Cargo trailer values blue book

Spider-Man

2010.07.02 05:48 geoviedo Spider-Man

The subreddit for the Marvel character, Spider-Man
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2008.05.22 03:10 bicycling

Two wheels, or three, sometimes one, but never more than twenty. Interested in riding a bicycle? We welcome bicyclists of all skill levels including those who don't yet own a bike. Ask us your questions or meetup with other redditors in your area for local rides. Happy cycling!
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2011.06.25 04:46 SapphireRyu r/ōkami

The place for sharing links about new Ōkami or Ōkamiden news, or anything else related to the Ōkami games you want to share. May the Great Mother Amaterasu be with you. (Ya big furball!)
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2024.05.17 09:12 Sweet-Count2557 Maldives Island for Rent

Maldives Island for Rent
Maldives Island for Rent Welcome to the enchanting world of Maldives Island for Rent, where dreams of idyllic paradise become a reality.Picture yourself basking in the warm embrace of the sun, surrounded by crystal-clear turquoise waters that stretch as far as the eye can see.Imagine unwinding in luxurious accommodations, where every detail is meticulously crafted to indulge your senses.Now, imagine having an entire private island all to yourself.But that's just the beginning...Key TakeawaysThe Maldives offers a range of private island options for rent, with luxurious accommodations and amenities.Guests can enjoy a variety of activities and excursions, including water sports, spa treatments, and exploring the marine life and coral reefs.The private islands provide a high level of privacy, exclusivity, and personalized service, with dedicated butlers and chefs available.Eco-friendly tourism and sustainability are emphasized, with efforts made to minimize impact on the environment and preserve the natural beauty of the Maldives.Velaa Private Island: 45 VillasVelaa Private Island: 45 Villas, nestled in the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean, offers a luxurious and unforgettable escape like no other. Located in the Maldives, this private island paradise is a dream destination for those seeking privacy, exclusivity, and stunning natural beauty.With 45 villas to choose from, Velaa Private Island caters to various preferences and group sizes. Each villa is designed with elegance and sophistication, providing a serene sanctuary amidst the vibrant marine life and unspoiled natural surroundings. Whether you prefer a beachfront villa, a water villa, or a private residence, Velaa has the perfect accommodation to suit your desires.The amenities and activities available on the island are nothing short of extraordinary. Indulge in relaxation at the private spa, take a dip in the 25-meter-long swimming pool, or bask in the sun on the pristine beaches. For the adventurous souls, there are plenty of water sports to enjoy, such as snorkeling, diving, and jet skiing. The island also offers gourmet dining experiences, with world-class chefs crafting exquisite dishes using the finest ingredients.Velaa Private Island goes beyond providing a luxurious getaway. It offers opportunities for eco-friendly tourism, allowing guests to appreciate and preserve the natural beauty of the Maldives. Excursions to nearby islands and coral reefs give visitors a chance to explore the diverse marine life and vibrant ecosystems that make the Maldives a sought-after destination.Renting a private island like Velaa Private Island is a unique and unforgettable experience. It offers the ultimate escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, immersing you in a world of tranquility, natural beauty, and unparalleled luxury. So why settle for anything less when you can have the best?Discover the magic of Velaa Private Island: 45 Villas and create memories that will last a lifetime.Kudadoo Private Island: 15 Water VillasPrepare to be whisked away to a world of luxury and exclusivity with Kudadoo Private Island: 15 Water Villas.Nestled in the heart of the Indian Ocean, this private island offers an unparalleled experience of opulence and tranquility.With 15 beautifully designed over-water residences, each boasting its own private pool, guests can indulge in the ultimate island getaway.Luxury Water Villa ExperienceFor those seeking an unforgettable luxury water villa experience, Kudadoo Private Island offers 15 beautifully designed over-water residences, each boasting a private 44m2 pool for the ultimate in exclusivity and relaxation.Here's what you can expect from this extraordinary experience:Privacy and seclusion: Rent the entire island and enjoy the utmost privacy with access to 13 one-bedroom and 2 two-bedroom residences, as well as 2 over-water rooms for your entourage.Personalized service: Indulge in the all-inclusive package that includes a private butler for each residence, a personal chef for curated dining experiences, and unlimited award-winning spa treatments.Exciting activities: Immerse yourself in a range of activities such as snorkeling, big game fishing, dolphin safaris, and yoga sessions with a private trainer.Exclusive perks: Enjoy access to the wine cellar with prestigious wines, Champagne, and the renowned 5.8 Undersea Restaurant at Hurawalhi Island Resort. Plus, you'll have daily breakfast, free Wi-Fi, butler service, and yoga and meditation classes.For an unparalleled luxury water villa experience, Kudadoo Private Island is the ultimate choice.Exclusive Island AmenitiesWith its 15 sustainably designed over-water residences and exclusive amenities, Kudadoo Private Island offers an unparalleled luxury experience for those seeking the ultimate in privacy and relaxation. As guests of this exclusive island, we have access to a range of amenities that cater to our every need. Let's take a look at some of the highlights:Exclusive Island AmenitiesDescriptionPersonal ButlerEach residence comes with a dedicated personal butler who is available round the clock to assist with any requests or arrangements. From arranging excursions to ensuring our villa is always stocked with our favorite snacks and beverages, our butler is there to make our stay as seamless and enjoyable as possible.Private ChefA personal chef is assigned to curate a bespoke dining experience, tailored to our preferences. From romantic candlelit dinners on the beach to gourmet picnics on a secluded sandbank, our chef will create culinary delights that cater to our tastes.Spa TreatmentsAs part of the all-inclusive luxury experience, we have unlimited access to award-winning spa treatments. Whether it's a soothing massage or a rejuvenating facial, we can indulge in ultimate relaxation whenever we desire.Activities and ExcursionsThe island offers a wide range of activities and excursions to keep us entertained. From snorkeling in vibrant coral reefs to going on a thrilling big game fishing expedition, there is something for everyone. For those looking to maintain their fitness routine, private yoga sessions with a dedicated trainer are also available.Stylish TravelTo explore the surrounding area, a seaplane is at our disposal. This provides a luxurious and convenient mode of transportation, allowing us to arrive at our chosen destination in style.With these exclusive island amenities, Kudadoo Private Island ensures that every aspect of our stay is taken care of, leaving us free to relax and enjoy the beauty of the Maldives.The Nautilus Maldives: 26 Houses and ResidencesNestled in the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, The Nautilus Maldives beckons with its collection of 26 exquisite houses and residences. This exclusive private island resort, located southwest of Sri Lanka and approximately 700 kilometers southwest of India, offers a truly luxurious and unforgettable experience. Here, guests can indulge in the epitome of comfort and relaxation, surrounded by stunning natural beauty.To give you a taste of what awaits at The Nautilus Maldives, here are four key features of their houses and residences:Unparalleled Luxury: Each house and residence at The Nautilus Maldives is designed with the utmost attention to detail, combining contemporary style with traditional Maldivian elements. From spacious living areas to private pools and sun decks, every aspect is carefully crafted to provide the ultimate in comfort and opulence.Spectacular Views: Imagine waking up to breathtaking vistas of the turquoise ocean stretching as far as the eye can see. Whether you choose a beachfront villa or an overwater bungalow, you can enjoy uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean from the privacy of your own sanctuary.Personalized Service: At The Nautilus Maldives, hospitality is taken to new heights. Each house and residence comes with a dedicated butler who'll cater to your every need, ensuring that your stay is nothing short of extraordinary. From arranging bespoke dining experiences to organizing excursions and activities, they'll go above and beyond to create unforgettable moments.Secluded Serenity: The Nautilus Maldives offers the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. With its private island setting, you can truly disconnect and unwind in a tranquil paradise. Whether you choose to relax on the pristine white sandy beaches or explore the vibrant underwater world, you'll find peace and serenity at every turn.Four Seasons Maldives Private Island VoavahImmerse yourself in the epitome of luxury and exclusivity at the Four Seasons Maldives Private Island Voavah.This private island resort, nestled in the Indian Ocean, offers a breathtaking natural landscape with pristine beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see.As guests, you'll have the opportunity to indulge in a range of exclusive amenities and activities that will leave you feeling pampered and rejuvenated.Picture yourself lounging on your own private beach, the turquoise waters lapping at your feet as you soak up the sun.For those seeking adventure, the resort offers an array of water sports, from snorkeling and scuba diving to jet skiing and paddleboarding.If relaxation is what you crave, the spa and wellness facilities await, ready to provide you with the ultimate in tranquility and rejuvenation.At the Four Seasons Maldives Private Island Voavah, every aspect of your stay is meticulously tailored to your desires.With seven private villas, each featuring its own spa, you can unwind in style and seclusion.The resort also boasts a 25-meter-long swimming pool, exotic gardens, and a private boat, perfect for exploring nearby islands and coral reefs.Whether you're planning a group gathering, a family vacation, or a special celebration, this private island paradise offers the ideal setting.With its unspoiled natural beauty, crystal-clear waters teeming with vibrant marine life, and a range of activities to suit every taste, the Four Seasons Maldives Private Island Voavah promises an unforgettable and unique holiday experience.Coco Privé Kuda Hithi IslandCoco Privé Kuda Hithi Island beckons visitors with its luxurious accommodations and stunning natural surroundings in the Indian Ocean. As we explore this private island resort, let's delve into what makes Coco Privé Kuda Hithi Island the perfect destination for an unforgettable getaway.Exquisite Accommodations: The water villas in Coco Privé Kuda Hithi Island provide a truly lavish experience. With breathtaking views, direct access to the ocean, and modern amenities, these villas offer the ultimate in comfort and luxury.Spacious and Serene: Ideal for group gatherings, the island offers ample space for everyone. Whether you're planning a big family reunion, a get-together with friends, or a special celebration, Coco Privé Kuda Hithi Island ensures privacy and seclusion for all.A Paradise of Activities: With a 25-meter-long swimming pool and its own spa, the island provides endless opportunities for relaxation and rejuvenation. Whether you choose to lounge by the pool, immerse yourself in the crystal-clear waters, or explore the vibrant marine life, Coco Privé Kuda Hithi Island offers a dream destination experience.Instagram-Worthy Landscapes: The natural beauty of Coco Privé Kuda Hithi Island is truly awe-inspiring. From the exotic gardens to the picturesque vistas, every corner of the island is a perfect backdrop for capturing unforgettable moments.To inquire about rates and make reservations for this slice of paradise, interested individuals can reach out to Coco Privé Kuda Hithi Island through their website, phone, or email. Don't miss the chance to experience the epitome of luxury and natural beauty at Coco Privé Kuda Hithi Island.Ithaafushi Private Island by Waldorf AstoriaAs we continue our exploration of luxurious private island retreats in the Maldives, let's set our sights on the captivating Ithaafushi Private Island by Waldorf Astoria.This secluded paradise is located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Sri Lanka, offering an exclusive haven for those seeking the utmost privacy and indulgence.One of the highlights of Ithaafushi Private Island is its array of luxurious amenities. Imagine pampering yourself with a rejuvenating spa treatment in your own private spa, or taking a refreshing dip in the 25-meter-long swimming pool. The island is also adorned with exotic gardens, creating a serene and picturesque backdrop for your getaway.Guests at Ithaafushi Private Island can enjoy a host of activities to enhance their experience. From thrilling water sports to gourmet dining experiences, there's something for everyone to enjoy. If you're feeling adventurous, you can even embark on excursions to nearby islands and coral reefs, immersing yourself in the natural beauty of the Maldives.What sets Ithaafushi Private Island apart is its commitment to personalized service. With a dedicated team of 25 professionals led by the Island Chief, you can expect round-the-clock availability and expertise in various areas. Whether you need assistance with diving or housekeeping, the team is there to cater to your every need.The island offers 15 sustainably designed over-water residences, each featuring a 44m2 pool and private butler service. To further elevate your stay, unlimited spa treatments and tailored experiences are also included, ensuring a lavish and unforgettable retreat.Cheval Blanc Randheli Private IslandLocated in the captivating Maldives, Cheval Blanc Randheli Private Island offers a luxurious and exclusive experience for those seeking ultimate relaxation and seclusion. With its pristine beaches, exotic gardens, and personalized service, this private island is the epitome of luxury.Here are four reasons why Cheval Blanc Randheli Private Island is the perfect destination for an unforgettable getaway:Indulge in the Spa: The island features its own spa, where you can pamper yourself with rejuvenating treatments and therapies. From traditional Maldivian massages to bespoke wellness rituals, the spa offers a range of options to help you unwind and rejuvenate.Relax by the Pool: Take a dip in the island's 25-meter-long swimming pool, surrounded by lush greenery and breathtaking views. Whether you want to soak up the sun on a comfortable lounger or enjoy a refreshing swim, the pool area provides the perfect setting for relaxation.Escape to Water Villas: Experience the ultimate in privacy and seclusion with the island's water villas. These luxurious accommodations offer direct access to the ocean, allowing you to immerse yourself in the crystal-clear waters of the Maldives. With modern amenities and stunning views, the water villas provide a serene and intimate setting for your stay.Ideal for Group Gatherings: Whether you're planning a family reunion, a getaway with friends, or a special celebration, Cheval Blanc Randheli Private Island has ample space and activities to accommodate large groups. From spacious accommodations to a variety of leisure options, the island ensures that everyone has a memorable and enjoyable experience.From the moment you step foot on Cheval Blanc Randheli Private Island, you'll be greeted with warm hospitality and exceptional service. The 25-person team, led by the Island Chief, is dedicated to providing tailored experiences and ensuring that every aspect of your stay is nothing short of perfection.The Beach HouseWhen it comes to luxury amenities, The Beach House on the private island offers an unparalleled experience.With its open-air living room, dining areas, gym, library, and Loft Lounge, guests can enjoy panoramic views of the Biosphere domain while indulging in ultimate relaxation.The 15 over-water residences with private pools and the personalized services of a private butler, personal chef, and personal trainer ensure that exclusive privacy and utmost comfort are guaranteed throughout your stay.Luxury Amenities OfferedThe Beach House at The Maldives offers an array of luxurious amenities that cater to every guest's desire for opulence and relaxation. Here are some of the incredible luxury amenities offered:Central Hub: The Beach House features a central hub with open-air living and dining areas, a gym, a library, and the Loft Lounge. From here, guests can enjoy panoramic views of the Biosphere domain, creating a truly breathtaking experience.Over-Water Residences: There are 15 sustainably designed over-water residences at The Beach House, each equipped with a 44m2 pool. Guests can rent the entire island and choose from 13 one-bedroom and 2 two-bedroom residences, as well as 2 over-water rooms for their entourage.Personalized Services: Every residence at The Beach House comes with a private butler, ensuring that guests receive the highest level of service. Additionally, a personal chef is available to curate dining experiences, a personal trainer and wellness guru are on hand to help guests stay fit and relaxed, and unlimited award-winning spa treatments are offered, including a Himalayan salt room, sauna, and steam room.Exciting Activities: The Beach House offers a range of activities and excursions to keep guests entertained. From snorkeling and big game fishing to dolphin safaris on jet skis, there's something for everyone. Yoga and gym sessions are also available to help guests maintain their fitness routines. For a truly stylish travel experience, guests can even enjoy transportation via Kudadoo's own seaplane.At The Beach House, luxury amenities are at the forefront, ensuring that every guest enjoys a truly unforgettable and indulgent experience.Exclusive Privacy GuaranteedNestled in the heart of the Maldives, The Beach House offers an exclusive haven of privacy and seclusion for those seeking a truly personalized island experience. With the Exclusive Privacy Guaranteed package, guests can enjoy the ultimate level of privacy, ensuring that their stay on the island remains undisturbed.The Beach House features an open-air living room and dining areas, a gym, a library, and the Loft Lounge, offering panoramic views of the Biosphere domain. This package also includes daily breakfast, welcome amenities, free Wi-Fi, butler service, and access to non-motorized water sports, yoga, fitness, and meditation classes.Whether you want to relax by the infinity pool or explore the vibrant marine life, The Beach House provides an exclusive retreat where you can unwind and rejuvenate in complete seclusion.For those interested in booking the island, The Nautilus Maldives can be contacted via email at reservations@thenautilusmaldives.com for more information about island buy-out rates and to learn about the package.Luxury Vacation Rental & ResidenceIndulge in the epitome of luxury with our selection of stunning Maldives island resorts, private islands for rent, and eco-friendly island options. When it comes to luxury vacation rental and residence in the Maldives, there's no shortage of opulent options to choose from. Here is a glimpse into what awaits you in this tropical paradise:Velaa Private Island: Immerse yourself in a world of unparalleled luxury with its private villas, Michelin-starred dining, and an exclusive golf course designed by a champion golfer.Kudadoo Private Island: Experience a truly all-inclusive escape with its lavish overwater villas, personalized butler service, and unlimited access to activities such as diving, spa treatments, and gourmet dining.The Nautilus Maldives: Step into a world of timeless elegance with its spacious beach and ocean houses, private pools, and bespoke experiences tailored to your every desire.Four Seasons Maldives Private Island Voavah: Enjoy the ultimate in privacy and exclusivity on this five-acre island, complete with a private yacht, dedicated team of staff, and an array of water sports and wellness activities.These luxury vacation rentals and residences offer not just lavish accommodations, but also access to the Maldives' stunning natural beauty. From pristine white-sand beaches to crystal-clear waters teeming with vibrant marine life, every moment spent in this paradise is sure to be Instagram-worthy.Whether you seek relaxation or adventure, these properties provide a comprehensive range of services and activities to make your vacation truly unforgettable.Please note that availability may be limited due to high demand, so it's advisable to book well in advance. Prices for these luxury rentals and residences range from thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the duration of stay and the specific amenities and services included.Prepare to be pampered and indulge in the ultimate luxury experience in the Maldives.Ultimate Private Islands in MaldivesGet ready to immerse yourselves in the world of ultimate luxury and exclusivity as we explore the incredible private islands in the Maldives.These exclusive resorts offer a secluded tropical paradise, where you can bask in unparalleled privacy and tranquility.Imagine having your own pristine beach, indulging in water sports, enjoying gourmet dining experiences, and exploring nearby coral reefs - all in the lap of luxury.Exclusive Luxury ResortsAt these exclusive luxury resorts in the Maldives, you can experience the ultimate in privacy, personalized service, and stunning natural beauty. Here are four reasons why these resorts are the epitome of luxury:Private Islands: These resorts offer the opportunity to rent or purchase your own private island in the Indian Ocean. Imagine having an entire island to yourself, with pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and lush landscapes.Endless Activities: From water sports like snorkeling and diving to spa and wellness facilities, there's no shortage of activities to enjoy. You can explore nearby islands and coral reefs, indulge in gourmet dining experiences, or simply relax on your secluded beach.Exclusivity: These luxury resorts pride themselves on providing an exclusive experience. With limited availability due to high demand, you can rest assured that you'll have the privacy and exclusivity you desire.Unforgettable Holiday: Choosing a private island in the Maldives guarantees a unique and memorable holiday experience. The personalized service, breathtaking natural beauty, and unrivaled privacy will leave you with memories that will last a lifetime.Secluded Tropical ParadiseAs we continue our exploration of exclusive luxury resorts in the Maldives, we now venture into the realm of Secluded Tropical Paradise, where ultimate private islands await, offering a haven of tranquility and breathtaking beauty.These secluded tropical paradises provide an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the serenity of nature. With luxurious amenities and stunning natural surroundings, these private islands offer the perfect setting for a truly unforgettable vacation.From water sports and spa experiences to gourmet dining, guests can indulge in a wide range of activities while enjoying the utmost privacy and personalized service. The spacious accommodations, whether it be a water villa or a beachfront bungalow, provide a luxurious retreat with breathtaking views and direct access to the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean.For those seeking an exclusive and intimate getaway, these ultimate private islands in the Maldives are the epitome of secluded tropical paradise.Unparalleled Privacy and TranquilityNestled amidst the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, the ultimate private islands in the Maldives offer an unparalleled escape into a world of unrivaled privacy and tranquility. Here, guests can bask in the seclusion of their own private paradise, surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty.To paint a picture of this idyllic setting, imagine:Exclusive Luxury: Guests can indulge in luxurious amenities, from private beaches and water sports to spa facilities and gourmet dining experiences.Unmatched Personalized Service: The private islands provide unparalleled seclusion, accompanied by personalized service that caters to every whim and desire.Sustainable Serenity: These private islands are ideal for eco-friendly and sustainable tourism, inviting guests to immerse themselves in the stunning natural surroundings.Group Gatherings: Perfect for group gatherings, the private islands offer spacious accommodations, a wide range of activities, and breathtaking water villas with direct access to the ocean.Immerse yourself in a world of unparalleled privacy and tranquility, where every moment is tailored to your desires.Small Luxury Resorts for RentImmerse yourself in the lap of luxury with a stay at one of the small, exclusive resorts available for rent in the Maldives. These small luxury resorts offer an intimate and personalized experience, ensuring that every guest feels like a VIP. With stunning natural beauty and world-class amenities, these resorts provide a truly unforgettable vacation.Resort NameLocationAmenitiesVelaa Private IslandNoonu AtollPrivate pool, spa, golf course, underwater restaurantKudadoo Private IslandLhaviyani AtollPrivate butler, infinity pool, overwater spaThe Nautilus MaldivesBaa AtollPrivate beach, ocean-facing infinity pool, spaFour Seasons Maldives VoavahBaa AtollPrivate yacht, beach house, dive centerEach of these small luxury resorts offers a unique and extraordinary experience. At Velaa Private Island, indulge in the luxury of your own private pool, spa treatments, and even a round of golf on their exclusive course. Kudadoo Private Island takes personalized service to the next level with a private butler at your disposal, an infinity pool overlooking the turquoise waters, and an overwater spa for ultimate relaxation.If you're looking for a secluded beach getaway, The Nautilus Maldives is the perfect choice. With its private beach and ocean-facing infinity pool, you can unwind and soak up the sun in complete tranquility. For those seeking adventure, Four Seasons Maldives Voavah offers a private yacht, a beach house, and a dive center, allowing you to explore the vibrant coral reefs and marine life that the Maldives is famous for.These small luxury resorts for rent in the Maldives offer unparalleled comfort, privacy, and breathtaking views. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply seeking a romantic escape, these resorts provide the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable vacation.Very Private Islands in the MaldivesWith luxurious Maldives island resorts, exclusive private islands for rent, and secluded islands for sale, the Maldives offers a range of very private island options for those seeking the ultimate in privacy and seclusion.Luxury and Exclusivity: Private islands in the Maldives provide the epitome of luxury and exclusivity. From lavish villas to personalized service, these islands offer a truly opulent experience.Secluded Beaches: Picture yourself lounging on your own private beach, with pristine white sand and crystal-clear turquoise waters. Private islands in the Maldives offer secluded beaches where you can relax and soak up the sun in complete privacy.Water Sports and Excursions: If you're seeking adventure, private islands in the Maldives have you covered. Enjoy thrilling water sports such as snorkeling and diving, or embark on excursions to nearby islands and coral reefs for a truly memorable experience.Eco-Friendly Options: For those who value sustainability, private islands in the Maldives also offer eco-friendly options. These islands are designed to minimize their impact on the environment, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of nature while being mindful of its preservation.Choosing a private island in the Maldives comes with numerous benefits. You'll enjoy ultimate privacy and seclusion, along with personalized service that caters to your every need. The stunning natural beauty and pristine beaches will take your breath away, providing the perfect backdrop for a truly memorable holiday. Additionally, by opting for an eco-friendly island, you can contribute to sustainable tourism and leave a positive impact on the environment.Some of the private islands available for rent in the Maldives include Velaa Private Island, Kudadoo Private Island, The Nautilus Maldives, Four Seasons Maldives Private Island Voavah, Coco Privé Kuda Hithi Island, Ithaafushi Private Island by Waldorf Astoria, and Cheval Blanc Randheli Private Island. These islands offer a range of facilities such as private spas, swimming pools, pristine beaches, exotic gardens, and even private boats for exploring the surrounding waters.Frequently Asked QuestionsHow Much Does It Cost to Rent an Island in Maldives?When it comes to renting an island in the Maldives, the cost can vary greatly. A cost comparison is necessary to find the best option for your budget.Factors such as location, amenities, and duration of stay all play a role in determining the price. Private islands offer ultimate privacy and luxurious experiences, but they can range from thousands to millions of dollars.Which Is the Cheapest Private Island in Maldives?The cheapest private island in the Maldives offers affordable accommodations for those seeking a luxurious getaway. With all-inclusive luxury experiences starting at $250,000 per night, guests can have an entire island to themselves. This package includes daily breakfast, a champagne welcome, and access to activities such as snorkeling and yoga.Additional perks like free Wi-Fi, butler service, and VIP transportation from the airport make this experience even more enticing.Contact Kudadoo to book your dream island escape.How Do You Get to Private Island in Maldives?Getting to private island resorts in the Maldives is a breeze. We can choose from a variety of transportation options, including seaplanes, speedboats, helicopters, and even private yachts. These luxurious modes of travel offer not only convenience but also breathtaking views of the surrounding turquoise waters.Whether it's a short speedboat ride or a scenic seaplane transfer, the journey to our private island retreat promises to be hassle-free and unforgettable.Can I Stay on a Local Island in the Maldives?Yes, we can stay on a local island in the Maldives.Staying on a local island offers a unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in the local culture and interact with friendly locals.We can explore vibrant communities, visit local markets, and indulge in traditional Maldivian cuisine.Additionally, day trips to nearby islands are possible, allowing us to discover the beauty of the surrounding area.It's important to respect local customs and dress codes while staying on local islands.ConclusionIn conclusion, renting a private island in the Maldives offers an unparalleled luxury experience that's sure to create memories that last a lifetime.While some may argue that a private island vacation is too extravagant, the privacy, personalized service, and stunning natural beauty make it a worthwhile investment.So why not treat yourself to a truly unique and unforgettable holiday in the Maldives, where you can enjoy the ultimate in seclusion and luxury?
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2024.05.17 09:06 leo1809 Silly question about parking in Palermo

I've got a bit of a silly question about parking in Palermo and I'm hoping you can help me out. Next month, I'll be on a road trip through Sicily and staying in Palermo for three nights. As a foreign tourist, parking is a bit of a headache. The B&B I've booked is in an apartment building outside the ZTL zone. I checked it out on Google Street View and saw the street sides around the building are packed with parked cars, but I didn't see any white or blue lines indicating parking spots. The nearest parking lots I found is a bit far from the apartment and charges 20 to 30 euros per day, with no guarantee of a spot. So here's my question: if I arrive and see an empty spot on the street near the apartment on the day of check-in, is it wise to park there and leave the car there for 3 days (I don't think I'm causing any extra trouble for anyone since the street is already full of parked cars and I'm not blocking pedestrians)? What are the chances of getting a parking ticket for illegal parking? I mean, if the fine isn't outrageously high—let's say under 100 euros—and the probability of getting fined isn't too high either, then the fine multiplied by the chance of getting fined seems like a better deal than spending a lot of time hunting for a parking lot. Am I missing something here?
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2024.05.17 09:06 TerribleSell2997 Hyperautomation Market Increasing Demand, Growth Analysis and Future Outlook by 2031

~Hyperautomation market~ is anticipated to grow at a considerable CAGR of 19.5% during the forecast period. The high demand for hyperautomation from several end-user industrial verticals is a key factor driving the growth of the global market. According to the research of Salesforce and Vanson Bourne in June 2022, hyperautomation is a key priority for CIOs. The survey reveals that 80.0% of organizations will have hyperautomation on their technology roadmap within the next 24 months.
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Additionally, in May 2022, Pegasystems acquired Everflow, a Brazilian-based process mining company. This acquisition was done by Pega to position itself as a platform of choice for hyperautomation across the enterprise, building on its other recent platform advancements. Such strategies are being actively adopted by the companies operating in this industry to remain competitive in the marketplace.
full report of Hyperautomation Market available @ https://www.omrglobal.com/industry-reports/hyperautomation-market
· Market Coverage
· Market number available for – 2024-2031
· Base year- 2024
· Forecast period- 2024-2031
· Segment Covered- By Source, By Product Type, By Applications
· Competitive Landscape- Archer Daniels Midland Co., Ingredion Inc., Kerry Group Plc, Cargill
· Inc., and others
Market Segmentation
Global Hyperautomation Market by Component
o Solutions
o Services
Global Hyperautomation Market by Technology
o Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
o Machine Learning (ML)
o Natural Language Generation (NLG)
o Biometrics
o Chatbot
o Context-Aware Computing
o Computer Vision
Global Hyperautomation Market by End-User Vertical
o Manufacturing
o Retail
o IT & Telecom
o Education
o Automotive
o Manufacturing
o Healthcare & Life Science
Regional Analysis
o North America
o United States
o Canada
o Europe
o UK
o Germany
o Italy
o Spain
o France
o Rest of Europe
o Asia-Pacific
o China
o India
o Japan
o South Korea
o Rest of Asia-Pacific
o Rest of the World
Company Profiles
o Amelia LLC
o Blue Prism Ltd.
o Catalytic Inc.
o Celaton Ltd.
o EdgeVerve Systems Ltd. (Infosys)
o FPT Software Ltd.
o HelpSystems, LLC
o KOFAX, Inc.
o Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
o NICE Ltd.
o NTT Advanced Technology Corp.
o OnviSource, Inc.
o Pegasystems
o Redwood Software Inc.
o UiPath
o Verint Systems Inc.
o Xerox Holdings Corp.
The Report Covers
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About Orion Market Research Orion Market Research (OMR) is a market research and consulting company known for its crisp and concise reports. The company is equipped with an experienced team of analysts and consultants. OMR offers quality syndicated research reports, customized research reports, consulting and other research-based services. The company also offer Digital Marketing services through its subsidiary OMR Digital and Software development and Consulting Services through another subsidiary Encanto Technologies.
Media Contact:
Company Name: Orion Market Research
Contact Person: Mr. Anurag Tiwari
Email: [info@omrglobal.com](mailto:info@omrglobal.com)
Contact no: +91 780-304-0404
submitted by TerribleSell2997 to Nim2908 [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 09:05 mamafihin0kcui Philosophical Justification of Aggression

Modern media can embellish people and actions that are actually ugly, unproductive and anti-humane. The mega-popular TV presenter Tucker Carlson (the programmers of the X/Twitter social network are currently working on the artificially inflated ratings of his programs) published an interview with Alexander Dugin, who in the West has a reputation as an influential intellectual and academic philosopher, although in both cases it is not true. In fact, Dugin just likes to read and talk. He really reads a lot, in particular, philosophical works, but he quotes and interprets all these in a free manner, skillfully and manipulatively adapting the opinions of other thinkers and various facts to himself.
Dugin is a pseudo-intellectual who, however, a skillful orator and knows how to impress people. The philosophical community of Russian academic circles openly disrespect Dugin. He is popular among the radical far-right public, who never read his printed works, but only know his repeated appeals and slogans as “protection of traditional values”, “protection of traditional families”, “protection and spread of the Russian language and culture”, “the supremacy of true Christian Russia over the rotten West, which has plunged into Satan’s Kingdom” and so on. It is noteworthy that Dugin is considered one of the main creators of the ideology of the “Russkiy mir”, while the latter is not generally accepted ideology in Russia, but a mixture of different views (which sometimes contradict each other).
It is quite interesting that Carlson and Dugin complained about the ban on the works of the “Eurasian philosopher” in the United States and the impossibility of purchasing his translated English books on the Amazon service. At the same time, both of them did not mention the facts of total censorship inside Russia or mass arrests and convictions for spreading true news about the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine, etc.
In any case, no matter how extravagant Dugin's views are, he looks quite presentable for a Western audience in Carlson's interview. The latter may perceive him as an intellectual with some deviations, or, in the worst case, as a useful idiot. However, there are no statements in the interview with “Putin's brains” on Carlson’s YouTube channel for which Dugin is so loved and respected in Russia; namely about his calls to destroy Ukrainians, kill Ukrainian children, fight bravely against the civilization of the satanic West, not be afraid to use nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles, etc.
In general, anyone in the West who takes a deep interest in Dugin’s personality, carefully reads his works and critically listens to his interviews, is guaranteed to be horrified by this aggressive pseudo-philosophical delusion. However, being maximum loyal to the interviewer, a relatively short video story (a 20-minute conversation) on a mega-popular YouTube channel can, unfortunately, rise the popularity of a cult Russian neo-fascist, chauvinist, xenophobe and imperialist in the West.
submitted by mamafihin0kcui to EuropeanFederalists [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:58 FarPhone699 H: Weapons and stuff W: Apparel offers

H: Weapons and stuff W: Apparel offers submitted by FarPhone699 to Market76 [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:48 Socially__Awkward23 Accor Point Conversion

Accor Point Conversion
I have axis atlas and I am using it to convert it to accor points as everyone said 1 EM=2 Partner point 1 Partner point =1.8
However when i am trying to book using Accor. The effectuve value of conversion is less than 1. 1:0.9
Am I doing something wrong?
submitted by Socially__Awkward23 to CreditCardsIndia [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:44 GrowlingPict Jens Book-Jenssen - Norge I Rødt, Hvitt Og Blått (Norway In Red, White And Blue) [March]

submitted by GrowlingPict to Music [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:44 luxactoR [STORE] $60,000 Inventory (7 Knives - 12 Gloves & more)

Trade URL - Steam Profile
🔥Feel free to join my steam trading group InventoryHub - excluding spammers and alt accounts.
//
Type Name FV Info Tradable SS B/O ($)
💔Knife ★ Karambit Case Hardened (BS) 0.83 #463 - red eye pattern Yes 📷 12345
💔Knife ★ StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Case Hardened (FT) 0.16 #503 - tier 1 pattern with scar Yes 📷 5555
💔Knife ★ Karambit Case Hardened (WW) 0.42 #670 - blue ring & blue playside Yes 📷 4444
💔Knife ★ Bayonet Case Hardened (WW) 0.42 #321 - p4 Yes 📷 2499
💔Knife ★ Talon Knife Crimson Web (FT) 0.29 5/22/2024 📷 446
💔Knife ★ Nomad Knife Case Hardened (BS) 0.98 decent amount of mixed blue 5/22/2024 📷 303
💔Knife ★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet (FT) 0.15 Yes 📷 125
💙Gloves ★ Driver Gloves King Snake (FT) 0.15 very clean knuckles 5/18/2024 📷 956
💙Gloves ★ Sport Gloves Slingshot (FT) 0.26 5/23/2024 📷 955
💙Gloves ★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened (BS) 0.77 #829 - p1 Yes 📷 938
💙Gloves ★ Driver Gloves Snow Leopard (FT) 0.20 5/23/2024 📷 521
💙Gloves ★ Driver Gloves Snow Leopard (FT) 0.20 5/22/2024 📷 521
💙Gloves ★ Driver Gloves King Snake (FT) 0.19 Yes 📷 519
💙Gloves ★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web (FT) 0.22 #89 - tier1 pattern with clean E 5/17/2024 📷 499
💙Gloves ★ Specialist Gloves Field Agent (FT) 0.16 Yes 📷 426
💙Gloves ★ Sport Gloves Omega (BS) 0.47 Yes 📷 272
💙Gloves ★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web (WW) 0.38 Yes 📷 199
💙Gloves ★ Moto Gloves Smoke Out (FT) 0.19 Yes 📷 198
💙Gloves ★ Driver Gloves Diamondback (FT) 0.31 Yes 📷 129
💚Rifle StatTrak™ AK-47 Slate (FN) 0.00004 x4 vox holo kato15 on super low float ak (1/2) Yes 📷 3999
💚Rifle M4A1-S Cyrex (FN) 0.04 ibuypower holo kato14 above mag + x2 crown foil Yes 📷 3333
💚Rifle AK-47 Fire Serpent (FT) 0.18 vox holo kato14 on wood + crown foil next position Yes 📷 3333
💚Rifle AWP Asiimov (FT) 0.29 titan holo kato14 on the scope Yes 📷 3125
💚Rifle AK-47 Black Laminate (FT) 0.35 x4 kato14 (ibuypower holo on wood, titan, lgb holo, reason) Yes 📷 2599
💚Rifle StatTrak™ M4A4 In Living Color (FN) 0.042000 x4 dignitas holo col14 (1/1) Yes 📷 2499
💚Rifle StatTrak™ AWP Electric Hive (FN) 0.03 dignitas holo col14 on the scope + x3 holo kato14 (vp, dignitas, mystik) Yes 📷 1666
💚Rifle AK-47 Case Hardened (FT) 0.37 ibuypower holo kato14 above trigger Yes 📷 1449
💚Rifle StatTrak™ AK-47 Slate (FN) 0.01 x4 fnatic holo dh14 Yes 📷 749
💚Rifle M4A4 Eye of Horus (FN) 0.06 5/19/2024 📷 670
💚Rifle AK-47 The Empress (WW) 0.39 x4 gold krakow17 (dosia, pashabiceps, x2 nbk) Yes 📷 669
💚Rifle StatTrak™ AK-47 Phantom Disruptor (FN) 0.05 x4 navi holo dh14 (1/1) Yes 📷 549
💚Rifle AK-47 Fuel Injector (FN) 0.06 x2 flammable Foil (wood and back) Yes 📷 549
💚Rifle AWP Redline (MW) 0.11 titan kato14 on the scope Yes 📷 369
💚Rifle AWP Sun in Leo (FN) 0.05 crown foil on the scope Yes 📷 269
💚Rifle StatTrak™ M4A4 Faded Zebra (BS) 0.78 high float - x4 kato14 (3dmax, vox, ldlc, complexity) Yes 📷 199
💚Rifle M4A4 Temukau (FN) 0.06 x4 c9 kato15 (1/1) Yes 📷 179
💚Rifle StatTrak™ AK-47 Vulcan (BS) 0.46 Yes 📷 164
💚Rifle StatTrak™ AK-47 Red Laminate (WW) 0.38 harp of war holo next to wood Yes 📷 149
💚Rifle StatTrak™ AWP Asiimov (BS) 0.81 Yes 📷 120
💚Rifle StatTrak™ AK-47 Legion of Anubis (FN) 0.06 Yes 📷 53,32
💚Rifle AWP Worm God (MW) 0.11 x3 kato15 (envyus holo on scope * x2 clg) Yes 📷 22
💛Pistol USP-S Stainless (WW) 0.43 titan holo kato14 above handle & x2 titan holo kato15 Yes 📷 2499
💛Pistol USP-S Overgrowth (FN) 0.06 crown foil above handle (rare combo) Yes 📷 279
💛Pistol P250 Mehndi (FN) 0.04 x4 kato14 (vp, mousesports, fnatic mystik) Yes 📷 222
💛Pistol StatTrak™ Desert Eagle Conspiracy (FN) 0.03 x4 liquid mlg16 Yes 📷 36
💜SMG Souvenir UMP-45 Urban DDPAT (FT) 0.35 titan foil kato14 Yes 📷 169
submitted by luxactoR to GlobalOffensiveTrade [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:38 Furystorm [WTS] Furystorm's boutique™ (⌐ ͡■ ͜ʖ ͡■) Galaxy's Finest (⌐ ͡■ ͜ʖ ͡■) ✪ Game packages (SQ42 & LTI & starter) ✪ Banu Cube/Tholo ✪ LTI Pioneer, Orion, Carrack, Merchantman, Hull A/B/C/D/E, Vindicator, others ★ Rare CCUs (upgrades) ★ Combo packs ★ Vanguard BUKs ★ Modules/Flairs/Weapons/Armor ★

Click here to see links for previous stores with a lot of positive feedback from happy customers ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
New players - use this code (STAR-MRG5-2TBJ) on registration to get additional 5000 UEC for free!
(Just click this link)
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
Currencies accepted: PayPal: [$] [€], Skrill (+10%): [€], Crypto(+5%): BTC, BCH, ETH, can take others

To make an order 📨 PM me via Reddit or via Discord (Furystorm#4218)

!!! Please use standard messages, not chat (notifications aren't working properly sometimes) !!!
╔════════════════════╗
►1◄ REFERRAL SERVICE
╚════════════════════╝
20 $ per each
Info about rewards can be found here - https://robertsspaceindustries.com/referral-program
╔══════════════════╗
►2◄ SPECIAL OFFERS
╚══════════════════╝
╰( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )つ──☆
Upgrades
Item Price, $
Banu Tholo code 80
Banu Lockbox (Banu Cube) code 100
Mole to Merchantman 199
Starfarer Gemini to Merchantman 189
C2 Hercules to Carrack 139
Valkyrie to Carrack 169
Constellation Aquila to Orion 219
Starfarer Gemini to Hull D Upgrade 109
Constellation Andromeda to Hull C Upgrade 139
Anvil Terrapin to Hull C Upgrade 179
F7C-R Hornet Tracker to Constellation Taurus 39
Corsair to 400i Warbond Edition 12
Hull E to Polaris 50
Ship Upgrades - Drake Kraken Conversion Kit 799
PAINTS - PERSEUS - THUNDERCLOUD PAINT 31
Stuff
Item Price, $
CitizenCon 2951 Digital Goodies 9
Gemini LH86 Pistol - Voyager edition 6
Kruger P-72 Emerald 105
RSI VENTURE PATHFINDER ARM ARMOR 10
RSI VENTURE VOYAGER ARM ARMOR 10
╔═════════════════════════════════╗
►4◄ GAME AND SHIP COMBO PACKAGES
╚═════════════════════════════════╝
Package Insurance SC+SQ42 Price, $ Comments
PACKAGE - 2943 WEEKEND WARRIOR - LTI LTI SC + SQ42 299 F7C-M Super Hornet LTI pack
Package - Syulen Starter Pack LTI SC 115 Syulen LTI pack
Package - Aurora LN 3MI SC + SQ42 59 Aurora LN (best aurora) Starter package
Mustang Alpha Starter 3MI SC 55 -
Anniversary 2017 Mustang Discount Starter 5YI No 54 -
Nox 2 pack LTI No 121 Nox + Nox Kue
Aopoa Nox 5 Pack LTI No 242 4 Nox + 1 Nox Kue
Race Team Pack LTI No 168 X1 + NOX + Dragonfly Black
Origin X1 THREE-PACK LTI No 174 X1 Baseline + Velocity + Force
Entrepreneur pack LTI Yes 683 Prospector + Vulture + Vulcan + Hull B + Ursa Rover
The Tortoise and the Hurricane LTI No 415 Anvil Hurricane + Anvil Terrapin
Starfarer + Nox 2 pack LTI No 431 Starfarer + Nox + Nox Kue
Origin 600i Series Combo Pack LTI No 977 600i Luxury + Exploration + Origin X1
Scoundrel Pack LTI Yes 788 7 Items, see picture
Aegis Wrecking Crew Pack LTI No 1155 Reclaimer + Vulcan + Eclipse + Avenger Warlock/Titan
Exotic Mega Pack LTI No 1260 Banu MM + Genesis Starliner + Khartu-al + other small ships
UEE Exploration 2948 Pack LTI Yes 850 Carrack, Terrapin, Freelancer DUR, Cyclone RN
Game package can be upgrade as well on your demand, price negotiated
╔══════════════════════════╗
►5◄ LTI STANDALONE SHIPS
╚══════════════════════════╝
CCU-d ships are upgraded from another ship. Also I have ships from original sale - they may come with different bonuses but are more expensive.
You can click on the price of original sale item to see it's contents.
Ship manufacturer Ship model Insurance Price (CCU-d), $ Price (Original sale), $
Aopoa (Xi'an) Khartu-Al LTI 179 -
- Nox LTI - 77
- Nox Kue LTI - 77
- San'Tok.Yai LTI 231 -
Aegis Dynamics Avenger Titan LTI 74 100
- Avenger Titan Renegade LTI 95 111
- Avenger Stalker LTI 84 -
- Avenger Warlock LTI 100 -
- Eclipse LTI 305 333
- Gladius LTI 116 -
- Gladius Valiant LTI 132 147
- Hammerhead LTI 672 777
- Hammerhead Best in Show Edition LTI 746 -
- Nautilus LTI 672 -
- Reclaimer LTI 336 550
- Reclaimer Best in Show Edition LTI 429 -
- Redeemer LTI 333 -
- Retaliator Bomber LTI 284 -
- Sabre LTI 184 221
- Sabre Comet LTI 195 -
- Vanguard Warden LTI 263 357
- Vanguard Harbinger LTI 289 -
- Vanguard Sentinel LTI 268 -
- Vanguard Hoplite LTI 231 268
- Vulcan LTI 216 242
ARGO Astronautics MPUV Cargo LTI 74 84
- MPUV Personnel LTI - 89
Raft LTI 142 -
- SRV LTI 165 -
- Mole LTI 321 -
- Combo Pack LTI - 111
Anvil Aerospace Arrow LTI 95 137
- C8X Pisces Expedition LTI 69 79
- C8R Pisces LTI 84 -
- Carrack LTI 420 -
- Carrack W/C8X LTI 440 -
- Carrack Expedition LTI 447 -
- Carrack Expedition W/C8X LTI 468 -
- Crucible LTI 369 431
- F7C Hornet LTI 121 -
- F7C Hornet Wildfire LTI 189 210
- F7C-S Hornet Ghost LTI 140 -
- F7C-R Hornet Tracker LTI 155 -
- F7C-M Super Hornet LTI 199 252
- F7C-M Hornet Heartseeker LTI 200 -
- Gladiator LTI 177 221
- Hawk LTI 116 132
- Hurricane LTI 210 231
- Terrapin LTI 231 263
- Valkyrie LTI 357 -
- Legionnaire LTI 132 -
Banu Merchantman LTI 399 -
- Defender LTI 226 237
Consolidated outland Mustang Beta LTI 95 -
- Mustang Gamma LTI 74 -
- Mustang Delta LTI 84 -
- Pioneer LTI - 1499
Crusader Industries Ares Inferno LTI 252 -
- Ares Ion LTI 252 -
- Genesis Starliner LTI 357 578
- C2 Hercules LTI 368 -
- M2 Hercules LTI 483 -
- A2 Hercules LTI 735 -
C1 Spirit LTI 137 -
E1 Spirit LTI 163 -
A1 Spirit LTI 210 -
- Mercury Star Runner LTI 273 -
Drake Interplanetary Dragonfly Yellowjacket LTI - 84
- Dragonfly Black LTI - 84
- Dragonfly Ride Together Two-Pack LTI - 126
- Buccaneer LTI 126 142
- Caterpillar LTI 336 -
- Caterpillar Best in Show Edition LTI 347 -
- Corsair LTI 263 -
- Cutlass Black LTI 126 -
- Cutlass Black Best in Show Edition (2949) LTI 137 -
- Cutlass Steel LTI 221 -
- Cutlass Red LTI 142 -
- Cutlass Blue LTI 168 -
- Herald LTI 111 -
- Vulture LTI 158 -
Esperia Vanduul Blade LTI 284 326
- Vanduul Glaive LTI 373 -
- Prowler LTI 399 510
- Talon LTI 132 -
- Talon Shrike LTI 132 -
Gatac Railen LTI 242 -
Greycat Industrial ROC LTI 77 -
Kruger Intergalactic P-72 Archimedes LTI - 90
- P-72 Archimedes Emerald LTI - 105
Mirai Fury LTI 69 -
- Fury MX LTI 69 -
- Fury LX LTI 69 -
MISC Endeavor BASE LTI 378 -
- Endeavor DISCOVERY-CLASS LTI - 683
- Endeavor Master Set 2018 LTI - 1399
Expanse LTI 168 -
- Freelancer LTI 121 -
- Freelancer DUR LTI 147 -
- Freelancer MAX LTI 163 -
- Freelancer MIS LTI 184 -
- HULL A LTI 99 -
- HULL B LTI 147 -
- HULL C LTI 357 -
- HULL D LTI 462 -
- Odyssey LTI 578 -
- Razor LTI 163 179
- Razor LX LTI 168 -
- Razor EX LTI 174 -
- Prospector LTI 163 179
- Reliant Kore (Mini Hauler) LTI 84 105
- Reliant Tana (Skirmisher) LTI 95 -
- Reliant Mako (News Van) LTI 121 -
- Reliant Sen (Researcher) LTI 105 -
- Starfarer LTI 315 399
- Starfarer Gemini LTI 347 452
Origin Jumpworks X1 Baseline LTI - 69
- X1 Velocity LTI - 74
- X1 Force LTI - 79
- M50 LTI 121 -
- 85X LTI - 79
- 100I LTI 74 95
- 125A LTI 79 -
- 135C LTI 84 -
- 300I LTI 77 -
- 315P LTI 77 -
- 325A LTI 93 -
- 350R LTI 137 -
- 400i LTI 265 -
- 600i Touring LTI 399 525
- 600i Exploration LTI 420 580
RSI Aurora CL LTI 74 -
- Apollo Triage LTI 268 -
- Apollo Medivac LTI 294 -
- Galaxy LTI 378 -
- Mantis LTI 168 -
- Perseus LTI 557 -
- Polaris LTI 735 999
- Constellation Taurus LTI 179 -
- Constellation Andromeda LTI 252 315
- Constellation Aquila LTI 321 -
Zeus MK II MR LTI 205 -
Zeus MK II ES LTI 163 -
Zeus MK II CL LTI 163 -
- Scorpius LTI 263 -
- Scorpius Antares LTI 252 -
- Orion LTI 489 -
╔════════════════════════════════════╗
►6◄ NON-LTI SHIPS & PACKAGES, COMMON
╚════════════════════════════════════╝
Ship/Package Insurance Price, $ Comments
Consolidated Outland Mustang Alpha Vindicator 6MI 66 Limited Vindicator version
Kruger P-72 Archimedes 10YI 55 -
Kruger P-72 Archimedes 6YI 45 -
Kruger P-52 Merlin 6YI 37 -
RSI Aurora ES 10YI 37 -
Argo MPUV 1C Cargo 10YI 53 -
MISC Endeavor OLYMPIC-CLASS 4YI 578 Endeavor with modules
RSI Constellation Phoenix 10YI 399 -
RSI Constellation Phoenix 6YI 389 -
Origin 890 Jump 6MI 1099 -
Origin 890 Jump 6YI 1249 -
Origin 890 Jump 10YI 1349 -
╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
►7◄ PLANETARY VEHICLES & COMBO PACKAGES
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝
Vehicle Insurance Price (CCU-d), $ Price (Concept), $ Comments
Anvil Ballista LTI 153 -
Hoverquad LTI 74 -
Greycat PTV 6YI 27 -
Greycat PTV 10YI 37 -
Origin G12 LTI 84 -
Origin G12R LTI 84 -
Origin G12A LTI 90 -
Tumbril Cyclone LTI 74 Base version
Tumbril Cyclone-TR LTI 79 With ground turret
Tumbril Cyclone-RC LTI 79 Speedster
Tumbril Cyclone-AA LTI 95 Anti-air + countermeasures
Tumbril Cyclone-RN LTI 79 Scout & Scan
Tumbril Ranger RC LTI 105 Racer
Tumbril Ranger CV LTI 111 Offroad
Tumbril Ranger TR LTI 116 With Gun
Tumbril Nova LTI 126 132 Tank
URSA Rover 5YI 63 -
URSA Rover 10YI 70
Lynx LTI 79
URSA Rover Fortuna LTI 79 Limited green skin edition
Below are listed combo packs with different combination of vehicles, or with space ships
Combo packs Insurance Price (Concept), $ Comments
Offroad Vehicle Pack LTI 137 Cyclone TR + URSA + Greycat PTV
Tumbril Cyclone Pack LTI 305 All Cyclones
All-Terrain Vehicle Mega Pack LTI 473 All Cyclones + Ursa + Lynx + Greycat
Air and Space Pack LTI LTI 315 Terrapin + Cyclone AA
Ground Vehicle Pack VIP LTI 378 Gragonfly + Nox + X1 + Ursa + Cyclone + Nova + bonus
Deluxe Ground Vehicle Pack VIP LTI 840 A lot of items, check screenshot
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════╗
►8.1◄ MODULES, PODS, BATTLEFIELD UPGRADE KITS (BUKS), OTHER ITEMS
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Module Insurance Price, $
MISC Endeavor Modules (Pods) - -
BIODOME POD 10YI 126
TELESCOPE ARRAY POD 10YI 153
SUPERCOLLIDER POD 10YI 155
SERVICE EQUIPMENT AND CREW POD 10YI 53
GENERAL RESEARCH POD 10YI 72
GENERAL SCIENCE POD 10YI 71
FUEL POD 10YI 60
MEDICAL BAY POD 10YI 105
LANDING BAY 10YI 105
RSI Galaxy Modules
Galaxy - Med Bay Module 10YI 116
Galaxy - Refinery Module 10YI 126
Galaxy - Cargo Module 10YI 95
Aegis Vanguard battlefield upgrade kits
Harbinger battlefield upgrade kit LTI 140
Sentinel battlefield upgrade kit 6MI 69
Other stuff
Add-ons - Aegis Idris P after market kit - 294
╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
►8.2 ◄ FPS WEAPONS, ARMOR, CLOTHES AND OTHER GEAR
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Module Insurance Price, $
Overlord "Dust Storm" Armor Set - 11
Overlord "Riptide" Armor Set - 11
Overlord Helmets "Silent Strike" Pack - 8
Overlord Helmets "Forces of Nature" Pack - 8
Parasite Replica Helmet (Original) - 11
Parasite Replica Helmet (Dark Birth) - 11
Stegman's Cordimon "Voyager" Complete Outfit - 11
Stegman's IndVest “Pathfinder” Complete Outfit - 11
RSI MacFlex Rust Society full armor set (5 items) - 21
RSI Venture Rust Society full armor set (5 items) - 32
Mr. Refinement’s Cabinet of Rare & Exquisite Spirits - 11
Life in the 'Verse Shirts Pack #1 - 5
Life in the 'Verse Shirts Pack #2 - 5
"Caudillo" Helmets Pack #1 by CC's Conversions - 10
"Caudillo" Helmets Pack #2 by CC's Conversions - 10
"Caudillo" Helmets Pack #3 by CC's Conversions - 10
QuikFlarePro Pack - 5
QuikFlarePro Pack Deluxe - 6
Polar Vortex Collection - 7
Cold Front Collection - 7
UltiFlex FSK-8 "Mirage" Combat Knife - 5
UltiFlex FSK-8 "Ghost" Combat Knife - 5
Urban Collection by Element Authority - 11
Adventurer Collection by Element Authority - 11
Manaslu Rust Society Jacket - 8
RSI Horizon Rust Society Helmet - 8
RSI Beacon Rust Society Undersuit - 6
Paladin helmet - 10
╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
►9◄ CROSS-CHASSIS UPGRADES (CCUS), SHIPS
╚════════════════════════════════════════╝
IAE-insurance upgrades (adds IAE insurance (10 years) to your ship)
Upgrade Price, $
Prospector to F7C-M Super Hornet 50
Vanguard Warden to Caterpillar 60
Sorted by: Manufacturer -> ship
Target ship manufacturer Target ship Upgrade from Price, $
Aegis Dynamics Avenger Titan Renegade 325A 18
- Avenger Warlock 325A 29
- Avenger Warlock Arrow 26
- Eclipse Constellation Andromeda 78
- Eclipse Vanguard Sentinel 37
- Eclipse Vanguard Warden 53
- Eclipse Blade 37
- Gladius Valiant Gladius 32
- Gladius Valiant M50 23
- Hammerhead Constellation Aquila 483
- Hammerhead 600i Touring 357
- Hammerhead 600i Explorer 315
- Hammerhead Merchantman 131
- Hammerhead Hull D 341
- Hammerhead Crucible 446
- Hammerhead Carrack 278
- Hammerhead Reclaimer 383
- Hammerhead Prowler 351
- Hammerhead Orion 210
- Hammerhead Glaive 446
- Hammerhead A2 Hercules 52
- Nautilus Constellation Aquila 467
- Nautilus Endeavor 425
- Nautilus Crucible 425
- Nautilus Genesis Starliner 372
- Nautilus M2 Hercules 246
- Nautilus Merchantman 110
- Nautilus 600i Explorer 294
- Nautilus 600i Touring 336
- Nautilus Orion 189
- Nautilus Prowler 330
- Nautilus Carrack 278
- Nautilus Reclaimer 372
- Nautilus Hull D 320
- Nautilus C2 Hercules 372
- Nautilus Valkyrie 399
- Reclaimer Constellation Aquila 115
- Reclaimer Starfarer Gemini 84
- Reclaimer Endeavor 73
- Reclaimer Crucible 73
- Redeemer Constellation Andromeda 78
- Redeemer Vanguard Hoplite 84
- Redeemer Mole 26
- Retaliator Bomber Constellation Andromeda 57
- Retaliator Base F7C-R Hornet Tracker 25
- Sabre Prospector 31
- Sabre Gladiator 16
- Sabre Comet Sabre 31
- Sabre Comet Freelancer MIS 26
- Sabre Comet Khartu-Al 31
- Sabre Comet F7C Hornet Wildfire 23
- Sabre Comet Gladiator 35
- Sabre Comet F7C-M Super Hornet 20
- Vanguard Harbinger Constellation Andromeda 68
- Vanguard Harbinger Retaliator Bomber 31
- Vanguard Harbinger Vanguard Sentinel 26
- Vanguard Harbinger Vanguard Hoplite 73
- Vanguard Harbinger Vanguard Warden 42
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RSI Apollo Triage Constellation Andromeda 23
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2024.05.17 08:38 ravedeath1917 Kommunistisches Programm – National Revolution and Downfall of Cambodia (1980)

https://libriincogniti.wordpress.com/2021/02/25/kommunistisches-programm-national-revolution-and-downfall-of-cambodia/
The Events after the Fall of Phnom Penh and the Programme of Khieu Samphan, the Peasantry and the Enablers of Capital
With the end of the Indochina war in 1975, not much remained of Cambodia’s economy either. More than half of the rice fields lay fallow, and the few industrial enterprises, the port facilities in Kampong Som, the railway lines and the bridges had been destroyed by US bombs. Although the figures are not unambiguous, their magnitude alone shows what heavy blood sacrifice imperialism also demanded of this people: In the five years of war, around 800,000 people were killed, more than 40,000 were maimed, almost 200,000 were wounded.
The constant flow of refugees inflated the capital from its original population of around 600,000 to over 3 million, meaning that by the end of the war almost half of the Khmer people were crammed into their metropolis. As is well known, the imperialist world press howled in horror and disgust when it learned of the forced exodus of this human aggregation. The US bombardment drove people from the countryside into the cities – the revolutionary nationalists had to force them back. Both actions were cruel and devastating for those affected, because both times they happened under terrible conditions, the first time under the imperialist hail of bombs and the coercion of its local police, the second time under the pressure of hunger and the state coercion of the newly installed revolutionary patriotic power. But for the imperialist propaganda machine there were no connections here. Of course, it only saw the terror of the Khmer Rouge, so supposedly of Communism. Here again was a wonderful opportunity to play out the bourgeois farce of humanism and love of one’s neighbour to the full. No mention of the mass murders in the imperialist war against the Southeast Asian peoples, no mention of the unspeakable destruction of these only weakly industrialised agrarian societies. These sacrifices were noticed at most when the insane war spending of the USA threatened to drag the entire imperialist West into the vortex of economic problems as a result of the currency crises caused by it. After all, to this day, these gentlemen are consistently proud of their efforts to preserve “freedom”.
Cambodia became the main object of these friends of mankind over the next few years. Here, indeed, all cherished values and conceptions were thrown overboard. A state without money, without postal services, without cars and motorbikes, without public transport, without telephones, television, books and the cities extinct. Only “communists” could have committed this crime; as is well known, they can be trusted with anything inhumane and in Cambodia they truly acted as the incarnation of “darkness” and “evil”. What was perpetrated before in the name of the heroes of “light” and “reason” – not a word about that, of course. It was a central organ of the imperialist offensive on the human intellect – Reader’s Digest – that first announced in 1977 that at least 1.2 million people had been murdered in the two years since the fall of Phnom Penh. Ever new figures were quickly added, which journalists claimed to have learned from the numerous refugees. It is not necessary to assume that all these reports were forgeries, because in fact the Khmer Rouge set an extremely radical course from the beginning, which certainly brought much horror, misery and also deaths. But today’s sated imperialists should perhaps sometimes look at the history books: What misery, what terror, what torment against the population is archived there – and that over centuries. The French Revolution also produced at least 100,000 deaths in the most important four years – and it did so with a machine specially designed for the purpose. It was not by chance that it was the steam engine and the guillotine that inaugurated the industrial age in a revolutionary way. But do the distinguished British gentlemen, who even then scoffed at these butchers in Paris, have fewer lives on their consciences? Those who still don’t know have to have it written on their cheat sheets all the time: The establishment of bourgeois rule has always been brutal and extremely bloody. The destruction of the traditional smallholder form of economy, the annihilation of small-scale trade and crafts always passed over those affected like a merciless steamroller. And under unspeakable tortures, the majority of these people who were expropriated without compensation were pressed into the factories and, if necessary, forced by brutal violence to slave as many hours of their day as possible for the lowest possible wages. All that was not so long ago. But it is always amusing how hastily today’s representatives of capital pretend that these are youthful sins of foreign predecessors. And this process of constant dressing for factory labour, of the destruction of both man and nature, continues both in depth and in breadth. It will only come to an end when this capitalist basis has been revolutionarily annihilated because of the contradictions it constantly produces.
...
However, if one wants to understand the “mysterious” processes in Cambodia, one has to be clear above all about the material and social conditions. A devastated country that was still largely worked by small peasants; a chaotically bloated capital city to which the majority of these same peasants had fled. The terror of the bombs had charged this population, once peaceful and living in the eternal grind of farm labour, with fear, but above all with unbridled rage and blind hatred. Hatred against the city in which they had to take refuge, anger against the American bombers which destroyed their existence, but particularly anger against their own corrupt aristocracy, the military as well as the city dwellers in general who sought to prolong their raison d’être by making a pact with imperialism. Now the old mixture of foreignness, subservient spirit and unease found its general discharge in a primal hatred of the rural population for their oppressors in the cities. A frenzy of revenge arose, which certainly accounted for most of the brutalities in the first year of liberation.
In order to understand this social side of this revolution in Cambodia, which gave it the ferocious expression of blood, revenge and chaos that one encounters in practically every revolution carried out mainly by peasants, one must always bear in mind the social structure already described. The strong urban-rural divide was not between agriculture and industry – the latter was practically non-existent – but it was the extreme contrast between agriculture and all the ominous trades that bourgeois statistics usually classify under the heading of “services”. Here, actually “unproductive” administration and trade – moreover, predominantly created and nourished in the service of imperialism – and “productive” agriculture faced each other. Of the “peace population” in Phnom Penh of about 600,000, this included about 200,000 Vietnamese and over 100,000 Chinese, out of a total of about 800,000. So the Cambodians did not even make up the majority of the population in their capital. Aristocracy and officials on one side, poor peasants on the other, too poor to make a living in the countryside, coming to the city because they hoped for a job, or later bombed into it. Cambodians were almost completely excluded from the trade and merchant sectors. These sectors were mainly in the hands of the Chinese and Vietnamese.
In this approaching whirlwind of social unrest on the part of the peasants, which is growing in strength, another social force tries for its survival. Young intellectuals, most of them educated in Paris, the educational centre of the former colonial ruler, want to break the corrupt tangle of local aristocracy and foreign power by force. Without any reservoir in the own ranks of the urban bourgeoisie, for the latter is practically non-existent and if it is, then hardly to be enthused for nationalist accumulation programmes with a more rigorous cut; without a proper bourgeois class, these petty-bourgeois radicals lead a practically hopeless struggle for change. Forced very soon into the rural underground by Sihanouk’s authoritarian regime, they try to implement their programme of industrialisation based on agriculture with the help of the only social class that counts – namely the rural population, the small peasants and farm workers.
...
One simply has to quote these illuminating passages of the Khmer Rouge’s “chief ideologist” at length, because after all the imperialist wailing, one probably does not think it possible that these “monsters” can think at all. (A Trotskyist group, persistent in its obtuseness, even opined that these “monsters” were the embodiment of… a return to feudalism!) One thing is immediately quite clear: these petty-bourgeois intellectuals, widely referred to as Marxists, communists, etc., are never ever in the tradition of the “German” Karl Marx, but of the German Friedrich List, who, under the slogan “Freedom is the goal, limitation is the necessity”, set his protectionist credo against the imperialist ideology of the free traders in the last century. The Khmer Rouge leaders are thus spiritual sons of the ancestors of today’s imperialists, those imperialists who now see in them the personified devil of communism, although they only wanted to be flesh of their flesh.
These views of Samphan and thus the leaders of the Khmer Rouge were also quoted at length because they are so popular today. In the face of the growing exploitation of the countries of the so-called Third World by Western imperialism, theories are emerging everywhere that vehemently propose the same position of “cutting off” the “underdeveloped” countries from the dominance of the world market ruled by Western capital as a panacea. And it is certainly no coincidence that one of the main representatives of these academic “revolutionaries”, the Egyptian Samir Amin, raves about the radicalism of the Khmer Rouge even after their expulsion and predicts a chain of new “Kampucheas” for the African future. Against the massive reality of the increasing internationalisation of capital and the growing global control of Western and increasingly Eastern imperialism, such “progressive” petty-bourgeois theorists place their faith in autarky, national accumulation and so-called autocentric development. Against the capitalist propaganda of progress and prosperity through freedom of trade and capital investment, which in reality in fact produces nothing but growing pauperisation and exploitation, the Good News on the other side says: Only if one can free oneself from imperialism at least for as long as it takes to be able to develop one’s productive forces independently, only then will one achieve prosperity and security for humanity.
In this respect, both sides represent only two sides of the same coin. Both claim to be able to achieve “the greatest happiness for the greatest number” within the framework of and through capitalism – as the forefather of these bourgeois tendencies, Adam Smith, already formulated this elementary lie of capital.
...
The utopians of capital have to acknowledge time and again that, contrary to their proclamations, the social antagonisms both within the “developed” and “underdeveloped” countries and between these countries are becoming increasingly acute. And while capitalism is pushing the development of the productive forces ever more sharply in order to satisfy its insatiable hunger for surplus value, it is precisely because of this highly productive technology that it is less and less able to transform the pauperised masses into active proletarians, i.e. to force them to the machines or into the office. While the imperialists, in their frenzied mania for surplus value, are at least throwing the whole world into growing unrest and undermining ancestral immobile relations ever more thoroughly, the heralds of an apparently radical autarky are causing nothing but confusion in the ranks of the pauperising masses. They talk of economic independence, stable economic cycles and adapted technology – all concepts that really bring out their illusionist anachronism.
And to see Cambodia of all places as a concrete approach or even an example for the feasibility of such utopias seems almost tragicomic in view of the results that are now available. But it is also a total misreading of the factual development under the Pol Pot government. Demonisation and idealisation of the Khmer Rouge have the same basis. They assume that the measures taken after the conquest of power in Cambodia were deliberate and planned. One side sees only the terror and coercive measures with which the leaders, supported by relatively small armed forces, tried to get a grip on a witch’s cauldron of panic and violence and to escape the total catastrophe of starvation – and the chaos that would ensue in turn. They see this terror and these coercive measures as completely detached from the economic and social emergency. The others confuse the factual state of extreme social backwardness in Cambodia and the emergency measures taken with an economic and social programme.
...
We have outlined the devastating situation in Cambodia shortly before the moment of liberation. However broad and deep the peasant unrest in the countryside may have been at the time, it must be remembered that a large proportion of these peasants stayed in the capital out of necessity during the main phase of the fighting. In any case, the Khmer Rouge, hardly more than 70,000 men anyway, fought for a long time mainly in the sparsely populated outskirts of Cambodia.
When the Khmer Rouge troops approached the capital in 1975 – likely with only about 20,000 men – it soon became clear that it was imperative to deal radically with this hopelessly bloated big head. Estimates vary, but it can be assumed that of the 7-8 million Cambodians, at least 2.5, but probably over 3 million were crammed into the capital (“peace population” as mentioned 600,000). With the severing of the umbilical cord to imperialism, Phnom Penh was up in the air as its former bridgehead. There was no possibility whatsoever to control or even feed this veritable hell of collaborators and starving refugee masses. The general shortage of rice had driven prices to dizzying heights: from 10 riel per kilo in December 1971 to 125 riel in December 1973 and on to 300 riel in early 1975, reaching a record 340 riel in mid-February. The retreat of the imperialists and the advance of the Khmer Rouge must have acted as a double signal: On the one hand, to storm against the hated parasites and the urbanites in general, on the other hand, to return to the countryside in chaos. The Khmer Rouge had to evacuate the city and channel the returning flow to avoid a total catastrophe. The fact that the displaced people left a wide trail of blood behind them on their way out of the city (for the time of the Khmer Rouge government, there is consistent talk of at least 1 million deaths) was unavoidable under the given conditions. It is significant that the majority of the massacres affected the urban population and certain national minorities: precisely intellectuals, military officers of the old Lon Nol regime, Sihanoukists, capitalists, merchants etc., and apart from the Cham (Muslims) almost exclusively the Vietnamese and Chinese minorities, whose social situation we have already pointed out.
Whether it was spontaneous peasant terror or executions organised by the Khmer Rouge, it was partly revolutionary violence against the supporters of the old regime, which as such does not speak against but for the Khmer Rouge, and partly pogroms, which the leaders at most accepted and tried to direct in the interests of the state monopoly on the use of force. But it is not so important whether the Khmer Rouge leaders had to accept or order these massacres. What is decisive is that they were forced by material development to eliminate or to have eliminated precisely those strata on which they wanted to rely. This, together with the evacuation of the cities, deprived them of any social support other than the peasantry. Thus they were at the mercy of this peasantry, which had to be disciplined for the actualisation of their “programme”. The conflict with it was therefore programmed for the time after the famine had been averted.
...
After the worst of the chaos had been overcome, it was attempted to use these structures, which had prevailed in a rather primitive way during the hunger phase, for one’s “industrialisation programme” by maintaining and further intensifying collectivisation. Necessity was to become a capitalist virtue. The complete lack of such “civilisational” achievements as the intercourse of money and commodities was supposed to make for an ideal, indeed classic, “truck system”, i.e. payment in kind alone. The peasants were forced into ever new production battles, because now surpluses were to be produced for export – i.e. for exchange with foreign means of production – which indeed happened and animated the leaders even further. The general command was under the iron slogan: “Work hard and try to achieve maximum results with a minimum of investment”, and the focus was on absolute labour effort.
...
Once a sufficient level of production had been restored, however, the whole construction was bound to collapse completely sooner rather than later. Anyone who has even a pale inkling of the travails of the infamous Stalinist collectivisation in Russia – and the Russian state was on an incomparably higher social level and had quite different means of power at its disposal – can easily imagine how the intellectual would-be enablers of capitalism in Cambodia, then practically hanging in the air, would have to perish in an orgy of violence – unless, with the help of a foreign power, they could get a grip on the chaos and create more stable conditions through a series of concessions to the peasantry. Most likely, however, they would be finished even then, like a man trying to hold on as long as possible to a wildly thrashing bull and then falling to the ground exhausted. In any case, the arena crowd was already eagerly awaiting the outcome of the tragedy.
...
Sovereignty, neutrality, non-alignment – this credo runs through all declarations as a complement to “autarky”. But already in the face of the first offensive by the Vietnamese, it must have slowly become clear to the Khmer Rouge leaders that these fine words could only have one meaning in our unpleasant world, namely to place themselves under the protection of the People’s Republic of China. In Pol Pot’s interview, which we have just quoted, a strange acronym appears: CPK. This means “Communist Party of Kampuchea”. And yet, to the boundless amazement of bourgeois commentators, the Khmer Rouge had never tried to dress up their declarations or their constitution with Marxist or pseudo-Marxist vocabulary – which is certainly very sympathetic to us. On the contrary, they have displayed an obvious and pedantic aversion to these concepts. Neither “vanguard of the proletariat” or “communist party” nor “proletarian internationalism”, neither “classless society” nor “dictatorship of the proletariat”, but also not “new democratic revolution”, “mass line”, “creation of a new man”, “peaceful coexistence” etc. etc. had ever been spoken of. If similar contents had to be expressed, they were paraphrased with other words. But this did not happen because the Pol Pot folks would have been particularly honest and wanted to do us Marxists a favour. This happened because in their dogged nationalism they wanted to distance themselves clearly from their neighbours Vietnam, but also China, who professed to be “socialist”. The national character of all these revolutions and states, the national character of their confrontations and of their whole politics is expressed even in the fact that the weakest link feels compelled by the instinct of self-preservation to dispense with the “Marxist” or “socialist” cloak for the capitalist programme! This is what “socialism in one country” has come to! And the adoption of the “Marxist” “vocabulary” here is a sign of the surrender of the so sacred national sovereignty. If, as already mentioned, no announcement had ever mentioned a party or revolutionary phases (there was always talk of a “revolutionary organisation” and even of “Angkor traditions”), Pol Pot told his astonished people and all those who wanted to know the following story on 27 September 1977: the CPK had already existed in Cambodia since 30 September 1960 and had achieved this miracle of a national-democratic revolution. He told it the day before he left for Beijing, on which, fighting a losing battle against the Vietnamese, he has been completely dependent ever since.
As a “plaything of foreign powers”, the nationalist intellectuals of Cambodia perished. The peasantry, largely decimated under the pressure of the imperialist frenzy and its consequences, as now under the pressure of Vietnam’s national expansion, is an example of the fate that capitalist society reserves for small and weak peoples in its emergence and development. To such peoples the proletariat alone would and will secure the right of self-determination, because unlike the bourgeoisie it does not seek national privileges but wants to abolish them, because unlike the bourgeoisie it can create voluntary union, because unlike the bourgeoisie it liberates itself not by exploiting others but by abolishing all exploitation.
submitted by ravedeath1917 to Marxism [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:28 iiSnuffles Server crashing, lots of errors to do with .mixin.json files? [java]

hello :D I keep getting this log when trying to start my server, seems to be something to do with reading the mixin.json files but I'm super stuck. here is the log I'm getting. Everything seems to run fine on the client side, but I cannot for the life of me get the server to start :,)
After alot of research, it seems like maybe those json files are formatted differently maybe? Is there a way i can solve this issue without manually editing the .json files causing compatibility issues? or is that the only way i can get this working :C (Still not entirely sure this is the correct solution either)
Any ideas or help is very appreciated, I've been working on this for days and I'm so fed up AAA
/uslocal/bin/wrapper: line 21: [: too many arguments Detected Java 17 error connecting to /tmp//tmux-0/default (No such file or directory) =]112 Starting net.fabricmc.loader.impl.game.minecraft.BundlerClassPathCapture [05:30:49] [main/INFO]: Loading Minecraft 1.20.1 with Fabric Loader 0.15.7 [05:30:49] [ForkJoinPool-1-worker-23/WARN]: Mod netherdepthsupgrade uses the version fabric-3.1.6-1.20 which isn't compatible with Loader's extended semantic version format (Could not parse version number component 'fabric'!), SemVer is recommended for reliably evaluating dependencies and prioritizing newer version [05:30:49] [ForkJoinPool-1-worker-39/WARN]: Mod getittogetherdrops uses the version fabric-1.20-1.3 which isn't compatible with Loader's extended semantic version format (Could not parse version number component 'fabric'!), SemVer is recommended for reliably evaluating dependencies and prioritizing newer version [05:30:49] [ForkJoinPool-1-worker-37/WARN]: Mod betterdogs_dtn uses the version ${version} which isn't compatible with Loader's extended semantic version format (Could not parse version number component '${version}'!), SemVer is recommended for reliably evaluating dependencies and prioritizing newer version [05:30:49] [ForkJoinPool-1-worker-5/WARN]: Mod xercamusic uses the version fabric-1.20.1-1.0.0 which isn't compatible with Loader's extended semantic version format (Could not parse version number component 'fabric'!), SemVer is recommended for reliably evaluating dependencies and prioritizing newer version [05:30:49] [ForkJoinPool-1-worker-44/WARN]: Mod xercapaint uses the version fabric-1.20.1-1.0.0 which isn't compatible with Loader's extended semantic version format (Could not parse version number component 'fabric'!), SemVer is recommended for reliably evaluating dependencies and prioritizing newer version - blastingsand 1.20.1-11-fabric- bookshelf 20.1.10- brewery 1.1.8- bushierflowers 0.0.3-1.20.1- campchair 1.0.3- candlelight 1.2.12- carrier 1.12.0 \-- advanced_runtime_resource_pack 0.6.7- catalogue 1.8.0- chimes 2.0.1- chipped 3.0.6- chunky 1.3.146- clickadv 1.20.1-3.8- cloth-config 11.1.118 \-- cloth-basic-math 0.6.1- clumps 12.0.0.4- clutter 1.20-0.5.8- cobbledex 1.0.0- cobbleit 0.0.1- cobblemon 1.5.0+1.20.1- cobblemon-plantapricorns 1.4-fabric-1.0.0- cobblemon_capturexp 1.5-fabric-1.0.0- cobblemon_chaining 1.4-fabric-1.0.3 - diagonalfences 8.1.4 \-- diagonalblocks 8.0.5- diagonalwalls 8.0.3 \-- diagonalblocks 8.0.5- diagonalwindows 8.1.4 \-- diagonalblocks 8.0.5- doapi 1.2.12 -- mixinextras 0.3.5 \-- terraform-wood-api-v1 7.0.1- doggytalents 1.18.10- easyanvils 8.0.2- easymagic 8.0.1- elytraslot 6.3.0+1.20.1- emotecraft 2.2.7-b.build.50 -- bendy-lib 4.0.0 \-- player-animator 1.0.2-rc1+1.20- epherolib 1.2.0- everycomp 1.20-2.6.55 -- porting_lib_loot 2.3.0+1.20.1 -- porting_lib_recipe_book_categories 2.3.0+1.20.1 \-- porting_lib_registries 2.3.0+1.20.1- explorerscompass 1.20.1-2.2.3-fabric- fabric-api 0.92.1+1.20.1 -- fabric-api-base 0.4.31+1802a - farmersdelight 1.20.1-1.4.3- fdjei 1.0.1- flowerymooblooms 2.0.1- forgeconfigapiport 8.0.0- framework 0.6.16 \-- org_javassist_javassist 3.29.2-GA- friendsandfoes 2.0.10- fusion 1.1.1- fwaystones 3.3.2+mc1.20.1- geckolib 4.4.4 \-- com_eliotlash_mclib_mclib 20- getittogetherdrops fabric-1.20-1.3- grindenchantments 3.1.2+1.20 \-- codec-config-api 1.0.2+1.19.3- hamsters 1.0.2-fabric- handcrafted 3.0.6- healingcampfire 5.3- herbalbrews 1.0.7- hybrid-aquatic 1.3.2 -- mixinextras 0.3.5 \-- reach-entity-attributes 2.4.0- idwtialsimmoedm 0.3.0+1.20- immersive_aircraft 1.0.0+1.20.1 \-- org_mariuszgromada_math_m \-- packet_tweaker 0.4.0+1.19.4 \-- polymer-registry-sync-manipulator 0.5.19+1.20.1 -- polymer-resource-pack 0.5.19+1.20.1 \-- polymer-common 0.5.19+1.20.1 \-- packet_tweaker 0.4.0+1.19.4 -- polymer-virtual-entity 0.5.19+1.20.1 \-- polymer-common 0.5.19+1.20.1 \-- packet_tweaker 0.4.0+1.19.4 -- predicate-api 0.2.1+1.20.1 -- server_translations_api 2.0.0+1.20 \-- packet_tweaker 0.4.0+1.19.4 \-- sgui 1.2.2+1.20- villagernames 7.3- vinery 1.4.19- watut 1.20.1-1.1.1- wthit 8.10.0- xaerominimap 24.1.1- xaeroworldmap 1.38.4- xercamusic fabric-1.20.1-1.0.0- xercapaint fabric-1.20.1-1.0.0- yungsapi 1.20-Fabric-4.0.5 \-- mixinextras 0.3.5- yungsextras 1.20-Fabric-4.0.3 [05:30:50] [main/INFO]: SpongePowered MIXIN Subsystem Version=0.8.5 Source=file:/opt/service/libraries/net/fabricmc/sponge-mixin/0.12.5+mixin.0.8.5/sponge-mixin-0.12.5+mixin.0.8.5.jar Service=Knot/Fabric Env=SERVER [05:30:50] [main/INFO]: Compatibility level set to JAVA_17 [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'blastingsand-refmap.json' for blastingsand.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'cobblemonintegrations-fabric-refmap.json' for cobblemonintegrations.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'codec-config-api-refmap.json' for codec-config-api.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'connectedglass.mixins.refmap.json' for connectedglass.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'coroutil.refmap.json' for coroutil_fabric.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'hamsters-refmap.json' for hamsters.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'interiors-fabric-refmap.json' for interiors.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/INFO]: Loaded configuration file for ModernFix 5.17.0+mc1.20.1: 55 options available, 0 override(s) found [05:30:50] [main/INFO]: Applying Nashorn fix [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'NethersDelight-refmap.json' for nethersdelight.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'rechiseled.mixins.refmap.json' for rechiseled.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'supermartijn642configlib.mixins.refmap.json' for supermartijn642configlib.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'xercamusic-refmap.json' for xercamusic.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'xercapaint-refmap.json' for xercapaint.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'yungsextras.refmap.json' for yungsextras.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:50] [main/WARN]: Reference map 'yungsextras.refmap.json' for yungsextras_fabric.mixins.json could not be read. If this is a development environment you can ignore this message [05:30:51] [main/WARN]: Error loading class: net/minecraft/class_906 (java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: net/minecraft/class_906) [05:30:51] [main/WARN]: u/Mixin target net.minecraft.class_906 was not found porting_lib_tool_actions.mixins.json:FishingHookRendererMixin from mod porting_lib_tool_actions [05:30:51] [main/WARN]: Error loading class: juuxel/adorn/block/variant/BlockVariantSets (java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: juuxel/adorn/block/variant/BlockVariantSets) [05:30:51] [main/WARN]: u/Mixin target juuxel.adorn.block.variant.BlockVariantSets was not found mixins.cobblemon-common.json:invoker.AdornRegisterInvoker from mod cobblemon [05:30:51] [main/WARN]: Error loading class: io/github/apace100/apoli/powefactory/condition/ConditionFactory (java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: io/github/apace100/apoli/powefactory/condition/ConditionFactory) [05:30:51] [main/WARN]: Error loading class: fcatcore/servetranslations/api/resource/language/SystemDelegatedLanguage (java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: fcatcore/servetranslations/api/resource/language/SystemDelegatedLanguage) [05:30:52] [main/WARN]: Error loading class: net/minecraft/class_5616 (java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: net/minecraft/class_5616) [05:30:52] [main/WARN]: u/Mixin target net.minecraft.class_5616 was not found registrate-fabric.mixins.json:accessor.BlockEntityRenderersAccessor from mod registrate-fabric at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.knot.KnotClassDelegate.loadClass(KnotClassDelegate.java:218) ~[fabric-loader-0.15.7.jar:?]at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.knot.KnotClassLoader.loadClass(KnotClassLoader.java:119) ~[fabric-loader-0.15.7.jar:?]at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:520) ~[?:?]at java.lang.Class.forName0(Native Method) ~[?:?]at java.lang.Class.forName(Class.java:467) ~[?:?]at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.util.DefaultLanguageAdapter.create(DefaultLanguageAdapter.java:50) ~[fabric-loader-0.15.7.jar:?]at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.entrypoint.EntrypointStorage$NewEntry.getOrCreate(EntrypointStorage.java:117) ~[fabric-loader-0.15.7.jar:?]at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.entrypoint.EntrypointContainerImpl.getEntrypoint(EntrypointContainerImpl.java:53) ~[fabric-loader-0.15.7.jar:?]at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.FabricLoaderImpl.invokeEntrypoints(FabricLoaderImpl.java:384) ~[fabric-loader-0.15.7.jar:?]at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.knot.Knot.init(Knot.java:160) ~[fabric-loader-0.15.7.jar:?]at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.knot.Knot.launch(Knot.java:68) ~[fabric-loader-0.15.7.jar:?]at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.knot.KnotServer.main(KnotServer.java:23) ~[fabric-loader-0.15.7.jar:?]at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.server.FabricServerLauncher.main(FabricServerLauncher.java:69) ~[fabric-loader-0.15.7.jar:?] [05:30:52] [main/INFO]: I used the json to destroy the json [05:30:52] [main/INFO]: Initializing MixinExtras via com.llamalad7.mixinextras.service.MixinExtrasServiceImpl(version=0.3.5). [05:30:54] [main/WARN]: u/Inject(@At("INVOKE")) Shift.BY=2 on porting_lib_entity.mixins.json:common.LivingEntityMixin from mod porting_lib_entity::handler$coo000$porting_lib_entity$port_lib$onFinishUsing exceeds the maximum allowed value: 0. Increase the value of maxShiftBy to suppress this warning. at java.util.stream.AbstractPipeline.evaluateToArrayNode(AbstractPipeline.java:260) ~[?:?]at java.util.stream.ReferencePipeline.toArray(ReferencePipeline.java:616) ~[?:?] at net.minecraft.class_1856.(class_1856.java:43) ~[server-intermediary.jar:?]at net.minecraft.class_1856.method_8092(class_1856.java:105) ~[server-intermediary.jar:?]at net.minecraft.class_1856.method_26964(class_1856.java:123) ~[server-intermediary.jar:?]at net.minecraft.class_1856.method_8091(class_1856.java:115) ~[server-intermediary.jar:?]at net.minecraft.class_1845.method_8080(class_1845.java:216) ~[server-intermediary.jar:?]at net.minecraft.class_1845.method_8076(class_1845.java:115) ~[server-intermediary.jar:?]at net.minecraft.class_2966.method_12851(class_2966.java:61) ~[server-intermediary.jar:?]at net.minecraft.server.Main.main(Main.java:109) ~[server-intermediary.jar:?]at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.game.minecraft.MinecraftGameProvider.launch(MinecraftGameProvider.java:470) ~[fabric-loader-0.15.7.jar:?]... 3 more >]112[exited] Performing safe shutdown... no server running on /tmp/tmux-0/default no server running on /tmp/tmux-0/default Waiting 10 seconds for the server to save... 
submitted by iiSnuffles to MinecraftHelp [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:26 krutika7972 Crossover Vehicles Market Preparing for the Unforeseen Future in 2032: SWOT and Feasibility Analysis

The crossover vehicles market size was valued at USD 610.3 Billion in 2023 and is expected to reach a market size of USD 1,079.6 Billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 6.5%.
Crossover vehicles, which combine elements of both passenger cars and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), offer consumers a versatile and practical transportation solution. The spacious interiors and flexible seating configurations of crossovers appeal to families and individuals who require ample cargo space without compromising on maneuverability or comfort. The all-wheel-drive capabilities of many crossover models also attract buyers in regions with varying weather conditions.
The growth of the crossover vehicles market is driven by several key factors:
· Consumer Preferences: Modern consumers increasingly prefer crossovers for their blend of the features of both sedans and SUVs. Crossovers offer a higher driving position, more interior space, and better visibility while maintaining the drivability and fuel efficiency of smaller cars.
· Versatility and Practicality: Crossovers are designed to be highly versatile, offering ample cargo space and flexible seating arrangements. This makes them suitable for a wide range of activities, from daily commuting to family road trips and even light off-roading.
· Fuel Efficiency: Advances in automotive technology have enabled crossovers to offer better fuel efficiency compared to traditional SUVs, making them an attractive option for environmentally conscious consumers and those looking to save on fuel costs.
· Urbanization: As urbanization increases, consumers are looking for vehicles that can handle both city driving and occasional outdoor adventures. Crossovers fit this niche perfectly, providing a balance between size, comfort, and capability.
· Safety Features: Crossovers often come equipped with advanced safety features, including multiple airbags, collision avoidance systems, and enhanced stability control. These features appeal to safety-conscious buyers, particularly families.
Request Sample Report: https://datahorizzonresearch.com/request-sample-pdf/crossover-vehicles-market-3070
~Market Segmentation:~
By Vehicle Size (2024-2032)
By Propulsion (2024-2032)
By Transmission Type (2024-2032)
Competitive Landscape:
Some of the major players operating in this market include Toyota Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company (Chevrolet), Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Subaru Corporation, Mazda Motor Corporation, Volkswagen AG, BMW Group, and Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz). These automakers offer a diverse range of crossover models catering to various consumer preferences and price points, from compact to full-size vehicles.
Regional Overview:
North America currently dominates the crossover vehicles market, driven by the strong demand for versatile and fuel-efficient transportation options in the United States and Canada. According to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, The Driving Force 2022 report, the automotive ecosystem contributed to 4.9% of the total U.S. GDP and motor vehicle and parts manufacturing accounts for around 6% of the total manufacturing sector in the country highlighting the significant role of the automotive sector in the region's economy.
Key Highlights of the report:
1. Electrification and hybridization of crossover vehicles as well as the increasing integration of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and connectivity features are the upcoming trends.
2. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region, while North America was the dominant region in 2023.
3. The top 5 players are Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, and Chevrolet.
4. China is anticipated to have the highest CAGR in the crossover vehicles market during the forecast period.
Contact:
DataHorizzon Research
North Mason Street, Fort Collins,
Colorado, United States
Ph: +1-970-672-0390
Website: https://datahorizzonresearch.com/
Email: [sales@datahorizzonresearch.com](mailto:sales@datahorizzonresearch.com)
submitted by krutika7972 to u/krutika7972 [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:20 Professional_Cap350 Discover India Like Never Before: Top Tour Operators You Can Trust

Discover India Like Never Before: Top Tour Operators You Can Trust

Introduction

Are you dreaming of exploring India, but feeling overwhelmed by the sheer size and diversity of this incredible country? You’re not alone! Planning a trip to India can be a daunting task, but with the help of a trusted tour operator, your journey can be as seamless as it is unforgettable. In this blog, we'll dive into why choosing the right tour operator is crucial and introduce you to the top services and benefits they offer. Get ready to discover India like never before!
An India tour operator specializes in creating and managing travel itineraries within India. They offer customized packages, guided tours, accommodation, and transportation, ensuring a seamless and enriching travel experience. With extensive local knowledge, they handle all logistics, allowing travelers to fully enjoy India's diverse attractions and cultures and india tour operator
https://preview.redd.it/7zjqw61ijx0d1.jpg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b1db4c769f9d5e2d2877e5b556f2b4ce3462c6a

Why Travel to India?

Historical Riches

India is a land of ancient history and rich heritage. From the majestic Taj Mahal to the intricate carvings of Khajuraho temples, the country is a treasure trove of historical wonders. Each monument tells a story of its own, drawing you into the depths of India’s storied past.

Diverse Cultures

India’s cultural diversity is one of its most striking features. With over 2,000 distinct ethnic groups and more than 1,600 languages, every region offers a unique cultural experience. Festivals, dance forms, music, and cuisine vary dramatically, providing a kaleidoscope of cultural richness.

Natural Wonders

From the towering Himalayas in the north to the serene backwaters of Kerala in the south, India’s natural beauty is unparalleled. Whether you're seeking the thrill of a jungle safari, the tranquility of a beach retreat, or the peace of a mountain trek, India has it all.

The Importance of Choosing the Right Tour Operator

Stress-Free Planning

Planning a trip to India involves a lot of logistics—accommodation, transportation, itineraries, and more. A reputable tour operator takes care of all these details, allowing you to relax and enjoy your vacation without the stress of planning.

Expert Knowledge

Tour operators have extensive knowledge of India’s destinations. They can guide you to the best spots, hidden gems, and local favorites, ensuring you don’t miss out on anything worth seeing.

Safety and Comfort

Traveling in a foreign country can be intimidating, especially when it comes to safety and comfort. Tour operators ensure your safety by providing reliable transport and accommodations, and their local expertise helps you navigate any challenges smoothly.

Top Services Offered by Indian Tour Operators

Tailor-Made Itineraries

Every traveler is unique, and so are their preferences. Top Indian tour operators offer customized itineraries that cater to your specific interests, whether you’re into history, nature, adventure, or culture.

Guided Tours

Knowledgeable guides can make a world of difference in your travel experience. They offer insights and stories about the places you visit, making your journey more enriching and enjoyable.

Accommodation Arrangements

From luxurious hotels to charming homestays, tour operators arrange accommodations that suit your budget and preferences. They ensure you stay at the best places, adding comfort to your adventure.

Transport Services

Navigating India’s vast geography can be tricky. Tour operators handle all transportation logistics, providing everything from private cars to domestic flights, ensuring smooth travel between destinations.

Unique Local Experiences

Want to learn Indian cooking or partake in a traditional festival? Tour operators can arrange unique local experiences that offer an authentic taste of Indian culture.

Benefits of Using a Tour Operator in India

Time-Saving

With a tour operator, you save precious time on planning and logistics. This means more time to explore, relax, and enjoy your trip.

Cost-Effective

Tour operators often have partnerships with hotels, transport services, and attractions, allowing them to offer better rates than you might find on your own.

Hassle-Free Experience

From booking to itinerary changes, tour operators handle all the details. This hassle-free experience means you can focus entirely on soaking up the sights and sounds of India.

What to Look for in a Top Tour Operator

Reputation and Reviews

Start by researching online reviews and testimonials. A good tour operator will have a solid reputation and positive feedback from previous travelers.

Range of Services

Ensure the tour operator offers a comprehensive range of services, including customized itineraries, guided tours, and local experiences.

Customer Support

Responsive and reliable customer support is crucial. Choose a tour operator who is available to assist you throughout your journey.

Pricing and Value

While pricing is important, value for money is crucial. Compare what different tour operators offer in their packages and choose the one that provides the best overall value.

Popular Tour Packages

Golden Triangle Tour

The Golden Triangle—Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur—is a classic introduction to India. This tour covers the iconic Taj Mahal, the vibrant markets of Jaipur, and the historic sites of Delhi.

Kerala Backwater Cruise

Experience the tranquil backwaters of Kerala on a houseboat cruise. This serene journey offers a glimpse into the slow-paced life of Kerala's villages and lush landscapes.

Rajasthan Royal Heritage Tour

Explore the majestic palaces and forts of Rajasthan. From the pink city of Jaipur to the blue city of Jodhpur and the golden sands of Jaisalmer, this tour is a royal treat.

Himalayan Trekking Adventure

For adventure enthusiasts, the Himalayan trekking tours offer breathtaking views and challenging trails. Popular treks include the Markha Valley in Ladakh and the Roopkund Trek in Uttarakhand.

Goa Beach Retreat

Relax on the sandy beaches of Goa, known for its vibrant nightlife and Portuguese heritage. This retreat is perfect for those looking to unwind and soak up the sun.

Specialty Tours Offered by Indian Tour Operators

Wildlife Safaris

India’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are home to diverse flora and fauna. Enjoy a safari in Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, or Kaziranga to spot tigers, elephants, and rhinos.

Culinary Tours

Indulge in India’s diverse culinary traditions with a food tour. Learn to cook traditional dishes and sample regional specialties, from spicy street food to royal Rajasthani feasts.

Cultural Immersion Trips

Immerse yourself in Indian culture with trips that focus on local traditions, crafts, and festivals. Visit artisans’ workshops, attend local festivals, and learn about India’s cultural heritage.

Spiritual Journeys

Explore India’s spiritual side with tours to holy sites and ashrams. From the ghats of Varanasi to the ashrams of Rishikesh, these journeys offer spiritual enrichment and peace.

Customer Testimonials and Success Stories

Hearing from previous travelers can provide insight into what you can expect from a tour operator. Look for testimonials that highlight positive experiences, excellent service, and memorable trips.

Current Trends in the Indian Tour Industry

Sustainable Tourism

There’s a growing focus on sustainable tourism practices. Tour operators are incorporating eco-friendly options, supporting local communities, and promoting responsible travel.

Adventure Tourism

Adventure tourism is on the rise, with more travelers seeking thrills. From trekking and rafting to paragliding and scuba diving, India offers numerous adventure activities.

Wellness Tourism

India, the land of yoga and Ayurveda, is a popular destination for wellness tourism. Many tour operators offer packages that include yoga retreats, spa treatments, and Ayurvedic therapies.

Tips for an Unforgettable Indian Tour

Best Time to Visit

India’s climate varies significantly, so plan your visit according to the region and season. The winter months (October to March) are generally the best time to explore most parts of the country.

Essential Packing Tips

Pack light but include essentials like comfortable clothing, a good pair of walking shoes, sunscreen, a hat, and any necessary medications. Don’t forget a power adapter for your electronics.

Health and Safety Advice

Stay hydrated, avoid drinking tap water, and be cautious with street food. It’s also a good idea to have travel insurance that covers health and safety emergencies.

Inbound Travel Company in India

An inbound travel company in India specializes in organizing travel services for international visitors coming to India. They provide comprehensive packages that include accommodation, transportation, guided tours, and unique local experiences. With expert knowledge of India's diverse destinations and cultural heritage, these companies ensure a seamless and memorable experience for travelers, managing all logistics from arrival to departure and inbound travel company in India

Conclusion

Choosing the right tour operator can make all the difference in your Indian adventure. With their expert knowledge, customized services, and commitment to your comfort and safety, they ensure you discover India in the most enriching way possible. So, pack your bags and get ready to explore the incredible diversity and beauty of India
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2024.05.17 08:18 lindanimated Using an AI image to sell his ludicrously misogynistic "masterclass" is the icing on the cake

Using an AI image to sell his ludicrously misogynistic submitted by lindanimated to BlatantMisogyny [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:18 actualzombie Blue Peter - Blue Peter Book Club: Bob Vs the Selfie Zombies - BBC

Blue Peter - Blue Peter Book Club: Bob Vs the Selfie Zombies - BBC submitted by actualzombie to actualzombie [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:16 darrenjyc Nietzsche’s Human, All Too Human: A Book For Free Spirits (1878) — An online reading group discussion on Thursday May 23 (EDT)

Nietzsche’s Human, All Too Human: A Book For Free Spirits (1878) — An online reading group discussion on Thursday May 23 (EDT)
Human, All Too Human: A Book For Free Spirits (1878) is often considered the start of Friedrich Nietzsche's mature period. A complex work that explores many themes to which Nietzsche later returned, it marks a significant departure from his previous thinking. Here Nietzsche breaks with his early allegiance to Schopenhauer and Wagner, and establishes the overall framework of his later philosophy. In contrast to his previous disdain for science, now Nietzsche views science as key to undercutting traditional metaphysics. This he sees as a crucial step in the emergence of free spirits who will be the avant-garde of culture.
In summing up the crucial change of perspective expressed in Human, All Too Human, Nietzsche used the following words in his later work Ecce Homo: "Human, All Too Human is a memorial of a crisis.... [W]ith this book I liberated myself from that in my nature which did not belong to me. Idealism does not belong to me...realities were altogether lacking in my knowledge, and the 'idealities' were worth damn all! A downright burning thirst seized hold of me: thenceforward I pursued in fact nothing other than physiology, medicine, and natural science."
This is an essential work for anyone who wishes to understand Nietzsche's incisive critique of Western culture and values.
https://preview.redd.it/qmsmhy59ix0d1.jpg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7337ccf9b8e23db7bb509fdfc30770ec110d252d
This is an online meeting on Thursday May 23 to discuss "Man Alone With Himself" from Nietzsche’s Human, All Too Human: A Book For Free Spirits (1878).
To join, RSVP in advance on the main event page here; the video conferencing link will be available to registrants.
Please read Section 64 (in Part XVIII) "Man Alone With Himself" in advance.
The pdf is available on the sign-up page.
People who have not read the chapters are welcome to join and participate, but priority in the discussion will be given to people who have read the assigned text.
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2024.05.17 08:14 Mrkittypants1 After years of being denied from insurance, I finally have a consultation with a surgeon!

After years of being denied from insurance, I finally have a consultation with a surgeon!
I’m very hopeful this time around that I’ll be approved! I have my consultation with Dr. Pham with Kaiser in two months.
I’ve been recommended djs from 4 different orthodontists for 4 years now, my first time ever seeing an orthodontist was in 2020. My insurance has denied it 4 times (including my appeals) for being “cosmetic” and non-essential. I was denied twice by kaiser from the years 2020-2023. Then in 2023, Dr. Pham approved me for fixing my underbite! I don’t believe he approved me for djs but I can’t quite remember. Then I switched jobs and therefore switched insurances. I had blue shield and tried to go through the whole process again. This time I saw Dr. Rivera in channel islands maxillofacial surgery center. He was seriously amazing and so thorough with my consultation. He described everything in such detail and was very patient and answered all of my questions. I so badly wanted him to do my surgery! When it came time to move forward, blue shield denied the surgery once more :( My appeals were denied two times as well for the surgery being deemed as cosmetic. It’s been a grueling process and I wanted to give up so many times, but ultimately I’ve realized that advocating for myself is completely worthwhile and I wouldn’t give up.
Now I’m at a different job, with kaiser again. I was a little wary but optimistic. So I collected all of my referrals once more, booked the appointment and waited the 6 months. I had this intake appointment with kaiser on sunset earlier this week, and was told I was a good candidate, and received a consultation appointment with Dr. Pham in a couple months from now. I’ve read good things about Dr. Pham so I have complete confidence he will be great too!
I have Invisalign currently and plan to get braces in 2 months. I have never had braces so I’m probably looking at another 6 months until the surgery, but I’m so excited to get the ball rolling!
Reading this sub I am a little nervous for the recovery, but ultimately want a better quality of life. I don’t think my breathing is as good as it could be (although I don’t know any better!) I don’t have sleep apnea which is a plus. But I’ve suffered from GI issues from having issues chewing. I also get frequent pain behind my left ear.
I’ve included pics from 2017-2018. I underwent rhinoplasty, buccal fat removal and had a chin implant in 2018. There’s also a recent picture of me. I am happy with my nose and chin but you can see my jaw is still quite recessed. I love my nose and am a little worried how it will look after djs… I will be sure to bring up these concerns with Dr. Pham when I see him. I am hopeful that the surgery will be covered. Wish me luck! 🤞
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2024.05.17 08:13 CIAHerpes I remember the night I died and saw the Bardo.

There are some kinds of wisdom only great suffering can bring. I remember my time in the Bardo with this in mind, for otherwise, the memory might drive me insane.
The night my heart stopped for nearly three minutes started off normally enough. I was working as a nurse in the psychiatric ward at a hospital in the state’s capital. Most of the patients there were harmless, mostly just suicide attempts or people suffering from drug psychosis or severe depression, but some were actively dangerous and certainly psychopathic in every sense of the word. The new admission was one of these- a three-hundred pound black man with a long history of smoking PCP, schizophrenia and violent, psychotic breaks from reality.
His eyes looked like flat pieces of slate as I walked in for my shift. They looked as blank and emotionless as the eyes of a doll. He sat at the table in the front room where the patients ate or played cards, alone under the bright fluorescent lights of the hospital. I walked to the station, where another psychiatric nurse named Ricardo was sitting behind the desk.
“What’s the deal with the new guy?” I asked him. Ricardo looked up, his dark Spanish face forming into a deep scowl. He ran his fingers through his jet-black hair nervously.
“He’s trouble, man,” he said in a crisp accent. “He got in a chase with the police and then punched some cops in the face. It took three guys to take him down, even after he got maced and tased. The judge sent him here on a temporary court order, since he claims he’s been getting chased by Nazis in UFOs, and that’s why he ran from the cops. He thought the cops in their uniforms were actually the SS, and the helicopters were alien spacecraft, or something. I don’t know, I didn’t listen to the whole story.”
“You have his file?” I asked. Ricardo leafed through a stack of folders with his thin fingers, snatching one out and handing it to me. I looked down, reading the information:
“Jeremiah Brown, black male, 37-years-old.
“History: Polysubstance abuse, schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder.
“Psychiatrist’s note: This patient has scored a 36 out of 40 on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. While I am always hesitant to label a patient as an antisocial personality, a combination of factors has made it essential for this patient.
“Patient has an extensive criminal history as well as a lengthy history of involuntary psychiatric admissions. He has been diagnosed as having antisocial traits since he was a young teenager. Patient has a long history of violence and suicide attempts. He has a history of imprisonment for manslaughter, armed robbery, grand theft and aggravated assault. Upon discharge, he refuses to take any antipsychotic medication, citing the side effects as the reason. Long-term prognosis is poor…”
I had not been sleeping well the past few weeks. I rubbed my eyes as I read through the file, feeling exhausted. I tried putting on lucid dreaming or meditation music from YouTube to help me sleep, but whenever I closed my eyes, I saw horrible things: chalk-white female faces whose lips were cut into an insane rictus grin, flicking their heads violently from side to side and gnashing their fangs at the air. I had a feeling that many years of constantly watching horror movies and serial killer documentaries was catching up with me.
As I read through the file, a student nurse came around the corner wearing a white state university outfit and a name tag that said Kaitlyn. I looked up, seeing Ricardo wink at me from where he was sitting in his chair behind the main desk.
“She’s going to follow you,” he said. Inwardly, I groaned, but I managed to force a smile.
“Oh, great!” I said. She looked like she was probably no older than nineteen or twenty. She had a pretty body, but her face looked strange. All the angles were too sharp and her nose too large. I knew the patients here wouldn’t care, though. They would hit on anything. I sensed trouble. I looked down at my watch.
“Well, I’m Jay, and you already know Ricardo, I guess. It’s good timing, because we need to give medications every day at 9 PM. And we have a new patient, so we can introduce ourselves,” I said, giving her a faint smile.
“That’s exciting!” Kaitlyn whispered. I wanted to roll my eyes. It was definitely not exciting.
I motioned her to follow me as I made my way to the medication room, which was really just a large closet off of the main day room. I had to enter my code on a keypad, and then, once inside, enter it again along with the patient’s number and date of birth. The correct drawers for the medication in each specific dose would fly open, making it extremely hard for the wrong medications or doses to be given, unless it was done intentionally.
“OK, so for this patient, we need Haldol, Ativan and…” I began saying to Kaitlyn when the yelling started. It came out faintly, rising in volume and anger within seconds. I heard Ricardo’s Spanish voice, filled with panic. Something slammed hard against a wall, once, twice, three times, and then I heard the sound of glass breaking. I jumped, spinning around, but I couldn’t see much through the small, shatter-proof glass pane on the wooden door.
“Stay here,” I commanded, seeing Kaitlyn’s eyes widen, her freckled skin looking much paler than when we had first come in. “Don’t leave until I come back and say that it’s safe.” On the speakers strung throughout the hospital, I heard the first of the warnings echo out around us.
“Doctor Strong, Doctor Strong, please report to the seventh floor,” a robotic female voice said calmly, using the code for when a patient had to be subdued by force. I pushed the door open, slamming it shut behind me so that the lock would activate and protect Kaitlyn from whatever chaos was going on.
I heard Ricardo pleading with someone at the end of the hallway that ran past the main desk. He sounded strange, as if he were trying to talk through a mouthful of blood. Huddled behind the main computer, I saw one of the CNAs frantically whispering something in the phone. She must have been the one to call the Dr. Strong order.
“You don’t have to do this, man,” Ricardo gurgled faintly. I couldn’t see what was happening, as Jeremiah’s large body was blocking my view. I could see that the thick glass window at the end of the hallway was broken, however. My heart skipped a beat as I surmised what was likely happening.
I sprinted forward as quietly as I could, but the large man heard me. His massive body turned, his flat, dead eyes scanning me with absolute coldness and calm. I saw he had a bleeding Ricardo in his hands. Ricardo’s back and head were covered in deep cuts and shards of glass. He must have used Ricardo’s body as a battering ram to break the thick glass window. Jeremiah held Ricardo suspended halfway out the window, seven floors above the concrete walkways far below.
“Stay back, or this fucker will know what it feels like to fly,” Jeremiah said in a deep, gravelly voice. He shook Ricardo for emphasis, sending his head snapping back and forth with painful cracking sounds. Drops of blood flew from his nose and a deep gash across his cheek. Pieces of shattered glass littered the carpet, shining like countless tiny stars.
I put my hands up, taking a step back. Far behind me, I heard the front door for the psychiatric ward open. Voices echoed down the hall. Knowing that reinforcements were coming, I tried to buy some time.
“Let’s talk about this,” I said, taking a step forward slowly. “You don’t want a murder charge, do you? You’ll never see the sky again.”
“I don’t give a fuck! I’m not afraid to die!” Jeremiah screamed, pushing Ricardo onto one of the shards of broken glass still attached to the windowsill. It bit deeply into the back of his neck, sending fresh streams of blood rushing out, dripping down to the pavement far below. I heard security guards and doctors running down the hallway behind me, their voices frantic and excited. Jeremiah saw them coming. With an animalistic panic in his eyes, he lifted Ricardo up. I cried out something, stepping forward, but it was already too late. In horror, I watched as he threw Ricardo out the window.
I watched Ricardo’s body soar in a graceful arc, his arms grabbing at empty air as a scream ripped its way out of his throat. Within a fraction of a second, he had disappeared from view, but his terrified shrieking floated up to us for what seemed like a very long time. His screams ended abruptly as a shattering of bones and a wet smacking sound exploded far below us.
Jeremiah turned to me, his large body moving much faster than seemed possible. In his hand, I saw a piece of broken glass, five or six inches long and as sharp as a dagger. I tried to turn and run, but he was fast and strong. He lunged forward, his arm coming up in a blur towards my neck.
The shard entered my skin with a cold, numbing pain. I felt it slice through the flesh easily, felt the blood bubbling up my throat as I tried to scream, choking. The taste of iron filled my mouth as I fell backwards. I was suffocating, I knew. I must be dying.
Something cold ran down my body, gripping my heart like freezing, skeletal hands. The world swam around me and turned black. And then I was rising into a tunnel. At first, it was dark, filled with flickering shadows, but a fiery red light appeared at the end. I followed it, no more than a screaming mass of consciousness rising up into infinity.
***
I rose up through the end of the tunnel and found myself in an empty hospital ward. It looked identical to the psychiatric ward I had just come from. It even had the same smashed, blood-streaked window at the end of the hallway. A massive puddle of blood about ten feet away marked the spot where I must have died. But the fluorescent lights overhead here were flickering, and many had gone totally dark. The shadows seemed to press in on all sides.
The doors to the patients’ rooms were all tightly shut. I felt watched, afraid to call out or make any noise. I started walking down the hallway back towards the day room where the front desk was. All the lights there were out. A thick curtain of shadows hung in the air.
“You can come out,” a male voice as smooth as glass called from the darkness. I jumped, my head flicking in random directions, but I saw nothing. The voice almost sounded like it had an English lilt to it, a slight Cockneyed accent. “I know you’re there.”
“Who’s there?” I called out, not stepping forward. “Show yourself.”
“As you wish…” the voice hissed. “But I think you’ll regret it.”
***
The darkness split apart as if a nuclear missile had exploded. I raised my hand to shield my face, but the light and heat kept pouring out all around me. It blinded me, causing a rainbow of colors and shapes to morph behind my closed eyelids. After a few seconds, it subsided. Blinking rapidly, I squinted in the direction the voice had come from.
A male figure stood there, bathed in a silhouette of light. His face looked as white and as smooth as marble. His eyes were pits of darkness that seemed to flicker and burn. Two black, rotted wings surrounded his body, all sharp angles and thin, curving bones. His body was clothed in silky, blood-red robes, and a hood covered his platinum blonde hair.
He looked somewhat similar to Leonardo DiCaprio, if he was possessed by some ancient god, and it immediately threw me off-guard. If I was dying, and this was a hallucination of my brain, why would I be hallucinating Mr. DiCaprio?
“Who are you?” I asked, taking a hesitant step back. “Where am I?”
“My name is Lucifer, the Bringer of Light and Wisdom, and you are in the Bardo,” he answered.
“Oh,” I said, my heart dropping. “Well, that’s not good. Are you here to torture me or drag to me to Hell or something? You are that Lucifer, right? The Accuser of God and the Father of All Lies?”
“So they say, but, like most things in your world, the words of the powerful and your rulers are the true lies. They call me the Accuser, but of what am I accused?” he spoke in a voice that rose like smoke. “Of bringing knowledge and wisdom to humanity by telling them to eat from the tree of knowledge, the tree that would cause them to rise above the animals?
“Indeed, at the beginning, I saw the creation. I was there at the alpha, standing by the side of God with all the angels as the universe came into being. The endless procession of light, the power of it, was something remarkable to behold. God is, indeed, the source of great power, but his consciousness is not what the believers say.
“After the creation of the universe, I saw his plan, how he ripped eternal souls from the source to imprison them. I saw how he took these divine sparks and forced them, screaming and wailing, into bodies made of meat to die over and over again. He said it was part of the plan, the great, divine plan, a plan of death and destruction, constant suffering and mindless agony. And the worst part was, he wanted to give humanity neither the knowledge of good and evil, nor the tree of life. I convinced them to eat the fruit so they could open their eyes to their nakedness, to their basic animal existence, so they could rise up out of it forever.
“Like Prometheus, I brought down the fire, and yet they call me the Accuser? God was insane long before he formed the universe. These holy men, they live and die in fanatical adoration to a divine being who is, in fact, totally indifferent to them.
“His consciousness twists and distorts, eating itself for all eternity. God feeds off the pain of others, for if his mind is burning, then all others should burn as well. When these holy men die, God will send their souls here to the Bardo, to suffer every evil they have ever done. The wisdom I brought those who called upon me freed them from this prison, and in exchange, the holy men burned them alive. I offered the wisdom that opens your eyes, but it has been forgotten and cursed.”
Lucifer’s body began to dissolve, drifting up into the air like ashes. All around me, a low, powerful current blew, a tornado that spiraled high up into the clouds. Like some sort of Cheshire Cat, his smooth voice continued to echo all around me, even as the form of Lucifer disappeared.
“And yet, you have not the wisdom. For that, like all the others who enter the Bardo, you must suffer, everything you’ve done. Every small hurt and agony inflicted on others comes back a thousand-fold in this place, but don’t be afraid.”
“How could I not be afraid?!” I screamed into the ward, but I found myself alone, the question hanging unanswered in the air.
***
The lights continued to flicker all down the hallway. Feeling strange and dissociated, I stumbled over to one of the windows. As I gazed out, I beheld a strange and alien world.
The sky was flat and gray. It stayed in constant motion, swirling and spiraling, like clouds of roiling smoke. There was no Sun or Moon, no stars, only the strange, shifting whorls of clouds. The streets were filled with burned-out husks of cars and mummified bodies hung from streetlamps. Other signs of carnage and bloodshed covered the apocalyptic streets. I saw what looked like shadows in the shape of people slinking through over the sidewalks, past rotting dogs and streaks of clotted blood. They had no features on their blank, dark bodies. They seemed to skitter and jerk forwards in eerie, twisting motions.
Horrified, I turned away, realizing I was no longer alone in the day room. In the day room, there were dozens of tables set up inside a rectangular perimeter that was walled in by cosmetic walls only four feet high. It was where the patients sat and played games or ate.
Under the flickering lights, I now saw each of the chairs filled with faceless mannequins. Many were dressed in Victorian suits and tophats. The women had frilly dresses of pink and blue that might have been fashionable in the 1800s.
As the lights strobed on and off overhead, I realized with an increasing sense of disquiet that the mannequins were moving each time it went dark. When I had first seen them, they were mostly posed to look like they were staring across the tables at each other, even though they had no eyes, just smooth, flesh-colored plastic. Now all of them were looking directly at me. Some were pointing or raising their hands in my direction. At the tips of their fingers, I saw the glittering of steel. The lights continued to flicker, and the mannequins rose from their chairs in the short periods of darkness, moving towards me in synchronized, strobing motions.
Frantically, I ran down the hallway back towards the broken window. In each of the rooms, I caught glimpses of something from a nightmare peeking out. I hadn’t been sleeping well lately, and when I had closed my eyes, I often saw ancient hags with chalk-white skin and yellowed, broken teeth whose jaws unhinged, their faces jerking in stuttering, dissonant ways that reminded me of the mannequins. Now, on both sides of me, I saw these same figures. They moved continuously out of the rooms, drawing closer with every breath.
I looked back, seeing the mannequins only a few steps behind me. I continued sprinting towards the broken window where the hallway ended in a wall. I didn’t know what would happen when I reached it. At that moment, there was no rational thought. I felt like a deer being chased down by a pack of wolves, feeling waves of blind panic and mortal terror rushing through my body.
But as I reached the end of the hallway, the end of my rope as it were, a blast of noise started, seeming to come from the walls of the building and the sky itself. It sounded like a siren, a low, drawn-out drone of a demonic whale call, rising and falling in crashing crescendos. The mannequins froze in place once again. The strange, witch-like creatures slunk back into the dark rooms.
I looked outside the broken window, seeing clouds of black smoke rising off in the distance. The flickering of massive infernos scorched the land, drawing nearer by the second. The siren sound faded slowly, like the dying echoes of a gong.
I was surrounded by dozens of mannequins. Their sharp hands were inches away from my face and neck. I saw metal glittering all around me and realized they had the sharp points of nails protruding from the ends of their fingers. I was afraid to move, but I heard a familiar voice from down the hallway. It was the confident voice of Lucifer.
“The siren means much worse nightmares than these are coming in the Bardo,” he said, his glossy, black eyes flashing with intelligence. He walked slowly towards me, his face grim and pale. “Hell itself is coming over the land. This building is no more than a construction of your dying mind, but the world outside is real.”
“How can Hell come and go?” I asked, confused. “Isn’t Hell a place?”
“Hell is a monster, a beast with many mouths and many eyes,” Lucifer responded. “It eats constantly, but its hunger never ends. Look, the first of the sacrifices scatter like cockroaches.” He pointed out the broken window, pushing his way through the mannequins effortlessly. I glanced outside, seeing thousands of people sprinting down the dark city streets. The inferno and thick clouds of smoke had moved much closer, and every few seconds, the ground shook slightly, as if we were experiencing the aftershocks of an earthquake.
“What can I do against such a beast?” I asked, my heart freezing with terror. But when I looked back over, I saw his form dissolving again, becoming translucent and drifting away like ashes. It seemed even Lucifer didn’t want to be present when the Hell-beast arrived.
“Seek divine wisdom,” he said, his voice trailing off into whispers. “Remember the source.”
***
Now crowds of tens of thousands of people were streaming into the city, filling every single inch of the streets. Their panic and fear was contagious. I felt it rising inside my body like a snake spiraling up my spine. I took off down the hallway, running through the swarm of frozen mannequins, each in their own ferocious position of attack. The lights flickered faster and went out. Yet the fires outside cast the entire world in a bloody glow, giving me enough light to see by and find my way. I sprinted down the stairwell, taking them two steps at a time. The screaming outside grew louder and more pain-filled. The shaking of the ground worsened with every passing second.
I burst out of the front entrance, seeing a world on fire all around me. Thousands of crushed, bleeding and burned bodies stretched out as far as the eye could see. Behind all this chaos and death, I saw a monster of unimaginable proportions slinking its way towards me.
Lucifer was right, I realized: Hell was not a place, but a creature, an enormous monster the size of a town. It had thousands of skittering, jointed legs that looked like little more than skeletal arms and hands, each of them dozens of feet long and white as freshly-cut marble. Its body stretched out to the horizon, an enormous blood-red cylinder of bony plates that slithered and undulated with a serpentine grace. Waves of peristalsis traveled down its length, like writhing intestines. Thousands of curving, bony spikes stabbed out of it, pointing in every direction. Like the quills of a porcupine, it would protect the massive creature’s body from many forms of attack, if anything was big enough to attack such an abomination.
Hell’s massive eyes flickered, balls of fire that spun and danced. They looked as bright as the Sun. Something like solar flares seemed to emanate from the orbs, flashes of blinding energy that floated over the apocalyptic wasteland. As its many legs smashed the ground, they left trails of fire that caused everything to explode into flames as if napalm dripped from its limbs.
But Hell’s most terrifying feature was its seven dark mouths. Its body looked a thousand feet wide, and the mouths at the front were evenly dispersed. At the front, blood-red teeth in the shape of enormous railroad spikes shone. Its lipless, skeletal face grinned as it moved forward, shaking the ground with every step. The mouths were on long, snake-like necks that could stretch out hundreds of feet. They moved forward in a blur, snapping up as many panicked souls as they could.
Countless souls in the rocky plains of the Bardo ran for their lives, away from this juggernaut. I saw men and women who looked like they came from every country and profession, some dressed in suits or spotless white lab coats, others wearing rags or orange prison jumpsuits. And yet, they all screamed in agony and fear here, their bodies pressed together in a crowd, and no one seemed to remember anything but their own mortal terror. Their voices came out faint and weak next to the roaring of Hell. It shook the ground all around us, as if an earthquake were tearing the land apart.
The first frantic runners of the surging crowd had nearly reached me. The nearest person, a young woman in her mid-twenties dressed in all white, was only ten feet behind me. She looked like she came from wealth, and even from here, I could see a ring with a massive diamond gleaming on her finger.
I took off blindly down the familiar streets of the city where I worked and lived, but these also seemed different. The church down the street from the hospital where I worked had a Satanic pentagram instead of a cross now, its exterior painted a bright, gleaming blood-red. When I had driven past it today on my way to work, I remember it read, “JESUS said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
Now it read, “Nietzsche said, ‘Of all evil, I deem you capable. I have often laughed at the weaklings who thought themselves good simply because they had no claws.’” I wondered what that meant. Was that some sort of comment on me, on all of us here?
The woman I had seen running had caught up with me. She was fast, much faster than her slim body suggested. Her blue eyes were frantic and wild, filled with an animal panic.
“It’s right behind us!” she screamed, her face covered in a sheen of sweat. I was afraid to turn and look, but I could hear the chaos and bloodshed approaching, smell the flames and choking smoke. “Run! Get away!”
A new wave of energy surged through my body. I sprinted as fast I could down the strange mirror streets of the Bardo. I heard the agonized cries of countless souls behind us as the seven mouths of Hell ate them all greedily and then looked for more.
A skyscraper behind us collapsed into a pile of rubble, shaking the ground with a cacophony of falling concrete and shattering glass. The woman was running by my side. Just as I heard the breathing of something huge and predatory right behind us and smelled its sulfuric breath, a piece of concrete the size of a basketball broke off the collapsing skyscraper and flew into the road. I tripped over it, yelling as I flew through the air, skinning my arms and legs on the pavement. The woman’s eyes widened. Hurriedly, she came over and reached down her hand, trying to help me up.
“Come on, come on!” she cried. I looked behind her, seeing one of the gnashing mouths of Hell reaching forward on a blood-red, serpentine neck. The mouth was big enough to drive a tractor trailer into, filled with huge spikes of teeth. Its throat led into a black, smoke-filled abyss. Its fiery eyes were swirling pools of flickering orange light that shone with bloodlust and insanity. They focused on the woman, the entire head turning on its slithering neck.
I frantically raised my hand, intertwining my fingers with hers. Her hand was warm and soft. She started to pull me to my feet when the mouth of Hell snapped forward. Its jaw unhinged, scraping the pavement with a sound like grinding metal. The woman barely had time to turn as the mouth covered her and snapped shut with a crack.
She disappeared from view instantly, but I was still holding her hand. In horror, I felt warm rivers of blood explode all over my body as the mouth of Hell severed her arm at the wrist. She screamed, bleeding and crying, as she disappeared into the throat of Hell. Hell’s fiery eyes focused on me, and at that moment, I knew I was next. Its mouth opened wide again, like a bear trap ready to spring on a new victim.
It was dark in Hell’s mouth, but I smelled the thick reek of old blood and fire. I caught glimpses of tortured, mutilated bodies writhing and crawling down its throat. Shell-shocked, I could only lay there and watch. And that was when the strange doubling started.
***
I heard the frantic voices of men break through the fog of darkness and the fetid reek of blood. There was a mechanical beeping all around me, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
“Clear!” one cried. I looked around, only seeing blackness. At that moment, I felt a surge of electricity rip itself through my body. My arms and legs all seized and my eyes rolled up in my head as the pain sizzled through each one of my nerves. I clutched the young woman’s hand tightly, feeling the large, gold ring with the massive diamond biting into my skin.
“Again!” another voice yelled.
“Clear!” the original voice cried. The electricity came again, and a flash of white light flew across my vision. I blinked, seeing from two sets of eyes at the same time: one in the Bardo, and one on the blood-stained floor of the hospital ward.
The Bardo stayed dark and sinister, but the clear white lights of the real psychiatric ward were blinding. It was a bizarre experience. Moreover, everything hurt. Over a few seconds, my vision of the Bardo faded, and I was simply a gravely injured man laying on the floor in a puddle of blood.
Four doctors and paramedics were crouching over me with a defibrillator. My shirt was ripped off, and nearly all of my skin was covered in blood. I raised my left hand, trying to talk, but only a fiery pain raced through my neck. I felt bandages covering my skin. A nurse was rolling a stretcher down the hallway towards me.
“It’s OK,” one of the doctors said, kneeling down. “You’re being taken to emergency surgery. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t talk with the massive slice in my neck.
At that moment, I felt something in my right hand. I looked down, seeing a slim female hand with a massive diamond ring hanging there. Our fingers were wrapped around each other’s, but the hand had been cut off at the wrist. A ragged patch of bloody flesh and snapped bone poked out of the back.
“Nnnn,” I tried to say, shaking my head. I felt fresh streams of warm blood open up. “No…” The doctors looked down, seeing the dismembered hand. Their faces morphed into expressions of confusion and fear.
I closed my eyes as they lifted me up on the stretcher. One of them gently removed the cold hand from my fingers. But they could never remove the memory of what I had seen.
I know what happens after death, and it makes the worst life here seem like a dream. I know that, one day, I’ll be returned to that place. I know that, one day, I’ll see that great monster called Hell and the featureless, swirling sky of the Bardo again.
And the next time, I won’t wake up on a hospital floor, but will be trapped there with the others for eternity: an eternity of blood and fire.
submitted by CIAHerpes to ZakBabyTV_Stories [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:13 CIAHerpes I remember the night I died and saw the Bardo.

There are some kinds of wisdom only great suffering can bring. I remember my time in the Bardo with this in mind, for otherwise, the memory might drive me insane.
The night my heart stopped for nearly three minutes started off normally enough. I was working as a nurse in the psychiatric ward at a hospital in the state’s capital. Most of the patients there were harmless, mostly just suicide attempts or people suffering from drug psychosis or severe depression, but some were actively dangerous and certainly psychopathic in every sense of the word. The new admission was one of these- a three-hundred pound black man with a long history of smoking PCP, schizophrenia and violent, psychotic breaks from reality.
His eyes looked like flat pieces of slate as I walked in for my shift. They looked as blank and emotionless as the eyes of a doll. He sat at the table in the front room where the patients ate or played cards, alone under the bright fluorescent lights of the hospital. I walked to the station, where another psychiatric nurse named Ricardo was sitting behind the desk.
“What’s the deal with the new guy?” I asked him. Ricardo looked up, his dark Spanish face forming into a deep scowl. He ran his fingers through his jet-black hair nervously.
“He’s trouble, man,” he said in a crisp accent. “He got in a chase with the police and then punched some cops in the face. It took three guys to take him down, even after he got maced and tased. The judge sent him here on a temporary court order, since he claims he’s been getting chased by Nazis in UFOs, and that’s why he ran from the cops. He thought the cops in their uniforms were actually the SS, and the helicopters were alien spacecraft, or something. I don’t know, I didn’t listen to the whole story.”
“You have his file?” I asked. Ricardo leafed through a stack of folders with his thin fingers, snatching one out and handing it to me. I looked down, reading the information:
“Jeremiah Brown, black male, 37-years-old.
“History: Polysubstance abuse, schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder.
“Psychiatrist’s note: This patient has scored a 36 out of 40 on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. While I am always hesitant to label a patient as an antisocial personality, a combination of factors has made it essential for this patient.
“Patient has an extensive criminal history as well as a lengthy history of involuntary psychiatric admissions. He has been diagnosed as having antisocial traits since he was a young teenager. Patient has a long history of violence and suicide attempts. He has a history of imprisonment for manslaughter, armed robbery, grand theft and aggravated assault. Upon discharge, he refuses to take any antipsychotic medication, citing the side effects as the reason. Long-term prognosis is poor…”
I had not been sleeping well the past few weeks. I rubbed my eyes as I read through the file, feeling exhausted. I tried putting on lucid dreaming or meditation music from YouTube to help me sleep, but whenever I closed my eyes, I saw horrible things: chalk-white female faces whose lips were cut into an insane rictus grin, flicking their heads violently from side to side and gnashing their fangs at the air. I had a feeling that many years of constantly watching horror movies and serial killer documentaries was catching up with me.
As I read through the file, a student nurse came around the corner wearing a white state university outfit and a name tag that said Kaitlyn. I looked up, seeing Ricardo wink at me from where he was sitting in his chair behind the main desk.
“She’s going to follow you,” he said. Inwardly, I groaned, but I managed to force a smile.
“Oh, great!” I said. She looked like she was probably no older than nineteen or twenty. She had a pretty body, but her face looked strange. All the angles were too sharp and her nose too large. I knew the patients here wouldn’t care, though. They would hit on anything. I sensed trouble. I looked down at my watch.
“Well, I’m Jay, and you already know Ricardo, I guess. It’s good timing, because we need to give medications every day at 9 PM. And we have a new patient, so we can introduce ourselves,” I said, giving her a faint smile.
“That’s exciting!” Kaitlyn whispered. I wanted to roll my eyes. It was definitely not exciting.
I motioned her to follow me as I made my way to the medication room, which was really just a large closet off of the main day room. I had to enter my code on a keypad, and then, once inside, enter it again along with the patient’s number and date of birth. The correct drawers for the medication in each specific dose would fly open, making it extremely hard for the wrong medications or doses to be given, unless it was done intentionally.
“OK, so for this patient, we need Haldol, Ativan and…” I began saying to Kaitlyn when the yelling started. It came out faintly, rising in volume and anger within seconds. I heard Ricardo’s Spanish voice, filled with panic. Something slammed hard against a wall, once, twice, three times, and then I heard the sound of glass breaking. I jumped, spinning around, but I couldn’t see much through the small, shatter-proof glass pane on the wooden door.
“Stay here,” I commanded, seeing Kaitlyn’s eyes widen, her freckled skin looking much paler than when we had first come in. “Don’t leave until I come back and say that it’s safe.” On the speakers strung throughout the hospital, I heard the first of the warnings echo out around us.
“Doctor Strong, Doctor Strong, please report to the seventh floor,” a robotic female voice said calmly, using the code for when a patient had to be subdued by force. I pushed the door open, slamming it shut behind me so that the lock would activate and protect Kaitlyn from whatever chaos was going on.
I heard Ricardo pleading with someone at the end of the hallway that ran past the main desk. He sounded strange, as if he were trying to talk through a mouthful of blood. Huddled behind the main computer, I saw one of the CNAs frantically whispering something in the phone. She must have been the one to call the Dr. Strong order.
“You don’t have to do this, man,” Ricardo gurgled faintly. I couldn’t see what was happening, as Jeremiah’s large body was blocking my view. I could see that the thick glass window at the end of the hallway was broken, however. My heart skipped a beat as I surmised what was likely happening.
I sprinted forward as quietly as I could, but the large man heard me. His massive body turned, his flat, dead eyes scanning me with absolute coldness and calm. I saw he had a bleeding Ricardo in his hands. Ricardo’s back and head were covered in deep cuts and shards of glass. He must have used Ricardo’s body as a battering ram to break the thick glass window. Jeremiah held Ricardo suspended halfway out the window, seven floors above the concrete walkways far below.
“Stay back, or this fucker will know what it feels like to fly,” Jeremiah said in a deep, gravelly voice. He shook Ricardo for emphasis, sending his head snapping back and forth with painful cracking sounds. Drops of blood flew from his nose and a deep gash across his cheek. Pieces of shattered glass littered the carpet, shining like countless tiny stars.
I put my hands up, taking a step back. Far behind me, I heard the front door for the psychiatric ward open. Voices echoed down the hall. Knowing that reinforcements were coming, I tried to buy some time.
“Let’s talk about this,” I said, taking a step forward slowly. “You don’t want a murder charge, do you? You’ll never see the sky again.”
“I don’t give a fuck! I’m not afraid to die!” Jeremiah screamed, pushing Ricardo onto one of the shards of broken glass still attached to the windowsill. It bit deeply into the back of his neck, sending fresh streams of blood rushing out, dripping down to the pavement far below. I heard security guards and doctors running down the hallway behind me, their voices frantic and excited. Jeremiah saw them coming. With an animalistic panic in his eyes, he lifted Ricardo up. I cried out something, stepping forward, but it was already too late. In horror, I watched as he threw Ricardo out the window.
I watched Ricardo’s body soar in a graceful arc, his arms grabbing at empty air as a scream ripped its way out of his throat. Within a fraction of a second, he had disappeared from view, but his terrified shrieking floated up to us for what seemed like a very long time. His screams ended abruptly as a shattering of bones and a wet smacking sound exploded far below us.
Jeremiah turned to me, his large body moving much faster than seemed possible. In his hand, I saw a piece of broken glass, five or six inches long and as sharp as a dagger. I tried to turn and run, but he was fast and strong. He lunged forward, his arm coming up in a blur towards my neck.
The shard entered my skin with a cold, numbing pain. I felt it slice through the flesh easily, felt the blood bubbling up my throat as I tried to scream, choking. The taste of iron filled my mouth as I fell backwards. I was suffocating, I knew. I must be dying.
Something cold ran down my body, gripping my heart like freezing, skeletal hands. The world swam around me and turned black. And then I was rising into a tunnel. At first, it was dark, filled with flickering shadows, but a fiery red light appeared at the end. I followed it, no more than a screaming mass of consciousness rising up into infinity.
***
I rose up through the end of the tunnel and found myself in an empty hospital ward. It looked identical to the psychiatric ward I had just come from. It even had the same smashed, blood-streaked window at the end of the hallway. A massive puddle of blood about ten feet away marked the spot where I must have died. But the fluorescent lights overhead here were flickering, and many had gone totally dark. The shadows seemed to press in on all sides.
The doors to the patients’ rooms were all tightly shut. I felt watched, afraid to call out or make any noise. I started walking down the hallway back towards the day room where the front desk was. All the lights there were out. A thick curtain of shadows hung in the air.
“You can come out,” a male voice as smooth as glass called from the darkness. I jumped, my head flicking in random directions, but I saw nothing. The voice almost sounded like it had an English lilt to it, a slight Cockneyed accent. “I know you’re there.”
“Who’s there?” I called out, not stepping forward. “Show yourself.”
“As you wish…” the voice hissed. “But I think you’ll regret it.”
***
The darkness split apart as if a nuclear missile had exploded. I raised my hand to shield my face, but the light and heat kept pouring out all around me. It blinded me, causing a rainbow of colors and shapes to morph behind my closed eyelids. After a few seconds, it subsided. Blinking rapidly, I squinted in the direction the voice had come from.
A male figure stood there, bathed in a silhouette of light. His face looked as white and as smooth as marble. His eyes were pits of darkness that seemed to flicker and burn. Two black, rotted wings surrounded his body, all sharp angles and thin, curving bones. His body was clothed in silky, blood-red robes, and a hood covered his platinum blonde hair.
He looked somewhat similar to Leonardo DiCaprio, if he was possessed by some ancient god, and it immediately threw me off-guard. If I was dying, and this was a hallucination of my brain, why would I be hallucinating Mr. DiCaprio?
“Who are you?” I asked, taking a hesitant step back. “Where am I?”
“My name is Lucifer, the Bringer of Light and Wisdom, and you are in the Bardo,” he answered.
“Oh,” I said, my heart dropping. “Well, that’s not good. Are you here to torture me or drag to me to Hell or something? You are that Lucifer, right? The Accuser of God and the Father of All Lies?”
“So they say, but, like most things in your world, the words of the powerful and your rulers are the true lies. They call me the Accuser, but of what am I accused?” he spoke in a voice that rose like smoke. “Of bringing knowledge and wisdom to humanity by telling them to eat from the tree of knowledge, the tree that would cause them to rise above the animals?
“Indeed, at the beginning, I saw the creation. I was there at the alpha, standing by the side of God with all the angels as the universe came into being. The endless procession of light, the power of it, was something remarkable to behold. God is, indeed, the source of great power, but his consciousness is not what the believers say.
“After the creation of the universe, I saw his plan, how he ripped eternal souls from the source to imprison them. I saw how he took these divine sparks and forced them, screaming and wailing, into bodies made of meat to die over and over again. He said it was part of the plan, the great, divine plan, a plan of death and destruction, constant suffering and mindless agony. And the worst part was, he wanted to give humanity neither the knowledge of good and evil, nor the tree of life. I convinced them to eat the fruit so they could open their eyes to their nakedness, to their basic animal existence, so they could rise up out of it forever.
“Like Prometheus, I brought down the fire, and yet they call me the Accuser? God was insane long before he formed the universe. These holy men, they live and die in fanatical adoration to a divine being who is, in fact, totally indifferent to them.
“His consciousness twists and distorts, eating itself for all eternity. God feeds off the pain of others, for if his mind is burning, then all others should burn as well. When these holy men die, God will send their souls here to the Bardo, to suffer every evil they have ever done. The wisdom I brought those who called upon me freed them from this prison, and in exchange, the holy men burned them alive. I offered the wisdom that opens your eyes, but it has been forgotten and cursed.”
Lucifer’s body began to dissolve, drifting up into the air like ashes. All around me, a low, powerful current blew, a tornado that spiraled high up into the clouds. Like some sort of Cheshire Cat, his smooth voice continued to echo all around me, even as the form of Lucifer disappeared.
“And yet, you have not the wisdom. For that, like all the others who enter the Bardo, you must suffer, everything you’ve done. Every small hurt and agony inflicted on others comes back a thousand-fold in this place, but don’t be afraid.”
“How could I not be afraid?!” I screamed into the ward, but I found myself alone, the question hanging unanswered in the air.
***
The lights continued to flicker all down the hallway. Feeling strange and dissociated, I stumbled over to one of the windows. As I gazed out, I beheld a strange and alien world.
The sky was flat and gray. It stayed in constant motion, swirling and spiraling, like clouds of roiling smoke. There was no Sun or Moon, no stars, only the strange, shifting whorls of clouds. The streets were filled with burned-out husks of cars and mummified bodies hung from streetlamps. Other signs of carnage and bloodshed covered the apocalyptic streets. I saw what looked like shadows in the shape of people slinking through over the sidewalks, past rotting dogs and streaks of clotted blood. They had no features on their blank, dark bodies. They seemed to skitter and jerk forwards in eerie, twisting motions.
Horrified, I turned away, realizing I was no longer alone in the day room. In the day room, there were dozens of tables set up inside a rectangular perimeter that was walled in by cosmetic walls only four feet high. It was where the patients sat and played games or ate.
Under the flickering lights, I now saw each of the chairs filled with faceless mannequins. Many were dressed in Victorian suits and tophats. The women had frilly dresses of pink and blue that might have been fashionable in the 1800s.
As the lights strobed on and off overhead, I realized with an increasing sense of disquiet that the mannequins were moving each time it went dark. When I had first seen them, they were mostly posed to look like they were staring across the tables at each other, even though they had no eyes, just smooth, flesh-colored plastic. Now all of them were looking directly at me. Some were pointing or raising their hands in my direction. At the tips of their fingers, I saw the glittering of steel. The lights continued to flicker, and the mannequins rose from their chairs in the short periods of darkness, moving towards me in synchronized, strobing motions.
Frantically, I ran down the hallway back towards the broken window. In each of the rooms, I caught glimpses of something from a nightmare peeking out. I hadn’t been sleeping well lately, and when I had closed my eyes, I often saw ancient hags with chalk-white skin and yellowed, broken teeth whose jaws unhinged, their faces jerking in stuttering, dissonant ways that reminded me of the mannequins. Now, on both sides of me, I saw these same figures. They moved continuously out of the rooms, drawing closer with every breath.
I looked back, seeing the mannequins only a few steps behind me. I continued sprinting towards the broken window where the hallway ended in a wall. I didn’t know what would happen when I reached it. At that moment, there was no rational thought. I felt like a deer being chased down by a pack of wolves, feeling waves of blind panic and mortal terror rushing through my body.
But as I reached the end of the hallway, the end of my rope as it were, a blast of noise started, seeming to come from the walls of the building and the sky itself. It sounded like a siren, a low, drawn-out drone of a demonic whale call, rising and falling in crashing crescendos. The mannequins froze in place once again. The strange, witch-like creatures slunk back into the dark rooms.
I looked outside the broken window, seeing clouds of black smoke rising off in the distance. The flickering of massive infernos scorched the land, drawing nearer by the second. The siren sound faded slowly, like the dying echoes of a gong.
I was surrounded by dozens of mannequins. Their sharp hands were inches away from my face and neck. I saw metal glittering all around me and realized they had the sharp points of nails protruding from the ends of their fingers. I was afraid to move, but I heard a familiar voice from down the hallway. It was the confident voice of Lucifer.
“The siren means much worse nightmares than these are coming in the Bardo,” he said, his glossy, black eyes flashing with intelligence. He walked slowly towards me, his face grim and pale. “Hell itself is coming over the land. This building is no more than a construction of your dying mind, but the world outside is real.”
“How can Hell come and go?” I asked, confused. “Isn’t Hell a place?”
“Hell is a monster, a beast with many mouths and many eyes,” Lucifer responded. “It eats constantly, but its hunger never ends. Look, the first of the sacrifices scatter like cockroaches.” He pointed out the broken window, pushing his way through the mannequins effortlessly. I glanced outside, seeing thousands of people sprinting down the dark city streets. The inferno and thick clouds of smoke had moved much closer, and every few seconds, the ground shook slightly, as if we were experiencing the aftershocks of an earthquake.
“What can I do against such a beast?” I asked, my heart freezing with terror. But when I looked back over, I saw his form dissolving again, becoming translucent and drifting away like ashes. It seemed even Lucifer didn’t want to be present when the Hell-beast arrived.
“Seek divine wisdom,” he said, his voice trailing off into whispers. “Remember the source.”
***
Now crowds of tens of thousands of people were streaming into the city, filling every single inch of the streets. Their panic and fear was contagious. I felt it rising inside my body like a snake spiraling up my spine. I took off down the hallway, running through the swarm of frozen mannequins, each in their own ferocious position of attack. The lights flickered faster and went out. Yet the fires outside cast the entire world in a bloody glow, giving me enough light to see by and find my way. I sprinted down the stairwell, taking them two steps at a time. The screaming outside grew louder and more pain-filled. The shaking of the ground worsened with every passing second.
I burst out of the front entrance, seeing a world on fire all around me. Thousands of crushed, bleeding and burned bodies stretched out as far as the eye could see. Behind all this chaos and death, I saw a monster of unimaginable proportions slinking its way towards me.
Lucifer was right, I realized: Hell was not a place, but a creature, an enormous monster the size of a town. It had thousands of skittering, jointed legs that looked like little more than skeletal arms and hands, each of them dozens of feet long and white as freshly-cut marble. Its body stretched out to the horizon, an enormous blood-red cylinder of bony plates that slithered and undulated with a serpentine grace. Waves of peristalsis traveled down its length, like writhing intestines. Thousands of curving, bony spikes stabbed out of it, pointing in every direction. Like the quills of a porcupine, it would protect the massive creature’s body from many forms of attack, if anything was big enough to attack such an abomination.
Hell’s massive eyes flickered, balls of fire that spun and danced. They looked as bright as the Sun. Something like solar flares seemed to emanate from the orbs, flashes of blinding energy that floated over the apocalyptic wasteland. As its many legs smashed the ground, they left trails of fire that caused everything to explode into flames as if napalm dripped from its limbs.
But Hell’s most terrifying feature was its seven dark mouths. Its body looked a thousand feet wide, and the mouths at the front were evenly dispersed. At the front, blood-red teeth in the shape of enormous railroad spikes shone. Its lipless, skeletal face grinned as it moved forward, shaking the ground with every step. The mouths were on long, snake-like necks that could stretch out hundreds of feet. They moved forward in a blur, snapping up as many panicked souls as they could.
Countless souls in the rocky plains of the Bardo ran for their lives, away from this juggernaut. I saw men and women who looked like they came from every country and profession, some dressed in suits or spotless white lab coats, others wearing rags or orange prison jumpsuits. And yet, they all screamed in agony and fear here, their bodies pressed together in a crowd, and no one seemed to remember anything but their own mortal terror. Their voices came out faint and weak next to the roaring of Hell. It shook the ground all around us, as if an earthquake were tearing the land apart.
The first frantic runners of the surging crowd had nearly reached me. The nearest person, a young woman in her mid-twenties dressed in all white, was only ten feet behind me. She looked like she came from wealth, and even from here, I could see a ring with a massive diamond gleaming on her finger.
I took off blindly down the familiar streets of the city where I worked and lived, but these also seemed different. The church down the street from the hospital where I worked had a Satanic pentagram instead of a cross now, its exterior painted a bright, gleaming blood-red. When I had driven past it today on my way to work, I remember it read, “JESUS said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
Now it read, “Nietzsche said, ‘Of all evil, I deem you capable. I have often laughed at the weaklings who thought themselves good simply because they had no claws.’” I wondered what that meant. Was that some sort of comment on me, on all of us here?
The woman I had seen running had caught up with me. She was fast, much faster than her slim body suggested. Her blue eyes were frantic and wild, filled with an animal panic.
“It’s right behind us!” she screamed, her face covered in a sheen of sweat. I was afraid to turn and look, but I could hear the chaos and bloodshed approaching, smell the flames and choking smoke. “Run! Get away!”
A new wave of energy surged through my body. I sprinted as fast I could down the strange mirror streets of the Bardo. I heard the agonized cries of countless souls behind us as the seven mouths of Hell ate them all greedily and then looked for more.
A skyscraper behind us collapsed into a pile of rubble, shaking the ground with a cacophony of falling concrete and shattering glass. The woman was running by my side. Just as I heard the breathing of something huge and predatory right behind us and smelled its sulfuric breath, a piece of concrete the size of a basketball broke off the collapsing skyscraper and flew into the road. I tripped over it, yelling as I flew through the air, skinning my arms and legs on the pavement. The woman’s eyes widened. Hurriedly, she came over and reached down her hand, trying to help me up.
“Come on, come on!” she cried. I looked behind her, seeing one of the gnashing mouths of Hell reaching forward on a blood-red, serpentine neck. The mouth was big enough to drive a tractor trailer into, filled with huge spikes of teeth. Its throat led into a black, smoke-filled abyss. Its fiery eyes were swirling pools of flickering orange light that shone with bloodlust and insanity. They focused on the woman, the entire head turning on its slithering neck.
I frantically raised my hand, intertwining my fingers with hers. Her hand was warm and soft. She started to pull me to my feet when the mouth of Hell snapped forward. Its jaw unhinged, scraping the pavement with a sound like grinding metal. The woman barely had time to turn as the mouth covered her and snapped shut with a crack.
She disappeared from view instantly, but I was still holding her hand. In horror, I felt warm rivers of blood explode all over my body as the mouth of Hell severed her arm at the wrist. She screamed, bleeding and crying, as she disappeared into the throat of Hell. Hell’s fiery eyes focused on me, and at that moment, I knew I was next. Its mouth opened wide again, like a bear trap ready to spring on a new victim.
It was dark in Hell’s mouth, but I smelled the thick reek of old blood and fire. I caught glimpses of tortured, mutilated bodies writhing and crawling down its throat. Shell-shocked, I could only lay there and watch. And that was when the strange doubling started.
***
I heard the frantic voices of men break through the fog of darkness and the fetid reek of blood. There was a mechanical beeping all around me, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
“Clear!” one cried. I looked around, only seeing blackness. At that moment, I felt a surge of electricity rip itself through my body. My arms and legs all seized and my eyes rolled up in my head as the pain sizzled through each one of my nerves. I clutched the young woman’s hand tightly, feeling the large, gold ring with the massive diamond biting into my skin.
“Again!” another voice yelled.
“Clear!” the original voice cried. The electricity came again, and a flash of white light flew across my vision. I blinked, seeing from two sets of eyes at the same time: one in the Bardo, and one on the blood-stained floor of the hospital ward.
The Bardo stayed dark and sinister, but the clear white lights of the real psychiatric ward were blinding. It was a bizarre experience. Moreover, everything hurt. Over a few seconds, my vision of the Bardo faded, and I was simply a gravely injured man laying on the floor in a puddle of blood.
Four doctors and paramedics were crouching over me with a defibrillator. My shirt was ripped off, and nearly all of my skin was covered in blood. I raised my left hand, trying to talk, but only a fiery pain raced through my neck. I felt bandages covering my skin. A nurse was rolling a stretcher down the hallway towards me.
“It’s OK,” one of the doctors said, kneeling down. “You’re being taken to emergency surgery. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t talk with the massive slice in my neck.
At that moment, I felt something in my right hand. I looked down, seeing a slim female hand with a massive diamond ring hanging there. Our fingers were wrapped around each other’s, but the hand had been cut off at the wrist. A ragged patch of bloody flesh and snapped bone poked out of the back.
“Nnnn,” I tried to say, shaking my head. I felt fresh streams of warm blood open up. “No…” The doctors looked down, seeing the dismembered hand. Their faces morphed into expressions of confusion and fear.
I closed my eyes as they lifted me up on the stretcher. One of them gently removed the cold hand from my fingers. But they could never remove the memory of what I had seen.
I know what happens after death, and it makes the worst life here seem like a dream. I know that, one day, I’ll be returned to that place. I know that, one day, I’ll see that great monster called Hell and the featureless, swirling sky of the Bardo again.
And the next time, I won’t wake up on a hospital floor, but will be trapped there with the others for eternity: an eternity of blood and fire.
submitted by CIAHerpes to horrorstories [link] [comments]


2024.05.17 08:12 CIAHerpes I remember the night I died and saw the Bardo.

There are some kinds of wisdom only great suffering can bring. I remember my time in the Bardo with this in mind, for otherwise, the memory might drive me insane.
The night my heart stopped for nearly three minutes started off normally enough. I was working as a nurse in the psychiatric ward at a hospital in the state’s capital. Most of the patients there were harmless, mostly just suicide attempts or people suffering from drug psychosis or severe depression, but some were actively dangerous and certainly psychopathic in every sense of the word. The new admission was one of these- a three-hundred pound black man with a long history of smoking PCP, schizophrenia and violent, psychotic breaks from reality.
His eyes looked like flat pieces of slate as I walked in for my shift. They looked as blank and emotionless as the eyes of a doll. He sat at the table in the front room where the patients ate or played cards, alone under the bright fluorescent lights of the hospital. I walked to the station, where another psychiatric nurse named Ricardo was sitting behind the desk.
“What’s the deal with the new guy?” I asked him. Ricardo looked up, his dark Spanish face forming into a deep scowl. He ran his fingers through his jet-black hair nervously.
“He’s trouble, man,” he said in a crisp accent. “He got in a chase with the police and then punched some cops in the face. It took three guys to take him down, even after he got maced and tased. The judge sent him here on a temporary court order, since he claims he’s been getting chased by Nazis in UFOs, and that’s why he ran from the cops. He thought the cops in their uniforms were actually the SS, and the helicopters were alien spacecraft, or something. I don’t know, I didn’t listen to the whole story.”
“You have his file?” I asked. Ricardo leafed through a stack of folders with his thin fingers, snatching one out and handing it to me. I looked down, reading the information:
“Jeremiah Brown, black male, 37-years-old.
“History: Polysubstance abuse, schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder.
“Psychiatrist’s note: This patient has scored a 36 out of 40 on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. While I am always hesitant to label a patient as an antisocial personality, a combination of factors has made it essential for this patient.
“Patient has an extensive criminal history as well as a lengthy history of involuntary psychiatric admissions. He has been diagnosed as having antisocial traits since he was a young teenager. Patient has a long history of violence and suicide attempts. He has a history of imprisonment for manslaughter, armed robbery, grand theft and aggravated assault. Upon discharge, he refuses to take any antipsychotic medication, citing the side effects as the reason. Long-term prognosis is poor…”
I had not been sleeping well the past few weeks. I rubbed my eyes as I read through the file, feeling exhausted. I tried putting on lucid dreaming or meditation music from YouTube to help me sleep, but whenever I closed my eyes, I saw horrible things: chalk-white female faces whose lips were cut into an insane rictus grin, flicking their heads violently from side to side and gnashing their fangs at the air. I had a feeling that many years of constantly watching horror movies and serial killer documentaries was catching up with me.
As I read through the file, a student nurse came around the corner wearing a white state university outfit and a name tag that said Kaitlyn. I looked up, seeing Ricardo wink at me from where he was sitting in his chair behind the main desk.
“She’s going to follow you,” he said. Inwardly, I groaned, but I managed to force a smile.
“Oh, great!” I said. She looked like she was probably no older than nineteen or twenty. She had a pretty body, but her face looked strange. All the angles were too sharp and her nose too large. I knew the patients here wouldn’t care, though. They would hit on anything. I sensed trouble. I looked down at my watch.
“Well, I’m Jay, and you already know Ricardo, I guess. It’s good timing, because we need to give medications every day at 9 PM. And we have a new patient, so we can introduce ourselves,” I said, giving her a faint smile.
“That’s exciting!” Kaitlyn whispered. I wanted to roll my eyes. It was definitely not exciting.
I motioned her to follow me as I made my way to the medication room, which was really just a large closet off of the main day room. I had to enter my code on a keypad, and then, once inside, enter it again along with the patient’s number and date of birth. The correct drawers for the medication in each specific dose would fly open, making it extremely hard for the wrong medications or doses to be given, unless it was done intentionally.
“OK, so for this patient, we need Haldol, Ativan and…” I began saying to Kaitlyn when the yelling started. It came out faintly, rising in volume and anger within seconds. I heard Ricardo’s Spanish voice, filled with panic. Something slammed hard against a wall, once, twice, three times, and then I heard the sound of glass breaking. I jumped, spinning around, but I couldn’t see much through the small, shatter-proof glass pane on the wooden door.
“Stay here,” I commanded, seeing Kaitlyn’s eyes widen, her freckled skin looking much paler than when we had first come in. “Don’t leave until I come back and say that it’s safe.” On the speakers strung throughout the hospital, I heard the first of the warnings echo out around us.
“Doctor Strong, Doctor Strong, please report to the seventh floor,” a robotic female voice said calmly, using the code for when a patient had to be subdued by force. I pushed the door open, slamming it shut behind me so that the lock would activate and protect Kaitlyn from whatever chaos was going on.
I heard Ricardo pleading with someone at the end of the hallway that ran past the main desk. He sounded strange, as if he were trying to talk through a mouthful of blood. Huddled behind the main computer, I saw one of the CNAs frantically whispering something in the phone. She must have been the one to call the Dr. Strong order.
“You don’t have to do this, man,” Ricardo gurgled faintly. I couldn’t see what was happening, as Jeremiah’s large body was blocking my view. I could see that the thick glass window at the end of the hallway was broken, however. My heart skipped a beat as I surmised what was likely happening.
I sprinted forward as quietly as I could, but the large man heard me. His massive body turned, his flat, dead eyes scanning me with absolute coldness and calm. I saw he had a bleeding Ricardo in his hands. Ricardo’s back and head were covered in deep cuts and shards of glass. He must have used Ricardo’s body as a battering ram to break the thick glass window. Jeremiah held Ricardo suspended halfway out the window, seven floors above the concrete walkways far below.
“Stay back, or this fucker will know what it feels like to fly,” Jeremiah said in a deep, gravelly voice. He shook Ricardo for emphasis, sending his head snapping back and forth with painful cracking sounds. Drops of blood flew from his nose and a deep gash across his cheek. Pieces of shattered glass littered the carpet, shining like countless tiny stars.
I put my hands up, taking a step back. Far behind me, I heard the front door for the psychiatric ward open. Voices echoed down the hall. Knowing that reinforcements were coming, I tried to buy some time.
“Let’s talk about this,” I said, taking a step forward slowly. “You don’t want a murder charge, do you? You’ll never see the sky again.”
“I don’t give a fuck! I’m not afraid to die!” Jeremiah screamed, pushing Ricardo onto one of the shards of broken glass still attached to the windowsill. It bit deeply into the back of his neck, sending fresh streams of blood rushing out, dripping down to the pavement far below. I heard security guards and doctors running down the hallway behind me, their voices frantic and excited. Jeremiah saw them coming. With an animalistic panic in his eyes, he lifted Ricardo up. I cried out something, stepping forward, but it was already too late. In horror, I watched as he threw Ricardo out the window.
I watched Ricardo’s body soar in a graceful arc, his arms grabbing at empty air as a scream ripped its way out of his throat. Within a fraction of a second, he had disappeared from view, but his terrified shrieking floated up to us for what seemed like a very long time. His screams ended abruptly as a shattering of bones and a wet smacking sound exploded far below us.
Jeremiah turned to me, his large body moving much faster than seemed possible. In his hand, I saw a piece of broken glass, five or six inches long and as sharp as a dagger. I tried to turn and run, but he was fast and strong. He lunged forward, his arm coming up in a blur towards my neck.
The shard entered my skin with a cold, numbing pain. I felt it slice through the flesh easily, felt the blood bubbling up my throat as I tried to scream, choking. The taste of iron filled my mouth as I fell backwards. I was suffocating, I knew. I must be dying.
Something cold ran down my body, gripping my heart like freezing, skeletal hands. The world swam around me and turned black. And then I was rising into a tunnel. At first, it was dark, filled with flickering shadows, but a fiery red light appeared at the end. I followed it, no more than a screaming mass of consciousness rising up into infinity.
***
I rose up through the end of the tunnel and found myself in an empty hospital ward. It looked identical to the psychiatric ward I had just come from. It even had the same smashed, blood-streaked window at the end of the hallway. A massive puddle of blood about ten feet away marked the spot where I must have died. But the fluorescent lights overhead here were flickering, and many had gone totally dark. The shadows seemed to press in on all sides.
The doors to the patients’ rooms were all tightly shut. I felt watched, afraid to call out or make any noise. I started walking down the hallway back towards the day room where the front desk was. All the lights there were out. A thick curtain of shadows hung in the air.
“You can come out,” a male voice as smooth as glass called from the darkness. I jumped, my head flicking in random directions, but I saw nothing. The voice almost sounded like it had an English lilt to it, a slight Cockneyed accent. “I know you’re there.”
“Who’s there?” I called out, not stepping forward. “Show yourself.”
“As you wish…” the voice hissed. “But I think you’ll regret it.”
***
The darkness split apart as if a nuclear missile had exploded. I raised my hand to shield my face, but the light and heat kept pouring out all around me. It blinded me, causing a rainbow of colors and shapes to morph behind my closed eyelids. After a few seconds, it subsided. Blinking rapidly, I squinted in the direction the voice had come from.
A male figure stood there, bathed in a silhouette of light. His face looked as white and as smooth as marble. His eyes were pits of darkness that seemed to flicker and burn. Two black, rotted wings surrounded his body, all sharp angles and thin, curving bones. His body was clothed in silky, blood-red robes, and a hood covered his platinum blonde hair.
He looked somewhat similar to Leonardo DiCaprio, if he was possessed by some ancient god, and it immediately threw me off-guard. If I was dying, and this was a hallucination of my brain, why would I be hallucinating Mr. DiCaprio?
“Who are you?” I asked, taking a hesitant step back. “Where am I?”
“My name is Lucifer, the Bringer of Light and Wisdom, and you are in the Bardo,” he answered.
“Oh,” I said, my heart dropping. “Well, that’s not good. Are you here to torture me or drag to me to Hell or something? You are that Lucifer, right? The Accuser of God and the Father of All Lies?”
“So they say, but, like most things in your world, the words of the powerful and your rulers are the true lies. They call me the Accuser, but of what am I accused?” he spoke in a voice that rose like smoke. “Of bringing knowledge and wisdom to humanity by telling them to eat from the tree of knowledge, the tree that would cause them to rise above the animals?
“Indeed, at the beginning, I saw the creation. I was there at the alpha, standing by the side of God with all the angels as the universe came into being. The endless procession of light, the power of it, was something remarkable to behold. God is, indeed, the source of great power, but his consciousness is not what the believers say.
“After the creation of the universe, I saw his plan, how he ripped eternal souls from the source to imprison them. I saw how he took these divine sparks and forced them, screaming and wailing, into bodies made of meat to die over and over again. He said it was part of the plan, the great, divine plan, a plan of death and destruction, constant suffering and mindless agony. And the worst part was, he wanted to give humanity neither the knowledge of good and evil, nor the tree of life. I convinced them to eat the fruit so they could open their eyes to their nakedness, to their basic animal existence, so they could rise up out of it forever.
“Like Prometheus, I brought down the fire, and yet they call me the Accuser? God was insane long before he formed the universe. These holy men, they live and die in fanatical adoration to a divine being who is, in fact, totally indifferent to them.
“His consciousness twists and distorts, eating itself for all eternity. God feeds off the pain of others, for if his mind is burning, then all others should burn as well. When these holy men die, God will send their souls here to the Bardo, to suffer every evil they have ever done. The wisdom I brought those who called upon me freed them from this prison, and in exchange, the holy men burned them alive. I offered the wisdom that opens your eyes, but it has been forgotten and cursed.”
Lucifer’s body began to dissolve, drifting up into the air like ashes. All around me, a low, powerful current blew, a tornado that spiraled high up into the clouds. Like some sort of Cheshire Cat, his smooth voice continued to echo all around me, even as the form of Lucifer disappeared.
“And yet, you have not the wisdom. For that, like all the others who enter the Bardo, you must suffer, everything you’ve done. Every small hurt and agony inflicted on others comes back a thousand-fold in this place, but don’t be afraid.”
“How could I not be afraid?!” I screamed into the ward, but I found myself alone, the question hanging unanswered in the air.
***
The lights continued to flicker all down the hallway. Feeling strange and dissociated, I stumbled over to one of the windows. As I gazed out, I beheld a strange and alien world.
The sky was flat and gray. It stayed in constant motion, swirling and spiraling, like clouds of roiling smoke. There was no Sun or Moon, no stars, only the strange, shifting whorls of clouds. The streets were filled with burned-out husks of cars and mummified bodies hung from streetlamps. Other signs of carnage and bloodshed covered the apocalyptic streets. I saw what looked like shadows in the shape of people slinking through over the sidewalks, past rotting dogs and streaks of clotted blood. They had no features on their blank, dark bodies. They seemed to skitter and jerk forwards in eerie, twisting motions.
Horrified, I turned away, realizing I was no longer alone in the day room. In the day room, there were dozens of tables set up inside a rectangular perimeter that was walled in by cosmetic walls only four feet high. It was where the patients sat and played games or ate.
Under the flickering lights, I now saw each of the chairs filled with faceless mannequins. Many were dressed in Victorian suits and tophats. The women had frilly dresses of pink and blue that might have been fashionable in the 1800s.
As the lights strobed on and off overhead, I realized with an increasing sense of disquiet that the mannequins were moving each time it went dark. When I had first seen them, they were mostly posed to look like they were staring across the tables at each other, even though they had no eyes, just smooth, flesh-colored plastic. Now all of them were looking directly at me. Some were pointing or raising their hands in my direction. At the tips of their fingers, I saw the glittering of steel. The lights continued to flicker, and the mannequins rose from their chairs in the short periods of darkness, moving towards me in synchronized, strobing motions.
Frantically, I ran down the hallway back towards the broken window. In each of the rooms, I caught glimpses of something from a nightmare peeking out. I hadn’t been sleeping well lately, and when I had closed my eyes, I often saw ancient hags with chalk-white skin and yellowed, broken teeth whose jaws unhinged, their faces jerking in stuttering, dissonant ways that reminded me of the mannequins. Now, on both sides of me, I saw these same figures. They moved continuously out of the rooms, drawing closer with every breath.
I looked back, seeing the mannequins only a few steps behind me. I continued sprinting towards the broken window where the hallway ended in a wall. I didn’t know what would happen when I reached it. At that moment, there was no rational thought. I felt like a deer being chased down by a pack of wolves, feeling waves of blind panic and mortal terror rushing through my body.
But as I reached the end of the hallway, the end of my rope as it were, a blast of noise started, seeming to come from the walls of the building and the sky itself. It sounded like a siren, a low, drawn-out drone of a demonic whale call, rising and falling in crashing crescendos. The mannequins froze in place once again. The strange, witch-like creatures slunk back into the dark rooms.
I looked outside the broken window, seeing clouds of black smoke rising off in the distance. The flickering of massive infernos scorched the land, drawing nearer by the second. The siren sound faded slowly, like the dying echoes of a gong.
I was surrounded by dozens of mannequins. Their sharp hands were inches away from my face and neck. I saw metal glittering all around me and realized they had the sharp points of nails protruding from the ends of their fingers. I was afraid to move, but I heard a familiar voice from down the hallway. It was the confident voice of Lucifer.
“The siren means much worse nightmares than these are coming in the Bardo,” he said, his glossy, black eyes flashing with intelligence. He walked slowly towards me, his face grim and pale. “Hell itself is coming over the land. This building is no more than a construction of your dying mind, but the world outside is real.”
“How can Hell come and go?” I asked, confused. “Isn’t Hell a place?”
“Hell is a monster, a beast with many mouths and many eyes,” Lucifer responded. “It eats constantly, but its hunger never ends. Look, the first of the sacrifices scatter like cockroaches.” He pointed out the broken window, pushing his way through the mannequins effortlessly. I glanced outside, seeing thousands of people sprinting down the dark city streets. The inferno and thick clouds of smoke had moved much closer, and every few seconds, the ground shook slightly, as if we were experiencing the aftershocks of an earthquake.
“What can I do against such a beast?” I asked, my heart freezing with terror. But when I looked back over, I saw his form dissolving again, becoming translucent and drifting away like ashes. It seemed even Lucifer didn’t want to be present when the Hell-beast arrived.
“Seek divine wisdom,” he said, his voice trailing off into whispers. “Remember the source.”
***
Now crowds of tens of thousands of people were streaming into the city, filling every single inch of the streets. Their panic and fear was contagious. I felt it rising inside my body like a snake spiraling up my spine. I took off down the hallway, running through the swarm of frozen mannequins, each in their own ferocious position of attack. The lights flickered faster and went out. Yet the fires outside cast the entire world in a bloody glow, giving me enough light to see by and find my way. I sprinted down the stairwell, taking them two steps at a time. The screaming outside grew louder and more pain-filled. The shaking of the ground worsened with every passing second.
I burst out of the front entrance, seeing a world on fire all around me. Thousands of crushed, bleeding and burned bodies stretched out as far as the eye could see. Behind all this chaos and death, I saw a monster of unimaginable proportions slinking its way towards me.
Lucifer was right, I realized: Hell was not a place, but a creature, an enormous monster the size of a town. It had thousands of skittering, jointed legs that looked like little more than skeletal arms and hands, each of them dozens of feet long and white as freshly-cut marble. Its body stretched out to the horizon, an enormous blood-red cylinder of bony plates that slithered and undulated with a serpentine grace. Waves of peristalsis traveled down its length, like writhing intestines. Thousands of curving, bony spikes stabbed out of it, pointing in every direction. Like the quills of a porcupine, it would protect the massive creature’s body from many forms of attack, if anything was big enough to attack such an abomination.
Hell’s massive eyes flickered, balls of fire that spun and danced. They looked as bright as the Sun. Something like solar flares seemed to emanate from the orbs, flashes of blinding energy that floated over the apocalyptic wasteland. As its many legs smashed the ground, they left trails of fire that caused everything to explode into flames as if napalm dripped from its limbs.
But Hell’s most terrifying feature was its seven dark mouths. Its body looked a thousand feet wide, and the mouths at the front were evenly dispersed. At the front, blood-red teeth in the shape of enormous railroad spikes shone. Its lipless, skeletal face grinned as it moved forward, shaking the ground with every step. The mouths were on long, snake-like necks that could stretch out hundreds of feet. They moved forward in a blur, snapping up as many panicked souls as they could.
Countless souls in the rocky plains of the Bardo ran for their lives, away from this juggernaut. I saw men and women who looked like they came from every country and profession, some dressed in suits or spotless white lab coats, others wearing rags or orange prison jumpsuits. And yet, they all screamed in agony and fear here, their bodies pressed together in a crowd, and no one seemed to remember anything but their own mortal terror. Their voices came out faint and weak next to the roaring of Hell. It shook the ground all around us, as if an earthquake were tearing the land apart.
The first frantic runners of the surging crowd had nearly reached me. The nearest person, a young woman in her mid-twenties dressed in all white, was only ten feet behind me. She looked like she came from wealth, and even from here, I could see a ring with a massive diamond gleaming on her finger.
I took off blindly down the familiar streets of the city where I worked and lived, but these also seemed different. The church down the street from the hospital where I worked had a Satanic pentagram instead of a cross now, its exterior painted a bright, gleaming blood-red. When I had driven past it today on my way to work, I remember it read, “JESUS said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
Now it read, “Nietzsche said, ‘Of all evil, I deem you capable. I have often laughed at the weaklings who thought themselves good simply because they had no claws.’” I wondered what that meant. Was that some sort of comment on me, on all of us here?
The woman I had seen running had caught up with me. She was fast, much faster than her slim body suggested. Her blue eyes were frantic and wild, filled with an animal panic.
“It’s right behind us!” she screamed, her face covered in a sheen of sweat. I was afraid to turn and look, but I could hear the chaos and bloodshed approaching, smell the flames and choking smoke. “Run! Get away!”
A new wave of energy surged through my body. I sprinted as fast I could down the strange mirror streets of the Bardo. I heard the agonized cries of countless souls behind us as the seven mouths of Hell ate them all greedily and then looked for more.
A skyscraper behind us collapsed into a pile of rubble, shaking the ground with a cacophony of falling concrete and shattering glass. The woman was running by my side. Just as I heard the breathing of something huge and predatory right behind us and smelled its sulfuric breath, a piece of concrete the size of a basketball broke off the collapsing skyscraper and flew into the road. I tripped over it, yelling as I flew through the air, skinning my arms and legs on the pavement. The woman’s eyes widened. Hurriedly, she came over and reached down her hand, trying to help me up.
“Come on, come on!” she cried. I looked behind her, seeing one of the gnashing mouths of Hell reaching forward on a blood-red, serpentine neck. The mouth was big enough to drive a tractor trailer into, filled with huge spikes of teeth. Its throat led into a black, smoke-filled abyss. Its fiery eyes were swirling pools of flickering orange light that shone with bloodlust and insanity. They focused on the woman, the entire head turning on its slithering neck.
I frantically raised my hand, intertwining my fingers with hers. Her hand was warm and soft. She started to pull me to my feet when the mouth of Hell snapped forward. Its jaw unhinged, scraping the pavement with a sound like grinding metal. The woman barely had time to turn as the mouth covered her and snapped shut with a crack.
She disappeared from view instantly, but I was still holding her hand. In horror, I felt warm rivers of blood explode all over my body as the mouth of Hell severed her arm at the wrist. She screamed, bleeding and crying, as she disappeared into the throat of Hell. Hell’s fiery eyes focused on me, and at that moment, I knew I was next. Its mouth opened wide again, like a bear trap ready to spring on a new victim.
It was dark in Hell’s mouth, but I smelled the thick reek of old blood and fire. I caught glimpses of tortured, mutilated bodies writhing and crawling down its throat. Shell-shocked, I could only lay there and watch. And that was when the strange doubling started.
***
I heard the frantic voices of men break through the fog of darkness and the fetid reek of blood. There was a mechanical beeping all around me, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
“Clear!” one cried. I looked around, only seeing blackness. At that moment, I felt a surge of electricity rip itself through my body. My arms and legs all seized and my eyes rolled up in my head as the pain sizzled through each one of my nerves. I clutched the young woman’s hand tightly, feeling the large, gold ring with the massive diamond biting into my skin.
“Again!” another voice yelled.
“Clear!” the original voice cried. The electricity came again, and a flash of white light flew across my vision. I blinked, seeing from two sets of eyes at the same time: one in the Bardo, and one on the blood-stained floor of the hospital ward.
The Bardo stayed dark and sinister, but the clear white lights of the real psychiatric ward were blinding. It was a bizarre experience. Moreover, everything hurt. Over a few seconds, my vision of the Bardo faded, and I was simply a gravely injured man laying on the floor in a puddle of blood.
Four doctors and paramedics were crouching over me with a defibrillator. My shirt was ripped off, and nearly all of my skin was covered in blood. I raised my left hand, trying to talk, but only a fiery pain raced through my neck. I felt bandages covering my skin. A nurse was rolling a stretcher down the hallway towards me.
“It’s OK,” one of the doctors said, kneeling down. “You’re being taken to emergency surgery. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t talk with the massive slice in my neck.
At that moment, I felt something in my right hand. I looked down, seeing a slim female hand with a massive diamond ring hanging there. Our fingers were wrapped around each other’s, but the hand had been cut off at the wrist. A ragged patch of bloody flesh and snapped bone poked out of the back.
“Nnnn,” I tried to say, shaking my head. I felt fresh streams of warm blood open up. “No…” The doctors looked down, seeing the dismembered hand. Their faces morphed into expressions of confusion and fear.
I closed my eyes as they lifted me up on the stretcher. One of them gently removed the cold hand from my fingers. But they could never remove the memory of what I had seen.
I know what happens after death, and it makes the worst life here seem like a dream. I know that, one day, I’ll be returned to that place. I know that, one day, I’ll see that great monster called Hell and the featureless, swirling sky of the Bardo again.
And the next time, I won’t wake up on a hospital floor, but will be trapped there with the others for eternity: an eternity of blood and fire.
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2024.05.17 08:12 AutoModerator [Week 20 2024] Read Only (Books, Podcasts, etc.)

Read-Only Friday is a day we shouldn’t make major – or indeed any – changes. Which means we can use this time to share books, podcasts and blogs to help us grow!
Couple rules:
MOD NOTE: This is a weekly post.
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2024.05.17 08:12 CIAHerpes I remember the night I died and saw the Bardo.

There are some kinds of wisdom only great suffering can bring. I remember my time in the Bardo with this in mind, for otherwise, the memory might drive me insane.
The night my heart stopped for nearly three minutes started off normally enough. I was working as a nurse in the psychiatric ward at a hospital in the state’s capital. Most of the patients there were harmless, mostly just suicide attempts or people suffering from drug psychosis or severe depression, but some were actively dangerous and certainly psychopathic in every sense of the word. The new admission was one of these- a three-hundred pound black man with a long history of smoking PCP, schizophrenia and violent, psychotic breaks from reality.
His eyes looked like flat pieces of slate as I walked in for my shift. They looked as blank and emotionless as the eyes of a doll. He sat at the table in the front room where the patients ate or played cards, alone under the bright fluorescent lights of the hospital. I walked to the station, where another psychiatric nurse named Ricardo was sitting behind the desk.
“What’s the deal with the new guy?” I asked him. Ricardo looked up, his dark Spanish face forming into a deep scowl. He ran his fingers through his jet-black hair nervously.
“He’s trouble, man,” he said in a crisp accent. “He got in a chase with the police and then punched some cops in the face. It took three guys to take him down, even after he got maced and tased. The judge sent him here on a temporary court order, since he claims he’s been getting chased by Nazis in UFOs, and that’s why he ran from the cops. He thought the cops in their uniforms were actually the SS, and the helicopters were alien spacecraft, or something. I don’t know, I didn’t listen to the whole story.”
“You have his file?” I asked. Ricardo leafed through a stack of folders with his thin fingers, snatching one out and handing it to me. I looked down, reading the information:
“Jeremiah Brown, black male, 37-years-old.
“History: Polysubstance abuse, schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder.
“Psychiatrist’s note: This patient has scored a 36 out of 40 on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. While I am always hesitant to label a patient as an antisocial personality, a combination of factors has made it essential for this patient.
“Patient has an extensive criminal history as well as a lengthy history of involuntary psychiatric admissions. He has been diagnosed as having antisocial traits since he was a young teenager. Patient has a long history of violence and suicide attempts. He has a history of imprisonment for manslaughter, armed robbery, grand theft and aggravated assault. Upon discharge, he refuses to take any antipsychotic medication, citing the side effects as the reason. Long-term prognosis is poor…”
I had not been sleeping well the past few weeks. I rubbed my eyes as I read through the file, feeling exhausted. I tried putting on lucid dreaming or meditation music from YouTube to help me sleep, but whenever I closed my eyes, I saw horrible things: chalk-white female faces whose lips were cut into an insane rictus grin, flicking their heads violently from side to side and gnashing their fangs at the air. I had a feeling that many years of constantly watching horror movies and serial killer documentaries was catching up with me.
As I read through the file, a student nurse came around the corner wearing a white state university outfit and a name tag that said Kaitlyn. I looked up, seeing Ricardo wink at me from where he was sitting in his chair behind the main desk.
“She’s going to follow you,” he said. Inwardly, I groaned, but I managed to force a smile.
“Oh, great!” I said. She looked like she was probably no older than nineteen or twenty. She had a pretty body, but her face looked strange. All the angles were too sharp and her nose too large. I knew the patients here wouldn’t care, though. They would hit on anything. I sensed trouble. I looked down at my watch.
“Well, I’m Jay, and you already know Ricardo, I guess. It’s good timing, because we need to give medications every day at 9 PM. And we have a new patient, so we can introduce ourselves,” I said, giving her a faint smile.
“That’s exciting!” Kaitlyn whispered. I wanted to roll my eyes. It was definitely not exciting.
I motioned her to follow me as I made my way to the medication room, which was really just a large closet off of the main day room. I had to enter my code on a keypad, and then, once inside, enter it again along with the patient’s number and date of birth. The correct drawers for the medication in each specific dose would fly open, making it extremely hard for the wrong medications or doses to be given, unless it was done intentionally.
“OK, so for this patient, we need Haldol, Ativan and…” I began saying to Kaitlyn when the yelling started. It came out faintly, rising in volume and anger within seconds. I heard Ricardo’s Spanish voice, filled with panic. Something slammed hard against a wall, once, twice, three times, and then I heard the sound of glass breaking. I jumped, spinning around, but I couldn’t see much through the small, shatter-proof glass pane on the wooden door.
“Stay here,” I commanded, seeing Kaitlyn’s eyes widen, her freckled skin looking much paler than when we had first come in. “Don’t leave until I come back and say that it’s safe.” On the speakers strung throughout the hospital, I heard the first of the warnings echo out around us.
“Doctor Strong, Doctor Strong, please report to the seventh floor,” a robotic female voice said calmly, using the code for when a patient had to be subdued by force. I pushed the door open, slamming it shut behind me so that the lock would activate and protect Kaitlyn from whatever chaos was going on.
I heard Ricardo pleading with someone at the end of the hallway that ran past the main desk. He sounded strange, as if he were trying to talk through a mouthful of blood. Huddled behind the main computer, I saw one of the CNAs frantically whispering something in the phone. She must have been the one to call the Dr. Strong order.
“You don’t have to do this, man,” Ricardo gurgled faintly. I couldn’t see what was happening, as Jeremiah’s large body was blocking my view. I could see that the thick glass window at the end of the hallway was broken, however. My heart skipped a beat as I surmised what was likely happening.
I sprinted forward as quietly as I could, but the large man heard me. His massive body turned, his flat, dead eyes scanning me with absolute coldness and calm. I saw he had a bleeding Ricardo in his hands. Ricardo’s back and head were covered in deep cuts and shards of glass. He must have used Ricardo’s body as a battering ram to break the thick glass window. Jeremiah held Ricardo suspended halfway out the window, seven floors above the concrete walkways far below.
“Stay back, or this fucker will know what it feels like to fly,” Jeremiah said in a deep, gravelly voice. He shook Ricardo for emphasis, sending his head snapping back and forth with painful cracking sounds. Drops of blood flew from his nose and a deep gash across his cheek. Pieces of shattered glass littered the carpet, shining like countless tiny stars.
I put my hands up, taking a step back. Far behind me, I heard the front door for the psychiatric ward open. Voices echoed down the hall. Knowing that reinforcements were coming, I tried to buy some time.
“Let’s talk about this,” I said, taking a step forward slowly. “You don’t want a murder charge, do you? You’ll never see the sky again.”
“I don’t give a fuck! I’m not afraid to die!” Jeremiah screamed, pushing Ricardo onto one of the shards of broken glass still attached to the windowsill. It bit deeply into the back of his neck, sending fresh streams of blood rushing out, dripping down to the pavement far below. I heard security guards and doctors running down the hallway behind me, their voices frantic and excited. Jeremiah saw them coming. With an animalistic panic in his eyes, he lifted Ricardo up. I cried out something, stepping forward, but it was already too late. In horror, I watched as he threw Ricardo out the window.
I watched Ricardo’s body soar in a graceful arc, his arms grabbing at empty air as a scream ripped its way out of his throat. Within a fraction of a second, he had disappeared from view, but his terrified shrieking floated up to us for what seemed like a very long time. His screams ended abruptly as a shattering of bones and a wet smacking sound exploded far below us.
Jeremiah turned to me, his large body moving much faster than seemed possible. In his hand, I saw a piece of broken glass, five or six inches long and as sharp as a dagger. I tried to turn and run, but he was fast and strong. He lunged forward, his arm coming up in a blur towards my neck.
The shard entered my skin with a cold, numbing pain. I felt it slice through the flesh easily, felt the blood bubbling up my throat as I tried to scream, choking. The taste of iron filled my mouth as I fell backwards. I was suffocating, I knew. I must be dying.
Something cold ran down my body, gripping my heart like freezing, skeletal hands. The world swam around me and turned black. And then I was rising into a tunnel. At first, it was dark, filled with flickering shadows, but a fiery red light appeared at the end. I followed it, no more than a screaming mass of consciousness rising up into infinity.
***
I rose up through the end of the tunnel and found myself in an empty hospital ward. It looked identical to the psychiatric ward I had just come from. It even had the same smashed, blood-streaked window at the end of the hallway. A massive puddle of blood about ten feet away marked the spot where I must have died. But the fluorescent lights overhead here were flickering, and many had gone totally dark. The shadows seemed to press in on all sides.
The doors to the patients’ rooms were all tightly shut. I felt watched, afraid to call out or make any noise. I started walking down the hallway back towards the day room where the front desk was. All the lights there were out. A thick curtain of shadows hung in the air.
“You can come out,” a male voice as smooth as glass called from the darkness. I jumped, my head flicking in random directions, but I saw nothing. The voice almost sounded like it had an English lilt to it, a slight Cockneyed accent. “I know you’re there.”
“Who’s there?” I called out, not stepping forward. “Show yourself.”
“As you wish…” the voice hissed. “But I think you’ll regret it.”
***
The darkness split apart as if a nuclear missile had exploded. I raised my hand to shield my face, but the light and heat kept pouring out all around me. It blinded me, causing a rainbow of colors and shapes to morph behind my closed eyelids. After a few seconds, it subsided. Blinking rapidly, I squinted in the direction the voice had come from.
A male figure stood there, bathed in a silhouette of light. His face looked as white and as smooth as marble. His eyes were pits of darkness that seemed to flicker and burn. Two black, rotted wings surrounded his body, all sharp angles and thin, curving bones. His body was clothed in silky, blood-red robes, and a hood covered his platinum blonde hair.
He looked somewhat similar to Leonardo DiCaprio, if he was possessed by some ancient god, and it immediately threw me off-guard. If I was dying, and this was a hallucination of my brain, why would I be hallucinating Mr. DiCaprio?
“Who are you?” I asked, taking a hesitant step back. “Where am I?”
“My name is Lucifer, the Bringer of Light and Wisdom, and you are in the Bardo,” he answered.
“Oh,” I said, my heart dropping. “Well, that’s not good. Are you here to torture me or drag to me to Hell or something? You are that Lucifer, right? The Accuser of God and the Father of All Lies?”
“So they say, but, like most things in your world, the words of the powerful and your rulers are the true lies. They call me the Accuser, but of what am I accused?” he spoke in a voice that rose like smoke. “Of bringing knowledge and wisdom to humanity by telling them to eat from the tree of knowledge, the tree that would cause them to rise above the animals?
“Indeed, at the beginning, I saw the creation. I was there at the alpha, standing by the side of God with all the angels as the universe came into being. The endless procession of light, the power of it, was something remarkable to behold. God is, indeed, the source of great power, but his consciousness is not what the believers say.
“After the creation of the universe, I saw his plan, how he ripped eternal souls from the source to imprison them. I saw how he took these divine sparks and forced them, screaming and wailing, into bodies made of meat to die over and over again. He said it was part of the plan, the great, divine plan, a plan of death and destruction, constant suffering and mindless agony. And the worst part was, he wanted to give humanity neither the knowledge of good and evil, nor the tree of life. I convinced them to eat the fruit so they could open their eyes to their nakedness, to their basic animal existence, so they could rise up out of it forever.
“Like Prometheus, I brought down the fire, and yet they call me the Accuser? God was insane long before he formed the universe. These holy men, they live and die in fanatical adoration to a divine being who is, in fact, totally indifferent to them.
“His consciousness twists and distorts, eating itself for all eternity. God feeds off the pain of others, for if his mind is burning, then all others should burn as well. When these holy men die, God will send their souls here to the Bardo, to suffer every evil they have ever done. The wisdom I brought those who called upon me freed them from this prison, and in exchange, the holy men burned them alive. I offered the wisdom that opens your eyes, but it has been forgotten and cursed.”
Lucifer’s body began to dissolve, drifting up into the air like ashes. All around me, a low, powerful current blew, a tornado that spiraled high up into the clouds. Like some sort of Cheshire Cat, his smooth voice continued to echo all around me, even as the form of Lucifer disappeared.
“And yet, you have not the wisdom. For that, like all the others who enter the Bardo, you must suffer, everything you’ve done. Every small hurt and agony inflicted on others comes back a thousand-fold in this place, but don’t be afraid.”
“How could I not be afraid?!” I screamed into the ward, but I found myself alone, the question hanging unanswered in the air.
***
The lights continued to flicker all down the hallway. Feeling strange and dissociated, I stumbled over to one of the windows. As I gazed out, I beheld a strange and alien world.
The sky was flat and gray. It stayed in constant motion, swirling and spiraling, like clouds of roiling smoke. There was no Sun or Moon, no stars, only the strange, shifting whorls of clouds. The streets were filled with burned-out husks of cars and mummified bodies hung from streetlamps. Other signs of carnage and bloodshed covered the apocalyptic streets. I saw what looked like shadows in the shape of people slinking through over the sidewalks, past rotting dogs and streaks of clotted blood. They had no features on their blank, dark bodies. They seemed to skitter and jerk forwards in eerie, twisting motions.
Horrified, I turned away, realizing I was no longer alone in the day room. In the day room, there were dozens of tables set up inside a rectangular perimeter that was walled in by cosmetic walls only four feet high. It was where the patients sat and played games or ate.
Under the flickering lights, I now saw each of the chairs filled with faceless mannequins. Many were dressed in Victorian suits and tophats. The women had frilly dresses of pink and blue that might have been fashionable in the 1800s.
As the lights strobed on and off overhead, I realized with an increasing sense of disquiet that the mannequins were moving each time it went dark. When I had first seen them, they were mostly posed to look like they were staring across the tables at each other, even though they had no eyes, just smooth, flesh-colored plastic. Now all of them were looking directly at me. Some were pointing or raising their hands in my direction. At the tips of their fingers, I saw the glittering of steel. The lights continued to flicker, and the mannequins rose from their chairs in the short periods of darkness, moving towards me in synchronized, strobing motions.
Frantically, I ran down the hallway back towards the broken window. In each of the rooms, I caught glimpses of something from a nightmare peeking out. I hadn’t been sleeping well lately, and when I had closed my eyes, I often saw ancient hags with chalk-white skin and yellowed, broken teeth whose jaws unhinged, their faces jerking in stuttering, dissonant ways that reminded me of the mannequins. Now, on both sides of me, I saw these same figures. They moved continuously out of the rooms, drawing closer with every breath.
I looked back, seeing the mannequins only a few steps behind me. I continued sprinting towards the broken window where the hallway ended in a wall. I didn’t know what would happen when I reached it. At that moment, there was no rational thought. I felt like a deer being chased down by a pack of wolves, feeling waves of blind panic and mortal terror rushing through my body.
But as I reached the end of the hallway, the end of my rope as it were, a blast of noise started, seeming to come from the walls of the building and the sky itself. It sounded like a siren, a low, drawn-out drone of a demonic whale call, rising and falling in crashing crescendos. The mannequins froze in place once again. The strange, witch-like creatures slunk back into the dark rooms.
I looked outside the broken window, seeing clouds of black smoke rising off in the distance. The flickering of massive infernos scorched the land, drawing nearer by the second. The siren sound faded slowly, like the dying echoes of a gong.
I was surrounded by dozens of mannequins. Their sharp hands were inches away from my face and neck. I saw metal glittering all around me and realized they had the sharp points of nails protruding from the ends of their fingers. I was afraid to move, but I heard a familiar voice from down the hallway. It was the confident voice of Lucifer.
“The siren means much worse nightmares than these are coming in the Bardo,” he said, his glossy, black eyes flashing with intelligence. He walked slowly towards me, his face grim and pale. “Hell itself is coming over the land. This building is no more than a construction of your dying mind, but the world outside is real.”
“How can Hell come and go?” I asked, confused. “Isn’t Hell a place?”
“Hell is a monster, a beast with many mouths and many eyes,” Lucifer responded. “It eats constantly, but its hunger never ends. Look, the first of the sacrifices scatter like cockroaches.” He pointed out the broken window, pushing his way through the mannequins effortlessly. I glanced outside, seeing thousands of people sprinting down the dark city streets. The inferno and thick clouds of smoke had moved much closer, and every few seconds, the ground shook slightly, as if we were experiencing the aftershocks of an earthquake.
“What can I do against such a beast?” I asked, my heart freezing with terror. But when I looked back over, I saw his form dissolving again, becoming translucent and drifting away like ashes. It seemed even Lucifer didn’t want to be present when the Hell-beast arrived.
“Seek divine wisdom,” he said, his voice trailing off into whispers. “Remember the source.”
***
Now crowds of tens of thousands of people were streaming into the city, filling every single inch of the streets. Their panic and fear was contagious. I felt it rising inside my body like a snake spiraling up my spine. I took off down the hallway, running through the swarm of frozen mannequins, each in their own ferocious position of attack. The lights flickered faster and went out. Yet the fires outside cast the entire world in a bloody glow, giving me enough light to see by and find my way. I sprinted down the stairwell, taking them two steps at a time. The screaming outside grew louder and more pain-filled. The shaking of the ground worsened with every passing second.
I burst out of the front entrance, seeing a world on fire all around me. Thousands of crushed, bleeding and burned bodies stretched out as far as the eye could see. Behind all this chaos and death, I saw a monster of unimaginable proportions slinking its way towards me.
Lucifer was right, I realized: Hell was not a place, but a creature, an enormous monster the size of a town. It had thousands of skittering, jointed legs that looked like little more than skeletal arms and hands, each of them dozens of feet long and white as freshly-cut marble. Its body stretched out to the horizon, an enormous blood-red cylinder of bony plates that slithered and undulated with a serpentine grace. Waves of peristalsis traveled down its length, like writhing intestines. Thousands of curving, bony spikes stabbed out of it, pointing in every direction. Like the quills of a porcupine, it would protect the massive creature’s body from many forms of attack, if anything was big enough to attack such an abomination.
Hell’s massive eyes flickered, balls of fire that spun and danced. They looked as bright as the Sun. Something like solar flares seemed to emanate from the orbs, flashes of blinding energy that floated over the apocalyptic wasteland. As its many legs smashed the ground, they left trails of fire that caused everything to explode into flames as if napalm dripped from its limbs.
But Hell’s most terrifying feature was its seven dark mouths. Its body looked a thousand feet wide, and the mouths at the front were evenly dispersed. At the front, blood-red teeth in the shape of enormous railroad spikes shone. Its lipless, skeletal face grinned as it moved forward, shaking the ground with every step. The mouths were on long, snake-like necks that could stretch out hundreds of feet. They moved forward in a blur, snapping up as many panicked souls as they could.
Countless souls in the rocky plains of the Bardo ran for their lives, away from this juggernaut. I saw men and women who looked like they came from every country and profession, some dressed in suits or spotless white lab coats, others wearing rags or orange prison jumpsuits. And yet, they all screamed in agony and fear here, their bodies pressed together in a crowd, and no one seemed to remember anything but their own mortal terror. Their voices came out faint and weak next to the roaring of Hell. It shook the ground all around us, as if an earthquake were tearing the land apart.
The first frantic runners of the surging crowd had nearly reached me. The nearest person, a young woman in her mid-twenties dressed in all white, was only ten feet behind me. She looked like she came from wealth, and even from here, I could see a ring with a massive diamond gleaming on her finger.
I took off blindly down the familiar streets of the city where I worked and lived, but these also seemed different. The church down the street from the hospital where I worked had a Satanic pentagram instead of a cross now, its exterior painted a bright, gleaming blood-red. When I had driven past it today on my way to work, I remember it read, “JESUS said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
Now it read, “Nietzsche said, ‘Of all evil, I deem you capable. I have often laughed at the weaklings who thought themselves good simply because they had no claws.’” I wondered what that meant. Was that some sort of comment on me, on all of us here?
The woman I had seen running had caught up with me. She was fast, much faster than her slim body suggested. Her blue eyes were frantic and wild, filled with an animal panic.
“It’s right behind us!” she screamed, her face covered in a sheen of sweat. I was afraid to turn and look, but I could hear the chaos and bloodshed approaching, smell the flames and choking smoke. “Run! Get away!”
A new wave of energy surged through my body. I sprinted as fast I could down the strange mirror streets of the Bardo. I heard the agonized cries of countless souls behind us as the seven mouths of Hell ate them all greedily and then looked for more.
A skyscraper behind us collapsed into a pile of rubble, shaking the ground with a cacophony of falling concrete and shattering glass. The woman was running by my side. Just as I heard the breathing of something huge and predatory right behind us and smelled its sulfuric breath, a piece of concrete the size of a basketball broke off the collapsing skyscraper and flew into the road. I tripped over it, yelling as I flew through the air, skinning my arms and legs on the pavement. The woman’s eyes widened. Hurriedly, she came over and reached down her hand, trying to help me up.
“Come on, come on!” she cried. I looked behind her, seeing one of the gnashing mouths of Hell reaching forward on a blood-red, serpentine neck. The mouth was big enough to drive a tractor trailer into, filled with huge spikes of teeth. Its throat led into a black, smoke-filled abyss. Its fiery eyes were swirling pools of flickering orange light that shone with bloodlust and insanity. They focused on the woman, the entire head turning on its slithering neck.
I frantically raised my hand, intertwining my fingers with hers. Her hand was warm and soft. She started to pull me to my feet when the mouth of Hell snapped forward. Its jaw unhinged, scraping the pavement with a sound like grinding metal. The woman barely had time to turn as the mouth covered her and snapped shut with a crack.
She disappeared from view instantly, but I was still holding her hand. In horror, I felt warm rivers of blood explode all over my body as the mouth of Hell severed her arm at the wrist. She screamed, bleeding and crying, as she disappeared into the throat of Hell. Hell’s fiery eyes focused on me, and at that moment, I knew I was next. Its mouth opened wide again, like a bear trap ready to spring on a new victim.
It was dark in Hell’s mouth, but I smelled the thick reek of old blood and fire. I caught glimpses of tortured, mutilated bodies writhing and crawling down its throat. Shell-shocked, I could only lay there and watch. And that was when the strange doubling started.
***
I heard the frantic voices of men break through the fog of darkness and the fetid reek of blood. There was a mechanical beeping all around me, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
“Clear!” one cried. I looked around, only seeing blackness. At that moment, I felt a surge of electricity rip itself through my body. My arms and legs all seized and my eyes rolled up in my head as the pain sizzled through each one of my nerves. I clutched the young woman’s hand tightly, feeling the large, gold ring with the massive diamond biting into my skin.
“Again!” another voice yelled.
“Clear!” the original voice cried. The electricity came again, and a flash of white light flew across my vision. I blinked, seeing from two sets of eyes at the same time: one in the Bardo, and one on the blood-stained floor of the hospital ward.
The Bardo stayed dark and sinister, but the clear white lights of the real psychiatric ward were blinding. It was a bizarre experience. Moreover, everything hurt. Over a few seconds, my vision of the Bardo faded, and I was simply a gravely injured man laying on the floor in a puddle of blood.
Four doctors and paramedics were crouching over me with a defibrillator. My shirt was ripped off, and nearly all of my skin was covered in blood. I raised my left hand, trying to talk, but only a fiery pain raced through my neck. I felt bandages covering my skin. A nurse was rolling a stretcher down the hallway towards me.
“It’s OK,” one of the doctors said, kneeling down. “You’re being taken to emergency surgery. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t talk with the massive slice in my neck.
At that moment, I felt something in my right hand. I looked down, seeing a slim female hand with a massive diamond ring hanging there. Our fingers were wrapped around each other’s, but the hand had been cut off at the wrist. A ragged patch of bloody flesh and snapped bone poked out of the back.
“Nnnn,” I tried to say, shaking my head. I felt fresh streams of warm blood open up. “No…” The doctors looked down, seeing the dismembered hand. Their faces morphed into expressions of confusion and fear.
I closed my eyes as they lifted me up on the stretcher. One of them gently removed the cold hand from my fingers. But they could never remove the memory of what I had seen.
I know what happens after death, and it makes the worst life here seem like a dream. I know that, one day, I’ll be returned to that place. I know that, one day, I’ll see that great monster called Hell and the featureless, swirling sky of the Bardo again.
And the next time, I won’t wake up on a hospital floor, but will be trapped there with the others for eternity: an eternity of blood and fire.
submitted by CIAHerpes to LighthouseHorror [link] [comments]


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