Aching neck and back
Neckbeard Stories
2013.02.11 22:09 Hellioness Neckbeard Stories
A sub to share your most hilarious, cringe-worthy, and sometimes creepy stories about your encounters with neckbeards and neckbeard types.
2008.01.25 07:36 Humor
For all things funny!
2012.12.16 19:32 poop_dawg Flaunt those locks!
A sub dedicated specifically to the appreciation of men with long hair!
2024.05.21 17:27 Dezzyboi222 Just came back into nights đ
I took a good 6 months off nights because of university studies, and now Iâm back and itâs so much harder than I remember!
This is only my second day back, I slept terribly during the day, and Iâve woke up with a head ache.
Any tips on how to sleep better during the day? And how to not wake up with a head ache ?đ
Thanks!
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2024.05.21 17:26 toesucker6699 Les Paul Jr. restoration advice
Iâm working on restoring a Maestro LP Jr. and Iâm looking for some advice on how to best approach this gap between the fretboard and the body of the guitar. The gap was present before I got all the finish off the body (it was in really rough shape), but now it is much worse. Would I need to add new veneer to the top of the body or would taking enough off the back of the bolt-on part of the neck be sufficient in making them flush?
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2024.05.21 17:24 Professional_Prune11 Escape From Heavalun Section Three: Doctoral Dread
Whats up my dudes, we are back at it with another chapter for you all. We are getting the swing of things and have another chapter or two to start the main plot fully, we are just getting to know our leads for now. I hope you enjoy
Lets get this bread
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The movement from the nightclub to Stitchâs clinic was grueling. Typically lugging a passed-out HVI or some other sod halfway across the city's district would not be a challenge. With his cybernetics, Conor was in decent enough shape and could sprint ten kilometers in full battle rattle without breaking a sweat, but Conor had pushed himself and didnât need to wax a few Voodal in his way.
Conor had heard that Kurlatra were dense, but his assumptions about how heavy they were came nowhere close to the reality of picking one up.
Whatever this woman's name was, she likely weighed north of eighty kilograms. It was a shock because she was a meter and a half tall at most. For Urkaâs sake, Conor only weighed one hundred and fifty kilograms despite being two meters tall and filled to the brim with wires.
He thought a bit about the woman's build and realized why she must weigh so much. She had hips and legs that could crush a man's skull. Along with a pair of tits just big enough that they would overflow from your hands.
Conner was made all the more well aware of those traits as he adjusted her to ensure he would not drop the little lass. Her fatty chest and plump thighs would try to swallow his hip each time he did. No sentient this small had any right being heavier than his entire breacher kit, explosives, anti-rifle armor, and all.
If not for Brakul expecting this rosey scag to be delivered to Stitchâs place, Conor would have lugged her to his safe house, which was far closer. But no, he had another job and order to follow.
The only shining light on this impromptu extraction was that the Voodal did not follow him. He had been worried about that last ganger he had shot; they had only eaten one round through the midchest. At the time, it looked like it might not have been a heart shot, and since he was picking this bimbo up at the time, he did not have a chance to ensure they were put down permanently.
Conor took a deep breath as he rounded the corner into a dirty alleyway, leaving the bustling thoroughfare behind. Thankfully, the residents of Heavalun knew better than to mess with him or anyone else who regularly did mercenary work, especially when they were carrying a bodyâalive or not.
Those who stopped his type tended not to live long, so he was ignored other than a few passing glances.
After traveling a few meters into the alleyway, Conor stopped and tucked behind a dumpster. His feet squelched in a puddle of rank trash water leaking from the impromptu cover. While Conor was reasonably sure no one had followed him, a quick double-check was always good for his skin.
Conor did not want to bring trouble to Stitchâs place. He did not have the slightest idea where he would find another techy who could synthesize the cocktail of stimulants Stitch made to keep his broken body held together. Pissing the tech head off was not high on his priority list.
Over the next ten minutes, the only thing his thermal vision picked up between him and the main road was a few Zlit rats scurrying atop discarded food. Their fleshy tendrils groped the garbage and pulled it into maws of razor-sharp teeth.
The sight of them sent a shiver down his spine. Those foul little mammals were high on his list of hated creatures, having been bitten by them more than once since he was a kid slinking around the gutters of Heavalun.
Pushing those memories away, Conor traveled deeper and rounded a blind corner. The sounds of the crowd's chatter entirely vanished as he entered the backstreet where Stitchâs clinic was nestled.
The rest of the journey was only a few hundred meters and only required Conor to sidestep some used needles and shit; He also had to kick one homeless bum who tried to grab the girl out of the cover of his jacket. Usually, he would have just shot the piece of hreck shit, but with his hands full, a swift boot to the jaw got the message across.
With the bum limping away, broken jaw clutched in pain, Conor hammered on the metal door; its frame and the neon sign to its side quivered under his brute strength. Then began the worst part of dealing with Stitch, waiting for the asshole to open the door.
Conor waited until ten minutes had passed and received no answer. Then he punched the door harder, his metal hand denting the surface. Several seconds later, a heavily synthesized voice echoed out of the speakers hidden around the areaâspeakers that Conor had never been able to locate, no matter how fervently he tried.
âWhat do you want, Conor?â Stitch questioned. âDid you break more of your wiring?â
Conor sighed heavily, knowing Stitch had this entire block wired with multispectrum cameras and could see him a kilometer out. If this were a visit for his wiring, Stitch would know. The man was just being paranoid and wanted Conor to state his business.
âI got a girl I need you to check up on,â Conor said, pushing his jacket slightly open and letting the girl's ref scales shine.
âWhat another hooker pass out on a bad trip?â Stitch chuckled cruelly. âThis is the fourth this month; you are getting soft merc.â
Rolling his eyes, Conor could admit he was softer than most of the other mercenaries and gangsters in the city's neutral sections. Having seen his fair share of how bad this city can be, Conor did his best not to fuck over those who were just down on bad times and were not trying to cause him issues.
Life was arduous enough for them. So he gave back by lugging hookers and junkies to the nearest tech head and paying for their treatment or the closest Zential clinic. The Zentials were more than willing to treat the downtrodden for free, unlike the other medical services in Heavalunâstitch included.
He considered it his way of giving back and maybe finding Urka's good grace. Perhaps the god might forgive him for being a general piece of hreck shit if he continued to until he did. But he would not know until he finally kicked the bucket.
His intervention was a drop of clean water in the ocean of venom in this city. The other locals were more than willing to pick those he aided clean in minutes. They might as well be a swarm of bealit beatles eating carrion with how ravenous they were.
âIt ainât that. Just open the damn door,â Conor growled, punching the door again.
âHold on, you greased-up cyborg,â Stitch frantically complained, worried that Conor would break his door again.
Conor smirked, glad the strange form of tolerance he and Stitch had built over the years was still strong. At this point, it was their modus operandi. Neither hated the other; no, they respected one another's role in this shithole.
Both toles put them in harm's way and brought them respect and infamy.
However, Conor found the way the denizens of Heavalun treated them funny. If you asked the average COS or GU citizen, who was more brutal: a mercenary with a pension for hyper-violence and little regard for collateral damageâ-or a skeletal Itelv doctor who regularly performs life-saving surgery? They would choose Conor ten out of ten times. They did not know Stitch like Conor, Brakul, or most of the people in this city section.
They would tell you the truth of the good doctor.
They would weave you a tale of a greedy, crit-pinching asshole and that Stitch was the type of man who would stitch up for pay but would just as quickly harvest your organs for sale, or Urka forbid he would stick some experimental tech inside you and wait for your inevitable death to retrieve his property.
The door at long last opened with a vile hiss, and a gangly grey-skinned hand forced it open.
Stitch was just about as tall as Conor. But his thin grey limbs made him look one stiff breeze away from taking flight, with only his heavy artificial spider-like legs keeping him firmly on the planet.
Draped over his pencil-thin neck was a once-white apron. After years of use, it was stained with blood, oil, and hydraulic fluid.
âIf she ain't one of your precious hookers, put her on the table. I will get my tool ready,â Stitch hissed, jamming his thumb over a shoulder.
âI ainât selling this one to you either. Girlie got tagged by visage, and I need yah to treat her,â Conor replied, pushing past and laying the blonde on the recovery bed.
âYou said she ainât some hooker,â Stitch complained following, having gotten tired of Conor no longer bringing him fresh meat to sell.
Once Conor turned around and was about to explain the situation, Stitch pressed a bony finger into Conor's chest. âI told you, I'm selling the next one. She is it,â
âCan it doc. She is a client,â Conor replied. âOr are you going to explain to Brakul why you cut her up?â
Stitch clicked his tongue but did not try to move closer. His glassy, verdant eyes pulled Conor and the girl apart as he weighed the pros and cons of allying with Conor and Brakul another time.
âWhat is in it for me?â Stitch questioned, tapping a finger on a scalpel attached to his tool belt.
Conor sighed, realizing he should have expected this question, but he was not the broker of deals. That was Brakulâs schtick, and he was running late.
âYou can take her jewelry and any credsticks you find on her. Alright?â Conor replied, knowing Brakul likely would have made a similar deal.
Stitch nodded and slinked closer to the woman. He lifted the necklace from her chest and carefully examined the jewels with a prudish eye any good businessman should have. After Stitch activated his magnified eyes, his cornea glowed gold, letting him see the atoms of the shiny trinket.
The doctor grinned cruelly, letting his crystalline teeth show proudly. The sight was unsettling and made Conor grip his pistol, fearing the doctor would flip his shit and decide it was not enough payment and try to cut the girl up.
But he did not start to slice her skin open. Instead, he sniggered nearly uncontrollably for a few moments, then spoke. âYes, yes, yes. This will do just fine,â He sneered.
Conor was unsure what the jewels were, but they must be worth far more than he initially thought. For Urka's sake, Stitch was drooling on the necklace and the passed-out girl's chest.
âGood. So you will take care of her?â Conor questioned, needing to hear an assured answer.
Quickly slipping the jewelry into his pocket, Stitch looked back at Conor, his demeanor having done a complete one-eighty. âOf course, I always have room for paying customers.â
âOh sweet, Conor, you handled the deal,â Brakul said, having just stepped in through the doors.
Why Brakul was allowed unfettered access to Stitchâs clinic and Conor was not something Conor had wondered for years but had accepted it as something to do with their role in the duo.
âYeah, and he will watch the client. But we had yet to lay out the finer details,â Conor explained.
âAh, no issue, I can take it from here,â Brakul replied.
-----
so what did you think? a decent chapter or total trash? either way I wanna know. I will see you all in the comments. please don't forget to comment and updoot.
your baker
-Pirate
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2024.05.21 17:19 uniquemet When going down a string gauge will I need to adjust my truss rod?
| Right now my electric guitar (Ibanez rg570ct) is on 10-46 strings and they really are.too hard for me to comfortably bend so I want to go down to its default 9-42. Although the neck currently is perfectly straight like an arrow with the feeler tools based on temperature it's about .0001 to no relief. Yet my actions set to 1mm has zero buzz currently. I really worked manually hard to make all these frets by hand stay perfectly even with very little .0001 or less clearance from the one above so the neck works perfectly at a straight setup. When going down to these strings what is the chance that their will be enough bow back developing to introduce buzz or is a 20% decrease in tension unlikely going to change enough on the way the truss rod is currently keeping it straight? submitted by uniquemet to Luthier [link] [comments] |
2024.05.21 17:19 ninetofivehangover Levi / Hollow Essay
Hey guys :)
Working on an essay comparing the two and looking for feedback / suggestions. Really needs a few waves of editing and isn't finished but I'm pretty happy with how the last two hours of work turned out.
Again this is a ROUGH ROUGH ROUGH draft compiled from several notes.
Humanity and Nature: An Analysis and Reflection on The Duality Scavengerâs Reign **Hollow:**
Scavengerâs Reign showcases how humans, when altering an ecosystem, can become dangerous parasitesâan invasive species that disrupts the natural balance developed through millennia of evolution. Humans pose significant dangers to new ecosystems through various activities and behaviors that upset natural balances and lead to adverse environmental impacts. Even without technology and resources, humans can perpetuate disorder merely by existing. On the new alien planet, humans immediately cause dangerous changes, acting as an invasive species.
This relationship is vividly depicted in the interactions between Kamen and Hollow. In Scavengerâs Reign, all chaos and violence stem directly from human actions. The Hollow, for example, exists naturally as a small, fruit-eating creature, similar to a rabbit. Though it uses mind control to obtain food, it is not initially violent. Its manipulation is out of necessity. However, when Hollow forms a psychic connection with Kamen, who begins feeding it meat, the Hollow slowly becomes corrupted. Humanity's malicious nature contaminates the entire ecosystem, with Kamenâs greed, violence, and resentment adulterating the behavior of a previously docile animal.
Explaining exactly how Kamen corrupts the Hollow involves analyzing his cognizance during their interactions. Hollow and Kamen share a mindscape filled with scenes of failure, resentment, and self-hatred. In episode three, Kamen retrieves fruit for Hollow but fails miserably. A monkey takes the fruit he reaches for, and Kamen falls from a tree, saved again by the Hollow. Angrily, Kamen strikes the monkey with a rock, finally capturing the fruit. The pleased Hollow munches the fruit before Kamen drops the monkeyâs corpse in front of it. Unsure what to do, the Hollow begins to consume the meat, which is outside its normal diet.
In episode four, Kamen hunts larger animals. He is seen violently bludgeoning a dinosaur-like creature before being attacked by an even larger one. Kamen, weak and fragile, retreats defeated. Back in their cave, Hollowâs den is revealed to be a hole of rotting carcassesâdeath, flies, and decaying meat. When Kamen returns empty-handed, he apologizes. Hollow shows him a memory of Fiona, highlighting Kamenâs disappointment, mirroring how he has just disappointed Hollow. This scene illustrates how Hollow manipulates and communicates with Kamen through emotional sentiments.
This relationship, however, is not one-way. Kamenâs negative human traits seep into the Hollow, creating a feedback loop of hatred and violence, particularly towards other humans whom Kamen feels have wronged him. When Kamen admits the creature was âtoo big for him,â Hollow shows a flashback of Kamen begging for a route change. Samâs refusal and aggression fuel Kamenâs failure and resentment. Motivated by these memories, Kamen sharpens a spear and attacks the larger creature, paralleling his confrontation with Sam. Hollow finishes the dinosaur, showering Kamen in gore. Kamen, proud and laughing, screams: âFuck you, Sam.â
This scene demonstrates the complete adulteration of Hollow, directly linking Kamenâs negative traits to Hollowâs transformation. Hollow shifts from a vegetarian, monkey-like creature to a violent forceâa killing machine obsessed with feeding and power, driven by anger and hunger. This transformation is highlighted in the next episode's intro, where a new human escapes a cryopod and is hunted through Vespaâs jungle. Upon finding Kamen, the human is relieved but is immediately killed by Hollow, who snaps his neck. The Hollowâs nature has been entirely corrupted, motivated only by hunger and hatred.
We can then question the Hollow's potential. What if Hollow had encountered Ursula or Sam? Could Hollow form a connection with a higher sentience without becoming corrupted, or is this violent change inevitable? Is human intervention always a plague?
PARAGRAPH ABOUT KAMEN BEING ABSORBED: Azi has a flashback of seeing the girl who gabe her the notebook in a cryo chamber, asleep. Red alarms clash. Sam ushers people to flee the ship - this is amidst the solar flare. Sam recuses to let Kamen on an escape pod, throwing him yo the floor abd calling him a fucking idiot. Azi throws him a side eye too. The ship is crumbling. -> It transitions to Kamen on Vespa. Hollow is fucking HUGE and murders the new guy in front of Kamen, afraid the newbie would distract Kamen. Kamen questions his actions after the death, remembering the ship. The potentialiTy of Fiona being alive. -> flashback to Kamen running to a pod and closing it. Fiona approaches the window, asking to be let in. Kamen fails to let her in before the pod shoots offz -> flashout, Kamen remembers she is dead. He weeps, taking guilt. Asking why he ran away, confronting his character flaws. Refusing to acknowledge his failures, Kamen is absorbed into the Hollow, who grants him peace within its body. Levi: In âScavengerâs Reign,â Leviâs journey takes a profound turn as she merges with the planetâs consciousness, evolving beyond mere sentience and becoming one with nature. After being obliterated and repaired, Levi returns, wielding the history of millennia, drawing a near parallel to Nausicaä. Both characters serve as mediators between humanity and nature. In the beginning of the show, scenes hint at a collective planetary consciousness that Levi taps into, witnessing bioluminescent insects that seem to communicate with her and the planet. As Levi merges with this consciousness, she transcends the human concept of sentience and individuality, gaining the knowledge and emotions of an intricate web of life and energy that sustains Planet Vespa. This new state allows Levi to exist in perfect harmony with the natural world, becoming an integral part of the unified whole.
In episode one, we are introduced to Levi as an inherently curious creature. Levi and Azi have a flourishing garden. Levi mentions âmalfunctionsâ that caused her to bury Aziâs wrench out of âcuriosity.â Her hatch opens to reveal a sort of fungus she says is âhelping her.â Azi is afraid of her behavior and demands to run a diagnostic. The dynamic between Levi and Azi is that of boss and underling, with Levi treated somewhat coldly. Levi states Azi is âacting meaner.â This fungus is later understood as a medium for the collective planetary consciousness, with Levi merging slowly.
In episode two, Levi constantly marvels at the environment, feeling a deep connection to nature. During a storm, Levi shows Azi into a large structure. Azi asks how she knows itâs safe, and inside, they find an Eden-like safe haven, which is beautiful. Azi says Levi must have known this area, and Levi admits she has been exploring at night out of curiosity and wonder. Azi finds a sculpture made by Levi and asks why she made it. âI just thought it looked nice,â Levi replies. Azi remarks that no other Levi has ever behaved like this and demands to open her maintenance hatch. These projects are botany-based. Azi goes to eat fruit Levi grew, but Levi warns, âIâm sorry this isnât safe for humans to eat.â âThen why did you grow it?â Azi asks. âMaybe it wasnât for you,â Levi responds, highlighting Aziâs expectation that all Levi's exist solely for their creators' benefit.
In later episodes, we see the fungus inside Levi expanding and its connection to Leviâs relationship with Planet Vespa. In episode four, Levi watches a pile of ants closely, picking one up and communicating with it using bioluminescent lights. She gives it food and sets it on its way, showing how Levi is tuning into the planet on both micro and macro scales. This annoys Azi, as observing insects is not beneficial to her. A flashback shows Levi being âfixedâ when she doesnât work, illustrating how Azi treats her like a tool. The two embark on a bike ride, and Levi is seen communicating with a large swarm of insects. They approach a river, and Azi pulls a large grub off Levi, commenting that they are âmore active than usual.â Levi remarks she can feel tremors, which are soon revealed to be caused by a large herd of creatures stampeding. The two are caught in the stampede, and Levi catches onto a language of sorts by the creatures, dictating their movement pattern, and begins to instruct Azi on âfollowing the sway of the herd.â After getting used to the movements, Azi revels in the majestic experience Levi has been attuned to, being at one with the herd and the planet. The stampede leads to a large nest and then an open plain.
In her quest for cognizance, Levi begins to dream. Episode five opens with Levi wandering through a golden forest, observing various gentle forms of life before being instructed to follow Azi. Levi notices a white lotus, and the two wander the woods. Tendrils of plants grasp at Levi, seemingly wanting her to stay in the forest. Levi looks down and sees hands of flesh. Azi says sheâs been acting âso strangeâ in an ominous tone. Levi awakens, and Azi demands her help. Levi sees her regular robotic hands and realizes she is evolving. Levi is cleaning Aziâs hair with a knife, and Azi offers to return the favor, telling Levi to open her hatch. Levi seems apprehensive, aware the mold is helping her evolve and that Azi is not a fan. Azi opens Leviâs hatch and notices she flinches as the mold is touched. The mold has opened Leviâs mind, allowing her to feel physical sensations and consciously view the world. Levi is developing sentience beyond apathetically taking orders. A scared Levi says she doesnât like how scraping the mold feels, and Azi pets her, both remarking that it feels good. They argue over whether Levi âshould feel anything,â with Azi viewing this as a problem since she needs to trust Levi to survive. Levi is shut off. While Levi is shut off, Azi is hit with fluffy balls that stick to her. Sheâs overwhelmed and barely able to move when she sees a horde of plant matter-covered creatures approaching. Azi crawls to Levi and turns her on. As the creature approaches, Levi regains consciousness and destroys it. Levi apologizes for not helping due to being turned off, and Azi admits Levi saved her. Levi states she doesn't want to be shut off, ever, expressing her fear of death.
Our duo are traveling across beautiful plains on their bike. Azi is covered in festering wounds from the bulbs. Residual material is embedded in her skin. Azi dips a bloody shirt into a shallow pond, and fish-like creatures come to eat the dead flesh. She dips her hand in, and they clean her wounds. A large water basin looms in the background, which they approach. Azi ascends the stone structure, reminiscent of something out of a Ghibli film. Azi begins to appreciate the beauty of Vespa, with a light string instrumental crescendoing as she submerges herself in the cool water, trusting the creatures to heal her. On the ground, Levi communicates with a small bug. Azi is healed and questions Leviâs evolution, suggesting she should be âmore delicate.â Levi ponders her ability to âjoin her for a swim.â The two marvel at the evolutionary strangeness, with Levi acknowledged as an equal.
Levi's fear of death soon becomes a reality. Levi and Azi are pushing the bike to obtain its cable to use to cross a giant gorge. Levi writes a song and expresses a wish to pursue her hobbies, such as singing, at a place on the Demeter. Levi and Azi discuss Fiona, the person who programmed Levi, with Levi feeling close to her. Azi compliments Leviâs singing and urges her to continue pursuing her ambitions. The two successfully tether the bike cable across the gorge, but Hollow is seen scouring the edge. As they grapple across, singing the melody from Fionaâs memory, Hollow recognizes the tune and becomes enraged. Hollow scales the cord towards them, and the cord breaks, slamming all three into the side of the cliff. Azi urges Levi to climb. Azi reaches the top first, followed by Levi, but Hollow catches Leviâs legs with telekinesis. âHelp meâŚâ Levi says, but a memory of Kamen and Fiona kissing causes Azi to charge Hollow with a spear. As she approaches, Levi is split in two, shattered into minuscule bolts and scraps of metal that rain down over the cliff edge. Azi screams after her, a tear rolling down her cheek. Her partner, a growing consciousness much like an innocent child discovering the sand of a beach and the glory of nature, is murdered.
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2024.05.21 17:14 carlybroccoli Should I rip back and redo his neck?
| I donât personally like how his neck looks, should I pull back before I get too far and redo it? Itâs an inchworm for my 4 year old and she is very excited about him and asks every 10 minutes if he is done yet. submitted by carlybroccoli to crochet [link] [comments] |
2024.05.21 17:14 Then-Challenge5681 Neurological issues?
Did anyone else have a dog that became randomly aggressive in older age? My dog was almost 7 year old (adopted at 8 weeks) and began attacking my other dog, secluding, and randomly growling, snapping, and barking at me like she didnât know who I was. Multiple trips to the vet but her blood work was always clear and nothing showed on X-rays. The vet gave her Prozac and gabapentin and that helped for almost 4 months where she had zero aggression issues and I naively thought we had found the help she needed until finally one day she mauled my other dog right in front of me at the back door after laying together in the couch all morning and I needed stitches in my hand when I finally freed my other dog and got her outside to safety. Luckily my other dog only had superficial wounds to her face, neck, and ears but was bloodied and had soft tissue trauma to her neck. All she did was scream and try and get away. I put her to sleep that day at the urging of my vet and family. I was so scared. Everyone said she was a time bomb and something worse was going to happen. I was so scared and thought she must be sick but Iâll never know. She was absolutely the best and most perfect dog until the last 4 months of her life. She and my other dog were best friends for over 5 years and she loved me so much, it always seemed like is fluke when these episodes started. She was perfectly trained and socialized, was always around family, friends, other dogs. Never practice, never resource guarded, never even pulled on her leash. My dogs were my life. I donât know how I went through with putting her down.
Has this happened to anyone else? My vet says it was neurological since nothing showed on bloodwork or exam, but I donât even understand what that means, just that it sounded so hopeless. Now I canât help but think I cut her life in half.
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2024.05.21 17:10 orascoptic_official Improve your posture. Alleviate back and neck pain. Our loupes will help.
2024.05.21 17:05 Citron92 Kill la kill: I spit on your grave (Part 44: Rat Bael and friends on the other side)
| https://preview.redd.it/2zqfpqde5s1d1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=29b1992562a1e153df13dac76160202827dd888d New Orleans, USA, April 25th, 1926 So looks like the waitress in that cafe was lucky enough to get enough money from Charlotte LaBoeff to buy her restaurant. When we left the cafe, we followed her to the real estate office of the Fenner Bros. and we waited about an hour, sitting on a bench. Every second I spent on Isaac's shoulder as a frog was me sunbathing, contemplating life, and daydreaming about torturing and murdering Nonon. As Tiana ran out of the office, she beckoned us to follow us. Tiana: Come along! I gotta show you guys! We followed her down the street for a couple of blocks before we found the old dilapidated building she was planning to buy. Only seeing the outside of the building, the Fenner brothers came up to the realty sign and removed it. Tiana: Everything looks peachy keen Mr. Fenner, and Mr. Fenner. Fenner 1: We have the paperwork ready to sign first thing after Mardi Gras. Tiana: I'll do you one better. I'll sign them tonight when I see you at the Labouff masquerade ball! The two brothers ignored her, putting the wooden sign into their car and driving off with it. Suddenly, an older black woman appeared behind Tiana. Tiana's mother: Table for one please! She was holding a big sauce pot with a red ribbon on it. Tiana: Mama! Tiana's mother: Here's a little something to help you get started. Tiana: Ah! Daddy's gumbo pot. Oh. Tiana hugged her mother and she spoke again. Tiana's mother: I know. I miss him too. Well now, hurry up and open the door. Upon opening the door, Tiana shut the doors immediately and both her and her mother began to hyperventilate. Something was terribly wrong. Isaac: T-Tiana is it? Is something wrong? Suddenly, a hole was smashed through the door by a big furry arm as Tiana and her mother ran over to Isaac and his behind him, screaming! Tiana: What the hell is that? Isaac reached for his plasma saw and turned it on. It whirred loudly before both doors were slamme open and a dozen of those rat-humanoid monsters barged out! Ryuko: Shit! Rat bastards! Come on Isaac, you can take them down! Tell Wiz and Boomstick who's boss! Issac: Oh I will. I'm an exterminator too on top of being an engineer! Nonon never seeing these monsters before put her hands on her ears and screamed "Oh my G-d" over and over again as Isaac ran into the fight with me and Buzz as frogs on his shoulder! Isaac: Mourir monsteurs! Isaac slashed through the horde, swinging quickly and broadly as he cut them down multiple at a time! He jumped high into the air and used his summoned swords magic to shoot two rat bastards, impaling them before clapping and blowing them along with any nearby rat bastards up! Nonon: What are those things? Oh my G-d! Gamagoori as a big bullfrog woke up and climbed out of Nonon's pocket. Gamagoori: Rats! The monsters Wiz and Boomstick created to try and slow Ryuko down so she can't save Mako! Come on! We gotta fight them! As Isaac cut them up, we saw two cheese pukers emerge from the open door, I called it out to him but saw a big mass of bricks on the roof. Ryuko: Cheese pukers! Don't let them get close! I'm gonna take them down! Isaac: Ryuko wait no! I hopped off his shoulder with Buzz and we hopped onto the wall, climbed up before hopping over to the mass of bricks, me and buzz then began to push them off all at once slowly before they all fell onto the stationary cheese pukers, causing them to explode! Blood, guts, and rotten cheese slurry splattered all over the street, the sight and sent caused Tiana, Nonon and her mother to puke. Gamagoori hopped out of Nonon's pocket and hopped over to the wall and climbed up with us. Gamagoori: I'm gonna help! Isaac! More are coming! More rat bastards charged at Isaac, but he began to cut them all down as they got close. The ones that tried to swipe and swing at him were easily dodge as Isaac was very fast. He dodged, dashed and even did backflips to avoid their attacks all while cutting them down with one swing of his powerful plasma blade! Emerging from the door once more was a big, muscular rat monster with crusty, disgusting fur with dead, diseased rat fetuses stuck to it. It ripped one out and threw it at Isaac, he dodged it quickly! Isaac: Tiana duck! Tiana, Nonon and her mother ducked as the diseased rat-humanoid corpse flew over their heads, mere inches from their scalps. Isaac then used his summoned swords magic again and threw two glowing blue swords into it before clapping and blowing it into bloody chunks! None of it's diseased biomass hit us or our human friends bellow. Isaac: That's not all... We heard a tapping sound, it became more rapid as Tiana, Nonon and her mother squeaked in fear and all three got rolled into a ball to protect themselves. Out of the doorway was the last rat bastard, but the most horrific looking one. It was as big as the doorway, it had six spider legs, it's body was a big mass of gray fur with two rat bastard heads and a human head wearing a crown in the middle. The human head was familiar however, with the burned scar over it's left eye and brown hair. Ryuko: Santa told me... Those rat bastards are from a mix of rodent DNA and DNA from Z-Zuko! That's Zuko's head? The Zuko head stared at Isaac for a moment before it's mouth opened up, revealing hideous, rotten needle-like teeth! Zuko head: Rarrgggghhhhh! It ran over to Isaac, trying to get one of it's disgusting heads to bite him, but he jumped around and avoided it! He whirred his plasma saw loudly before jumping behind it but before he could cut it's three heads off, the new rat bastard spun around and bit his plasma saw, holding it in place. One of it's spider legs swept Isaac's legs and he fell to the ground. It then slowly began using it's heads that bit onto the plasma saw while having it's mouths avoid the cutting blue blades press on further, as the plasma saw was pushed further to Isaac's neck, he sweated profusely! Isaac: You! Mon-steur! Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Isaac struggled with it before Tiana ran up behind it with a random wooden plank she used as a club and hit it over the human head! It let go and pulled back and turned towards Tiana, hissing at her before Isaac began to slowly overpower the two rodent heads still pushing on! The two head's teeth accidentally slipped on the blade and Isaac soon cut through their heads, killing two of them. Tiana jammed the wooden plank down the human Zuko head's throat but it bit down and bit the plank in half! Isaac's plasma saw then cut the human head off after cutting through the two other rodent heads from behind! Isaac then kicked the newly killed monster off of him high into the air before Isaac dropped his plasma saw, grabbed it by the legs and swung around with it like a track and field throwing ball before releasing it and it flew high into the sky, so high as a matter of fact that we eventually lost visual contact with it as it travelled so high. Isaac took some deep breaths before picking up his plasma saw, turning it off and holstering it on his side. Tiana: Are they gone? Nonon: What were those things? Isaac: You didn't run into them? They're the race created by Wiz and Boomstick to kidnap Mako. They're monsteurs me and Ryuko fought. If you want to travel with us, you better not be dead weight. You did nothing to help. Ryuko, Buzz and Gamagoori can't fight at their best right now because of you. So you can do your part or get out. Nonon: Yes sir. I'll-gulp try. Tiana: T-thank you for saving me. You are very strong and handsome! Isaac: Ma plaisir. Tiana: Did you fight in the great war? You are French after all. Isaac: Great war? World War o- oh... No I didn't. What year is it again? Tiana: 1926! Isaac: 1926! I'm only 26. I... I was 18 in- Tiana: 1918. Did you fight? Isaac: Errrr... That's not important. Anyway, I'm going inside your new restaurant. I'll check for any more of those rat bastards. Tiana: Thank you. Can you tell me when it's clear? Isaac: Oui. Isaac proceeded into the ruins before me, Buzz and Gamagoori hopped down a hole from the ceiling, landing on his shoulder. Isaac: I should of known we travelled back in time in this world. We're in 1926. I wouldn't be born until 1992. Ryuko: Dang. We're 92 years in the past. Yet again we were in the 15th century months ago. Gamagoori: What are you talking about? Ryuko: Me and Isaac going through these worlds, some of them are in the past, one was in 1482! This is the second historical world we've been sent into to find the next dimensional stone. Buzz: Interuniversal and time travel I see. Your civilization is more advanced then I thought. Ryuko: Well, it's magic really. Buzz: Magic! Interesting. I wonder if I can use any. Ryuko: We'll find out. Gamagoori: I hope you guys know what you're doing. Will the dimensional stones lead us to Mako? Ryuko: Yep! Sure will. It will lead us to Mako, we'll save her from Death Battle and we'll kill Wiz, Boomstick and their raping ringmaster. Gamagoori: I just hope we don't get stuck in the past. I hope you know what you're doing. Also I want to be human again. Ryuko: We'll get there eventually. Meanwhile, in the streets of New Orleans, Prince Naveen was joining a street band playing Jazz as everyone was surrounding him, the women were especially fawning over him. His fat servant ran over to him! Lawrence: Prince! Naveen: Dance with me, fat man! The prince took his servant's hand and began to dance around with him for a minute before he announced a proposal to the crowd. Naveen: Drinks are all on me! Everyone was cheering, but the servant grabbed the prince and pulled him closer to question him. Lawrence: How are we going to pay for all of that? You have no money! Either you go and slip out when nobody's looking, or get a job! Lawrence pointed over to a man behind a horse shoveling it's poop into a bucket. Naveen: Eugh, fine Lawrence. But first, we dance! He pulled Lawrence even closer and began to dance with him. The prince let go of Lawrence and he stumbled into the band and his head ended up inside of a tuba! Naveen: Ha ha! You're finally in the music! Get it? Because your head is inside of a tuba? Ha ha! Lawrence: Get me out of here! Naveen and a member of the band pulled at Lawrence before both the prince and his servant were flung out of a tuba and up against a wall! Lawrence: Agh! How degrading! This is... Oh hello? Looking up, a slender figure in a black suit and black top hat appeared, he had a top hat with a skull and crossbones on it. This man looked suspicious but he greeted both of them kindly. Dr. Facilier: Gentlemen! Enchante? He lowered his walking stick, allowing the prince to grab on so he can be lifted up. Dr. Facilier: A tip of the hat from Dr. Facilier! How y'all doing? He handed the prince a purple business card. Naveen: Tarot readings? Charms? Potions? Dreams made real? Naveen and Facilier began to walk around a corner into an alleyway. Dr. Facilier: I'm in the business of visiting royalty. Lawrence followed him. Naveen: Lawrence! Lawrence! This remarkable gentleman has just read my palm. Lawrence: Over this morning's newspaper. Sire, sire, this chap is obviously a charlatan. I suggest we move on to a- Dr. Facilier: Don't you disrespect me little man! Don't you derogate or deride! You're in my world now. Not your world. And I got friends on the other side! An echo was heard, saying "Friends on the other side". Dr. Facilier: That's an echo, gentlemen. Just a little something we have here in Louisiana, a little parlor trick. Don't worry. Dr. Facilier led the two to a door under a sign saying "Dr. Facilier's voodoo emporium", and once leading them in, him and his shadow sat them down at a table as Dr. Facilier high-fived his shadow then took a seat and continued his singing. Dr. Facilier: Sit down at my table, put your minds at ease, if you relax it will enable me to do anything I please. I can read your future, I can change it 'round some, too, I'll look deep into your heart and soul. You have a soul too, don't you Lawrence? Lawrence: Yes? Dr. Facilier: Make your wildest dreams come true! I got voodoo, I got hoodoo, I got things I ain't even tried! And I got friends on the other side. Dr. Facilier pulled out a deck of tarot cards and shuffled them before the duo as he continued to sing at them. Dr. Facilier: The cards, the cards, the cards will tell the past, the present, and the future as well! The cards, the cards, just take three, take a little trip into your future with me! Naveen and Lawrence picked three cards before Dr. Facilier took them and told them to the duo. He started with the prince first and continued to sing about his tarot card readings. Dr. Facilier: Now you, young man, are from across the sea. You come from two long lines of royalty. I'm a royal myself on my mother's side. Your lifestyle's high but your funds are low. You need to marry a lil' honey whose daddy got dough! Mom and dad cut you off, huh playboy? Naveen: Eh, sad but true. Dr. Facilier: Now y'all gotta get hitched, but hitching ties you down. You just wanna be free, hop from place to place But freedom takes green! It's the green, it's the green, it's the green you need. And when I looked into your future it's the green that I see! He then turned to Lawrence and read his tarot card results to him in a musical fashion. Dr. Facilier: On you little man, I don't wanna waste much time. You been pushed around all your life, you been pushed around by your mother and your sister and your brother, and if you was married, you'd be pushed around by your wife. But in your future, the you I see is exactly the man you always wanted to be! Dr. Facilier crossed his arms and expected the duo to shake his hands. Dr. Facilier: Shake my hand, come on boys. Won't you shake the poor sinner's hand? Naveen shook reluctantly as Lawrence shook with a mischievous grin on his face. Once they did that, the curtains came down and an army of singing masks began to sing as Naveen and Lawrence were suddenly bound to their chairs! Dr. Facilier: Yes! Are you ready? Voodoo spirits: Are you ready? Dr. Facilier: Are you ready? Transformation central! Voodoo spirits: Transformation central! Dr. Facilier: Reformation central Voodoo spirits: Reformation central! Dr. Facilier: Transmogofication central! Dr. Facilier then pulled out a talisman and clipped Naveen's finger with it, getting blood into it and initiating a curse with it. Can you feel it? You're changin', you're changin', you're changin', all right! I hope you're satisfied, but if you ain't, don't blame me! You can blame my friends on the other side! The musical number ended as Dr. Facilier danced around with the voodoo spirits! Voodoo spirits: You got what you wanted! But you lost what you had! Dr. Facilier then dashed forward on his knees before blowing, and everything went dark. Back at Tiana's new restaurant, Isaac emerged from the doors, me, Gamagoori and Buzz were in his pockets as he approached Tiana. Isaac: Good news Tiana, it's all clear! Tiana: Oh thank you! You're my hero Isaac! Now, I just need to make some changes around here, so I may turn this into my dream. It will have to wait. I have to eventually go to the masquerade ball tonight. Isaac: Oui. submitted by Citron92 to Dbmlore [link] [comments] |
2024.05.21 17:02 Raphiella My symptoms (It's all pointing towards Bruxism)
Just posting in case anyone has all the same symptoms. I've been in distress for about 6 weeks with all of this. Been to see a private ENT, spoken to 3 GPs and none of them have been much help sadly.
My jaw has always cracked/popped without any pain. I started noticing a bit of jaw ache but didn't think much of it.
6 weeks ago I started getting muscle spasms in my ear (fluttering sensarion) and flare up of tinnitus. Been getting a touch of sensitivity (hyperacusis) in my right ear as well. ENT said it was Middle Ear Myoclonus.
However, a few days later I'm getting the most intense neck and shoulder aches/pain I've ever had. I cannot seem to get any relief. I'm getting pain deep inside my ears, around my temples, underneath my ears and all down the sides and back of my neck. Some days I feel light headed, some days are OK. Some days I get an intense pain in one of my jaw joints and my jaw is stiff. Seems to be good days and bad days.
I also started getting more eye floaters this year which I had checked out.
After doom scrolling all my symptoms for weeks and weeks I'm pretty sure I'm clenching my teeth. My GP suggested it and has referred me to another ENT, but it's not for 3 months.
I have a dentist appointment in 2 weeks so I'm going to ask about a custom mouth guard.
I had the worst anxiety of my life at the start of this year, for no reason. It became quite hard to live with and I'm now thinking it's manifested as Bruxism.
Oh what joy... being stiff, aching and having ringing ears every day is utterly shit.
Have tried, or am taking, Magnesium, B12, Kalms, Propranolol and CBD Gummies. Have now bought some heated pads to use on my face on the bad days.
Just sharing incase anyone else needs to know they're not alone with these symptoms.
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2024.05.21 17:00 Leaving4Living Allergic reaction after having Creatine and Whey Protein for the first time.
I (20M, 5'5", 122 lbs) had 16g of MuscleBlaze's Raw Whey Protein before sleep and woke up with a mild sore throat the next morning. I didn't think much of it and continued to take 5g of creatine monohydrate. Nothing happened immediately, so I took another dose of 5g after 4 hours.
After a few hours, I felt fullness or pressure in my ears and a scratchy, sore feeling at the back of my throat. It was mild. When I slept that night, I experienced headaches, body weakness, and fluctuating sensations of cold and heat. When I woke up, I felt fine except for a mild throat pain. I proceeded to take another 5g of creatine.
Later that day, I started having mild pain in my throat again when swallowing. I also felt pain when I touched the right side of my neck area under my ear.
Context: When I eat anything that has butter, ghee, mayonnaise, or certain oils like palm oil, I sneeze 10-12 times almost continuously the next day. This has been happening for the past 4 years. Sometimes, this also happens with bananas.
- Can Whey protein & Creatine cause these allergic reaction or is this a viral infection?
- Should I stop taking these supplements immediately or should I wait until I recover with the sore throat fully and try again?
- How can I cope with these allergic reactions?
- Are there any alternatives to these supplements?
submitted by
Leaving4Living to
AskDocs [link] [comments]
2024.05.21 17:00 CDown01 Eagles Peak Pt.11
Previous Part My eyes darted around the room, still shocked from the brutality I just witnessed from Shaoni. Katrina had strutted out of view and when my eyes turned to where Brookeâs crumpled form shouldâve been he was gone to. At some point both Robert and John had run off towards the growing sounds of gunfire. Shaoni and I still stood in the coliseum, shaken to our cores but both for very different reasons.
*CLANG*
The sudden noise startled me, the sound of metal on metal. The sound came again, this time I heard it clearly and turned around to face the noise only to be met by a few familiar faces.
âDonât mean to bother you but their shootin up the place, could ya let us the hell in!â
Rocco shouted as he beat Brookes stolen lighter against the metals bars that closed off the back entrance to the coliseum. Bianca gave me a sheepish wave as I looked over their faces again. Frank, Stein, and Tuck were with her. They must have come through the same way Bianca and I had a few days before.
âNOW!â
Rocco shouted in irritation as my brain finally kicked into gear and I ran over to let them through the barred metal gate.
âWhatâs going on up there?â
I wondered out loud, concerned by how shell shocked they all looked.
âIâd guess something involving the government, with equipment like that I doubt it would be anyone else. Just as we got to the hole Bianca mentioned several men in black tactical gear came out of the forest at our sides. When we didnât clear out like they demanded they started firing so we dove in.â
Stein explained.
âI take it thatâs Shaoni?â
He added, pointing towards where she lay, hunched over and taking shaky breaths on the ground.
âIs she alright?â
Bianca chimed in, craning her neck to get a better view of her past everyone else.
âThe hell should we care!? Isnât it her fault weâre doinâ any of this in the first place?â
Rocco grumbled up at us as he laid back on the ground. Glad to see he wasnât taking things to seriously. Tuck just stared at Shaoni with this intense anger in his eyes, he didnât say a word.
I know I shouldnât care what happened to her at this point but a part of me just couldnât leave Shaoni like this. Sure, she probably didnât deserve the sympathy but I couldnât help feeling a little bad for her now that the anger had passed. When I made my way over to her I got the sense I was seeing the real Shaoni for once. I was seeing someone who witnessed her people rise and fall, saw the country we live in change and grow as it became what we know today. Someone whoâd lived countless lifetimes as a piece that just didnât quite fit the puzzle anymore. I thought about everything Bianca had learned about Shaoni, how she was given her powers, no, her burden in the first place. Suddenly I had a pretty good idea of what exactly she brought everyone here for.
âShaoni?... Are you⌠uh, you ok?â
I said like I was trying to comfort a dying animal. The closer I got the more I could hear, she was crying. It was that held back sort of crying right before the dam breaks into full on sobs. She was cracking but still trying to put on a tough face, still trying to be every bit as imposing as she had been the first night I saw her. But she wasnât, now she just looked pitiful.
âYou⌠youâre right you know Keith. Iâm not Justice anymore⌠IâŚI donât think I have been for a very long time.â
She choked out through tears that flowed freely down her face as she rose to her feet.
âI donât know why I brought you here⌠I was just so desperate toâŚâ
She trailed off but that was alright, I already knew what she was going to say.
âTo escape? Pass on your burden? This whole thing was to chose someone to pass the Thunderbird spirit onto wasnât it?â
I asked, sure that I was right.
âYes, this is what I wanted from the start, to give my burden to one of you. At first I wanted the trials to help me make my decision but by the time all of you arrived I just wanted a way out. I wanted to finally live a real life. Iâve lived too long⌠I just want to live simply before the end that shouldâve come so long ago.â
Shaoni cried, more controlled now as she finally started to get a hold of herself.
âSo what? Youâd just give it to someone else! What about what that would do to them?â
âI just wanted out Keith! I know it was selfish, I donât care! I just want the nightmare to be over!â
Shaoni screamed out at me. She was hysterical enough that I saw Steinâs hand shoot towards his belt. Iâm sure he had that gun I saw yesterday waiting there so I held out my hand to signal him to wait.
âWe did good once, in the beginning. But that changed, the wars the injustice I just couldnât stand by and let that happen so I fought back. I spread the idea that fighting to the death was better than compromising for peace, compromising to save lives. Thatâs when we⌠I went wrong. I lead them astray! I was responsible for their deaths! Every! Single! One! I was bitter and resentful for years and I took it out on anyone I thought was guilty. Iâve lived with that for centuries! Do you think I donât know Iâve become a monster Keith?!â
Shaoni finished with a look of profound shame on her face.
I never thought Iâd see the day when I actually felt bad for Shaoni. Not some spur of the moment thereâs a full on shootout going on above us and I probably shouldnât let her die, feeling bad. No, I genuinely felt sorry for her after hearing her talk about the past with total honesty for once.
âYou could come with us.â
I offered, looking back to everyone whoâd gathered around her at that point. The looks on their faces all told me they werenât fans of that Idea but only Tuck protested.
âI wonât help her crawl outta the bed she made! Keith, do you honestly think she doesnât deserve everything thats cominâ to her?!â
âNo, but I think sheâs suffered enough. Besides, I really donât want to leave someone down here to die knowing I couldâve done something about it.â
âYou know what, fine! You care to much about this Keith, she deserves it! But if you want to take her with us donât be surprised when she goes on and stabs ya in the back! Now come on, we should get moving.â
Tuck finished, throwing his hands up in the air in an act of frustrated surrender.
âSo you realize weâve got to go out there right? Weâre not climbing back out the way we came in so heading out the main entrance is our only option at this point.â
Frank said bluntly as we watched Rocco scurry out of the hole they had dropped in from. Weâd all collectively decided we were better off sending Rocco back home. Frank was right though, and even though the sounds of gunfire had started to sound a little farther away I still wasnât a fan of getting anywhere closer to them.
âI might be able to help with that.â
Shaoni replied, getting to her feet with an air of determination.
âStay behind me and move when I tell you to.â
We all fell into line behind Shaoni without another word. I guess all of us realized the the sobbing mess weâd seen before also just so happened to be the same Thunderbird that reduced most of Imalone to ashes. So despite how we felt about letting her lead us around it was probably our best chance at the moment.
I was a little surprised that none of⌠whatever was happening out there hadnât spilled into the mine and made its way to us. We found out why just as soon as the single file line behind Shaoni made it out of the mine. The camp was devastated, what wasnât on fire or covered in bullet holes was smashed or ripped to pieces. The ground was littered in bodies and shell casings. A few hundred feet in front of us a small group of Shaoniâs followers where taking shots at the men in black tactical gear Stein had mentioned. There was maybe ten of them but it looked like those ten had slaughtered nearly all of the followers that had made up this camp.
I threw up on the spot, I was so shocked by the scene in front of me I didnât even manage to bend over, it just kinda waterfalled out of my mouth. I heard Bianca groan in disgust from behind me. I didnât understand why everyone else wasnât reacting the same way I was. As I came back to my senses after a minute or so I took off my now vomit covered jacket and felt the cool air through my shirt. Shaoni had instructed us to move and I mustâve moved on my own. All of us were gathered behind a small rocky outcrop near the entrance to the mine.
âYou doing alright?â
Bianca asked quietly from behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her and noticed the jewel encrusted dagger from before was clutched in her hand, twinkling with reflections from her now glowing blue eyes.
I could barely hear Bianca over the sounds of gunfire. Which almost certainly meant the last of the survivors were being wiped out. I couldnât watch anymore death today so I just ducked lower behind our cover.
âYou hear me Keith? Are you ok?â
Bianca persisted with a little more concern in her voice. I was still trying to pretend I hadnât just seen dozens of dead bodies but I couldnât really ignore her forever.
âNo notâŚnot really.â
I said, my voice coming out silent as a church mouse.
âWas it the-â
I cut her off
âIâve never seen a dead body before, I mean I have but not like⌠not like that. The one guy his jaw was justâŚ. Just gone. How do you guys do it? How do you just look at that and not react?â
Bianca sighed and looked me in the eyes. There was a kind of recognition in them, like she was seeing a little bit of herself in my situation.
âWeâve all seen a lot of horrible stuff in our lives, weâre used to it. Still it doesnât make it feel normal to see⌠this. Do you think you can hold it together a bit longer or do you want me toâŚâ
Bianca trailed off but it was obvious to me what she meant. Bianca was offering to soothe that terrified part of me with her powers again.
âThanks but no, Iâll be alright Iâll probably be seeing this in my dreams for weeks though.â
I answered, trying to make a stupid joke to lighten the mood. Bianca cracked a hint of a smile and that was enough for me.
While weâd been talking everyone had failed to notice Shaoni was gone. She had stood up and was walking straight towards where those men in black gear where picking through what was left of her followers. She was glowing though, every single tattoo glowed with an intense white light and then in a flash she was gone, and the Thunderbird was in her place. Frank and Stein stared in awe of the huge beast in front of them. The Thunderbird looked exactly as I remembered. The blue feathers and steel gray beak reflecting in the light from its crackling white eyes.
âThatâs it, Thatâs the god damn bird!â
Tuck yelled like we couldnât see what was right in front of us. I think he was just surprised to see the Thunderbird again. Even after years of swearing to get back at âthe birdâ for the friends he lost I donât think he ever thought heâd come face to face with it again. Seeing it must be bringing up more than a few memories heâd rather forget.
âDonât do anything youâll regret! Sheâs been helping us Tuck, at least put your differences aside until weâve gotten all this figured out.â
Stein yelled over an ear splitting screech from the massive bird as Tuck began to tense up. Every muscle in his body looked like it was about to pop, they were bulging to an inhuman degree. With a long exhale he loosened up and the swelling went down.
âDamn it⌠fine! But only till we got things settled here, after that I need to have a âconversationâ with that⌠thing!â
Tuck shouted in begrudging agreement.
The men in front of us all turned toward Shaoni, her new form towering over them. Then I heard a familiar voice shout out,
âYou wanted it gone, Youâre looking at it! Whatâre you all waiting for!â
A commanding voice rang out from one of the people in front of us. I didnât take long to spot the platinum blonde hair poking out from under the armored black helmet the woman wore, not just any woman, Katrina. I didnât have much time to let that sink in before Katrina made a fist, stuck two fingers up in the air and shook them forward at us. After that, all hell broke loose.
The men behind Katrina rushed forward, guns drawn. Stein drew his own pistol and cocked it, taking aim at the approaching men. Tuck tensed up again and this time he didnât hold himself back. Bones cracked and skin shifted to accommodate the inhuman muscles he now possessed. Hair sprang up all over his body and under it his face became more angular, his nose almost snout-like. Tuck looked something like a werewolf but definitely not the wolf man I expected. He looked more like an extremely hairy, unnaturally muscular feral person than any wolf man. Frank, Bianca, and I all hunkered down behind the outcrop, waiting for the worst to happen. Shaoni took to the sky with a flap of her massive wings as the gunfire started.
Nothing ever really prepares you for how loud a gunshot actually is, especially a whole bunch of them from fully automatic weapons. Thereâs nothing quite like being shot at either, at some point you just have to accept the fact that at any moment one of those things flying around you is going to hit you and just get ready for it. That doesnât actually do anything to calm you down though, at least it didnât for me. I was huddled behind that little outcropping like a puppy hiding from fireworks on the fourth of July. Wind gusted all around us as Shaoni flapped her wings furiously. The wind coming from her winds was so intense it blew the bullets being fired at her off course. Lead rained all around us as I listened to the cracks of even more bullets being fired. I heard growling as something roughly Tuck sized tore forwards toward the gunfire.
The sky was turning an enraged black and rain had already started to fall in sheets. Lightning struck the ground every so often as well, to close and regular to be natural. I peaked up over the outcrop at one point. I was just in time to see one of the men get struck by a bolt of lightning and tense up as he fell to the ground. As the men kept firing at Shaoni some of their shots started to hit home. The bullets that didnât get turned away with the wind glanced off her massive form. Whatever those feathers were made off seemed to stop most of the bullets dead in their tracks but it was becoming obvious Shaoni couldnât keep this up. From our position behind the outcrop Bianca and I both felt the beats of her wings and the gusts of wind that came with it coming slower and slower. We shared a glance for just a second, from the look in Biancaâs eyes, I felt certain we were doomed. More and more of the bullets seemed to be hitting Shaoni and her movements became slower still until eventually it happened.
With a shrill cry she fell from the sky, her blue features stained red in places. Shaoni hit the ground with an earthshaking crash and lay still. Katrina screamed something I couldnât hear in the violent storm that still raged all around us. When I inched my way up to take a look I saw Katrina and her men charging toward Shaoni guns drawn. Behind them I caught sight of Tuckâs muscular figure getting back up from the ground. I hadnât been keeping an eye on him before but it looked like heâd seen better days. He hesitated a bit before me moved, looking back to the outcrop where we were and over towards where Shaoni lay. He looked once, twice, then shook his head, mind apparently made up and ran at the men on all fours.
They didnât hear him coming from behind over the storm and as they raised there weapons Tuck pounced. With one swipe of his humongous hand he sent one of the men flying off towards the forest. Even Katrina was surprised by Tuckâs sudden attack. The time provided by everyone taking a moment to decided who to point their gun at gave Shaoni just enough time to act. She shot one wing out, glancing off everyone near her and knocking them to the ground. One of them menâs helmets flew off with the hit and Stein quickly lined up a shot and fired, hitting the man in the top of the head. The look in his eyes was devoid of any emotion as he ducked back down behind the outcrop. I got the sense this wasnât the first time Stein had killed, not surprising considering his time in Germany. Still, there was something unsettling about that look in the old scientists eyes.
As Katrina and her men got their bearings again and started firing at Tuck bullets plinked off the outcrop. Apparently they hadnât forgotten we were there. I stole a quick glance over to where Shaoni had fallen but the Thunderbird was gone revealing a hole in the ground created from the impact of her fall.
âTUCK!â
I screamed out to get his attention for a moment. Tuckâs head swirled towards me just long enough for him to see my outstretched hand pointing to the hole in the ground. I grabbed Biancaâs hand and pulled her to her feet, making a mad dash to the hole. Frank and Stein saw what we were doing and followed after us. Stein fired wild shots off towards Katrina and her men while Tuck kept harassing them.
By some miracle Tuck was still going even as I saw bullets tear into him, he was an animal. He tossed the men around like rag dolls and at one point I turned to see him bring his now claw-like fingernails arching upwards. The head of the man heâd hit was bent back at a sickening angle, he was dead there was no question but Tuck didnât even stop to spare a thought for the man. Seeing one of their comrades killed in front of them seemed to get the attention of the entire group of them. I hated to admit it but it was exactly the distraction we needed.
As we ran past the chaos of the fight I heard a mix of screams of agony and determination. At one point one of the menâs broken bodies flew over the four of us and hit the ground with a wet crunch that sent a shiver down my spine. We just kept running though, everyone following behind me because I looked like I had a plan. To be fair I did, it was just a bad plan, more of a feeling honestly. I thought if we could get into that hole Shaoni made we might find a way out, a real long shot but it was the best I could do right now.
By the time we reached the hole and I jumped in Tuck had thrown just about every one of Katrinaâs men all over the little clearing we were in. Some where very clearly dead but some where rolling around and groaning. Katrina was still standing though, just before I fell deep enough into the hole I got a quick glance at her as she took aim at Tuck who seemed to finally be feeling all the punishment heâd been taking.
I didnât even have time to scream a warning before my feet hit the hard rock below me and everyone else fell in on top of me.
âSorry⌠sorryâ
Bianca squeaked out as she pulled herself out of the pile of bodies weâd become. Frank, Stein, and Bianca seemed alright but my ankle was definitely sprained, badly.
âCan you walk on that?â
Bianca asked, examining my ankle in the strange blue light that emanated from further down the chamber weâd fallen into.
âMaybe? Here can I just lean on you?âŚ. yeah, yeah thatâll work.â
I told her, using her to pull myself to my feet and leaning on her for support.
âWhat are we looking for Keith?â
Frank wondered out loud, a little fear creeping in to his voice as he looked around the chamber.
âIâm not actually sure, I was hoping weâd find Shaoni down here, maybe a tunnel out.â
I grunted out honestly, still reeling form the pain shooting up from my ankle.
âWait whereâs Tuck?â
âIf he didnât make it down we have to assume the worst. We canât afford to wait now.â
Stein answered, quickly and professionally like someones life wasnât at stake.
âHe never had to come out here for me! We can at least wait for him, give him a chance-â
Stein cut me off
âNone of us had to come here for you! We knew the risks so did Tuck. If we wait here now his sacrifice means nothing!â
Stein yelled at me. He was right, none of them needed to be out here but I still didnât like leaving someone behind. As Frank and stein trudged forward Bianca and I hesitated a bit.
âI donât want to leave him either but Steinâs right. Just lean on me and lets keep moving, we can come back later and look for hisâŚâ
Bianca trailed off before she could say body but I got the message, and if Bianca was moving forward I really didnât have much of a choice.
We didnât have to go far to find Shaoni, her usual deerskin clothing was ripped and stained with blood in places. All in all she didnât look as bad as I thought she would. The light we saw at the entrance was coming from her tattoos as every one glowed brightly with blue light. The same light glowed faintly from four Thunderbird totems placed in the corners of the huge room.
âWelcome to my nest.â
Shaoni said with a dry chuckle, extending her arms out to her sides before immediately clasping them back over a wound in her side.
âShaoni, are you⌠are you going to be alright.â
I asked, but before I could get any sort of answer I was interrupted by snarky laughter and a cocking gun.
âWell thanks for leading me right to where I wanted to be Keith.â
Katrina remarked as she walked into the room.
Biancaâs eyes glowed that all to familiar blue but Katrina was a step ahead of her.
âYeah I wouldnât try that if I were you. Sure you could force me to walk right out of here but itâs going to take a second to break me, longer than it would take me to pull this trigger.â
Katrina responded with a sneer, turning the gun on Bianca. Bianca jumped back like a scared cat. Ducking under my arm and putting all my weight back on my sprained ankle.
âWait Donât!⌠Argh!â
I cried out at her just before I fell to the ground.
âOk, ok just⌠donât.â
Bianca conceded, putting her hands up and backing away as the blue glow faded from her eyes. When he saw what Katrina was doing Frank wrestled Steinâs gun out of his hands and pointed it straight at Katrina, finger trembling on the trigger.
âDonât you dare hurt her!â
Frank shouted, face turning red with fury.
âWell thats cuteâŚâ
And with an earsplitting bang Katrina turned and shot Frank in the leg. He fell to his knees, dropping the gun heâd been holding as Stein scrambled to hold him up.
âDonât get in my way, donât threaten me, and I wonât have to hurt anyone. Now Shaoni, where were we?â
Katrina cooed with murder in her voice as she took a step forward. I tried to pull myself up to my feet, only succeeding in making a pitiful cry as I fell back down again. Bianca flinched towards me but backed up fast when Katrinaâs gaze shot her way.
âKeith, youâre still alive? I donât know how you keep getting mixed into things but youâve gotta learn when to just give up. I was supposed to kill all of you down there after the third trial. I gave you an out and you just stuck around. Tell you what though, you can still walk away cause I feel bad you got dragged into this in the first place. I have no idea what she was thinking, roping you into this with no idea about the supernatural at all.â
Katrina addressed me, pointing over at Shaoni after helping me to my feet. It hurt to stand but I was getting used to the pain.
âAbove everything else I was supposed to kill the Thunderbird and thats what Iâm going to do, after that you all can walk out of here.â
Katrina took slow steps toward Shaoni who simply glared at her. She didnât try to run though, something told me she was ready, no matter how the next few minutes played out. But I had one more trick up my sleeve as I limped over, putting myself in between Shaoni and Katrina.
âShe just wants out of all this Katrina! You have to know about where she came from, everything sheâs been through!â
I yelled through gritted teeth, biting back the white hot pain shooting up from my ankle.
âI know enough Itâs sad sure, but everyoneâs got a sad story these days. Sheâs been flying around taking out whole towns to use as havens for people who want to follow this ass backwards sense of justice sheâs got. I donât want to become that person whoâs hunting down supernaturals like her no questions asked just because I was ordered to. But in this case sheâs responsible for hundreds of deaths. The âaccidentsâ that happen in those towns are all her fault, and not all of them are as nice as Eagles Peak. The kind of people a town outside of any real form of government or law attracts arenât the people you want to be neighbors with. Sheâs got to die Keith, so do you if your going to try and stop me.â
Katrina explained as she stalked closer to me. I really didnât want to do what I knew I had to do next but I couldnât watch anyone else die today.
âAlright, I guess thereâs no other way then, Shaoni Iâll take on your burden.â
The whole room exploded into a chorus of âwhatâ in varying degrees of shock but my mind was made up. I turned to Shaoni as she asked,
âAre you sure Keith?â
âYes.â
Before anyone could recover from the shock of what I was about to do she reached out and grabbed my hands. I took hold of herâs and she said something in a language I couldnât hope to understand as my vision went white.
When I could see again I was⌠somewhere else. Lightning flashed intermittently overhead and a grassy field extended out forever around me. In front of me stood a misty grey form of a bird it was huge, easily twice the size of the form Iâd seen Shaoni take. Through its shifting misty form I could see Shaoni. The bird seemed to be talking to her but I couldnât make anything out, I could only guess it was a Thunderbird spirit. It seemed to nod to Shaoni before it turned to me and stared me dead in the eyes. Its beak didnât move, actually no part of it moved but I still heard its voice in my head as its eyes continued to boar into me.
âMy chosen, Justice, claims she has lost her way, is this true?â
I couldnât begin to describe how this voice sounded, powerful is the only word that came to mind. I didnât feel like I was in any danger though, in fact I felt calmer than I ever had.
âShe has.â
I got the sense that quick simple answers were probably best here.
âJustice spoke very highly of you. You offered to succeed her if she is to be believed.â
âI did, but how exactly do we-â
But I was cut off with a bow from the spirit who evaporated all around me. My vision blurred and everything went white again as I collapsed into the soft grass.
I came to on the floor next to Shaoni, it couldnât have been that much later because neither of us had any new bullet holes in us.
âWhat did you just do?â
Katrina asked standing above me and looking absolutely stupefied.
âThe Thunderbird is dead.â
Was my simple, potentially completely bullshit answer. Katrina looked from me to Shaoni and back again, eyes growing wide as the realization dawned on her.
âYou know what? That works for me, just donât cause us any trouble and we can just forget this whole thing ever happened. Oh, I like the new eyes by the way.â
With that Katrina walked off and climbed a rope ladder she had attached to the ground outside the hole we fell through.
Everything else that happened was a blur, we went back out and found pretty much all of Katrinaâs men dead. Tuck was shot several times and barley breathing when Shaoni of all people found him. She called us over and Stein assured us heâd be alright if we got him back to the lab soon. We carried Tuckâs hairy form over to one of the SUVâs and raced back into town. On the way we drove past Katrina whoâd also taken one of the SUVâs and was heading out of town. Bianca made a comment at some point that I looked different. When we got back to the house I looked in a mirror and saw my eyes where the same shade of grey Shaoniâs had been.
Speaking of Shaoni we took her with us, she followed us over to the car after she found Tuck. She looked a bit like a lost puppy at that point if Iâm honest. I guess finally being able to live your life free of some strange sense of duty after hundreds of years will do that to you. Shaoni hasnât actually said much since we settled back in at Biancaâs house. She eats and goes through the motions of normal life, sheâll even shoot you a warm smile if she catches you staring at her. Iâm still not used to seeing her with green eyes though. I think she just feels lost but Iâm ready to help show her the ins and outs of normal-ish life when sheâs ready to ask for help.
Frank and Stein went back to doing their normal experimenting pretty fast. The whole thing past them by like a particularly eventful weekend. Even Frankâs bullet wound was quickly forgotten about. Pretty much as soon as he treated it it was like it never even happened to him. Tuck got back on his feet with a lot of help from Frank and Stein. He walks with a permanent limp now but other than that heâs fine. Richelle just about had a conniption when we told her what happened and she hasnât left Tuckâs side since. She seemed surprised when we described his transformation and we came to find out he never told her about his, âConditionâ. That may be why theyâve been so inseparable lately, she just wants to help him however she can and he sure isnât complaining about that.
Tuck and Shaoni have been getting along as well. I never thought Iâd see the day those two sat down and just talked but after a tense first few weeks they came to an understanding. They arenât old friends now by any means but Iâve walked in on them both talking about their pasts. Maybe sharing stories helps them deal with living such long lives.
As for me and Bianca we started dating and thats been⌠well thatâs been just great. I think its good for both of us cause after everything that happened at the old mine I was just a bundle of nerves. Having someone like her to talk to, someone who gets it, whoâs seen so much worse helps put things in perspective. She finally has someone to really talk to in town too. Theres not a whole lot of trouble for us to get up to but weâve started making a habit of pouring over Frank and Steinâs notes on the supernatural. Not the most riveting idea for a night in but I like learning more about whats really out there.
I still donât feel any different after taking on Shaoniâs âburdenâ. Maybe that sense of duty she felt really was just all in her head, a promise to her people that she never let go. Honestly I havenât tried to use whatever powers might come with my own condition. I just donât feel like I need to. Like I told Katrina, the Thunderbird is dead. Iâm sure not going to be the next Shaoni or anything like that but maybe Itâll help us find Brooke.
Thats the one thing that keeps Bianca and I up at night, we never found Brookeâs body. The two of us went up to the old mine a week or so after everything happened to look around for any sign of him but we didnât find a trace. In fact the whole thing was cleaned up and the entrance to the mine was collapsed. Iâm willing to bet whoever Katrina works for came back to try and wipe away any traces they may have left here. Maybe they found Brooke out there and dealt with him themselves, maybe heâs still out there somewhere. But for now everythingâs been pretty calm, even normal around here.
Rocco is still a menace, Tuck still leaves the Eagleâs Roost door unlocked at all hours of the day, and theres still next to no people living here. Without Shaoni and her trials looming over me life is actually pretty good here. So thatâs my story, how a storm and a huge bird dragged me halfway across the country and I started dating a succubusâŚright after I became the Thunderbird. It still seems crazy when I say it like that. Maybe Iâll dig up something on Brooke but for now I think Iâve finally found my new normal out here in the curiously named town with no Eagles and no Peaks.
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2024.05.21 16:59 ri0trhythm Cat being bullied by his brother, causing him major stress
This might be a long one.
I have two male siamese cats, both neutered, both just turned 1 this month and are brothers. I adopted them together in October when they were around 5 months old. They obviously love each other and are bonded.
I donât remember exactly when this started, but I can tell you itâs been MONTHS. One of the cats randomly started jumping on the otherâs back and biting his neck. Iâve seen people describe this as mating behavior, but that doesnât make sense to me considering theyâre both male and neutered? I believe it to be an act of dominance. Hereâs why:
He does this to his brother most times that he comes to me for attention (doesnât want to share me) or when I give them a toy to play with (doesnât want to share the toy). I thought it was something that would stop on its own, I figured they were just establishing pecking order? (This is my first time having a male cat, as well as owning two cats)
Months later, this still occurs and all of a sudden the victim cat is less playful, and hardly wants to eat the last couple days. I can see when I try to call him up to the bed or play with one of their favorite toys, he is hesitant and immediately looks out for his brother, itâs like he knows he canât enjoy anything without fear of retaliation.
How do I deal with this? Iâm planning to take the victim cat to the vet in the morning to get his appetite in check and see what can be done to manage stress (this cat also happens to be the epitome of a âscaredy catâ as it is, so this dilemma doesnât help), but I wanted to check here and see if anyone had any suggestions.
Thank you if youâve read this far. Iâm lost and sad.
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2024.05.21 16:59 CommercialNew9800 I'm having issues with my mom, and I know it's my fault..
I (19F) am still living with my mom (60F) for the time being, as I'm planninv on moving out sometime in the next 2 or so years. Over the last nearly-a-year, I've been trying to get a job, but due to inexperience, not many places have wanted to hire me as of late (I have an interview at 4pm the day I'm writing this).
Mom, who has been as supportive as she can through all this has- we'll say "encouraged with the angry stare of a-thousand suns" for me to, and I quote, "get my ass in gear, and find a job." My mom, though she doesn't want to admit it, has an anger issue. Though I have not been hurt physically, I have gotten my feelings hurt by the truth. A little over a week ago is a good example:
I was thinking of donating plasma to A- help someone who needs the transfusions, and B- get about $50 or so to put in a savings account, my gas tank, etc.. I had mentioned it to my mom (about donating for money, couldn't get much more into her head about anything else.) and I got vehemently shut down, got told that was the "most laziest, cop-out of finding a job she had ever heard of" and got accused of putting the money to dr*gs. I'm not.
Relavent point: My niece is planning a trip from where she lives (about 8 hours away from me) to come down, she her grandma and me, meet my moms bf, etc. I had misunderstood, and though she was coming down sooner than expected.
Back to the plot- My mom thought I was paying for my nieces gas with the money I was going to get from my plasma donation (of which I'm planning for at least gas money, if not towards a new apartment). I'm not. When I tried to explain that I misunderstood what my niece said, she accused me of lying, and that I was "playing her" (her words, not mine).
Other important thing- I used to have a bad lying streak, especially when I was a kid and teenager in high school. My most recent time of me lying to her was about a guy I met on OkCupid, and wanted to meet him without my overprotective mom breathing down my neck. She found out, and I was deemed untrustworthy ever since- at least that's what it feels like. And since then, I've had to verify to my mom that I was actually putting in work via screenshots and texts of me "updating my progress on getting a job".
Back to the plot (again)- She thought I was "playing her" and she won't believe me. My niece is coming down at some point late this year at the earliest or next year. I tried asking my mom if she'd hear my niece, (hear the truth from the horses mouth). I was told she didn't need to hear her.
Main reason for the rant- I had an interview at 11am at the time of writing this (10:30am). The company emailed me yesterday, saying all of their positions were filled. My mom believes that I'm playing her, when I can't show the email (of which I deleted last night when I was going through my email, and emptied my email trash- aka gone forever), and I suddently don't have an interview anymore. I have another around 4pm, and I'm honestly, the abandonment issues are coming out. I feel like I'm making a moutnain out of a molehill, and like I need to leave because I'm making her unhappy.
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2024.05.21 16:59 CDown01 Eagles Peak Pt.10
Previous Part The first sound I heard that morning was foot steps outside my tepee.
âGet up! Shaoni wants you all in town.â
The gruff but familiar voice of my driver from three days ago shouted at me. It had to be some sick sense of humor on Shaoniâs part, sending this guy to come get me for things again and again. Honestly, even I was starting to feel bad for him. Bianca stabbed his friend I knocked him off that stage yesterday with one of the war clubs. I speak from experience when I say those things HURT.
âAlright alright, just give me a second to get dressed!â
I yelled back to the man as I rushed to get around inside. At least he had the common courtesy to stay outside. A minute or two later I stepped out to see everyone else gathered around the man. Brooke, Katrina, John, and Robert all stood there, just staring at me.
âMorninâ sleeping beautyâ
Robert finally said after what seemed like forever, nearly choking on laugher at his own joke.
âI thought you were never going to wake up. Did you not hear Shaoni last night? We were supposed to be up 6 sharp.â
He explained after his laughing fit. Apparently I had missed that bit of Shaoniâs whole presentation last night. Katrina grabbed a pair of keys out of her pocket and started walking away.
âCome on, weâve got to get into town and finish this whole thing.â
She called back to us just a little too eagerly.
âSheâs letting us drive? I thought she didnât want us heading back to town without some kind of supervision.â
I questioned as we all walked toward the same beat up red pickup that had brought me here.
âI guess she decided to make an exception.â
Katrina replied, not even bothering to look at me.
âBesides I donât think running is much of an option at this point.â
She continued, pointing up towards the sky. A storm was brewing there, a killer one by the looks of it. The odd thing was it didnât seem to want to break, it was just stuck in that state right before it starts raining cats and dogs. The dark, angry clouds tapered off in the sky the further they got from town, Shaoniâs doing, it had to be.
The five of us would just about fit in the truck, not comfortably but we would fit.
âOh hell no! Iâm not dealing with you up here!â
âWhy not?! You know you love it.â
Brooke and Katrina argued as he tried to take the passenger seat next to her.
âNo you go in the back or Iâm driving us straight into a tree, I canât put up with you anymore.â
Katrina yelled at Brooke, tensing up and getting ready for a fight.
âWould you guys just knock it off! Just sit in the back Brooke, Iâll take the passenger seat.â
I scolded both of them, I was done with their little arguments, it was starting to get under my skin. An evil grin crossed Brookeâs face as he turned to me
âWhatâs up with you two? Youâve been all buddy buddy with him since we all beat the shit out of each other with wooden sticks. He didnât get to you first did he? Hmmmm?â
Brooke prodded with a wink.
Katrina Immediately punched him in the face before I even had a chance to respond.
âEy thatâs a good right hook! Give emâ another one, come on come on!â
A heavily accented voice cut in from below my feet. Rocco had managed to slip in without any of us noticing. When Brooke lay eyes on him he just about jumped straight into the truck bed. Apparently whatever Rocco did to him yesterday had left quite the impression.
âIâm not even gonna ask, just shut up and take a seat.â
Katrina told Rocco, slamming her door shut as I took a seat next to her and Rocco hopped in the back. Robert and John pretty much made themselves flat to their doors as Rocco took a seat in between them in the back. Brooke rode in the bed, shooting nervous glances at Rocco every now and then.
Katrina drove like a bat out of hell through the woods and back into town. Iâm not sure if she was in that much of a hurry to get all this over with or if she just hoped her crazy driving would throw Brooke overboard. Given where we were headed and how close we would probably be to Bianca, I canât say I wasnât hoping the same thing.
We pulled into the parking lot of the Save-A-Lot Iâd gotten groceries from my first day here. The storm over head was raging but oddly enough It still wasnât raining or anything like that. The wind was picking up and the sky looked absolutely sinister but other than that everything seemed fine in the town.
Before Katrinaâs combat boots had even touched the ground she was already giving orders.
âAlright listen up, Weâre working as a team this time wether you all like it or not. I want us to split up and see what we can find. Anything out of place, anything that seems suspicious, I want you to make a note of it. We have to figure out who the victim is going to be and whoâs doing the killing. We have nothing to go on either so nothing is to small here. Lets all take a look around town and meet back here in two hours. Thatâs two hours sharp Keith!â
Katrina barked, taking charge of the situation and leveling one quick jab at me before turning on her heels and heading out into the town.
As everyone else hurried off in different directions I took a second to think. If I was looking for someone where would I go? Where in town would I most likely go no matter what? That line of thought is what led me to the front door of the Eagleâs Roost. Cliche I know, but a bar was a good a place as any to start, even if it was 8 in the morning. Maybe someone new had stopped by and Tuck would know something about it.
The door was unlocked as usual so I let myself in, if Tuck didnât want guests Iâm sure heâd lock it.
âHey, Tuck? You in here?â
I called into the bar as I noticed the usually roaring stone fireplace had fallen silent.
âTuckâs not here right now sweet heart, but I can take a message if youâd give me a moment.â
âOh, ok take your time then.â
I answered before realizing the motherly southern voice couldnât possibly belong to Tuck.
âWait who are you?!â
I chirped as I rushed up to the bar and peered back into the kitchen where Tuck usually was. In his place was a dark skinned woman that looked a little older than Tuck. She wore a pink checkered shirt under an apron that read, âKiss the cookâ.
âMy, I havenât seen you around. Iâm Richelle, Tuckerâs wife.â
She answered. Her southern accent was smooth and calm. The exact opposite of Tuckâs brutal hillbilly speak that he tried to hide.
âDid he not mention me? He doesnât like to introduce me to the new comers, always worrying about me that one.â
âNo, I think he mentioned you helped keep this place running when I first met him.â
âHe must like you then, most people round here donât even know heâs married. Anyways what can I help you with sugar?â
Her motherly voice did wonders for my stress. I could see why Tuck married her, with just a few words Iâm sure she could set anyone at ease.
âI was wondering if anyone new came into town or passed through here. Maybe someone out of place, something like that? Oh, and whereâs Tuck?â
âWell I can help with both those things. There was a man here, got off a bus last night all alone and came right in. I donât know what it was but I just had a bad feeling about him, made me shiver.â
She gave a little shiver at that, to demonstrate I guess?
âAs for Tuck heâs been staying with those scientists andâŚ. and I wasnât supposed to tell anyone that.â
She explained, a look of embarrassment crossing her face as she finished.
Before I had a chance to respond I heard the door slam open behind me. I swore I heard someone shriek my name. All I saw before someone knocked me over the stool Iâd been standing next to was a blur of black hair flying toward me, and bright glowing blue eyes.
Bianca wrapped me in a bear hug on the floor.
âWhat happened to you, are you hurt, how are you back!?â
She fired questions at me as fast as she could.
âBianca, crushing my⌠can you just, ease up a bit.â
I pleaded as she squeezed me harder than a boa constrictor.
âSorry! I just didnât think Iâd see youâŚâ
She squeaked, trailing off suddenly. A single tear making its way down her face as she blushed slightly and released me. In that moment I realized Bianca, who had stabbed a guy not to long ago for grabbing her hand, just bear hugged me. Iâm not sure what I felt about that but at the moment, I was just happy to see her and even happier that she was happy to see me.
âShaoni let us back into town for the last of the trials. Weâre supposed to stop a murder in town.â
âA murder?! Is that what you were asking about? Is that man a murderer? My, what is going on in this town.â
Richelle shrieked, reminding Bianca and I that we werenât alone in here. I felt the hot blood rush to my face as I looked up to see Bianca blushing as well, even redder than before.
âSo, did you end up finding anything out about Shaoni?â
I asked Bianca as we took a seat at the bar, getting straight down to business as Richelle started stress cleaning in the kitchen.
I was a bit surprised by what she said. I never expected Shaoni to be THE Thunderbird or a descendent of them. I was still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing.
âSo she went into hiding here then? That cave we stumbled into that was connected to the mines. Was that her⌠nest?â
I thought out loud, hoping Bianca would have some kind of answer.
âI guess, thatâs what Frank and Stein have been calling it too. Speaking of Frank and Stein we should probably go see them. We were planning to break you out today, guess we were a little late on that huh.â
Bianca said, getting up from her seat at the bar. Iâm not sure reuniting with Frank, Stein, and the rest of them was the best idea. At the moment I didnât have a whole lot of other options though. I got up and followed Bianca out the door, heading back to her house to call off their rescue mission.
âGood luck darlinâ!â
Richelle called after us, I felt sure we could use all the luck we could get.
âHow the hellâd ya get back here son?!â
Tuck asked as soon as Bianca and I walked through the front door. Rocco had already found his way back and had apparently been filling everyone in on what had been happening. Stein was unloading some sort of pistol with a long thin barrel on the kitchen table.
âIâm glad I wonât have to use this at least. Itâs been⌠many years since Iâve had to take this out of storage.â
Stein explained to no one in particular while staring at the gun. No doubt it brought back memories of his time with the German military. Frank walked out of the basement at that moment and nodded to me.
âGlad to have you back Keith.â
He said, clapping a hand on my shoulder.
âItâs great to see you all but I canât stay too long, Iâve got to go back.â
âWHAT?!â
Everyone yelled in unison, even Rocco.
âItâs the last trial and Shaoni is overseeing it personally. You see that storm outside? Thatâs all her, if I donât go back sheâll know and Iâm sure there will be consequences. Besides Brooke is here too, I donât want to give him any reason to go looking for me and bump into Bianca.â
I explained to everyone, not enough to wipe the shock off all their faces but at least Stein seemed to understand. Just the mention of Brookes name made Bianca freeze up. Only for a second but I could see this tension pass over her whole body and her eyes suddenly glowed blue and widened with fear. I was paying so much attention to how sheâd react to that name that I almost didnât feel her reach out and squeeze my hand from her place at my side. She sighed quietly before her eyes returned to normal but she still kept my hand in hers.
âYou canât go back! We only just got you back!â
Bianca protested, but my mind was made up.
âI need to see this through and besides someoneâs life is at stake. I should try and stop that at least.â
Bianca couldnât argue with that, neither could anyone else. I could tell Tuck and her wanted to but they didnât. All Tuck did was quietly nod his head and grunt. I could tell Bianca was running through every possible argument in her head to try and make me stay but wasnât coming up with anything. Bianca let go of my hand and asked,
âCan I at least come with you? To help stop the murder I mean.â
She looked into my eyes like a puppy, begging me to say yes.
In any normal circumstance I wouldâve given in immediately to that, especially coming from someone who looked like her. This time though, I just couldnât. I couldnât take the chance that Brooke would see her and something bad would happen.
âYou canât Bianca, I donât want anything happening to you especially with⌠him out there. I think Shaoni offered to help him find you if he showed up for these trials or something like that. Either way Iâm pretty sure heâs here for you.â
I told her as gently as I could. I could see her recoil at the idea that Brooke might be here just for her. She was scared, maybe more scared than sheâd ever been that there was even a small chance of Brooke getting his hands on her again.
âI⌠no, no your right.â
I didnât expect her to give in so easily but it was a welcome surprise.
âI hope you know what yer doin son.â
Tuck told me as I got ready to head back out. Frank and Stein cornered me before I could leave as well.
âTake this.â
Frank said, thrusting what looked like a jury rigged walkie talkie into my hands.
âIf you need anything call us on that. Weâll help however we can, and donât expect us to sit around quietly when you go back. We fully intend get you out still, no reason to let a perfectly good plan go to waste.â
I thanked them for the walkie talkie. I was glad they were still looking out for me even if I doubted they could do much against whatever was to come, it was good to have people in your corner. Bianca was waiting for me when I got to the door.
âAt least I get to say goodbye this time.â
She said with a little smirk. Sheâd been acting different since I got back, much more⌠personable?
âYeah I guess so. Whatâs been up with you? Youâve been acting⌠different.â
I asked her, a little nervous for some reason.
âYou helped me⌠a lot actually. Your the first person whoâs really cared about me in years.â
âThatâs not true, look at Frank and Stein.â
I responded, missing the point of what she was saying.
âNo, not like that. I mean your a friend, a good friend⌠no thatâs not, ugh.â
She said, shaking her head and looking a little embarrassed. Then she did something I really didnât expect, she leaned over and kissed me.
âJust⌠make sure you come back ok? For me.â
She added as she pushed me out the door, starting to turn lobster red. My head was spinning but there was a bug dumb smile on my face, Iâm sure of that. Filled with all the confidence that brought me, I headed back to the Save-A-Lot to see what everyone else had turned up on the impending murder.
As I walked back lighting began to crack across the sky. The lightning took all kinds of unnatural shapes. I swore one time it almost looked like a pair of eyes, watching me from the sky.
âAlright everyone, I want reports!â
Katrina shouted like a drill instructor, bring the group of us gathered around the hood of the truck to attention.
âThe elderly cashier inside, she was⌠disquieted. More so than I would expect of someone in this strange town.â
John spoke, saying the first words Iâd ever heard from him in a wise sage-like voice.
âI looked around for some kinda police station but this shit hole town doesnât have one. How the hell am I supposed to report a murder if thereâs no police!â
Brooke complained to the crowd.
âSo, you accomplished absolutely nothing, I kinda figured that.â
Katrina scoffed at him.
âYeah there hasnât been a police station here as long as I remember. We never needed one, everyone either moved on to fast or stuck around and just wanted to be left alone, never caused any problems. Still, itâs a little strange come to think of it, wouldâve figured the government would make us have some kind of police.â
Robert informed us before giving his own report.
âI looked around a bit myself, didnât come across much on account of there not being all that many people to talk to in this town. Those old scientist types in the big white house never answered the door when I knocked and I couldnât find their daughter.â
To my horror Brookeâs eyes lit up and he was suddenly razor focused on what Robert had to say.
âI did see some guy Iâd never seen in town before walking around. Didnât want to talk much though, he just turned around and walked the other way as soon as he caught sight of me.â
Robert finished with a shrug. Brooke seemed less interested after he heard nothing else about the daughter Robert mentioned. Did he know Robert was taking about Bianca?
âWait that strange guy, was he wearing an old hat? Some kind of bowler I think, looked really out of place.â
Katrina asked suddenly, her eyes lighting up.
âYeah now that you mention it I think he did.â
Robert answered after thinking for a second.
âDamn it! He saw me and ran when I was searching around town myself. So next order of business we find that guy. Keith! Did you see anything else?â
Katrina asked, whirling around to face me.
âI stopped by the bar and the bartender there told me someone new came into town a few days ago. Apparently she had a bad feeling about him. Maybe its the same guy you two saw?â
I proposed, pointing to Robert and Katrina. Katrina paced around for a bit, thinking I guess. She finally came to a rest again at the front of the truck, apparently sheâd come up with another plan.
âAlright, I want that guy in the bowler hat found so weâre breaking into teams of two.â
âUh, isnât there five of us, that wonât work.â
Brooke interjected, earning him a look of pure murder from Katrina.
âKeep that up and Iâll find that raccoon, you can pair up with him!â
She yelled completely over Brookeâs attitude.
âIâll go alone, Robert, John, you two are together same with you Keith and asshole.â
âI have a name you know!â
Brooke complained, getting yet another look from Katrina. If he kept that up I had a pretty good idea of exactly who the murderer and victim would be.
âAlright alright Jesus lady cool your jets!â
He said, putting his hands up in surrender as Katrina took a threatening step towards him.
A few minutes later Brooke and I had broken off from the other three having all agreed to meet up back at the truck in another hour. Brooke had insisted we go to the bar and search for the guy but I had a feeling there was more to it than that. He proved me right when he ducked into an alley and pushed me up against the side of a building right on main street. Usually that would be instantly seen by someone but here wasnât like anywhere else. There was no one around to help me out or even see what was going on.
âI know weâre supposed to be looking for a murderer but Iâve got other things in mind. That daughter Robert was talking about, you know something about her donât you.â
Brooke questioned with a growl, arm against my throat holding me uncomfortably tight against the building.
âDaughter? What are you talking about?â
I choked out, deciding to play dumb. He didnât like this to much and pushed me even harder against the wall.
âThat raccoon mentioned her name the other day when the fuckin thing attacked me and it seems pretty buddy buddy with you! Bianca! ring any bells!â
I felt my face grow red at the mention of her name as I thought back to the way she kissed me at the door. That reaction betrayed me and the beginnings of a twisted smile appeared in Brookeâs eyes.
âOh yeah, you know her donât you? Know what she can do to I bet. Did she tell you about me, how she threw away everything I couldâve given her.â
He hissed at me, venom dripping off every word.
âAt first I didnât care but then I heard stories of this whore who could wrap you around her finger like nothing else. Sheâd do whatever you wanted but youâd also pay whatever she asked, do whatever she asked. Imagine my surprise when I started looking into it and it turned out to be my little escaped bird.â
Brooke continued, grinning like a mad man. He was obsessed with her, it didnât take a genius to see that. But I was in no position to argue with him, I could barley speak with the pressure on my neck from his arm.
âThey called her a succubus, the crazy ones at least. Turns out they were right though, there was something off about her from the first day I met her but I had no idea she was something exotic like that. See I make a habit of collecting things, rare things, and sheâs the rarest Iâve ever been able to find. I was so close to having her at one point but she just had to break away. When I met Shaoni late one night researching the supernatural she agreed to look into her for me on one condition. I agree to show up in this town in the ass end of nowhere and participate in some trials for her. Easiest deal I ever made, now Iâm this close to getting my hands on her again. Imagine what she could do for me, what I could get with her powers.â
Brooke finished his monologue, finally letting me go.
âNow youâre going to show me where she is and Iâm going to get the hell out of here. Get going!â
He shouted at me, drawing a pocket knife from his white suit jacket.
My first reaction was to look around and search for a way out. I couldnât fight him, that was clear. I really didnât want to get stabbed either. My eyes darted around trying to find anything that could get me out of this. Then I found exactly what I was looking for on the other side of the street.
Katrina had found the man in the bowler and he was running back toward the Save-A-Lot like Usain Bolt himself.
âKatrina, HELP!â
Brooke whipped his head around, trying to catch sight of her before she did anything. Katrina wasted no time though. She took one look at him, pulled the gun from its holster on her waist, and fired. The crack of the bullet made me run on pure instinct and Brooke dropped to the ground. It hadnât hit him unfortunately, but it had bought me enough time to run.
âArgh that bitch! Iâll find her myself!â
Brooke shouted before getting back to his feet and running the other direction. The guy Katrina had been chasing used the distraction to make some distance on her. He was nearly to the corner that turned towards the Save-A-Lot. I took off after him as Katrina did the same, ripping the walkie talkie from my pocket as I ran.
âStein get Bianca out of there! Head out to the mine, maybe there arenât to many people there now, just get her out of town! Brooke is here and heâs looking for her Iâll meet you once this is all over ok.â
I think Stein said something back but I didnât catch it. The adrenaline spike of getting shot at and chasing this guy who was likely a soon to be murderer made it hard to hear.
We werenât as fast as we hoped but we were just fast enough to see the consequences of that. As Katrina and I got into the parking lot the guy was already inside, pointing a gun of his own at the elderly cashier that gave me a hard time about my ID. I made out the movements of her lips just before he pulled the trigger. It looked like she said âOh, youâre the one she sent then.â Just before he killed her.
I stopped dead when I saw the body drop, Iâd never seen someone die before. In Imalone people had died but Iâd been knocked out for most of it. Seeing it up close though, it made my stomach drop. I fell to my knees and threw up on the spot, the blood, god the blood splatter behind her it was horrible.
Katrina didnât stop after the shot, if anything she charged in even faster. The gun was still in her hand and she held it up in front of her, using the weight of the gun to smash through the glass doors with the bottom of the grip. The shards of glass rained down on the murderer who surprisingly, seemed just as stunned as I was by the corpse. Katrina dropped her shoulder and charged into him, hitting him so hard they both fell to the ground. She was back on her feet quick as lighting, flipping the guy over onto his front and putting a knee on his back in between his shoulder blades. Katrina locked his arm behind his back and said something I couldnât hear. At that point I kinda spaced out. The only other thing I remember before getting in the truck was Katrina leading the man out of the store with his hands zip tied behind him. The few people who were in the store had come out and were starting to pick over the scene as we shot out onto the road back to the mine.
I noticed one of us was missing when we came to a stop.
âWhereâs Brooke?â
âI wasnât waiting for him, not after whatever he pulled in town. He can find his own way back.â
Katrina answered me while pushing the man sheâd apprehended out of the truck and toward the entrance to the mine.
âAre you doing ok? You looked a little white on the way out here, like you saw a ghost.â
Robert asked me as we got out and followed behind Katrina.
âSure sure I just⌠never saw someone die like that you know.â
I said, never so sure that I wasnât ok. Robert gave me a knowing nod as we made our way down to the coliseum.
Shaoni and Katrina were waiting for us already. Brooke was there too, beaten and bloody against the wall. It looked like someone had dragged him back here against his will, probably Shaoni if I had to guess.
âI canât say Iâm pleased with what went on in town but in the end you did discover the murderer, even if it was too late. Now itâs time for the second part of this trial. I want to hear your judgements, what should this manâs punishment be?â
Shaoni greeted us, ignoring everything that had gone on before like it didnât even matter. Something about that made my blood boil.
âKatrina, you first. What should this manâs punishment be?â
âP please.. you said.â
The man muttered before Shaoni slapped him hard across the face.
âYou will be silent!â
She ordered, the room suddenly becoming electric with her temper. Katrina stepped up in front of Shaoni and gave her judgment.
âHe took a life, he should be killed as well. Itâs the only way to be sure he doesnât do something like that again.â
Shaoni nodded at that and pointed to me.
âYou next Keith, what should we do with him?â
I was filled with a rage Iâd never felt before as I looked at the whole situation. Shaoni was meant to be a spirt of justice, or so I thought. Yet she let that woman die. Worse still, after what the woman said I believed Shaoni may have arranged the whole thing, murderer, victim, and all. Thatâs not justice, thatâs playing god, using her power and influence to mess with people like pieces on a chessboard and for what? Just so she could âtestâ a few people whoâd caught her eye?
âYou deserve punishment Shaoni. That man is innocent, you put him up to it didnât you? Him, the victim, all of it! Itâs all just some kind of game to you isnât it?! You keep claiming you represent justice but from what Iâve heard youâve had a problem with that. This is something else though, where is the justice in this Shaoni, where! I donât pretend to know what youâve been through over the years Justice, but this isnât right. If it was up to me this man should be let go so he doesnât have you whispering in his ear and you should go back to sleep like you had been years ago.â
I shouted at her, not caring what she would do to me. It felt good though, to finally let her have it, especially after all sheâd put me through.
I learned Shaoniâs real name from Bianca but hearing it seemed to make her shrink. The second I said it I had her full attention.
âNo! You donât understand Keith! These people were terrible, guilty of their own crimes. I found them both and offered them a deal. Submit to my judgment or do something for me and face the judgment of another. They got their punishments, Iâm no monster!â
She roared back, the beginning of tears brimming in her eyes.
âGuilty or not you used them like pawns Justice! None of this is right, thereâs no justice in it, no right and wrong. Itâs just a game to you! Donât you see this is wrong!â
I yelled at her again.
âDONâT YOU USE THAT NAME!â
She thundered back.
âWould you prefer Vengeance?!â
I added, shattering her.
The mention of that name brought Shaoni to tears and she lost her temper. She threw her hand out toward the man still zip tied on the ground in an act of anger. The tattoos on her arms glowed with a blue, ghostly light. The energy grew until a bolt of lightning arced from the tattoos, filling the room with the scent of ozone. The bolt hit the man in the head, searing the skin of his face black in an instant as his body went still.
âYou donât understand, all those years, all those mistakes. Do you know what thatâŚ!â
Shaoni started to scream to me again, but she was cut off by the sound of vehicles above us and the cracks of gunfire.
I looked around in surprise, still in shock after the brutal death of the murderer in front of me. I saw Katrina holding her own walkie talkie and smiling.
âLooks like my ride is here, time to end this little charade. Keith, Iâd suggest running if I where you. Shaoni, Iâd say its been fun but youâre the whole reason they sent me out here in the first place. Youâve been way too much trouble but for what its worth, good luck.â
Katrina hissed at the two of us. Robert, John, and I were stunned, even Shaoni herself seemed shocked back to reality by whatever was happening. With her piece said, Katrina turned and walked out of the mine, towards the growing sounds of shouting and gunfire coming from outside.
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2024.05.21 16:57 CDown01 Eagles Peak Pt.9
Previous Part The next day went by in a blur. Rocco was walking the perimeter of the camp, keeping an eye out for Brooke when I woke up. I didnât really think heâd leave, but it seemed to give Rocco something to do other than being a general menace to society. All of us ate breakfast as normal but no one really said much. Iâm not sure if they were still reeling from things they saw yesterday or if they just werenât in a talking mood. The thought occurred to me that Shaoni may have payed a visit to each of them as well. Prying into what they saw and answering questions they might have. Honestly the whole thing felt like we were guinea pigs. Shaoni didnât really seem to have a great handle on the trials so far. It was⌠mildly concerning that the ringmaster of all this didnât seem 100% in control anymore.
Actually, Iâd thought about that a lot last night. Shaoni just sort of left us to our own devices when we went through those âvisionsâ yesterday. Itâs not like she backed up her claim that sheâd know what weâd seen either. If anything the fact that she came to ask me about it made me even more suspicious that she wasnât really sure what she was doing. It was the first time Iâd ever thought of Shaoni as anything other than in complete control. Slowly but surely it was becoming glaringly obvious that wasnât the case.
If I was remembering correctly todayâs trial was the trial of strength. I sincerely hoped that was a metaphor for something. Youâve got to understand, Iâm not a very strong person, not physically anyways. I hoped Shaoni wanted to test mental strength or strength of will something like that. My hopes shattered as we arrived at the coliseum and saw an arena set up. There were several dummies in a corner, the kind you would see used in martial arts or HEMA or something to that effect. At the foot of the dummies were several wooden clubs. I couldnât see them to clearly but they almost looked clawed from a distance. The real centerpiece was the platform in the middle of the coliseum. It looked like a stage and Iâm sure thatâs exactly how we were going to use it. The raised wooden platform had been constructed with boards placed across the top. It looked like those boards could be removed and under that was simply the cold hard ground about two feet below.
Katrinaâs eyes lit up as she looked over the room.
âNow this is what Iâm talking about, a real trial!â
She just about shrieked in excitement, throwing one fist in the air and startling the rest of us to attention. Katrina was the only one that really seemed excited about this. John and Robert just looked accepting and Iâm not sure Brooke had put two and two together yet. Iâd seen the clubs laid out by the dummies and already figured weâd be sparing with each other.
âGood morning everyone, I hope your ready for today.â
Called Shaoni, emerging unseen from behind us. Anyone who wasnât fully awake at that point sure was then. Thereâs just something about Shaoni that makes you really
really not want her to show up behind you unannounced. Probably why she kept doing it to us.
âToday I will test your strength, while Iâd rather avoid conflict itâs sometimes unavoidable. My ideal candidate not only knows themselves but can handle themselves as well. We will allow you some time to familiarize yourself with the war clubs youâll be using. Then you will compete against each other to find the strongest, most skilled warrior among you.â
Shaoni explained, Katrinaâ excitement growing with every word.
I wasnât to keen to participate in any of this but, like usual, I didnât really have much of a choice at this point.
âSo will you be sticking around this time then?â
I asked, wondering if Shaoni was going to cut and run again.
âI have other matters to attend to today. While I would like to stay and observe the whole day I need to prepare things for the final trial tomorrow. Iâll be back in time to see you test each other though.â
She replied dismissively, already on her way out. Shaoni seemed almost uninterested in us now. For someone evaluating us she seemed awful happy to pass off the evaluation to her followers. I didnât say anything else as she walked out of the coliseum and towards the exit.
As I walked over to the little training area I saw the clubs were actually ornate masterpieces. They were carved from a hard dark wood. The handles resembled an eagles talon, curving near the end to grip a wooden orb. Whoever made these was beyond skilled, these things were works of art. I didnât have much time to admire them before Katrina interrupted me.
âHey, Keith was it? Want me to show you how to use these things?â
She called over to me, it was more of a command than a question but thatâs pretty par for the course with her.
âIf you want, sure. Iâm uh⌠Iâm kinda a fish out of water with this find of thing.â
I told her, rubbing the back of my neck with one hand in embarrassment. I wasnât sure why she was singling me out for that but she answered that question for me.
âGood, Those two creep me out and that one has been drooling over me since we got here.â
She said, pointing over at Robert and John who had already started practicing, then at Brooke. Katrina showed absolutely no subtly in any of this, earning us looks from all three of the others.
I was a little afraid of Katrina teaching me anything, if someone was gonna kill me by accident it would be her. That and she still had that gun on her. Despite my misgivings she was actually a pretty good teacher. She was a bit like a drill instructor but I learned a thing or two. By the time we were done I felt like I might stand half a chance in this trial.
âJust remember your footwork, keep your balance and the rest should come natural. Oh, and if we get paired up, take a dive, itâll be less painful.â
Katrina added with a smirk, walking over towards the group by the stage in the center of the room. Shaoni had just come back in and was up on the balcony. A few of her followers had collected us and informed us we were about to start the, âpractical partâ, as they put it.
âThereâs five of you so for the first matchup one of my own will serve as the opponent. Anyone what to go first?â
Shaoni asked us, looking down with a raised eyebrow and waiting for a response. Before I realized what Iâd done my hand was in the air, my body subconsciously wanting to get this over with as fast as possible. Shaoni actually looked surprised as she gestured for me to take my place on the stage. Two of the boards had been removed on either side leaving us something like six feet of space to work with before falling off the platform. But I was far less concerned about that after I saw the guy walking over. It was the driver from a few days ago when Shaoni had me brought out to the camp. The guy that had his friend stabbed by Bianca, he didnât look like heâd forgotten about that as they gave him his club.
As I took my place on the stage the only thing I was thinking was exactly how bad it hurt when you got hit with one of these things.
âBegin when you are ready.â
Called Shaoni from her place on the balcony. The guy across from me took absolutely no time to think, charging at me wildly right away. I tried to brace myself and remember Katrinaâs training, taking an even stance and angling my club for the coming blow. I did manage to block his strike but the force of it threw me to the ground. My mind went into full survival mode as he swung down at me. He was way less fluid than Katrina had been when she was showing me the ropes. He just seemed like he wanted to hurt me by any means necessary. As I rolled from side to side avoiding his blows I waited for an opening. He took a particularly hard swing at my head and I rolled at the last possible second. He lost his balance, giving me a chance to slip between his legs and get back to my feet. I stood back up narrowly avoiding a swing for my head as my opponent regained his balance and swung back at me. His wide hate fueled swing carried his whole body around with it and gave me another opening. I planted my feet and took one hard swing at the manâs turned shoulder hitting him right on the bone with a sickening crack. He stumbled around towards the edge, turning his back to me. I took one final swing, hoisting the club above my head and bringing it down in between his shoulder blades with a hollow thud. The blow sent him tumbling forward over the edge and off the stage, falling to the floor below.
Katrina shot me a quick thumbs up as I walked off the stage while Shaoni looked down at me and gave me an approving nod. No one else seemed to pay me any mind as I rejoined the group. I felt empowered, I hadnât expected to get even that far, maybe there was a chance for me in this trial after all. Robert and John fought next and despite their age they each held their own. In the end John forced Robert off the edge, his age and weight throwing off his balance. I was still impressed either of them could move like they had, I guess I shouldnât judge a book by its cover. Then Katrina fought Brooke in the last⌠round I guess Iâd call it. The smile on her face was unsettling from the moment she realized sheâd be paired up with him, like a shark smelling blood in the water. You could just tell that she was going to take pleasure in what happened next.
That smile was still on her face as she walked up onto the stage and took her place across from Brooke.
âI hope you like it rough baby, cause Iâm not going easy on you!â
Brooke called to her from the other side of the stage making a point to puff out his chest and flex his muscles. That set her off like a bomb, the smile disappeared and she exploded towards Brooke. I saw the exact moment that false confidence left his eyes and he actually turned to run, he was far to late and way to slow. Her first strike went low, shooting out in front of Brooke and coming back to catch his knee sending him tripping forward. He tried to regain his balance but she had no intention of letting him. Katrina swung out in front of him again, this time catching his neck with the club on its way back. That sent him flat onto his back, the club falling form his hand and rolling off the edge of the stage was the only sound in the whole coliseum. All eyes focused on Katrina as she took a breath then delivered a kick to Brookeâs ribs so hard that he went rolling off the edge, following his club. I returned her thumbs up she had given me as she rejoined the group.
Next, those of us who remained got matched up with each other. Shaoni wanted to use another one of her followers to stand in but Katrina insisted on just going twice. That meant Iâd fight her and then the winner would fight John to see who the victor of the day was. As I stood across from Katrina I considered taking her advice from before, ââŚJust take a diveâŚâ she had said. I thought about it, I really did, but Iâd done so well earlier right? Why stop now? While Iâd been thinking Katrina had walked up to me and started to swing. I had just enough time to realize my mistake before she cracked me across the head so hard she knocked me out.
I came to an hour later, alone on an animal skin cot. I was still in the coliseum but everyone else had left apparently. The only thing I saw when I got up from the ground was the torchlight illuminating the passage that lead back outside. That and the note scribbled on a scrap of a sticky note taped to my fore head.
âI told you to take a dive.â
Well at least she might feel bad about knocking me out. I figured we must be done for the day given how dead the camp seemed when I emerged back into the light. With nothing better to do, I walked off towards the forest to clear my head. I wondered what Bianca had been up to since Iâd been gone as I aimlessly wandered around the forestâs edge.
âNo that wouldnât work! We donât know whatâs up there and we are not just waltzing in through the front gates!â
Stein yelled at me as I went over my most recent idea for breaking Keith out of whatever trials were going on out by the old mine. It had been two days since I watched him get kidnapped in front of me and I was getting drastic, aaaannd maybe a little dramatic.
âBut I could do it guys! Remember back at the reservation? Those guys were willing to do anything for me and there canât be that many guards in one place. Maybe I just convince a small group to lead us in and make an excuse for us.â
âFor the last time Bianca, Theyâre just about cultists far as I can tell. You ainât gonna be able to fight the kinda conviction they have to that bird, even if ya could its to much of a risk.â
Tuck protested from his seat at the kitchen table.
The kitchen table had become our war room over the past few days. A map of Eagles Peak Frank had made lay across it with dozens of pins stuck in around where the old mine would be.
âI donât think an approach from the front is a good idea at all. You and Keith got to the mine through the forest once. Could we follow that path, approach without anyone knowing we were there?â
Stein theorized as he paced back and forth at the head of the table.
âWell, we really just wandered around for a bit and ended up there. We didnât find the mine either, it was a hole that lead down to an old cavern
near the mine. They turned out to be connected but that was just dumb luck.â
I explained to the group. Tuck looked like that had given him an idea.
âSo you two got some backdoor entrance figured out that youâre only just tellinâ me about? That could be perfect! The four of us could make our way out and drop through that hole, take em all by surprise!â
Tuck exclaimed, leaping to his feet. His enthusiasm was nice but it wasnât going to be that easy.
âWe⌠kinda made a bit of a scene when we were there, they might be watching for something like that to happen again.â
âTrue, but itâs the best entrance strategy Iâve heard so far, I think following up on it is worth a try.â
Frank added with a nod. Stein then started pacing up and down the length of the table for a bit. He was coming up with something, that much was obvious.
âSo weâll enter through this hole leading into a cave connected to the old mine. From what you told us about your time there its some sort of staging area for these trials, at least thatâs my best guess. Odds are there wonât be many people there overnight so we make our way out there during the night. From there we move through the cave and into the mine but after that we know nothing about what weâre running into.â
Stein lectured to his audience.
âBut I think we have a solution for that. Frank do we still have that drone?â
An hour later the four of us were gathered at the edge of town on that path Keith and I had taken into the forest. The trees growing together forming a sort of arch over our headâs were unsettling but I couldnât decide why. It just didnât sit well with me, it looked unnatural I guess and that just gave me the creeps. I get thatâs rich coming from a literal succubus but its how I felt.
âAlright, just watch the trees as you take it up, I donât want a repeat of Missouri.â
Stein instructed Frank as he got the drone in the air.
âYouâre never going to let me live that down are you?â
Frank chuckled, shaking his head.
âIt was the first time we used this thing, there was bound to be a few unexpected variables.â
âIf you call âunexpected variablesâ an itchy finger on the throttle. We had to have Rocco untangle it from the branches.â
Stein joked as he checked to make sure the drones camera was feeding back into the app on his phone.
I hadnât seen them like this, being friendly with each other. There was never a time where they hated each other or anything like that but theyâd been so⌠business like with for a long time now. It was nice to see them act like real people again. Leaning over Steinâs shoulder I got a birds eye view from the drone.
â Just go East, its what we did. Just walked East till we stumbled into everything.â
Frank followed my advice and flew the drone due East. Eventually a campsite came into view, there were a bunch of tepees and a bunch of people just walking around.
âWhat, they just look normal?!â
I blurted out, a little louder and a bit more distressed than I meant to.
âHowâre they supposed ta look then?â
Tuck asked
âTheyâre just people like you nâ me. Nothin to special about em other than the fact they worship some big ass bird.â
He continued with mild annoyance.
âI donât know, I guess I expected these creepy guys in tarps, like from Keithâs story. These are just⌠well theyâre just people!â
I responded, Throwing my arms out to my sides in exasperation. Tuck was right, I shouldnât have expected everything to be just as Keith had said. Still, something just didnât fit together for me about that whole thing. What had the deal been with those people in Imalone then? I shook my head, clearing the question from my mind, it wasnât important now.
âThere! Thatâs the entrance to the old mine.â
Tuck told Stein as he looked at screen. I looked over myself and felt my entire being freeze. It was Brooke, walking out from the entrance with some bitchy looking girl and two older guys that Iâd seen around town before. How could he be here? After all this time why, why was he anywhere near me?
My vision swam, when it came back Frank was standing in front of me. His mouth was moving but I couldnât hear anything.
ââŚanca! Are you ok, whatâs going on? Bianca!â
I finally heard over the sudden ringing in my ears.
âHim.â
Was the only thing the escaped my lips as I pointed one finger at the screen. I felt warmth coming back into my limbs as that frozen feeling slowly left me.
âHeâs hereâŚ. Shouldnât be here⌠why.â
I mumbled to myself as Frank helped me into the back of the SUV twenty minutes later. I was still nearly catatonic as we headed back into town.
âSo⌠that was him, the one you were running from when we found you.â
Stein said, breaking the silence that had fallen. I could talk normally again but I still only managed a quick âyesâ.
âYou know you donât have to come with us, Iâd understand.â
Frank said, snapping me to attention again.
âNO! Iâve got to help Keith, I donât care if⌠if Brookeâs up there too.â
I tripped over my words just mentioning his name.
âI can do it, I can do this Frank, please.â
I begged, taking deep breaths to try and calm myself down. We pulled into the driveway before Frank said anything back. As we were all getting out he muttered something under his breath. He didnât mean for me to hear him but I did.
âIâm not sure you can girl.â
I went straight up to my room after that, I didnât want to be around anyone. All I caught before I left Frank, Stein, and Tuck before running up the stairs was the hard look Stein shot both of them. A look that said âWe need to talkâ and told me that he finally had a real plan. I spent the rest of that night thinking about the past and what Iâd been through. Could I go out to that mine and rescue Keith if I had to face Brooke again? The last time Iâd seen him had been as I leapt out of a moving car as my eyes turned to meet his one last time, rolling down that hill to freedom. Iâd never seen him since and it was rare for him to even cross my mind. I wanted to go with the rest of them but despite what I said I really wasnât sure I could do this anymore. Eventually I just decided only time would tell, hopefully Steinâs plan was a good one and we could put this whole thing behind us.
âEy! Ey Keith!â
Someone yelled out as I came back from my little hike around the edge of the forest. My eyes darted around behind me before they finally focused on a rustling bush. Rocco jumped out of it holding a cigar in his mouth.
âThat Brooke asshole hasnât gone anywhere, I found him out by that trail the trucks drove in on with this.â
He said, tossing the cigar up in the air where it twirled around before he caught it in his mouth again.
âI figured I should frisk him just in case. I took a bite of his pants and stole this little number out of his coat pocket.â
He continued, shaking a silver lighter with a gold inlayed image of a lion in his paw.
âOh and the cigar, I took that too. Cuban so the guyâs got taste, still a prick. Anyways, it looked like someone got to him before me. The guy was pretty beaten up, had some nasty bruises.â
I couldnât believe what I was hearing. I was just trying to picture Brooke getting mugged by a raccoon In my head and I burst out laughing. Rocco walked back to the camp in toe with me, only stopping to look up at some weird buzzing sound we both heard above us. Probably some rickety old plane or something way up there. I think I was finally starting to get why Frank and Stein had kept Rocco around. He may be a furry criminal mastermind but when he was motivated he could actually be really helpful. I never wouldâve been able to keep any sort of tabs on Brooke without his help.
We made our way back to the long tent that still had remnants of lunch sitting on the table. Usually I wouldâve tried to hide Rocco but at this point I figured he deserved the free food. Plus I just didnât want to argue with him after getting my shit rocked most of the morning. Someone walked up behind me and I heard Shaoniâs voice, of course she was creeping up behind me again.
âYour feeling alright after today I hope?â
She asked me, taking a seat next to me.
âIâll be alright, Iâm sure Iâll have a killer headache in the morning but Iâll manage.â
âGood, good. Weâll be gathering in a few hours so I can announce the final trial. I expect you out by the entrance to the mine by 6.â
âWhatâs the matter? No cryptic questions this time Shaoni?â
I asked, paying no mind to what was sitting next to me.
âWhat do you mean?â
âI mean, you always stop by to check in after these trials. You donât have any questions this time?â
âNo, Katrina was the victor today, there is no question about that, the woman is⌠brutal. I just wanted to make sure she didnât hit you to hard, you were unconscious for some time.â
She answered, some genuine concern slipping into her voice again.
âHeh careful, I might start to think you actually care.â
I joked, less nervous than I shouldâve been.
âIâll see you tonight with the rest for the announcement.â
She said with a deep sigh, standing up and walking off toward where ever she came from.
I took a nap and just barely managed to wake up in time for this âmeetingâ Shaoni had planned. I couldnât find Rocco before I left but I wasnât all that concerned about that anymore. When I got to the entrance a massive bonfire was lit and Shaoni stood alone in front of it. Robert and John were already there and Katrina showed up a little after me. Brooke hadnât arrived before Shaoni started her speech.
âI thank all of you for coming here tonight. Regrettably one of you is missing but I wonât be waylaid by his absence.â
She spoke with clear annoyance in her voice.
âTomorrow marks your final trial, the most important of the three. The trial of justice. Tomorrow there will be a murder in Eagles Peak. I want you all to work together to stop it. Then, succeed or fail, pass judgment on those involved in the murder. Afterwards I will select which among you will receive my gift. But for tonight, talk amongst yourselves, plan, and rest. Prepare yourselves for tomorrow, I will have my eye on each of you.â
With that Shaoni stepped away from the fire and into the night. Not accepting any questions about anything she had said.
âWhat do you think she has planned?â
Robert asked me as I took a seat by the bonfire to think over everything Shaoni had said.
âI donât know, a murder apparently. Shouldnât you know more about it? Youâre one of her followers after all.â
I said as I turned my head to see John walking off into the night. That man was weird, really weird. I knew next to nothing about him and he seemed to never speak.
âUsually sure, but she hasnât said anything to us about this. Itâs why she hasnât directly overseen all the trials, sheâs set this last one up all on her own. I guess thereâs nothing to do but wait, weâre all in this together for the first part of the trial I guess.â
Robert explained, leaning back and sprawling out on the ground. He was right, there wasnât much we could do until we were in the middle of it.
I looked around, searching for Katrina in the firelight. I found her leaning against the rocky wall that made up the entrance of the mine. I stood up, leaving Robert to relax and made my way over.
âHowâs the head?â
She asked, feigning taking a swing at me again with an evil grin on her face.
âI told you to take a dive.â
âYeah, I shouldâve listened.â
I admitted, rubbing the goose egg that had formed on my head over the course of my nap.
âSo what do you thin about this last trial?â
âWell, I can say that If that Brooke guy tries flirting with me one more time the murder wonât be that hard to solve. Seriously though, I think sheâs gone off the deep end. How does she know thereâs going to be a murder?â
Katrina made a really good point, how was Shaoni so sure?
âThatâs⌠hmmmm, youâre right.â
âWell Iâm gonna head to bed then. Something tells me tomorrow is gonna be a headache. Just try to stay out of my way when weâre all forced to work together and you should be fine. All goes well and maybe weâll be out of here tomorrow, I know I will.â
Katrina said as she pushed herself off the rock wall sheâd been leaning against. Something about the way she said that last part, it made me think she was up to something. Like she was leaving no matter what or she had some sort of exit strategy.
As I left Robert relaxing by the fire and hiked back to my own tepee for the night I spied Katrina. She had climbed up a tree and had her legs wrapped around the trunk and one of her arms gripped a branch above her. There was some kind of box in her other hand, a radio maybe. I had no idea what she was saying, she was too far off, but it had to mean something. As far as I knew none of us had any contact with the outside world since we got here. My gut feeling was that she wasnât meant to be doing that. I wasnât going to bother her at this point though so I went my own way and settled down for the night.
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2024.05.21 16:55 puellamas 39 YO Female with severe neck, upper back, and left arm pain. Please help me read this MRI report.
DATE OF SERVICE: DOI: 05/16/2024 MRI OF THE CERVICAL SPINE
TECHNIQUE: Sagittal T1, fast spin-echo T2 and STIR imaging was performed. T2 and T2 gradient echo axial imaging was performed. CLINICAL: Neck pain with left radicular symptoms
FINDINGS: Visualized structures in the posterior fossa are unremarkable. There is no Amold-Chiari malformation. The cervical cord demonstrates normal signal. There is degenerative desiccation of the C4-5, C5-6 and C6-7 disks. Remaining cervical discs are partially desiccated. No marrow infiltrative process is seen. There is loss of the cervical lordosis.
There is mucoperiosteal thickening seen in the sphenoid sinus and the right maxillary sinus. Visualized paravertebral soft tissues are otherwise unremarkable.
The C2-3 and C3-4 disc spaces are unremarkable.
At C4-5 there is a small central disc herniation leading to Annular impression upon the central ventral sac. There is mild superior migration of disc herniation to the lower C4 level. No canal or foraminal stenosis.
At C5-6 there is a small central disc herniation leading to mild angular impression upon the central ventral sac. No canal or foraminal stenosis.
At C6-7 there is disc bulge leading to mild diffuse impression upon the ventral sac, no canal or foraminal stenosis.
The C7-T1 disc space is unremarkable.
IMPRESSION:
- There is a small central disc herniation C4-5 with mild superior migration of disc herniation to the lower C4 level. Small central disc herniation C5-6. There is angular impression upon the central ventral sac at both levels, no canal or foraminal stenosis at either level.
- There is disc bulge at C6-7 leading to mild diffuse impression upon the ventral sac, no canal or foraminal stenosis.
- Loss of cervical lordosis, this may be due to muscle spasm or patient position.
- Sinus changes described above may reflect acute or chronic sinusitis. Thank you for your kind referral of this patient. We appreciate the opportunity to participate in this patient's care.
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2024.05.21 16:54 hoggersbridge Engines of Arachnea: The Bug Planet (Chapter 28: Say Hello to My Little Friend)
First Chapter. Link for all the chapters available here:
Engines of Arachnea on Royal Road They made for the hillock that Rene had seen earlier that day. It was the closest bit of high ground they had seen, and it had hatched the beginnings of a cruel idea in his mind, one that he wished to turn into reality.
âStay close to me,â he told Zildiz as they strode, âWe stand a better chance of living through this if we act as a unit.â
âA unit of what?â she inquired, puzzled by his use of the word, âWeight, length or time?â
âNo, it means that we should work together,â he tried to explain, quickening his pace to a light jog. The hunting parties had gone silentâthey hadnât the talk of their drums in ages. The quiet was somehow more unnerving than the screams.
âWe watch each otherâs backs,â he continued, running along a fallen log, âItâs a sort of code we Pathfinders have. No man or woman dies alone.â
Try telling that to Lethway, said a snide voice in his head.
âI have no wish to die alongside you, Fleet-man.â
âThatâs not what IâŚah, never mind. Here,â Rene handed her back her severed blades, âAs promised.â
How had these people ever managed to survive this long? Zildiz wondered as she held her weapons again, manually sheathing them in her arms. It was like taking sugarcane from a baby.
The fog was thinning noticeably. They had forded the river and reached the base of the hillock when they heard another shout from the southwest, sounding much closer this time. The drums began to speak again, the music almost keeping time with Reneâs triphammering heartbeat. Rene led them round the flank of the rise into a deep gully, trying to use the terrain to hide their movements.
âHowâs their sense of smell, Zildiz?â he asked her as they picked their way up a pebbly, bone-dry creek. Rene hopped across the boulders and offered her his arm for assistance.
âDepends on the Leaper and their grafted organs,â she told him, leaping past him and pointedly ignoring his efforts at playing the gentleman, âBut they are all excellent trackers. They will find us. It is inevitable.â
âAye, but weâll be ready for em by then. Hopefully,â Rene added with certain lack of conviction, âTo be frank, I donât know a power on this earth that can stop that horde we saw earlier.â
âThey will not use the creatures of the jungle against us. The warband that is hunting us now cannot be larger than thirty to fifty braves.â
âAnd you know this how?â
Zildiz said nothing. She was under no obligation to tell a child of the Betrayers of the Vitalusâ capabilities. The more creatures the Leapers involved in this secret hunt, the greater the chances that the Vitalus would discover their violation of the truce. It would be a small and private war, and that suited her down to the ground.
She felt stronger now and surer of her footing, as if the chase had breathed new life into her muscles and lungs. Why, she felt as if she could fight a dozen Leapers. Either her innards had adjusted to the workload or her exomorph was regaining some of its functions. She dashed ahead, rejoicing in the steel-spring action of her sinews. The weak-spined Rene, on the other hand, was dawdling below her in the creek, up to some foolishness as usual.
He had stopped to gather fistfuls of gravel which he stuffed into his socks and pockets until they bulged. He even opened his kit and crammed pebbles in the loose corners of the case.
âHurry up,â she called to him, speaking softly now that danger was close.
âIâd have to agree with Zildiz here,
tovarisch,â Exar chimed in, âNowâs not the best time to be gathering mineral samples.â
Rene shook his head and refused to explain. After some minutes of the uphill marching, he spoke to Exar, saying:
âThis high enough for you?â
âTen more meters above sea level should do it.â
They were almost at the summit of the landmass, in a grove of benguet pines and thin pygmy dipterocarps growing amid a hardscrabble sand. On the right shoulder of the hill were the clusters of fire gourd trees whose seeds he had mistaken for cannon fire, the ground plastered with dried-up foam. Beyond this stretched a scorched and blasted hellscape of blackened, dead trees.
âWe donât have ten more meters,â Rene said, âThat is, unlessâŚâ
He craned his neck to see the tops of the pines, which had straight smooth trunks and sported no lower limbs to grab onto. Most were stunted and malnourished by the poor soil, but at least one of the adults looked like a good candidate. It would be hard climbing.
âItâs times like these that I wish these commercial kits still came with thruster packs,â Exar said regretfully, âBut all those models got phased out. Budget cuts, whatcha gonna do, eh?â
âWhatâs a thruster pack?â
âNever heard of one? Thatâs funny,â Exar paused as if he had come to a sudden realization, âThatâs real funny, you sayin thatâŚâ
Rene unsheathed the monomachete and emptied his kit of all gear except for the panel and the allcomm antenna. He cut out some footholds with the monomachete and began his ascent. Rene nearly made it to the top without making the mistake of looking down. As it was, he risked a peek at Zildiz gawping up at him all the way down there and nearly swooned, his scrotum tightening round his pearls like the jaws of death. He clamped the sword of the ancients between his teeth and bit down hard to steady himself.
âJoin the Pathfinders, they said,â he growled around the bare metal, âSee the sights and look pretty for the girls, they said. What was I flipping thinking?â
He swung up to the slender upper boughs and carefully wedged the solar panel amid the branches, angling it so that it caught the weakening gaze of the suns. Then he balanced the allcomm antenna and its tripod on the uppermost twigs and hooked up the cabling.
âGood work,
bhaisap,â Exar said when it began to rotate, âIâll start transmitting our coordinates to any and all stations while getting a fix on our position.â
âSplendid. Say, youâve got some nice sight lines up here, Exar.â
From where he stood Rene could see for leagues around in all directions, and he kept his eyes peeled for movement.
There! Specters gliding above the murk, twenty or so klicks out and moving fast. A hoarse scream from the east confirmed his worst suspicions: the Leapers knew exactly where they were. The cannibals were hemming them in, herding Rene and Zildiz they had done with the army of beasts. He could imagine them spreading out in a wide crescent whose horns would envelop the hill from both sides.
Rene estimated that he had little more than an hour to prepare.
âExar, could I ask you to be our lookout from up here?â
âThy wish is my command.
A la mi presente, al vostra signori, as they used to say.â
As who used to say? Rene thought. Much of what the sphere said tended to be incomprehensible. Rene unfastened the sphere and Exar extended his spike legs to fix himself in place.
âBut wouldnât it be safer for you to stay up top with me?â Exar pointed out.
âYes, it would. For them,â Rene replied with as much false bravado as he could dredge up. Scattering pines and bark shavings, he slid back down and ran over to the stand of fire gourds. To his relief some of the fruit on the outlying trees furthest from the blaze had not gone off. Rene reached up and picked as many of the gourds as he could fit in his arms. He carried them back to the pines, making several trips to amass a sizable collection.
Zildiz had her swords out and was cooly sharpening them one against the other.
âSo theyâve finally run us down,â she said in a flat tone, âAre you ready?â
âNot quite,â Rene said shortly.
He began the project by arranging his other components. Spool of webbing, check. Socks full of pebbles, check. Gauntlet, check.
âExar, how much longer till our rescue gets here?â he hollered up at the sphere.
âIâve hailed a shuttle from one of the toroidal stations. ETA 128 minutes.â
âYouâll have those minutes,â Rene promised him, then spoke to Zildiz, âHeads up, Gallivant. From this moment on, our sole objective is to hold off the enemy for at least two hours. We live or die on this hill. Get me?â
âBrave words. And how do you intend to back them up?â
âWith the help of a little friend I call firepower,â Rene said, getting right to work. He wound the silk around one of the sloshing gourds until it was sticky all over, then took fistfuls of gravel from his socks, densely studding the fruit with them. Rene held up the finished prototype and grinned evilly. All in all, it had taken him less than five minutes to put it together.
Defensive tactics required careful selection and preparation of the ground. Half the battle was won if one could dictate where the fighting took place.
Pathfinders were scouts above all else and did not specialize in fighting sieges. Rene tried his best anyway, choosing a spot among the pygmy pines and with a deep ravine on his right and a spread of open ground some twenty meters wide and sixty long on his left where nothing grew but itchy buffalo grasses. At his back was a sheer bluff, only four meters tall or so, but still a solid feature upon which to anchor his defense. He placed the prototype in the center of the field and ran back, going prone behind a shallow bank of earth and taking up his gauntlet.
âCome on,â he pleaded with it, training the beam on the gourdâs hard shell, âSing for daddyâŚâ
Nothing happened for a long moment. Rene blinked; the gourd had abruptly disappeared. In the next instant, shards of shell and rock and specks of foam lacerated the air above his position, ricocheting off the hard cliff face. Rene clapped his hands to his ringing ears and got up. Inspecting his position, he found the bank of earth studded with his improvised shrapnel and arrowhead-shaped seeds.
âPop! Goes the weasel!â he shouted, overjoyed by the result, âThat ought to ruin someoneâs day.â
Link for all the chapters available here:
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2024.05.21 16:54 CDown01 Eagles Peak Pt.6
Previous Part At some Point Bianca and I both fell back asleep. It was all I could do at this point, getting whisked away back to those mines seemed inevitable so I might as well sleep. The morning did not go well, largely due to Bianca, who threw me off the couch with a scream when she woke up.
âWhatâre you doing!â
Bianca squeaked, hand darting towards her pants pocket where her dagger would usually be. I woke up very quickly somewhere between the couch and the floor. I was fully awake by the time I was pushing myself back to me feet, raising my hands in a gesture of surrender.
âWhatâs going on?! Youâre fine you just fell asleep on my couch!â
âWhy were you⌠why was I?â
âHey, calm down alright. We had a few drinks last night and I guess we both fell asleep on the couch together, thatâs all that happened.â
I explained, leaving out the part where she pulled me back when I tried to go to my own room earlier.
âYeah⌠yeah ok. Ugh my head is killing me.â
Bianca groaned, taking a breath or two then putting her head in her hands. I didnât have the heart to tell her she was probably hungover so I just went to the kitchen to make something for her.
I decided on toast and some bananas, it was always a go to for me after a long night. In hindsight I probably shouldâve seen her reaction coming. Look at what she did in the caves because that guy grabbed her, it canât be that much better waking up on someones shoulder and not quite remembering it. The whole thing did give me second thoughts though. If she was such a live wire did I really want her stressing out over the trials and whatever that would bring? I suppose it was too late for that though, sheâd already moved herself into my house so she could keep watch, for all the good that did seeing as Shaoni waltzed right in last night.
I still had a lot on my mind when the smell of burning toast sobered me up. I swore and ran over to salvage what I could of the blackening toast.
âWhatâs burning in here?â
Bianca asked a little worry creeping into her voice. She still had her head clasped firmly between her hands as she walked into the kitchen.
âBreakfastâ
I replied flatly, holding my arms out to either side gesturing to the mild chaos I was causing. Bianca gave me an questioning, âthanksâ and grabbed the plate I had made for her while I tried to think of what to do next. Like it or not, Shaoni had people coming to pick me up and take me back out to those caves today. I had to come up with some kind of game plan and right now, it seemed letting Frank and Stein know was the best idea.
Bianca stayed back at my place nursing her hangover when I left to visit the mad scientist duo. I had no problem with that, in fact it was probably best because Iâm sure she wouldâve insisted on going with me if she heard I planed to take Shaoniâs âinvitationâ. I wasnât sure if Shaoni would let me take Bianca with me and personally Iâd rather not push her buttons and try to negotiate bringing a plus one.
âHave you seen Bianca at all?â
Frank asked hurriedly as I came in. I was afraid of this, She hadnât told them anything and just disappeared.
âYeah, she pretty much moved the contents of her room to my couch yesterday. Something about keeping an eye on me, sheâs fine though, I wouldnât worry.â
I answered, a little worried myself that Iâd catch hell from them if they knew she was currently working her way through her first hangover on that same couch. Frank seemed to calm down at that and finally got to asking the important questions like why was I back in the house⌠again.
âSo let us get this straight, you just plan to go right to Shaoni?â
Frank and Stein said together in disbelief as the three of us sat at the kitchen table.
âItâs not like I really have a choice in the matter, besides I canât really fight her if she wants me to go somewhere. If I try a stunt like that things go from bad to worse for me.â
They both shook their heads in solemn agreement, recognizing I was right.
âAnyways, I had a thought on the way over here, Thunderbirds are something from native American legend right? Well, if weâve found a real one wouldnât she have ties to a tribe or something in the area? She was sleeping here when they woke her up in the mine, maybe there was a reason for that, maybe she was close to home?â
I explained, hoping g theyâd catch on to what I was asking.
âWhat exactly are you getting at then Keith?â
Frank questioned, furrowing his brow with an intrigued look on his face. Stein just remained silent but I could tell he was thinking, maybe even coming to the same conclusion as I had.
âWhat Iâm thinking, is we check reservations in the area. Maybe they know something about the creature from their legends that just so happened to be sleeping nearby. I know itâs a stretch but maybe we could learn something useful. Iâd go myself but Iâm not going to have the chance. You guys though, you guys could take Bianca and Rocco with you and ask around.â
I explained, hoping I was onto something. I was pulling at straws but it was the best idea I had at a moments notice. Plus it would get Bianca out of town for a little while when I was figuring out what exactly Shaoniâs trails would mean for me.
âKeith thatâs⌠no that actually makes sense let me check some maps.â
Stein agreed, walking away and into the basement. He came back a few minutes later with a map in his hand.
âThereâs a Seneca reservation not to far from here, maybe 30 miles. Thatâs not the only one but I have a friend there from years ago, someone I helped. Thereâs a good chance heâd be willing to return the favor.â
âGreat, then Iâll count on you. Iâll let Bianca know, Iâm sure she wonât be happy about it but Iâll feel better if sheâs with all of you.â
I walked out in a rush to get back home, almost stepping on Rocco on my way to the door. He made a frightening chittering hissing sound at me as he leapt out of my path. I briefly wondered where he was going and what he was up to, probably better I didnât know though. As I got onto the bike and headed back towards home I hoped Iâd be able to talk Bianca into going along with this plan. I was sure sheâd rather come with me but after this morning I wasnât sure she was ready for that. Donât get me wrong Iâm sure she wants to help and I know she means well but sheâs jumpy and snaps at the littlest things. I didnât want her to make things worse by accident or get hurt because she froze up again. My mind was made up as I drew nearer to my house but as it turned out Iâd never have the chance to talk to Bianca. As soon as I rounded the corner I saw the rusty pick up waiting in front of my house, Iâd arrived just in time to meet Shaoniâs âhelpersâ.
The men looked normal, just like the people in the cave. Come to think of it they could very well be those same people. I waved them over as I came to a stop in-front of the house.
âCan I just go in and grab a few things?â
I asked the three men sheepishly as I walked up.
âNo, your late as it is, weâve got to get going.â
A scruffy looking man with a gruff voice said from the drivers seat. Two men got out from the back of the truck and grabbed my arms, pulling me into the back seat. They werenât rough with me but they were very firm. Like they wanted to hurt me but were ordered not to so they just made a show of force. After I was loaded into the back I saw the reason for their demeanor. One of the men, the one in the front passenger seat, was wrapped in bandages. The bandages covered his abdomen and snaked up around the back of his neck. It was pretty obvious to me that this was the man Bianca had stabbed. It wouldnât be a stretch to say these four were probably the same ones we had encountered in the cave. As I turned and looked out the window I saw Biancaâs face peaking out of it. She looked angry and scared, like she knew exactly what was happening but she didnât move. Bianca just sat there, watching me be taken away and I cursed myself for not being just a little bit faster on the ride back.
We took a way out of town Iâd never seen before, turning away from the road leading to the dirt path we had biked down on our expedition into the forest. Instead we drove back through town, past Biancaâs house and the Eagleâs Roost before hanging a right onto a road Iâd never been down. Eventually the road made its way into the forest and ended at a wooden sign warning that the road was impassable ahead. The driver stopped the truck and got out as another man emerged from the woods, holding up his hand and opening it to reveal the eagle tattoo Iâd become so familiar with. The driver rolled up his sleeve and showed his own similar tattoo. Without a word he got back into the truck and the other man moved the sign off the road. It didnât fill me with confidence to see the entrance to this place watched in such a way. It would make sense to have it hidden but being so brazenly out in the open meant they didn't really care who saw it. Not that anyone would think anything other than that the road was impassable but still. The truck eventually pulled off the road and into the woods, following a newly made track that lead to the entrance of the old mine that we escaped from just 2 days ago.
âI think you know your way in.â
The driver growled at me, parking the truck and signaling me to step out.
âYour just letting me walk myself in? Couldnât I just run?â
âYou could but do you think you could outrun her?â
He asked threateningly, pointing up at the sky. I knew exactly who he was talking about and no, I didnât like my chances of running from Shaoni.
âShe gave us all orders to leave any runners to her.â
At that moment I decided it may be good idea to be on my best behavior.
âYeah thatâs what I thought.â
The driver barked back at me as I obediently walked towards the entrance.
Walking into the mine I realized it had undergone a huge transformation in a very short time. The walls were now host to several torches that lit the pathway back down to the coliseum. It felt like I was walking into the dark ages as I made my way down into this pit by torchlight. Although I had to admit it was homey in an âevil layerâ kind off way. The coliseum was lit up with torchlight as well but its not what drew my attention. Where the awful metal structure met the stone roof of the cave I looked into a brewing storm. Lightning flashed across the roof but there was no sound of thunder. Raindrops shown in the shadows cast by the lightning but I felt none of them on my skin. I had to admit, it was a pretty impressive trick. Paintings adorned the walls, all of them seeming to be tribal in nature. Many seemed to be various depictions of the thunderbird.
âWell at least she doesnât have an egoâ
I chuckled to myself as I walked into the center off the coliseum.
There were four other people waiting in the center of the floor. A clean shaven, well dressed man relaxed against the wall of the arena. He had perfectly trimmed slicked back blonde hair and a chiseled face. His rippling muscles seemed to be for vanity rather than strength. Just by looking at him I could tell I wasnât going to like him. The only one of the bunch I knew, Robert, stood on the far side of the coliseum, watching me approach. He looked about the same as he had from the brief glance I got at the Eagleâs Roost. Balding white hair and a unkempt beard hung off his sagging face. Despite his age he carried himself with purpose, like he deserved to be there and wanted everyone else to know it. Then there was the blonde bombshell that was making her way towards the chiseled blonde guy. She seemed incredibly confident in herself but none of it was a show. Her confidence came from a place that made her absolutely sure of it. The final person stood in the corner and seemed to be talking to himself. He was a middle aged man of native American descent with a mess of black hair atop his head. He carried a look in his eyes that spoke of wisdom beyond his years.
I walked past all of them and took a seat on the floor, trying my hardest to ignore them. The effort was ultimately wasted as the muscular blonde guy walked over and held out a hand.
âHey, my names Brooke, you are?â
My blood turned to ice as he said that, it couldnât be the same Brooke Bianca told me about, could it? I stared dumbly at him for a moment before I responded.
âIâm⌠uh⌠Keith. Any idea what weâre doing here?â
âNo clue, only know that the thunderbird wanted us here so we came. Hopefully she makes good on her promise, to me at least.â
His voice sounded like the âto cool for youâ bully from any 80âs movie, it was almost annoying to listen to him.
âSo youâve met everyone else I take it?â
âYeah, the weird guy in the corner is John, we donât know much about him but apparently him and that Robert guy, the old one with the beard, worked for the thunderbird. Katrina, that beauty over there is a wild card, no-one seems to know anything about her but she looks like sheâs hot shit and well, just plain hot.â
As Brooke gave me the run down of everyone in the room I quietly wondered to myself if Shaoni had given everyone the same offer as me. The way Brooke had said it, âpromiseâ⌠that wasnât how I wouldâve phrased it. Maybe Shaoni cut everyone here a unique deal.
ââŚAnyways, Iâm gonna go see if I canât figure out that bombshellâs deal, Iâll see ya later Keith.â
Apparently Brooke had been talking to me the whole time but I only tuned in for the tail end of it as he walked off toward Katrina. I wondered where exactly Shaoni was, I had expected her to be here already but, as it turned out I wouldnât have to wait long.
A thunderous boom cracked out above our heads and we all looked up at once, but the sound was coming from outside. I heard the flap of wings as Shaoni came in for a landing somewhere above our heads. It went so silent we couldâve heard a mosquito cough, then Shaoni stepped into the room. Not from either entrance but from a balcony above us I hadnât seen before. She was wearing the same thing she had been when I ran into her in the cave, once again looking like a hardened, tattooed Pocahontas.
âWelcome everyone! I take it youâve gotten to know each other?â
She thundered down to us as we all shot to attention.
âIâve gathered you here to give a gift to one of you, but you must prove yourselves deserving. Iâve told some of you what I intended to do here and others may be hearing it for the first time. So for those of you who are gathering here for the first time pay attention. There will be three trials held here, one to test your morals, one to test your strength, and one to test your judgement.â
At this point Brooke spoke up in the way only a spoiled little shit like him could.
âYou made me a promise! You never said anything about trials! I got all the way out here to this shitty little backwater and now your telling me Iâve got to compete to earn what you owe me?! Sorry, but Iâm going to need more than that.â
Shaoni looked like she couldâve ended him right there. She was the judge and jury here, if Brooke wasnât careful sheâd become the executioner too.
âWhat you asked me for is in this town, thatâs all I will say on the matter.â
Shaoni responded with less venom than I had expected judging by her expression. She didnât actually seem to care that she had to tell him something to shut him up. It was the insult of being interrupted that struck a nerve. I was a little concerned by what she said, if he was looking for something that was in town and Bianca was there⌠could he be looking for her? ââŚToday though, just enjoy the company of one another. Youâre all welcome to stay here at the camp Iâve had prepared for you outside. If you wish to return to town you may but you will be watched. No-one is to leave town until the trials are completed.â
Shaoni finished, I hadnât really been listening to her welcome speech. She said everything I cared about when she told us what the trials where going to test for, after that I kind of tuned out. Shaoni disappeared in a flash, just like she had back at my house the day before and with that the five of us were alone again. I left, heading back outside to see this camp she mentioned. The others talked with each other but I really had no desire to. That didnât stop Robert from running to catch up with me, wheezing when he got there.
âHey youâre the one who ran out of the bar the other night! Sheâs said a lot about you, Iâd almost think she had a favorite.â
Robert huffed out between breaths, punching me in the arm in a friendly but wholly unwelcome way.
âIâve heard you know nothing about the supernatural, Iâd be happy to tell you what Iâve seen working with Shaoni.â
Robert offered, fishing for any reason to hold a conversation with me.
âNo, thatâs alright really, Iâll manage. What do you guys do anyways, working for her I mean? I get the sense she could really run this whole operation on her own if she wanted.â
âShe probably could do this alone. Most of the time we donât work directly with her, this is a special case for those of us sheâs got helping with the trials. Thereâs maybe 50 of us total and not just here, I mean 50 of us overall. Sheâs very selective with the followers she keeps so there isnât many of us. We tend to sit around up-holding her ideals till she asks something of us through dreams, like the ones that brought you here.â
Robert explained, confusing me a little bit. I found it hard to believe a crew of 50 people got everything here done. I guess it wasnât to outlandish when put in perspective though. If you told me Shaoni got all this done herself I probably wouldâve believed you so 50 people organized by her, yeah I could see that.
âWait, so you guys barley ever actually work with her, and what are her ideals exactly?â
âHave you heard the legends of the thunderbird? A lot of it depicts the thunderbird as a spirit of justice that fights evil spirits from the underworld, thatâs really watered down but you get the point. Iâve never seen her do anything like that but she does uphold a certain sense of justice and thatâs what she expects of us. Sure, she seems really intimidating but she wants to right wrongs that no one else will, it makes her a little harsh but she has to be. We just do that same thing when we arenât getting orders right from her. Maybe you think sheâs in the wrong here because she pulled you into this but we really want to help, sometimes thereâs a price for that.â
Robert lectured, you could tell he really believed in what he was saying though. He may have been older but when he was telling me about the thunderbird and what she stood for he was filled with vigor again. Maybe heâs not as bad as I thought, I wanted all these people working for her to be some kind of weird cult like in Imalone. The more I heard the more I doubted that. They were people who followed her for a reason, not just because she gave them some kind of power. In reality I think what she really gave them was purpose. That sort of thing is more than enough for most people to follow someone.
When I broke away from Robert and got outside I found a huge camp had been set up while we were in the cave. Tepees of various sizes had been constructed all around the entrance to the old mine and one big canvas tent had a huge table running through it filled with food. For 50 people these followers of the thunderbird sure worked fast. I hadnât decided if I wanted to go back to town yet. I hoped Frank and Stein had convinced Bianca to go with them, at least then they could get some answers while I was stuck here. If they were gone though what reason did I have to go back? As long as I was out here surrounded by people who work with Shaoni maybe I could get some answers of my own. I wasnât really sure what information about Shaoni would do for us but she was a mystery to me. Everyone was here for a reason, I agreed to take on a burden, Brooke was here because of some promise Shaoni made, and Iâm sure the rest had similar stories. Shaoni gained nothing from any of that though, besides this burden I had agreed to take. Iâm not sure why, but it felt like figuring out what She stood to gain from this was important. If I could do that maybe I could put the pieces to this puzzle together. Two people had pointed out I knew nothing about the supernatural as well, Shaoni and Robert. That didnât seem to matter to much to me but if all the others here had some experience in it maybe it should. It seemed like we were all on a level playing field though, Brooke hadnât heard about the trials and neither had I. Robert and that strange John guy probably had some idea but they worked with Shaoni, I would expect them to know. Katrina, the blonde was probably just as surprised as Brooke, if I had to guess. None of us knew exactly what the trials would test for, so why did everyone keep brining up not knowing about the supernatural like it put me at a disadvantage?
âWhy indeed.â
A familiar voice said, sending lightning through my veins and breaking my train of thought. I just about tossed the turkey leg Iâd been eating directly at the source of the noise.
âShaoni, you have got to stop doing that.â
I said, crawling back into my skin after she scared me out of it. Shaoni still looked just as she had when she addressed us earlier, adorned in her animal skins and feathers. It took me a second but it finally clicked that she had said something strange when she sat down next to me.
âHang on a minute, can you read my mind? Was I thinking out loud or something?â
âNo, you just looked lost in thought and I figured Iâd chime in.â
âOh, alright⌠why?â
I squeaked out, abruptly realizing that this was Shaoni, the thunderbird who was sitting next to me. There was a second there where I wasnât as intimidated by her as I normally was but it had passed quickly.
âI wanted to know how your doing, I know all this canât be easy to take in.â
âIâm doing fine, I think Iâm adjusting pretty well but I did want to ask you some questions.â
An amused look ran across Shaoniâs face at this. She wasnât being as commanding as before either, she almost seemed to genuinely care about my well-being.
âWould you walk with me, Iâll answer your questions on the way.â
Shaoni asked, standing and waiting for me to follow her. Not seeing any better options I stood up and left alongside her.
We walked around the perimeter of the camp, out of ear shot of anyone else. Iâm sure she did that on purpose, though I wasnât sure if it was so no-one could hear my screams if I asked a question she didnât like or if she just wanted privacy.
âWhy me Shaoni? Why chose me out of everyone, was it just a coincidence?â
âStraight to the point hmm. Think Keith, when I found you in the position you were in you needed my help. Sure, I planned to dispose of the cultists that were threatening you anyways but I stopped to help you. You saw me descend from the sky, swoop down, and bring them to their knees, I extended an offer to you and you just took it. You didnât bargain or ask for anything more after I shattered your perception of what does and doesnât exist, just accepted my offer. Most people would have bargained, tried to look for a better deal for themselves but you saw what the price of my help would be and paid it, no second thoughts. That interested me Keith, you recognized what had to be done and didnât try to avoid the cost, thatâs why I chose you.â
âSo I appealed to whatever sense of justice you have? Thatâs it, thatâs the only reason?â
She looked almost hurt as I asked this and she stopped walking. I definitely stepped on a nerve, I expected her to snap but she didnât, She just asked very quietly,
âDo you think Iâm a monster Keith?â
I was stunned by the question. Could I really say she was a monster? What had she done so far? Save me, thatâs what, was that really so monstrous? Sure it may have come at a cost but nothing is ever free. Shaoni even came to warn me about the trials ahead of time, just barely ahead of time but it was something.
âNo Shaoni, youâre not a monster just⌠someone with the powers you have⌠itâs terrifying for a normal person. Can you really say Iâm in the wrong for being afraid of you?â
Even as I said it I knew it was a lie, at least partially. I wasnât just afraid of her, I wanted her to be evil and she just wasnât, not really. Maybe she was a bit intense but everything she had done to me so far couldnât be called evil.
âFear is only natural when you see something like me, but Iâm not a monster. The thunderbird has always stood for justice. Thatâs what I represent, I canât be everywhere but I make it a point to uphold justice where I am. Those who Iâve chosen to follow me hold my justice in their own town, in their own lives. I can be harsh but I am just.â
She said this with such intensity I had no choice but to believe her. Her conviction to justice was zealous but I still wanted to pry a little bit more.
âSo what does justice mean to you then? I donât mean to be disrespectful but I want to hear it from you,â
I asked, growing a little more confident in talking to Shaoni. For once I didnât feel like she would kill me on a whim. Give her a reason, and Shaoni would do it without a second thought but I donât think she cared that much about my questioning.
âJustice is black and white, right and wrong. Normally thereâs a pretty good system in place to punish those that deserve it but sometimes things slip through the cracks, thatâs where I come in. I take care of the heinous acts people get away with, people that think theyâve gotten away with murder, so to speak.â
âSo your a vigilante then? Thatâs what Iâm hearing here.â
âI wouldnât be so crass but yes, I suppose you could call me a vigilante but I promise you thatâs an oversimplification. Suffice it to say my opinion on matters of serving justice is respected.â
Shaoni seemed a little uncomfortable at the word ârespectâ, I think a better word wouldâve been âfearedâ. I wasnât going to say it to her but I knew she suspected it. I could see something about that really hurt her. I couldnât put my finger on it, the reason Shaoni didnât want to be feared. Despite being the scariest thing Iâd seen so far she didnât want to be known for that.
We talked for a while longer about a whole lot of nothing. Eventually we got back around to the camp and she bid me goodnight despite the fact it was 3 in the afternoon at the time. She was probably right though, I was going to need the rest if I wanted to be ready for the first trial tomorrow. I found my way to a tepee conveniently marked with my name. I didnât remember it being marked before and I didnât understand the point of giving us specific tepees, privacy I guess? The fur sleeping bag was a rustic but welcome touch and despite lacking the amenities of a usual home the tepee was quite comfortable. As I settled in for the night I heard a rustling on the far side of the tepee, then a voice, one whose heavy accent I recognized immediately.
âSo, turns out they donât check under the truck. Ya got me here with you now.â
Rocco said, emerging from a blanket in the corner. That revelation didnât exactly set my mind at ease. Rocco mustâve sensed my apprehension to the fact that he was anywhere near me right now.
âWhat?! Iâm here to help out! I heard you going on about a trial or somethinâ so I figured Iâd tag along under that truck when they picked you up, canât have enough back up ya know.â
He continued, pulling a belt with several tools out from under the blanket as he spoke. I wasnât pleased to have him here but maybe I could make use of him.
âI was hoping youâd go with Bianca and the other two but honestly, it might be nice to have a friendly face around here. Just⌠try to stay out of trouble.â
âTrouble? When do I ever get into trouble?â
I hoped he was being sarcastic, you can never tell with him. I bit my tongue as Rocco walked out into the camp, silently praying no-one would see him. With that I settled into my sleeping bag and tried to think of what I could expect from the first trial tomorrow.
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2024.05.21 16:51 Weathers_Writing I think God might be real, just not in the way you think (Part 2)
First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for their kind words and support from the last post. A lot has happened since then, and a bunch of context is needed, so I hope you'll bear with me as I explain the details.
***
Back during the peak of the blinking crisis, I remember having a lot of difficulty sleeping. It was common for me to average only four or five hours a night, and the little sleep I did get was marred by terrible nightmares. One in particular recurred many times.
I was only eight, but somehow I was in the driver's seat of our family's old SUV. My arms were long enough to steady the wheel, but my legs didn't quite meet the pedals. It didn't matter though, since the car seemed content to continue on at a constant pace. I looked over and saw my mom in the passenger seat. Her face was a blurry likeness pieced together from the dozen or so picture's I'd seen of her over the years. I tried to bring her into focus, not only because I missed her dearly, but because she was speakingâpleading, even. She waved frantically at me, then brought her leg up and slammed it down on the floor mat several times. I didn't understand what had her so upset until she pointed out the front windshield, and I saw we were hurdling directly toward a giant tree that had fallen in the middle of the road.
Panicking, I stomped for the brake, but my seatbelt protested and pulled me back like an invigorated dog on a short leash. I sat up and tried clicking it off, but it wouldn't budge. My breaths became hollow cries, and I felt my heart beat against the bars of its bony prison. I grabbed the steering wheel and pulled it to the left, then right, attempting to swerve off the road, but it was as if whatever kind of glue was locking up the seatbelt was also fixing the steering wheel in place.
"Mom! what do I do!?" I yelled, tears streaming from my eyes. She was yelling back at me, but it was as if there was a divider between us, and neither of us could hear each other. I turned back just in time to see the giant Oak tree meet the front bumper, and then I jolted awake with a piercing pain in my chest that radiated up through my throat in the form of a giant scream. My little legs kicked under the covers and tears rained down on my pillow until my dad ran in and knelt at my bed.
"Lauren, are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?"
I grabbed my pillow and hugged it so my face was covered, then effused a "Mmm-hmm" in a long wheeze while rocking to either side.
"Oh, honey," he soothed and brushed my hair, then the tears from my face when I would allow it.
Time would pass in silence, and when I began to get the sense that my dad was ready to leave, I'd chirp out, "stay" in that way children do when they're embarrassed about wanting something.
"Always," my dad would reply; then he'd post up on the floor with my large tomato plushie as a pillow.
One night in particular, it was deep in the night, and I had woken to a tapping sound outside my window. I was so afraid that a monster had snuck into my room while I wasn't looking that I made him lay next to me and face outward. I'd peek my eyes open every minute or so to check and make sure my dad was there, staking out the room. Eventually, he rolled in close and said something that I still remember to this day.
"Hey, baby, guess what." he whispered.
"Mmm" I mumbled.
"I think you scared the monster away."
I tried to picture this through the fog of my fatigue. Something seemed off about the statement, like it wasn't logically possible, but before I could piece together the words to express that, my dad cut back in.
"It was scared because it realized you're a superhero. And you know what your greatest superpower is?"
I shook my head, making sure to rub my forehead against his shoulder so he could sense it in the dark room.
"You're greatest power is that you get to tell the monsters what to do. Because the monsters are only as strong as the stories you tell about them. And there's all kinds of stories. Happy ones. Sad ones. Scary ones. Tell me, this monster you think snuck in, would you say he's part of a scary story?"
"I don't know," I said, confused. "Maybe"
"Hmm," he hummed, contemplating. "Well, I want you to remember this. You have the ability to tell any kind of story you want. Maybe there are monsters, but that means there's heroes and angels, too, right?"
I was beginning to doze off to the comforting sound of my dad's deep voice, but I gave another affirmative "Mm-hmm".
"So, if you're ever scared, honey, just dream up a better story. A story that will bring you peace. Do you understand?"
But I was already out.
***
I woke up the next morning to the feeling that someone was in the hotel room with me. The drapes were drawn and the only sound was the AC unit blowing cold air, but when I looked toward the dark corner of the empty coat rack, my mind conjured the face of my dad, smiling at me, chanting that same, awful lineâOh, Lauren⌠you know who we are.
I was no longer a child, but it took a couple minutes of cold focus before I muscled the courage to ascend from the safety of my covers and flick on the lamp light. The small amber radius extended to where my dad's feet would have been if he was standing there. But there was no one. I let out a sigh and collapsed back onto the mattress, thinking back on all those years growing up. The same man who had helped me conquer my fear of the dark was now the monster hiding in its shadow.
I looked over my shoulder and saw the clock read 10:15. My meeting with Trent was in three hours. I moaned and stretched my arms back until they knocked against the headboard, then I collapsed back onto the mattress, meditating, gathering energy like a compressed spring. All at once, I jumped up and glided over to the drapes, opening them in a single, fluid motion. I grimaced at the sunlight, but the warmth felt good against my face. I stopped by the nightstand and gulped down the final few swigs of a bottle of Mello Yello that I had purchased from a vending machine the previous night, then undressed and hopped in the shower.
The warm water wasn't enough to wash away the previous night's memories. When I closed my eyes to lather my hair, I was back in my living room, standing opposite the demon that had taken on my dad's form. His smile. His laugh. It was like someone in my head was flipping a switch between the man I loved growing up and a terrible monster. But the fear was more powerful. I heard something drop onto the tile floor on the other side of the curtain. The noise made me gasp, and I opened my eyes while shampoo was still streaming down my face. I swiped the shampoo out of my now burning eyes and squinted at the curtain, trying to see through it, but I couldn't make anything out. "I-is anyone," I started, trembling, afraid to finish the sentence. I reached out and pinched the end of the curtain. My heart was in overdrive. I swallowed, then pulled it toward me and peeked out. I scanned the room, but I couldn't see anything out of place.
It wasn't until after I finished showering and wound myself up in one of the hotel's too-small towels that I saw what had made the noise. I bent down and picked up the stub of a razor blade that had fallen onto the tile right next to the puffy, gray shower rug. It wasn't mine, and I was pretty sure hotels didn't keep unguarded razor blades just laying around. When I held it up, it occurred to me that if it had simply fallen a few inches to the left, it would have been buried in the rug, and perhaps I would have stepped on it. I stared at myself in its steely reflection. Cold. Lonely. Small. What if Iâwas all I was able to think before the blade blinked out of my hand.
I threw on some clothes, packed up the few belongings I had into my purse, then checked out of my room. I didn't feel safe going back home after what happened, but I also didn't want to go anywhere else. I got in my car and drove aimlessly up and down the town's streets, focusing only on the car ahead of me. Anytime I started to travel down an avenue of thought, I'd make a turn, or speed up, or hit the brakes: anything to keep my mind distracted. It was sweltering outside, but I'd turn the heat on for minutes at a time until I felt drenched, then toggle max AC until I was cool, then back to heat. I repeated the basic driving tenet "10 and 2", "10 and 2", "10 and 2" like a mantraâa chant to focus my attention on a single point, and then I pictured that point disappearing. I began to think that maybe I wanted to disappear.
I fully intended to keep going that way until 1:00, but after about thirty minutes, my meandering route had led me to St. Mark's Catholic Church, where a large group of people were gathered around a long line of tables in front of the building. I slowed down. At the front of the venue was a large, white cardboard sign which read, "Plant a Seed, Share the Joy". I wasn't sure what that meant, but my boredom had come to a head, and I rationalized that if there's any place on God's green earth that would be safe, it was this one. I parked along the closest side-street, then walked over to the church.
Rows of white tables were covered with cardboard boxes filled with small plants that were wrapped up in individual paper pots. I watched from a distance as people behind the tables carefully removed the plants, one by one, and offered them to passersby. I continued down the line, a sheep in the herd, and allowed myself to sink into childhood memories. I had somehow made it out the other end near the Narthex when I heard a woman's voice call to me.
"Hey, deary, have you gotten one yet?"
I turned and saw a small, gray-haired lady with rose-colored glasses. "Oh, no," I started, attempting to decline, then paused. The old lady grabbed one of the plants and held it out for me.
"Here," she said. "Come on, I won't bite."
As far as you know, I thought, and stumbled forward with a sigh. "Thanks," I said and took the plant. "What is this all for, anyway?"
"It's a giveaway," the old woman responded. "Staff have been growing these plantsâtomatoes and garlic, mainlyâso they could offer them to members of the Parish. The idea is to have the members grow the produce, then donate it to St. Mark's Food Pantry to give to those in need."
"Oh, that's actually pretty cool." I replied and inspected my plant which was at present nothing more than a small green stem. "So which kind is this one?"
"That one isâ" the old lady stopped and inspected the other plants near where she had grabbed mineâ"tomato."
"Tomato," I repeated. "Well, thanks again."
"Of course, dear." the old lady beamed. "We're all responsible for each other."
I nodded, then continued back through the crowd toward my car when, through the large vestibule windows, I saw a Priest speaking to a young couple. It had been a little over a decade since I had attended a service (I stopped going during High School when I started studying other religions), and I didn't recognize this Priest. He was short (just over five feet tall), bald, and African American. He wore the customary black robe and white collar, and there was something in his smile and the way seemed to be affirming the couple that made me yearn to speak with him. I considered for a moment, a bit embarrassed to be stepping back into church after all this time, but the thought of being able to burn ten minutes talking with someone who might have some insight into my situation was too tempting to pass up.
I waited near a portrait of Mary Magdalene, my tomato plant in hand, staring off at the pristine series of stained glass images portraying the death and resurrection of Jesus. About a minute in, the Priest met my eyes; he smiled, his way of telling me he knew I was waiting, then finished up with the couple and made his way over. He had a bit of an accent when he spokeâit was Ugandan, from best I could tellâand a proclivity for laughing at the end of his sentences.
"Hello, Miss, I don't believe I've had the privilege," he said and held out his hand. He leaned in as he spoke, and his smile tugged on the corners of his eyes which were already marked with use.
I shook his hand and returned what I'm sure was a weak smile. "No, I don't think so. My name's Lauren. I used to come here when I was little. It'sâbeen a while."
"Well, I see you picked a good day to visit. If you're into gardening, that is." He remarked with a laugh and gestured toward the plant. "It's nice to meet you, Lauren. My name's MartinâFather Martin, if you prefer."
"Father Martin," I repeated, "I have a friend named Martin. It's a good name."
He laughed and said, "Thank you, I'll pass that one along to my mother. She loves the praise."
I laughed back. He carried himself in such a carefree way that I was put immediately at ease. Almost to the point where I forgot what I wanted to talk to him about. "Um," I started, attempting to word my question in a way that didn't sound like I needed psychiatric help. "I have a couple of religious questions for you, if you have time."
"That's what I'm for. Ask away."
"They're about⌠miracles. Like the ones in the Bible. I was wondering, do you think that miracles still happen today?"
"Miracles, huh," he started. "You mean like water into wine?"
"Kind of, yeah,"
"HmmâŚ" he contemplated. "Well, I haven't seen them, myself. You know, I may be a Priest, but I also have a degree in Physics. I think God made the world according to laws, right? But I do think God has the power to intervene. Yes. I just have never seen it⌠like ⌠you know, the biblical type of miracles. To me, there are miracles happening all around usâmiracles we can't see."
"Exactly," I responded, thinking about how no one else could see the blinks, "those kinds of miracles. What are those miracles we can't see?"
One of Father Martin's eyebrows raised and he rubbed his chin. "Well, I think the greatest miracle is the miracle of God's love which was perfected in Christ and offered to each of us. It's his power to heal even the most troubled mind. By coming into alignment with God's will for us, we can see the true purpose of this existence."
No, he's not getting it, I thought. I scrambled to my other entry-point. "What about the story of Job? God made a bet with the Devil that Job would stay faithful to him no matter what the Devil did to him. Do you think that kind of situation is possible?"
Father Martin's expression drooped into a concerned frown. "There's quite the difference between miracles and the story of Job. I suppose I see what you're getting at, though. Job's suffering is in some ways the antithesis to positive miracles. In this life, we are tested, sometimes to the point of losing everything, but even that person who has more reason to hate God than anyone else can once again find peace and eternal happiness through faith. In fact, it's often the person who is lowest in the pit of suffering that needs the Light of Christ more than anyone else."
I thought back on the first night that I prayed. It was in my moment of greatest helplessness that I reached out to God, and I thought I had found my answer in Him. But now, after what happened last night, after all these years of chaosânot merely losing things that were important to me, but my very sanityâI needed more than just blind faith. I couldn't just sit idly by and hope things would get better. I smiled at the Priest and said, "Thank you, Father, this has been very insightful."
"Of course, sister. I'm sorry if I couldn't have been of more help."
"No, I think I understand now. I've been⌠wrestling with something, and I think God wants me to confront it. I think I've been running away and hiding from it for so long that I'd convinced myself it disappeared."
Father Martin nodded in understanding. "Well, in that case, will you let me leave you with a prayer?"
I was a bit taken off guard by the request, but I accepted. "Sure, Father."
I watched as he made the sign of the cross, then he lifted his hands and closed his eyes. "Dear God, I am so happy to have had the privilege of meeting with Lauren today, especially on a day such as this where we are offering gifts for those who need them. You have heard her desire to confront the things that are troubling her. I ask that you bless her with strength and peace and a clear conscience, that she may overcome these challenges. God, bless us with your spirit, that we may see your hand in our lives. Amen."
"Amen," I said.
As I was leaving, Father Martin called out to me and said, "Oh, just so you know, this Friday at 7 we are having a barbecue at the Parish Center. I would love to see you there, if you're able and wanting."
Turning back, I smiled and said, "Oh, ok, thanks Father. I'll think about it."
The priest nodded, and with a smile, he sent me off.
***
I walked into the Deli at 1:00 on the dot. The customers who had arrived for the lunch rush were already cleaning up their trash and heading out. I dodged past a few of them on my way down the long, narrow path leading to the front counter. While I waited behind a couple of elderly folk who were picking which soup they wanted to pair with their Ultimate Grilled Cheese, I looked around for Trent. He hadn't sent me a picture or any way of contacting him throughout the day, so I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but I figured I'd see some man half-hidden behind a newspaper, scouting me out. Maybe I watch too many movies, I thought.
"Ahem, ma'am. You're up." croaked the teenager behind the register.
"Oh, right, sorry" I replied and stepped up to the counter. "Uhh," I muttered, scanning the menu for something that looked edible. "Could I just getâŚ" I made sure to mouth every syllable as they were words of their own.
"We have a dealâthe try two combo. Sandwich and a soup for $9.99." the cashier repeated for what was probably the fiftieth time that day.
"Yes, that sounds good. I'll do the Italian sandwich and potato soup. And a drink, please."
After I paid for the food, I wandered around the tables, hoping to find someone who looked like a Trent. I was picturing a short guy, runner's build, with long brown hair, tucked somewhere neatly away in the corner. So I was not prepared when the Hulk's stunt double growled my name from a table smack dab in the middle of the restaurant. He had a pale, square face that was spotted with freckles and a sinking property that comes with the lethal combination of stress and age. His hair was relatively short. Probably it was brown or auburn, but since it was slicked back, it looked almost black. And he wore what looked like janitor coveralls. There was even a cloth tag pinned to his chest which read, "Trent".
"Lauren?" He repeated.
"Yes, that's me." I said and took a seat across from him. I saw a brown tray on the table in front of him, and on the tray was a large, white soup bowl. It was empty and beginning to crust along the edges. He must have been here for some time already. "I didn't know where you'd be, so I was worried we might miss each other. I'm glad you found me though." I said while looking over Trent more thoroughly. His large hands were stretched out in front of him on the table. He wasn't wearing a ring, so he probably wasn't married. And his face, it was stern. He seemed like a no-bullshit kind of guy. Then I saw his eyes. They were sapphire blueâprobably the most stunning I'd ever seen.
"We only spoke on the internet, so I hope you don't mind, but I usually run a preliminary test on anyone I meet who claims to have abilities such as yours." Trent said while reaching into his pocket and removing a device that had the size and shape of an electric razor. "All you have to do is look into it. It takes maybe five seconds. Ten at most."
"Oh, um, sure," I said reluctantly. "Do I justâ" I asked while reaching for the device.
Trent clicked a button and released the cylindrical head which opened, revealing a glass circle about the size of an iris. "I'll hold it, just look into the center. A red cross should appear, then it'll take the picture."
"OkayâŚ" I replied and did as he instructed, leaning my head forward to look into the device. Sure enough, a red cross appeared. "Is itâŚ" was all I got out before the light turned blue and I saw a gray fog disperse and billow throughout the inside of the tube, extending for what I perceived to be miles. My jaw went slack and I couldn't breathe for maybe five seconds. Then Trent reshuttered the device and turned it over.
"Damn, 72." He said with a hint of shock. "That's the highest I've scanned to date." He looked back at me, more relaxed now, and muttered to himself. "How have you been able to function for this long? At this level, you should basically be half in, half out."
I rubbed my forehead, feeling a mixture of pain and frustration and fatigue and impatience which all poured out at once. "Listen, Trent," I said as sternly as I could, "I came here because you said you knew what was wrong with me and that you could help me. I get you have to make sure I am who I said I am, but now it's your turn to pay up. How do I know you know anything about my condition? You said my mom might still be alive. What does that even mean? I saw her die right in front of me. I want answers."
I waited for Trent to respond, but he only lifted his head. I turned around and saw a girl holding a tray of food.
"Um, hi, sorry to interrupt. I have an order 36 for Lauren."
"Oh, yes, thank you." I said. The worker placed the tray down on the table in front of me, and when I saw the food, I suddenly realized how hungry I was. Trent must have also realized this, because he folded his arms and said, "go ahead and eat. I'll explain while you do."
I wanted to protest, but my salivating mouth made other plans. "Fine," I said. I grabbed the metal spoon off the tray and started on the soup, bracing against the steaming heat of the potato chunks.
As I ate, Trent moved all of the items on his tray off to the side, then he flipped the tray over so it was raised slightly off the table. He took his cup and placed it face down in the center, then he rolled up a few of his used, blue mayonnaise packets and charted a track across the tray.
"What are you doing?" I croaked out between bites.
Trent ignored me and continued by ripping up a napkin into strips and placing them alongside the mayonnaise packets. Finally, he snapped ten toothpicks in half and stuck them in the tomb of a dozen overlayed napkins. "It's your diorama," he said at last.
"It's my what?"
"From the story you sent me. Your diorama. When I read about it, it gave me a good idea of how to explain the 'blinking'."
I pointed at the cup in the center. "Is that supposed to be a pyramid? Because I'm pretty sure you're in the wrong geometric neighborhood with that one."
"It's an analogy," he said.
"Of an analogy," I quipped back.
"Look," he picked out one of the toothpicks and held it out in front of me. "This could be a person, an animal, a crowbarâwhatever you want. The point is, this diorama is a stand in for our universe. This is everything that exists, that we can see. Okay?"
"Okay,"
"Now, me," Trent placed a hand over his heart. "I'm not in the diorama. I don't exist in the universe."
"In the universe where a cup is a pyramid, or the actual universe?" I said, unable to control myself.
Trent grimaced.
"Sorry, keep going. I get it."
"Things pop into," Trent threw the toothpick back onto the tray, "or out of," he picked the toothpick back up, "our universe at will, based on forces," he patted his chest again, "that exist in other realms" he gestured to the room, "that are connected to our universe," he tapped two fingers against the tray. "These things could be objects, like, say, a toothpick, or entities, like the one you encountered yesterday. The blinking experience that you described aligns with the typical experience of a moderate Antenna. That's what I call people like usâAntennas; because we can pick up on signals others can't."
"Weâyou mean you see the blinking, too?"
"Yes, but not to the same extent as you. If all the blinks are gathered in a giant picture that you can see, I'm traversing the image through binoculars, maybe even a microscope, depending on where we are."
I thought about this. I guess it was possible there were other people like me out there, but since I had never met anyone, I didn't really consider the idea until now. And then for him to say my ability was somehow much stronger than his⌠"But," I started, "I haven't even seen that many blinks since I was a child. It's just more focused and malicious now."
"Yeah," Trent scratched his head, "that's the thing that got me really interested in you. Somehow you seem to be able to control it without gear, just by praying. And, look, that's all well and good, but I don't want to give you the false impression that I'm some kind of religious leader. I like to look for logical, scientific explanations for things. So that's the frame I'm coming at this from."
I took a sip from my drink. "That's fine," I said, "the truth is that's why I reached out to you in the first place. I wanted an explanation I could understand. An explanation that was directly related to what I'm going through."
"Then we should get along just fine."
I was scooping out the last potato that was stubbornly gliding along the bottom of the bowl when, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the old man from the line shooting up from his bench and standing in army-erect form. I felt a tingling sensation tickle the back of my neck. I didn't want to turn toward him. I knew what I'd see if I did. "Trent," I whispered, trying to tip him off.
"Huh?" he grunted. Then when he saw my expression, he snuck his right hand under the table and said, "Do you see it? Is it here?"
I cocked my head to the left, signaling toward the old man that was now facing us, but Trent didn't seem to notice him: his eyes just kept scanning the entire front of the restaurant. Then I saw the old man take a step in our direction.
"Lauuurennnn, oh Lauuuurennnn, I've been looking for you, Laurenn." The old man said in a low, gravelly voice that gave the impression he was gurgling liquid tar. I turned and saw his face. It was cold and expressionless, and a butter knife was poking out of his left fist. When I met his eyes, he smiled that horrible smile."You're a slippery bitch, you know that?" He spat. "Why can't you just stay put? Don't you get tired of running from your old friend? Or have you forgotten about me?"
"Trent," I mumbled out. "Right there."
"And this guy. You think he can help you? He's only here to help himself. If that's not clear, you really are a lost little lamb."
"Quick, give me your hand," Trent instructed.
I was silent, my eyes still pinned to the old man.
"Tsk-tsk-tsk," the demon possessed senior wagged his finger at me, taking a step, then another step, shortening the distance as much as he could while I was entranced. Then, suddenly, he sprinted forward at a speed that shouldn't have been possible for a man his age.
"Trent!" I screamed.
"Lauren, give me your hand!"
I spun around and grabbed Tren'ts outstretched arm just as the old man lifted the butter knife over his head like a pickaxe. Then I saw Trent pull out what looked like a toy gun from under the table and point it at the demon.
"Got you," Trent remarked. I braced for a gunshot, but there was no noise. After a couple seconds, I looked back and saw the old man sitting in the booth opposite his wife, his hand tremoring as he reached for his large drink.
"What did you?" I asked, but Trent was already pulling me out of my seat. "Come on, we have to go," he said, "the effect is temporary, he'll beâ"
Before he could get out the last word, I saw the cup-pyramid on Trent's tray blink out of existence. The sound of a plate shattering rang out from a table up ahead. The lone woman standing there slowly turned around, smiling, with a fork in one hand and a piece of the broken plate in the other. Trent shot her with the toy gun as we ran past and then barreled through the front door.
"Whereâare we going?" I asked between gasps.
"My van. It's loaded with kit."
"And then where?"
"Your house" replied Trent who stashed his gun back in his pocket and took out a key fob.
"My house? But that's where heâit appeared."
"Yeah, and that's where you banished it."
Trent waved me into the passenger seat of his RAM 3500 Promaster. I noticed right away the dash which looked more like it belonged in a new limited-edition EV than a cargo van. The ignition kicked on automatically, and I heard the beep of a sonar ping precede an English woman's voice calling out like some auxed-in GPS saying, "scanning for anomalies". Trent shifted the van into gear, and I heard the wheels sputter as we accelerated backward and whipped out of the small parking lot.
"What's your address?" Trent asked. I gave it to him, and then speaking to his dash, he said, "Car, take us to ****."
"Redirecting to ****," replied the British woman. "Currently detecting 31 novel emergences. Updating pings every 300 milliseconds. Chance of contact: 0.23%"
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"The van has sensor equipment which can detect blinks. It's much more accurate than either of us."
"And it sees 31?"
"Yes, that's not as many as it sounds." Trent said and tore past a car that blinked out of existence right as we turned onto the main street.
We drove on for another couple minutes, the Englishwoman updating the number of novel emergences every ten seconds or so. Her constant babbling eventually became a comforting background noise, and I was able to think again.
"In the message you sent me, you said my mom may still be alive." I looked at Trent to see if he would react to me bringing her up, but he remained stolid. "What did you mean by that?"
Trent thumbed his steering wheel. "I shouldn't have sent that." He said at last.
"Shouldn't have⌠What do you mean? You can't just say that now."
Trent took one hand off the wheel and turned toward me. "Look, we're going back to your house because we need to determine your origin point. All Antennas have them. It's a place of high energy where many realms intersect, kind of like a station, and it's the place where you first acquired your abilities. Based on everything you wrote, I'm guessing that place is where the forest where the accident happened when you were a young child. But I need to confirm it. Once I confirm that that's the placeâŚ" Trent hesitated.
"Then⌠what? You want us to go back there? To the place where my mom died, or at least where I think she died until you told me she might be alive but are now taking it back? That place?"
"It's the only way toâ"
"Now detecting novel agent," the Englishwoman interrupted. We both perked up as she gave another update. "Net anomalies: 437. Novel Agents: 1. Chance of contact: 78%."
"Shit," Trent muttered. "Car, course correct."
"Attempting course correct to avoid collision. Attempts made: 10, 50, 75, 79⌠No alternate route detected. Chance of contact: 96%."
"Time until contact?"
"Time until contact: 13 seconds."
I shuddered. Looking out the front windshield, I saw cars pop out of existence left and right, opening up a clear path to the four way intersection ahead. In a blink, the streetlights all turned green, and then they vanished completely. It was as if the entire world was being stripped down bare, and all that remained was the road, boxed in by the rows of buildings along either side. In the distance I could see a large tanker barreling toward us.
"Trent,"
"I know," he replied and clicked a different button on the console which opened a new toggle for the shifter labeled "TD". He pushed the stick forward, engaging the new mode, then pressed the accelerator all the way to the ground. "You're going to want to hold on."
"What are you doing!?" I yelled, grabbing onto my seatbelt.
"No time to explain. Car, release phase lock."
"Phase lock released."
I watched in horror as the color drained from the road and buildings and sky, transforming it all into a dim tunnel, with only the headlights of the oncoming semi-truck visible up ahead. I had the sudden thought that this was all a dream, just like the ones from my childhood. I looked over and no longer saw Trent, but my mother. And then I realized this wasn't a dream. This was hell. I was being forced to relive the worst moment of my life, over and over again. Just when I thought I had escaped, I was pulled right back into that car, helpless as we approached but never arrived at our impending fate. I closed my eyes right as the lights engulfed the windshield and braced for the usual pain in my chest, for the feeling of breaking.
But it didn't come.
"Shift" was the last word out of Trent's mouth, and then I was infused with the sensation of being at the pinnacle of a roller coaster. I was suspended there for what felt like hours, but somehow I knew that not even a second had passed. Everything inside the van: the dashboard, windows, ceiling, doors, even Trent himself began to radiate enigmatic particles. They were a mass of constant motion, like raindrops falling through the air but never landing. I looked down at my hand, but it was gone. Diffused into an unknowable number of untraceable particles. The world outside, once devoid of color, was now nothing but color. When I tried to focus on a particular spot in the infinite geometric folds of whatever realm we were traversing through, I could sometimes detect a trace of our world.
The old lady from the church. She appeared as if through a window, standing behind a table, holding out a plant. Only this image was so much brighter. And the plant she was holding was pure gold. Then I'd catch a glimpse of the razor blade. It was large, many hundreds of times larger than the van, and surrounded by darkness. These ghostly images appeared like holograms or reflections that caught the light at just the right angle, then dissipated.
I stayed there, looping between the archetypes of my life for a long, long time.
***
I knew we were returning when I felt the first sense of motion. Breath filled my lungs for the first time in what felt like a day. I blinked. And then we were back in town, driving down the same road with the blue sky above. People were jogging on the sidewalk past the little street shops. The streetlights were active. I checked the side mirror and saw the tanker had just passed by.
I looked over at Trent, who met my eyes. We shared a look of knowing, and unknowing. For some reason, that was enough, and we continued on in silence.
***
We agreed to stay the night at my house.
Trent had parked a couple blocks away in front of a couple vacant houses so as not to arouse suspicion from the neighbors. Then he lugged a large duffel bag with his equipment in and set it up in the living room. He scanned the scrapbook which contained the newspaper clippings from the accident several times and confirmed that was likely my 'origin point'. I simply nodded and then went back out onto the back porch. I sat there for hours, basking in the sun. Something had changed in the past day, but I couldn't pick out what it was. Too much had happened. I had too little time to process any of it.
When the sun set, I went inside and Trent told me about his plans for the next couple days. He said he needed to run a few errands in the morning, then meet up with a couple of his associates. After that, we could begin our drive to Southern Illinois. He said it was likely that the entity that was chasing me had first tied itself to me during my childhood accident. For whatever reason, we came into contact, and now it didn't want to leave. Trent would help me get rid of it. He didn't go into many details regarding how that was to happen, but I don't think in my tired state I would have been able to understand much anyway. He had a plan, and that was enough for me. At least for a while.
After our meeting, I made sure Trent had enough pillows and blankets like a proper host, then I retired to my room. I laid down on my twin bed and stared up at the cream-colored ceiling. Then I turned and saw the participation awards for my junior soccer league stashed on my dresser. I pictured myself on the field, running with the ball, out ahead of everyone except the goalie. I took a shot, but it was blocked. Then I ran back to defend. How can such a simple game be so much fun? Was the last thought I had before drifting off to sleep.
I woke up only once during the night. It was still dark out. The room was warm despite the small, flower petal fan churning away, shifting the hot, humid air from one pocket of the room to the next. I waited in apprehension, sensing that something had disturbed me. I saw the tomato plushie peeking out at me from the slightly ajar closet door where I had stashed it so many years ago. I felt like I was missing something. Something important.
And then I heard it.
There was a tapping at my window.
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2024.05.21 16:51 Weathers_Writing I think God might be real, just not in the way you think (Part 2)
Part 1 First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for their kind words and support from the last post. A lot has happened since then, and a bunch of context is needed, so I hope you'll bear with me as I explain the details.
***
Back during the peak of the blinking crisis, I remember having a lot of difficulty sleeping. It was common for me to average only four or five hours a night, and the little sleep I did get was marred by terrible nightmares. One in particular recurred many times.
I was only eight, but somehow I was in the driver's seat of our family's old SUV. My arms were long enough to steady the wheel, but my legs didn't quite meet the pedals. It didn't matter though, since the car seemed content to continue on at a constant pace. I looked over and saw my mom in the passenger seat. Her face was a blurry likeness pieced together from the dozen or so picture's I'd seen of her over the years. I tried to bring her into focus, not only because I missed her dearly, but because she was speakingâpleading, even. She waved frantically at me, then brought her leg up and slammed it down on the floor mat several times. I didn't understand what had her so upset until she pointed out the front windshield, and I saw we were hurdling directly toward a giant tree that had fallen in the middle of the road.
Panicking, I stomped for the brake, but my seatbelt protested and pulled me back like an invigorated dog on a short leash. I sat up and tried clicking it off, but it wouldn't budge. My breaths became hollow cries, and I felt my heart beat against the bars of its bony prison. I grabbed the steering wheel and pulled it to the left, then right, attempting to swerve off the road, but it was as if whatever kind of glue was locking up the seatbelt was also fixing the steering wheel in place.
"Mom! what do I do!?" I yelled, tears streaming from my eyes. She was yelling back at me, but it was as if there was a divider between us, and neither of us could hear each other. I turned back just in time to see the giant Oak tree meet the front bumper, and then I jolted awake with a piercing pain in my chest that radiated up through my throat in the form of a giant scream. My little legs kicked under the covers and tears rained down on my pillow until my dad ran in and knelt at my bed.
"Lauren, are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?"
I grabbed my pillow and hugged it so my face was covered, then effused a "Mmm-hmm" in a long wheeze while rocking to either side.
"Oh, honey," he soothed and brushed my hair, then the tears from my face when I would allow it.
Time would pass in silence, and when I began to get the sense that my dad was ready to leave, I'd chirp out, "
stay" in that way children do when they're embarrassed about wanting something.
"Always," my dad would reply; then he'd post up on the floor with my large tomato plushie as a pillow.
One night in particular, it was deep in the night, and I had woken to a tapping sound outside my window. I was so afraid that a monster had snuck into my room while I wasn't looking that I made him lay next to me and face outward. I'd peek my eyes open every minute or so to check and make sure my dad was there, staking out the room. Eventually, he rolled in close and said something that I still remember to this day.
"Hey, baby, guess what." he whispered.
"Mmm" I mumbled.
"I think you scared the monster away."
I tried to picture this through the fog of my fatigue. Something seemed off about the statement, like it wasn't logically possible, but before I could piece together the words to express that, my dad cut back in.
"It was scared because it realized you're a superhero. And you know what your greatest superpower is?"
I shook my head, making sure to rub my forehead against his shoulder so he could sense it in the dark room.
"You're greatest power is that you get to tell the monsters what to do. Because the monsters are only as strong as the stories you tell about them. And there's all kinds of stories. Happy ones. Sad ones.
Scary ones. Tell me, this monster you think snuck in, would you say he's part of a scary story?"
"I don't know," I said, confused. "Maybe"
"Hmm," he hummed, contemplating. "Well, I want you to remember this. You have the ability to tell any kind of story you want. Maybe there are monsters, but that means there's heroes and angels, too, right?"
I was beginning to doze off to the comforting sound of my dad's deep voice, but I gave another affirmative "Mm-hmm".
"So, if you're ever scared, honey, just dream up a better story. A story that will bring you peace. Do you understand?"
But I was already out.
***
I woke up the next morning to the feeling that someone was in the hotel room with me. The drapes were drawn and the only sound was the AC unit blowing cold air, but when I looked toward the dark corner of the empty coat rack, my mind conjured the face of my dad, smiling at me, chanting that same, awful lineâ
Oh, Lauren⌠you know who we are.
I was no longer a child, but it took a couple minutes of cold focus before I muscled the courage to ascend from the safety of my covers and flick on the lamp light. The small amber radius extended to where my dad's feet would have been if he was standing there. But there was no one. I let out a sigh and collapsed back onto the mattress, thinking back on all those years growing up. The same man who had helped me conquer my fear of the dark was now the monster hiding in its shadow.
I looked over my shoulder and saw the clock read 10:15. My meeting with Trent was in three hours. I moaned and stretched my arms back until they knocked against the headboard, then I collapsed back onto the mattress, meditating, gathering energy like a compressed spring. All at once, I jumped up and glided over to the drapes, opening them in a single, fluid motion. I grimaced at the sunlight, but the warmth felt good against my face. I stopped by the nightstand and gulped down the final few swigs of a bottle of Mello Yello that I had purchased from a vending machine the previous night, then undressed and hopped in the shower.
The warm water wasn't enough to wash away the previous night's memories. When I closed my eyes to lather my hair, I was back in my living room, standing opposite the demon that had taken on my dad's form. His smile. His laugh. It was like someone in my head was flipping a switch between the man I loved growing up and a terrible monster. But the fear was more powerful. I heard something drop onto the tile floor on the other side of the curtain. The noise made me gasp, and I opened my eyes while shampoo was still streaming down my face. I swiped the shampoo out of my now burning eyes and squinted at the curtain, trying to see through it, but I couldn't make anything out. "I-is anyone," I started, trembling, afraid to finish the sentence. I reached out and pinched the end of the curtain. My heart was in overdrive. I swallowed, then pulled it toward me and peeked out. I scanned the room, but I couldn't see anything out of place.
It wasn't until after I finished showering and wound myself up in one of the hotel's too-small towels that I saw what had made the noise. I bent down and picked up the stub of a razor blade that had fallen onto the tile right next to the puffy, gray shower rug. It wasn't mine, and I was pretty sure hotels didn't keep unguarded razor blades just laying around. When I held it up, it occurred to me that if it had simply fallen a few inches to the left, it would have been buried in the rug, and perhaps I would have stepped on it. I stared at myself in its steely reflection. Cold. Lonely. Small.
What if Iâwas all I was able to think before the blade blinked out of my hand.
I threw on some clothes, packed up the few belongings I had into my purse, then checked out of my room. I didn't feel safe going back home after what happened, but I also didn't want to go anywhere else. I got in my car and drove aimlessly up and down the town's streets, focusing only on the car ahead of me. Anytime I started to travel down an avenue of thought, I'd make a turn, or speed up, or hit the brakes: anything to keep my mind distracted. It was sweltering outside, but I'd turn the heat on for minutes at a time until I felt drenched, then toggle max AC until I was cool, then back to heat. I repeated the basic driving tenet "10 and 2", "10 and 2", "10 and 2" like a mantraâa chant to focus my attention on a single point, and then I pictured that point disappearing. I began to think that maybe
I wanted to disappear.
I fully intended to keep going that way until 1:00, but after about thirty minutes, my meandering route had led me to St. Mark's Catholic Church, where a large group of people were gathered around a long line of tables in front of the building. I slowed down. At the front of the venue was a large, white cardboard sign which read, "Plant a Seed, Share the Joy". I wasn't sure what that meant, but my boredom had come to a head, and I rationalized that if there's any place on God's green earth that would be safe, it was this one. I parked along the closest side-street, then walked over to the church.
Rows of white tables were covered with cardboard boxes filled with small plants that were wrapped up in individual paper pots. I watched from a distance as people behind the tables carefully removed the plants, one by one, and offered them to passersby. I continued down the line, a sheep in the herd, and allowed myself to sink into childhood memories. I had somehow made it out the other end near the Narthex when I heard a woman's voice call to me.
"Hey, deary, have you gotten one yet?"
I turned and saw a small, gray-haired lady with rose-colored glasses. "Oh, no," I started, attempting to decline, then paused. The old lady grabbed one of the plants and held it out for me.
"Here," she said. "Come on, I won't bite."
As far as you know, I thought, and stumbled forward with a sigh. "Thanks," I said and took the plant. "What is this all for, anyway?"
"It's a giveaway," the old woman responded. "Staff have been growing these plantsâtomatoes and garlic, mainlyâso they could offer them to members of the Parish. The idea is to have the members grow the produce, then donate it to St. Mark's Food Pantry to give to those in need."
"Oh, that's actually pretty cool." I replied and inspected my plant which was at present nothing more than a small green stem. "So which kind is this one?"
"That one isâ" the old lady stopped and inspected the other plants near where she had grabbed mineâ"tomato."
"Tomato," I repeated. "Well, thanks again."
"Of course, dear." the old lady beamed. "We're all responsible for each other."
I nodded, then continued back through the crowd toward my car when, through the large vestibule windows, I saw a Priest speaking to a young couple. It had been a little over a decade since I had attended a service (I stopped going during High School when I started studying other religions), and I didn't recognize this Priest. He was short (just over five feet tall), bald, and African American. He wore the customary black robe and white collar, and there was something in his smile and the way seemed to be affirming the couple that made me yearn to speak with him. I considered for a moment, a bit embarrassed to be stepping back into church after all this time, but the thought of being able to burn ten minutes talking with someone who might have some insight into my situation was too tempting to pass up.
I waited near a portrait of Mary Magdalene, my tomato plant in hand, staring off at the pristine series of stained glass images portraying the death and resurrection of Jesus. About a minute in, the Priest met my eyes; he smiled, his way of telling me he knew I was waiting, then finished up with the couple and made his way over. He had a bit of an accent when he spokeâit was Ugandan, from best I could tellâand a proclivity for laughing at the end of his sentences.
"Hello, Miss, I don't believe I've had the privilege," he said and held out his hand. He leaned in as he spoke, and his smile tugged on the corners of his eyes which were already marked with use.
I shook his hand and returned what I'm sure was a weak smile. "No, I don't think so. My name's Lauren. I used to come here when I was little. It'sâbeen a while."
"Well, I see you picked a good day to visit. If you're into gardening, that is." He remarked with a laugh and gestured toward the plant. "It's nice to meet you, Lauren. My name's MartinâFather Martin, if you prefer."
"Father Martin," I repeated, "I have a friend named Martin. It's a good name."
He laughed and said, "Thank you, I'll pass that one along to my mother. She loves the praise."
I laughed back. He carried himself in such a carefree way that I was put immediately at ease. Almost to the point where I forgot what I wanted to talk to him about. "Um," I started, attempting to word my question in a way that didn't sound like I needed psychiatric help. "I have a couple of religious questions for you, if you have time."
"That's what I'm for. Ask away."
"They're about⌠miracles. Like the ones in the Bible. I was wondering, do you think that miracles still happen today?"
"Miracles, huh," he started. "You mean like water into wine?"
"Kind of, yeah,"
"HmmâŚ" he contemplated. "Well, I haven't seen them, myself. You know, I may be a Priest, but I also have a degree in Physics. I think God made the world according to laws, right? But I do think God has the power to intervene. Yes. I just have never seen it⌠like ⌠you know, the biblical type of miracles. To me, there are miracles happening all around usâmiracles we
can't see."
"Exactly," I responded, thinking about how no one else could see the blinks, "
those kinds of miracles. What are those miracles we
can't see?"
One of Father Martin's eyebrows raised and he rubbed his chin. "Well, I think the greatest miracle is the miracle of God's love which was perfected in Christ and offered to each of us. It's his power to heal even the most troubled mind. By coming into alignment with God's will for us, we can see the true purpose of this existence."
No, he's not getting it, I thought. I scrambled to my other entry-point. "What about the story of Job? God made a bet with the Devil that Job would stay faithful to him no matter what the Devil did to him. Do you think that kind of situation is possible?"
Father Martin's expression drooped into a concerned frown. "There's quite the difference between miracles and the story of Job. I suppose I see what you're getting at, though. Job's suffering is in some ways the antithesis to positive miracles. In this life, we are tested, sometimes to the point of losing everything, but even that person who has more reason to hate God than anyone else can once again find peace and eternal happiness through faith. In fact, it's often the person who is lowest in the pit of suffering that needs the Light of Christ more than anyone else."
I thought back on the first night that I prayed. It was in my moment of greatest helplessness that I reached out to God, and I thought I had found my answer in Him. But now, after what happened last night, after all these years of chaosânot merely losing things that were important to me, but my very sanityâI needed more than just blind faith. I couldn't just sit idly by and hope things would get better. I smiled at the Priest and said, "Thank you, Father, this has been very insightful."
"Of course, sister. I'm sorry if I couldn't have been of more help."
"No, I think I understand now. I've been⌠wrestling with something, and I think God wants me to confront it. I think I've been running away and hiding from it for so long that I'd convinced myself it disappeared."
Father Martin nodded in understanding. "Well, in that case, will you let me leave you with a prayer?"
I was a bit taken off guard by the request, but I accepted. "Sure, Father."
I watched as he made the sign of the cross, then he lifted his hands and closed his eyes. "Dear God, I am so happy to have had the privilege of meeting with Lauren today, especially on a day such as this where we are offering gifts for those who need them. You have heard her desire to confront the things that are troubling her. I ask that you bless her with strength and peace and a clear conscience, that she may overcome these challenges. God, bless us with your spirit, that we may see your hand in our lives. Amen."
"Amen," I said.
As I was leaving, Father Martin called out to me and said, "Oh, just so you know, this Friday at 7 we are having a barbecue at the Parish Center. I would love to see you there, if you're able and wanting."
Turning back, I smiled and said, "Oh, ok, thanks Father. I'll think about it."
The priest nodded, and with a smile, he sent me off.
***
I walked into the Deli at 1:00 on the dot. The customers who had arrived for the lunch rush were already cleaning up their trash and heading out. I dodged past a few of them on my way down the long, narrow path leading to the front counter. While I waited behind a couple of elderly folk who were picking which soup they wanted to pair with their Ultimate Grilled Cheese, I looked around for Trent. He hadn't sent me a picture or any way of contacting him throughout the day, so I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but I figured I'd see some man half-hidden behind a newspaper, scouting me out.
Maybe I watch too many movies, I thought.
"Ahem, ma'am. You're up." croaked the teenager behind the register.
"Oh, right, sorry" I replied and stepped up to the counter. "Uhh," I muttered, scanning the menu for something that looked edible. "Could I just getâŚ" I made sure to mouth every syllable as they were words of their own.
"We have a dealâthe try two combo. Sandwich and a soup for $9.99." the cashier repeated for what was probably the fiftieth time that day.
"Yes, that sounds good. I'll do the Italian sandwich and potato soup. And a drink, please."
After I paid for the food, I wandered around the tables, hoping to find someone who looked like a Trent. I was picturing a short guy, runner's build, with long brown hair, tucked somewhere neatly away in the corner. So I was not prepared when the Hulk's stunt double growled my name from a table smack dab in the middle of the restaurant. He had a pale, square face that was spotted with freckles and a sinking property that comes with the lethal combination of stress and age. His hair was relatively short. Probably it was brown or auburn, but since it was slicked back, it looked almost black. And he wore what looked like janitor coveralls. There was even a cloth tag pinned to his chest which read, "Trent".
"Lauren?" He repeated.
"Yes, that's me." I said and took a seat across from him. I saw a brown tray on the table in front of him, and on the tray was a large, white soup bowl. It was empty and beginning to crust along the edges. He must have been here for some time already. "I didn't know where you'd be, so I was worried we might miss each other. I'm glad you found me though." I said while looking over Trent more thoroughly. His large hands were stretched out in front of him on the table. He wasn't wearing a ring, so he probably wasn't married. And his face, it was stern. He seemed like a no-bullshit kind of guy. Then I saw his eyes. They were sapphire blueâprobably the most stunning I'd ever seen.
"We only spoke on the internet, so I hope you don't mind, but I usually run a preliminary test on anyone I meet who claims to have abilities such as yours." Trent said while reaching into his pocket and removing a device that had the size and shape of an electric razor. "All you have to do is look into it. It takes maybe five seconds. Ten at most."
"Oh, um, sure," I said reluctantly. "Do I justâ" I asked while reaching for the device.
Trent clicked a button and released the cylindrical head which opened, revealing a glass circle about the size of an iris. "I'll hold it, just look into the center. A red cross should appear, then it'll take the picture."
"OkayâŚ" I replied and did as he instructed, leaning my head forward to look into the device. Sure enough, a red cross appeared. "Is itâŚ" was all I got out before the light turned blue and I saw a gray fog disperse and billow throughout the inside of the tube, extending for what I perceived to be miles. My jaw went slack and I couldn't breathe for maybe five seconds. Then Trent reshuttered the device and turned it over.
"Damn, 72." He said with a hint of shock. "That's the highest I've scanned to date." He looked back at me, more relaxed now, and muttered to himself. "How have you been able to function for this long? At this level, you should basically be half in, half out."
I rubbed my forehead, feeling a mixture of pain and frustration and fatigue and impatience which all poured out at once. "Listen, Trent," I said as sternly as I could, "I came here because you said you knew what was wrong with me and that you could help me. I get you have to make sure I am who I said I am, but now it's your turn to pay up. How do I know you know anything about my condition? You said my mom might still be alive. What does that even mean? I saw her die right in front of me. I want
answers."
I waited for Trent to respond, but he only lifted his head. I turned around and saw a girl holding a tray of food.
"Um, hi, sorry to interrupt. I have an order 36 for Lauren."
"Oh, yes, thank you." I said. The worker placed the tray down on the table in front of me, and when I saw the food, I suddenly realized how hungry I was. Trent must have also realized this, because he folded his arms and said, "go ahead and eat. I'll explain while you do."
I wanted to protest, but my salivating mouth made other plans. "Fine," I said. I grabbed the metal spoon off the tray and started on the soup, bracing against the steaming heat of the potato chunks.
As I ate, Trent moved all of the items on his tray off to the side, then he flipped the tray over so it was raised slightly off the table. He took his cup and placed it face down in the center, then he rolled up a few of his used, blue mayonnaise packets and charted a track across the tray.
"What are you doing?" I croaked out between bites.
Trent ignored me and continued by ripping up a napkin into strips and placing them alongside the mayonnaise packets. Finally, he snapped ten toothpicks in half and stuck them in the tomb of a dozen overlayed napkins. "It's your diorama," he said at last.
"It's my
what?"
"From the story you sent me. Your diorama. When I read about it, it gave me a good idea of how to explain the 'blinking'."
I pointed at the cup in the center. "Is that supposed to be a pyramid? Because I'm pretty sure you're in the wrong geometric neighborhood with that one."
"It's an analogy," he said.
"
Of an analogy," I quipped back.
"Look," he picked out one of the toothpicks and held it out in front of me. "This could be a person, an animal, a crowbarâwhatever you want. The point is, this diorama is a stand in for our universe. This is everything that exists, that we can see. Okay?"
"Okay,"
"Now, me," Trent placed a hand over his heart. "I'm not in the diorama. I don't exist in the universe."
"In the universe where a cup is a pyramid, or the actual universe?" I said, unable to control myself.
Trent grimaced.
"Sorry, keep going. I get it."
"Things pop into," Trent threw the toothpick back onto the tray, "or out of," he picked the toothpick back up, "our universe at will, based on forces," he patted his chest again, "that exist in other realms" he gestured to the room, "that are connected to our universe," he tapped two fingers against the tray. "These things could be objects, like, say, a toothpick, or entities, like the one you encountered yesterday. The
blinking experience that you described aligns with the typical experience of a moderate Antenna. That's what I call people like usâAntennas; because we can pick up on signals others can't."
"Weâyou mean
you see the blinking, too?"
"Yes, but not to the same extent as you. If all the blinks are gathered in a giant picture that
you can see, I'm traversing the image through binoculars, maybe even a microscope, depending on where we are."
I thought about this. I guess it was possible there were other people like me out there, but since I had never met anyone, I didn't really consider the idea until now. And then for him to say
my ability was somehow much stronger than his⌠"But," I started, "I haven't even seen that many blinks since I was a child. It's just more focused and malicious now."
"Yeah," Trent scratched his head, "that's the thing that got me really interested in you. Somehow you seem to be able to control it without gear, just by praying. And, look, that's all well and good, but I don't want to give you the false impression that I'm some kind of religious leader. I like to look for logical,
scientific explanations for things. So that's the frame I'm coming at this from."
I took a sip from my drink. "That's fine," I said, "the truth is that's why I reached out to you in the first place. I wanted an explanation I could understand. An explanation that was directly related to what
I'm going through."
"Then we should get along just fine."
I was scooping out the last potato that was stubbornly gliding along the bottom of the bowl when, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the old man from the line shooting up from his bench and standing in army-erect form. I felt a tingling sensation tickle the back of my neck. I didn't want to turn toward him. I knew what I'd see if I did. "Trent," I whispered, trying to tip him off.
"Huh?" he grunted. Then when he saw my expression, he snuck his right hand under the table and said, "Do you see it? Is it here?"
I cocked my head to the left, signaling toward the old man that was now facing us, but Trent didn't seem to notice him: his eyes just kept scanning the entire front of the restaurant. Then I saw the old man take a step in our direction.
"Lauuurennnn, oh Lauuuurennnn, I've been looking for you, Laurenn." The old man said in a low, gravelly voice that gave the impression he was gurgling liquid tar. I turned and saw his face. It was cold and expressionless, and a butter knife was poking out of his left fist. When I met his eyes, he smiled that horrible smile."You're a slippery bitch, you know that?" He spat. "Why can't you just stay put? Don't you get tired of running from your old friend? Or have you forgotten about me?"
"Trent," I mumbled out. "Right there."
"And this guy. You think
he can help you? He's only here to help himself. If that's not clear, you really are a lost little lamb."
"Quick, give me your hand," Trent instructed.
I was silent, my eyes still pinned to the old man.
"Tsk-tsk-tsk," the demon possessed senior wagged his finger at me, taking a step, then another step, shortening the distance as much as he could while I was entranced. Then, suddenly, he sprinted forward at a speed that shouldn't have been possible for a man his age.
"Trent!" I screamed.
"Lauren,
give me your hand!"
I spun around and grabbed Tren'ts outstretched arm just as the old man lifted the butter knife over his head like a pickaxe. Then I saw Trent pull out what looked like a toy gun from under the table and point it at the demon.
"Got you," Trent remarked. I braced for a gunshot, but there was no noise. After a couple seconds, I looked back and saw the old man sitting in the booth opposite his wife, his hand tremoring as he reached for his large drink.
"What did you?" I asked, but Trent was already pulling me out of my seat. "Come on, we have to go," he said, "the effect is temporary, he'll beâ"
Before he could get out the last word, I saw the cup-pyramid on Trent's tray blink out of existence. The sound of a plate shattering rang out from a table up ahead. The lone woman standing there slowly turned around, smiling, with a fork in one hand and a piece of the broken plate in the other. Trent shot her with the toy gun as we ran past and then barreled through the front door.
"Whereâare we going?" I asked between gasps.
"My van. It's loaded with kit."
"And then where?"
"Your house" replied Trent who stashed his gun back in his pocket and took out a key fob.
"
My house? But that's where heâ
it appeared."
"Yeah, and that's where you banished it."
Trent waved me into the passenger seat of his RAM 3500 Promaster. I noticed right away the dash which looked more like it belonged in a new limited-edition EV than a cargo van. The ignition kicked on automatically, and I heard the beep of a sonar ping precede an English woman's voice calling out like some auxed-in GPS saying, "scanning for anomalies". Trent shifted the van into gear, and I heard the wheels sputter as we accelerated backward and whipped out of the small parking lot.
"What's your address?" Trent asked. I gave it to him, and then speaking to his dash, he said, "Car, take us to ****."
"Redirecting to ****," replied the British woman. "Currently detecting 31 novel emergences. Updating pings every 300 milliseconds. Chance of contact: 0.23%"
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"The van has sensor equipment which can detect blinks. It's much more accurate than either of us."
"And it sees 31?"
"Yes, that's not as many as it sounds." Trent said and tore past a car that blinked out of existence right as we turned onto the main street.
We drove on for another couple minutes, the Englishwoman updating the number of novel emergences every ten seconds or so. Her constant babbling eventually became a comforting background noise, and I was able to think again.
"In the message you sent me, you said my mom may still be alive." I looked at Trent to see if he would react to me bringing her up, but he remained stolid. "What did you mean by that?"
Trent thumbed his steering wheel. "I shouldn't have sent that." He said at last.
"Shouldn't have⌠What do you mean? You can't just say that now."
Trent took one hand off the wheel and turned toward me. "Look, we're going back to your house because we need to determine your origin point. All Antennas have them. It's a place of high energy where many realms intersect, kind of like a station, and it's the place where you first acquired your abilities. Based on everything you wrote, I'm guessing that place is where the forest where the accident happened when you were a young child. But I need to confirm it. Once I confirm that that's the placeâŚ" Trent hesitated.
"Then⌠what? You want us to go back there? To the place where my mom died, or at least where I think she died until you told me she might be alive but are now taking it back?
That place?"
"It's the only way toâ"
"Now detecting novel agent," the Englishwoman interrupted. We both perked up as she gave another update. "Net anomalies: 437. Novel Agents: 1. Chance of contact: 78%."
"Shit," Trent muttered. "Car, course correct."
"Attempting course correct to avoid collision. Attempts made: 10, 50, 75, 79⌠No alternate route detected. Chance of contact: 96%."
"Time until contact?"
"Time until contact: 13 seconds."
I shuddered. Looking out the front windshield, I saw cars pop out of existence left and right, opening up a clear path to the four way intersection ahead. In a blink, the streetlights all turned green, and then they vanished completely. It was as if the entire world was being stripped down bare, and all that remained was the road, boxed in by the rows of buildings along either side. In the distance I could see a large tanker barreling toward us.
"Trent,"
"I know," he replied and clicked a different button on the console which opened a new toggle for the shifter labeled "TD". He pushed the stick forward, engaging the new mode, then pressed the accelerator all the way to the ground. "You're going to want to hold on."
"What are you doing!?" I yelled, grabbing onto my seatbelt.
"No time to explain. Car, release phase lock."
"Phase lock released."
I watched in horror as the color drained from the road and buildings and sky, transforming it all into a dim tunnel, with only the headlights of the oncoming semi-truck visible up ahead. I had the sudden thought that this was all a dream, just like the ones from my childhood. I looked over and no longer saw Trent, but my mother. And then I realized this wasn't a dream. This was hell. I was being forced to relive the worst moment of my life, over and over again. Just when I thought I had escaped, I was pulled right back into that car, helpless as we approached but never arrived at our impending fate. I closed my eyes right as the lights engulfed the windshield and braced for the usual pain in my chest, for the feeling of breaking.
But it didn't come.
"Shift" was the last word out of Trent's mouth, and then I was infused with the sensation of being at the pinnacle of a roller coaster. I was suspended there for what felt like hours, but somehow I knew that not even a second had passed. Everything inside the van: the dashboard, windows, ceiling, doors, even Trent himself began to radiate enigmatic particles. They were a mass of constant motion, like raindrops falling through the air but never landing. I looked down at my hand, but it was gone. Diffused into an unknowable number of untraceable particles. The world outside, once devoid of color, was now nothing but color. When I tried to focus on a particular spot in the infinite geometric folds of whatever realm we were traversing through, I could sometimes detect a trace of
our world.
The old lady from the church. She appeared as if through a window, standing behind a table, holding out a plant. Only this image was so much brighter. And the plant she was holding was pure gold. Then I'd catch a glimpse of the razor blade. It was large, many hundreds of times larger than the van, and surrounded by darkness. These ghostly images appeared like holograms or reflections that caught the light at just the right angle, then dissipated.
I stayed there, looping between the archetypes of my life for a long, long time.
***
I knew we were returning when I felt the first sense of motion. Breath filled my lungs for the first time in what felt like a day. I blinked. And then we were back in town, driving down the same road with the blue sky above. People were jogging on the sidewalk past the little street shops. The streetlights were active. I checked the side mirror and saw the tanker had just passed by.
I looked over at Trent, who met my eyes. We shared a look of knowing, and unknowing. For some reason, that was enough, and we continued on in silence.
***
We agreed to stay the night at my house.
Trent had parked a couple blocks away in front of a couple vacant houses so as not to arouse suspicion from the neighbors. Then he lugged a large duffel bag with his equipment in and set it up in the living room. He scanned the scrapbook which contained the newspaper clippings from the accident several times and confirmed that was likely my 'origin point'. I simply nodded and then went back out onto the back porch. I sat there for hours, basking in the sun. Something had changed in the past day, but I couldn't pick out what it was. Too much had happened. I had too little time to process any of it.
When the sun set, I went inside and Trent told me about his plans for the next couple days. He said he needed to run a few errands in the morning, then meet up with a couple of his associates. After that, we could begin our drive to Southern Illinois. He said it was likely that the entity that was chasing me had first tied itself to me during my childhood accident. For whatever reason, we came into contact, and now it didn't want to leave. Trent would help me get rid of it. He didn't go into many details regarding
how that was to happen, but I don't think in my tired state I would have been able to understand much anyway. He had a plan, and that was enough for me. At least for a while.
After our meeting, I made sure Trent had enough pillows and blankets like a proper host, then I retired to my room. I laid down on my twin bed and stared up at the cream-colored ceiling. Then I turned and saw the participation awards for my junior soccer league stashed on my dresser. I pictured myself on the field, running with the ball, out ahead of everyone except the goalie. I took a shot, but it was blocked. Then I ran back to defend.
How can such a simple game be so much fun? Was the last thought I had before drifting off to sleep.
I woke up only once during the night. It was still dark out. The room was warm despite the small, flower petal fan churning away, shifting the hot, humid air from one pocket of the room to the next. I waited in apprehension, sensing that
something had disturbed me. I saw the tomato plushie peeking out at me from the slightly ajar closet door where I had stashed it so many years ago. I felt like I was missing something. Something important.
And then I heard it.
There was a tapping at my window.
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2024.05.21 16:50 lympnoid77 drown
most of us have drowned before I think people let us down too often, we let them in because they are fire we crave the warmth; We are humans The fire, turns to water, oh its cleansing sooner than you know it, you have been engulfed
They say as it floods, the water whispers and tickles Let me in, it'll all be Alright for us the water knows better It craves our empty aching space no need need to make noise people like us want to be filled we are humans, Remember
But Yes, water can talk It can be an anthem if you let it, medicine it is a church I have religions where I preach to the people about heaven , the sweetness of it all the people buzz , they move for rumors
I cry that heaven can talk as well a red wine voice I used to know her, heaven was the ocean well, we would make it the ocean we had a way back then You remember
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