Dizzy, stiff neck, mucous in lungs,
Out Of The Apartment (Finale)
2024.06.11 07:24 RoseBlack2222 Out Of The Apartment (Finale)
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7
The things I've seen, God damn. My morning today began with a cold splash of water to the face. I bolted upright, gasping to see Erickson standing in my room with some security.
“Good morning, Gus, I hope you slept well.”
I had especially since we'd spent the last few nights before then outside, but I chose not to comment on that.
“Where’s Drake?” I inquired.
“All in due time, my friend. I can assure you he is doing fine. Now, I'm sure you must be famished.”
Erickson snapped his fingers and someone stepped forward, extending what appeared to be a chocolate protein shake, an apple, a banana, and a strawberry multigrain bar. I stared at both hesitantly.
“Come, now, do you think I would go through all this trouble just to poison you here? I'm more creative than that.”
“What are you planning on doing with us then?”
All I received in return was a knowing smile. I took the food and then Erickson and the others left. The first bite I took broke the dam on my hunger. I scarfed down the rest of it, chasing it with the protein shake. As soon as I finished, the door opened again.
“Did you enjoy your breakfast?” Erickson asked.
“Yeah, it was alright, I guess.”
Erickson stared at me, smiling.
“Is something supposed to happen?” I asked after several moments of awkward silence.
His expression faltered and he turned to one of the guards.
“You did remember to drug his food, correct?”
“Yes sir, I made sure of it.”
“What pills did you use?”
The guard thought for a moment.
“The white flat round ones, sir.”
“You, idiot,” Erickson snapped, chastizing him, “those were the caffeine pills.”
He let out a sigh of annoyance.
“Knock him out again,” he ordered with a dismissive hand wave.
Once again, my face got acquainted with the butt of a rifle. This time I woke up in a dimly lit room. The first thing I noticed when my vision cleared was the reflection of flurocensent lights on the floor. The second was Drake picking himself up. He ran over, helping me up.
“Gus, are you okay?”
“I’ve been better. What about you?”
“They drugged me.”
“Same, except they gave me the wrong thing and then hit me in the face again.”
“Damn, that sucks, man.”
“It’s about to get worse,” Erickson interrupted from behind, making us jump.
We whirled around to find Erickson standing behind what we originally thought to be a mirror. In front of him was a control panel. With him was Schneider and the woman who looked like Hilary Clinton.
“Apologies for not bringing you here last night. This took more time to set up than we planned,”
“That’s it,” Drake said, raising his voice. “Why don’t you quit jerking us around?”
“Drake, such vulgar language, but if you insist. All questions shall be answered.”
He explained what happened to him following his arrest two years ago.
“To think, me the genius would have to spend half a year in that filthy penitentiary. They even took away my beloved.”
My empathy goes out to whoever had to share a cell with that man.
“How did you escape?” I asked.
“I can answer that,” Schneider replied. “You see, Erickson and I used to be college roommates.”
“Was he a fucking nut back then too?” Drake interrupted.
Erickson shot him a glare as Schneider went on, ignoring the interjection.
“Even back then, it was clear his intelligence far exceeded that of his peers which is why I’ve been funding his research. When I heard of his arrest, I came to visit him in prison. There, we set this all up and the first step was me becoming mayor of your town.”
“Wait, that doesn’t make any sense,” I said. “How did you know which town we were living in?”
“There’s a saying,” Erickson told me. “It’s not what you know. It’s who you know. I think that’s incorrect. The real saying should be it’s what and who you know. My web of connections runs deep.”
“That’s right,” Schneider said. “My father is a powerful man and it didn’t take long to track you down. After that, it was only a matter of time to put this all in motion, Where we are now was intended to work as a system of bunkers during the Cold War and we’ve expanded it.”
“Okay, well, what about her?” Drake asked, pointing to the woman who looked like Hilary Clinton.
There was a glint of greed in her eyes as her lips curved upward.
“My name is Karen McConnell and I'm the owner of your neighborhood,” she said, even sounding similar to Clinton.
“Hold the phone,” I said. “You're the one in charge of our apartment?”
“That's right.”
“Do you know how much shit we've had to deal with? Leaks from the fridge and dishwasher, the AC and heat not working, mold in the walls, and roaches everywhere.”
She appeared bored by my words and that further infuriated me.
“Where the Hell do you get off charging people that much for rent?” I screamed at her.
“Well, Erickson needs a lot of funds for his projects.”
“Excuse me?”
“Why do you think I kept raising the rent and never fixing anything?”
The implication of those words shocked us to our core.
“You mean you've been using our money to pay for this?” I said.
“And for what will happen to you next. Erickson here has promised the mayor and I that what we put in will be repaid tripled.”
“You are a special kind of bitch. You know that?” Drake told her.
Her grin increased.
“Tell me something I don't know. Now then, Erickson, if you would be so kind.”
“With pleasure.”
He pressed a button, resulting in the wall behind us rising. In its place was another window to a room akin to ours. Nobody in it noticed us, which made us infer that two-way glass was also being used for it. There were two people in the room, a man and who we guessed was his girlfriend or wife. A glass wall separated them that had a single door in the center.
“Erickson, what are you about to do?” I asked, not liking where this was going.
“Initially, I was going to have the reanimated rip you two apart. “
“Most people would call them zombies,” Drake said.
“Most people are morons. As I was saying, the more I thought about it, the more I realized such an end would be far too merciful for the likes of you. Before you is a preview of the torture two years in the making.”
Erickson hit a button. Green gas filled the area on the woman's side and we observed her beginning to convulse. The guy was pounding frantically against the glass and appeared to be shouting her name. Through the gas her silhouette was changing, becoming taller. Her arms were also growing, reaching disproportionate lengths compared to her body.
“It took us a while to perfect the formula,” Erickson explained. “The one used to contaminate the town’s water supply was a weaker version which is why it created less advanced variants of the reanimated such as the one you are seeing now.”
We could only watch in horrific disbelief at what transpired next. The gas cleared. The woman before was now a monstrosity with pale skin as if she had just crawled out of her own grave. It was falling off in some places and squirming in others. Her hair had faded to whisps and her hands ended in claws.
She stared at the man, sizing up her meal. He stared back with a terror-stricken grief. The door between them opened. The woman came through it. Her movements were unnerving.
Picture the way a gorilla moves except jittery. The guy backed away, shaking his head. The woman moved closer. He turned, dashing to the door that led out of the room in a futile escape attempt. Seeing how it was locked, though, he could only hit and claw at it.
She spun him around, yelling in his face before picking him up and throwing him to the floor. She pounced on him and what followed was like seeing someone get put through a human-sized garbage disposal. Flesh and bone were being shredded in seconds. All the while, the man’s mouth hung open in an agonized scream. To make it even more fucked up, she was only attacking below his neck.
If she started by ripping open his head, he’d at least have already been dead before what was happening to him. Instead, he was forced to watch the person he once knew eat him out, and not in the good way. She was scarfing down his organs faster than a snake in a hen house. Soon, the guy’s shrieks faded into dying gurgles. At last, he was granted some mercy when she brought his face to hers, almost as if they were about to kiss.
Then she chomped her teeth into his skull, exploding it in a burst of bones, blood, and grey matter. The woman was looking around wildly. I knew she couldn’t see us and yet it almost felt as if she was somehow sensing our presence. Her eyes contained a chilling awareness. Erickosn’s cackling cut through our stunned silence
“Now you understand what’s in store for you,” he said.
“What happened to him is going to happen to us?” I replied.
“No, Gus, not what happened to him, but what has happened to her. You see, to enact my original revenge plan I need those that are reliable and strong. These specimens are perfect for it, Not only are they physically capable, they’ll also be able to follow orders.”
“Wait, what do you mean by that?” Drake asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? The gas I used contains nanobots meant for rewiring the brain and making it susceptible to my directives. The mind, however, is still intact.”
“So that means….”
My voice trailed off as the statement settled over us like a blanket of ice.
“That’s right. You’ll be passengers in your own bodies as it tears apart the people you care about. Once you are changed, it will be a simple matter to keep you here and track them down. Then, well, let’s just what you witnessed mere moments ago will be child’s play in comparison.”
We looked back at the woman who now sat subdued with her arms wrapped around her knees in the red puddle that used to be her lover.
“You know, in a way, I must thank you,” Erickson told us. “If not for what happened at the hospital, none of this would have happened and I wouldn’t be any closer to completing my revenge.”
“You could thank us by letting us go,” Drake suggested.
“Yeah, and we promise not to tell anyone anything,” I added.
Erickson let out another sigh. This time it was the one of someone with their hands tied.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, not after what you did to her.”
Erickson helped up the container with the severed head.
“Does that mean if we apologize we’ll be let go?” I asked.
He turned to the head, staring at a for a couple seconds. Drake and I exchanged a glance.
“Very well,” he answered.
“Yep, we’re sorry about that,” Drake said. “Really, we feel horrible about it.”
“We’d take it back if we could,” I told Erickson and the head. “We hope you’re doing better now.”
Erickson nodded thoughtfully.
“I must say, that was moving. What do you think, honey?”
As he was having another silent conversation, I wondered how Bill and Karen were keeping it together around him. My guess is if they didn’t, they’d end up in me and Drake’s position. He turned back to us.
“Good news, I am not going to kill you.”
It was as if someone threw us a life preserver…
“But I am still going to release the gas.”
With a grenade attached to it.
“You said you wouldn't kill us,” Drake yelled, accusingly.
“And I won't, but I never said anything about allowing you to live. Did I?”
He was about to hit the button that would fill our room with gas when suddenly the place shook.
“What in the world was that?” Bill demanded.
“Relax, it's probably nothing,” Erickson replied only for it to occur again. “Someone, bring up the outside cameras.”
“My God, they're at the entrances,” someone said.
“Erickson, what's the meaning of this?” Karen asked, now agitated
“Would everyone keep your heads on? I assure you it's under control. I made sure to install a failsafe in case of scenarios such as this.”
Erickson started hitting more buttons on the panel. One, in particular, made a distinct noise. He looked at the zombified woman in the other room who was still sitting up. He hit the same button once more. Again, nothing changed.
A bead of sweat trickled down his face. Things were not under control. Everyone was focusing on Erickson. He opened his mouth to say something and then shut it, repeating this action several times.
“Is there something you want to share with us?” Karen icily asked Erickson.
“Yes, I have thought up a brilliant new idea and that is for us to get the hell out of here.”
The ensuing panic was difficult to follow. People were fighting each other to get to the exit. The zombified woman bolted to her feet out of nowhere, lunging at the window, causing Me and Drake to yell in unison. Her fists were pounding at the glass.
“Does she know we're in here?” Drake asked in surprise.
“Even if she does, we should be alright,” I replied. “It's reinforced.”
A small crack in the center appeared.
Note to self: “Learn when to keep your Goddamn mouth shut”.
As she went on, shards were breaking away. We were like a fish in a pond with a hungry cat staring at us. Then somehow in the commotion on Erickson's side, a switch was hit that opened the door leading out of our room. We rushed to it as the woman punched through. I risked a look back. Her eyes made contact with mine.
It was the equivalent of blood in a shark-filled ocean. We ran out of the room, slamming the door behind us and locking it. We knew it wouldn't hold her long as we raced through the corridor. Erickson mentioned us being in a bunker so we needed to go up. We came to a pathway that split into three directions.
“Which way?” I asked.
Then we heard a rumbling which turned out to be a horde of zombies coming from the center and another coming from the right.
“Left it is,” I said.
We came to an elevator door and were frantically hitting the button to open it as the zombies were rapidly closing the gap.
“Open, you piece of shit,” Drake screamed.
Finally, the light above us came on and the door slid open. We nearly tripped over each other getting into it. Then Drake hit the button. The zombies reached the door right after it closed, making several dents in the metal.
“Oh, fuck, that was close,” I said, leaning against the wall to catch my breath. “This is insane. We don’t even have a plan to make it out of the woods if we even escape this place.”
“One thing at a time, man.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I think as long as we can get a pair of wheels, we’ll be good.”
Erickson's voice sounded over the intercom.
“Attention personnel, due to circumstances outside my control which means one of you incompetent buffoons messed up, I was forced to activate the self-destruct sequence. Please make your way to the nearest exit within ten minutes.”
“You have go to be fucking kidding me,” I said with exasperation.
When I finished saying this, there was a noise from below us. It sounded like something climbing. The zombie woman’s clawed hand burst through the floor. We screamed as we came to a stop. We didn’t even wait for the door to open fully.
We put our fingers in the crack, pushing it the rest of the way. The floor we ended up on contained numerous armed personnel who were surprised to see two escapees. They forgot about us when they saw what was on our tail. Someone yelled fire and we hit the floor right before bullets began flying. The good news was her attention was no longer on us.
The bad news is the guards didn’t stand a chance against her. She was tearing them apart left and right. All the while, we were crawling along the floor. At one point, someone landed in front of us, well, the lower half of them anyway. Seeing the car keys on their belt, we snatched them up.
Then we fished through their pockets, pulling out a key card. We also got some guns off the people who fell victim. Although, if what was happening was any indicator, they may as well have been paperweights. We were about to get out of dodge when we spotted a table that was stacked with briefcases. We didn't know what they contained.
However, seeing how important things are kept in briefcases we decided to grab some. At the very least, we could crack zombies across the face with them. We got out of there and into another hall.
“Where’s the damn exit?” I wondered aloud in frustration.
“Gus.”
Drake was pointing to a sign labeled “Exit” with an arrow underneath it.
“Oh, I guess we should go that way.”
“How much time do we have left?” Drake asked as we were moving.
Checking my phone showed we only had four minutes left from Erickson's announcement. If the self-destruct was going to unfold how we thought, not only did we need to go outside, we also had to be a safe distance away. The Exit door was our light at the end of the tunnel. Bursting through it, we tasted fresh air. Drake hit the button on the keys and we heard a beep nearby.
The keys were to an SUV that we used to make our escape. We got in and sped away. Other vehicles were on the road with us. One of them had Erickson, Karen, and Bill as passengers. The SUV we were in had tinted windows.
That meant nobody could tell who was in it. That gave us the opportunity for a little payback. Drake signaled to me. We grabbed our guns and rolled down our windows. Drake hit the gas and as we were passing by, we shot out their tires and flipped them off.
I wish I could have taken a picture of their faces because they were priceless. After everything they put us through, that was like water at the finish of a marathon. We drove past them and on the path going to a main road. Then we watched what happened to them in the rearview. While their vehicle wasn't consumed by the explosion, the shock of it did send it upward.
“Holy shit,” I said, watching it fly through the air before falling into a lake.
The bumper stayed above the surface for a few seconds before sinking along with the rest of the car. We had to stop again, simply to process everything. Luckily, Erickson had the foresight to have a lot of the trees around the area removed to mitigate the risk of wildfire. That said, it was burning bright. In the flames, humanoid shapes were running around.
They didn't get far before collapsing. Whether they were human or zombie, I don't want to know. Without another word, we got back in the SUV and drove off. Down the road, it occurred to me to check what was in the briefcases. There was no combination on it so I undid the latches and lifted it.
What was inside of it made my heart stop. For once, I mean that in a good way.
“Drake,” I said, having to force out his name.
His reaction upon seeing what I had was to slam on the brakes. I nearly hit my head on the dashboard when he did, but I didn't care. We had two briefcases full of hundred-dollar bills. Presumably, Erickson would have used it to make a deal with someone. Too bad for them, it's ours now.
We didn't know how much money was in there, only that it was a lot.
“Okay, we need a plan,” Drake said. “We can't be carrying all of this around in a vehicle we don't even own.”
He was right. If a cop pulled us over, it would be hard to explain ourselves. I remembered something then. Patting myself, I realized I still had my keys. I showed them to him and he grinned. Then we made our way to Walmart where my car was still parked.
“Hang on,” I said after we got out.
“What?”
“I figured, while we're here.”
I gestured to the store. Half an hour later, I was driving us along the highway with our new money buried under a pile of groceries. We drove about twelve hours before stopping at a hotel where we are currently. Drake was outside earlier, talking to his cousin. He cooked up some story about us being let go from our jobs and then our complex burning down.
His cousin told us he'd gladly take us in so long as we could pay for expenses. We don’t have any objections to that. As far as we can tell, it's better to keep our newfound wealth on the down low. We'll stay at Drake's cousin's place for a while and then get homes of our own. God damn, this week has been nuts.
Speaking of, I hope what happened to Erickson was enough to put him down for good. Maybe we should put changing our names on our to-do list on the off chance it isn't. Oh well, that's something we can take care of at a later time. For now, it's been a long day and I am exhausted. If I have to post here again about some other horse shit, it'll be too soon.
This is Gus saying, have a good one, everybody.
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The things I've seen, God damn. My morning today began with a cold splash of water to the face. I bolted upright, gasping to see Erickson standing in my room with some security.
“Good morning, Gus, I hope you slept well.”
I had especially since we'd spent the last few nights before then outside, but I chose not to comment on that.
“Where’s Drake?” I inquired.
“All in due time, my friend. I can assure you he is doing fine. Now, I'm sure you must be famished.”
Erickson snapped his fingers and someone stepped forward, extending what appeared to be a chocolate protein shake, an apple, a banana, and a strawberry multigrain bar. I stared at both hesitantly.
“Come, now, do you think I would go through all this trouble just to poison you here? I'm more creative than that.”
“What are you planning on doing with us then?”
All I received in return was a knowing smile. I took the food and then Erickson and the others left. The first bite I took broke the dam on my hunger. I scarfed down the rest of it, chasing it with the protein shake. As soon as I finished, the door opened again.
“Did you enjoy your breakfast?” Erickson asked.
“Yeah, it was alright, I guess.”
Erickson stared at me, smiling.
“Is something supposed to happen?” I asked after several moments of awkward silence.
His expression faltered and he turned to one of the guards.
“You did remember to drug his food, correct?”
“Yes sir, I made sure of it.”
“What pills did you use?”
The guard thought for a moment.
“The white flat round ones, sir.”
“You, idiot,” Erickson snapped, chastizing him, “those were the caffeine pills.”
He let out a sigh of annoyance.
“Knock him out again,” he ordered with a dismissive hand wave.
Once again, my face got acquainted with the butt of a rifle. This time I woke up in a dimly lit room. The first thing I noticed when my vision cleared was the reflection of flurocensent lights on the floor. The second was Drake picking himself up. He ran over, helping me up.
“Gus, are you okay?”
“I’ve been better. What about you?”
“They drugged me.”
“Same, except they gave me the wrong thing and then hit me in the face again.”
“Damn, that sucks, man.”
“It’s about to get worse,” Erickson interrupted from behind, making us jump.
We whirled around to find Erickson standing behind what we originally thought to be a mirror. In front of him was a control panel. With him was Schneider and the woman who looked like Hilary Clinton.
“Apologies for not bringing you here last night. This took more time to set up than we planned,”
“That’s it,” Drake said, raising his voice. “Why don’t you quit jerking us around?”
“Drake, such vulgar language, but if you insist. All questions shall be answered.”
He explained what happened to him following his arrest two years ago.
“To think, me the genius would have to spend half a year in that filthy penitentiary. They even took away my beloved.”
My empathy goes out to whoever had to share a cell with that man.
“How did you escape?” I asked.
“I can answer that,” Schneider replied. “You see, Erickson and I used to be college roommates.”
“Was he a fucking nut back then too?” Drake interrupted.
Erickson shot him a glare as Schneider went on, ignoring the interjection.
“Even back then, it was clear his intelligence far exceeded that of his peers which is why I’ve been funding his research. When I heard of his arrest, I came to visit him in prison. There, we set this all up and the first step was me becoming mayor of your town.”
“Wait, that doesn’t make any sense,” I said. “How did you know which town we were living in?”
“There’s a saying,” Erickson told me. “It’s not what you know. It’s who you know. I think that’s incorrect. The real saying should be it’s what and who you know. My web of connections runs deep.”
“That’s right,” Schneider said. “My father is a powerful man and it didn’t take long to track you down. After that, it was only a matter of time to put this all in motion, Where we are now was intended to work as a system of bunkers during the Cold War and we’ve expanded it.”
“Okay, well, what about her?” Drake asked, pointing to the woman who looked like Hilary Clinton.
There was a glint of greed in her eyes as her lips curved upward.
“My name is Karen McConnell and I'm the owner of your neighborhood,” she said, even sounding similar to Clinton.
“Hold the phone,” I said. “You're the one in charge of our apartment?”
“That's right.”
“Do you know how much shit we've had to deal with? Leaks from the fridge and dishwasher, the AC and heat not working, mold in the walls, and roaches everywhere.”
She appeared bored by my words and that further infuriated me.
“Where the Hell do you get off charging people that much for rent?” I screamed at her.
“Well, Erickson needs a lot of funds for his projects.”
“Excuse me?”
“Why do you think I kept raising the rent and never fixing anything?”
The implication of those words shocked us to our core.
“You mean you've been using our money to pay for this?” I said.
“And for what will happen to you next. Erickson here has promised the mayor and I that what we put in will be repaid tripled.”
“You are a special kind of bitch. You know that?” Drake told her.
Her grin increased.
“Tell me something I don't know. Now then, Erickson, if you would be so kind.”
“With pleasure.”
He pressed a button, resulting in the wall behind us rising. In its place was another window to a room akin to ours. Nobody in it noticed us, which made us infer that two-way glass was also being used for it. There were two people in the room, a man and who we guessed was his girlfriend or wife. A glass wall separated them that had a single door in the center.
“Erickson, what are you about to do?” I asked, not liking where this was going.
“Initially, I was going to have the reanimated rip you two apart. “
“Most people would call them zombies,” Drake said.
“Most people are morons. As I was saying, the more I thought about it, the more I realized such an end would be far too merciful for the likes of you. Before you is a preview of the torture two years in the making.”
Erickson hit a button. Green gas filled the area on the woman's side and we observed her beginning to convulse. The guy was pounding frantically against the glass and appeared to be shouting her name. Through the gas her silhouette was changing, becoming taller. Her arms were also growing, reaching disproportionate lengths compared to her body.
“It took us a while to perfect the formula,” Erickson explained. “The one used to contaminate the town’s water supply was a weaker version which is why it created less advanced variants of the reanimated such as the one you are seeing now.”
We could only watch in horrific disbelief at what transpired next. The gas cleared. The woman before was now a monstrosity with pale skin as if she had just crawled out of her own grave. It was falling off in some places and squirming in others. Her hair had faded to whisps and her hands ended in claws.
She stared at the man, sizing up her meal. He stared back with a terror-stricken grief. The door between them opened. The woman came through it. Her movements were unnerving.
Picture the way a gorilla moves except jittery. The guy backed away, shaking his head. The woman moved closer. He turned, dashing to the door that led out of the room in a futile escape attempt. Seeing how it was locked, though, he could only hit and claw at it.
She spun him around, yelling in his face before picking him up and throwing him to the floor. She pounced on him and what followed was like seeing someone get put through a human-sized garbage disposal. Flesh and bone were being shredded in seconds. All the while, the man’s mouth hung open in an agonized scream. To make it even more fucked up, she was only attacking below his neck.
If she started by ripping open his head, he’d at least have already been dead before what was happening to him. Instead, he was forced to watch the person he once knew eat him out, and not in the good way. She was scarfing down his organs faster than a snake in a hen house. Soon, the guy’s shrieks faded into dying gurgles. At last, he was granted some mercy when she brought his face to hers, almost as if they were about to kiss.
Then she chomped her teeth into his skull, exploding it in a burst of bones, blood, and grey matter. The woman was looking around wildly. I knew she couldn’t see us and yet it almost felt as if she was somehow sensing our presence. Her eyes contained a chilling awareness. Erickosn’s cackling cut through our stunned silence
“Now you understand what’s in store for you,” he said.
“What happened to him is going to happen to us?” I replied.
“No, Gus, not what happened to him, but what has happened to her. You see, to enact my original revenge plan I need those that are reliable and strong. These specimens are perfect for it, Not only are they physically capable, they’ll also be able to follow orders.”
“Wait, what do you mean by that?” Drake asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? The gas I used contains nanobots meant for rewiring the brain and making it susceptible to my directives. The mind, however, is still intact.”
“So that means….”
My voice trailed off as the statement settled over us like a blanket of ice.
“That’s right. You’ll be passengers in your own bodies as it tears apart the people you care about. Once you are changed, it will be a simple matter to keep you here and track them down. Then, well, let’s just what you witnessed mere moments ago will be child’s play in comparison.”
We looked back at the woman who now sat subdued with her arms wrapped around her knees in the red puddle that used to be her lover.
“You know, in a way, I must thank you,” Erickson told us. “If not for what happened at the hospital, none of this would have happened and I wouldn’t be any closer to completing my revenge.”
“You could thank us by letting us go,” Drake suggested.
“Yeah, and we promise not to tell anyone anything,” I added.
Erickson let out another sigh. This time it was the one of someone with their hands tied.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, not after what you did to her.”
Erickson helped up the container with the severed head.
“Does that mean if we apologize we’ll be let go?” I asked.
He turned to the head, staring at a for a couple seconds. Drake and I exchanged a glance.
“Very well,” he answered.
“Yep, we’re sorry about that,” Drake said. “Really, we feel horrible about it.”
“We’d take it back if we could,” I told Erickson and the head. “We hope you’re doing better now.”
Erickson nodded thoughtfully.
“I must say, that was moving. What do you think, honey?”
As he was having another silent conversation, I wondered how Bill and Karen were keeping it together around him. My guess is if they didn’t, they’d end up in me and Drake’s position. He turned back to us.
“Good news, I am not going to kill you.”
It was as if someone threw us a life preserver…
“But I am still going to release the gas.”
With a grenade attached to it.
“You said you wouldn't kill us,” Drake yelled, accusingly.
“And I won't, but I never said anything about allowing you to live. Did I?”
He was about to hit the button that would fill our room with gas when suddenly the place shook.
“What in the world was that?” Bill demanded.
“Relax, it's probably nothing,” Erickson replied only for it to occur again. “Someone, bring up the outside cameras.”
“My God, they're at the entrances,” someone said.
“Erickson, what's the meaning of this?” Karen asked, now agitated
“Would everyone keep your heads on? I assure you it's under control. I made sure to install a failsafe in case of scenarios such as this.”
Erickson started hitting more buttons on the panel. One, in particular, made a distinct noise. He looked at the zombified woman in the other room who was still sitting up. He hit the same button once more. Again, nothing changed.
A bead of sweat trickled down his face. Things were not under control. Everyone was focusing on Erickson. He opened his mouth to say something and then shut it, repeating this action several times.
“Is there something you want to share with us?” Karen icily asked Erickson.
“Yes, I have thought up a brilliant new idea and that is for us to get the hell out of here.”
The ensuing panic was difficult to follow. People were fighting each other to get to the exit. The zombified woman bolted to her feet out of nowhere, lunging at the window, causing Me and Drake to yell in unison. Her fists were pounding at the glass.
“Does she know we're in here?” Drake asked in surprise.
“Even if she does, we should be alright,” I replied. “It's reinforced.”
A small crack in the center appeared.
Note to self: “Learn when to keep your Goddamn mouth shut”.
As she went on, shards were breaking away. We were like a fish in a pond with a hungry cat staring at us. Then somehow in the commotion on Erickson's side, a switch was hit that opened the door leading out of our room. We rushed to it as the woman punched through. I risked a look back. Her eyes made contact with mine.
It was the equivalent of blood in a shark-filled ocean. We ran out of the room, slamming the door behind us and locking it. We knew it wouldn't hold her long as we raced through the corridor. Erickson mentioned us being in a bunker so we needed to go up. We came to a pathway that split into three directions.
“Which way?” I asked.
Then we heard a rumbling which turned out to be a horde of zombies coming from the center and another coming from the right.
“Left it is,” I said.
We came to an elevator door and were frantically hitting the button to open it as the zombies were rapidly closing the gap.
“Open, you piece of shit,” Drake screamed.
Finally, the light above us came on and the door slid open. We nearly tripped over each other getting into it. Then Drake hit the button. The zombies reached the door right after it closed, making several dents in the metal.
“Oh, fuck, that was close,” I said, leaning against the wall to catch my breath. “This is insane. We don’t even have a plan to make it out of the woods if we even escape this place.”
“One thing at a time, man.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I think as long as we can get a pair of wheels, we’ll be good.”
Erickson's voice sounded over the intercom.
“Attention personnel, due to circumstances outside my control which means one of you incompetent buffoons messed up, I was forced to activate the self-destruct sequence. Please make your way to the nearest exit within ten minutes.”
“You have go to be fucking kidding me,” I said with exasperation.
When I finished saying this, there was a noise from below us. It sounded like something climbing. The zombie woman’s clawed hand burst through the floor. We screamed as we came to a stop. We didn’t even wait for the door to open fully.
We put our fingers in the crack, pushing it the rest of the way. The floor we ended up on contained numerous armed personnel who were surprised to see two escapees. They forgot about us when they saw what was on our tail. Someone yelled fire and we hit the floor right before bullets began flying. The good news was her attention was no longer on us.
The bad news is the guards didn’t stand a chance against her. She was tearing them apart left and right. All the while, we were crawling along the floor. At one point, someone landed in front of us, well, the lower half of them anyway. Seeing the car keys on their belt, we snatched them up.
Then we fished through their pockets, pulling out a key card. We also got some guns off the people who fell victim. Although, if what was happening was any indicator, they may as well have been paperweights. We were about to get out of dodge when we spotted a table that was stacked with briefcases. We didn't know what they contained.
However, seeing how important things are kept in briefcases we decided to grab some. At the very least, we could crack zombies across the face with them. We got out of there and into another hall.
“Where’s the damn exit?” I wondered aloud in frustration.
“Gus.”
Drake was pointing to a sign labeled “Exit” with an arrow underneath it.
“Oh, I guess we should go that way.”
“How much time do we have left?” Drake asked as we were moving.
Checking my phone showed we only had four minutes left from Erickson's announcement. If the self-destruct was going to unfold how we thought, not only did we need to go outside, we also had to be a safe distance away. The Exit door was our light at the end of the tunnel. Bursting through it, we tasted fresh air. Drake hit the button on the keys and we heard a beep nearby.
The keys were to an SUV that we used to make our escape. We got in and sped away. Other vehicles were on the road with us. One of them had Erickson, Karen, and Bill as passengers. The SUV we were in had tinted windows.
That meant nobody could tell who was in it. That gave us the opportunity for a little payback. Drake signaled to me. We grabbed our guns and rolled down our windows. Drake hit the gas and as we were passing by, we shot out their tires and flipped them off.
I wish I could have taken a picture of their faces because they were priceless. After everything they put us through, that was like water at the finish of a marathon. We drove past them and on the path going to a main road. Then we watched what happened to them in the rearview. While their vehicle wasn't consumed by the explosion, the shock of it did send it upward.
“Holy shit,” I said, watching it fly through the air before falling into a lake.
The bumper stayed above the surface for a few seconds before sinking along with the rest of the car. We had to stop again, simply to process everything. Luckily, Erickson had the foresight to have a lot of the trees around the area removed to mitigate the risk of wildfire. That said, it was burning bright. In the flames, humanoid shapes were running around.
They didn't get far before collapsing. Whether they were human or zombie, I don't want to know. Without another word, we got back in the SUV and drove off. Down the road, it occurred to me to check what was in the briefcases. There was no combination on it so I undid the latches and lifted it.
What was inside of it made my heart stop. For once, I mean that in a good way.
“Drake,” I said, having to force out his name.
His reaction upon seeing what I had was to slam on the brakes. I nearly hit my head on the dashboard when he did, but I didn't care. We had two briefcases full of hundred-dollar bills. Presumably, Erickson would have used it to make a deal with someone. Too bad for them, it's ours now.
We didn't know how much money was in there, only that it was a lot.
“Okay, we need a plan,” Drake said. “We can't be carrying all of this around in a vehicle we don't even own.”
He was right. If a cop pulled us over, it would be hard to explain ourselves. I remembered something then. Patting myself, I realized I still had my keys. I showed them to him and he grinned. Then we made our way to Walmart where my car was still parked.
“Hang on,” I said after we got out.
“What?”
“I figured, while we're here.”
I gestured to the store. Half an hour later, I was driving us along the highway with our new money buried under a pile of groceries. We drove about twelve hours before stopping at a hotel where we are currently. Drake was outside earlier, talking to his cousin. He cooked up some story about us being let go from our jobs and then our complex burning down.
His cousin told us he'd gladly take us in so long as we could pay for expenses. We don’t have any objections to that. As far as we can tell, it's better to keep our newfound wealth on the down low. We'll stay at Drake's cousin's place for a while and then get homes of our own. God damn, this week has been nuts.
Speaking of, I hope what happened to Erickson was enough to put him down for good. Maybe we should put changing our names on our to-do list on the off chance it isn't. Oh well, that's something we can take care of at a later time. For now, it's been a long day and I am exhausted. If I have to post here again about some other horse shit, it'll be too soon.
This is Gus saying, have a good one, everybody.
2024.06.11 06:43 Direct_Network_6542 Constant every back neck pain from bruxism.
I’m at my witts end for years now the pain has only gotten worse. My neck is so tense my jaw hurts my teeth are grinded down. My insurance won’t cover a mouth guard. I’m on state insurance I’ve always bought over the counter guards. Please I’m desperate I’m in physical therapy but it’s only temporary I live everyday with and extremely stiff neck and constant headaches and aches. What else can I do ?
submitted by Direct_Network_6542 to bruxism [link] [comments]
2024.06.11 05:49 ConsequenceSure3063 Best Garden Hose Splitter
 | submitted by ConsequenceSure3063 to u/ConsequenceSure3063 [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/7j4w84nw6v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=810e586f53907eca5984a32a18357769abed5587 If you're a gardener dealing with multiple hoses and a limited number of outlets, a garden hose splitter might just be the game-changer you've been looking for. In this roundup, we're diving into the world of hose splitters, discussing their benefits, and showcasing some of the top options available on the market today. Get ready to discover the perfect solution to your outdoor watering woes! The Top 20 Best Garden Hose Splitter
Reviews🔗High-Quality, Durable Garden Hose Splitter for Efficient Watering Solutionshttps://preview.redd.it/zb4kn26x6v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d151293ceaf1f8c3f4d7ca47b0490565d80d523e The 2wayz All Metal Body Garden Hose Splitter is a versatile and durable device that I've been using daily for watering purposes. It's been a reliable addition to my gardening routine, offering a convenient and efficient way to distribute water to different garden areas or devices. One of the standout features of this hose splitter is its heavy-duty construction, made from high-quality all-metal materials. This ensures longevity and sturdiness, handling tough landscaping tasks with ease. The splitter's double hose connector and shut-off valve make it simple to connect and manage two hoses at once, greatly simplifying gardening tasks. However, one issue that I've encountered is the somewhat small ball valve openings, which reduced water pressure and volume. It's not a deal-breaker, but it may not be the best option for those who require maximum water supply for specific tasks. Despite that minor setback, the 2wayz All Metal Body Garden Hose Splitter has been a dependable and efficient addition to my watering system, saving me time and effort compared to manually switching between hoses. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and long-lasting hose splitter. 🔗Heavy Duty Brass Garden Hose Splitter for Multiple Water Outletshttps://preview.redd.it/2e9xuhpx6v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a50491d3c9a402fa44c47813d6360cac65fddee5 Imagine coming home after a long day to find a Biswing 2 Way Garden Hose Splitter attached to your faucet, ready to help you water your garden with ease. This little gadget turned two hoses into one, letting you control the water flow to different parts of the garden simultaneously. Made of heavy-duty brass, it felt as sturdy as an old-school faucet. The twist-on top was a comfortable rubber that made tightening a breeze, even for someone with arthritis like me. The on/off levers were easy to turn, and I appreciated having the extra washers that came with it. All in all, I found the Biswing 2 Way Garden Hose Splitter incredibly convenient and a valuable addition to my gardening tools. 🔗2-Way Garden Hose Connector for Easy Watering and Controlhttps://preview.redd.it/wzzownfy6v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=035887f9adda2ab24f21a09b162ad99fd9bef841 When I stumbled upon the SIPIK hose splitter, I thought, how convenient it'd be to divert water from one hose to another for watering our garden. I was right - it made the watering process a breeze! The robust zinc alloy and TPR construction stood up to outdoor use, and the easy on-off valves made managing the flow a cinch. However, I faced a setback when I tried to connect the hose to an indoor setup for our garage. The 2-way hose splitter wasn't suitable for the job, and I had to look for an alternative. As for the dark green and black color, it blended well with our outdoor setting but might not have been the best fit for indoors. Nevertheless, for its outdoor use, the SIPIK hose splitter was a reliable and practical solution. 🔗Durable Garden Hose Splitter with Dual Valves and Comfort Griphttps://preview.redd.it/j1t6lf4z6v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f293e368146687fdcf7a651600240d05e62b69bd I recently added this Ipow Solid Brass Body Backyard 2 Way Y Valve Garden Hose Connector Splitter to my backyard hose setup, and it has made a noticeable difference in my gardening experience. The heavy-duty construction is not only eco-friendly but also robust. The ball valve ensures a leak-free connection, and the dual adjustable flow control makes it easy to control water flow. The solid brass design is perfect for durability, and it feels reassuringly solid in my hands. While the standard 5/8" fitting is easy to attach and detach, I did find that the neck connecting to the faucet was a bit short, which made it a bit tricky to turn the hose on and off. One of the most convenient features of this garden hose splitter is the ergonomic comfort grip, which makes handling the valve much more comfortable. The splitter also comes with seven rubber hose washers to prevent leakage, adding another layer of reassurance to the overall design. Additionally, the dual shut-off valves allow for separate water flow control, which is a handy feature when it comes to distributing water between different garden tasks. I can now water my plants and wash my car simultaneously without any issues, all thanks to this Ipow hose splitter. One downside I should mention is that I encountered a few reviews from customers who experienced leaks after just a few months of use. However, I've had no such issues so far, and I'm confident that this garden hose splitter will continue to serve me well in the long run. Overall, I'm quite happy with my purchase of the Ipow Solid Brass Body Backyard 2 Way Y Valve Garden Hose Connector Splitter. Its robust design, ease of use, and dual shut-off valves make it an invaluable addition to any backyard gardener's toolkit. Despite the occasional leakage issue, the positives seem to outweigh the negatives, making this product a top contender for anyone on the market for a reliable garden hose splitter. 🔗4-Way Stainless Steel Valve Faucet Manifold for Gardening Hosehttps://preview.redd.it/5y0mkjc07v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a1da1dc3f85a78fbe2bc6a3d96363f5cbb341a18 I've been using this 4-way brass faucet manifold in my backyard for the past few weeks to connect my garden hoses. The individual stainless steel valves make it a breeze to control each hose, and the wide construction allows me to connect them quickly and easily without any leakage. One thing I've noticed is that it's a bit difficult to tighten the hoses securely. I had to be extra cautious not to overtighten them, which could potentially ruin the hose and the adapter. I've heard from other users that they experienced the same issue. It seems that the hose connection nipple could be reinforced with Loctite or a thread locker to prevent it from unscrewing and the steel ball from falling out. Despite that, I've been happy with its performance. It's a versatile and convenient product for anyone who needs to connect multiple hoses to a single faucet, and it's reasonably priced compared to similar items at big-box stores. Overall, I'd recommend this product, but I'd also suggest being mindful of the tightening process to prevent any potential issues with the hose connection. 🔗3/4" 2-way Hose Splitter with Spring Supporthttps://preview.redd.it/giezjrn07v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7814710e01db28c2b3e57ec888333246b3374138 Recently, I've been using the HOHATOOS Water Splitter 2 Way in my garden to split my water faucet into two hoses. The metal body hose splitter is quite convenient and the rubberized grip ensures a comfortable hold while using it. What caught my attention was its ability to never kink or leak, making it a reliable tool for watering my plants. One drawback, however, was its size. The 3/4'' US standard size does not fit all faucet types, so I had to make sure it was compatible before using it. Nevertheless, I'm glad I eventually found one that matched. Overall, the HOHATOOS Water Splitter 2 Way is a useful tool for gardeners, providing a versatile and efficient solution for watering multiple plants at once. 🔗Heavy Duty Solid Brass Garden Hose Splitter 2 Way with Shut Off Valveshttps://preview.redd.it/dk8oly117v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a2888cd945afedfc2468a5004cf25eabc8d0325b I've been using this Garden Hose Splitter for quite some time now, and it has made such a difference in my daily gardening routine. The 3/4 inch solid brass construction gives such a strong and reliable feel while watering my plants. It easily connected to my garden hoses and allowed me to split the water flow to two separate hoses without any issues. The 360-degree rotatable top connector made it incredibly convenient for adjusting the direction of the hoses. What I love the most about this splitter is its ability to control water flow independently. The two shut-off valves work like a charm, allowing me to manage the pressure without having to switch out hoses constantly. Plus, the 4 extra rubber washers included are a fantastic addition to prevent leaks, keeping everything watertight. However, one con I've noticed is that it might not be the best choice for drinking water, as the manufacturer has mentioned it's purely for outdoor use. Overall, I'd highly recommend this Garden Hose Splitter to anyone looking for a reliable, durable, and easy-to-use solution for their outdoor watering needs. 🔗2wayz Garden Hose Splitter with Reinforced Components and Rubber Coverhttps://preview.redd.it/47dl3z427v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50cf17752e658c4086d506fd36fd908a701c84d4 Trying out the 2wayz 2 x Metal Body Hose Splitter has been a game-changer in my gardens. The new design is impressive, with reinforced components that ensure a sturdy and secure connection. I love the heavy-duty water hose splitter's smooth operation and easy grip long handles, making it perfect for stiff hands or those with arthritis like mine. One of my favorite features is the leak-proof design, which has made my gardening experience almost effortless. The splitter's ability to rotate 360 degrees has also been super helpful, allowing me to maneuver hoses in all directions without any hassle. While using the product, there haven't been any significant downsides. However, I would love to see more color options available to make the garden accessories more visually appealing to outdoor enthusiasts. All in all, the 2wayz 2 x Metal Body Hose Splitter offers impressive functionality with a beautiful look - a must-have in every garden. 🔗Premium Brass Garden Hose Splitterhttps://preview.redd.it/d1gj65a37v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99f4a2fad9221bc30b09704b60ca16656b5e15b6 My experience using the Brass Garden Hose Splitter has been quite enjoyable. The product's durability stands out, thanks to its solid brass construction that allows it to withstand many years of use. It's also great to see that the splitter fits with all standard garden hose and faucets, making it a versatile choice for a wide range of users. One of the best aspects of this product is its easy installation process. The package includes everything you need to get up and running quickly and without hassle. The splitter's dimensions are perfect for standard hoses, making it a seamless addition to your outdoor setup. However, there are a few downsides to consider. While the splitter is durable, some users have reported issues with leaks around the collar and valves. Additionally, the valves can be a bit stubborn to turn off and on, which may cause some frustration. Overall, the Brass Garden Hose Splitter is a solid choice for those looking for a reliable and easy-to-use garden hose accessory. While there are a few drawbacks, the benefits often outweigh the negatives for most users. 🔗Heavy-Duty Garden Hose Splitter for Multi-Purpose Wateringhttps://preview.redd.it/bdscctr37v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0f467f7793b2e3696dc21c601e40a06434e0361 I recently tried the VIVOSUN Garden Hose Splitter, and I must say, it has been an absolute game-changer in my daily life. This handy little gadget has made my gardening tasks so much easier and efficient. One of the standout features that I adore is its comfort. The rubberized grip is so soft and cozy, making it a breeze to turn the 2-way connector and twist it onto the faucet. The switches are easy to use, allowing me to open or close the valves effortlessly. Plus, the unique locking mechanism has significantly reduced any leaks and water waste, which was a major concern of mine before. Another impressive feature is its durability. The sturdy zinc alloy build makes it incredibly resilient and long-lasting. This water hose connector can withstand up to 0.8Mpa water pressure, which is more than enough for all my gardening needs. While the product description mentions that it supports any 3/4" U. S. standard spigots, faucets, and garden hoses, I found it worked seamlessly with my existing set-up. The splitter allowed me to use one outlet for my irrigation system while the other was fantastic for watering flowers, washing cars, bathing pets, and more. I appreciate the internal rust-proof design, which ensures a clear water flow. Overall, this 2 Way Garden Hose Splitter by VIVOSUN has been a fantastic addition to my gardening toolkit. The ease of use, durability, and efficiency make it a must-have for any gardener or patio enthusiast. 🔗Durable Brass Garden Hose Y Splitter for Outdoor Usehttps://preview.redd.it/v6ctugt47v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=920fd86c6da11e247eb08681499caa24780ab2e9 This year, I added the Deli2020 Brass Garden Hose Y Splitter to my arsenal of backyard tools, and let me tell you, it has been a lifesaver. With two ways of watering your garden, this 3/4 inch brass connector is a sturdy addition to your outdoor setup. One of the things I appreciated most about this product is its solid brass body and connector. It has a heavier feel than those cheap plastic alternatives, giving me confidence that it will withstand the wear and tear of the backyard elements. My garden was once teeming with weeds, but this splitter made watering a breeze, and my plants have never been happier. However, while this product is robust, it's not invincible. After a few months of use, I found that the threads at the base of the connector began to wear down and ultimately broke off. I'm not sure what caused it, but given that I live in a warm climate, I suspect it may have been the materials used in its construction. While there have been some leaks reported by other users, I never experienced any issues with this product. But I did appreciate its easy-to-turn handle, which made a considerable difference in my overall experience. Overall, the Deli2020 Brass Garden Hose Y Splitter is a great investment for any gardener. The improved handle and sturdy construction make it a reliable solution for your backyard watering needs. Just make sure to tighten those threads securely to prolong its lifespan, and you'll be golden! 🔗Morvat Nickel-Plated Brass Hose Splitter for Durable and Rust-Resistant Usehttps://preview.redd.it/g2qvgdb57v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c771ef968c2f09f95f39585ba1492e6711726c66 I recently tried the Morvat nickel-plated brass garden hose splitter, and I must say, I was quite impressed with its durability and performance. Unlike other splitters I've used, this one felt sturdy and well-built. The nickel-plated brass construction not only looks great but also provides excellent rust resistance, ensuring it lasts for a long time. One of the standout features was the inclusion of ball valves for a secure seal, preventing any unwanted leaks. The top-notch threading also contributed to the overall reliability of this splitter, which I found to be a massive plus. Additionally, the ergonomic design and levers made it effortless to operate, even for those with weaker hands. However, I did notice that the size of the product might be a bit too large for some garden hoses, causing a bit of difficulty in connecting. Despite this minor inconvenience, the Morvat nickel-plated brass garden hose splitter proved to be a valuable addition to my toolbox, and I can confidently recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable, heavy-duty solution for their garden hoses. 🔗Stylish Solid Brass Hose Y Splitter with Spare O-Ringshttps://preview.redd.it/ifeu5gn67v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85193e6151b9eacc44335659d8ce58905808d3e8 I recently tried the Hourleey Brass Garden Hose Splitter and I must say, I was impressed with its durability and ease of use. The solid brass material felt sturdy and the ergonomic design of the valve handles made it easy to handle, even for those with stiff hands or arthritis. One of my favorite features is how simple it is to install without the need for any tools. The package came with everything you need. The solid brass hose splitter makes it leak-proof and individually controlled, allowing for a convenient way to water different areas. However, I did notice that the instructions could have been more clear, especially for people who are not familiar with using hose splitters. With precise instructions, the user experience could have been even better. Overall, I would definitely recommend this product to anyone in need of a reliable and durable hose splitter. 🔗Heavy-Duty Garden Hose Splitter for Outdoor Watering and Cleaning Needshttps://preview.redd.it/g8q3j6y67v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d57fc1a720ef66ee58a46b75f9a54c0281101f3d One sunny afternoon, I found myself in need of a reliable garden hose splitter to manage my outdoor water tasks efficiently. I'd heard the Garden Hose Splitter 2 Way was a heavy-duty connector capable of splitting a single hose into two, making it perfect for garden watering, pet cleaning, and more. When I received the Garden Hose Splitter, it arrived well-packaged, and I immediately noticed its robust build. It's made with quality zinc alloy that promises durability and resistance to rust and corrosion. I appreciated how compact and lightweight it was, which made it easy to carry around. Plus, it could support up to 0.8MPa water pressure, ensuring long-term use. Connecting the garden hose splitter was a breeze, thanks to the included rubber washers and screw nuts. This feature ensured a secure and firm hold without the worry of any leaks. The 3/4" hose splitter was also compatible with most standard faucets and hoses, providing a leak-proof fit. I especially loved the adjustable water flow; the valves allowed me to regulate water output according to my needs, whether it was for watering plants or bathing pets. Plus, the two valves rotated smoothly and could be turned on or off individually. Overall, the Garden Hose Splitter proved to be a reliable addition to my gardening tools collection, handling multiple water tasks with ease. The heavy-duty build, compatibility, and flexibility made it worth the investment. Buyer's GuideA garden hose splitter, also known as a hose manifold, is a useful tool for gardeners and homeowners who need to connect multiple hoses to a single water source. It streamlines the watering process, saves time, and conserves water by distributing it evenly among the connected hoses. This buyer's guide aims to help you understand the essential features and considerations when purchasing a garden hose splitter to make an informed decision.Material and Build QualityLook for a garden hose splitter made from durable, weather-resistant materials such as brass, stainless steel, or heavy-duty plastic. The materials ensure the splitter can withstand outdoor conditions, including exposure to sunlight, rain, and extreme temperatures. The build quality should be sturdy, with no loose components or connections that may cause water leakage or hose damage. https://preview.redd.it/wgz9ris97v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e26cdd525a8722e0fd639f6e35eab9b1611dba2a Number of ConnectionsConsider the number of hoses you need to connect simultaneously when choosing a garden hose splitter. Most models come with between 2 to 6 connections, but some may have more. Opt for a splitter with the appropriate number of connections for your needs. You don't want to invest in an oversized splitter if you only need to connect two hoses at a time.Pressure RatingThe pressure rating of a garden hose splitter is crucial in ensuring the splitter can handle the water pressure from your water source without leaking or causing damage to the hoses. Look for a splitter with a pressure rating that matches or exceeds the pressure of your water source. Common pressure ratings range from 50 to 150 PSI.Ease of Use and InstallationA user-friendly garden hose splitter with intuitive controls and easy installation is essential for convenience and efficiency. Look for splitters with adjustable flow control for better water distribution and turn-on/off valves to manage water flow to each connected hose. Additionally, the splitter should be easy to install and connect to your water source, with clear instructions and any necessary fittings included. https://preview.redd.it/75d7ycaa7v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c6e0b311dd9cb6adc0ef330406c8fff5c83683d Durability and MaintenanceInvest in a garden hose splitter that is easy to maintain and can withstand regular use without any significant wear and tear. Look for splitters with self-draining capabilities to prevent water stagnation and minimize the risk of mold or bacteria growth. Regular cleaning and maintenance of the splitter, including checking for leaks and tightening connections, will ensure its longevity.Additional FeaturesConsider additional features that may enhance the functionality and convenience of a garden hose splitter, such as swivel connections for improved hose flexibility or built-in shut-off valves for individual hose control. These features can help streamline your watering process and improve the overall performance of the splitter.Brand Reputation and Customer ReviewsA good indicator of a garden hose splitter's quality and performance is its brand reputation and customer reviews. Look for a reputable brand with a history of producing high-quality garden tools and equipment. Additionally, read customer reviews and ratings to gain insights into the product's performance, durability, and customer support.Investing in a reliable garden hose splitter can significantly improve your gardening experience by streamlining your watering process, conserving water, and saving time. Consider the essential features, such as material, build quality, number of connections, pressure rating, ease of use, durability, and maintenance, when choosing a garden hose splitter that meets your needs and expectations. Remember to read customer reviews and ratings to make an informed decision that ensures long-term satisfaction. https://preview.redd.it/1zadh8xa7v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c5a6301985fe5d7ee1eb979459060ca0c98195e FAQWhat is a Garden Hose Splitter?A Garden Hose Splitter is a device that enables you to use just one garden hose for multiple tasks at the same time. It splits the water flow from the hose into two or more separate streams, making it easier to water plants, wash cars, or clean patios simultaneously.Do I really need a Garden Hose Splitter?A Garden Hose Splitter can be very useful if you often find yourself needing to use two or more garden hoses simultaneously or if you have limited water supply. It saves you time and effort by eliminating the need to switch between different hoses or run multiple hoses at once. https://preview.redd.it/z9v22efb7v5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e98ba2696027382e7f8057a3362eafbac3428bbc What are the different types of Garden Hose Splitters?
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2024.06.11 05:45 SammieNikko Tips/recommendations for comfy sleep?
Hi y'all, i write this at 11pm washing my work uniform and dreading the pain im gonna be in.
I have systemic joint pain and hypermobility that impact my sleep. I have no diagnoses for anything yet. The current thing is "probably lupus"
My worst joints day to day are in my knees and ankles. Recently my hands have been awful! I usually wake up feeling mentally rested but my body doesnt. I have to often pop my hips, shoulders, neck and back because of stiffness and then i get pain after the popping. These joints have been giving me more problems over the last couple months. Last year i had xrays and was told no arthritis. I'm a side sleeper
I'd love any help you can give about how you made your bed more relaxing for your body. Whether it's a nice pillow you bought or an exercise you do. Thanks.
submitted by SammieNikko to ChronicIllness [link] [comments]
I have systemic joint pain and hypermobility that impact my sleep. I have no diagnoses for anything yet. The current thing is "probably lupus"
My worst joints day to day are in my knees and ankles. Recently my hands have been awful! I usually wake up feeling mentally rested but my body doesnt. I have to often pop my hips, shoulders, neck and back because of stiffness and then i get pain after the popping. These joints have been giving me more problems over the last couple months. Last year i had xrays and was told no arthritis. I'm a side sleeper
I'd love any help you can give about how you made your bed more relaxing for your body. Whether it's a nice pillow you bought or an exercise you do. Thanks.
2024.06.11 05:45 fainting--goat How to Survive College - I've been spending a lot of time crying
Previous Posts
I tried talking to Cassie about what happened to Laundry Mom. (yes this is basically naming her and I’m changing the name but what if what the devil said means she’s going to come back and what if we can change her) Cassie’s response was “oh thank goodness” when I told her that she’s gone so I decided to end the conversation there and just bury my emotions inside.
Well, not entirely. I’ve been crying myself to sleep. I know I shouldn’t take this as hard as I am. If I think about it logically, it’s not like she cared about me or I cared about her, right? I was just a means to an end. I got rid of the flickering man for her. And I guess she thought I was able to get rid of the thing in the hallway too and that’s why she
dammit I’m crying again brb gonna go sob into my pillow like an idiot for a bit
Okay. Better. I think.
I couldn’t talk to Cassie about it. I was at a loss on who I could talk to… so I called my mom. And then, I don’t know, because I was feeling like someone else was gone and how I feel like it’s me, it’s all because of me, everyone that cares about me or that I care about is doomed to die.
I asked about dad.
If she thought that if he were still here and could do it all over again, knowing he could die out there in the fields, if he’d still do it to provide for his family. For us. Mom was silent for a long moment and then she told me, very quietly, that it wasn’t the money that kept him away from home. That was part of it, of course, but it wasn’t the main reason.
He needed distance from mom. After the affair he didn’t want to be around her because it hurt too much. But neither did he want to divorce her, because of us, so this was the compromise he found. He took a job that kept him away from home for months at a time and when he came home he was happy to see us, just us, the children, and he and mom tried to work on their issues. Like starting the relationship over. Small steps.
It wasn’t meant to be permanent. Either they’d find a way to move forward after what she did or they’d figure out how to separate without traumatizing the youngest of the children.
Instead, he died, and there was no reconciliation, there was no closure, there was nothing. Nothing but his absence.
I told mom I needed some time to work through what she just told me and then I hung up. I screamed. I threw things. Cassie finally intervened and very calmly said it was okay to be upset but Titanosaur was hiding in her closet and I needed to find a healthier way to cope with this. Cassie insisted that I put on gym clothes with her and we went running down the streets and sidewalks until I couldn’t breathe and then we ran some more.
It helped. I don’t want to ever do it again though. Then we sat down back at the apartment and I told her what my mom had said.
Cassie thinks that was a lot to dump on someone and that she shouldn’t have ruined the image I had of my dead father. I think my mom is tired of keeping secrets and thinks I should be able to make up my own mind on how I feel about our family.
I know what it’s like to carry secrets. I feel much better now that I’m sharing most everything with Cassie.
It’s kind of weird to realize your parents are just people too and are doing the best they can and they don’t have it all figured out either and they’re getting things wrong too.
I feel so numb right now. Maybe it doesn’t matter. We can’t go back and change things and we can’t get answers to the questions we have. That’s just how it is.
I wish I could say that things get better. For a short time, it seemed that they would. I focused on my classes and tried to ignore everything else. Rumors about the haunted English building were abundant and people were saying the right things, so at least it seemed unlikely that the thing in the hallway was going to claim another victim despite its increased activity. That felt like all I could do. The thing had killed Laundry Mom. Not even the flickering man had managed that. What could I possibly do against something like that? It felt like I would be trying to stop a force of nature, like squaring off against a tornado and thinking that I, frail flesh and brittle bones, could stop its path of destruction.
I remember how I felt when I looked at it. The despair and the hopelessness and just the utter loathing, like I was dissecting myself in my mind to uncover every flaw and fault inside. I don’t want to feel like that again.
So for the past few weeks I’ve just been keeping my head down and going to class and going to work.
Yeah I’m still working at the dining hall. Money. It’s a thing.
But my manager was getting worse. The incidents where he ate everything in the stockroom were getting more frequent, to the point where he started stocking food in the neighboring dorm’s dining hall and sending us over to fetch what we’d need every morning. That was working out… until it stopped working.
I had the opening shift. I hate being scheduled for mornings, but that’s what happens when you’re reliable I guess. You get tapped for responsibilities that require reliability. And sure I’m super fucking grumpy in the morning, but at least I’m present I guess.
I even show up when it’s raining. Because by now I know what a dangerous rain looks like and if it’s just a steady, normal rain, I grab an umbrella and hustle my ass over there.
So I showed up bright and annoyed with an umbrella still dripping rainwater onto the floor, reminding myself that this job was keeping me from surviving solely off ramen, and I found the kitchen silent and still. This was unusual. He got here before everyone and would start getting the oatmeal going at least before anyone else arrived.
Fearing the worst, I hurried to the stockroom. It was raining, after all, and I think coffee boss’s talk with him about remembering to use his damn umbrella hadn’t sunk in yet.
We didn’t have much in there, but he’d eaten it all. There wasn’t anything left. Nothing. He’d eaten all the boxes, the freezer door hung open and I could see the shelves were clear. There was something unsettling about the barren stockroom too, something that took me a moment to place.
It wasn’t just the food that was gone. Everything was gone. The extra pots and pans. The cleaning supplies. The only thing left were the shelves and from the way they glistened moistly in the dim light of the single overhead bulb, I think he’d even licked the dust off of them.
He stared at me from the middle of the room, his jaw slack and his tongue hanging out like a dog. It almost reached his belly button. One shoulder drooped lower than the other and his head was tilted in the opposite direction. His eyes were wide and hopeless and famished.
“I’m so hungry,” he whispered.
Drool dribbled down his cheek and fell to the ground in thick globs. He shuffled a step towards me and I clamped down hard on my urge to panic. I couldn’t freeze up. I couldn’t run. He needed help… and he needed to revert back to normal before any of the other employees showed up.
“Hey, I’m having trouble getting the oven to light,” I said casually, as if nothing was wrong. “Could you take a look?”
Another step closer. No response, other than a faint whisper, repeating that he was hungry. So hungry.
“I think Susan called out,” I said, trying something else. “Don’t we need to find someone else to come in so we’re not short-handed?”
Still nothing. This wasn’t working anymore. Normally he would have snapped out of it by now. I hurriedly backed away, feeling that mounting panic trying to worm its way up out of my gut and into my chest. I couldn’t let it. I couldn’t let it pour ice into my veins and send me into paralysis as my manager shuffled ever closer, whispering about food.
“How about we try the next dormitory over?” I said in desperation. “They’ve got food.”
He paused. His head tilted further in one direction as he considered. Then his gaze slid off me and towards the door. I gasped in relief. Okay. This was better. The only problem was, he was shuffling towards the exit that would take us downstairs and outside into the rain. I had my umbrella on me, but I couldn’t cover both of us with it. Given a choice I’d rather keep him out of the rain as much as possible, but I kind of don’t want to get myself in it either. And not only that, but I didn’t want to be close to him, just in case he lost control. I’d have to be right next to him to hold the umbrella. Even then, it’s not going to keep the rain completely off. It gets windy during storms. I wasn’t sure what that would do to him and I really didn’t want to find out.
“Let’s try the steam tunnels,” I suggested. “They connect directly to the next dorm over and we won’t go through the rain that way.”
The steam tunnels aren’t safe either. Given the options though, I felt it was best to at least look and see if they were passable or not. If not, I’d say we should risk the rain after all and try to keep him under an umbrella as much as possible. I was formulating plans A, B, and C.
Plan C was running away. Plan C is always running away.
He followed me down the stairs, swaying slightly back and forth with each step. His breathing was labored and his stomach gurgled incessantly, a sharp counterpoint to his rasping lungs. I hurried as much as I dared, afraid that if I went too fast he’d collapse and fall down the stairs and afraid if I went too slow he’d lose his inner battle for control and try to eat me right then and there. My heart pounded and my palms were sweaty from anxiety by the time we got to the steam tunnels. I hastily unlocked it with my copy of the master key and threw open the door.
I swore under my breath. Roots. They clogged the tunnel. Of course they did. It was raining and I always saw them when it was raining.
“Not that way,” I sighed, and I started to close the door.
There was a noise like stones grinding against each other. Like the side of a mountain cleaving in two and sliding apart. It was deafening. I shrieked and stumbled backwards, throwing my hands up to cover my ears. The ground wasn’t where I expected it to be. My ankle rolled sideways and I fell hard.
I caught myself with my elbow.
Not a great thing to do on cement, let me tell you.
I lay there, gasping, as pain shot all the way up my arm and through my shoulder. The ground continued to vibrate beneath my feet. Then I looked up and over, my thoughts moving sluggishly about how I needed to get help for myself now, that I’d hurt myself, that I was bleeding because I could see the blood dripping off the tip of my elbow, and also do something about my manager but there was just me here and -
But there wasn’t just me anymore.
I stared up at the legs of the groundskeeper. The floor of the basement had split in two, pulled apart by thick trunks of roots. They bunched together and then split apart in groups of five. Like fingers, I thought distantly. Like hands holding the ground apart.
And the groundskeeper, his skin like flint, had a hand wrapped around the neck of my manager. He didn’t struggle. He just hung there limply, staring off into the distance with agonized tears running down his cheeks.
“I’m so hungry,” he whispered.
Then the groundskeeper stepped into the crevasse and the roots slithered back after him, the fingers digging gouges into the cement as they dragged the floor back together after them.
I was alone in the basement.
I staggered upstairs, sobbing and dripping blood all over my shirt and jeans. The people at the front desk panicked briefly upon seeing me but one of them realized that it would just be faster to walk down the street to the medical center than to wait for an ambulance to be routed from the local hospital. So that’s what we did. They threw some paper towels at me to keep from dripping blood everywhere and then one of them escorted me there. I got an x-ray that confirmed nothing was broken (thank goodness) and was sent home with a sling and some painkillers.
I didn’t go straight home. (I desperately wanted to go home and take medicine and cry some more, but also I felt I had to do this) I went to the coffee shop first.
My former boss quickly ushered me into the office once an employee let her know that someone named Ashley was here to see her. She eyed the sling my arm was in with alarm.
(I’m doing fine now, I only wore it for like two days)
“It’s fine,” I quickly told her. “But he’s gone.”
And it took a while to tell her what happened, because I kept crying and once I started I couldn’t stop. It’s all too much. I feel like I’m drowning.
“Oh sweetie,” she sighed, coming around the desk so she could pat me on the back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to deal with that.”
“I shouldn’t have gone into the basement,” I blubbered.
“How were you supposed to know? The groundskeeper has never left the cemetery to my knowledge.”
I went very still and blinked away tears. I had to focus. She knew about the groundskeeper. Quietly, I asked her what, exactly, did she know about that thing?
It’s been here a long time, she said. She found out about it from the person that trained her as manager when she first started working here. It was just another one of those stories passed around campus except this one was mostly circulated among the staff. The groundskeeper didn’t like anyone affiliated with the university, they said. He’d tolerate their presence in the graveyard during visiting hours, but that was all.
But where did he come from, I asked. She shrugged and said the oral tradition didn’t care much about that. It was more interested in horrible, certain demise befalling staff members that strayed into the cemetery.
“But why did he go after my manager?” I asked.
“I have no idea,” she sighed. “You ask too many questions. That’s a bad habit around here.”
The flickering man wasn’t here to rip people’s tongues out anymore, but I didn’t know quite how to explain that to her.
“It’s rare, but we do lose staff on occasion,” she continued. “He’s certainly not the first and he won’t be the last. If the roots are spreading like you say they are, then perhaps there’s no reason other than he happened to be within reach.”
I have my own theory, but I stayed quiet. She clearly wasn’t interested in speculating. She just wanted to do her job, get paid, and stay alive. She wouldn’t care that I wondered if he was getting worse, if he was changing more and more frequently, and that attracted the groundskeeper’s attention. If the groundskeeper and the roots were hostile towards the university, then perhaps that hostility extended to the creatures it created. My poor manager wasn’t the only creature I’d seen them eliminate.
“Besides,” she continued. “Did you see him die?”
“He - the ground -”
“Did you see him die?”
No. I didn’t. He was pulled underground. I was about to bolt out of there and, I don’t know, start digging up graves in the graveyard in the hopes he was inside one, still alive, but the manager’s friendly pat on the back turned into a firm grip on the shoulder.
“Let me deal with this,” she said. “I’ve got friends in campus security. We’ll see if we can find him.”
I’m starting to wonder if my life would be better right now if I’d told my former boss everything that was going on as soon as I met her.
“Why do you stay?” I demanded. “This place isn’t worth it.”
She patted me on the shoulder.
“You’re close to graduation, you’ll get to find out what the job market is like first-hand soon enough.”
I had a horrible thought upon leaving her office. We’ve figured out that the rain changes people so other than putting it in the rules, I haven’t given it much thought since then. It was just another thing to worry about, but it was a distant problem. Not something that directly affects me.
But what if it is?
Those lapses in my memory? What if it’s because I’m changing? We’ve been so focused on the forgetter and Grayson that we’ve ignored the obvious explanation. The rain changed Maria and she didn’t remember what happened to her. So what if I’m changing too. What if I’m me but not-me and that’s why people have seen me around campus in places I normally wouldn’t go.
It’s a horrifying thought. But it makes sense. The rain does change people.
It could change me.
It could have changed Grayson.
Because. Well.
I think some of you are right about him.
I asked Professor Monotone if he had any photos of James. My heart wasn’t really into the investigation, not after what happened to Laundry Mom and my late boss. It was more like I was going through the motions and following up on the things I felt I should. Just wrapping up another loose end and putting a face to James just like we’d put a face to the steam ghost. Professor Monotone said he did have a photo. James was part of a group he’d taken on a summer trip one year and they’d taken some group photos at the site. He’d put them with the other. He had a whole folder full of them, going back from when he first started teaching here.
Which is kind of sweetly sentimental but also very helpful for my purposes. I followed him to his office and he rummaged through the folder for a while. It wasn’t organized in any way. Every now and then he’d toss a photo in my direction and ramble about what trip that was, where they went, what they did, and what the students involved did after graduation. It felt a lot like looking through someone’s family photo album.
“Here it is,” he triumphantly proclaimed, holding aloft a photo. “It wasn’t a big trip. Just went out to dig up some fossils for a week.”
He handed it to me.
“James is second from the right,” he said.
I took the photo. Then I quietly asked him to please confirm, second from the right, and that’s my right, correct? It was. There he was, a little shorter than the other students on the field trip, standing on tiptoes so that he could throw his arms around the shoulders of the two students standing to either side of him. He stared at the camera, his hair messy and maybe a little dirty from messing around in the dirt all day, squinting in the bright sunlight.
I finally knew what James looked like.
I stared at the photo for a long time, until Professor Monotone asked me if everything was okay. I burst into tears at the question and I sobbed so hard that I couldn’t even answer. The professor just waited patiently, mutely handing me the box of tissues, and when I finally calmed down I only shook my head, handed him the photo, and told him I couldn’t talk about it right now. That I needed some time.
Because the face that stared at me from the photo, smiling with his arms around his classmate’s shoulders, was Grayson.
submitted by fainting--goat to nosleep [link] [comments]
I tried talking to Cassie about what happened to Laundry Mom. (yes this is basically naming her and I’m changing the name but what if what the devil said means she’s going to come back and what if we can change her) Cassie’s response was “oh thank goodness” when I told her that she’s gone so I decided to end the conversation there and just bury my emotions inside.
Well, not entirely. I’ve been crying myself to sleep. I know I shouldn’t take this as hard as I am. If I think about it logically, it’s not like she cared about me or I cared about her, right? I was just a means to an end. I got rid of the flickering man for her. And I guess she thought I was able to get rid of the thing in the hallway too and that’s why she
dammit I’m crying again brb gonna go sob into my pillow like an idiot for a bit
Okay. Better. I think.
I couldn’t talk to Cassie about it. I was at a loss on who I could talk to… so I called my mom. And then, I don’t know, because I was feeling like someone else was gone and how I feel like it’s me, it’s all because of me, everyone that cares about me or that I care about is doomed to die.
I asked about dad.
If she thought that if he were still here and could do it all over again, knowing he could die out there in the fields, if he’d still do it to provide for his family. For us. Mom was silent for a long moment and then she told me, very quietly, that it wasn’t the money that kept him away from home. That was part of it, of course, but it wasn’t the main reason.
He needed distance from mom. After the affair he didn’t want to be around her because it hurt too much. But neither did he want to divorce her, because of us, so this was the compromise he found. He took a job that kept him away from home for months at a time and when he came home he was happy to see us, just us, the children, and he and mom tried to work on their issues. Like starting the relationship over. Small steps.
It wasn’t meant to be permanent. Either they’d find a way to move forward after what she did or they’d figure out how to separate without traumatizing the youngest of the children.
Instead, he died, and there was no reconciliation, there was no closure, there was nothing. Nothing but his absence.
I told mom I needed some time to work through what she just told me and then I hung up. I screamed. I threw things. Cassie finally intervened and very calmly said it was okay to be upset but Titanosaur was hiding in her closet and I needed to find a healthier way to cope with this. Cassie insisted that I put on gym clothes with her and we went running down the streets and sidewalks until I couldn’t breathe and then we ran some more.
It helped. I don’t want to ever do it again though. Then we sat down back at the apartment and I told her what my mom had said.
Cassie thinks that was a lot to dump on someone and that she shouldn’t have ruined the image I had of my dead father. I think my mom is tired of keeping secrets and thinks I should be able to make up my own mind on how I feel about our family.
I know what it’s like to carry secrets. I feel much better now that I’m sharing most everything with Cassie.
It’s kind of weird to realize your parents are just people too and are doing the best they can and they don’t have it all figured out either and they’re getting things wrong too.
I feel so numb right now. Maybe it doesn’t matter. We can’t go back and change things and we can’t get answers to the questions we have. That’s just how it is.
I wish I could say that things get better. For a short time, it seemed that they would. I focused on my classes and tried to ignore everything else. Rumors about the haunted English building were abundant and people were saying the right things, so at least it seemed unlikely that the thing in the hallway was going to claim another victim despite its increased activity. That felt like all I could do. The thing had killed Laundry Mom. Not even the flickering man had managed that. What could I possibly do against something like that? It felt like I would be trying to stop a force of nature, like squaring off against a tornado and thinking that I, frail flesh and brittle bones, could stop its path of destruction.
I remember how I felt when I looked at it. The despair and the hopelessness and just the utter loathing, like I was dissecting myself in my mind to uncover every flaw and fault inside. I don’t want to feel like that again.
So for the past few weeks I’ve just been keeping my head down and going to class and going to work.
Yeah I’m still working at the dining hall. Money. It’s a thing.
But my manager was getting worse. The incidents where he ate everything in the stockroom were getting more frequent, to the point where he started stocking food in the neighboring dorm’s dining hall and sending us over to fetch what we’d need every morning. That was working out… until it stopped working.
I had the opening shift. I hate being scheduled for mornings, but that’s what happens when you’re reliable I guess. You get tapped for responsibilities that require reliability. And sure I’m super fucking grumpy in the morning, but at least I’m present I guess.
I even show up when it’s raining. Because by now I know what a dangerous rain looks like and if it’s just a steady, normal rain, I grab an umbrella and hustle my ass over there.
So I showed up bright and annoyed with an umbrella still dripping rainwater onto the floor, reminding myself that this job was keeping me from surviving solely off ramen, and I found the kitchen silent and still. This was unusual. He got here before everyone and would start getting the oatmeal going at least before anyone else arrived.
Fearing the worst, I hurried to the stockroom. It was raining, after all, and I think coffee boss’s talk with him about remembering to use his damn umbrella hadn’t sunk in yet.
We didn’t have much in there, but he’d eaten it all. There wasn’t anything left. Nothing. He’d eaten all the boxes, the freezer door hung open and I could see the shelves were clear. There was something unsettling about the barren stockroom too, something that took me a moment to place.
It wasn’t just the food that was gone. Everything was gone. The extra pots and pans. The cleaning supplies. The only thing left were the shelves and from the way they glistened moistly in the dim light of the single overhead bulb, I think he’d even licked the dust off of them.
He stared at me from the middle of the room, his jaw slack and his tongue hanging out like a dog. It almost reached his belly button. One shoulder drooped lower than the other and his head was tilted in the opposite direction. His eyes were wide and hopeless and famished.
“I’m so hungry,” he whispered.
Drool dribbled down his cheek and fell to the ground in thick globs. He shuffled a step towards me and I clamped down hard on my urge to panic. I couldn’t freeze up. I couldn’t run. He needed help… and he needed to revert back to normal before any of the other employees showed up.
“Hey, I’m having trouble getting the oven to light,” I said casually, as if nothing was wrong. “Could you take a look?”
Another step closer. No response, other than a faint whisper, repeating that he was hungry. So hungry.
“I think Susan called out,” I said, trying something else. “Don’t we need to find someone else to come in so we’re not short-handed?”
Still nothing. This wasn’t working anymore. Normally he would have snapped out of it by now. I hurriedly backed away, feeling that mounting panic trying to worm its way up out of my gut and into my chest. I couldn’t let it. I couldn’t let it pour ice into my veins and send me into paralysis as my manager shuffled ever closer, whispering about food.
“How about we try the next dormitory over?” I said in desperation. “They’ve got food.”
He paused. His head tilted further in one direction as he considered. Then his gaze slid off me and towards the door. I gasped in relief. Okay. This was better. The only problem was, he was shuffling towards the exit that would take us downstairs and outside into the rain. I had my umbrella on me, but I couldn’t cover both of us with it. Given a choice I’d rather keep him out of the rain as much as possible, but I kind of don’t want to get myself in it either. And not only that, but I didn’t want to be close to him, just in case he lost control. I’d have to be right next to him to hold the umbrella. Even then, it’s not going to keep the rain completely off. It gets windy during storms. I wasn’t sure what that would do to him and I really didn’t want to find out.
“Let’s try the steam tunnels,” I suggested. “They connect directly to the next dorm over and we won’t go through the rain that way.”
The steam tunnels aren’t safe either. Given the options though, I felt it was best to at least look and see if they were passable or not. If not, I’d say we should risk the rain after all and try to keep him under an umbrella as much as possible. I was formulating plans A, B, and C.
Plan C was running away. Plan C is always running away.
He followed me down the stairs, swaying slightly back and forth with each step. His breathing was labored and his stomach gurgled incessantly, a sharp counterpoint to his rasping lungs. I hurried as much as I dared, afraid that if I went too fast he’d collapse and fall down the stairs and afraid if I went too slow he’d lose his inner battle for control and try to eat me right then and there. My heart pounded and my palms were sweaty from anxiety by the time we got to the steam tunnels. I hastily unlocked it with my copy of the master key and threw open the door.
I swore under my breath. Roots. They clogged the tunnel. Of course they did. It was raining and I always saw them when it was raining.
“Not that way,” I sighed, and I started to close the door.
There was a noise like stones grinding against each other. Like the side of a mountain cleaving in two and sliding apart. It was deafening. I shrieked and stumbled backwards, throwing my hands up to cover my ears. The ground wasn’t where I expected it to be. My ankle rolled sideways and I fell hard.
I caught myself with my elbow.
Not a great thing to do on cement, let me tell you.
I lay there, gasping, as pain shot all the way up my arm and through my shoulder. The ground continued to vibrate beneath my feet. Then I looked up and over, my thoughts moving sluggishly about how I needed to get help for myself now, that I’d hurt myself, that I was bleeding because I could see the blood dripping off the tip of my elbow, and also do something about my manager but there was just me here and -
But there wasn’t just me anymore.
I stared up at the legs of the groundskeeper. The floor of the basement had split in two, pulled apart by thick trunks of roots. They bunched together and then split apart in groups of five. Like fingers, I thought distantly. Like hands holding the ground apart.
And the groundskeeper, his skin like flint, had a hand wrapped around the neck of my manager. He didn’t struggle. He just hung there limply, staring off into the distance with agonized tears running down his cheeks.
“I’m so hungry,” he whispered.
Then the groundskeeper stepped into the crevasse and the roots slithered back after him, the fingers digging gouges into the cement as they dragged the floor back together after them.
I was alone in the basement.
I staggered upstairs, sobbing and dripping blood all over my shirt and jeans. The people at the front desk panicked briefly upon seeing me but one of them realized that it would just be faster to walk down the street to the medical center than to wait for an ambulance to be routed from the local hospital. So that’s what we did. They threw some paper towels at me to keep from dripping blood everywhere and then one of them escorted me there. I got an x-ray that confirmed nothing was broken (thank goodness) and was sent home with a sling and some painkillers.
I didn’t go straight home. (I desperately wanted to go home and take medicine and cry some more, but also I felt I had to do this) I went to the coffee shop first.
My former boss quickly ushered me into the office once an employee let her know that someone named Ashley was here to see her. She eyed the sling my arm was in with alarm.
(I’m doing fine now, I only wore it for like two days)
“It’s fine,” I quickly told her. “But he’s gone.”
And it took a while to tell her what happened, because I kept crying and once I started I couldn’t stop. It’s all too much. I feel like I’m drowning.
“Oh sweetie,” she sighed, coming around the desk so she could pat me on the back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to deal with that.”
“I shouldn’t have gone into the basement,” I blubbered.
“How were you supposed to know? The groundskeeper has never left the cemetery to my knowledge.”
I went very still and blinked away tears. I had to focus. She knew about the groundskeeper. Quietly, I asked her what, exactly, did she know about that thing?
It’s been here a long time, she said. She found out about it from the person that trained her as manager when she first started working here. It was just another one of those stories passed around campus except this one was mostly circulated among the staff. The groundskeeper didn’t like anyone affiliated with the university, they said. He’d tolerate their presence in the graveyard during visiting hours, but that was all.
But where did he come from, I asked. She shrugged and said the oral tradition didn’t care much about that. It was more interested in horrible, certain demise befalling staff members that strayed into the cemetery.
“But why did he go after my manager?” I asked.
“I have no idea,” she sighed. “You ask too many questions. That’s a bad habit around here.”
The flickering man wasn’t here to rip people’s tongues out anymore, but I didn’t know quite how to explain that to her.
“It’s rare, but we do lose staff on occasion,” she continued. “He’s certainly not the first and he won’t be the last. If the roots are spreading like you say they are, then perhaps there’s no reason other than he happened to be within reach.”
I have my own theory, but I stayed quiet. She clearly wasn’t interested in speculating. She just wanted to do her job, get paid, and stay alive. She wouldn’t care that I wondered if he was getting worse, if he was changing more and more frequently, and that attracted the groundskeeper’s attention. If the groundskeeper and the roots were hostile towards the university, then perhaps that hostility extended to the creatures it created. My poor manager wasn’t the only creature I’d seen them eliminate.
“Besides,” she continued. “Did you see him die?”
“He - the ground -”
“Did you see him die?”
No. I didn’t. He was pulled underground. I was about to bolt out of there and, I don’t know, start digging up graves in the graveyard in the hopes he was inside one, still alive, but the manager’s friendly pat on the back turned into a firm grip on the shoulder.
“Let me deal with this,” she said. “I’ve got friends in campus security. We’ll see if we can find him.”
I’m starting to wonder if my life would be better right now if I’d told my former boss everything that was going on as soon as I met her.
“Why do you stay?” I demanded. “This place isn’t worth it.”
She patted me on the shoulder.
“You’re close to graduation, you’ll get to find out what the job market is like first-hand soon enough.”
I had a horrible thought upon leaving her office. We’ve figured out that the rain changes people so other than putting it in the rules, I haven’t given it much thought since then. It was just another thing to worry about, but it was a distant problem. Not something that directly affects me.
But what if it is?
Those lapses in my memory? What if it’s because I’m changing? We’ve been so focused on the forgetter and Grayson that we’ve ignored the obvious explanation. The rain changed Maria and she didn’t remember what happened to her. So what if I’m changing too. What if I’m me but not-me and that’s why people have seen me around campus in places I normally wouldn’t go.
It’s a horrifying thought. But it makes sense. The rain does change people.
It could change me.
It could have changed Grayson.
Because. Well.
I think some of you are right about him.
I asked Professor Monotone if he had any photos of James. My heart wasn’t really into the investigation, not after what happened to Laundry Mom and my late boss. It was more like I was going through the motions and following up on the things I felt I should. Just wrapping up another loose end and putting a face to James just like we’d put a face to the steam ghost. Professor Monotone said he did have a photo. James was part of a group he’d taken on a summer trip one year and they’d taken some group photos at the site. He’d put them with the other. He had a whole folder full of them, going back from when he first started teaching here.
Which is kind of sweetly sentimental but also very helpful for my purposes. I followed him to his office and he rummaged through the folder for a while. It wasn’t organized in any way. Every now and then he’d toss a photo in my direction and ramble about what trip that was, where they went, what they did, and what the students involved did after graduation. It felt a lot like looking through someone’s family photo album.
“Here it is,” he triumphantly proclaimed, holding aloft a photo. “It wasn’t a big trip. Just went out to dig up some fossils for a week.”
He handed it to me.
“James is second from the right,” he said.
I took the photo. Then I quietly asked him to please confirm, second from the right, and that’s my right, correct? It was. There he was, a little shorter than the other students on the field trip, standing on tiptoes so that he could throw his arms around the shoulders of the two students standing to either side of him. He stared at the camera, his hair messy and maybe a little dirty from messing around in the dirt all day, squinting in the bright sunlight.
I finally knew what James looked like.
I stared at the photo for a long time, until Professor Monotone asked me if everything was okay. I burst into tears at the question and I sobbed so hard that I couldn’t even answer. The professor just waited patiently, mutely handing me the box of tissues, and when I finally calmed down I only shook my head, handed him the photo, and told him I couldn’t talk about it right now. That I needed some time.
Because the face that stared at me from the photo, smiling with his arms around his classmate’s shoulders, was Grayson.
2024.06.11 05:18 Lilyy2023 Could these symptoms be POTS?
I have been struggling with some symptoms for as long as I can remember. In the last years I've been researching about it and realised that all of them seem to be part of POTS.
(Some information about me: F, 21 years old, 53kg, 169cm, don't take any medication except for some vitamins from time to time.)
Regardless of how well I might be feeling while I'm sitting or lying down, as soon as I stand up I start feeling tired and weak, as if my body doesn’t have enough strength to remain in that position, it's difficult to keep a straight posture and I always feel slightly dizzy. I can stay like that for a few minutes (for enough time to take a shower, complete a short set of an exercise...) but it progressively gets worse if I don't sit down. It becomes harder to breath, I start feeling warmer, some parts of my body, especially my hands, start shaking, I feel some sort of pressure on my neck, muscle and back pain, I stop seeing and hearing well and eventually I faint. It seems to be worse during the day, after walking for some time, if I take a hot shower, if I'm already mentally tired, if it's too warm or if I haven't eaten recently. It's been 2 years since the last time I got to the point of fainting, since then I've been learning to recognise when it'll happen so I can sit or lie down. As soon as I sit down it becomes a bit more bearable but the shortness of breath and the muscle pain still take some minutes to stop. And if I stay in a lying position for a while the symptoms disappear completely and only start again when I get up.
Through the years I've tried a few different things to check if it could be something else and never found anything. I've been exercising for about 10 years now, all the results from the bloodtests I did didn't show anything wrong (some doctors in the past thought it could be anemia but concluded that considering the tests and my diet, it's not). I had an appointment with an orthopedist in January to check if could be a problem with my muscles or my back but according to him it's probably not an othopedic issue. I also did a head MRI when I was younger, which didn't show any issues either.
What I've been wondering is: 1. With the symptoms I have it is really possible that I might have POTS?
2.Are there any other illnesses that could fit in those symptoms?
3.Which doctor and test do I need to visit and do to find out?
And lastly, I live in Brazil so it'd be very helpful if I could find a doctor who works here and understands more about this, since all the ones I've had appointments with through the years don't seem to know what to recommend or even that this a real illness. But of courses, I appreciate any help so I'll be thankful for all answers I get.
submitted by Lilyy2023 to AskDocs [link] [comments]
(Some information about me: F, 21 years old, 53kg, 169cm, don't take any medication except for some vitamins from time to time.)
Regardless of how well I might be feeling while I'm sitting or lying down, as soon as I stand up I start feeling tired and weak, as if my body doesn’t have enough strength to remain in that position, it's difficult to keep a straight posture and I always feel slightly dizzy. I can stay like that for a few minutes (for enough time to take a shower, complete a short set of an exercise...) but it progressively gets worse if I don't sit down. It becomes harder to breath, I start feeling warmer, some parts of my body, especially my hands, start shaking, I feel some sort of pressure on my neck, muscle and back pain, I stop seeing and hearing well and eventually I faint. It seems to be worse during the day, after walking for some time, if I take a hot shower, if I'm already mentally tired, if it's too warm or if I haven't eaten recently. It's been 2 years since the last time I got to the point of fainting, since then I've been learning to recognise when it'll happen so I can sit or lie down. As soon as I sit down it becomes a bit more bearable but the shortness of breath and the muscle pain still take some minutes to stop. And if I stay in a lying position for a while the symptoms disappear completely and only start again when I get up.
Through the years I've tried a few different things to check if it could be something else and never found anything. I've been exercising for about 10 years now, all the results from the bloodtests I did didn't show anything wrong (some doctors in the past thought it could be anemia but concluded that considering the tests and my diet, it's not). I had an appointment with an orthopedist in January to check if could be a problem with my muscles or my back but according to him it's probably not an othopedic issue. I also did a head MRI when I was younger, which didn't show any issues either.
What I've been wondering is: 1. With the symptoms I have it is really possible that I might have POTS?
2.Are there any other illnesses that could fit in those symptoms?
3.Which doctor and test do I need to visit and do to find out?
And lastly, I live in Brazil so it'd be very helpful if I could find a doctor who works here and understands more about this, since all the ones I've had appointments with through the years don't seem to know what to recommend or even that this a real illness. But of courses, I appreciate any help so I'll be thankful for all answers I get.
2024.06.11 04:39 gojosatoru-yuigi I won't gatekeep this , you can cure cervical instability /cervical spondolysis whatever neck problems. And my experience in curing my cervical instability.
There is something called subliminals, you can glance on Subliminal . Its an audio which has affirmations but you won't listen the affirmations because those affirmations frequency is reduced BUT your subconscious mind will pick it up.
The reason frequency of those affirmations are lowered because your conscious mind won't believe those affirmations for example - 'My spine is correctly aligned, my neck is regenerating'- you won't believe this affirmations if they are loud and passed consciously but if we reduce the frequency it won't pass to conscious, it will PASS to subconscious , with daily listening and consistency( i listened these only once per day) it should cure it.
so why we have to be consistent? why i have to repeat these daily? BECAUSE OF LIMITING BELIEFS that it won't work. But with repetition and consistency , your subconscious mind will be accepting it and become impressed and then finally it sits in 'long term memory' which later converts into 'belief' which will later then change the 'external reality' .
YEAH the subconscious mind is a internal reality whatever you feed it , it will shift external world. in fact, you can achieve whatever you want.
I first didn't believe it , at that time i was like i lost everything, with tinnitus , dizziness,my head is very light and horrible neck pain. but now i got no symptoms, only tinnitus comes sometimes, no pain or dizziness , i can run, i can exercise. DRINK WATER BEFORE LISTENING TO THESE AUDIOS ( will hydrate your brain to be efficient)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW1Mlq78qNY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A3DvGjfKIo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOpcFP9qdZI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuEN5QPP7iI
these 4 once per day is enough ( stay hydrated )
i know this is crazy for some people here but believe, you can manifest eye colours, physical changes whatever , some people even change their race lol. good luck. you can cure it.
( some people get results faster some people get results slow because of ego ( not the pride ego, anger ego whatever), i am talking about the EGO , the voice in your head which says 'OH this pain is real , be logical bro, how that's possible , what this guy is yapping crazy stuff' it will try to make you logical to separate you from internal world, don't believe the voices in your head aka thoughts. thoughts don't define you. thoughts don't make you who you are. It will take time for your subconscious mind to make it shift reality. so be patient and maintain consistency , for me i cured it within 2 months. But every brain is different due to number of limiting beliefs, so it will take time. But you will cure it my friend. )
Isn't it weird we humans care about stuff and take it personal sometimes and at same time we live in a tiny earth , and the same earth along with other planets and sun make solar system which is JUST a part of milky way galaxy and whole other galaxys including ours make universe and there are some black holes which can suck 15 million suns and this is very weird that we have no idea that we are alone or not.
Its only the 'religion' and the 'feel' will make you think that this world is REAL. But its actually not. your subconscious is different from science and doesn't have logic. No one knows how it changes reality, some think that every human is god and has potential to do whatever he/she wants, some think its universe ,some think its inner higher self, but they are not wrong.
submitted by gojosatoru-yuigi to Cervicalinstability [link] [comments]
The reason frequency of those affirmations are lowered because your conscious mind won't believe those affirmations for example - 'My spine is correctly aligned, my neck is regenerating'- you won't believe this affirmations if they are loud and passed consciously but if we reduce the frequency it won't pass to conscious, it will PASS to subconscious , with daily listening and consistency( i listened these only once per day) it should cure it.
so why we have to be consistent? why i have to repeat these daily? BECAUSE OF LIMITING BELIEFS that it won't work. But with repetition and consistency , your subconscious mind will be accepting it and become impressed and then finally it sits in 'long term memory' which later converts into 'belief' which will later then change the 'external reality' .
YEAH the subconscious mind is a internal reality whatever you feed it , it will shift external world. in fact, you can achieve whatever you want.
I first didn't believe it , at that time i was like i lost everything, with tinnitus , dizziness,my head is very light and horrible neck pain. but now i got no symptoms, only tinnitus comes sometimes, no pain or dizziness , i can run, i can exercise. DRINK WATER BEFORE LISTENING TO THESE AUDIOS ( will hydrate your brain to be efficient)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW1Mlq78qNY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A3DvGjfKIo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOpcFP9qdZI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuEN5QPP7iI
these 4 once per day is enough ( stay hydrated )
i know this is crazy for some people here but believe, you can manifest eye colours, physical changes whatever , some people even change their race lol. good luck. you can cure it.
( some people get results faster some people get results slow because of ego ( not the pride ego, anger ego whatever), i am talking about the EGO , the voice in your head which says 'OH this pain is real , be logical bro, how that's possible , what this guy is yapping crazy stuff' it will try to make you logical to separate you from internal world, don't believe the voices in your head aka thoughts. thoughts don't define you. thoughts don't make you who you are. It will take time for your subconscious mind to make it shift reality. so be patient and maintain consistency , for me i cured it within 2 months. But every brain is different due to number of limiting beliefs, so it will take time. But you will cure it my friend. )
Isn't it weird we humans care about stuff and take it personal sometimes and at same time we live in a tiny earth , and the same earth along with other planets and sun make solar system which is JUST a part of milky way galaxy and whole other galaxys including ours make universe and there are some black holes which can suck 15 million suns and this is very weird that we have no idea that we are alone or not.
Its only the 'religion' and the 'feel' will make you think that this world is REAL. But its actually not. your subconscious is different from science and doesn't have logic. No one knows how it changes reality, some think that every human is god and has potential to do whatever he/she wants, some think its universe ,some think its inner higher self, but they are not wrong.
2024.06.11 04:34 Horror_shorts_by_sam Vivian
I recently moved back to my hometown. My wife, Helen, and my kids, John and Mary were driving with the rest of our things. And would arrive tomorrow morning.
If I was being honest staying in the new house alone wasn’t my ideal idea for my first day in the house.but it was what it was i thought.
I grab one of the boxes from my backseat. I leave the car door open since I had more boxes to get.
I walk up on the white wooden steps of the porch. I fumble through my pockets for the little single key to the house.
I unlock the door as I walk in with the box. I sat the box in front of the stairs. As i was walking out to get another box something fell on my head.
A little single note with the words monster in red ick. It looked a little sloppy my 10 year old son had better handwriting then this I thought.
Must of been something the previous owners left behind. I continue to get the rest of the boxes. After I was finally finished I decided to relax on the couch we had moved here a few months ago.
But as I make my way to my new living room I see a newspaper on the couch. I pick it up Flipping it to the front page. I saw a picture of a girl on the main cover who didn’t look older than 13.
Vivian Myers
I knew exactly who she was. She was murdered back in 26. Her murder quickly became famous. Even the big city folk knew her story.
This newspaper was even from 1927. A year after her death. It didn’t make sense why it was here as it was 1946 now.
I just chopped it up to the previous owners leaving it. I throw the newspaper aside and I lay my head down on the couch.
I unexpectedly fell asleep after a minute. The drive here plus carrying the boxes exhausted me.
I was having a nice calm dream. But I was soon lead to a more eerie and vivid dream. I was in the middle of the woods.
I was quite familiar with these woods. I used to come here with my pa after school. We used to hunt animals for dinner.
But I felt like I wasn’t myself in this dream. I heard a voice in the distance calling somebody’s name but I couldn’t quite understand it. It was like it was muffled out
I began to run I felt fear all over me like I was scared for my life. It felt like i knew I was gonna die soon. But somehow I knew deep down that these weren’t my memories but someone’s else.
It was like the dream was controlling me. I continued to run. I was running like a wild cat in different directions and turns.
I was desperate not to let this thing get “me”. I began to feel dizzy. I slow down and I suddenly stop. My vision was hazy and my chest was pounding at the same time.
I felt like I was dying. I fell on the ground lucky not hitting my head. But the pain in chest got more severe. And my vision was more hazy. I also started to see black dots.
I lift my head up. Desperately trying to get up but I couldn’t. I started to cry I knew all hope was lost I suddenly feel an awful feeling of dread and fear.
I have never felt this scared. It felt so real this whole dream felt so real. I see a pair of boots right in front of me. I then feel my hair get yanked up. I look at the person who yanked me. He was muffled out to. I couldn’t see a single damn detail on him.
He then says a few things as I stay silent. But like him and the name he called out his voice was also muffled out.
I couldn’t understand a damn word he was saying. Shit i didn’t even know if he was a he.
He takes out a knife from the back of his pants. his grip on my hair still tight. I could see the knife clearly. it was not muffled out.
Which made me have more fear. I try to run but he yanks my hair back. I try to shake and scream for help. But he was way stronger than me. And my voice was also muffled out. I felt hopeless. I start to cry.
Which wasn’t muffled out. I felt the knife touch my throat it felt cold. At that moment I stop moving. I just froze.
It was like a very sharp hunting knife. Before he could kill me though i awoke as I darted up and breathing heavily. I was sweating all over and felt goosebumps. I hear a loud knock on the door. Along with my children’s excited voices.
Were they already here?. Did I really sleep through the rest of the afternoon and the whole night. I open the door as my kids come running in hugging me.
“Welcome to your new home children” my wife Helen says walking in the door.
“John you get the room up stairs on the right and Mary you get the room up stairs on the left understood?” I say to my children
They nod and both say yes. Right after they run up stairs to their new bedrooms. I walk up to wife hugging her and kissing her forehead.
“How was the drive here?” I ask my wife who looked awfully tired
“The kids…. William they won’t listen to me” my wife says you could tell she was exhausted by the tone of her voice.
“I’ll take care of kids, you get some sleep you look tired Helen” I say as I take her hand leading her to the couch.
“I’ll go get one of Mary’s blankets you just lay here” I say as I leave and headed up the stairs.
I turn to the left where Mary’s room is. I was about to enter until I heard her voice.
“Hello…. I’m Mary what’s your name”
I fling the door opened. I look at Mary who is just sitting Chris cross on her bed. No body else was in here.
“Mary who were you talking to ?”
Mary looks around with a confused look on her face the Shrugs and looks down.
“I don’t know… no one I guess” she says quietly. I almost couldn’t hear her.
I was a little confused I would sworn i heard Mary talking to someone. I then remembered my wife who was without her blanket .
“ Mary your mother needs one of your spare blankets” Mary nods in response and gets one of her blankets out from one of the boxes.
Mary runs up and hands it to me. I take the blanket and I head back downstairs to my wife. When I got there she was already asleep. I put Mary’s blanket over her.
I go to my wife’s car to get the rest of the boxes. After a couple hours my wife wakes up to make the kids and I dinner.
August 4th 1946
The new house was nice. The new school that the kids attended was also pretty nice. The neighbors were as nice and welcoming as everything else. I think I’m gonna like it here.
I had just came home from work when my wife came storming towards me with tears.
“Me and you need to have a conversation” she said grabbing my hand and taking me to our bedroom locking the door behind her.
She was crying and shaking like she was terrified.
“Helen what is the meaning of thi-“ before I could finish my wife interrupted me
“Our daughter said she made a friend and this friend apparently lives here in our home William.” My wife starts to take deep breath’s from crying as she continues.
“Mary said her name is Vivian. And get this Vivian said you’re a bad man. MARY SAID YOU KILLED THAT LITTLE GIRL A FIVE YEAR OLD DOESN’T MAKE THAT UP WILLIAM”
I just stood there looking down with a confused expression wondering where my daughter got this information from. And then I remembered the newspaper and thought maybe she saw it and picked it up.
“She probably got this from a newspaper that was left here about that little girl Vivian” I say trying to calm my wife down
“William I’m worried about her ever since we moved she has been talking about that girl” my wife says with tears.
I walk over to my wife to embrace her and comfort her as I stroke her hair.
“Don’t worry love I’ll have a talk with her I’ll take care of it” after comforting my wife I head down to the kitchen where the back door is. Mary always comes to the backyard after school it’s like her daily routine.
As I open the main door I look through the screen door to see Mary wasn’t alone. Mary was sitting on the ground playing with some grass. And there was a girl sitting next to her with her hand on her back. She was facing the other way so I could only see her back. but she was way older then Mary I mean it wasn’t hard to tell.
I open the screen door which caused the girl to give me a side glare. I could now see one side of her face. It was decayed and grey and her face had cracks and her eyes….
Her eyes were fully black. They had no color to them at all. I could feel her glare it was strong it almost frightened me. The only thing normal about her was her dark brown hair.
“MARY COME INSIDE SWEETIE”
Mary looks up at me and says okay. I only look at my daughter as I try to not look at that girl. Mary runs in the house past me.
I look at Mary as she past me then I look back at the girl. She was now standing looking straight at me with her black eyes. Her hair and dress were getting blown by the wind.
She was wearing a dark blue polka dot dress with black slippers. Her glare was pure evil. it sent me goosebumps.
I knew who she was but it was impossible. It was that 13 year old dead girl back in the 20s. It was Vivian Myers
I closed my eyes and shook my head a little. And when I opened them she had vanished.
Was I seeing things or was my daughter really talking to this dead girl. I was confused.
So confused that having a talk with my daughter slipped my mind completely. I just needed to lay down and rest it was probably just stress from work I thought.
I went up to the bedroom to take a nap and get some stress off. Like before I was having a good dream but then I was back to the dream I had when we first moved.
I could hear the voice but this time it wasn’t muffled out.
“VIVIAN, VIVIAN”
He called out by his voice I could tell he was male. I started to run just like before. I started to feel dizzy again. No no no I thought. I couldn’t feel dizzy not this time.
But like before I fell. I attempt to get up but failed I try again and failed. That’s when I see a the same pair of boots walk towards me. He yanks my hair up making me look up at him.
It was me a younger version but definitely me.
“You really thought you could run from me Vivian?” I say as I giggle
“No no no Vivian no one runs from me” I say as I smile “and if they do they don’t make it far just like yourself” I say with a chuckle
“ and to think all you had to do was accept my damn hand in marriage but no you can’t do that since I’m 20 years fucking old” I say loud and with anger
“AGE DOESN’T MATTER WHEN ITS TRUE LOVE YOU BITCH” with that I take out my hunting knife my pa gave me and I slit the girls neck.
I could feel the pain. It felt so real. Vivian struggled to breathe as she held her neck to stop the blood. I couldn’t take it. It was torture. It felt too real
I look at the myself as vivian says her last words.
“I’ll… be ….. back” and then vivian fell unconscious.
I wake up breathing heavily. I could still feel the pain from the dream for at least 5 seconds. After I calm myself down I look at myself in the mirror.
Why, why now is that memory hunting me. Yes I killed that girl 20 years ago and that little bitch deserved it.Then another note fell on the ground. I picked it up and turned it to see what it said.
I kept my word didn’t I :)
I rip the note and throw it. There was no way that bitch was back she was dead. I then began to hear giggling behind me. I turn around quickly to see no one. I hear it again behind me and I turn to see no one.
I began to hear the giggling everywhere around me. I cover my ears and close my eyes but not even that can stop it.
“STOP FUCKING WITH ME AND SHOW YOURSELF YOU LITTLE BITCH”
Then everything fell quiet. I thought it was over I took a deep breath until I hear a whisper directly in my ear. The voice was Like an echo.
“Okay” with that I get yanked off the ground by my feet making me hit my head hard on the hard wood floor.
My vision starts to get hazy but before I fell unconscious I saw her. Vivian standing over me with a sinister grin on her face as I could hear her giggle.
September 15th 1946
I woke up with a bright light almost blinding me and a throbbing headache . Once I was able to adjust my eyes I realized I was in a hospital with my wife beside me.
“honey you’re finally awake oh the kids are gonna be so happy” she says as she put her hand on top of mine. She had a smile on her face and looked relieved.
“Helen…what happened” I ask with an exhausted voice. Helen puts her hand on my cheek as she puts a fake smile on.
“You fell and hit your head on the hardwooden floor. You were in a coma for a month” she says with a worried expression.
I sit up as I look at my surroundings. Was all that real?. Did I really see Vivian or was it all a dream. I was confused and didn’t know what to think.
Helen told me that the kids were getting babysat and were at the house. After we signed some paperwork for my release we were in the car on the way home.
The ride home was silent. When we pulled in the driveway way I felt shivers go down my spine as I gulped a little. Something about it didn’t seemed welcoming at all.
Once we entered I was greeted by my kids. They were happy and had wide smiles on their faces.
“How about you get some rest upstairs honey” my wife says as she puts her hand on my cheek.
All I could do was nod and walk upstairs. I was starting to feel a little tipsy. As I walked up with every step I started to feel more and more dizzier.
I finally make it up the stairs now desperately trying to get to my bedroom. My vision starts to blur and even though I knew I was close to my bedroom it was like it was getting farther away from me.
I start to panic and adrenaline kicks in for a little second which was enough time for me to get to my bedroom and pass out in bed. But at least I’m safe now.
September 16th 1946 12:00AM
It was night. I still had my eyes closed but I could tell it was late. I slowly peeled open my heavy eyes when I feel a sharp pain in my stomach.
I could feel the blood flowing out my body and my gasping for air as…..Vivian chokes the life outta me.
She looked different from the last time I saw her. Her skin still looked very grey and decayed. And her eyes were still solid black. It was her jaw it was dislocated to the right side bad.
Just like when I stomped on her face with my hard boots with all my force until her jaw dislocated.
She was looking right in my eyes as they widened. Her giggles sounded sinister like she was gasping for air and giggling at the same time.
She puts the knife down and turns my head to the side. I see myself just laying there passed out. Then it clicked Helen.
As soon as I make the connection Vivian reaches in helens open wound and starts to pull out her organs while laughing.
Like she knew I was witnessing this and feeling the pain as well. I heard Helen’s screams as she tries to hold on to life.
But she failed and died right there. I go in to a silent mode as I just see darkness for felt like forever.
Until I finally did wake up. I peeled my eyes open as I hear giggling. I already knew who it was. Vivian tearing my wife’s guts out as my kids were tied to the end of the bed.
screaming to no use as they had duck tape over their mouths. Vivian must have noticed I was awake as she turns her head to me all the way around along with a loud crack.
She laughs menacingly just this time her jaw wasn’t dislocated. I began to pass out from shook and enter that silent mode again for a while.
September 16th 1946 3:00AM
When I woke up again I was still tied to my bed. this time my kids were no where in sight. I turn my head to Vivian’s backside as she played jump rope with my dead wife’s organs.
I was disgusted at the scene as she giggled. Then she stoped and it was like her body went lump. She drops the organs and turns her head to me and smiles.
“Oh you’re finally awake!” Vivian says with joy as she giggles.
Her voice was strange it was like an echo. She turns around and we make eye contact. I froze as I knew she was waiting for me to say something but I was scared. More frightened than I’ve ever been.
“Y-you’re j-j-“ i mumbled before Vivian interrupted me.
“Oh my jaw you mean this”Vivian says as she dislocates her jaw with her hands.
I screamed at the sight as she was laughing with her disfigured jaw. She soon puts it back in place and stops laughing which made me go quiet as well.
“I’ve wanted 20 long years for this William now it’s my turn to have some fun, with you…and you’re pathetic family” she says as she starts to laugh again.
My eyes widens as i remember about my kids. It was like she could read my mind as she instantly stop laughing.
“Let’s play a little game”she says in a quiet tone which made it more sinister. “I’ll be back” she laughs as she says those words.
The last words she said to me before I slit her throat. I tried to get free from the rope before I realized it was chain. I was pulling as hard as I could but it wouldn’t budge.
I heard footsteps and my bedroom door open as I stoped moving. As soon as Vivian came in sight I saw she had my two kids holding them by their collar.
“Pick William, which one lives and which one dies” Vivian says as she laughs.
“NO LEAVE THEM OUT THI-“ I yell out before I’m interrupted
“Oh no no no we can’t have that then what would be the point of the game”she says giggling but then stops
“so choose which one lives and which one dies” she said in a quiet but more serious tone.
“P-please” I say as I start to sob
She smiles and pushes Mary down on the floor and holds John in front of her.
“Little Johnny it is then” she says as she picks up her knife and stabs the back of his head to the point you could see the knife poking out his mouth.
She pulls it out and starts to laugh. I saw Mary screaming on floor. I started to pull on the chains again to no avail.
“YOU SON OF A BITCH IM GONNA KILL YOU” Vivian immediately stop laughing after I yell that. Her body goes limp again as her head is down.
Then she starts to giggle quietly. “ kill me hehehe YOU ALREADY HAVE” as Vivian yells a gust of wind flows in the room knocking down picture frames and decorations.
Vivian starts to giggle as she starts to float up with her body still limp. The higher Vivian gets the louder her giggles become. Then wind picks up in the room as her giggles turn into laughter.
And then she reaches the top. She lifts her head up and opens her arms out. Her laughter turns menacing. And the wind is so strong that the windows are shattered and glass is flying everywhere.
Both the nightstands smashed into the wall one almost hitting Mary. Mary was screaming and crying as she had to watch this horror unfold. Vivian was still in the air laughing menacingly as she looked at me.
“HOW ABOUT WE THIS OVER WITH OKAY!”Vivian says as she continues to laugh. She floats down and walks beside me. She puts her lips close to my ear as she was gonna whisper something. And she did.
“Don’t worry I’ll let little Mary live” she whispers I start to paint as I know what was about to happen to me.
Vivian gets on the bed and stomps my jaw and with only 3 kicks she dislocates it. I tried to scream but I couldn’t. Saliva coming out my mouth as much as blood.
Vivian then lifts my head up by my hair smiling and giggling in my face. Looking at me eye to eye with satisfaction. She brings the knife to my throat as I realized it was the hunting knife my pa gave me.
The same knife i killed her with. She slits my throat with the knife and starts laughing. I fall back down on the bed as I try to stop the blood but my hands were chained.
It was like the dreams was only a fraction of the pain I felt right now. I gasping for air as I heard Mary crying and screaming along with Vivian’s laughter.
I died as my little girl tried to help me but failed. I guess you won Vivian
submitted by Horror_shorts_by_sam to creepypasta [link] [comments]
If I was being honest staying in the new house alone wasn’t my ideal idea for my first day in the house.but it was what it was i thought.
I grab one of the boxes from my backseat. I leave the car door open since I had more boxes to get.
I walk up on the white wooden steps of the porch. I fumble through my pockets for the little single key to the house.
I unlock the door as I walk in with the box. I sat the box in front of the stairs. As i was walking out to get another box something fell on my head.
A little single note with the words monster in red ick. It looked a little sloppy my 10 year old son had better handwriting then this I thought.
Must of been something the previous owners left behind. I continue to get the rest of the boxes. After I was finally finished I decided to relax on the couch we had moved here a few months ago.
But as I make my way to my new living room I see a newspaper on the couch. I pick it up Flipping it to the front page. I saw a picture of a girl on the main cover who didn’t look older than 13.
Vivian Myers
I knew exactly who she was. She was murdered back in 26. Her murder quickly became famous. Even the big city folk knew her story.
This newspaper was even from 1927. A year after her death. It didn’t make sense why it was here as it was 1946 now.
I just chopped it up to the previous owners leaving it. I throw the newspaper aside and I lay my head down on the couch.
I unexpectedly fell asleep after a minute. The drive here plus carrying the boxes exhausted me.
I was having a nice calm dream. But I was soon lead to a more eerie and vivid dream. I was in the middle of the woods.
I was quite familiar with these woods. I used to come here with my pa after school. We used to hunt animals for dinner.
But I felt like I wasn’t myself in this dream. I heard a voice in the distance calling somebody’s name but I couldn’t quite understand it. It was like it was muffled out
I began to run I felt fear all over me like I was scared for my life. It felt like i knew I was gonna die soon. But somehow I knew deep down that these weren’t my memories but someone’s else.
It was like the dream was controlling me. I continued to run. I was running like a wild cat in different directions and turns.
I was desperate not to let this thing get “me”. I began to feel dizzy. I slow down and I suddenly stop. My vision was hazy and my chest was pounding at the same time.
I felt like I was dying. I fell on the ground lucky not hitting my head. But the pain in chest got more severe. And my vision was more hazy. I also started to see black dots.
I lift my head up. Desperately trying to get up but I couldn’t. I started to cry I knew all hope was lost I suddenly feel an awful feeling of dread and fear.
I have never felt this scared. It felt so real this whole dream felt so real. I see a pair of boots right in front of me. I then feel my hair get yanked up. I look at the person who yanked me. He was muffled out to. I couldn’t see a single damn detail on him.
He then says a few things as I stay silent. But like him and the name he called out his voice was also muffled out.
I couldn’t understand a damn word he was saying. Shit i didn’t even know if he was a he.
He takes out a knife from the back of his pants. his grip on my hair still tight. I could see the knife clearly. it was not muffled out.
Which made me have more fear. I try to run but he yanks my hair back. I try to shake and scream for help. But he was way stronger than me. And my voice was also muffled out. I felt hopeless. I start to cry.
Which wasn’t muffled out. I felt the knife touch my throat it felt cold. At that moment I stop moving. I just froze.
It was like a very sharp hunting knife. Before he could kill me though i awoke as I darted up and breathing heavily. I was sweating all over and felt goosebumps. I hear a loud knock on the door. Along with my children’s excited voices.
Were they already here?. Did I really sleep through the rest of the afternoon and the whole night. I open the door as my kids come running in hugging me.
“Welcome to your new home children” my wife Helen says walking in the door.
“John you get the room up stairs on the right and Mary you get the room up stairs on the left understood?” I say to my children
They nod and both say yes. Right after they run up stairs to their new bedrooms. I walk up to wife hugging her and kissing her forehead.
“How was the drive here?” I ask my wife who looked awfully tired
“The kids…. William they won’t listen to me” my wife says you could tell she was exhausted by the tone of her voice.
“I’ll take care of kids, you get some sleep you look tired Helen” I say as I take her hand leading her to the couch.
“I’ll go get one of Mary’s blankets you just lay here” I say as I leave and headed up the stairs.
I turn to the left where Mary’s room is. I was about to enter until I heard her voice.
“Hello…. I’m Mary what’s your name”
I fling the door opened. I look at Mary who is just sitting Chris cross on her bed. No body else was in here.
“Mary who were you talking to ?”
Mary looks around with a confused look on her face the Shrugs and looks down.
“I don’t know… no one I guess” she says quietly. I almost couldn’t hear her.
I was a little confused I would sworn i heard Mary talking to someone. I then remembered my wife who was without her blanket .
“ Mary your mother needs one of your spare blankets” Mary nods in response and gets one of her blankets out from one of the boxes.
Mary runs up and hands it to me. I take the blanket and I head back downstairs to my wife. When I got there she was already asleep. I put Mary’s blanket over her.
I go to my wife’s car to get the rest of the boxes. After a couple hours my wife wakes up to make the kids and I dinner.
August 4th 1946
The new house was nice. The new school that the kids attended was also pretty nice. The neighbors were as nice and welcoming as everything else. I think I’m gonna like it here.
I had just came home from work when my wife came storming towards me with tears.
“Me and you need to have a conversation” she said grabbing my hand and taking me to our bedroom locking the door behind her.
She was crying and shaking like she was terrified.
“Helen what is the meaning of thi-“ before I could finish my wife interrupted me
“Our daughter said she made a friend and this friend apparently lives here in our home William.” My wife starts to take deep breath’s from crying as she continues.
“Mary said her name is Vivian. And get this Vivian said you’re a bad man. MARY SAID YOU KILLED THAT LITTLE GIRL A FIVE YEAR OLD DOESN’T MAKE THAT UP WILLIAM”
I just stood there looking down with a confused expression wondering where my daughter got this information from. And then I remembered the newspaper and thought maybe she saw it and picked it up.
“She probably got this from a newspaper that was left here about that little girl Vivian” I say trying to calm my wife down
“William I’m worried about her ever since we moved she has been talking about that girl” my wife says with tears.
I walk over to my wife to embrace her and comfort her as I stroke her hair.
“Don’t worry love I’ll have a talk with her I’ll take care of it” after comforting my wife I head down to the kitchen where the back door is. Mary always comes to the backyard after school it’s like her daily routine.
As I open the main door I look through the screen door to see Mary wasn’t alone. Mary was sitting on the ground playing with some grass. And there was a girl sitting next to her with her hand on her back. She was facing the other way so I could only see her back. but she was way older then Mary I mean it wasn’t hard to tell.
I open the screen door which caused the girl to give me a side glare. I could now see one side of her face. It was decayed and grey and her face had cracks and her eyes….
Her eyes were fully black. They had no color to them at all. I could feel her glare it was strong it almost frightened me. The only thing normal about her was her dark brown hair.
“MARY COME INSIDE SWEETIE”
Mary looks up at me and says okay. I only look at my daughter as I try to not look at that girl. Mary runs in the house past me.
I look at Mary as she past me then I look back at the girl. She was now standing looking straight at me with her black eyes. Her hair and dress were getting blown by the wind.
She was wearing a dark blue polka dot dress with black slippers. Her glare was pure evil. it sent me goosebumps.
I knew who she was but it was impossible. It was that 13 year old dead girl back in the 20s. It was Vivian Myers
I closed my eyes and shook my head a little. And when I opened them she had vanished.
Was I seeing things or was my daughter really talking to this dead girl. I was confused.
So confused that having a talk with my daughter slipped my mind completely. I just needed to lay down and rest it was probably just stress from work I thought.
I went up to the bedroom to take a nap and get some stress off. Like before I was having a good dream but then I was back to the dream I had when we first moved.
I could hear the voice but this time it wasn’t muffled out.
“VIVIAN, VIVIAN”
He called out by his voice I could tell he was male. I started to run just like before. I started to feel dizzy again. No no no I thought. I couldn’t feel dizzy not this time.
But like before I fell. I attempt to get up but failed I try again and failed. That’s when I see a the same pair of boots walk towards me. He yanks my hair up making me look up at him.
It was me a younger version but definitely me.
“You really thought you could run from me Vivian?” I say as I giggle
“No no no Vivian no one runs from me” I say as I smile “and if they do they don’t make it far just like yourself” I say with a chuckle
“ and to think all you had to do was accept my damn hand in marriage but no you can’t do that since I’m 20 years fucking old” I say loud and with anger
“AGE DOESN’T MATTER WHEN ITS TRUE LOVE YOU BITCH” with that I take out my hunting knife my pa gave me and I slit the girls neck.
I could feel the pain. It felt so real. Vivian struggled to breathe as she held her neck to stop the blood. I couldn’t take it. It was torture. It felt too real
I look at the myself as vivian says her last words.
“I’ll… be ….. back” and then vivian fell unconscious.
I wake up breathing heavily. I could still feel the pain from the dream for at least 5 seconds. After I calm myself down I look at myself in the mirror.
Why, why now is that memory hunting me. Yes I killed that girl 20 years ago and that little bitch deserved it.Then another note fell on the ground. I picked it up and turned it to see what it said.
I kept my word didn’t I :)
I rip the note and throw it. There was no way that bitch was back she was dead. I then began to hear giggling behind me. I turn around quickly to see no one. I hear it again behind me and I turn to see no one.
I began to hear the giggling everywhere around me. I cover my ears and close my eyes but not even that can stop it.
“STOP FUCKING WITH ME AND SHOW YOURSELF YOU LITTLE BITCH”
Then everything fell quiet. I thought it was over I took a deep breath until I hear a whisper directly in my ear. The voice was Like an echo.
“Okay” with that I get yanked off the ground by my feet making me hit my head hard on the hard wood floor.
My vision starts to get hazy but before I fell unconscious I saw her. Vivian standing over me with a sinister grin on her face as I could hear her giggle.
September 15th 1946
I woke up with a bright light almost blinding me and a throbbing headache . Once I was able to adjust my eyes I realized I was in a hospital with my wife beside me.
“honey you’re finally awake oh the kids are gonna be so happy” she says as she put her hand on top of mine. She had a smile on her face and looked relieved.
“Helen…what happened” I ask with an exhausted voice. Helen puts her hand on my cheek as she puts a fake smile on.
“You fell and hit your head on the hardwooden floor. You were in a coma for a month” she says with a worried expression.
I sit up as I look at my surroundings. Was all that real?. Did I really see Vivian or was it all a dream. I was confused and didn’t know what to think.
Helen told me that the kids were getting babysat and were at the house. After we signed some paperwork for my release we were in the car on the way home.
The ride home was silent. When we pulled in the driveway way I felt shivers go down my spine as I gulped a little. Something about it didn’t seemed welcoming at all.
Once we entered I was greeted by my kids. They were happy and had wide smiles on their faces.
“How about you get some rest upstairs honey” my wife says as she puts her hand on my cheek.
All I could do was nod and walk upstairs. I was starting to feel a little tipsy. As I walked up with every step I started to feel more and more dizzier.
I finally make it up the stairs now desperately trying to get to my bedroom. My vision starts to blur and even though I knew I was close to my bedroom it was like it was getting farther away from me.
I start to panic and adrenaline kicks in for a little second which was enough time for me to get to my bedroom and pass out in bed. But at least I’m safe now.
September 16th 1946 12:00AM
It was night. I still had my eyes closed but I could tell it was late. I slowly peeled open my heavy eyes when I feel a sharp pain in my stomach.
I could feel the blood flowing out my body and my gasping for air as…..Vivian chokes the life outta me.
She looked different from the last time I saw her. Her skin still looked very grey and decayed. And her eyes were still solid black. It was her jaw it was dislocated to the right side bad.
Just like when I stomped on her face with my hard boots with all my force until her jaw dislocated.
She was looking right in my eyes as they widened. Her giggles sounded sinister like she was gasping for air and giggling at the same time.
She puts the knife down and turns my head to the side. I see myself just laying there passed out. Then it clicked Helen.
As soon as I make the connection Vivian reaches in helens open wound and starts to pull out her organs while laughing.
Like she knew I was witnessing this and feeling the pain as well. I heard Helen’s screams as she tries to hold on to life.
But she failed and died right there. I go in to a silent mode as I just see darkness for felt like forever.
Until I finally did wake up. I peeled my eyes open as I hear giggling. I already knew who it was. Vivian tearing my wife’s guts out as my kids were tied to the end of the bed.
screaming to no use as they had duck tape over their mouths. Vivian must have noticed I was awake as she turns her head to me all the way around along with a loud crack.
She laughs menacingly just this time her jaw wasn’t dislocated. I began to pass out from shook and enter that silent mode again for a while.
September 16th 1946 3:00AM
When I woke up again I was still tied to my bed. this time my kids were no where in sight. I turn my head to Vivian’s backside as she played jump rope with my dead wife’s organs.
I was disgusted at the scene as she giggled. Then she stoped and it was like her body went lump. She drops the organs and turns her head to me and smiles.
“Oh you’re finally awake!” Vivian says with joy as she giggles.
Her voice was strange it was like an echo. She turns around and we make eye contact. I froze as I knew she was waiting for me to say something but I was scared. More frightened than I’ve ever been.
“Y-you’re j-j-“ i mumbled before Vivian interrupted me.
“Oh my jaw you mean this”Vivian says as she dislocates her jaw with her hands.
I screamed at the sight as she was laughing with her disfigured jaw. She soon puts it back in place and stops laughing which made me go quiet as well.
“I’ve wanted 20 long years for this William now it’s my turn to have some fun, with you…and you’re pathetic family” she says as she starts to laugh again.
My eyes widens as i remember about my kids. It was like she could read my mind as she instantly stop laughing.
“Let’s play a little game”she says in a quiet tone which made it more sinister. “I’ll be back” she laughs as she says those words.
The last words she said to me before I slit her throat. I tried to get free from the rope before I realized it was chain. I was pulling as hard as I could but it wouldn’t budge.
I heard footsteps and my bedroom door open as I stoped moving. As soon as Vivian came in sight I saw she had my two kids holding them by their collar.
“Pick William, which one lives and which one dies” Vivian says as she laughs.
“NO LEAVE THEM OUT THI-“ I yell out before I’m interrupted
“Oh no no no we can’t have that then what would be the point of the game”she says giggling but then stops
“so choose which one lives and which one dies” she said in a quiet but more serious tone.
“P-please” I say as I start to sob
She smiles and pushes Mary down on the floor and holds John in front of her.
“Little Johnny it is then” she says as she picks up her knife and stabs the back of his head to the point you could see the knife poking out his mouth.
She pulls it out and starts to laugh. I saw Mary screaming on floor. I started to pull on the chains again to no avail.
“YOU SON OF A BITCH IM GONNA KILL YOU” Vivian immediately stop laughing after I yell that. Her body goes limp again as her head is down.
Then she starts to giggle quietly. “ kill me hehehe YOU ALREADY HAVE” as Vivian yells a gust of wind flows in the room knocking down picture frames and decorations.
Vivian starts to giggle as she starts to float up with her body still limp. The higher Vivian gets the louder her giggles become. Then wind picks up in the room as her giggles turn into laughter.
And then she reaches the top. She lifts her head up and opens her arms out. Her laughter turns menacing. And the wind is so strong that the windows are shattered and glass is flying everywhere.
Both the nightstands smashed into the wall one almost hitting Mary. Mary was screaming and crying as she had to watch this horror unfold. Vivian was still in the air laughing menacingly as she looked at me.
“HOW ABOUT WE THIS OVER WITH OKAY!”Vivian says as she continues to laugh. She floats down and walks beside me. She puts her lips close to my ear as she was gonna whisper something. And she did.
“Don’t worry I’ll let little Mary live” she whispers I start to paint as I know what was about to happen to me.
Vivian gets on the bed and stomps my jaw and with only 3 kicks she dislocates it. I tried to scream but I couldn’t. Saliva coming out my mouth as much as blood.
Vivian then lifts my head up by my hair smiling and giggling in my face. Looking at me eye to eye with satisfaction. She brings the knife to my throat as I realized it was the hunting knife my pa gave me.
The same knife i killed her with. She slits my throat with the knife and starts laughing. I fall back down on the bed as I try to stop the blood but my hands were chained.
It was like the dreams was only a fraction of the pain I felt right now. I gasping for air as I heard Mary crying and screaming along with Vivian’s laughter.
I died as my little girl tried to help me but failed. I guess you won Vivian
2024.06.11 04:28 moonshadow1789 Can someone offer some feedback please?
Since around Jan 2024- present I have been experiencing strange symptoms and wanted to post on here to get feedback on your overall experiences. I have been dealing with these symptoms since Jan 2023 but they have progressively gotten worse since the new year of 24.
I have severe episodes of delirium which can last anywhere from 1 week - 2 weeks but sometimes can last for a day or a couple days. In these episodes I experience these symptoms:
My last severe episode landed me in the ER because I couldn’t remember how to shower or how to shave or cut my nails and I had no energy. ER docs blamed the delirium on trauma and told me to get a neurologist. I am working with a neuropsychologist and will be talking to my family doctor. Also have an MRI scheduled.
I was fine on the weekend and was functioning like a normal person, cleaning accomplishing tasks, today I had an episode and was paralyzed since it happened. Gets worse during menstrual cycle.
If anyone has similar experiences, I would love to hear from you!
submitted by moonshadow1789 to PNESsupport [link] [comments]
I have severe episodes of delirium which can last anywhere from 1 week - 2 weeks but sometimes can last for a day or a couple days. In these episodes I experience these symptoms:
- loss of awareness/identity
- stiff face/neck tension
- memory loss
- altered state of consciousness
- paranoia
- sudden fear
- sudden confusion/disorientation
- staring spells/catatonia
- lack of focus/concentration
- Deja vu
- inability to function or take care of myself
- lack of mental capacity
- difficulty communicating
- agitation/pacing
- can’t distract myself with anything
- inability to accomplish any task
My last severe episode landed me in the ER because I couldn’t remember how to shower or how to shave or cut my nails and I had no energy. ER docs blamed the delirium on trauma and told me to get a neurologist. I am working with a neuropsychologist and will be talking to my family doctor. Also have an MRI scheduled.
I was fine on the weekend and was functioning like a normal person, cleaning accomplishing tasks, today I had an episode and was paralyzed since it happened. Gets worse during menstrual cycle.
If anyone has similar experiences, I would love to hear from you!
2024.06.11 03:55 0riginal0wl1 Increased lung nodules seen on 6 month follow up chest CT
29 yr old female, nonsmoker, no drugs/substances, white
Weight: 160 Ibs Height: 5' 4”
Hx: Graves Disease s/p Radioactive iodine; hashimotos
NO cancer history Maternal grandfather had colon and lung cancer (died at 60), paternal aunt breast and ovarian cancer (diagnosed before 50, alive), maternal aunt breast cancer (diagnosed before 50, alive)
MEDICATIONS: Levothyroxine
I am 7 months postpartum. Before pregnancy, I developed cough with yellow/green phlegm and in my third trimester I started coughing up blood. After birth I went for chest CT and the scan was normal with two small nodules. The doctor advised a follow up scan in 6 months given chronic cough and phlegm. New scan shows three more nodules and looks like some have grown minimally. I am curious if I should be concerned about this change. Comparison of reports below.
Original report (October 2023)
LOWER NECK/AXILLA: A few nonspecific subcentimeter axillary lymph nodes bilaterally. Visualized thyroid gland appears unremarkable.
LUNGS: Trachea and central bronchi appear patent. No acute infiltrates, focal airspace consolidation, or pulmonary mass identified. A 2 mm noncalcified nodule peripheral left lower lobe image 48 of series 3. A 2 mm noncalcified nodule peripheral right lower lobe image 57 series 3.
IMPRESSION: No pulmonary embolus identified. No CT findings of pneumonia or pulmonary edema. No pleural effusion.
Most recent report (June 2024):
LUNGS AND LARGE AIRWAYS: Patent central airways. No evidence of bronchiectasis or interstitial abnormality. No pulmonary consolidation. No pulmonary masses.
Right lung: 2 mm nodule right upper lobe posteriorly 3 mm nodule right lung base 3 mm nodule right lung base posteriorly 2 mm nodule right lung base
Left lung: 3 to 4 mm nodule left lung base
IMPRESSION: Several pulmonary nodules the largest measuring 3-4 mm. These are nonspecific. As per the Fleischner Society guidelines, if patient is a low-risk patient, no follow-up is necessary. If patient is a high-risk patient, optional follow-up in 12 months can be obtained.
submitted by 0riginal0wl1 to AskDocs [link] [comments]
Weight: 160 Ibs Height: 5' 4”
Hx: Graves Disease s/p Radioactive iodine; hashimotos
NO cancer history Maternal grandfather had colon and lung cancer (died at 60), paternal aunt breast and ovarian cancer (diagnosed before 50, alive), maternal aunt breast cancer (diagnosed before 50, alive)
MEDICATIONS: Levothyroxine
I am 7 months postpartum. Before pregnancy, I developed cough with yellow/green phlegm and in my third trimester I started coughing up blood. After birth I went for chest CT and the scan was normal with two small nodules. The doctor advised a follow up scan in 6 months given chronic cough and phlegm. New scan shows three more nodules and looks like some have grown minimally. I am curious if I should be concerned about this change. Comparison of reports below.
Original report (October 2023)
LOWER NECK/AXILLA: A few nonspecific subcentimeter axillary lymph nodes bilaterally. Visualized thyroid gland appears unremarkable.
LUNGS: Trachea and central bronchi appear patent. No acute infiltrates, focal airspace consolidation, or pulmonary mass identified. A 2 mm noncalcified nodule peripheral left lower lobe image 48 of series 3. A 2 mm noncalcified nodule peripheral right lower lobe image 57 series 3.
IMPRESSION: No pulmonary embolus identified. No CT findings of pneumonia or pulmonary edema. No pleural effusion.
Most recent report (June 2024):
LUNGS AND LARGE AIRWAYS: Patent central airways. No evidence of bronchiectasis or interstitial abnormality. No pulmonary consolidation. No pulmonary masses.
Right lung: 2 mm nodule right upper lobe posteriorly 3 mm nodule right lung base 3 mm nodule right lung base posteriorly 2 mm nodule right lung base
Left lung: 3 to 4 mm nodule left lung base
IMPRESSION: Several pulmonary nodules the largest measuring 3-4 mm. These are nonspecific. As per the Fleischner Society guidelines, if patient is a low-risk patient, no follow-up is necessary. If patient is a high-risk patient, optional follow-up in 12 months can be obtained.
2024.06.11 03:46 bettermetips How Should You Sleep To Improve Posture?
If you’re wondering how to sleep so you don’t disrupt your posture, this post has got you covered. Sleep is a vital factor in maintaining and improving posture, and yes, you can improve your posture while you sleep! But before we get to it, here’s why good posture matters:
A critical factor in maintaining spine health is enhancing spine alignment through sleep. Here’s what can influence spine alignment:
What’s the bottom line? At the end of the day, the question of ‘how should you sleep to improve your posture’ is answered by three things – your favorite sleep position, mattress, and pillow. These three factors work together to ensure that your neck, spine, back, and hips are in the proper position. Remember that good posture isn’t just for waking hours alone!
What is your favorite and least favorite sleeping position? Share below 👇
submitted by bettermetips to bettermeofficial [link] [comments]
- Health Benefits: Improved posture may significantly boost circulation, which ensures nutrient and oxygen-rich blood reaches all parts of your body, enhances lung capacity allowing for greater oxygen intake, and contributes to better mood and energy levels due to more efficient bodily functions (4,8).
- Pian Reduction: Proper posture may prevent chronic conditions like neck, hip, and back pain, which are often exacerbated by poor spinal alignment(12,3).
- Side Sleeping: Favoured by the majority, this position supports spinal alignment and may help with back pain. It's particularly beneficial for adults whose spine flexibility decreases with age, as well as for pregnant women and those with respiratory issues.
- Back Sleeping: Promotes even weight distribution and natural spine alignment. It's beneficial for preventing neck and lumbar pain but should be avoided by those who are overweight or suffer from severe sleep apnea.
A critical factor in maintaining spine health is enhancing spine alignment through sleep. Here’s what can influence spine alignment:
- Mattress Selection: A critical factor in maintaining spine health. The ideal mattress should support your body's natural posture without forcing it into an unnatural position. Both overly firm and overly soft mattresses can misalign the spine.
- Pillow Configuration: Tailor your pillow based on your sleeping position. Side sleepers should opt for thicker pillows to fill the gap between the ear and the shoulder, back sleepers need a medium thickness to maintain the curve of the neck, and stomach sleepers should use a very thin pillow or none to keep the spine as neutral as possible.
What’s the bottom line? At the end of the day, the question of ‘how should you sleep to improve your posture’ is answered by three things – your favorite sleep position, mattress, and pillow. These three factors work together to ensure that your neck, spine, back, and hips are in the proper position. Remember that good posture isn’t just for waking hours alone!
What is your favorite and least favorite sleeping position? Share below 👇
2024.06.11 03:38 ExcellentAd7790 So tired
I'm so tired. I'm tired of pain in every part of my body that never relents. I'm tired of fatigue taking half my time away from me because I sleep so much. I'm tired of baffled doctors and no answers. I'm tired of pain clinics not having ways to relieve my pain because they're so convinced medication won't help. I was on a regimen of tramadol and nasal ketamine and felt good enough to work, but I can't see that provider now and I've been off it for a few months and I can't leave my bed now. Nobody is willing to get me back on it. Literally nothing else has helped. Not injections, not PT, not cannabis, not antidepressants. I'm tired of no longer being able to work. I'm tired of the sun making my head heavy and my neck hurt and my vision to be washed out. I'm tired of blackouts and chest pains whenever I walk around my house. I'm tired of dizzy spells that feel like miniature earthquakes in my brain. I am just so tired.
submitted by ExcellentAd7790 to ChronicIllness [link] [comments]
2024.06.11 03:26 throwahyay Pain in shoulder blade and right side of chest travelling down arm
What the title says. i’ve been doing stretches and gotten some deep tissue massage but nothings helping. The pain is in the right side of my chest and it goes through to my back on my right shoulder blade. It doesn’t hurt when I breathe, but the pain will come and go started to travel up my neck and down my arm in the finger joints, I’ve noticed when running I get lightheaded and dizzy and also I’ve been getting some weird pains in my ear that don’t really hurt, but it feels like a buzzing or a vibration. The pain in my chest and shoulder feels very central in my body. i’m currently abroad so it’s hard to go somewhere for an accurate diagnosis
submitted by throwahyay to DiagnoseMe [link] [comments]
2024.06.11 03:02 IMGmedstudent My 10 year old rescue just got diagnosed with thyroid cancer and probable lymphoma. Need help on next steps.
Hi everyone,
My 10 year-old rescue dog just got diagnosed with multiple types of cancer(s).
Age: 10 years old
Breed: Unsure as I adopted him from St Maarten when he was 3 months old. Most likely lab mixed. Embark DNA testing pending.
Baseline: Very happy, very active, runs/hikes, eats two full diet per day when not anxious.
Symptoms: weight loss x 6-8 months, but stabilized last few months.
Medical problems: Anxiety (on fluoxetine 20 mg twice daily and xanax 1 mg as needed for rescue therapy)
History: For the past 6-8 months, he's been having gradual weight loss (65lbs to 58lbs). His primary vet contributed it to his anxiety, so she has been uptitrating his anti-depressants. Then about one month ago, he had an unusual episode of bloody diarrhea so I scheduled an urgent visit. I also noticed a mass in his neck. By the time of his appointment, his diarrhea had resolved but the vet did an FNA of the neck mass, which came back as thyroid carcinoma. She referred us to an oncologist, which we saw a few days after the path results came back. Basic CBC, Chem panel and T4 were normal. CT neck and chest showed thyroid carcinoma, sternal lymphadenopathy, probably adrenal tumor and mild to moderate splenomegaly with splenic nodules. Oncologist recommended an abdominal ultrasound, which showed mildly enlarged and minimally irregular jejunal and medial iliac lymph nodes with normal shape (12.4 mm jejunal nodes, 13-15 mm medial iliac nodes), a rounded to irregularly shaped heterogenous mass lesion is present in the right cranial abdomen closely associated with the hepatic parenchyma, right adrenal gland, and region of the pancreas. The caudal pole of the right adrenal gland is well visualized and appears normal. Liver, spleen and kidney were all normal. The mass is closely associated with the caudal pole of the right adrenal gland, though a distinct connection/origin is not determined. In addition, the mass is in the region of the pancreas, and pancreatic origin may be more likely. Multiple samples of the jejunal lymph nodes were obtained using 25 gauge needles. Biopsy results came back, showed findings concerning for intermediate cell lymphoma; although occasionally marked follicular hyperplasia of this node can mimic this cytologically, the intermediate size is not predictive of biological behavior; the interpretation of probable is based on the unusual history. Consider PARR testing (positive test confirms lymphoma; negative test does not rule out).
Please see below for full report of CT scan and full path results of the biopsy.
The oncologist has given us a few options: 1) Re-sample the lymph nodes or do the PARR test (Resampling can be done with re-biopsy or surgery to get a better sample) OR
2) Treat based on the information we have with chemotherapy (or steroids alone) and assess response in 5-6 weeks.
I'm a physician for humans, so this is obviously out of my scope. But I find it crazy to start chemo for lymphoma when you're not 100% sure what it is, given the side effects.
A few questions I have: 1) Is the splenic nodules not concerning? Yes, it's not enhancing and homogenous. Aren't dogs prone to splenic rupture? I'm surprised the US didn't pick any of this nodules as CTs are usually much more diagnostic than US for humans. 2) If this is in fact metatstatic lymphoma, shouldn't he be much sicker, especially since the weight loss started nearly 6-8 months ago? Wouldn't there be more evidence of solid organ mets on imaging studies? I've tried to look up case reports on adrenal lymphona and came up empty-handed. 3) Is it possible to do a thyroidectomy as initially planned (therapeutic and potentially palliative), and while doing that, resect this adrenal/pancreatic mass which would be 100% diagnostic (and potentially palliative?)
FULL CT RESULTS: HEAD and NECK: Arising from and defacing the right lobe of the thyroid gland, a large (approximately 10.0 x 3.5 x 2.5 cm), well margined, heterogeneously soft tissue attenuating, strongly contrast enhancing mass is identified. The mass creates moderate displacement of the right internal carotid artery dorsally and slight displacement of the larynx toward the left side. This lesion extends from slices 113 through 167. On the right side, the horizontal portion of the external ear canal and the tympanic cavity contain a moderate volume of fluid attenuating material. Additionally, the right tympanic bulla exhibits mild thickening. THORAX: The sternal lymph node appears mild to moderately enlarged (2.3 x 1.2 cm thick). No additional abnormalities are detected. Overall lung attenuation is normal and distinct pulmonary nodules are not identified. CRANIAL ABDOMEN: On the periphery of the study, the spleen appears moderately, diffusely enlarged and contains a multifocal distribution of well margined, homogeneous nodules. Most likely arising from the right adrenal gland, a large (4.4 x 4.0), well margined, expansile, heterogeneously soft tissue attenuating, cystic or cavitated mass is identified.
FULL LYMPH NODE BIOPSY REPORT: SOURCE:Right jejunal lymph node (as stated as source/site on request form)- 3 slides INTERPRETATION: Probable intermediate sized lymphoma.(SEE COMMENT) DESCRIPTION: Smears contain many lymphoid cells admixed with moderate numbers of smudged cells and moderate amounts of blood. Lymphoid cells consist predominantly of intermediate-sized immature lymphocytes admixed with few small lymphocytes and larger lymphoblasts. Intermediate-sized lymphocytes are 10-13 um in diameter with an eccentrically located round to oval nucleus, finely granular chromatin, and variably distinct nucleoli. Cytoplasm is scant in volume and lightly basophilic. No microorganisms are identified. COMMENTS: The predominance of intermediate cells is suggestive for an intermediate cell lymphoma. Occasionally marked follicular hyperplasia of the node can mimic this cytologically. The intermediate size is not predictive of biological behaviour. The interpretation of probable is based on the unusual history. Correlate with clinical and advanced imaging findings. Consider PARR testing to confirm cytologic impression especially if this is an unexpected interpretation. PARR (PCR for Antigen-receptor rearrangement) - test code 514258. This test has a high specificity and sensitivity (roughly 90%), meaning that a positive result confirms neoplastic clonality for lymphoma (and provides an immunophenotype) while negative results do not rule out of lymphoma.
submitted by IMGmedstudent to AskVet [link] [comments]
My 10 year-old rescue dog just got diagnosed with multiple types of cancer(s).
Age: 10 years old
Breed: Unsure as I adopted him from St Maarten when he was 3 months old. Most likely lab mixed. Embark DNA testing pending.
Baseline: Very happy, very active, runs/hikes, eats two full diet per day when not anxious.
Symptoms: weight loss x 6-8 months, but stabilized last few months.
Medical problems: Anxiety (on fluoxetine 20 mg twice daily and xanax 1 mg as needed for rescue therapy)
History: For the past 6-8 months, he's been having gradual weight loss (65lbs to 58lbs). His primary vet contributed it to his anxiety, so she has been uptitrating his anti-depressants. Then about one month ago, he had an unusual episode of bloody diarrhea so I scheduled an urgent visit. I also noticed a mass in his neck. By the time of his appointment, his diarrhea had resolved but the vet did an FNA of the neck mass, which came back as thyroid carcinoma. She referred us to an oncologist, which we saw a few days after the path results came back. Basic CBC, Chem panel and T4 were normal. CT neck and chest showed thyroid carcinoma, sternal lymphadenopathy, probably adrenal tumor and mild to moderate splenomegaly with splenic nodules. Oncologist recommended an abdominal ultrasound, which showed mildly enlarged and minimally irregular jejunal and medial iliac lymph nodes with normal shape (12.4 mm jejunal nodes, 13-15 mm medial iliac nodes), a rounded to irregularly shaped heterogenous mass lesion is present in the right cranial abdomen closely associated with the hepatic parenchyma, right adrenal gland, and region of the pancreas. The caudal pole of the right adrenal gland is well visualized and appears normal. Liver, spleen and kidney were all normal. The mass is closely associated with the caudal pole of the right adrenal gland, though a distinct connection/origin is not determined. In addition, the mass is in the region of the pancreas, and pancreatic origin may be more likely. Multiple samples of the jejunal lymph nodes were obtained using 25 gauge needles. Biopsy results came back, showed findings concerning for intermediate cell lymphoma; although occasionally marked follicular hyperplasia of this node can mimic this cytologically, the intermediate size is not predictive of biological behavior; the interpretation of probable is based on the unusual history. Consider PARR testing (positive test confirms lymphoma; negative test does not rule out).
Please see below for full report of CT scan and full path results of the biopsy.
The oncologist has given us a few options: 1) Re-sample the lymph nodes or do the PARR test (Resampling can be done with re-biopsy or surgery to get a better sample) OR
2) Treat based on the information we have with chemotherapy (or steroids alone) and assess response in 5-6 weeks.
I'm a physician for humans, so this is obviously out of my scope. But I find it crazy to start chemo for lymphoma when you're not 100% sure what it is, given the side effects.
A few questions I have: 1) Is the splenic nodules not concerning? Yes, it's not enhancing and homogenous. Aren't dogs prone to splenic rupture? I'm surprised the US didn't pick any of this nodules as CTs are usually much more diagnostic than US for humans. 2) If this is in fact metatstatic lymphoma, shouldn't he be much sicker, especially since the weight loss started nearly 6-8 months ago? Wouldn't there be more evidence of solid organ mets on imaging studies? I've tried to look up case reports on adrenal lymphona and came up empty-handed. 3) Is it possible to do a thyroidectomy as initially planned (therapeutic and potentially palliative), and while doing that, resect this adrenal/pancreatic mass which would be 100% diagnostic (and potentially palliative?)
FULL CT RESULTS: HEAD and NECK: Arising from and defacing the right lobe of the thyroid gland, a large (approximately 10.0 x 3.5 x 2.5 cm), well margined, heterogeneously soft tissue attenuating, strongly contrast enhancing mass is identified. The mass creates moderate displacement of the right internal carotid artery dorsally and slight displacement of the larynx toward the left side. This lesion extends from slices 113 through 167. On the right side, the horizontal portion of the external ear canal and the tympanic cavity contain a moderate volume of fluid attenuating material. Additionally, the right tympanic bulla exhibits mild thickening. THORAX: The sternal lymph node appears mild to moderately enlarged (2.3 x 1.2 cm thick). No additional abnormalities are detected. Overall lung attenuation is normal and distinct pulmonary nodules are not identified. CRANIAL ABDOMEN: On the periphery of the study, the spleen appears moderately, diffusely enlarged and contains a multifocal distribution of well margined, homogeneous nodules. Most likely arising from the right adrenal gland, a large (4.4 x 4.0), well margined, expansile, heterogeneously soft tissue attenuating, cystic or cavitated mass is identified.
FULL LYMPH NODE BIOPSY REPORT: SOURCE:Right jejunal lymph node (as stated as source/site on request form)- 3 slides INTERPRETATION: Probable intermediate sized lymphoma.(SEE COMMENT) DESCRIPTION: Smears contain many lymphoid cells admixed with moderate numbers of smudged cells and moderate amounts of blood. Lymphoid cells consist predominantly of intermediate-sized immature lymphocytes admixed with few small lymphocytes and larger lymphoblasts. Intermediate-sized lymphocytes are 10-13 um in diameter with an eccentrically located round to oval nucleus, finely granular chromatin, and variably distinct nucleoli. Cytoplasm is scant in volume and lightly basophilic. No microorganisms are identified. COMMENTS: The predominance of intermediate cells is suggestive for an intermediate cell lymphoma. Occasionally marked follicular hyperplasia of the node can mimic this cytologically. The intermediate size is not predictive of biological behaviour. The interpretation of probable is based on the unusual history. Correlate with clinical and advanced imaging findings. Consider PARR testing to confirm cytologic impression especially if this is an unexpected interpretation. PARR (PCR for Antigen-receptor rearrangement) - test code 514258. This test has a high specificity and sensitivity (roughly 90%), meaning that a positive result confirms neoplastic clonality for lymphoma (and provides an immunophenotype) while negative results do not rule out of lymphoma.
2024.06.11 02:58 Individual_Lime_9020 Is this normal - breathless!
Hi I have had this feeling in 1st trimester for a couple of weeks and my doctors blew it off saying my uterus was expanding, I'm now at 21w and it's back for the past 3 days.
I have this feeling of breathlessness, exhaustion, pounding headache, dizziness and extreme fatigue. I just did a conference last week and was fine with tonnes of energy every day, on my feet and talking all day. I couldn't do my work today and spent the entire weekend feeling like this.
I don't get why it is happening. I don't feel like there isn't space for my lungs, I feel like no matter how deeply I breathe it isn't enough and it's exhausting to breathe deeply and using more energy than I should be using.
submitted by Individual_Lime_9020 to pregnantover35 [link] [comments]
I have this feeling of breathlessness, exhaustion, pounding headache, dizziness and extreme fatigue. I just did a conference last week and was fine with tonnes of energy every day, on my feet and talking all day. I couldn't do my work today and spent the entire weekend feeling like this.
I don't get why it is happening. I don't feel like there isn't space for my lungs, I feel like no matter how deeply I breathe it isn't enough and it's exhausting to breathe deeply and using more energy than I should be using.
2024.06.11 02:55 purplepoohbear1021 NP Thyroid Issues- And Where To Go From Here
I apologize for the very long post.
I’ve been on NP thyroid for about 3 years now, before that I was on Nature Throid for several years before it was taken off the market back in 2021. That worked very well for me. Since starting NP thyroid, my symptoms have increasingly been getting worse and many are symptoms I had not dealt with before. I have been alternating 75mg & 90mg until about 3 weeks ago, when my labwork showed my TSH being the highest it has been since I first started desiccated thyroid over a decade ago. My endo requested I take 90mg daily and I have my appointment with her this week.
For background: I take my pill at 5am daily and usually don’t eat for 2-3 hours afterwards. Last year I had discussed with my endo that I needed to start taking my pill earlier because I found that if I was awake, I would suddenly get so hungry and it was difficult to wait the full hour before breakfast. Sometimes I would vomit while waiting and I was worried my medicine wasn’t absorbing so I changed it to be earlier so I get up and eat right away if I needed to. This concerned me because I never had a problem with the 1 hour rule before, but endo was not concerned.
My most recent labs show: TSH- 5.2 (this is over double what it was last August) T3 is ok, has stayed pretty consistent over time T4 is on the lower end of “normal” range Vitamin D- 48, which is the highest I can remember it being and does show that my supplements for that are at least being absorbed and working
I don’t take biotin, am celiac so completely gluten free, was checked for anemia and diabetes last year (both clear). Only other thing that has changed over the last couple of years is I now show arthritis in my hips and neck with a positive CRP, which I have a rheumatology appointment for. I was told multiple times that this has nothing to do with the thyroid.
Currently my biggest issues have been significant weight gain (70+ lbs), from when I started NP, whereas my weight was very stable before and my diet did not drastically change. It has primarily been to my face and stomach and has been impossible to lose, no matter how much exercise, calorie and portion cutting, diet changes I have done. It is incredibly frustrating and affects my self esteem more than I care to admit. I have had ED behaviors in the past and being the heaviest I have ever been in my entire life is very triggering. I have asked both my endo and primary doctor for help and have basically been told that I need to try harder and seek therapy. Right now, my weight has pretty much plateaued even though I have had a decreasing appetite the last couple of months. My exercise interolance has increased, along with more muscle weakness and joint pain that makes this issue even more difficult. I still exercise, though not to the same extent I had been doing. I constantly tell myself I am not doing enough and not having doctors believe me makes it worse. My family and partner tell me I look like a different person.
I am also struggling with sleep issues, waking up every 1-2 hours, difficulty falling asleep, so fatigued in the morning I immediately go for coffee when I never needed it before. I know this isn’t great and honestly I don’t even really like it, but I feel I need it to get through the morning before getting the afternoon crash again. I never do caffeine after 11am. I bruise more easily, have more noticeable mood swings, get overwhelmed easier, get frequent salt cravings, dizziness and headaches almost daily, rib pain that causes shortness of breath, back pain and stiffness that has worsened and does not respond to NSAIDS like it used to, so I stopped. I also have had a significant drop in libido, which has put a strain on my relationship. My partner has said he has noticed a cognitive decline especially over the last year- I have more difficulty understanding information than I ever had, things like directions or multi step instructions overwhelm me and it takes longer to process than it used to. I also forget words and how to pronounce them on occasion. This goes beyond the brain fog and fatigue I am used to and I’ve been brushed off with, my levels were in “normal” range before this (2.3 TSH), and I’m sure my endo will tell me now that my TSH is higher, I should expect to experience hypo symptoms, but this is far more than I’ve ever had to deal with. Ironically, I do not get as cold as I used to- and I used to wear a winter jacket in 90 degree weather!
I have asked for hormone testing multiple times and am brushed off as not needing it since my periods have not stopped completely (irregular cycles was one of the first issues I brought up, especially because my mom went into early menopause unexpectedly and I was worried about possibly being in perimenopause now), but I am told that I am too young. I am 26 and my mom was 32-33 and doctors were unsuccessful about restarting her cycles. I am worried something may be going on there.
I am also concerned about possibly having PCOS/adrenal issues. I just read that NP thyroid is not supposed to be taken if you have untreated adrenal problems and that it can worsen symptoms. I would like to ask about testing for this, but given I have a very dismissive endo, I am wondering if it is even worth trying. I am afraid of being brushed off again but at this point I don’t know if there is something else going on that is affecting my meds or if there is something else I should be looking into. My symptoms have only increased in frequency and intensity and it is impacting my day to day life tremendously. I have only been offered to go back on Synthroid (no other testing), which I turned down because that made my life so much worse, but I also do not want to be taking medication that is causing more harm than good.
Has anyone else experienced issues with NP or relatable symptoms? I’m tired of feeling like I can’t get a handle on things and worried how much more severe these issues will get. I plan on telling my endo this at my appointment of course, as well as having my partner with me. I want to have as productive of an appointment as possible-is there anything else I should be looking into in the meantime? I just want my life back.
Oh, and I forgot to mention I had a total thyroidectomy in case that makes a difference.
submitted by purplepoohbear1021 to Hashimotos [link] [comments]
I’ve been on NP thyroid for about 3 years now, before that I was on Nature Throid for several years before it was taken off the market back in 2021. That worked very well for me. Since starting NP thyroid, my symptoms have increasingly been getting worse and many are symptoms I had not dealt with before. I have been alternating 75mg & 90mg until about 3 weeks ago, when my labwork showed my TSH being the highest it has been since I first started desiccated thyroid over a decade ago. My endo requested I take 90mg daily and I have my appointment with her this week.
For background: I take my pill at 5am daily and usually don’t eat for 2-3 hours afterwards. Last year I had discussed with my endo that I needed to start taking my pill earlier because I found that if I was awake, I would suddenly get so hungry and it was difficult to wait the full hour before breakfast. Sometimes I would vomit while waiting and I was worried my medicine wasn’t absorbing so I changed it to be earlier so I get up and eat right away if I needed to. This concerned me because I never had a problem with the 1 hour rule before, but endo was not concerned.
My most recent labs show: TSH- 5.2 (this is over double what it was last August) T3 is ok, has stayed pretty consistent over time T4 is on the lower end of “normal” range Vitamin D- 48, which is the highest I can remember it being and does show that my supplements for that are at least being absorbed and working
I don’t take biotin, am celiac so completely gluten free, was checked for anemia and diabetes last year (both clear). Only other thing that has changed over the last couple of years is I now show arthritis in my hips and neck with a positive CRP, which I have a rheumatology appointment for. I was told multiple times that this has nothing to do with the thyroid.
Currently my biggest issues have been significant weight gain (70+ lbs), from when I started NP, whereas my weight was very stable before and my diet did not drastically change. It has primarily been to my face and stomach and has been impossible to lose, no matter how much exercise, calorie and portion cutting, diet changes I have done. It is incredibly frustrating and affects my self esteem more than I care to admit. I have had ED behaviors in the past and being the heaviest I have ever been in my entire life is very triggering. I have asked both my endo and primary doctor for help and have basically been told that I need to try harder and seek therapy. Right now, my weight has pretty much plateaued even though I have had a decreasing appetite the last couple of months. My exercise interolance has increased, along with more muscle weakness and joint pain that makes this issue even more difficult. I still exercise, though not to the same extent I had been doing. I constantly tell myself I am not doing enough and not having doctors believe me makes it worse. My family and partner tell me I look like a different person.
I am also struggling with sleep issues, waking up every 1-2 hours, difficulty falling asleep, so fatigued in the morning I immediately go for coffee when I never needed it before. I know this isn’t great and honestly I don’t even really like it, but I feel I need it to get through the morning before getting the afternoon crash again. I never do caffeine after 11am. I bruise more easily, have more noticeable mood swings, get overwhelmed easier, get frequent salt cravings, dizziness and headaches almost daily, rib pain that causes shortness of breath, back pain and stiffness that has worsened and does not respond to NSAIDS like it used to, so I stopped. I also have had a significant drop in libido, which has put a strain on my relationship. My partner has said he has noticed a cognitive decline especially over the last year- I have more difficulty understanding information than I ever had, things like directions or multi step instructions overwhelm me and it takes longer to process than it used to. I also forget words and how to pronounce them on occasion. This goes beyond the brain fog and fatigue I am used to and I’ve been brushed off with, my levels were in “normal” range before this (2.3 TSH), and I’m sure my endo will tell me now that my TSH is higher, I should expect to experience hypo symptoms, but this is far more than I’ve ever had to deal with. Ironically, I do not get as cold as I used to- and I used to wear a winter jacket in 90 degree weather!
I have asked for hormone testing multiple times and am brushed off as not needing it since my periods have not stopped completely (irregular cycles was one of the first issues I brought up, especially because my mom went into early menopause unexpectedly and I was worried about possibly being in perimenopause now), but I am told that I am too young. I am 26 and my mom was 32-33 and doctors were unsuccessful about restarting her cycles. I am worried something may be going on there.
I am also concerned about possibly having PCOS/adrenal issues. I just read that NP thyroid is not supposed to be taken if you have untreated adrenal problems and that it can worsen symptoms. I would like to ask about testing for this, but given I have a very dismissive endo, I am wondering if it is even worth trying. I am afraid of being brushed off again but at this point I don’t know if there is something else going on that is affecting my meds or if there is something else I should be looking into. My symptoms have only increased in frequency and intensity and it is impacting my day to day life tremendously. I have only been offered to go back on Synthroid (no other testing), which I turned down because that made my life so much worse, but I also do not want to be taking medication that is causing more harm than good.
Has anyone else experienced issues with NP or relatable symptoms? I’m tired of feeling like I can’t get a handle on things and worried how much more severe these issues will get. I plan on telling my endo this at my appointment of course, as well as having my partner with me. I want to have as productive of an appointment as possible-is there anything else I should be looking into in the meantime? I just want my life back.
Oh, and I forgot to mention I had a total thyroidectomy in case that makes a difference.
2024.06.11 02:15 priuspower91 Had stroke-like symptoms but doctor only ordered 3T MRI without contrast?
Hi all, back in February I had what felt like a stroke (did not go to the ER as I called my friend who is a doctor and we decided in the moment it didn’t seem to be a stroke) followed by persistent neck tension and my neurologist ordered an MRI without contrast of my brain and cervical spine. Both said my scans were normal and there were no lesions or signs of stroke.
Since then I had a bout of vertigo and have been diagnosed with vestibular migraines, but this past week I’ve been having a lot of neck pain and stiffness again.
I’m wondering now, why my doctor didn’t order a CT or MRI with contrast? I thought that’s the only way to know for sure if there was an arterial dissection. Asking because I’m seeing a new neuro this week and wondering if I should request this since I’m feeling pain again.
submitted by priuspower91 to stroke [link] [comments]
Since then I had a bout of vertigo and have been diagnosed with vestibular migraines, but this past week I’ve been having a lot of neck pain and stiffness again.
I’m wondering now, why my doctor didn’t order a CT or MRI with contrast? I thought that’s the only way to know for sure if there was an arterial dissection. Asking because I’m seeing a new neuro this week and wondering if I should request this since I’m feeling pain again.
2024.06.11 02:15 Ok-Lack-2945 Extreme Pets Peg Broke
I just thrifted a bunch of lps today and found the sheepdog and iguana from the extreme pets series. When cleaning them i accidentally dropped the sheepdog and the head flew off the body, the peg broke in half :( I know you can try to remove the pegs/replace but ive never had to do that before. im worried to ruin it since its so special to me and i dont want to melt the lps or ruin any of the paint. is there a good way to go about fixing the little guy? I also noticed that the iguanas neck is pretty stiff and am worried that that peg will break too. Is that a common problem with the extreme pets?
Also when cleaning pets with more heavy patterns like the postcard series, is using hydrogen peroxide cream okay? i really dont want to ruin the design, same with the extreme pets. Thank you for any help!!
submitted by Ok-Lack-2945 to LittlestPetShop [link] [comments]
Also when cleaning pets with more heavy patterns like the postcard series, is using hydrogen peroxide cream okay? i really dont want to ruin the design, same with the extreme pets. Thank you for any help!!
2024.06.11 02:08 FunDiscount1538 Trying to compare health anxiety symptoms so I can feel better and not like I’m about to die/healthanxiety
I’m a female who just turned 37 in April. Since I was little I’ve had a fear of dying. That fear has lingered in the back of my mind since and I’ve been able to live life happily! Last year I noticed a discomfort on my chest. It’s on the left side right below my collar bone. I ignored it cause I had no symptoms and it wasn’t affecting me in any way. I honestly didn’t even notice it until around November. That’s when it hit me that had been feeling it for a few months. Didn’t think anything of it cause again there were no other symptoms. February 2024 my daughter notices a small bald spot in the back of my head. I mildly freak out. I then notice my hair has been falling out a lot and it’s thin. I tell myself I’m just stressed out. March 11 I decide to start walking 1 hour after work M-F. I’m pretty consistent with the walking and feeling great. Fast forward to April which was exactly 1 day after turning 37 I notice my shin is a little sunken in. I start to press down on both shins and this is where my health anxiety and internet rabbit holes began! First thing that shows up on google is that edema comes from a heart problem. I remember the chest discomfort that comes and goes since last year and I spiral that night. That fear of me dying takes over and break down to my husband. I see a dr about 3 weeks later blood work comes back that I have vitamin d2 deficiency as well as iron. I discover health anxiety is a thing thanks to Reddit and all the symptoms that come along with having these deficiencies can make people feel like there is something wrong with them. Dr also does an ekg which comes back normal and tells me to see a cardiologist for the edema. The appointment with the pcp was ok but it kind of took a turn when I told her I had been walking for a little over a month with no changes in my weight. She starts to offer me a weight loss program but tells me I have to get cleared by a cardiologist first. After starting both vitamin d2 and iron I go down a rabbit hole of all the symptoms I’ve been feeling for years might just have to do with the deficiencies. But with my health anxiety completely taken over my life I have convinced myself there’s something wrong with me! I ended up scheduling an appointment with another Dr (last week June 3) and by this time the leg edema is completely gone, the bald spot has long hair growing from it, I’m no longer sleeping during the day, I feel energized. I would like to mention that I’m still walking 1 hour a day M-F and I live in Texas so the heat is brutal. That has never given me any problems with the chest discomfort. The chest discomfort comes and goes since I first noticed it. New Dr tells me there’s no need for a cardio because I have no swelling, ekg is normal, pressure is normal and my lungs sound great. She did request new labs and I’m waiting on that to come back. She also said it could be costochondritis, but I don’t know because I have never had difficulty breathing or in any kind of pain like I’ve seen people describe who actually have it. I did have to stop the iron (FS) because it was making my stomach go crazy! Diarrhea, hungry noises, but no stomach aches. The chest Today I am here because of course I’m trying to diagnose myself with h pylori! Which I can’t even narrow down since the iron pills have given me diarrhea. I would also like to mention that I work from home and i have to look down a lot cause I have to do a lot of writing. I decided to use a stand to put my iPad down so I’m not having to bend my neck a lot. The chest discomfort has gone away but now I noticed when I sit down to work after a few minutes I start to feel like a cool sensation in the area and it’s only when I’m sitting down or washing the dishes. I’m not sure it’s a nerve or muscles something. I hate that no one is willing to give me a x-ray! Please leave your comments if your are experiencing health anxiety, had edema that magically went away, this chest discomfort I’ve been feeling. Thank you and so sorry for such long boring post ❤️
submitted by FunDiscount1538 to VitaminD [link] [comments]
2024.06.11 02:00 justinwrite2 Tomebound, chapters 1-15 (one a day!)
"Dreams are the mutiny of the common man."
Verse Ten of The First Binding
In Port Cardica, every streetwise unbound must memorize three rules to survive:
First, no thieving on Sundays. The Sisters bring free food, but if anyone steals, no one eats.
Second, don’t cross the nobles. They need someone to blame for the city’s unrest. It will be you.
Third, a fool’s prayer always follows danger, so if you’re planning to do something dumb, pray first.
Tonight, Callam Quill was breaking all three in a brazen attempt to change his fate.
He dangled from a cliff wall, his fingers straining to bear his weight. The wind battered him as he stretched out his bare feet in search of footing but found none. High above him stood his mark: a coastal manor with the gothic arches and spires popular among the port’s elite.
“Prosper in his light, a heathen outside his sight,” he recited over and over, hoping to calm his nerves and keep his grip on the bluff’s wall. The stanza was one of many prayers shared by the chapel’s Sisters in lieu of lessons or love. Repetition got you fed, but memorization got you seconds, so Callam had learned them all by heart.
If the gods heard Callam’s plea, they cast no magic to save him. Callam did, however, manage to wedge his foot into a small crevice—his toes cramped within a few seconds of anchoring in. That was too close, he thought while hugging the rock face. He dared not look down at the waves and rocks below.
Slow, deep breaths steadied Callam’s pulse. When he could no longer feel the beat of his chest, he pushed off his foothold and leveraged it into another. The wet stones were slick as seaglass, and his muscles soon burned from exertion. Yet he persisted, knowing his best chance for freedom was at the top of this cliff.
Twice more he almost fell, and twice more he repeated the Sisters’ stanzas.
The edge inched closer as Callam climbed, and he’d just passed the halfway point when a gust howled its approach. Bracing himself, he shifted his weight onto his back foot—suddenly, he slipped. His grip flagged, then faltered as the wind pried him from the bluff.
“It isn't written, it isn’t written,” he prayed, while he plummeted. The dockboys would have laughed at his superstition, but he didn’t care; to him, the stanzas were lucky and he needed some luck. Instinctively, he reached out, scrambling to find a hold or catch a ledge. His calluses tore as he traded skin for friction on the rock face.
Callam's stomach lurched. Stone scraped against his abdomen, cloth ripped, and his tunic tightened around his back. The air was forced out of his lungs when he came to an abrupt halt. For a moment he hung like a rag doll, his eyes shut against an avalanche of gravel that peppered him.
The rock shower passed; only then did Callam manage a labored breath. His hands trembled as he lifted his body to unhook his tunic from a rock spur it had snagged on. Once free, he clambered to a nearby perch, then brushed the dirt from his face. Debris fell from his messy brown hair; he always kept it short, and it was slightly uneven, as if it had been shorn by a dull blade. The only part of him that didn’t seem dirty was the tattoo of a feather on his wrist.
“Po–Poet’s hand,” he cursed, his teeth chattering.
He was freezing, reeked of salt, and hurt all over. His palms were raw and scoured with pebbles—they throbbed in the cold air. A cautious flex proved he hadn’t broken any bones, but a cough brought about that sting that every kicked street rat knew so well. Soft prods confirmed Callam’s fears: a bruised rib. He’d seen beggars ignore similar injuries from fights or beatings, only to end up plagued by the stitcher’s cough weeks later.
It was reason enough to consider giving up.
Not happening, Callam thought with a grimace. I promised her. Her faith in him was his stone. A lump formed in his throat. He’d come too far to quit now and doom himself to a lifetime of serving those whose only virtue was being blessed by scripture.
He owed her memory that much, at least.
With renewed vigor, Callam resumed his ascent. He climbed more carefully this time, testing each hold to make sure it was secure, and taking breaks when his body demanded it. If all went well, he’d have a grimoire in hand by morning and would no longer be unbound.
Claiming a spellbook was imperative. Binding Day was coming, and the ceremony would force all unbound seventeen-year-olds into a blind binding, with terrible odds of success. For years, Callam had watched as naïve orphans lined up to receive their spellbooks, only for their expressions to go from hopeful to horrified when the ink failed to take.
That won’t happen to me, Callam swore. His jaw tightened as he remembered the cries of the orphans when their bindings had broken. It was supposed to be “painless,” yet shattered dreams never were. Those who failed the rite forever lost access to grimoires and to the magic the books bestowed.
They became Ruddites.
Callam reached for the next handhold, a knot forming in his stomach. He gripped the stone, fingers stiff, and pulled himself upwards. The sunken stares of Ruddite orphans were burned into his mind. The dark rings beneath their eyes proved that they never lacked for work; there was always a steady business in selling them to the patrons of the port.
The edge was five handspans away when the route Callam had chosen came to an end—there wasn’t a purchase in sight, just a sheer rock face. Shaking out each arm in turn, he weighed his options. He could take a leap of faith, or climb down and find a safer route. It was rumored that the guards rotated at midnight; after that, the grounds would be secure, so he’d—
“That which is written,” a gruff voice stated from above.
Callam flattened himself against the cliff, heart thumping. The words were muffled, so it took him a second to realize their origin. Peeking upwards, he could just make out the silhouette of a guard walking atop the cliff’s edge.
“Is foretold and forbidden,” another voice responded a moment later, completing the greeting. “Alright, alright. Enough formalities. All quiet on the watch?”
“Quiet as it gets. Just sea, stone, and sand for miles. I’ve slept less during sermon.”
“Hah! Better than the warfront or that blasted Tower, though, right? Two years, and I can still taste the stench of those damned barren beasts…”
The conversation was swept up by the wind as the watchmen paced farther down the perimeter. They hadn’t seen him, but he needed to hurry. The guards were rotating now.
Cold sweat covered Callam as he prepared to leap. He clutched the bluff’s face, his knuckles turning white from his trepidation. It’s no different than jumping piers at the harbor, he tried to convince himself, as if he weren’t over a hundred feet in the air.
Now or never. Callam lunged upward, loose stones falling from where he’d kicked off the wall. For a second he was airborne, his hands reaching for the headland, his heart beating wildly. Then he cleared the cliff’s rim and immediately clawed his fingers into the dirt above. His palms burned as he began to slide backwards, before a foothold gave him the support he needed to haul himself over the bluff’s edge. The exertion shot pain through Callam’s ribs. He clenched his teeth until it passed.
“Made it,” he wheezed. Thank the Poet. For a moment, Callam lay on the ground, the drizzle wetting his face. Then, he stood gingerly and winced—he wanted to check his wounds, but there was no time. He needed to locate the four markers he’d memorized in preparation for his heist. They would lead him to the estate's collection of scripted grimoires.
Keeping to the shadows, Callam wound his way through the grounds. The manor loomed in the distance, its stories of ivy-covered granite fading into the darkness. Windows glowed like watchful eyes; one flickered on, and Callam fought the urge to hide. Instead, he sped up, the grass squelching loudly underfoot. He hoped the sound would be muted by the groans and creaks of nearby tree branches.
Callam soon reached an open pavilion. Peering around a hedge, he looked for any guards—the courtyard was empty except for a speaker's lectern, with a marble copy of the Sermon’s Book laid open upon it.
The first marker. A smile tugged at Callam’s lips; he knew the Sisters would have raged at the sight of the relic left to weather outside.
The second marker, a manned tower with sentries on lookout, protruded from above a large brick archway. Unfortunately for Callam, these guards stood vigilant in their watch. One leaned out the tower’s window and held a lantern high against the storm. The other had a cupped hand over his brow to better see the grounds. Both wore breastplates, and neither had the unkempt beards common among the city's constables.
That’s no good, Callam thought, swallowing heavily. Camouflaged behind a topiary, he rubbed his arms to stave off the chill, then waited for any sign that the sentries were distracted. It came in the spark of a flint; one of the guards turned to the other, and both leaned in to light a smoke.
Callam dashed into the passageway. After rounding the first turn, he crouched and listened. No guards came running.
The only sounds were the shifting of leaves and the pattering of rain. Lantern light danced on an arched wall to Callam’s left, causing the stone to vary in hue from amber to ochre. Across the way, lichen grew on columns that led to a manor-side garden. Callam walked over to those pillars, wary of making any noise. The closer he got, the more the air smelled damp and slightly sweet, like a barrel of wine that had been left out in the rain. Some of the tension began to drain from Callam’s shoulders, and he took a moment to wring out his damp shirt.
Then, the wind held still. Silence fell, the type that all prey know. As if ice was pressed against his spine, every hair on Callam’s neck rose. He inhaled shallowly, afraid he’d be heard. Someone was watching—he was sure of it. Shadows filled the corners of his eyes; they stretched and wove and played tricks on his mind.
He needed to run. Now.
Callam shot forward, aiming for the plants that bordered the manor’s exterior. His first step felt like moving lead, but each subsequent one came easier.
He’d made it less than ten paces when the storm picked up. The feeling of being watched passed.
Callam shivered, then took cover amongst the manor’s foliage. There, he waited for his terror to fade. He’d spent years on the streets honing his instincts; those long nights had left him jumpy as well.
‘Fear long enough, and it becomes loud,’ he reminded himself. That stanza carried more weight with the unbound orphans than the Sisters could ever know.
Chapter 1-16 out on RR right now. Once chapter a day until we are caught up <3
submitted by justinwrite2 to HFY [link] [comments]
Verse Ten of The First Binding
In Port Cardica, every streetwise unbound must memorize three rules to survive:
First, no thieving on Sundays. The Sisters bring free food, but if anyone steals, no one eats.
Second, don’t cross the nobles. They need someone to blame for the city’s unrest. It will be you.
Third, a fool’s prayer always follows danger, so if you’re planning to do something dumb, pray first.
Tonight, Callam Quill was breaking all three in a brazen attempt to change his fate.
He dangled from a cliff wall, his fingers straining to bear his weight. The wind battered him as he stretched out his bare feet in search of footing but found none. High above him stood his mark: a coastal manor with the gothic arches and spires popular among the port’s elite.
“Prosper in his light, a heathen outside his sight,” he recited over and over, hoping to calm his nerves and keep his grip on the bluff’s wall. The stanza was one of many prayers shared by the chapel’s Sisters in lieu of lessons or love. Repetition got you fed, but memorization got you seconds, so Callam had learned them all by heart.
If the gods heard Callam’s plea, they cast no magic to save him. Callam did, however, manage to wedge his foot into a small crevice—his toes cramped within a few seconds of anchoring in. That was too close, he thought while hugging the rock face. He dared not look down at the waves and rocks below.
Slow, deep breaths steadied Callam’s pulse. When he could no longer feel the beat of his chest, he pushed off his foothold and leveraged it into another. The wet stones were slick as seaglass, and his muscles soon burned from exertion. Yet he persisted, knowing his best chance for freedom was at the top of this cliff.
Twice more he almost fell, and twice more he repeated the Sisters’ stanzas.
The edge inched closer as Callam climbed, and he’d just passed the halfway point when a gust howled its approach. Bracing himself, he shifted his weight onto his back foot—suddenly, he slipped. His grip flagged, then faltered as the wind pried him from the bluff.
“It isn't written, it isn’t written,” he prayed, while he plummeted. The dockboys would have laughed at his superstition, but he didn’t care; to him, the stanzas were lucky and he needed some luck. Instinctively, he reached out, scrambling to find a hold or catch a ledge. His calluses tore as he traded skin for friction on the rock face.
Callam's stomach lurched. Stone scraped against his abdomen, cloth ripped, and his tunic tightened around his back. The air was forced out of his lungs when he came to an abrupt halt. For a moment he hung like a rag doll, his eyes shut against an avalanche of gravel that peppered him.
The rock shower passed; only then did Callam manage a labored breath. His hands trembled as he lifted his body to unhook his tunic from a rock spur it had snagged on. Once free, he clambered to a nearby perch, then brushed the dirt from his face. Debris fell from his messy brown hair; he always kept it short, and it was slightly uneven, as if it had been shorn by a dull blade. The only part of him that didn’t seem dirty was the tattoo of a feather on his wrist.
“Po–Poet’s hand,” he cursed, his teeth chattering.
He was freezing, reeked of salt, and hurt all over. His palms were raw and scoured with pebbles—they throbbed in the cold air. A cautious flex proved he hadn’t broken any bones, but a cough brought about that sting that every kicked street rat knew so well. Soft prods confirmed Callam’s fears: a bruised rib. He’d seen beggars ignore similar injuries from fights or beatings, only to end up plagued by the stitcher’s cough weeks later.
It was reason enough to consider giving up.
Not happening, Callam thought with a grimace. I promised her. Her faith in him was his stone. A lump formed in his throat. He’d come too far to quit now and doom himself to a lifetime of serving those whose only virtue was being blessed by scripture.
He owed her memory that much, at least.
With renewed vigor, Callam resumed his ascent. He climbed more carefully this time, testing each hold to make sure it was secure, and taking breaks when his body demanded it. If all went well, he’d have a grimoire in hand by morning and would no longer be unbound.
Claiming a spellbook was imperative. Binding Day was coming, and the ceremony would force all unbound seventeen-year-olds into a blind binding, with terrible odds of success. For years, Callam had watched as naïve orphans lined up to receive their spellbooks, only for their expressions to go from hopeful to horrified when the ink failed to take.
That won’t happen to me, Callam swore. His jaw tightened as he remembered the cries of the orphans when their bindings had broken. It was supposed to be “painless,” yet shattered dreams never were. Those who failed the rite forever lost access to grimoires and to the magic the books bestowed.
They became Ruddites.
Callam reached for the next handhold, a knot forming in his stomach. He gripped the stone, fingers stiff, and pulled himself upwards. The sunken stares of Ruddite orphans were burned into his mind. The dark rings beneath their eyes proved that they never lacked for work; there was always a steady business in selling them to the patrons of the port.
The edge was five handspans away when the route Callam had chosen came to an end—there wasn’t a purchase in sight, just a sheer rock face. Shaking out each arm in turn, he weighed his options. He could take a leap of faith, or climb down and find a safer route. It was rumored that the guards rotated at midnight; after that, the grounds would be secure, so he’d—
“That which is written,” a gruff voice stated from above.
Callam flattened himself against the cliff, heart thumping. The words were muffled, so it took him a second to realize their origin. Peeking upwards, he could just make out the silhouette of a guard walking atop the cliff’s edge.
“Is foretold and forbidden,” another voice responded a moment later, completing the greeting. “Alright, alright. Enough formalities. All quiet on the watch?”
“Quiet as it gets. Just sea, stone, and sand for miles. I’ve slept less during sermon.”
“Hah! Better than the warfront or that blasted Tower, though, right? Two years, and I can still taste the stench of those damned barren beasts…”
The conversation was swept up by the wind as the watchmen paced farther down the perimeter. They hadn’t seen him, but he needed to hurry. The guards were rotating now.
Cold sweat covered Callam as he prepared to leap. He clutched the bluff’s face, his knuckles turning white from his trepidation. It’s no different than jumping piers at the harbor, he tried to convince himself, as if he weren’t over a hundred feet in the air.
Now or never. Callam lunged upward, loose stones falling from where he’d kicked off the wall. For a second he was airborne, his hands reaching for the headland, his heart beating wildly. Then he cleared the cliff’s rim and immediately clawed his fingers into the dirt above. His palms burned as he began to slide backwards, before a foothold gave him the support he needed to haul himself over the bluff’s edge. The exertion shot pain through Callam’s ribs. He clenched his teeth until it passed.
“Made it,” he wheezed. Thank the Poet. For a moment, Callam lay on the ground, the drizzle wetting his face. Then, he stood gingerly and winced—he wanted to check his wounds, but there was no time. He needed to locate the four markers he’d memorized in preparation for his heist. They would lead him to the estate's collection of scripted grimoires.
Keeping to the shadows, Callam wound his way through the grounds. The manor loomed in the distance, its stories of ivy-covered granite fading into the darkness. Windows glowed like watchful eyes; one flickered on, and Callam fought the urge to hide. Instead, he sped up, the grass squelching loudly underfoot. He hoped the sound would be muted by the groans and creaks of nearby tree branches.
Callam soon reached an open pavilion. Peering around a hedge, he looked for any guards—the courtyard was empty except for a speaker's lectern, with a marble copy of the Sermon’s Book laid open upon it.
The first marker. A smile tugged at Callam’s lips; he knew the Sisters would have raged at the sight of the relic left to weather outside.
The second marker, a manned tower with sentries on lookout, protruded from above a large brick archway. Unfortunately for Callam, these guards stood vigilant in their watch. One leaned out the tower’s window and held a lantern high against the storm. The other had a cupped hand over his brow to better see the grounds. Both wore breastplates, and neither had the unkempt beards common among the city's constables.
That’s no good, Callam thought, swallowing heavily. Camouflaged behind a topiary, he rubbed his arms to stave off the chill, then waited for any sign that the sentries were distracted. It came in the spark of a flint; one of the guards turned to the other, and both leaned in to light a smoke.
Callam dashed into the passageway. After rounding the first turn, he crouched and listened. No guards came running.
The only sounds were the shifting of leaves and the pattering of rain. Lantern light danced on an arched wall to Callam’s left, causing the stone to vary in hue from amber to ochre. Across the way, lichen grew on columns that led to a manor-side garden. Callam walked over to those pillars, wary of making any noise. The closer he got, the more the air smelled damp and slightly sweet, like a barrel of wine that had been left out in the rain. Some of the tension began to drain from Callam’s shoulders, and he took a moment to wring out his damp shirt.
Then, the wind held still. Silence fell, the type that all prey know. As if ice was pressed against his spine, every hair on Callam’s neck rose. He inhaled shallowly, afraid he’d be heard. Someone was watching—he was sure of it. Shadows filled the corners of his eyes; they stretched and wove and played tricks on his mind.
He needed to run. Now.
Callam shot forward, aiming for the plants that bordered the manor’s exterior. His first step felt like moving lead, but each subsequent one came easier.
He’d made it less than ten paces when the storm picked up. The feeling of being watched passed.
Callam shivered, then took cover amongst the manor’s foliage. There, he waited for his terror to fade. He’d spent years on the streets honing his instincts; those long nights had left him jumpy as well.
‘Fear long enough, and it becomes loud,’ he reminded himself. That stanza carried more weight with the unbound orphans than the Sisters could ever know.
Chapter 1-16 out on RR right now. Once chapter a day until we are caught up <3
2024.06.11 01:53 Crafty_Bedroom_2479 Stroke at 29 Following a Chiropractic Visit
I was in a car wreck two months ago and went to urgent care and they diagnosed me with a back, neck, and shoulder sprain. I started seeing a chiropractor on my own accord because I was hurting. On my fourth visit, the chiropractor adjusted my neck and I immediately became very dizzy and started throwing up. They kept telling me it was normal and I would be fine in 15 minutes. 3.5 hours go by and I'm still vomiting and unable to walk due to extreme vertigo. They kept me in a dark room and tried different things to help the dizziness/nausea but it did nothing. They even made a joke about me going out drinking the night before and that's why I was so sick. I managed to call my friend to pick me up because I was in no condition to walk, let alone drive. 3 chiropractors checked on me during this period and said I was fine. They put me in a wheelchair and took me to my friend's car while I continued to throw up in her car. The office never called EMS. My friend drove me straight to the ER where they determined I had a vertebral artery dissection that resulted in a stroke. I was in critical care for 6 days and had to get transported to a different hospital. According to my doctor I'm unable to drive for 6 months, I might need surgery, multiple medications, and they’re not sure when I might feel 100%. I had another ambulance ride and hospital stay last weekend. Every day is dizziness, nausea and mentally stressful. I’m 29, extremely active and healthy with no prior health issues. I have 3 jobs including the military so this is devastating. Any help is appreciated!
submitted by Crafty_Bedroom_2479 to stroke [link] [comments]
2024.06.11 01:49 Crafty_Bedroom_2479 Stroke Following a Chiropractic Visit
I was in a car wreck two months ago and went to urgent care and they diagnosed me with a back, neck, and shoulder sprain. I started seeing a chiropractor on my own accord because I was hurting. On my fourth visit, the chiropractor adjusted my neck and I immediately became very dizzy and started throwing up. They kept telling me it was normal and I would be fine in 15 minutes. 3.5 hours go by and I'm still vomiting and unable to walk due to extreme vertigo. They kept me in a dark room and tried different things to help the dizziness/nausea but it did nothing. They even made a joke about me going out drinking the night before and that's why I was so sick. I managed to call my friend to pick me up because I was in no condition to walk, let alone drive. 3 chiropractors checked on me during this period and said I was fine. They put me in a wheelchair and took me to my friend's car while I continued to throw up in her car. The office never called EMS. My friend drove me straight to the ER where they determined I had a vertebral artery dissection that resulted in a stroke. I was in critical care for 6 days and had to get transported to a different hospital. According to my doctor I'm unable to drive for 6 months, I might need surgery, multiple medications, and they’re not sure when I might feel 100%. I had another ambulance ride and hospital stay last weekend. Every day is dizziness, nausea and mentally stressful. I’m 29, extremely active and healthy with no prior health issues. I have 3 jobs including the military so this is devastating. Any help is appreciated!
submitted by Crafty_Bedroom_2479 to MedicalMalpractice [link] [comments]