shimmer was in disbelief; how was he not dead?
“Ooh, what’s that smell… the sweet blood, ooh, it sings to me! It's enough to make a dragon sick.” Gascoigne laughed hollowly. He raised his talon, and Shimmer quickly rolled to the side as a ball of flame soared past her horns.
He’s going to turn at this rate.
Shimmer hid under a gravestone as a tree behind her erupted in flames, and Aegis jumped into the air. He beat his four wings ferociously before diving into the hunter. He caught both of Aegis’ horns, and he twisted his head. Aegis fell to the ground, and Gascoigne slashed his axe down across the Silkwing’s leg. Aegis cried out, and Shimmer’s heart ached. She pushed herself up, ignoring the raging fire around her, and she threw her hammer up in the air and aimed it towards the hunter. He narrowly evaded the heavy impact of the stone before Shimmer heard a metal clang behind her.
Elpis, scythe in one talon, approached Gascoigne. She had the little music box in her other.
Elpis played the music box and a song of eerie notes filled the courtyard.
The hunter stumbled back, clawing at his face, and Elpis shot Shimmer a look, her face telling her to make sure Aegis was okay.
Elpis advanced on the struggling hunter, and Shimmer leaped over to her Silkwing partner, who was injured on the ground. She felt tears welling in her eyes, but she knew this wasn’t the time to cry.
“Aegis. Look at me. Look at me.” She repeated, and he lifted his head weakly. His leg had a massive gash in it, but he could probably still walk, just with a limp.
“Ah, Shimmer. I’m alright. I’ll be back in the fight. Go, help Elpis. I’ll join back soon enough.” He groaned, and the pair heard a roar behind them.
Elpis was locked in a duel with Gascoigne, and the hunter’s stray fireballs met with blasts of frostbreath. For the first time in the battle, the hunter had a slight look of fear on his face. Elpis was relentless, her burial blade swiftly countering and stopping any attempt Gascoigne made at advancing. Aegis crawled back and attempted to stand, using a grave for support.
“Shimmer! I can’t hold him for long!” Elpis called, and Shimmer nodded. She took the hammer in her claws and swung it around her side, and in a clockwise circle in the air. It was the perfect counterweight to her body weight. She hoisted it up further into the air and then brought it crashing down onto the hunter.
It struck Gascoigne directly on the spine, and he fell to the ground.
He screamed in pain.
And then, a bright light flashed from his body.
His screams deepened in tone, morphing to be more animalistic. His posture fell forward, and his muscles rippled through his body. He grew in size, and more of his bloodied garb ripped from the size change.
Fur sprouted from seemingly random places on the Hivewing’s body, and his claws extended. His face shifted, his features becoming more and more distorted. His black hat fell to the ground.
The bandages around his eyes stayed, as well as the black-tattered garb that marked him as once a Hunter.
He was no longer a Hunter. Moons above, he wasn’t even a dragon anymore.
He was now a beast.
Shimmer’s heart pounded in her chest. She stared at the transformation for a split second, before reeling in her hammer. She took it in her right talon and dove behind a gravestone, wary of the spreading flames.
Elpis, on the other claw, held her blade in front of her. Shimmer heard a rasping cough escape the Ice-HiveWing’s throat, but she didn’t break her stance.
The beast that was once Gascoigne whipped around toward Elpis, and launched himself at her, with a ferocity Shimmer had never seen even in beasts.
Elpis sidestepped quickly. The beast slammed into the wall with a loud roar, and Shimmer spied Aegis in her peripheral vision struggling to stand. He winced as he stood on his injured leg, but didn’t cry out. He brandished his two blades as the beast charged at him.
“Aegis!” Shimmer cried.
He’s going to get hit. That beast will kill him.
Aegis ignored her, and as soon as the beast was within a wingspan from him he twisted his body in such a way that he narrowly avoided the savage charge. He elegantly sliced his twin blades across the beast’s hide, and the creature howled before rapidly turning to face him.
Shimmer flew into the air. “Get away from him!” She yelled before bringing the weight of her hammer down on the beast. It flattened part of his ribcage, but it seemed impervious to the pain. It did knock him to the ground, though, giving Aegis a moment to cut through what was once two of the hunter’s wings.
The beast quickly got back on its claws before sending a flurry of swipes towards Shimmer. She dodged to the side and readied her hammer for another strike.
That was before the beast kicked her square in her chest, its sharp, ravenous claws digging in and tearing her scales. Shimmer fell back, a slight gasp escaping her mouth, and she stumbled back into the wall. She lost her footing and fell to the ground, and gazed up at the beast locked on her.
“Aegis! Help!” She yelled, and not even a second later her Silkwing partner crashed into the beast. They fell to the ground, grappling with each other before Shimmer heard a familiar song fill the courtyard.
Elpis was cranking the music box, its ominous lullaby breaking up the noise of the fight. The beast stopped attacking Aegis and instead clawed at its face. It growled and screamed in pain, drawing blood from its very own fur and scales.
“Now! Kill it!” She yelled through the song, and Aegis nodded before driving his two blades through the beast’s skull.
They stuck, and the beast roared before throwing him off. It crawled and thrashed about on the ground, clearly not dead, and the two new blades stuck to his head pointed out like new horns.
Now’s my chance.
Shimmer stumbled to her claws and wound her hammer up into the air. With every last bit of her strength, she brought it down on the flailing beast.
It crushed what was left of the hunter.
Silence filled the courtyard, only broken by a few stray notes from the music box, the pained breathing of the three hunters in the area, and the howls and screams from other places in the Hive.
Shimmer breathed a sigh of relief, before collapsing.
I did it. We did it.
Gascoigne was free.
…
“I brought you water.”
Shimmer opened her eyes and found herself in her familiar hospital room.
The morning sun’s rays lit the room, and Shimmer felt very little pain from her chest.
It had been three days since that night.
Shimmer fixed her gaze on the purple-orange Silkwing sitting beside her and smiled.
“Thanks. I’m feeling much better, we should get going to Bloodworm soon. It’s today, remember?” Shimmer asked, and he nodded. Of course, he remembered.
The summons for every hunter to come to Bloodworm Hive. Ludwig, The Holy Blade had requested them all. He no doubt planned an attack. A shame really, the hive was only newly rebuilt. And now it was going to be the site of a horrid, savage warzone.
“I remember. Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Ludwig would understand if you couldn’t come,” Aegis asked, and she spied a hint of worry on his face.
“I’m fine. I need to make sure you don’t do anything stupid. I’ll come.” She sighed and took a sip from the canteen that Aegis had brought. It tasted wonderful, he had put something in to flavor it.
“Honeydew?” She guessed, and Aegis smiled.
“Yep. It’s your favorite, right?” He asked, and she nodded. She opened her arms, and he hugged her tight.
“I love you,” Shimmer whispered in his ear.
“I love you too. I pray to Clearsight that we’ll both be safe today. I can’t bear to lose you.” Aegis replied. He pulled away and gazed out the window.
Shimmer quickly drank the rest of the honeydew-flavored water before getting out of bed. She joined him at the window and was slightly surprised by what she saw.
Almost all of the hunters of Jewel Hive were preparing, some of them already flying in the direction of Bloodworm. They were all sharpening their trick weapons, mixing poisons, or saying goodbye to loved ones.
“We should get going. It’ll be midmorning when we get there, I don’t want to be late.” Shimmer suggested, and Aegis put a wing around her.
“Now? I need to get my stuff, and you do too. Join me at the workshop.” He asked, and she slid her head in the curve of his neck as he led her out of her sick room.
…
Shimmer beat her wings strong and fast against the morning savanna winds.
She saw what looked to be several hundred, maybe even a thousand dragons gathered around a hill. All of them had a colored garb fluttering proudly from their neck. Around ninety percent of the garbs were white, and the rest were black.
They were all different tribes and a fair amount of hybrids were scattered about as well. The gathered hunters were mostly Pantalan, but a good few were from Pyrrhia as well.
Shimmer and Aegis landed a short distance away from the hill, and all around them the sounds of dragons conversing and laughing with each other.
The sun was high in the sky, but it wasn’t quite noon yet.
“You see anyone you recognize?” Aegis asked, and Shimmer shook her head.
“There’s too many dragons here. It’s too much.” She whimpered, and Aegis pulled her close. He knew she didn’t do well in crowds. That was partly why she became a Shadowhunter. To work alone or with no more than a few other dragons.
“You’re safe with me.” He comforted her, and she leaned against him.
She had always hated being with a lot of other dragons. Aegis said it sounded like she had anxiety, which made sense. It didn’t do much to alleviate that fear, though.
None of them are thinking about you. They’re all busy with their own stuff.
Just take deep breaths.
“Do you want to move away? There’s fewer dragons over there,” He asked and pointed a claw across from them.
“…No, no I’m fine.” She whispered, and Aegis sighed.
“Alright. If you want to move, don’t be afraid to ask. I don’t mind it.”
Shimmer shook her head quickly, before the pair heard a loud voice from the top of the hill. They both looked up and saw the legendary hunter himself: Ludwig.
The menacing Nightwing stood proudly, his holy silver sword slung across his shoulder. His partner Memoria stood beside him, her tail twined around his. She had a bored look on her face as she stared at the crowd. The voices of the dragons fell silent, and Shimmer felt like she could breathe again.
The Nightwing’s loud voice echoed through the plain. “Dear Hunters.” He paused, his heroic voice inspiring pride and triumph in Shimmer, even though he had barely started.
“I’m sure all of you know why we’re here. Behind me, Bloodworm Hive stands proud against the horizon. Yet I am more than certain you all know what lies inside.” He paused and pointed his sword toward the dark shape of the Hive.
“Beasts. A few thousand. I think it’s time we put them out of their misery. That is why we are here. A battle of the ages, one that will go down in history. We, the brave heroes, fighting against evil. We will be reveled, we will be honored. We will protect the dragons we hold dear to our hearts, and save those we can yet save.” His speech roused the crowd, and Shimmer felt herself stand a little taller.
“The plan is simple. The Hunters of the Sun will lead the charge from the front. I have already talked to the leaders of the charge. The Shadowhunters will pick the stray beasts off from behind. We will attack at dusk when half the sun is hidden from the eye.” He gestured with his sword at the rising sun, and he extended his wings. His massive wingspan seemed to fill the sky, and Shimmer's heart swelled with pride.
He held his sword up to the heavens, and it transformed. It grew larger, into the shape of a claymore, and it turned a shade of sacred jade. It glowed with an otherworldly light, and the crowd was enamored by the display.
“Now, hunters. Spend the rest of today preparing. The hunt is on tonight. Ludwig, The Holy Blade will be with all of you in spirit.” He bellowed, and the crowd erupted in applause and cheers.
Shimmer saw a proud, triumphant look in Aegis’ eyes, and she felt the same. Ludwig’s blade captivated her. The blade of legend, inspiring all who lay eyes on it.
Ludwig would be with them tonight. The best, the greatest, the strongest hunter ever.
Tonight, the hunters would not know defeat.
Nor would they ever, with Ludwig alive and at their side.
May the good blood guide your way,
Ultima_8

It seems like she’s feeling insecure again. I keep my eyes shut tight, preparing myself for the song and dance I had been through so many times before. The weight of the bed shifts under me as she crawls under the blankets. A cold limb flops over my torso, wrapping me in a frigid embrace. I resist the urge to flinch as the moist, squishy mass of flesh presses into my forehead, a tickling droplet of fluid slides down my face and over my tightly pursed lips. Not daring to move, I waited patiently for the words I knew must come. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, a muffled teary voice sounds in a desperate tone:
“Do you...”
The voice falters, emitting several low-pitched, labored gurgles before continuing:
“Love me?”
Without hesitation I respond, as gently as could be managed:
“Of course I love you. But it’s time to go back to sleep now, okay?”
The gurgling continues, higher pitched now, like an excited baby. After a few moments the squishy mass detaches itself from my forehead, and the weight in the bed shifts. The gentle smacking of feet against hardwood floor, and a door quietly closing across the house resound in the otherwise silent room. Sitting up on the edge of the bed, I rock gently back and forth with my head in between my legs, resisting the tears that are fighting to escape. I allow a few moments of this pointless self-pity before forcing myself to stand up.
I walk down the hallway to the bathroom, not allowing my eyes to stray to the door to what used to be my room. A look in the mirror reveals that my forehead has already started breaking out in small orange pustules, along with a small streak of them where the fluid had dripped down my face. At least it didn't get in my mouth this time. That isn’t a panic I would like to revisit. I retrieve the small bottle of vinegar from the medicine cabinet and apply it to a cotton ball, beginning the tedious task of treating my face. A harsher acid would probably do a better job, but I prefer to avoid the stinging even if the pustules disappear more slowly. It’s not like I need to look handsome for anyone. It’s unlikely she can even really see me.
Once my skin is sufficiently covered in the stuff, I grab a bucket and mop, and clean the wet footprints from the hallway, and from the living room where my bed is located. Most of the wood flooring throughout the house is already somewhat corroded, but I’d prefer to keep my home intact to the extent that I am able. Although it’s up to anyone’s guess what manner of hellscape the bedroom must look like. I hadn’t been in that room in a long time. That was her domain now, and there was no reason for me to enter. No reason to take that risk.
I light the small gas cooktop in the kitchen and get to work making food for the day. Canned food is surprisingly appetizing when there’s nothing to do but eat. It would taste better with some seasoning, but there was no point in going through that much effort. This food serves one purpose, and that’s to keep us from starving. I slide one plate under the crack between the floor and the bedroom door and sit down in the living room with the other plate in hand.
The book on the coffee table catches my eye as it does every morning. Sighing, I pick up the ratty collection of pages and flip to a random one. One of the few books on the “Great Plague” as they call it, that was ever published, or at least, the only one I could ever find. Titled “The End” by Jared Kramer, It was more of a fanatical opinion piece than a proper informative book, but Kramer at least provided a bit of information on the virus, how the transformation works, and what methods could be used to, in his words, “Cure” the afflicted. A shotgun was noted as the best medicine, with gasoline and matches being a close second. Near the middle of the book, the portion that was coincidentally staring back at me from the pages, it turned into a near unintelligible ranting on the philosophy of consciousness. Apparently, Kramer had only just begun to consider whether blowing the afflicted’s brains out was a morally reasonable decision. He had never come across as a particularly intelligent guy in his writings, and my assumption was that he was simply the only person who wrote fast enough to get a book published before the plague became a worldwide epidemic. Towards the end of the book, Kramer does a 180 and states repeatedly that “Accepting the transformation is the only road to salvation”.
“Salvation... as if”
My words perish in the empty air, a death rattle of frustrated skepticism.
I had never quite understood what that actually meant. Salvation would be something like deliverance from harm, harm being the only thing that the plague brought to the world. The book thuds as I carelessly toss it back on the table. It's obvious that the author was in the process of transforming as he wrote the final passages, but they never ceased to bother me. Perhaps I'm just fixating on those words as a way of keeping my mind occupied.
There’s really no reason to focus on such pointless things.
--------------------
The following night my sleep was peaceful and uninterrupted. She usually shows up once a week, if not less frequently. After waking, the bathroom mirror reveals that the pustules ha subsided slightly, leaving my skin smooth, if not free of the noticeable blemishes. A subtle glint of light shines off of my head and my heart rate accelerates.
Surely not.
Surely it was a trick of the light.
I begin rifling through my matted hair furiously and there it is. A single, silver hair hanging in front of my forehead.
I guess this is it then.
She made sure I had sworn on everything under the sun. Her stupid goofy smile reflected in my memory.
“First grey hair and I’m outta here mister”
To think that a silly little joke between us had turned into this solemn responsibility. The steel of the revolver was cold in my palm. My eyes locked onto it, unsure of when it had made its way from the drawer of the coffee table into my hand, or for that matter, when I had entered the living room. The earth seemed to be rotating at impossible speeds. Everything was black except for the gun in my hand and the book on the coffee table. That goddamn book. One of the pages had begun to tear away from the others, no doubt a result of my less than careful treatment of the thing, and a single word seemed to assault my fragile psyche.
Salvation.
I get it now
My heartbeat slows marginally as the unravelling of this book that I’ve read so many times presented a welcome distraction. There had been nothing left for Kramer, or anyone else for that matter, in a world that was dying around them. His salvation was freedom from the great plague. His call to “accept” the transformation, was not the same as giving in to it. After all, hadn’t he expressed over and over again exactly how to “find release” as he called it, from the infection.
Kramer, unlike me, had accepted that there was no life in transformation, no being, no humanity, and no way back. His moral dilemma had come to a close, likely with a bullet in his brain.
A reluctant chuckle rose through my chest and escaped my throat. It didn’t sound like me. It was twisted, choked, and raspy. She had always known hadn’t she, that I would stay in this house with her. That’s why she had forced me to swear up and down on something as silly and inevitable as a grey hair, before locking herself in that room five years ago. Knowing her, it had all been for my own good, a way for her to look out for me even after she was long gone.
The creak of the door was like nails on a chalkboard. I laid my eyes for the first time in years on my wife, or at least, what was left of her. I had seen the afflicted before, but seeing her in this state brought a blockage to my throat that nothing could have prepared me for. Her head had been obscured by the typical growth, characteristic of the great plague, A mass wider than her torso which was completely wrapped around her head, the loose flesh sagging down onto her shoulders. Large orange boils were dotted across this mass, as well as glistening, concave pits, where those boils had burst and left scars. The thick external vein structure wrapped around it was partially translucent, providing a window to the tar-like substance flowing slowly throughout. The worst thing, however, the thing that forced my tears out of my eyes and onto the corroded floor, was her body. Her clothes had long since disintegrated, leaving a sight that was fundamentally identical to what I remembered, with one exception. The excess weight of the mass upon her shoulder had atrophied her spine, which had crumpled, leaving her torso contorted in a grotesque fashion, the flesh and muscle folding in upon itself in places.
I had let this happen. I had as good as desecrated my wife’s corpse by leaving her in this state, by convincing myself that a cure would be found for a plague that had long-since been eradicated by other means. I did this.
My hands move as though without instruction from my brain, raising the revolver to my eye-level, pointing at the place where my wife’s head was concealed amid that horrid mass of flesh.
Her head tilted upwards slightly, as if she was looking at me with eyes that had been long-since obscured. That muffled, teary voice sounded out from amidst the heap weighing on her shoulders. Despite myself hesitated for just a moment, savoring the shadow of a voice that I would never hear again.
“Do you love me?”

Age: 19
Sex: female (trans man)
Height: 5’ 5”
Weight: 160 lbs
Race: African American, white
Duration of complaint: 6 months
Location: tonsils, throat
Current medications: testosterone, finasteride, kyleena IUD
I am scheduled for a tonsillectomy in August after finding out last week that I’ve had strep throat since January. I have been through five rounds of antibiotics, none of which have cleared up my swollen tonsils and sore throat. I was finally able to see an ENT who sent a culture to lab (results were an uncommon strain of strep). I’m now on a 14 day round of Ceflex, but I’m wondering, does having a bacterial infection for so long do permanent damage to any of my organs? Does it mean that I have a weak immune system if my body could not naturally clear the infection?

Hi, 26M. I started having symptoms of strep throat 7 days ago, decided I could tough it out since I don’t have insurance. By Sunday evening the pain was unbearable so I went to a Walk-In clinic where they did a rapid strep test and prescribed Zpak (allergic to penicillin) I just took my third dose of the Zpak and I’m not seeing really any improvements. I can’t talk without experiencing really sharp pain and my voice sounds all weird as well as the normal strep symptoms. How long does Zpak take to help me start feeling better?

Just got shadow banned like 10 minutes ago for the 2nd time in my life ever. I was sick all last week with Covid,strep throat and an earache so I couldn’t play for 8 days. I hop back on today for the 1st time and run with some buddies and I get shadow banned on a game where I only have 4 kills and about 40 people left on the lobby. I was shadow banned the 1st time like 2 months ago and my KD hasn’t moved since then cause I don’t play much. It’s sad that everyone in the game spam reports everyone because everyone thinks everyone is cheating. I guess because I hit my shots I cheat 🤦🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️but honestly it’s shitty because we have a real problem on our hands. So many cheaters that people can’t tell who is and who is not cheating anymore they just report everyone. Like why spam report me if I only have 4 kills. Well anyways now I’m gonna wait another 7 days because some grown man who hates his life decided to spam my report. Thanks

28 year old man. I had open heart surgery 2 years ago, and suffer from recurrent pericarditis. The ECG definitively showed my first two episodes of pericarditis, but ever since then, it’s been over a year of normal blood work, ECGs, echos, and even a CT scan. They cannot find anything. My symptoms aren’t even reminiscent of pericarditis anymore (some are, some aren’t). Starting with the worst symptoms, I have shortness of breath, fatigue, malaise, brain fog and depression, muscle aches, joint pain, anxiety, stabbing throat pain, and like no interest in sex. I can feel great for a week but then awful for 2+ weeks. It fluctuates like that, but it’s mostly just an awful time. Exertion makes it worse, and lifting any sort of weights exacerbates the muscle and joint pain. But if I just run or walk too much, I don’t get the muscle and joint pain very much. I feel like this has to be something other than pericarditis. I’m waiting for ANA results and like all my other blood work, I’ll probably be seronegative.
Please help. I can barely function some days. I don’t know how I’m going to hold down a job. I have no pleasure in anything anymore. I’m gasping for a breath most of the time but my oxygen levels and breathing tests are all fine. And then there are days where I can feel like I can do anything. I can breathe normally. No pain. Everything is fine. But that’s short lived. It’s not depression nor anxiety on its own. That I know for sure. I’ve suffered with mild depression and anxiety before my surgery as well, and it was nothing like this.

34F severe sore throat since Friday may 3. Was tested for strep Saturday may 4 - negative. Covid - negative. Was put on steroid Monday may 6, medrol pack. Helped bring severity slightly down but severe pain persisted. Was put on zpack on Thursday may 9. Finished zpack Monday may 13. Pain stayed at a 6/10. Today took a turn for the worse and pain got to a 8/10 on one side and I noticed what looks like maybe a peritonsillar abscess. I am hoping I’m wrong. Do I have to go to the ER over this or can I continue to take Advil at home?
https://i.imgur.com/rbZhDHP.jpeg

She greeted him with lips and an open mouth before he’d managed to shut the front door; a welcoming home he hadn’t received since they were still dating. The surprise assault nearly caused Mark to stumble backward into the hallway, but he recovered and returned the embrace in kind, relishing the feeling of her body and tongue against his. As she pulled away, he thought he detected a faint aftertaste on her breath—something unnatural hidden underneath, an earthy flavor that reminded him of potting soil. The taste was gone as soon as it had come, and he forgot about it in short order.
“Welcome home, babe,” Tracy said with a smile, and he smiled back.
“Well, that was nice,” he said, while his brain scrambled to attribute any significance to this day, a forgotten birthday or anniversary or any reason at all for the enthusiasm he’d been welcomed home with. He came up empty, conceded defeat and said, “What was that for?”
“I’ve just missed you, is all. I’m glad you’re home.” She was still smiling, her green eyes drinking him in like sunflowers in the first light of the morning. She waited for him to remove his shoes, then took his hand and pulled him into the warm glow of the kitchen and kissed him again in a fervent reminder of their youth. The taste was stronger this time; he thought it familiar but couldn’t place it. Bad breath, perhaps.
They passed through the kitchen into the dark of their living room, lit only by the cool white of the television. An old rerun of Tracy’s favorite sitcom was on, filling the room with bombastic voices and the intervallic laughs of a live studio audience. Mark jumped at the unexpected sight of a figure sitting on the couch—a woman with hands in her lap and an upright posture, her eyes glued to the TV without so much as an acknowledgment of their presence. Her face was a blank slate.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you Shelby is here,” Tracy said, motioning to her sister. “She wanted to come over and hang out for a while. Her husband has been fucking their underage neighbor. She walked in on them today.”
This tactless and matter-of-fact proclamation shocked Mark almost as much as the news itself. “Oh, Shelby, I’m so sorry,” he said. “Have you talked to the police yet?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Tracy said, waving an apathetic hand before sitting opposite her sister on the couch and patting the spot between them, grinning. “We’re all just going to relax and have a good time right now. Why don’t you come take a seat?”
Mark shifted on his feet but relented and walked over to sit. When he did, Tracy scooted over to him and put a hand on his thigh, whispering in his ear while lightly brushing his cheek with soft lips. It was something she knew he liked, at least when they were alone.
“Don’t you want to have a good time with me?” She said, planting a slow, deliberate kiss in front of his ear, following it up with a dab of her tongue. Her cool breath carried a strange smell to his nose, and the hair on Mark’s arms stood up despite himself. Tracy put a hand between his legs and gave him a firm squeeze.
Mark started like he’d received an electric shock and pulled his wife’s hand away, trying his best to whisper quietly enough for only her to hear. “What the hell are you doing?” he said, shooting a nervous glance at Shelby, who appeared unbothered.
“It’s fine, babe. I just can’t resist you. It’s not my fault you look so good,” Tracy whispered louder than him and tried snaking her hand back onto his crotch. It was all Mark could do to keep her at bay without alerting Shelby outright.
“Your sister is right there,” he said through gritted teeth. “And you just said she’s going through some shit. Just wait until later. You can have anything you want then.”
“Oh, there’s no way I can wait. You’re much too tempting for that. What do you say we go to the bedroom? I’m gonna give you something you’ll never forget.” Tracy moaned audibly and gnashed her teeth so hard Mark recoiled. He turned and looked at her with a bewildered expression, while hers was nothing short of ravenous.
“What is going on?” He asked her. “I’m not comfortable with this at all. Just wait until we’re alone!”
Tracy stood and looked down on him with crossed arms, not bothering to whisper. “I don’t care how comfortable you are. You’re my husband, and you’re going to give me what I want. I have to go to the bathroom. You have until I get back to lighten up and have a good time with me.” She walked to the back of the apartment in a huff.
Mark moved into Tracy’s old spot and stared at the ground. He wasn’t sure how much of that Shelby had seen and heard, but she’d surely heard something, and he had no idea what to say.
“It’s not her.” She spoke so quietly, and Mark had been so consumed with embarrassed thoughts that Shelby’s words didn’t register at first. When he realized she’d said something, he turned to her, and for the first time he noticed that she hadn’t moved since he’d walked in. Not one muscle. Not an inch.
“What did you say?” he asked her.
“It’s not her. She’s dead.”
The clunk of footsteps on the wooden floor in the kitchen preceded Tracy’s arrival, and she walked into the living room with a smile on her face, hands clasped behind her back.
Marks stomach sunk into a pit of ice at the sight of her hungry smile. “Alright, babe,” she said. “Let’s go to the bedroom. Shelby will be okay here alone for a little bit. I want you too badly to wait anymore.” Her smile widened, and a trail of green liquid ran from the corner of her mouth down her chin. She caressed her neck with her right hand, massaging slowly. “I want you, babe. You need to come give in to me. I won’t let you get away.”
Mark’s throat tightened as he turned to Shelby, who remained as motionless as ever and said nothing. He looked into the lustful eyes of Tracy, who winked and beckoned him to follow before walking back to their bedroom.
He didn't move at first. He felt like a python had squeezed the breath from his body, and he gasped and put a hand on his chest, attempting to gain control of his breathing.
“Come to me, dear husband!” A cry from the bedroom made him jump. But at these words, he accepted his fate. She was his wife, and she needed him. He would always love her.
He stood and walked into the kitchen. The apartment was dark, with the only light emanating from their bedroom, which sat with the door half-open at the end of the hallway.
Mark braced himself and walked towards it.