Hey everyone,
I was diagnosed with mild OSA and was prescribed a Luna G3. I've been excited and nervous about the buildup to get my new machine. I'm excited that maybe I can finally not feel so groggy throughout the day, and I can just be in the moment with my toddler instead of looking forward to her nap so that I can nap. I was very nervous about adapting to a new sleeping style, and honestly, I'm even depressed about it for some reason.
Last night was my first time with it. I use a nasal pillow-style mask, and I woke up around 2am with my nostrils burning. The CPAP technician said that I could expect that. I went back to sleep, but the pain became pretty intolerable, and around 5am, I woke up and had to take it off.
I was using the medium nasal pillow, and I think I'm going to try small tonight. I was also awoken last night by having a drop of condensation drip on my lip. The humidity is set at two.
I'm just feeling kind of down about it. What can I use to help with the nose issue? Are there any topical treatments that are recommended? I wish I had that great first night success story, but it's going to take a lot of adjustments. Any advice or encouragement is welcome!

Hi all. I’m struggling to make nice with my CPAP. I want it to work, but I feel like my nose is always stuffy and it’s hard to breathe with it on. I started with a full face mask, but as a female with a small chin, anytime I wasn’t on my back i would have air leaks. I switched to a nasal pillow which is comfortable and seems to stay sealed, but the issue now is congestion. I am on allergy meds already.

With nasal pillows I’ve successfully gotten to zero leaks (or down to about 2L/min at 95%), but it requires me to tape the ResMed P10 to my face with surgical tape; then also cover my mouth with special mouth tape.
This isn’t really ideal, obviously, since I don’t want to be a mummy every night. Should I just do a full face mask, or will the leaks be awful? Keep reading that full face masks leak much worse than nasal pillows.

Have a rather large face and a full beard. Started with an N20 mask. Which covered my whole nose. Didn’t complete hate it just could never get a good seal. Been using a P10 last few nights swapping between med and small which both give me a good seal my nostrils just start to feel violated after a few hours. I like the idea of a nasal pillow style mask. Was looking for recommendations from people that found one that was comfortable

June 10th, 327
It’s been a bit since I’ve written here. I decided to give Augustine a looser leash and I allowed him to explore the outside world as long as he knew what he was doing.
June 11th, 327
Augustine said he had something to tell me later tonight, he’d been exploring almost every day now, the active sense of adventure that boy has honestly impresses me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A: Hey Zach
Z: Hey what’s up?
A: I wanna tell you about something I found while I was exploring the other day.
Z: Spill then.
A: Alright, so as I was playing around with my long distance teleportation spell and I ended up on the base of a large mountain range. It was strange as I couldn’t teleport all the way to the top, it was like something within the very mountain’s mineral makeup was negating my attempts to teleport up to its peak. So I decided to scale the mountain the old fashion way: climbing it. Thanks to the enhancements given to me by that project I scaled the mountain in no time, and the other side? It was like nothing the world has ever seen, the mountain range was hiding a large gulf of water, a large island placed just within the gulf, lush forest and 2 large mountains towards the center, a place that seemed untouched by time itself. It could be the perfect place to permanently hide from the Templar, after all we can only hide in this cabin for so long before they eventually find us.
I was certainly surprised at the fact that he was able to scale an entire mountain with seemingly very little effort, but what interested me more was the island he discovered. He claimed it looked “untouched” but the higher ups at the Templar claimed they have colonized nearly all the available land in this world so to have an entire island be left untouched is almost like foreign concept, something of legend.
Z: An untouched island? Not only untouched but also unheard of. The Templar said they’ve colonized all known land in this world.
A: I know! But I couldn’t see any mana towers among the trees or any humans from the peak of the mountains.
Z: Well if still untouched after all this time, chances are that they won’t find it anytime soon.
A: exactly! A place where the Templar will never reach…solemn look
Z: What's wrong Augustine? The memories and thoughts haunting you again?
A: yea, I’m sorry to constantly bother you with them but I’ve kept them contained for too long
Z: Hey, hey it’s alright. You’ve never been a bother at all, helping you deal with your issues is what friends are for.
A: I appreciate it Zach, for the longest time Elock was really the only friend I’ve ever had so it’s enlightening hearing someone else say that, to this day I still wonder where she is today and if she’s even alive! I used to have nightmares where I would meet her again just to discover that she’s-
Z: it’s alright, I’m sure she thinks about you every day too and most likely wonders the same every night.
A: Yeah I know, but it’s hard remaining optimistic in this world with the whole war between humans and keidran going on.
Z: Well to me that island sounds like a great place to start.
A: agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Augustine and I agreed to visit the island he found beyond the mountains tomorrow, he thinks it’ll be the perfect place to hide from the Templar.
June 12th, 327
Augustine said that the mountain range was incredibly far, about days worth of running in Augustine’s estimation, so teleporting there is just another thing to add to the list of things he impresses me with. While the material the mountain range is composed of prevents any magic from directly interacting with them, they don’t extend beyond that, so Augustine offered to fly us up there using a telekinetic spell.
Turns out Augustine is only used to telekinetically lifting one item, how do I know? Because he accidentally dropped me. Luckily I landed in a tree. After traversing both sides of the mountain and making it across the water, we arrived on the island at last and man Augustine wasn’t lying. It truly was beautiful, lush fruit bearing trees, 2 large mountains and not even the smallest hint of Templar interference!
We headed further inland and decided to stay at the valley between the 2 mountains with Augustine immediately getting to work and hacking away at the tree with the guard’s sword. After a few hours of work, Augustine already had a large pile of planks with me barely keeping up and Augustine teasing me about it, oh I’m sorry not everyone is a magically enhanced super soldier.
It was beginning to grow dark and we made the decision to head back to the cabin for today and continue the build some later time. Augustine made a waypoint in the cabin so getting back was easy though it had some issues as it took a while to activate. I took a rock sample from the mountains to analyze back at the cabin.
June 13th, 327
This was fascinating! The rock sample I took had incredibly unique properties never before seen! Its primary ability was “absorbing” sources of mana. I had stabbed one of our mana crystals into the rock and I observed as it broke down the crystal over the course of an hour! This explains why Augustine couldn’t teleport up the mountain. So even if the Templar did find the mountain they would never get over it, even with the most powerful mages magic.
Augustine had gone out to town again, he said it was to pick up building tools to help shore up the house we were building. He claimed he could handle it on his own and despite me wanting to protest, I let him go through with it. Unfortunately the town we went to around a week ago didn’t have a hardware store as any construction must run through Lulio first, so Augustine had to head to the neighboring town to see if he could find anything there.
~~~~~~~~~~
(Cut to Augustine’s pov)
Thoughts: “ugh cmon how hard could a hardware store be to find, it feels like I’ve been searching for hours already!”
sees sign with a hammer on it
“Gah! Finally!”
heads inside
Shopkeeper: Greetings sir! How may I assist you today?
“Uhh it’s alright I can handle it on my own, thanks for the offer though!”
Thoughts: this time the illusion should last longer as these mana crystals are fresh rather than being recharged.
grabs a large amount of nails, 2 hammers, some axes to preserve his sword, saws, sand paper, and stone blocks
Shopkeeper: Oh my sir, this is an awful load that you’ll have to carry on your own, are you sure you can handle it?
“Yes I’m sure…”
Shopkeeper: Are you sure? We have a policy that allows you to rent slaves to help you with whatever you’re working on.
“No, n-“
(Shopkeep rings a bell to send a slave to the front before Augustine could interject)
Thoughts: are you kidding me? Gahhh cmon Zack is waiting for me and I don’t wanna keep him on the line!
Female voice: coming!
Augustine: frustrated and staring at the floor
Shopkeeper: How about this one? Hard worker she is, very cooperative, very friendly.
Augustine: looks up
Elock: hello sir! How may I assist you today?
shivering
Thoughts: E- Elock?! When?! How?! I thought you worked for a farmer?! I can’t say anything, it'll reveal my identity to the worker! Okay, okay, okay just keep it calm!
“I- uh stuttering I changed my mind! She can help me, I’ll take her!”
Shopkeeper: I’m not surprised, she’s gone from owner to owner as she’s quite a hard worker, she’s worth a lot of money after being traded so many times before ending up at my place. 1000G for 7 days.
“I- yes I’ll take her”
Shopkeeper: perfect!
exits with supplies and Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock looking at Augustine’s wanted poster: solemn
“Something wrong?”
Elock: oh! N-nothing! It’s just these ropes binding my hands are just a bit tight! And W-where are we heading sir? We’re outside of town at this point and I- uh-
A: chuckles a bit you’re still just as bad as ever at hiding your nervousness Elock
Elock: Ah- I- how do you know my name?!
A: unties the rope and disables illusion It’s been a while, wouldn’t you agree?
Elock in shock and on the verge of tears: I…A…trembling, mouth slightly ajar in shock
A: what? Cat got your tongue? Well I guess that’s true consid-
Elock: pounces on him AUGUSTINE! I’ve missed you so much!How have you been?!Where did you- starts talking so fast that even Augustine couldn’t keep up with what she was saying and weeping happy tears profusely on his shirt
A: slightly choking from how tight she’s hugging him it’s okay, it’s okay! I’ve missed you too. I almost thought you were gonna be de- ow ow! Stop it I was kidding!
Elock: blep I know. Not a single day went by where I didn’t think about you! And say weren't your eyes brown before?
A: I’m flattered that you still remember and well…it’s kind of a long story…but first let’s retreat to safety. teleports with Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
A: …and then I ended up here
Elock: That’s incredible! You sure had been on a wild cart ride while I was gone! I wish I could have been there.
A: It's not as glamorous as it sounds, that experiment was agony incarnate, it’s a wonder I survived! In fact I was the only one who came out alive, though the powers I got bestowed with are certainly nothing to complain about but still the effects after we’re brutal.
Elock: glad you did, the way you and Zach escaped the facility was incredible.
A: well he can tell you all about it points to cabin we’ve arrived
Zach opens door
A: Hey Zach, I’m back from my shopping spree.
Z: Augustine what took you so long? The plan was to just get the supplies and get out.
A: I know! But I got a bit off track. I found someone very special.
Elock: pokes head through the door Mrow?
A: meet Elock, remem-
Z: her! The keidran you met when you were 10?
A: yup to Elock it’s alright Elock it’s fine he won’t bite.
Elock: H- hello sir.
Z: please call me Zach. It’s a pleasure.
shakes hand
Elock: it’s a nice place you 2 have here.
A: It was by sheer luck that we found this place actually.
Z: Yeah, the blast was much larger than we’d anticipated and even if my house remained intact, they’d still come searching for me.
Elock: Well lucky you found this place when you did.
A: Are you hungry Elock? We have some steak leftovers.
Elock: oh, I am actually, thank you!
Z: say Elock…
Elock: yes?
Z: Would you mind telling us your journey? I’d love to learn.
A: Zach!
Z: Right, sorry.
Elock: No, no Augustine, it’s alright. I don’t mind in the slightest.
Life in the rainforest regions was paradise, plenty of food, clean sources of water, plenty of building materials, and a beautiful sight to wake up to everyday. My parents worked directly under the matriarch, Lektra(keidran for bolt/thunder) so me being born was almost as exciting as the coronation of the matriarch herself. Unfortunately that swiftly came to a close when Lulio decided to use our home as farmland and despite protests from Lektra, Lulio still went through with the plan. In a flash everything was pretty much destroyed. Our warriors tried to fight back but were eliminated instantly, I was about 3 when this happened and the memory still burns strong to this day.
Augustine: muttering under his breath psychotic bastard…
Elock: I know how you feel, Augustine, trust me I do.
A: I know, I’m sorry
Elock: holds his hand It's alright.
After the destruction of my people and my home, I was sent into the town and stayed in a keidran only home until my 4th birthday. Instead of pleasant accommodations like human orphan homes, all we got was a pillow and some sheets to make ourselves comfortable with, most of us slept on the hardwood floor and it was unbearable. Lulio passed a law where keidran as young as 4 would be eligible for work. After my 4th birthday I was almost immediately whisked off to work on a farm, while the job was tough, they at least gave me my own room and bed, one of their guests even took a small liking to me but tragically he died of a lung infection.
Z: I lament your journey and loss Elock, I can’t imagine how tough this was to bear all at once.
Elock: please it’s okay, you don’t have to apologize for anything. None of this is any of your wrongdoing.
Z: You said your people were killed but what about your parents? Did they survive too?
Elock: Oh right! My parents were spared as they opted to surrender peacefully and they were sold to different owners. I used to occasionally see them from time to time but after I moved I had to say a tearful goodbye to both them and Augustine. playfully pinches his cheek
Z: You’re strong for getting through that, not many could take that much.
Elock: I appreciate that.
Z: Do you have any idea where your parents are right now?
Elock: I think they’re still in the same tow- Augustine? Are you okay?
A: on the other hand gripping the table so hard that it was gonna break, eyes with a look of both confusion and rage
Elock: Augustine?
A: I- I saw them…
Elock: What do you mean?
A: They were there…in the same room.
Elock: Are you talking about the operation?
A: Y- yes…I saw them, both of them. They were in the operation too, part of the 10 keidrans selected to be in the experiment. I briefly saw them looking at me, they were scared but I couldn’t do a damn thing to help them and now they're dead! slowly growing hysterical
Elock: Augustine!
A: snaps out of his hysterics
Elock: it’s not your fault! Neither of you have to feel guilty!
A: I know, but I just wish I could have done something to help them, but I was just a powerless child.
Z: Augustine. We all wish we could have done something to stop Lulio’s plan, we all feel the same way just please don’t put all the blame on yourself.
A: I know, I'm sorry…
Elock: it’s alright…we’re all here to support you, you got hit the hardest out of all so you should be the one to be the one who receives sympathy.
A: …thanks guys, It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve heard something so comforting.
Elock: don’t worry, we’ll never leave and when we do, we’ll leave together.
A: …oh! Elock, I hate to do this but would you mind helping us with something? We found a place that could be our key to salvation.
Elock: Of course! I don’t mind in the slightest.
A: teleports all 3 of them via waypoint
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock: in awe of the island I…this is incredible! It reminds me so much of my home! And you were right! There’s no hint of Templar activity at all!
A: We were just as shocked as you are right now when we first found it. I mean like Zach said, the Templar claimed that they have settled on all available land in this world.
Elock: Well then, let’s make good use of this place, so let’s get to work!
A: I couldn't have said it better myself.
hours later, the trio had finished building a moderate sized wooden house
A: woo! Not bad for a day's work, am I right?
Elock: Mrrrr…man that was a nice workout!
Z: Tell me about it!
A: So Elock, should we tell Zach?
Elock: I think so!
Z: Tell me…what?
A: Well…on the way here, Elock and I started thinking and we were thinking of a way we could free other slaves from their captors.
Z: sigh… well at this point, I know better than to criticize your plan before even hearing it so go ahead, spill it on me.
A: Operation: torchwick
—————

1. Elock would be our messenger, using her spare time to get any other slaves on board with the plan, amassing as many as possible.
   
2. On the large hill next to the town, we plant a large amount of gray mana crystals. Where downhill wind will carry the effect down into the town
   

(Gray mana crystals were created for a special purpose, making large smokescreens on the battlefield)

1. I would then use a spell that emits a light that can’t be perceived by humans but can be seen by keidrans and basitins alike, Which would act as the signal to go for it.
   
2. The group would then head towards the light where we would then break for the mountains as fast as possible.
   

(Unfortunately the waypoint spell barely lasts for even a few days, and teleporting a large group of people via waypoint could be tough even for me)
I would then use as much of my power as possible to telekinetic lift as many refugees as possibl-
Z: Yeah…considering that you almost dropped me off the side of the mountain, I think even you would have trouble lifting a bunch of slaves.
A: hey!
Elock: Mreeheehee!
A: anyways! After we figure out a way to get everyone up there, we’ll be untouchable!
Z: huh…well from one chaotic strategist to another, it’s worth a shot.
A: Perfect! See Elock?
Elock: mew?
A: I kept the promise I made, all those years ago! when we meet again, it’ll be your freedom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also for anyone who wants to know a bit more about Elock:
Name: Elock of the rainforest leopards
Species: rainforest leopard
Languages: human, keidran
Physical characteristics: yellow fur, black nose marking, black rosettes running down back and onto tail, unusually big and poofy tail, butter yellow hair with black streaks, faint outline of heart pattern on her behind
Height: 5’4”
Age: 9 years(was 4 when she met Augustine)
Eye color: emerald green
Mental characteristics:
-Quick learner
-Eager to help
-Bad at hiding panic
-Imaginative
-Heart of gold
-Shy but slowly growing out of it
-Optimistic
Likes: adventure, rain, storytelling, being adored, helping, hugs(especially from Augustine), pouncing on people she cares about.
Dislikes: slavery, Templar(although not as intensely as most others)
Unlike most, Elock had the ability to both read and write prior to slavery, being taught by both her parents and Lektra herself. Spending most of her time reading and drawing using whatever material she could find.
Tell me what you thought of this chapter!

0. Preface

In my post a couple of weeks ago, assessing the likelihood of current shareholders coming away profitable in the end, I noted that Holly Etlin's Docket 10 filing to the bankruptcy court stated that the company has around $800 million in secured creditors (JP Morgan, Sixth Street etc.) and $1 billion in unsecured creditors (mainly bond holders) to pay off. That too is only the funded debt; the [aggregate debt situation] is even worse:
The company estimated it had assets of $4.4 billion and total debt of $5.2 billion as of late November, and the number of creditors is between 25,001 and 50,000, with BNY Mellon having the biggest unsecured claim of $1.18 billion. BNY Mellon is a trustee on three senior debt issues, according to a spokesperson for the firm.
Before any value can be returned to the current shareholders by a successful exit from Chapter 11, secured and then unsecured creditors must first be satisfied. That is a very simple fact, and the notion that a sale of any kind of the company is bullish for current shareholders is simply incorrect and misguided. If current equity holders are to receive anything, and not have their investments wiped away, then a prospective buyer would need to cover BBBY's debt obligations to secured and unsecured creditors.
​

1. Who Are Unsecured Creditors?

The hierarchy of this is that it is firstly the secured creditors who must be paid out. In BBBY's case these are primarily the Wall Street financial institutions JP Morgan and Sixth Street, who have provided loans to basically keep the company operating. As these are fairly straightforward debt obligations, I think a buyer would simply need to pay them off in cash, as part of a successful Chapter 11 restructuring.
But after that come the unsecured creditors, and I believe how a prospective buyer pays these entities off could have a greater impact on whether shareholders can receive anything. If the buyer can negotiate in a savvy fashion with the unsecured creditors, there could be an opportunity to reduce how much of their debts need to be paid off. Additionally the method of payment could become important, as some form of equities-for-debt could mean the launching of new securities, of which current shareholders could receive some portion.
Hence the negotiations with these unsecured creditors could become extremely important for a successful deal to be formulated. Meaning that who these unsecured creditors are, and what they might be satisfied with, is a potentially critical factor. Below are the typical types of unsecured creditors that most publicly traded companies have:
Bondholders: Bondholders are individuals or institutional investors who have purchased corporate bonds issued by the company. These bonds are unsecured and represent debt owed by the company.
Debenture Holders: Similar to bondholders, debenture holders hold unsecured debt instruments issued by the company known as debentures.
Noteholders: Noteholders hold unsecured promissory notes issued by the company, representing debt obligations.
Unsecured Loan Providers: Individuals or financial institutions that have provided unsecured loans to the company.
Trade Creditors: These are suppliers or vendors who have provided goods or services on credit to the company.
Employees: Unpaid wages, benefits, or pensions owed to employees can also make them unsecured creditors.
Leaseholders: Companies may have leased properties or equipment from landlords or lessors, making them unsecured creditors if rental payments are outstanding.
​

2. BBBY's Main Unsecured Creditors

Hence I was very much interested when Docket 607 came out last Friday 2nd June, as this contains a list of BBBY's top 30 Unsecured Creditors. Here they are in alphabetical order, including my short description of what they do:
ARTSANA USA INC: Italian company in the parenting space, part owned by Baby Care International Development Sarl (Luxemburgish firm)
BLUE YONDER INC: Supply chain management software company, operating as an independent subsidiary of Panasonic (Japanese electronics giant)
BNY MELLON: American investment management and investment services provider; largest creditor of $1.18 billion
BRIDGETREE LLC: American marketing analytics and big data analytics company
CITRUS AD INTERNATIONAL INC: Publicis Groupe (French media firm) owned software as a service (SaaS) platform, optimizing brands marketing performances directly within retailer websites
COMMISSION JUNCTION INC: Another Publicis Groupe (French media firm) owned affiliate marketplace, in which eCommerce brands can browse a large selection of products that can be used for promoting and building their business
FACEBOOK INC (META PLATFORMS): American multinational technology conglomerate
F 3 METALWORX INC: American precision metal works provider specializing in Wire Weld Store Fixtures, Arvite Precision Sheet Metal Fabrication and Cost Effective Coatings
FEDERAL HEATH SIGN COMPANY LLC: American firm that manufactures interior marketing decor, external signs and digital signage
FEDEX: American express delivery services and solutions firm
GRANITE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LLC: American one-stop solutions for voice, data, Internet, wireless, video and secure network options provider
IDX CORPORATION: American company that develops and manufactures consumer displays and environments
INTERSOFT DATA LABS INC: Indian company thar specialises in IT outsourcing and business process solutions, especially digital transformations
KDM P.O.P. SOLUTIONS GROUP: American in-store retail marketing solutions provider
KEECO LLC: American home textile supplier, specializing bedding and curtains
KEPLER GROUP LLC: Digital marketing services company, part of the Japanese media giant Hakuhodo's kyu Collective
KEURIG GREEN MOUNTAIN INC: American beverage and coffeemaker conglomerate
LENOX CORPORATION: American manufacturing company that sells tableware, giftware, and collectible products under the Lenox, Dansk, Reed & Barton, and Gorham brands.
LIFETIME BRANDS INC: American provider of kitchenware, tableware and other products used in the home
MADIX INC: American manufacturer of store fixtures, shelving, and display accessories
NATIONAL TREE COMPANY: Leading American importer and wholesaler of artificial Christmas trees, wreaths and garlands as well as holiday decorations and fiber optics products
NORTH AMERICAN CORPORATION: American packaging solutions and facility solutions firm
PERSONALIZATIONMALL: Amerixan provider of distinctive keepsake items featuring a broad assortment of customizable products
PINTEREST INC: American image sharing and social media service
SHARKNINJA SALES COMPANY: American manufacturer of small home appliances
TEMPUR‐PEDIC: American manufacturer and distributor of mattresses and pillows made from viscoelastic foam
TESTRITE PRODUCTS CORP.: American wholesale distributor of home furnishings and housewares
THE KNOT WORLDWIDE INC: American wedding planning and goods company
VERIZON BUSINESS NETWORK: American voice and data telecommunications campany
WILLIAM CARTER CO.: Major American designer and marketer of children's apparel
​

3. Unsecured Creditor Categories

Here I am putting these 30 firms into categories, based on my personal assessment of what type of firm they are and/or what kind of relationship they most likely have with BBBY:
​
Financal Services providers to BBBY
BNY MELLON
​
Business Services providers to BBBY
BLUE YONDER INC
BRIDGETREE LLC
CITRUS AD INTERNATIONAL INC
COMMISSION JUNCTION INC
FACEBOOK INC (META PLATFORMS)
F 3 METALWORX INC
FEDERAL HEATH SIGN COMPANY LLC
FEDEX
GRANITE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LLC
IDX CORPORATION
INTERSOFT DATA LABS INC
KDM P.O.P. SOLUTIONS GROUP
KEPLER GROUP LLC
MADIX INC
NORTH AMERICAN CORPORATION
PINTEREST INC
VERIZON BUSINESS NETWORK
​
Suppliers of products sold at BBBY stores
ARTSANA USA INC
KEECO LLC
KEURIG GREEN MOUNTAIN INC
LENOX CORPORATION
NATIONAL TREE COMPANY
PERSONALIZATIONMALL
SHARKNINJA SALES COMPANY
TEMPUR‐PEDIC
TESTRITE PRODUCTS CORP.
THE KNOT WORLDWIDE INC
WILLIAM CARTER CO.
​
What I was concerned about before carrying out this research was whether most of BBBY's unsecured creditors are financial services firms. We know for sure that BNY Mellon is the largest of the bond holder, being the trustee of the senior notes. However not a single one of the other 29 firms on this list are other financial services providers. Of course no guarantees, but I believe this significantly reduces the risk of bad Wall Street actors being able to "sabotage" potential negotiations between a prospective buyer of BBBY and the collective secured creditors.
In fact, the vast majority of these large secured creditors appear to be Trade Creditors, and I believe that is a very encouraging sign. For these companies, there is no advantage at all in BBBY winding down its operations, as that would mean a loss of longer term income for them. Looking at the products and services these companies provide, they either receive revenue from BBBY for business services, or have their products sold through BBBY's bricks-and-mortar and/or online stores. So for BBBY to wind down completely would not be in these secured creditors' best interests at all, as they would simply be losing a long-term revenue source.
​

4. The Ultimate Deal

As such, I believe there is a good chance that a prospective buyer can significantly reduce the secured debt obligations currently on BBBY's books, as part of a successful acquisition of the company. Except for BNY Mellon, all the other major unsecured creditors appear to be BBBY's suppliers and long-term business partners. I would think that the short-term gain of recovering their current debts is less beneficial to these companies, if compared to continuing to supply their products and services to BBBY and/or its successor entities.
So what kind of deal could take place? This could take many forms, but an attractive one for these unsecured creditors could be a swapping of debt for newly issued securities. Those could be of a new ticker representing BBBY's post-Chapter 11 business, or of a spin-off such as BABY, or even more attractively, both. This third option would mean that far from their relationship with BBBY ending in disappointing fashion, they can instead recoup their unsecured credit, receive equity and part-ownership in one or more new companies, AND can provide products and services to these firms.
Such a scenario would also be extremely beneficial for current BBBY shareholders as well. If the buyer's requirements for paying off BBBY's debts are reduced, then a higher chance there is enough left over from their acquisition offer to return to us equity holders. I am also inclined to think that the type of offer is more likely to include their own stock, given such an equity-for-debt offer could be more attractive to Trade Creditors. As I have pointed out in numerous past DDs, I believe such an acquisition - either in the form of an All-Stock or Combined Stock/Cash deal - has the greatest likelihood of triggering a Short Squeeze.
So it is fair to say that I am really quite encouraged by the make-up of BBBY's top 30 unsecured creditors list...!
​

5. Summary

• Before current shareholders can receive any value from a successful exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, secured and unsecured creditors must be satisfied.
• Secured creditors have priority and must be paid off first. They are typically financial institutions that have provided loans to the company, such as JP Morgan and Sixth Street in the case of BBBY.
• Unsecured creditors come next, and how they are paid off can impact whether shareholders receive anything. Negotiating with unsecured creditors could potentially reduce the amount of debt that needs to be paid and the method of payment, such as equities-for-debt, could involve launching new securities.
• BBBY's top 30 unsecured creditors were listed in Docket 607. They include a mix of companies from various industries, such as financial services providers, business services providers, and suppliers of products sold at BBBY stores.
• However the fact that most of BBBY's unsecured creditors are Trade Creditors (suppliers and long-term business partners) rather than financial services firms reduces the risk of potential negative interference from Wall Street actors for a potential buyer.
• A prospective buyer may be able to reduce secured debt obligations by negotiating with trade creditors who have a long-term interest in maintaining a relationship with BBBY.
• An attractive deal for these unsecured creditors could involve swapping debt for newly issued securities, potentially representing BBBY's post-Chapter 11 business and/or a spun-off BABY.
• Such a deal could also be extremely beneficial to current shareholders, as this increases the likelihood of returning value from the acquisition offer and potentially triggering a Short Squeeze.
• The makeup of BBBY's top 30 unsecured creditors list is therefore very encouraging for potential acquisition negotiations, and an overall profitable outcome for shareholders.

Hi Everyone, I’m a makeup lover majorly downsizing and would love these items to go to those that will get good use out of them.
Mods said I can send you links to my eBay feedback via PM so please feel free to ask if you'd like this. :)
· All my items are from a pet and smoke free home, are well looked after and have been stored in a cool dark place (drawers in my bedroom) and are now stored in a box, ready for posting.
· All products are full size unless otherwise stated.
· Items vary between swatched to lightly used unless otherwise stated. Batch codes available upon request.
· Dispatch within 3 working days of cleared payment via PayPal Goods and Services – I cover the fees.
· If I still have the original outer box (I often keep boxes) for any of the products, this will be included.
· Prices listed are for the product alone and do not include the shipping charge.
· All items sent within the UK will be sent 2nd Class Signed For (£4.69 for a small parcel and £3.55 if I can send as a large letter in a padded envelope). All items will be well packaged to protect them.
· If you would like multiple items and the total is over £50 this would need to be sent Next Day by 1pm for £10.
· If you are an international buyer, please state your location and I’ll get back to you with a quote for the shipping charge but please expect this to be £15-25 as I send all packages tracked with the correct insurance.
· Any questions, just send let me know and I’ll get back to you asap.
Will offer further discount if you take 3 or more items off my hands!
Thanks for looking!
Chanel:
Chanel Baume Essentia in Transparent £23.00 https://imgur.com/jDbxNMZ
Hourglass:
Ambient Lighting blush in Diffused Heat £23 https://imgur.com/nPjS31R
Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush in Euphoric Fusion £30.00 https://imgur.com/URQTSIh
Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush in Brilliant Nude £30.00 https://imgur.com/ml1Xvpt
Charlotte Tilbury:
Cheek To Chic Swish & Pop Blusher in The Climax £21.00 https://imgur.com/dw62cfE
The Super Nudes Easy Eyeshadow Palette £35.00 https://imgur.com/P1TBsL6
Instant Look In A Palette in Gorgeous, Glowing Beauty £38.00 https://imgur.com/tTFcOpI
Unisex Healthy Glow All-Year Hydrating Summer Tint Moisturiser £28.00 https://imgur.com/1Ixdp8s
Luxury Eyeshadow Palette in The Glamour Muse £28.00 https://imgur.com/UMdXoV4
Beach Stick Lip to Cheek in Las Salinas £25.00 https://imgur.com/lAtlIDo
Colour Chameleon in Champagne Diamonds – Barely used but nib seems to be more inside (never sharpened) so will need sharpening. £10.00 https://imgur.com/WAL7cwb
Eyes to Mesmerise in Veruschka £20 https://imgur.com/PN360SQ
Eyes to Mesmerise in Star Gold £18 https://imgur.com/yc9VBkj
Bar Of Gold Palette £35 https://imgur.com/mNdnVAv
Glowing, Pretty Skin Palette £35 https://imgur.com/RgjH84L
X Norma Parkinson Filmstar Bronze & Glow Sun Tan & Sun Light £30 https://imgur.com/LI0kzWS
X Norma Parkinson Colour of Youth Healthy, Happy Lip & Cheek Glow £25 https://imgur.com/fGh5lqO
Bronze & Blush Glow £35 https://imgur.com/FaXu1xu
Instant Look in a Palette in Stoned Rose Beauty £35.00 https://imgur.com/dcULfQL
Luxury Palette in Green Lights £28 https://imgur.com/X7417qS
Luxury Palette in Pillow Talk £28 https://imgur.com/w9y1X33
Luxury Palette of Pops in Celestial Eyes £30 https://imgur.com/X38I9P8
Luxury Palette of Pops in Pillow Talk £30 https://imgur.com/1a6Y8By
Luxury Palette in The Vintage Vamp £28.00 https://imgur.com/dBak99Y
Cheek to Chic Swish & Pop Blusher in Love Is The Drug £21 https://imgur.com/0xnTZBq
Laura Mercier:
Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Bronzer in Bronze-03 £23.00 https://imgur.com/X76ixeD
Laura Mercier Lip Pencil in Chestnut £14.00 https://imgur.com/qtnXzxB
Face Illuminator in Affection £28.00 https://imgur.com/yJ7PX0d
Face Illuminator in Devotion £25.00 https://imgur.com/HUQqd47
Laura Mercier Amaretto Swirl £12.00 https://imgur.com/PwQHTub
Laura Mercier Vibe £12.00 https://imgur.com/ANiNiXc
Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Burnished Bronze £16.00 https://imgur.com/Sq39EtY
Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Metallic Taupe £16.00 https://imgur.com/bpjlQmR
Tom Ford:
Emotionproof Eye Color in Casino £25 https://imgur.com/h4OUNMv
Emotionproof Eye Color in Brut Rose £25 https://imgur.com/BHL2fSh
Eye Color Quad in 13 Orchid Haze £45 https://imgur.com/v7628qH
Eye Color Quad in 01 Golden Mink £45 https://imgur.com/Hf41wBa
Private Shadow in 01 Body Double Vinyl £20 https://imgur.com/SxtG047
Private Shadow in 04 Iris Bronze Sateen £20.00 https://imgur.com/OwFUCuV
Sheer Cheek Duo in 05 Lissome (Used once but please note this is damaged: the two shades fall out of the pans if tipped upside down – they would need to be glued down if you plan on taking this out and about.) £30 https://imgur.com/KUsUk3e
Dior:
Diorshow mono in 658 Cosmopolite £18 https://imgur.com/6WzBh6V
Bobbi Brown:
Ulla Johnson Eye Palette in Minou £25.00 https://imgur.com/VZVqyYw
Lorac:
Unzipped Eyeshadow Palette £30.00 https://imgur.com/XFM0tFb
Benefit:
Dandelion Twinkle (mini 1.5g) £6.00 https://imgur.com/riLhNaY
By Terry:
Compact-Expert Dual Powder in 7. Sun Desire £30 https://imgur.com/Z0Cq1pp
Viseart:
Theory in Cashmere £30 https://imgur.com/QFiFgtg
Marc Jacobs:
Eye-Conic Eyeshadow Palette in Steel(etto) £35: https://imgur.com/sv3K75r
Spotlight Glow Stick £25 https://imgur.com/4lkDJ5f
Le Marc Lip Crème in 228 Infamous £10 https://imgur.com/DdU2Iy7
Burberry:
Nude Radiance No.01 Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base £25 https://imgur.com/JrzwAYN
Fresh Glow Highlighter in White No.01 £25 https://imgur.com/AItL9Dt
NARS:
Blush in Torrid £18.00 https://imgur.com/TQSEaPk
Blush in Liberte £18.00 https://imgur.com/diO7MlV
Cruising lipstick £8.00 https://imgur.com/6L9egoG
Rosecliff lipstick £8.00 (please be aware this one seems to smudge on the side in the tube when rolled up – see pic) https://imgur.com/xWyvOfm
Riot lip pencil £8.00 https://imgur.com/fM6ojlm
Skin Deep Palette £35 https://imgur.com/SnncRIp
Blush in Amour £18 https://imgur.com/5QaOSZK
Audacious Anna £8.00 https://imgur.com/AY8dmi3
Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square £8.00 https://imgur.com/f4H6L01
Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Rebel £8.00 https://imgur.com/dU3PzJ1
Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl £8.00 https://imgur.com/56EfMMV
Man Ray The Veil Cheek Palette £25 https://imgur.com/1MeDyj7
Paloma Contour Duo £23.00 https://imgur.com/G31JEaO
Hammamet Eyeshadow Duo £15 https://imgur.com/qyVtVCE
Isolde Eyeshadow Duo £15 https://imgur.com/yICbjTc
Natasha Denona:
Camel Palette £30 https://imgur.com/nKP0eyc
Glam Palette £50.00 https://imgur.com/Zh7SBa5
Guerlain:
Terracotta Limited Edition Bronzer £35.00 https://imgur.com/JgC1P43
Terracotta Sun Trio Bronzing and Contouring Palette in Clair – Light £30.00 https://imgur.com/wcrk5vo
Too Faced:
Natural Love Ultimate Neutral Eyeshadow Collection Limited Edition £50.00 https://imgur.com/XZedaEe
Too Faced Natural Eyes £30: https://imgur.com/c4MCJsI
Born This Way The Natural Nudes £25 https://imgur.com/Nm1r4bE
Milk Chocolate Soleil Light?medium Matte Bronzer £18 https://imgur.com/jvX26dG
Too Faced Mini Love Flush 16-Hour Blush in Crazy in Love 2g £4.00 https://imgur.com/9tvRigE
Too Faced Mini Love Flush 16-Hour Blush in Dream Lover 2g £4.00 https://imgur.com/8q4smuT
MAC:
MAC Mineralize Blush in Naturally Flawless £18.00 https://imgur.com/1PcLxf2
Single eyeshadow in Satin Taupe £10.00 https://imgur.com/DohGoWC
Nutcracker Sweet Peach Face Compact Tutu (highlighter) and At Dusk (blush) £25.00 https://imgur.com/uw8vOOu
Lip Pencil in Subculture £8.00 https://imgur.com/B2eJjgi
Dusky Rose Times Nine £18 https://imgur.com/WZqEBPL
Satin Lipstick in Faux £10 https://imgur.com/zrvLb3K
​
Satin Lipstick in Brave £10 https://imgur.com/WrbOnCy
Liptensity in Driftwood £12 https://imgur.com/AmTyk9N
Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow in All That Glitters £10 https://imgur.com/tkYEVQL
Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow in Woodwinked £10 https://imgur.com/6Ju1Xca
Nutcracker Sweet Copper Face Compact in Whisper of Gilt and Pleasure Model £25.00 https://imgur.com/p6bkpes
Clinique:
01 Hefty Highlight £10 https://imgur.com/DugNJOH
Buxom:
Buxom May Contain Nudity £25 https://imgur.com/IgZymun
Tarte:
Tartelette Tease (please note this arrived with one shade damaged) £10 https://imgur.com/cAf77dN
Tarteist Pro To Go £18 https://imgur.com/qmOGt4W
Mermaid Kisses Mini Lipstick in Sandals £4 https://imgur.com/BKwpJjo
Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dazzled £20 https://imgur.com/TRJZW5i
Maneater Eyeshadow Palette £12 https://imgur.com/MdqOZjg
Amazon clay eye & cheek palette, be your own tarteist £23 https://imgur.com/LoT74Va
Amazon clay eye & cheek palette, miracles of the Amazon £23 https://imgur.com/pMRQ81B
Mini Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer in Hotel Heiress 2.2g £5.00 https://imgur.com/jncXcvm
Becca
Mineral Blush in Flowerchild £28.00 https://imgur.com/I3xk5PF
Lipstick in Sugar £12.00 https://imgur.com/4cP6zfl
​
Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Champagne Pop £18 https://imgur.com/hg81MeW
Ombre Nudes Eyeshadow Palette: £22 https://imgur.com/1o7zfx9
Kevyn Aucoin
The Pure Powder Glow Blush in Dolline £10 https://imgur.com/r4zdXM5
It Cosmetics:
Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream in Fair (mini 4ml) £6 https://imgur.com/qFkaQMy
Morphe:
35O Palette £12.00 https://imgur.com/aXHkX8U
Milani:
Milani Naturally Chic £3.00 https://imgur.com/sm4sehq
Everyday Eyes Collection 02 Bare Necessities £3 **(**Please note one shade arrived shattered when I received it). https://imgur.com/8rHsj0P
Colour Statement Moisture Matte Lipstick in 61 Naked £3 https://imgur.com/rzfOruY
Zoeva:
Zoeva Naturally Yours Eyeshadow Palette £13.00 https://imgur.com/xRBNMKf
Caramel Melange Eyeshadow Palette £13.00 https://imgur.com/39Zivoq
Cocoa Blend Eyeshadow Palette £13.00 https://imgur.com/5ibgQGn
Violet Voss:
Holy Grail Palette £22.00 https://imgur.com/FkfWVnf
Urban Decay:
Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette £30.00 https://imgur.com/XujVYyU
Single Eyeshadow in Diamond Dog £20.00 https://imgur.com/T2XoEwv
Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush in Fetish £16.00 https://imgur.com/cEamNe2
Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush in Score £16.00 https://imgur.com/WatD1SF
Lipstick in Naked £6.00 https://imgur.com/jugqlFX
​
24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil in 69 £4.00 – Please note this is barely used but sharpens unstably https://imgur.com/7VgaIuo
Naked Heat Eyeshadow Palette £28.00 https://imgur.com/bflPEFr
​
Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush in Rapture £16 https://imgur.com/Vqfj5dy
Lancome:
Star Bronzer in 03 Naturel Bronze £15 https://imgur.com/CXUH1ye
Elizabeth Arden:
Eyeshadow Palette £12.00 https://imgur.com/ZlqeALh
Eyeshadow Palette Browns £12.00 https://imgur.com/f2fvWKZ
Blush and Highlighter Trio £15.00 https://imgur.com/fJ25kAQ
Elizabeth Arden Melon £8.00 https://imgur.com/fI0VFDL
Elizabeth Arden Pink Pucker £8.00 https://imgur.com/FRm9nz0
​
Elizabeth Arden Bold Red £8.00 https://imgur.com/hx0lbG2
Ted Baker:
Eyeshadow Trio £3.00 https://imgur.com/6c67YFh
New Look:
Pure Colour Eyeshadow Palette in 29 Brown Pattern £3 https://imgur.com/yFPr4us
Sleek:
Blush in Antique £3 https://imgur.com/gEMPmYh
​
Maybelline:
Colorsenational Lip Liner in 140 Intense Pink £2.00 https://imgur.com/ZBRigDS
​
GOSH:
Smokey Eyes Palette in 02 Brown £3.00 https://imgur.com/pNrm7ig
​
BareMinerals:
Complexion Rescue in Vanilla 02 £20.00 https://imgur.com/tqDLuhH
​
Kat Von D:
Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette £35.00 https://imgur.com/RbIdW83

A special thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for the fantastical universe.
Have a really long chapter!
Forgot to say it has been a while. Hope you're all doing well!
[First][Previous][Next]
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Memory transcription subject: Jaxton, son of a humble sheep farmer
Date [standardized human time]: October 11th, 2136
If someone asked me years ago how many people would travel the globe just to see me. My answer would have been three; my father, my mother, and Dex Mason. My mother and father would have been simply obligated to do so, as I was their son, and I would have done the same thing. Dex was my best friend when I went to middle school in America, and he stayed my best friend when I went back to Wales, going back to Atlanta for many vacations.
What can I say? He had a nice collection of guns, and his general cheerful attitude made many people optimistic, so a day on the range with him led to the both of us being happier.
Then you add in Dex’s older and younger brothers, our mutual friend John Dillinger, and then you have a recipe for a fun time; guns, video games, hiking, and the occasional sheep herding if they ever come to my home: It’s a blast!
An alien porcupine though… I honestly never expected that I would ever in my honest-to-God lifetime, have such an impact on someone before. We barely knew each other for even a few minutes, yet she to my knowledge was merely some sad Gojid that was struggling with depression and loss. All I did was walk in and comfort her, or well, that’s how I saw it.
I still feel like an absolute idiot for forgetting about what I told her. It wasn’t a promise, but based on the implication of how I said it. It may as well have been a declaration to see the girl a few hours later, or however long it took her to get ready.
Now, speaking of Barlim, it’s been a few minutes since she arrived at my doorway at the most unexpected of times. I had her sitting in our living room on our couch. The Gojid, or Gojya, that I had to have explained to me, had her arms wrapped around one of our decorative pillows. She was giving squeezes every few seconds depending on how she felt, and if she was really giving it a firm squeeze, I’d reach over and stroke the top of her head. Barlim seemed to relax every time I did this.
“You holding up better?” Barlim appeared to be holding up better: No longer sobbing out tears from her eyes, or having mucus running from her nostrils.
She merely sniffed weakly for a second, nuzzling into my hand. If I had to admit, I had no idea if I was performing some massive social taboo by patting her like an animal, but if she wasn’t going to complain, neither was I. I mean, I already poked myself twice more! “I’m feeling much better. Sorry for intruding…”
“Don’t be,” I said while holding back a small laugh. “Are you feeling better enough to talk now?” Barlim’s ears flicked in response, and then she nodded in response upon realizing I didn’t know what those ear flicks meant. “Good.”
“Hey, I would just like to apologize for how I acted,” my mother started before I had the chance to speak. “It’s just that I’ve seen on the news and read of murderous xenophobic aliens…-”
“It’s fine,” Barlim let out the most adorable-sounding chittering noise I have ever heard. It sounded as if a porcupine was, well, laughing! “I would not have reacted much differently… Three days ago?” At least she could make fun of herself for how she acted. Her ears gave a few flicks, gesturing towards amusement or self-depreciation if I had to guess. They burned bright blue.
My father took a minute to stand up and walk over to Barlim. She only fidgeted a little bit, but not much when he reached out to her with one hand. “Jameson, again, it’s been pleasant to meet you so far.” The man’s hand hung in the air for several seconds. Barlim eyeing it up with what had to be a quizzical expression. “You’re supposed to grab it and firmly shake it,” my father eventually grunted.
“Oh!” That seemed to snap Barlim out of her stupor. She reached forward in kind with one paw, clasping her surprisingly big paw around my father’s hand, which he shook. The Gojid seemed to have a fair understanding of the action after a few seconds, at which point the handshake ended and my father returned to his seat.
A brief, quiet pause occupied the four of us before there was more knocking at the front door. “Oh, uh, that may be the rest of my friends. I sort of forgot about them when I realized we were so close.” The tips of Barlim’s ears turned a delicate shade of blue. She started to get up, but with a firm palm on the top of her head, I held her down, gently.
“You traveled a long way. Let me get the door,” I state and get up from the couch. My knees and back stretch, giving a satisfactory series of pops before I work my way to the front door. I decide against grabbing the mask, assuming that Barlim’s friends have gotten quite used to the infamous human binocular stare. When I open it, I see a rather eclectic group of individuals, some familiar and some not.
“Arwen, Trivi, Tova, and I take it Barlim’s friends.” Arwen and Trivi issue some friendly waves. Tova has her forearms clasped around Arwen’s neck from behind, jaw resting on the redhead’s shoulders. Her eyes are puffy and orange. It was pretty easy to assume what she had been going through. Meanwhile, the other three flick their ears and tails in a way that was most likely a greeting, but that was just me making an inference based on this being our first interaction, and them not giving waves in greeting.
I really need to learn Gojid and Venlil body language.
“Just delivering the rest of that one Gojid’s friends.” Arwen’s tone was the general cheerful tone it always was. She briefly stepped back from the door and swung an arm to the side, pointing to the three aliens behind her, doing so while under the weight of Tova.
“Barlim,” one of the Gojid said to Arwen. “My name is Pragh,” she then pointed over to another Gojid, “That’s Tack, and,” she indicated to the final Gojid, “That is Telg.” Again, the other two Gojid gave very similar flicks of the ears when they glanced at me with one of their eyes. “I take it you’re Jaxton?”
I couldn’t resist the urge to curl my lips upwards in a smile. The three Gojid didn’t flinch when I exposed my teeth, for which I was grateful. I really didn’t feel like bowing to more people than I needed to at the moment, having not gotten a particularly great amount of sleep last night was not a wise idea. “You’d be correct. It seems I’m the popular man of the hour. What can I do for you all?”
“Well, Tack and I were simply following Barlim, so we were going to stay with her until the UN or whoever really controls the whole Gojid refugee camp situation comes looking for us-”
I cut off Pragh with an amused tone. “So let me get this straight. You wanna come and mooch off my family for a bit because you have nowhere to stay at the moment?” I hold my tongue for just the slightest second, letting Gojid raise up her paws defensively. Even Arwen’s eyes widen briefly at what I just said.
“That’s not-” Pragh doesn’t speak for long before I dismissively wave my hand.
“I’m joking, yes, I’m sure my parents will allow you to stay for a bit, but you’ll have to clean up after yourselves, and all that stuff.” I lean up against the doorframe. “Ok though, jokes aside, what do you all want?”
Pragh rubbed her paws over her blue ears. “Yes, well, you did sort of hit one of them. I will admit, there was very little planning other than we’re going to Wales on our part. You don’t have to worry about Telg though.”
“I scored myself a date! Hah!~ So, I will be going back to Georgia in about an hour or two.” The Gojid paused, popped open one of the pockets on his hoodie, and took a peek inside at a slip of paper he pulled out. “Two hours, yeah, I have about an hour to spend here. So you and Tack are going to stay here?”
Pragh nodded to Telg’s words. “Yep, someone has to make sure Barlim continues to be a responsible Gojid. Also, I still have more research to do over the internet-”
“Ah yes, research, Pragh, research, am I right?~”
“No! Not that! I’m not going to be looking up that!”
The two male Gojid couldn’t help but hold back giggles and chitters, making me feel as if I was missing some sort of- Oh. The second it clicked for me, I just let out a long, slow sigh. “Please, let me just say that humanity is probably not whatever you found. Factory farms are a thing of the past.” Apparently, I was wrong, for the other two Gojid started laughing more uproariously, “Ok, I’m wrong it seems…” The gears proceeds to click a second time after realizing it was something a lot more bawdy than damning. I opened my mouth to say something but quickly realized that I wouldn’t have anything to follow up on if one of them decided to make any sort of accusation, so I quickly shut my plan to speak about that down. “How about you all just come inside now? Your friend Barlim already came by, and I’m pretty sure you all would like a break from your adventure.”
“Actually, Trvi and I were going to take Tova to my home. Might take her to the hospital if Quilix has calmed down. God, I wished they transported him to Ysbyty Gwynedd, but no. He had a freakout and had to be moved to London.”
“It’s all my fault…” The dark venlil whined.
Arwen’s hand managed to work its way between Tova’s ears, giving a few scritches. Scritches that Tova nuzzled into. “Come on you big, big venlil. I know you’re upset. Just, hang in there for a little while longer. I’m sure Quilix will come around. Let’s take you home, see ya Jaxton!” Arwen waved and carried the venlil toward the parked taxi in front of my house. Well, carried was a generous term for half-carry/half-assisted in guiding toward the car.
Trivi followed seconds later, giving his own bye and wave. “Tell your mother and father I said hi, see you tomorrow!” And with that, the blonde venlil scampered off, following after his human lover.
This left me with the three other hedgehog-looking aliens standing awkwardly in front of my door. They looked amongst themselves, thinking about saying something.
Wait, someone’s missing…
“Arf! Arf!”
The three Gojid who looked like they were about to say something all jumped about a foot in the air when Lacey came bounding through them, running straight past me into my home. “Oh, Lacey! Welcome ho- Oh, and ignored.” I shake my head upon hearing the following oof that comes from my father. Lacey must’ve claimed my father’s lap as her seat. “Well, if you want to come inside and meet the rest of my family. Come right on in.”
The next few minutes are filled with more pleasantries being exchanged. The Gojid all take their place on the couch, somehow managing to fit four of them on a couch meant for three. I end up choosing to stand by my father, who gently strokes Lacey across her back. The border collie panting jovially, looking back and forth between us and our alien guest, giving the occasional bark to beg for more attention.
The Gojid guests seem calm for the most part, sitting on that couch, but it is quite clear that the dog makes them uncomfortable since they flinch every time Lacey either makes a noise or stares at them with those heterochromatic eyes. “Not a fan of dogs, are you?” My father breaks the silence once it starts up again.
“I didn’t like…” Pragh started but stopped seconds later. “Listen, I believe you know why most Federation species don’t like humans, right?” Pragh’s words earned an affirmative grunt from my father. My mother and I nodded too. “Well, you’re all sapient and in control of your hunting instincts…” I raised my eyebrow at that but chose to say nothing. “That dog though-”
My father raised a hand, telling Praph to stop speaking for a moment. “I am going to have to stop you right there. Firstly, humans don’t, or we believe don’t have hunting instincts, and secondly, Lacey is a good girl that has harmed no person before, human or alien. I can assure you, as well as Quilix, Trivi, and Tova, that Lacey wouldn’t harm any of you, your pups, or anything else you will be worried about.”
Those few calmly spoken, but sternly voiced words are enough to calm the four Gojid down a fair amount. While I can’t see their muscles under their fur all that well, I can safely assume that their muscles grew lax at such information. Maybe we can do more to ease them around the dog while they’re here?
With an idea springing to mind, I take a few steps over to our old wooden hall tree. It is adorned with a few coats and hats, but what I am interested in is blue colored, six feet long rope of dog leash. The second it makes the lightest noise, Lacey is bolting toward me. “Eistedd!” The dog swiftly responds to the command: Hind quarters hitting the ground the second the word leaves my lips. I reach down and stroke the top of the dog’s head with one hand, getting a jovial arf out of her. “Merch dda, merch dda.~” I give the dog’s head a little bit more tender love with my palm and fingers before attaching the leash.
“Cefn.” I keep my voice low, coaxing Lacey into walking toward the couch.
The four Gojid, three of which have probably spent some time outside with the dog, all had a similar reaction when the dog came over: Paws came up off the ground, retracting safely onto the cushions above. It wasn’t really out of the border collie’s reach, but it was clearly instinctual-driven or propaganda-driven fear. “No need to be afraid, she won’t bite you - eistedd.” True to my words, Lacey gets close, sniffing along the edge of the sofa, but not jumping up onto the furniture.
“I see you’ve been practicing, Jaxton. You showing off for the guest?” My dad jokes.
“Hey, I don’t really get a good chance to speak Welsh. Dam- Darn it, really should’ve paid more attention in school. Might go get some lessons so I’m not part of the ten percent that can’t speak it. All I can do is shepherd a dog around, ask for the bathroom, a beer, where am I, and a few other things.” It’s hard not to let out a disappointed sigh. “I need to get off my backside and stop being so lazy.” I pause for one small moment. “And that probably translated for all of them to their native tongue. Doesn’t matter if I say it in English, Welsh, or honestly, Mandarin.”
My old man grins and laughs, leaning his back into the old rocking chair he claimed. My attention returns back to the dog, the fearful porcupine, and three scared hedgehogs.
The first one to reach out if I recall his name is Tack. The Gojid’s claws lightly brush the top of Lacey’s head in a tepid fashion. The dog stares back up at the curious paw; not growling, barking, yipping, biting, or making any sort of fuss that could freak out the apprehensive Gojid. Slowly, Lacey’s tail beings to wag as the curious touching continues for a few seconds. “Is that normal?”
“Mhm… Yes, dogs’ tails wag when they are happy. If she was really happy, she’d jump on you and start licking your face.”
The four Gojid recoiled with what looked like disgust: The thought of a predator’s maw all over their face, tasting them as if they were her next meal was probably what was coursing through their minds. “I think… That’s something I wouldn’t like from a non-sapient creature.” Telg adds in.
He says he doesn’t want it from a non-sapient, but what about a sapient? Oh, what wonderful thoughts this one has. I internally joked.
Both my father and mother let out an audible cough at Telg’s… Well, it could’ve been an indecent statement, or maybe licking was a sign of greeting? There was no way for me to know with my lack of knowledge of Gojid customs.
God damn; Gojid customs, language, body language, and Welsh! That was leaving out Venlil ear and tail signals as well! Too much to learn.
With a gentle nudge, I guide Lacey down the bottom of the couch, letting each Gojid get about a minute or two of bonding time with the goodest of girls. It’s only been a few minutes, but the four could be easily seen relaxing: Tack and Telg are both confident enough to let their paws touch the floor again.
From fearful of anything that ate meat their entire life to sort of fearfully allowing a dog to sniff them, or them to touch a dog, must be leaps and bounds beyond possibility months ago.
“So, you all more comfortable around dogs?”
I get a non-varied amount of reactions: All of them positive to a minor degree, but none are negative or super positive. “Good.”
With such a positive, or well, lacking in a negative reaction from our alien guests. I reach down and unhook the canine’s restraint. No one flinches and Lacey continues to sit for about another few seconds before lazily pacing around the front of the couch, sniffing at paws for some more time before retreating back beside my father’s feet.
“So… What’s the history between humans and dogs?” Pragh was the one that shot this question. One is no doubt born from the fact that we probably allowed a non-sapient predator into our home.
Well, if I was using their logic, of course: I wouldn’t be surprised if it came from ‘Wouldn’t predators eliminate the competition?’ if I had to guess.
“The history involving our canine companions is long and complex.” I reach behind my head to adust my blonde ponytail, tightening up the black band to keep my hair from falling in front of my face. “Most domesticated dogs you’ll see; German shepherds, border collies, Australian shepherds, golden retrievers, and on and on the list goes. I believe there are hundreds of breeds, but that is another tangent we can go on another date. What you’re more interested in is the history, as you have asked.”
I took a few steps around toward the front of the couch, using this new position to project my voice onto my alien audience. My parents had already heard this story a few times when they spoke with one of our dog breeders.
“It all started roughly speaking, thirty-thousand years ago.” I paused, totally for dramatic effect, but to also allow the Gojid to digest this fair-sized crumb of information. “Our competitor, an antagonizing species of persistent pack predators with a strong social bond, the wolf, would often invade human territories, and vice versa. You see, humans and wolves aren’t too dissimilar. We’re both highly social species, pursuit pack predators as I have heard, emotionally intelligent, highly adaptive, strong parental connections, and good communication skills. I can go into specific details another time, but those are some of the big traits we share. I’d say that the large preference for having a social structure coupled with good communication skills on both sides were the two assets that helped the most. Emotional intelligence and actual intelligence would probably be third and fourth. Dogs and wolves can be pretty smart.”
I take a moment again, allowing my audience to follow along with what I am saying, waiting to see if any of them have a question. “So due to these similarities, humans and these wolves cross species’ barriers?” The bipedal porcupine opined.
I nod to Barlim’s question. “Very close, but not quite.” I take a moment to swing a pointing finger down to Lacey. “I mean, as much as I love Lacey. I don’t see a dog diplomat coming through any time soon to argue for their sapience let alone an alliance.” I then straighten my posture back up, holding back a small laugh by letting a grin stretch across my lips. “It was more along the lines of wolves were desperate for food, and they’d feed off the scraps we humans left behind. This would go on for some time with the braver or more docile canines being allowed to slowly integrate with human society.”
“But they’re eating your scraps and food, but what do they do for you? Other than herd sheep? It just seems like your competition is swooping your food from under your nose, but… You’re not complaining at all.” Pragh was the one to ask that question.
Called it!
“These proto-dogs had many purposes! Just look at Lacey and you can probably see what she has that is superior to a human. Tell me what traits you can see.”
I give the four Gojid some time to look over the dog. They eventually look like they all have something to say, so I slide down the line of them; Pragh, Telg, Tack, and then finally Barlim.
“A better sense of smell to hunt for prey you can’t see?” Pragh opined.“Better hearing for locating threats?” Telg questioned.
“Sharp teeth and claws for fighting off other humans.” Tack would state rather confidently.
“To form an emotional connection with and to not feel lonely?” Barlim tilted her head to the side, giving the dog another look.
I let them stew over their answers for about thirty seconds to discuss amongst themselves. Needless to say, I was kind of shocked, but also not by Barlim’s answer. Maybe my time spent with her gave me some subconscious understanding of her mentality? The other Gojid all looked at her, so I assume her different answer probably made something click amongst all of them.
“Well, to answer your questions; yes, yes, yes, and yes. You’re all correct. Some may say that the first three are probably the priority.” This statement earns a chitter from the four Gojid occupying the couch. “But I like to have hope for that last one: When you’re by yourself. The world is a scary place after all. It’s best not to be alone. I believe you all have herds? Well, we humans have families, tribes, or nations, depending on how deep you wish to look into it, and yes, dogs can be a part of a human family. Family cares not from where the blood comes.”
“Quick question and not to side-track the conversation too far, but I was told by my date that humans dislike being called predators. Is that true here too, or was that a dialect or cultural thing?” Telg was the one throwing this question.
“It is that way here too. When humans refer to other humans as predators, it is because that other human is a gross pervert that does horrific, deviant, and sexual things toward other people, animals, or in this case now that aliens exist, aliens, so I would refrain from calling humans predators unless you personally know the individual and they are ok with it. That being said, humans define predator as more of a relationship adjective when between animals. A deer is a predator to plants as a wolf is a predator to a deer. It is the relationship of consumption rather than dietary traits.” I finish off my statement with a nod.
“Well… If you don’t mind me referring you to as a predator for one statement…” Telg droned on.
I take a brief glance over toward my parents. My dad gives me a nonchalant shrug. My gaze returns back to Telg. “Go ahead and shoot your question or statement at me.”
The four Gojid look stunned for a moment, off-put by something I said-
Oh, don’t tell me ‘shoot’ was predatory… Probably was.
“Just… throw out your question.”
“It was more of a statement, actually, but anyways. Family cares not from where the blood comes, has to be one of the most herd-like statement I have heard from a predator.”
Did he really just say that?
He really did, but I can’t fault him. From his point of view, he’s been spun so many times that up is down, and left is right.
I shake my head, lowering it. A small chuckle slipping from between my lips. I could even hear my mother and father laughing behind me a few seconds later.
“Was what I said really that funny?”
“No, just the logic behind it is kinda funny. Like I said, humans don’t normally refer to ourselves as predators, and this whole alien thing is kind of new to me.” My words carried upon by a light tone earns some laughs as well from our Gojid guests.
I clap my hands together, signaling the end of our little tangent. “Now, if I may resume my, if I do say so myself, informative explanation… The proto-dogs seamlessly integrated into our small tribes at the time; they could track threats and prey miles before we were even aware of them, they could hear the smallest sounds and alert us of their dangers. Moreover, their sharp teeth and claws served as deterrents against other threats such as large carnivores, food-stealing rodents, or hostile human forces. Additionally, their companionship provided solace to lonely humans. As you can see,” I pointed back to Lacey, who was having her back rubbed by my father’s sock-covered foot, “Lacey seems to be enjoying herself quite nicely, but so is my father. In short, interacting with dogs triggers the release of feel-good chemicals in both human and canine brains. Activities such as petting, snuggling, and playing contribute to this positive bond."
Again, I pause, giving everyone some time to follow along. “Thus, they’d impact our evolution and vice versa: Humans that had dogs in their tribes were more successful than tribes without dogs. Humans that bonded more effectively with their canine companions would get even farther. As millennia went by, humans would get better at reading dog expressions, and dogs would get better at reading human expressions.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I typed into it for a bit until an old photo of a wolf showed up. I turned my phone’s screen toward the four Gojid. “Here you can see a wolf. They aren’t extinct due to some wildlife restoration efforts, but we had a few close calls. Wolves are extinct in the UK and Ireland as of now, but not in North America, Europe, or Asia. What you see before you are what thirty-thousand years of evolution has done to us.”
Based on the look that the Gojid were giving me. I would guess it was along the lines of wow.
“Now, before you start asking more questions. I should let you know that humanity has not only domesticated one carnivorous species, but a few others as well; some birds of prey like falcons, felines, and mustelidae such as ferrets. Meanwhile, on the herbivorous side, we have horses, elephants, rabbits, and so on. Yeah, it’s quite a long list. Means more animals for us to pet and touch. Humans can bond with just about anything, even non-living things, but that’s a story for another time.”.
I perform a small stretch, feeling my back pop. A small break in the monotony of speaking for so long.
“Now, to go back to the human-dog bond. I should remind myself to tell you the story of Gelert. It’s quite a sad story, but bear with me for just a moment.”
I clear my throat, getting ready to speak out an old Welsh folklore myth.
“A long time ago, a prince of North Wales by the name of Llywelyn went out hunting without his trusty dog, Gelert. He’d return home later that day to see Gelert, covered in blood, jovially returning to him. This freaked out the prince, who rushed to his son’s crib, finding it knocked over and messy with blood. He feared that the dog had killed his son and immediately plunged his sword into the dog’s side.” The four Gojid wince at the description, having just been told of the forged bond I have described moments ago. “The dog’s pained cry heralds the cry of the prince’s infant son, who lay on the other side, protected from a slain wolf. Gelert had valiant fought to protect Llywelyn’s son from the wolf, and in so was rewarded with a blade through its heart! A tragic tale to discourage impulsive thoughts and rash rushes to judgment. It was said that the prince buried Gelert and never smiled again.”
I never considered myself a great storyteller, but somehow I managed to get the four Gojid all teary-eyed. Barlim was rubbing at her eyes once again, and so was Tack too.
“H-how could he have done that to the dog..?” Barlim’s meek voice trailed off.
“Well, as said, Llywelyn thought Gelert killed his son. It was a rash decision. This moral folklore is supposed to warn against such tragedies, speaking of which, isn’t there an extermination fleet heading this way?”
While I may have been speaking for so long, having taken all our attention away from the potential destruction of Earth, or the general mopey attitude that came from meeting Tova. It probably was wise to bring up the fact that armageddon was on its way to Earth.
The four Gojid just sort of looked down sheepishly at the ground or flicked their ears in a way that probably meant the same thing. I didn’t really mean to put them on the spot like that, considering it was some of their former allies committing this attack, but I guess that’s just how the cookie crumbles sometimes.
“I think I can speak for all of us here that we don’t-” Telg was interrupted by my father.
“We don’t blame you, or at least I can attest to myself, my son, and my wife over here. One day, assuming we survive this looming catastrophe. There will be regret, followed by hope, and then love and compassion once again. Though, I don’t think that’s what my son was hinting toward, more over the fact that your allies are about to make a rash decision they don’t understand. Probably one you would have made years ago, but that doesn’t really matter here, or there. We live in the now, and I think it’s time we started stocking up on some goods for our cellar. Well, we got goods actually, and a couple of guns too, but nothing fancy like the Americans and all their machine guns. A .30-30 lever action, an old .44 revolver, a twelve gauge shotgun, and a .22 hunting rifle. Nothing fancy,” he shrugs and grunts. “I’m more worried about my sheep. The best we can do is pray they don’t shoot the barn.”
There’s a brief silence as the seven of us come down from the long monologue that was dispersed between moments of questionnaires. I rub one of my eyes, stretching my jaw open wide in a hand-covered yawn.
How long have by been talking?
“Sprak! I gotta go or I am going to miss my flight!” Telg clamors, quickly hopping off the couch. He quickly taps at his phone with his claws, making his way toward the front door. “See you guys later, and thanks for letting us stay! Yes, I know how to call a taxi!” He opens the door and bolts outside. At least had the manners to close it back without slamming it.
This left us with three Gojid!
“Well,” my mother stood up from her chair. “I’m certain you’re all hungry after such a long adventure, and Telg is probably too, but he’s gone already. Let me see if I can make you all something to eat…” She hesitates for a second before continuing. “Nothing with meat or animal products in it. Just vegetables and fruit,” she iterates before walking off to the kitchen, leaving my father and I with the three Gojid.
You know, that leaves one important question that’s been on my mind. One that I had asked Barlim, but have been quickly distracted by her onslaught of sudden tears due to my forgetful nature. “A quick question if I may have your attention.”
The three Gojid turned their attention toward me, looking at me as they awaited my question
“How the hell did you all get here?”
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[First][Previous][Next]

Part 1
Day 3
I woke up with Chloe cuddled up next to me in bed. Her head was resting on my chest and she was lightly snoring. I gently shifted and opened the curtains. I was preparing to be blinded by the pure white snow but I wasn’t. I didn’t see much at first as it is a window well but after I looked up it really started to seem strange. Sure it was snowing hard and there was a thick blanket of snow on the ground, but it was odd that it was still so dark outside. It almost seemed like someone had turned the brightness down if that makes sense. I checked the time on the clock just in case it was earlier in the morning than I thought but… it wasn’t the clock read 8:32 am.
“Hey… hey Chloe,” I mumbled gently, nudging her head.
“Mhmm,” She yawned, her eyes hardly open.
“Look outside, is it just me or is that strange?” I asked her pointing to the window.
“Give me a sec,” She said, reaching for her glasses on the nightstand.
She put them on and then looked out the window. She stared out the window for a minute and by the way she tilted her head I knew she was confused.
“That… that’s weird,” She said finally.
“What time is it?” She asked, turning toward me.
“8:32,” I answered.
“That’s weird then, it's almost like the sun isn’t out,” She observed getting up and fully opening the curtains to get a better look.
I got a little uncomfortable Chloe had taken meteorology for two years of high school and taken it as a minor in college. She wasn’t an expert but it still made me confused.
“Must be just a very thick cloud cover,” She said, eyeing it suspiciously.
I could tell she was a little nervous so I got up and put an arm around her.
“It’ll be okay the storm will pass in like a day or two anyways,” I said mustering my most encouraging voice.
She smiled at me and leaned into me: “I know, I just can’t help but worry sometimes you know.”
“Yeah I do,” I said.
It was right then when we were staring out that window that what my dad said yesterday began creeping back up into my mind. They’ll escape from the lab… they’ll kill you… the creatures will kill you!
“Who’s the creatures? What lab?” I thought to myself.
“What babe?” Chloe asked, looking up at me.
“Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to say that out loud, just something Dad had told me in his ramblings when he called me at the store last night,” I explained.
She nodded, “Well I wouldn’t take anything from him, he’s just a nut job,” she said, “I’m glad you're more like your mom than him.”
She gave me a cute little smile after that and I just smiled back.
I made my way upstairs and saw Gretchen and her boys were already having breakfast. Cinnamon toast crunch for the boys and Gretchen had made herself some pancakes and bacon.
“Any more?” I asked her motioning towards her plate.
“Yep, in the kitchen,” She said, pointing towards it.
“Thanks, sis!” I smiled.
She nodded and I got me and Chloe's plates put together. I then set my plate at the table and hers at the seat next to me, and then began eating. After a couple of minutes, Chloe walked in. Her eyes fell on the plate sitting next to mine.
“Thanks, babe,” She smiled, taking a seat in the chair and beginning to eat as well.
“Mommy, can we go play with the puppies outside?” Alan asked, giving her a big smile.
“Yes, just go put your coats on,” She said, giving Alan and Aaron a sweet little smile.
“Ok mommy,” They both said excitedly running off to their room.
“Alby why don’t you join your brothers,” She suggested giving him a look.
Alby who had his head in a book as always sighed and walked off to the room after his two brothers.
“Hey Chloe, does that blizzard look concerning to you?” Gretchen asked her the moment the boy's bedroom door closed.
Chloe looked outside again. The snow wasn’t falling that heavy at the moment.
“Yeah seems fine I’d have them come inside if it picks up anymore though,” Chloe explained after swallowing a large chunk of her pancake.
“No I mean look how dark it is,” Gretchen motioned outside.
“Oh, yeah me and Joey were talking about that earlier, just seems like a very thick cloud cover, but I’d keep an eye on them,” Chloe explained.
“I’ll keep two eyes,” Gretchen said as the three boys came out of the room wearing their big blue coats and boots.
They all hurried outside with the three dogs following quickly behind them. May and Moore jumped around with them in the snow while Herman looked like he was patrolling the backyard which wasn’t unordinary, but it was however odd to see how fixed his eyes were on the forest.
“Think he sees something?” Gretchen asked, sounding concerned.
“Probably a deer,” I suggested.
Grethen nodded and her concerns seemed to dissipate quickly.
I came back upstairs now changed into a flannel and jeans, and looked over to see the boys still outside playing. Chloe still sat at the table now with her laptop in front of her, and Gretchen was staying near the window to keep an eye on the boys.
“Any internet?” I asked while walking up to Chloe.
She let out a defeated sigh, “Nothin…” She was cut off by a distant pop sound, followed quickly by another, and then a third, then a fourth, it was silent again. I stood still and I knew that sound.
“Those were gunshots,” I said quickly, “I’m going to go check it out, and see what’s going on.”
“What? Babe stay here, it is not safe outside,” Chloe reasoned.
“Yes, which is why I need to go. Say that person was firing at a bear and now they're hurt and have no way to call help or something. I should go just in case.” I explained.
“And I’ll bring the rifle,” I added in an attempt to calm Chloe's nerves.
Gretchen moved from her spot at the window and was now calling the boys and dogs inside. I made my way downstairs and grabbed the rifle, my winter gear, and a pair of old satellite phones.
I then hurried back upstairs where Chloe now stood by the door worried.
“Chloe before I go I want to see if these will work,” I said, handing her one of the phones.
Her face lit up at it, it seemed the prospect of me being able to communicate with her calmed her nerves.
I pressed the little button and then talked into the phone, I heard although scratchy my voice then came from her phone.
“Ok, now test yours,” I told her.
She said hi to hers, then I heard her voice come faintly out of my phone.
“Alright, it works,” I said, happy that I wouldn’t have to face whatever was happening alone.
“Be safe,” She said, giving me a big hug.
Then Gretchen ran over and joined in followed then by Alan and Aaron.
“Be safe uncle,” Alan said, giving me a big smile.
“I will,” I said to all of them. “Is mom still sleeping?” I asked Gretchen quickly.
She nodded then I kissed Chloe goodbye and walked off into the blizzard. The snow of course had started to pick up significantly making my field of view almost nothing. I looked around at the other houses and saw nothing. No lights, no movement, no signs of life. It was then that I really realized how many people had left town. We were the only ones left on the street. I slowly made my way in the direction I’d heard the gunshots.
Bzzzzz… “Hey you ok,” Chloe asked through the phone.
“Wow, checking on me already, someone's needy,” I joked.
She let out a slight giggle, “Be safe,” She said.
“I will,” I said then Bzzzz… and she was gone again.
I continued onward when another faint sound broke through the sounds of the wind. It was some sort of screech or scream. I couldn’t entirely tell because it was so faint. I unslung the rifle from my shoulder and held it out ahead of me. Both the scream screech and gunshots came from the direction of the store. I felt my heart thumping through my chest as I got closer to the gas station. I gripped the rifle tighter as I took one step at a time, and I slowly made my way forward. I felt sweat begin to build on my temples despite the cold. My entire body began to shake, and I stopped for a moment to catch my breath. Calm down, calm down. I thought. I took slow deep breaths then started walking again.
I looked around to see where I was, but the snow was falling so hard that I could hardly see ahead of me. I squinted and thought I saw distant lights. I kept the rifle ahead and cautiously hurried towards them, as I got closer I realized that the sun had caught a slight gap through the storm and glinted the light perfectly off the back of a car. I sighed and kicked the snow in frustration.
Bzzzz… “Hey babe, do you know what happened?” Chloe's worried voice cut through my moment of frustration.
“I don’t know… I still haven’t made it over there, I got a little turned around.” I told her.
She paused for a second like she was thinking of something, “BABE! Your satellite should have a built-in GPS.”
I looked at the large phone and saw a small digital screen showing our neighborhood, which had two red dots on it. One was in our house and the other was two houses down in someone's driveway.
I chuckled, “Babe I only moved like two houses down, I must’ve been walking in circles.”
She burst out laughing, “Thank goodness I called you, make sure not to hang up because then the GPS shuts off,” She instructed.
“Understood, thanks, babe!” I said.
I walked slowly for another 15 minutes or so before just about a block from the store the signal was lost. I swore and angrily kicked the ground again. It’s ok. I thought you were only a block away.
I moved to the sidewalk so I could use the signs and mailboxes as markers that I was still walking straight. Then finally the store was in view. Carl’s car was the only car in the parking lot and I noticed a large scratch on the side, and one of the windows was shattered. I also noticed shelves had been moved against the windows and doors. I walked over and loudly knocked on the glass door. I saw eyes peeking through the glass and I pulled my scarf down to show my face. Carl moved the small shelf in front of the door and let me in.
I walked inside and he gave me a look towards the rifle.
“I heard gunshots,” I said.
“Oh…” I saw a dark scared look in his eyes.
“What happened?” I asked, looking into the man's eyes.
“Well, I saw something outside near the car. I thought it was a deer or something so I gave it no mind until I heard a metal scraping sound and then the car window shattered. I pulled my gun out from under the counter and made my way toward the door and cracked it open. I yelled a few times but it didn’t run so I poked my head out to get a better look. It wasn’t a deer. I didn’t get a good look. I just know it didn’t look friendly so I shot at it four times and it ran off into the blizzard. I know I hit it at least three times but it didn’t bleed. I… I’m scared.” He told it with a fear on his face that looked out of place.
“To be honest I’m surprised you even made it here without getting attacked.” He admitted.
“Did it screech at some point?” I asked, nervous about what the answer would be.
“Yeah, actually it did, a couple of minutes after I shot at it I heard something screech and I thought I could faintly see it through the falling snow.” He explained.
I nodded, “I need to get back home,” I said a new sense of urgency within me.
“I’m not letting you go back outside with that bulletproof monster thing on the loose,” Carl ordered, getting in between me and the door.
“I’m not staying while a bulletproof monster thing is loose in the neighborhood and can go attack my family at its whim,” I growled loud and sternly even though I didn’t entirely believe his story.
I pulled out the satellite phone and tried to call Chloe again. Nothing. I looked outside and saw that the blizzard had picked up considerably.
I let out a sigh: “I don’t think that blizzard will let me go home.”
Carl let out a sigh of relief and showed me to the small break room and let me take a seat at the table.
“Everything going well over at your house?” He asked.
“Good, enjoying the break of things,” I said, giving him a smile.
“I wish it was a break,” Carl signed, “I’ve been hearing strange things in the blizzard for days.”
“What sorts of things?” I asked.
“Screams, screeches, howls, and all sorts of unholy things. Sounds to me like the devil himself is out there.” He growled.
“Strange, very strange. How’s your family?” I asked, trying to change the subject to something less crazy.
“Fine, they haven’t really noticed that anything is wrong, I mostly hear the noises when I’m outside.” He explained. “What about your family?”
“Good, we didn’t even know anything was wrong until I heard the gunshots today.”
“Probably, because you're so far from the center.”
“What?”
“Well whatever animal is in town that attacked my car, seems to be dwelling mostly in the center of town.”
“How do you know that?” I asked not really believing him but still curious.
“From everyone who has come into the store in the past 3 days. I haven’t been the first to see whatever it is.” He explained in such a way that I almost wanted to believe him.
“Have any other vehicles or things been damaged?” I inquired trying to pry more at the information this man clearly held.
“Bob said something about his shed being broken in too but not much else. I’d ask Bob for more information but he was so drunk he could hardly tell me that.”
“I wouldn’t trust a thing Bob says especially when he’s drunk like that,” I told him.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t have if I wasn’t getting strange news from more trustworthy people.”
“Fair…”
Ka-Thunk! The loud noise of the store's door opening interrupted our chat.
“Carl, are you in here? You ok?” A man's familiar voice yelled into the store.
Carl walked out of the room and out to where the man was.
“Yes I’m ok…” Carl began before the man interrupted him.
“I heard gunshots, what happened?” He asked.
“Here come sit down and I’ll tell you,” Carl instructed as he walked the man into the room.
I recognized the man the moment he walked in, his name was Fred Garrison. Fred was tall and bulky with a large brown beard and always wore a baseball cap. The cap he wore today was red and white and clearly worn with age.
“Howdy Joey,” He greeted in his thick Southern accent.
“Hi Fred, how are you doing?” I asked.
“Good, good, just want to know why Carl was shooting his gun like a demon from hell was after him.” He said motioning to Carl.
Carl then told Fred the same story he told me. Fred listened the entire time but looked and sounded even more disbelieving than I had.
“Carl, you realize I was joking when I said something about a demon from hell, I’m supposed to believe that some monster thing was lurking outside your store and scratched your car.” He yelled in frustration.
“I wasn’t saying it was a monster, I’m just saying that deer die after they get shot four times,” Carl said giving Fred a frustrated look.
“Ugh, Joey do you believe this bull crap?” He yelled, turning to face me.
I thought about what exactly to say, and maybe I stopped to think if I actually believed Carl then finally I spoke; “Fred I’ve known Carl for most of my life and the man has never once lied to me, do I think what scratched his car was a monster? No, but I also trust this man, and I think there may have been a very strange-acting deer in front of the store, and maybe Carl thought he had better aim than he did.”
Fred huffed then finally seemed to relent; “Well if there ain’t anything wrong imma leave.” Fred said standing up and walking out of the room.
Carl hurried after him; “Fred, I don't want you to leave. The weather is really bad right now.”
Carl motioned to the snow which was falling so fast and in such vast quantities that it made seeing anything outside of the store impossible. Fred grumbled again and after a small argument he finally relented and we all went to sit back down at the table.
After half an hour or so the snow finally slowed down and started falling like slow small flakes.
“Alright, it’s as safe as it’s going to be if you want to leave,” Carl said, poking his head into the room.
“Thank you!” I said, smiling at him.
He nodded and I pulled out the phone.
Bzzzz… “Chloe, are you there?” I asked, trying not to let my worry show.
“Joey, thank goodness you're ok! What happened?” She asked, sounding a little nasally like she’d been crying.
“I’ll tell you when I get back but yes I’m ok,” I explained quickly, and then before Carl could object I left the store with my rifle slung over my back.
I started walking back to the house. It was slow work and now there was an additional four or five inches of snow which only made the task harder.
“You ok?” Chloe asked after a couple of minutes.
I brought the phone to my head and responded: “Yeah I’m ok just a lot more snow on the ground now.” I said.
“Are you almost home?” She asked.
“Yeah just down the street,” I said.
“Ok,” She said.
Bzzz… and she hung up. I kept walking forward, my eyes locked on the house when she walked out holding the other rifle and ran over to hug me when she saw me.
Day 7
I woke up almost the same way as the days before except Chloe wasn’t there with me. In a panic, I sat up quickly and called her name: “Chloe!”
“I’m right here dummy,” She said from the window.
I looked over and saw her standing in front of it.
“I thought I saw something weird but I can’t get a good look because it’s a window well.” She said, giving me a look of defeat.
I got up and looked through the window well. You couldn’t see much because of the snow and the way the window well was, but it looked like something was walking around in the front yard. Me and Chloe changed quickly then made our way upstairs and to the window looking out front. It was hard to tell through the foggy window and falling snow but we were able to see large sewer lid-sized spiders crawling about. I jumped back in shock and Chloe let out a small squeal.
“What kind of satan spawn are those things?” Chloe sputtered out, a terrified look on her face.
I looked closer, not responding, and this is when I realized although their resemblance was similar to spiders they were not spiders. There seemed to be two distinct types of them: one type resembled large slug-like things with 8 long spider-like legs. It also possessed a long but narrow head; its head almost looked like an arrow point. The other type was much nastier looking. They possessed eight legs covered in serrated spines. Their bodies resemble closely to wasp bodies with a large raised abdomen that brandished a massive stinger. I saw they were surrounding a large dog. It wasn’t ours it looked like our neighbors, the Garrisons, a black lab named Blue. The dog started barking out in an attempt to scare them away, but it was a dozen or so spider things against one dog.
Finally, after a while, the dog reached down to try and bite one of them but it jumped up and stung the dog in the face. The dog began to yelp and shook the thing off, but I could tell immediately that the stinger had hit its mark. The dog looked weaker and another stinger stung it, then another, then another, they all began stinging it until it collapsed. The dog still tried to fit but there was no use. It seemed to be paralyzed. It was one last whimper before one of the slugs walked up to the dog's mouth and started crawling inside shedding its long legs in the process. The dog let out this horrible retching choking bark sound. Chloe let out a small sob as the slug fully went down the dog's throat and then disappeared. The dog gave one final whimper before it went silent. Then the stinger spiders around it began webbing up the body. I was impressed by how quickly they were able to do so in under a minute the body was covered in a thick webbing. After which the spiders dragged it away and disappeared into the blizzard.
I looked over and saw how horrified Chloe was, her normally pretty face was twisted into an expression of fear and disgust.
“What in h-e double hockey sticks?” She finally said.
“What happened, why are the dogs barking?” Gretchen yawned as she stepped out of her bedroom.
Her face turned more concerned when she saw me and Chloe's disgusted face. Then before I could explain what had happened a few of them made their way back over and started inspecting the house then one of us made a sound or something and it jumped at the window. I pulled the blinds down and quietly whispered for Gretchen and Chloe to get the kids and my mom downstairs. In the meantime, I rushed downstairs also and grabbed the rifle. I sat upstairs for a second looking through the windows to try and see the things but it seemed wherever I was they weren’t, and in a mix of defeat and fear I went downstairs and joined my family. I set the rifle down on the couch and hugged Chloe close to me.
We all huddled on the floor listening. We heard scratching sounds on the doors and then windows. I held my breath but nothing shattered. Then the sounds moved from the walls to the roof. They scurried around up there in a seemingly never-ending attempt to find access to our house. Then suddenly Herman let out one solitary defensive bark. It was deep and intimidating but I knew it was likely the end if I didn’t stop him. I started to stand up but Chloe grabbed my hand, she looked terrified, but I knew I had to stop Herman so I squeezed her hand and then let go.
I quietly made my way upstairs and saw Herman standing guard by the back door. I pulled my revolver from my belt and slowly made my way over to him. The slight creaks in the old wood floor sounded like sirens signaling my location. After a minute I wrapped a hand around his collar and started scanning the room for May and Moore. I saw their booth huddled on the coach whimpering quietly. I called them over and hesitantly they came then I led the three dogs downstairs and just as I took the last step down. SCREECH!!
It came from upstairs and it sounded angry and in pain. I hurried back upstairs with Chloe hot on my heels despite what I’d told her. I peeked into the living room from the stairs and saw a slug running around the room engulfed in flames. It was leaving a trail of small sparks and ashes behind it and for a moment I wasn’t sure what to do. I figured I’d miss if I shot at it so I ran over to try and grab it. Meanwhile, I saw Chloe dart for the back door.
CRASH! One of the windows shattered and several of the stingers jumped into the house, and before I could stop it one of them jumped onto my back. I screamed and reached back trying to grab it but I felt a sharp pain in my hand. Herman emerged from the basement and almost immediately jumped onto me and with a loud crunch it was dead. I started to feel a little dizzy but tried to help. There were still six spiders in the house, and Chloe stood by the back door trying to get a shot at one of them with the rifle. The stingers continued to run around the floor and I felt another jab its stinger into my ankle. I looked over at the disgusting thing, picked it up by its legs and threw it into another stinger. BANG! The stinger I’d thrown and the one it’d landed on both exploded in a mess of yellow-greenish slop. There were still four stingers and at this point the flaming slug had curled up in a ball on the floor. I had an idea and I sprinted for the fireplace grabbing the fire pick. As I suspected, two of the stingers followed and I skewered them both with the fire pick. The last two scurried in the corner almost like they were planning when BANG! One of them exploded into another mess of slop and the last one made a rush for Herman, but in a surprisingly quick movement for the big dog he pinned the stinger's legs onto the ground with his paw and proceeded to eat the stinger.
We all stood there for a second breathing heavily when my eyes met the small fire around the dead slug. I dropped the fire pick, grabbed a blanket from the couch, and used it to quickly snuff the fire.
“Is everything ok up there?” Gretchen asked, very concerned.
“Y...” I tried to say but I started to feel loopy.
I started to shake and stumble and I remembered the two stings they’d gotten on me, then suddenly I remembered nothing.
My eyes opened slowly and at first I didn’t see much but my vision quickly cleared and I saw Gretchen looking over me.
“Wh… what happened?” I stammered out.
I was in such a daze that I could hardly remember it.
“Those spider, bug, whatever stung you a few times. I was worried it had really hurt you.” Gretchen said, giving me a hug.
I sat up and felt the pain in my back and in my foot.
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked.
“Mom and Chloe are both cleaning upstairs, and the boys are just down the hall.” She explained.
I stood up and wobbled a little, but walked over to the stairs.
“Joey!” Gretchen called after me, “You're probably sick, you need to lie down.” She tried to order me.
“No I’m going to go help clean so mom doesn’t have to,” I told her.
Gretchen let out a frustrated huff then I walked up the stairs. I turned down the hall and saw the mess that was in the living room. The parts and slop that were many of the bugs were still everywhere. I looked over to the shattered window and saw the glass had been cleaned up, and the window had been covered by a large piece of plywood. My mom walked out of the kitchen with a broom and dustpan.
“Sweetie you’re ok,” She yelled with excitement hurrying over and giving me a hug.
I hugged her back and we stood there for a second.
“Do you feel ok?” She asked, looking up at me.
“I’m fine mom, where’s Chloe?” I asked.
“She’s checking to make sure nothing outside was damaged,” My mom said.
I immediately felt a mix of frustration and worry fill me and I hurried for the back door yelling, “You let her go outside alone!”
I immediately followed her fresh boot prints through the snow and around the side of the house. I saw her standing there looking at a group of scratches from the spiders, the rifle slung by her side. I let out a slight noise and in one quick motion, she turned toward me with the rifle aimed right at my face. As soon as she saw it was me she ran over and tried to hug me but I was already hurrying her inside. I didn't want to be out there any longer than we needed to be.
Day 10
I sat by the window watching the outside as I had before when I saw something large and dark dart down the street followed by two smaller ones. The largest looked to be about the size of a horse while the other two were about the size of a deer. They looked so off though, especially the big one. It almost looked like it had six legs, but it was so hard to tell through the snow.
I gasped at the monstrous look of the creatures: that’s probably what Carl saw I thought. Then in a slight panic, I grabbed the blinds and pulled them down. I quietly hushed the boys and had everyone go downstairs. I sat at the foot of the stairs, rifle in hand, but nothing happened.
Day 11
Pop! Pop! Those two gunshots were what woke me up early that morning. I sat up in a panic and almost immediately put the situation together. Those gunshots were from the store, from Carl's revolver, and they were likely his last two because he’d fired four the last time I heard it and his model of revolver could fit 6 rounds.
I got up and immediately started throwing my winter gear on. Chloe also sat up with a worried look on her face.
“You can’t be going out there,” She said, sounding much more worried now.
“Babe, I need to make sure he’s ok. I’m not leaving him to die.” I said defiantly.
“Well, I’m not letting you go out there to die… unless I go with you. You’re a terrible shot!” She yelled, getting very upset.
“Ok, then get your gear on,” She nodded and we both got ready quickly.
After I was fully dressed I walked over to the gun safe we had in the hall and began to peruse. Along with the revolver and two rifles, we also owned a long-barreled 12 gauge shotgun, a semi-automatic rifle, and another hunting rifle with a heat view mode on the scope. I grabbed the 12 gauge and walked back into the room handing Chloe the sniper rifle. I heard light footsteps and looked down the hallway to see Gretchen descending the stairs. She walked over and met me by the doorway.
“Are you leaving?” She asked, looking like she already knew the answer.
“Yes, Chloe is coming as back-up,” I explained looking over at Chloe who was now loading the sniper rifle.
“Bring mom and the kids down here while we're gone, and keep one of the rifles on you,” I ordered and she nodded running upstairs.
After a few more quick and tense minutes we were standing by the door with all our winter gear, the two guns, and headlamps. I waited next to Chloe as she showed Gretchen how to use the satellite phone.
“I love you, be safe,” Gretchen said, giving me a big hug.
I hugged her back trying not to cry, “Will be back in 30 minutes max,” was all I could say.
“You keep him safe,” Gretchen ordered as she hugged Chloe.
“He’d die without me,” Chloe joked.
Then we both walked out the front door and into the snowy night. It was so dark out darker than I’d ever seen it before, and now the snow was deep almost up to our waists. Luckily we had snow shoes that made us sink only halfway up our shins. I walked ahead with the shotgun out and ready, and Chloe stood behind me navigating our way through the dark snowy night.
The cold wind chilled us to the bone as we continued. I could tell Chloe was scared, I was too but I didn’t say anything. We slowly continued our way through the blizzard, not giving up despite its relentless attacks. Each footstep was another loud crunch that seemed to me as loud and obvious as nails on a chalkboard, but nothing seemed to hear it or if they did they just didn’t care. I just kept praying and hoping that Carl was ok and that it was just like last time, but something in my gut knew the man was probably long dead.
Off in the distance over the howling wind, I thought I heard something. Maybe a scream or a yell I wasn’t sure but it sounded human. Then again but this time it was fainter and I could tell it came from the same direction as the store. I hurried forward even faster with Chloe grabbing the back of my coat to keep up.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour we arrived in front of the store. It looked like it had gone through hell and back. I saw the car that had been parked out front was now tipped over and extremely beat up, but even more so was the store. Every single window was shattered and the shelves that had been blocking them were completely ripped apart. As we walked up to our feet began making crunching sounds as each step was on shards of broken glass. Then we were at the door and I took a deep breath thinking of everyone I’d ever loved. I turned around and gave Chloe a big tight hug then I raised the gun and kicked the door open. Silence. Nothing happened and I walked with little hindrance into the destroyed store. Food and junk and wood and glass. It was everywhere, and then there was blood. A large trail of blood led into one of the backrooms. Chloe noticed too and she let out a small gasp. I motioned for her to stay then I slowly walked into the room. Blood covered the entire floor; the table that had once been there was now a shattered mess of splinters. It looked like a tornado had come through and thrown everything around, but I saw the doorway from this breakroom to the other. I thought I heard a faint sound there. In one swift motion, I kicked open the door with the gun raised and saw what was inside.
This section of the building was a small area where truckers or travelers who had nowhere to stop could stay. Essentially it was a small hostel, and it was divided into two rooms. The first room, the one I’d entered was a large room double the size of a classroom. It had four rows of bunk beds with 5 bunk beds on each row. It was a bit excessive, yes but it got Carl much-needed revenue. The other room directly to the right of me was the shower room, a long tiled room with 8 shower stalls and a wall of lockers.
The bunk room was absolutely torn apart. Feathers littered the ground along with shreds of fabric. Multiple of the beds had been completely toppled over and one that seemed to have been thrown lie in a shattered mess on the other side of the room. Another few bore large scratch marks far larger than what the stingers or slugs could’ve produced. It again like the first two sections of the store looked like a tornado had gone through and torn everything to bits. After my assessment of the room, I looked down to see the blood trail leading into the shower room. This room was just as bad as the others with almost all the stall doors knocked off their hinges and the lockers completely pulled out of the wall. This is when I heard a horrible sound. The sound of flesh being torn and ripped and consumed. It was horrible to hear and even more so because it was happening in one of the stalls closest to me. I turned and my light illuminated a large thing the size of a large deer ripping into the body of Carl.
It looked horrible; it had four long spindly dog-like legs with four large paw feet that ended in large talons. Its body was weird and slimy with a large back abdomen that looked like it was swelling. Right as the body connected with the neck two more oversized arms sat. Its entire body seemed to be covered in a bony exoskeleton with small gaps around the joints, stomach, and face. They were much longer than the legs and brandished large talons the size of steak knives at the end. It hardly had a neck and its head was small with a horrible-looking mouth that brandished massive carnassials and canines. Its head overall was fairly small and round. Its lower jaw split into two down the middle looking like large mandibles, but the most disturbing part of the face was the eyes. There were 4 and they were brown and very mammalian looking but worst of all I recognized those eyes. Just days ago those eyes looked into mine as the slug went down its throat. Somehow Blue the black lab had turned into this thing.
The moment I walked in the creature turned around and its eyes met mine. It let out a screech that chilled me to the bone and then lunged for me BANG! I was momentarily stunned and I couldn’t hear the ringing in my ears. Then everything came back into vision and the creature was hunched back clearly also stunned. I took advantage of this and started running, but then my foot slipped in the blood and I crashed to the floor. Searing pain ran into me and it felt like a sledgehammer had been slammed into my face. I started to stand when the pain from the rest of my body kicked in, but I remembered the creature, got up, and kept running. I ran into the bunk room slamming straight into Chloe.
“Wha…” She started to ask when the creature came screeching into the room.
Not having time to run I pulled her behind a bunk. I saw the horror in her eyes and I just shushed her. The creature slowly walked around looking for us. I noticed that it walked on its four legs with its big arms folded into its chest like a praying mantis. It took a step in our direction and Chloe raised the rifle and aimed. Bang! This gun, especially compared to the shotgun, was almost nothing in noise, but I saw the bullet hit the creature right in the chest. It let out a loud screech but one more of anger rather than pain. It then started sprinting right for us. I thought about shooting again but figured that wouldn’t do anything so I turned my headlamp on and threw it to the other side of the room. It slammed into the wall and then shattered on the linoleum floor, and the creature immediately turned and started running for it. I grabbed Chloe’s hand and hurried toward the doorway with her just as I heard the creature screech in frustration.
Me and Chloe sprinted through the snow. She was leading the way with her headlamp while I followed behind with my shotgun out ready to shoot if I had to, and in my head, I was screaming to myself for grabbing a shotgun instead of the semi-automatic. I had one more shot before I had to reload so I was determined to make it count. In the snow behind us, I heard the creature's angered screeches as it ran toward us. I stopped and turned around aiming the shotgun.
I could tell without even looking at her that Chloe was terrified. To be fair I was too. Then with one more screech, it appeared on the edge of the light growling and hissing at us. I noticed it was dripping a thick liquid onto the ground that appeared to be blood. Good, it does bleed which means it can die. I thought, and that greatly increased my confidence. Then it made its charge. It was smarter than I gave it credit for because it ran in a zig-zag and the one round Chloe fired completely missed. Then it lunged towards me and one of its large mantis arms slashed deep into my leg right below the knee. I let out a scream and fell to the ground. Then before I could react its teeth were beginning to rip at my back. Bang! Chloe’s first shot got the thing's attention and it moved its mouth from my body. Bang! The second shot right through one of its praying mantis arms, and Bang! The third shot hit it dead in the forehead but its exoskeleton took all the damage. The creature jumped over me and ran towards Chloe who was only about 6 feet away. I watched my whole world begin to fall apart when it jumped on top of her. I saw her struggling to keep its jaws away from her face, and suddenly nothing else seemed to matter but her. I didn’t care if I would die as long as she was safe.
I stood up despite the searing pain in my leg and made a snowball in my left hand.
“HEY JACKWAD!” I screamed at the thing and then threw a snowball for good measure.
Its attention turned back towards me and it sprinted back and jumped onto me knocking me to the ground before I could land a shot. It pinned my right hand holding the shotgun to the ground while I tried to fight its lashing head off with my left. I felt its claws digging into my arms and legs and its arms were unfolding as a likely attempt to kill me, but I never saw what it was about to do because that’s when I executed my plan. I noticed that its bleeding leg was the one holding the gun down so I put all my strength into moving that arm and managed to get it out from under. Then CRUNCH! Its mouth bit down on my left hand and wrist. It opened its mouth and was about to close it to sever my hand, but in a quick motion I wedged the shotgun into its mouth, and BANG!!!!!

"Be excellent to each other... and party on dudes!"

He is Bill S. Preston, Esq.! And he is Ted "Theodore" Logan! And together, they are Wyld Stallyns!
To everyone else in late-80s/early-90s San Dimas, California, Wyld Stallyns may look like the impossible dream of two slackers with no skill in anything else. But in truth, the music of Wyld Stallyns is so bodacious, so non-heinous, so excellent that it brings about an era of prosperity, both across the earth and to the stars beyond, and technological advancement so advanced that even time can be accessed as freely as a 10-digit phone number from the nearest payphone. Because of this, agents from the future utopia have sent back a time-travelling phone booth as well as information about the future to make sure that Bill and Ted are able to continue having most excellent adventures and fulfill the destiny of Wyld Stallyns.

Key

Movies:
^EA = Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
^BJ = Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
^FtM - Bill & Ted Face the Music
Shows:
^CSxEy = Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (DiC Animated Series); Season X Episode Y
^LAEx = Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (Fox Live Action Series); Episode X
Comics:
^M#X = Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic Book (Marvel Comics) Issue #X
^BVx#y = Boom! Studios Comics; Volume X, Issue #Y

Vol. 1 = Bill & Ted's Triumphant Return
Vol. 2 = Bill & Ted Go To Hell
Vol. 3 = Bill & Ted Save the Universe
BV1#xS = Boom! Studios Comics; Side Story

^DH#X = Dark Horse Comics (Face the Music Compliant) Issue #X
Games:
^AL = Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Atari Lynx)
^NES = Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure (NES)
^WS = Wyld Stallyns (Mobile Game)
Live Show:
^EHAyy = Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure; 19YY/20YY

Bill and Ted

Strength

• Twist around several amps while running as a blur. ^CS1E7
  
• Run straight through several tentpoles. ^CS1E7
  
• Hold themselves against the winds created by a giant monster that toss around buses and tanks. ^CS2E5
  
• Push around large stone slabs. ^AL
  
• A version of Bill and Ted from a bad future become super jacked and help curbstomp a robot. ^FtM
  
• [Limitation] Struggle to do push-ups. ^BJ
  

Speed/Agility

• Dodge a stone discus launched hard enough to embed into a marble pillar, and a falling chandelier. ^CS1E2
  
• Dodge around weapons swung by Roman gladiators. ^CS1E3
  
• Dodge a speeding horse and a flying coffin. ^CS1E9
  
• Able to dodge a frog mid-jump. ^CS1E11
  
• Run off fast enough to kick up a trail of dust. ^CS2E1
  
• Intercept a cannon shot. ^CS2E1
  
• Dodge a cannon shot just before it hits. ^CS2E3
  
• As babies, able to run off hidden behind a cloud of baby powder. ^CS2E7
  
• Duck underneath a swinging pendulum. ^AL
  
• Very good at jumping really high. ^NES
  
• Dodge a booth as it falls from time jump. ^LAE2
  
• Disguise themselves as a doctor and a cadaver in the time it takes for a woman to leave a room. ^LAE3
  
• Scale up the snout of a large, metal dragon. ^BJ
  
• Attempt and almost succeed at intercepting a bullet, moving a good distance in the time it takes to go from a gun to a person feet away. ^EHA08
  
• Outrun several species of dinosaur. ^M#2
  
  • Outrun a T-Rex running fast enough to kick up large rocks in its wake. ^BV1#3S
• Dodge a superhero sent flying hard enough to leave a comet trail behind him. ^M#10
  
• Dodge around machine gun fire. ^M#11
  
  • Again. ^BV1#5
• Able to see the two drivers in a high speed chase. ^BV1#2S
  
• Hit a button that causes the spaceship they're in to lurch forward fast enough to send everyone inside tumbling, then run off before anyone else can catch their bearings. ^BV3#1
  

Durability

• Get tossed across a bar, their heads smashing through a thin wood wall. ^EA
  
• Fall from a second floor balcony into some bushes and walk it off. ^FtM
  
• Has Death thrown at them bodily and get back up. ^DH#3
  
• Crushed under a mountain of falling china. ^CS1E1
  
• Are sent flying back by their amplifier's exploding to little ill effect. ^CS1E1
  
• Have a stove dropped on their heads. ^CS1E2
  
• Launched through a window and fall a story down into a stone fountain. ^CS1E2
  
• Fall from the top of a three-story building into some bushes. ^CS1E4
  
• Get slammed into a brick wall hard enough to indent. ^CS1E7
  
• Get launched into the air by their inflatable shoes and then fall back down. ^CS1E9
  
• Get kicked out of a stadium hard enough to send them flying, toppling a food cart. ^CS1E9
  
• Get blasted high into the air by a jet of water strong enough to blow away a stone statue, then land in a river. ^AL
  
• Get blasted back by the explosion from this huge gun. ^M#8
  
• Punch themselves. ^M#11
  
• Get zapped in a clash between Darth Vader and Gandalf and walk it off. ^EHA02
  
• Fall down a trap door a dozen feet and get up fine. ^BV3#1
  
• Hit a button that causes the spaceship they're in to lurch forward fast enough to send everyone inside tumbling, then run off before anyone else can catch their bearings. ^BV3#1
  
• Take hits from the Death Quills of Koloko IV, the Lightning Web, the Fire Bones of Kykartian Dragodon, the Cyberwasps of the Robot Zoo Planet, and the Lavaspin of Sector 487. ^BV3#2
  
• Roll into a snowball then crash into a building hard enough to demolish it. ^DH#3
  
• [Limitation] A long fall from the top of this cliff is enough to instantly kill them. ^BJ
  

Skill

• Easily bat in a baseball game one-handed while focusing on other things. Ted even throws the bat so that it spins hard enough to hit the ball without him holding it. ^CS2E3
  
• Jump from an upper banister and swing down on ropes, knocking out two guys and stealing their weapons in the process. ^LAE6
  
• Briefly hold their own in a duel, despite neither having any dueling experience. ^M#1
  

Intelligence
Yes, really.

• Can comprehend and utilize stable time loops. ^EA
  
  • Leave a recording device hidden in the corner of a room with a timer to use as a distraction. ^EA
  • Leave a typed message for themselves at a printer with instructions to duck at just the perfect time. ^EA
  • Sets up a trash can to fall at the right time to trap Ted's father. ^EA
  • Outwit De Nomolos, setting up not only a sandbag and cage to fall at just the right time and place to disarm and trap him, but also set up a key for the cage and fake gun to trick him into believing that he would win the encounter. ^BJ
  • When they don't have access to a booth, they go back in time to ask Station to build one so that he's done in time for them to go back and ask. ^BV1#1
  • Loosen a chandelier just so that it falls on Vlad the Impaler's head while he's cornered them. ^BV3#1
• When they're being pursued by versions of them from a bad future, who remember everything they're about to do, they do something they can't possibly remember doing to escape. ^FtM
  
• Able to somewhat fix the booth's broken antennae with some fudge cans and a large wad of chewed gum. ^EA
  
  • Able to somewhat fix the booth's broken antennae with a magazine and a shoelace. ^LAE1
  • Able to more or less fix the booth's broken numpad by copying what they remember Station doing to fix it. ^BV1#3S
• Survive a long fall from within the booth by jumping at the last second. ^CS1E8
  
• Rig up a lever to launch Dracula out of the booth and onto a bed. ^CS1E9
  
• Make functional guitars out of laundry and string. ^CS1E12
  
• Make a castle display out of water sealant cans and boxes. ^LAE2
  
• Rewire a jukebox to play music from a walkman. ^LAE5
  
• Their advice helps their music teacher move on from heartbreak and live peacefully where before she was bitter and angry at everyone. ^LAE7
  
• Outwit Einstein, tricking him into delivering his speech about the Theory of Relativity instead of his bad stand up routine. ^LAE8
  
• Able to escape from Death with a Melvin. ^BJ
  
• Trick Evil Robot Bill and Ted into thinking they're the real good Bill and Ted. ^M#7
  
• Escape from a future prison by starting a fire to set off the fire alarm. ^M#8
  
• Impress Socrates with their philosophizing. ^EA
  
• Are able to convince Hyper-World, a planet who's entire society is predicated on comic book violence, to stop fighting... for a few seconds. ^M#10
  

Rockitude
Skill

• Wyld Stallyns' music eventually becomes good enough that it ushers in interplanetary peace. ^EA
  
  • Their music apparently brings about post-scarcity, or at least post-the need for money. ^CS1E12 ...NOT! ^M#8
  • Post-training and with full band backing, a televized broadcast of their performance is able to cause people of multiple different cultures around the world to jam. The newspapers of the following years also state that their touring schedule causes crops to grow in the American midwest and peace to come to the Middle East, that rumors of their split cause the stock market to plummet and when those rumors are disproven the stock market surges. ^BJ
• Seduce a pair of medieval babes with some off the cuff lyrics. ^EA
  
• Jam with Little Richard and a young Mozart. ^CS1E2
  
• Rock with Angus Young. ^EHA01
  
• Shred with James Hetfield. ^EHA06
  
• Tear it up with Fall Out Boy. ^EHA13
  
• Demolish with Axl Rose and Slash. ^EHA14
  
• Fuck it up with Kurt Kobain. ^EHA15
  
• Play the guitar very well with Freddy Mercury. ^EHA17
  
• Play a pocket organ well enough that the surrounding Roman guards are too busy dancing to notice them. ^AL
  
• Can play basically any instrument placed in front of them. ^FtM
  
• Calm an agitated baby dinosaur. ^BV1#3S
  
• Able to build guitars out of random debris in a gladiatorial death pit in a matter of seconds, then play well enough to pacify a rampaging alien monster who is also the most esteemed music critic in the galaxy. ^BV3#3
  
• Able to rouse a crowd of people from a society so downtrodden that the ability to smile has atrophied out of the gene pool. ^BV1#5
  
  • Writing one song is enough to uproot the entirety of said society and motivate Death to bring them back after dying even though he had lost the ability to do so. ^BV1#6
• Even God and Satan are fans. ^BV2#4
  
• Alien cultures that don't even speak English and who's entire cultures are predicated around war are brought to peace by hearing their music. ^BV3#1
  

Power

• Consistently blow out their amps while playing. ^EA
  
  • Blow out an amp and cause it to catch fire. ^LAE1
• Defeather a bird. ^CS1E1
  
• Shatter a porcelain cup. ^CS1E1
  
• Knock dozens of objects off of a nearby shelf and shatter windows. ^CS1E7
  
• A single resonant note is enough to knock out the Black Knight. ^CS1E7
  
• Even when hooked up to a boombox, are able to blow away people and tables. ^CS2E5
  
• After Bill rewires the amp, it causes Ted's guitar to melt through the floor. ^CS2E7
  
• After Station alters the amps a little, cause any avalanche. ^DH#4
  
• Destroy robots with their riffs alone. ^WS
  

Ghost Bill and Ted

• People can pass right through them, though it causes some unnerving (though not totally unpleasant) sensations. ^BJ
  
• Can possess the bodies of the living. ^BJ
  

Other

• Build the Great Wall of China in a couple days. Although not particularly well. ^CS1E1
  
  • They arrive in China on Saturday and have finished and leave before Monday. ^CS1E1
• Summon rain with an Incan rain dance. ^CS1E3
  
• Play a single player game co-op and one-handed. ^CS2E7
  
• Are able to beat Death at Battleship, Clue, Electronic Football, and Twister. ^BJ
  
  • And Monopoly. ^M#5
  • And Rock, Paper, Scissors. ^EHA17
• Can fly after being zapped by the F-Ray, which only convinces the brain that it is capable of flying, thus allowing it to fly. ^M#10
  
• Spend a week without sleeping and only eating snack foods trying to devise a plan to save Abraham Lincoln. ^M#11
  
• Are temporarily given God's divine enlightenment, able to see everything past and future, and on a micro and macro scale. ^BV2#4
  
• Surf on a black hole. ^BV3#3 They're obviously going through some form of spaghettification, but also given the size of the black hole, the audience, and the official helping them do it, it's likely that this black hole has been altered to be safe to surf.
  
• Have sex. ^BV1#1
  
• Do drugs. ^EHA00
  

Bill

Strength

• Knocks over the Liberty Bell with an elbow. ^CS1E5 The Liberty Bell weighs over 2000 lbs.
  
• Easily pitches and bats cannon balls that Ted had difficulty handling. ^CS1E9
  
• Knocks Ted into the air with an accidental headbutt. ^CS1E9
  
• Floors Monomonop with a yo-yo. ^M#8
  

Speed/Agility

• Pulls Ted out of the way of a flail. ^CS1E3
  
• Snatches a flying chip bag out of the air. ^CS2E2
  
• Bats a baseball pitched hard enough to leave a trail of flames. ^CS2E3
  
• Escapes from being grappled by swinging on a noose while the floor is dropped from under him. ^EHA92
  
• Ducks a bullet at close range. ^EHA08
  

Durability

• Takes a punch from Evil Robot Bill. ^M#7
  
• Takes a punch from Ronda Rousey. ^EHA16
  

Skill

• Spars with Joan of Arc. ^EA

Other

• Strong poker face. ^EA
  
• Folds a paper hat into a to-go box. ^CS1E1
  
• Rewires an amp which causes it to melt Ted's guitar through the floor. ^CS2E7
  
• Beats up the Invisible Woman using dark force powers gained as Darth Bogus. ^EHA05
  
  • Force chokes a man to the ground in an instant. ^EHA05
• Save nearly 70 people from being used as a virgin sacrifice. ^EHA13
  

Ted

Strength

• Knocks out a man in a leather helm with one strike. ^EA
  
• Accidentally sends Marco Polo flying with the swing of a broom. ^CS1E1
  
• Flicks a paper football hard enough to knock an apple into the air. ^CS1E2
  
• Breaks a wooden plank off on the T-800 Terminator, then knocks him into a well using a skateboard. ^EHA92
  

Speed/Agility

• Takes a tumble down the stairs hard enough to knock him out of his metalplate suit and somehow hides before anyone notices. ^EA
  
• Flip jumps to the top of the booth. ^CS1E5
  
• Dodges a swipe from behind from Vlad the Impaler. ^BV3#1
  

Durability

• Takes a tumble down the stairs hard enough to knock him out of his metalplate suit. ^EA
  
• Takes a headbutt to the chin that knocks him off of his feet and into the air. ^CS1E9
  
• Takes a full punch to the gut from Officer T. J. Hooker and brushes it off. ^EHA98
  
• Gets tackled to the ground and waled on by General Thade. ^EHA01
  
• Doesn't seem bothered touching a lightsaber with his bare skin. ^EHA05
  
• Gets smashed over the head with a guitar hard enough to crack it in half. ^BV1#4
  
• Thrown across the room onto the coffee table and is back on his feet shortly. ^BV2#1
  

Skill

• Flicks a paper football in such a way so that it flies around and knocks an apple off of Bill's head from the side. ^CS1E2
  
• Lassos the Black Knight while he's riding a horse full speed. But then forgets to keep a hold on the other end of the rope. ^CS1E7
  
• Briefly holds his own against an Italian fencer. ^LAE6
  

Other

• Reads the time and place text. ^CS1E1
  
• Starts a fire by rubbing George Washington's wooden teeth. ^M#8
  
• In a bad future where Ted was sent to military academy, he was able to double bust a corrupt cop by posing as a drug dealer. ^LAE4
  
• Kicks the Sith out of Darth Bogus. ^EHA05
  
• Gets with Taylor Swift. ^EHA13
  

Good Robot Bill and Ted

Robots created by the most brilliant mind in the universe, Station, to combat the powerful Evil Robot Bill and Ted. ^BJ

• The can be controlled via remote control but also seem to be capable of autonomous movement. ^BJ

Strength

• Punch through a brick wall. ^BJ
  
• Decapitate Evil Robot Bill and Ted with a punch, then cause their bodies to explode with a second punch. ^BJ
  
  • Evil Robot Bill and Ted no sell a punch to the chin from Bill and walk off crashing through a window and into a brick chimney. ^BJ
• Chew up a phone reciever. ^M#3
  
• Punch out the demonic Colonel Oats when the princesses couldn't faze him with their strikes. ^BV2#1
  
  • The princesses were smashing up musical equipment and sending other women flying with their strikes. ^BV1#6S
• High five each other hard enough to destroy each others' hands. Keep the Evil Robot Bill and Ted scaling in mind. ^DH#1
  
• Walk through a wall. ^DH#4
  

Durability

• Still functioning while demolished down to just their heads. ^M#7
  
  • Or arms. ^BV2#3
• Robot Ted gets blasted through several brick walls. ^BV3#4
  

They Run On Car Batteries

• They do. ^BV1#1S
  
• Electrocute two men to death when they try to stab them with rapiers. ^M#1
  
• Cause the booth to randomly jump when they electrocute it after touching some slushie material. ^M#12
  

Other

• Have tape recorders built in. ^M#3
  
• Can receive temporal emails, and promptly get a virus from this. ^BV1#1S
  
• Their code is written in a form of binary compose of "Bill"s and "Ted"s. With a source code constructed entirely of Van Halen references. ^BV1#1S
  
• Become presidents of the United States. ^BV1#2
  

Mecha Bill & Ted

• Rocket away from San Dimas to Scandinavia. ^DH#4
  
• Transforms from houses into humanoids form, piloted by Good Robot Bill & Ted. ^DH#4
  
• Beat up and send flying giant mountain trolls. ^DH#4
  

Mobile Suit Bill & Giganto-Ted

• Burst out of the sewers and through the streets, creating a massive tremor that could be felt from blocks away. ^BV1#6
  
• Disarm an entire crowd of guards with powerful magnets. ^BV1#6
  

The Time Booth

Time Travel

• A time machine that can travel to any place and time on earth after dialing a specific number. The number for each time and place is listed in an attached directory which catalogues most important points in history. ^EA
  
  • If Bill and Ted don't know what time or place they're looking for, they can ask the operator for help identifying a landmark. ^CS2E1
  • Can travel all the way back to the big bang. ^M#2
  • Is able to travel to and from "the center of time" which seems to exist outside of the regular timeline. ^M#6/7
• It is stressed multiple times throughout the series that even while time travelling, the clock in San Dimas is running, so Bill and Ted still have a limited amount of time to accomplish their goals while time travelling. ^EA This isn't well supported by other events and usages of the booth in the series, but it is a consistent concern regardless.
  
• Bill and Ted can use the Phone Booth to interact with themselves in the past, giving themselves needed equipment or advice. ^EA
  
  • Find a note of advice from themselves and then go back and leave the same note without having to even write it. ^AL
  • Get called to go forward from a few minutes beforehand to help out their future selves. ^EHA06
• Allow Bill and Ted to leave and then return to the exact same point in time, with 16 months of training in between. ^BJ
  
  • Further emphasizing that they can return to any point they want and San Dimas time doesn't matter. ^CS2E1
• A trip through spacetime can be cut short and will cause the booth to reappear at a median point. ^CS1E2
  
• A trip can also be reversed, allowing the booth to return to from where it just came. ^CS1E9
  
• A trip can be rerouted mid-stream without too much issue. ^CS1E10
  
• While this is not usually the case, as most time travel trips result in loops, drastically changing past events can lead to alternate present timelines. ^CS2E5
  
  • Bill and Ted use the booth to go back 15 minutes and redo a botched conversation resulting in a different outcome. ^LAE1
  • A closer to canon example. ^M#11
• Time travel 2 seconds into the future to catch an evil robot off guard. ^BV1#3
  
• Falling into the wormhole behind the phone booth can let someone travel through the circuits of time with it. ^EA
  
  • Rufus is able to follow a different phone booth using a grapple electric guitar, despite not being anywhere close to it when it time travels. ^BJ
  • The black knight and his horse are able to follow the booth. ^CS1E7
• Able to travel and be gone in the time it takes for a killer robot to aim and fire a vaporization beam. ^FtM
  
• Can travel to a point in time and space selected by an actual phone number in use at the time. ^CS1E8
  
• Can travel to a different point in space without changing time. ^CS2E8
  
• Elizabeth and Joanna apparently use the booth to travel to alternate timelines, though this mostly happens off screen. ^FtM
  
• Can travel to alternate dimensions entirely. ^M#10
  
• Travels to heaven. ^M#11
  
  • And hell. ^BV2#1
• Teleports from heaven to the earthly timeline, all the way to the Boomerang Nebula, and back in a matter of seconds. ^BV2#4
  
• Using the infinity button, allows the occupants to be multiplied infinitely to interact with all points in space and time simultaneously. ^FtM
  
• The booth can't travel if all of the circuits of time are currently occupied. ^CS2E5
  
• Travelers through the circuits of time can see other travelers in the same area. ^M#2
  
• The booth can seemingly track individuals in a specific time frame as shown by the fact that the future Bill and Ted were able to trick Bill and Ted into thinking they were rich and successful by being in the right place at the right time. ^FtM
  
• Rufus gives Bill and Ted a new booth that can trace the calls of other booths, though it tends to show up a little late. Also it's a rotary phone. ^M#2
  
• Rufus gives Bill a mobile phone which can call back the booth with the correct number. The first time its used however, it calls Doc Brown's Delorean instead. ^EHA92
  
  • Shown here actually working. ^EHA96
• When Ted uses a magazine to try and fix the antennae Bill and Ted end up going inside of the world of the magazine by accident. ^LAE1
  
  • By connecting the booth to a cable box, they're able to enter the worlds of television broadcasts, though it's entirely dependent on what the tv is currently turned to. ^LAE3

The Squint System
An upgraded directory that allows the booth to travel to fictional settings, including books, CDs, movies, and games. ^CS2E2

• Use the booth to enter an episode of Leave It to Badger. ^CS2E4
  
  • Can also use the booth to skip around within the episode. ^CS2E4
  • Once the episode ends, every person in it, including Bill and Ted, disappear. It looks like this. ^CS2E4
  • Foreign objects can persist between episodes, if they're plot relevant. ^CS2E4
• Can bring characters from the fictional world to the real world. ^CS2E4
  
• Characters in the fictional world are fully aware that they're fictional. ^CS2E4
  
• Altering the interior of the fiction does change how the fiction appears in the real world. Also might cause that fiction to become unavoidable? ^CS2E4
  
• Showing places that aren't supposed to be there reveals static. ^CS2E4
  
• Shrinks Bill and Ted down to smaller than a bottlecap when they forget to put the 1 in front. To reverse this effect, they simply dial 9. ^CS2E2
  

Durability

• [Limitation] When the booth's antennae get smashed by a knight's flail it can still travel fine but where and when it lands becomes uncontrollable. ^EA
  
  • [Limitation] A thrown frisbee knocks out the antennae, preventing the booth from time travelling. Ted is able to partially fix this with a magazine and a shoelace, though it causes the jumps to become uncontrollable again. ^LAE1
• Crash lands upside down and works perfectly fine. ^CS1E2
  
  • Tears through the roof of a tent, crash lands upside-down, and then falls onto its side. ^CS1E5
• Slides along the ground, crashing into a horse hard enough to launch it into the air, taking no damage. ^CS1E2
  
• Gets knocked off a crow's nest with a cannonball and tumbles to the deck of the ship without damage. ^CS1E4
  
• Gets run over by a train. ^CS1E8
  
• Tanks a fall from the top of Big Ben's clock face. ^CS1E8
  
• In a cabin as its demolished by a cannon, and protects the people within. ^CS1E9
  
• Smashes up the wooden walls of a log flume. ^CS1E11
  
• Takes several blasts of energy weapon fire and isn't damaged until one hits the antennae. ^LAE4
  
• Gets shot up by Billted 1.0's machine gun arm and has enough in it to make a trip before collapsing. ^BV1#4
  
• Vlad the Impaler has trouble breaking the glass with the hilt of his sword. ^BV3#1
  
• [Limitation] The floor breaks falling onto a bear's head. ^CS1E13
  
• [Limitation] Destroyed by a large boulder falling on it. ^BV2#3
  

Landing Strength

• [Limitation] While operating normally, it doesn't land hard enough to seriously harm an old man. ^CS1E5
  
  • But it did harm this guy. ^LAE1
• While malfunctioning however, digs a hole into the earth in a second. ^CS1E5
  
• Still while malfunctioning, crashes up through some wooden floorboards, knocking aside a dresser. ^CS1E5
  
• Demolishes a small kennel. ^CS1E6
  
• Smashes through a thick wooden roof. ^CS1E10
  
• Smashes through the deck of a ship. ^CS2E3
  
• Sends Columbus ricocheting around the Santa Maria. ^CS2E5
  
• Sends two cowboys a distance away flying from the shockwave. ^EHA92
  
• Smashes Billted 1.0 which is capable of flying straight through walls and windows without damage. ^BV1#3
  
• While malfunctioning, lands hard enough to crater concrete. ^BV1#4
  
• Smooshes a pair of demon spawn. ^BV2#4
  

Other

• Can still make a trip while on its side and is able to land normally. ^CS1E11
  
• It also works while water-logged. ^CS1E1
  
• Sideways AND waterlogged. ^S1E12
  
• It hovers in the air for unsaid reasons while malfunctioning. ^CS1E4
  
• Has some video recording and playback functions, though seemingly a preset one for display purposes. ^FtM
  
• When their regular booth gets blown up, Rufus lets them use a payphone on a stand to much the same effect. ^EHA02
  
• Can sometimes require coins to make calls with. ^NES
  
• It can also make regular calls. ^EA
  

"Catch ya later Bill and Ted!"

I wanted to share my journey with covid, GERD, LPR, Hiatal Hernia and H Pylori
Hi all, just wanted to share my journey through a series of events and illnesses in hopes that this helps you and your doctor diagnose the root cause faster. tl;dr at bottom
I've never had GERD in my life ever before, nor was my lifestyle GERD inducing (vegan, high fiber, gap between dinner and sleep time). So when I started feeling GERD like symptoms post covid, I was confused about what exactly I was feeling.
Right after catching covid in Aug 2022 my throat and nostrils went super dry, it was as if I had no mucous left in me. And I started facing this weird throbbing/pulsating sensation in my left ear. These were very bizarre symptoms that I had never observed before.
My first guess was this is something to do with covid and maybe it'll clear out in a month or two. But no, it only got worse. Ear throbbing became more frequent and by now my throat started to burn to the point I would get tears in my eyes. I suspected it was due to talking a lot (too many meetings in the office) but it would still happen on weekends. I also observed this was more pronounced at night. 2 months passed and I thought I should get an appointment with an ENT.
My ENT diagnosed it as an allergic response, she felt my body was overreacting to covid. She gave me anti allergens and antacids, and some nasal sprays to get my mucous back. She said my eustachian tube might be blocked, which is why I was hearing this fluttering.
One month passed and it was as if i was cured, but there would still be some days where these symptoms would come back. 2 weeks after my dosage was complete, the issues came back. She checked again and told me it could be GERD, so avoid coffee and spicy/oily foods, and have a gap between dinner and bedtime. This time she gave a steroid for my ear problem.
Another month passed, all good, 2 weeks after my dosage the GERD symptoms came back. However my ear problem was fully resolved by now. The steroids did their job it seems.
This time she said it definitely is GERD and prescribed me PPI. She also said it could be H Pylori so you may consider an endoscopy if issues persist 4 weeks after taking PPIs. She also asked if was going through stress in life. I mean, who isn't. But it did coincide with tech layoffs back in Dec 2022, my company was impacted by that but I was safe. I thought maybe covid has increased stress levels coz usually I am pretty good with dealing with uncertainty. I thought maybe all of this is long covid as I could see news reports that covid patients end up also getting GERD.
Anyway, I took the PPIs and like clockwork, the GERD symptoms came back on the 6th week. I felt that we're not really solving the root cause but only trying to treat it symptomatically. I was also afraid that the longer I get GERD the higher the risk of cancer. This made me anxious.
I started eliminating ingredients from my diet, coffee, sugar, ketchup, sourdough bread, pineapple, fizzy drinks etc. I also started raising my bed by putting an extra pillow underneath my mattress. These made slight changes, but I'd get relief only for a day or two. I also started taking antacids on top of PPI whenever I needed instant relief. Then I removed tomatoes from my diet and I went through one week without needing any PPI or antacid. Then I tried to have a very small portion of tomato in my oats (22g tomato) and GERD was back.
I met the ENT doctor and asked for a consultation with a Gastroenterologist as well. ENT said my tonsils are enlarged and it seems there's still some allergic response, while gastro said this is typical GERD, take PPIs for another month and schedule an endoscopy. It could also be a hernia, so we'll need to check.
I was already frustrated and was basically having oats, boiled pasta with some veggies and lentil rice with just salt daily, but my symptoms kept coming back, despite taking PPIs and antacids. And I also started feeling LPR like symptoms where my throat seemed to choke me from inside.
Endoscopy was done, damn I couldn't stop my gag reflex at all. Anyway, he collected the sample and observed a small hiatal hernia. I've already had two inguinal hernias so getting my body operated to treat another hernia was pretty disappointing. It felt like my body cavity is just full of flaws, and if not for modern medicine I would've had a very bad life. It feels both fortunate and unfortunate at the same time.
He also asked me to call him if and when the sample turns pink in 24 hours. Pink = H Pylori. Well, it surely turned pink in 4 hours. This relieved me a bit because treating H Pylori was ideally as simple as taking antibiotics, and treating hernia would've meant surgery.
I went through 2 weeks of antibiotics course (Tab LEVOFLOX 250 MG BD ,Tab METROGYL 400MG BD). The first 2 days were usual, but on the 3rd day I got insane levels of nausea. You know that sickly feeling you get that makes you panic. I rushed to the doctor and he told me it's normal with Metrogyl, try to tolerate, 10 more days to go, but if you can't then there are other antibiotics. Knowing that it's expected I thought I could soldier through for 10 more days, which I did. By the 5th day it was all normal, and my GERD was completely healed, or it seemed so. Note, by now even PPIs and antacids couldn't give me relief, so whatever these antibiotics were doing was definitely working.
My course was over and now I just had bloating. The doctor prescribed probiotics and 6 weeks of PPIs. I also met another doctor, one who has operated on me in my previous inguinal hernia, just to take a second opinion. He listened to be patiently, asked questions about lifestyle, diet, stress, and told me that the hiatal hernia based on my endoscopy doesn't warrant surgery. This is a very small hernia which you shouldn't worry about. He told me this is largely to do with stress and lifestyle (I felt a bit gaslit coz at this point I was having only 6-7 ingredients daily and doing everything I could to not trigger GERD). He suggested that I try some deep breathing exercises, to strengthen my diaphragm, and carry on with recommended lifestyle changes.
Fast forward to today, and I basically feel fit. No more GERD, no more LPR. Just bloating. I even have tomato, coffee, sourdough and other trigger foods carefully and it all seems fine now. This is the fittest I feel in the last 10 months. I wish I had gone for endoscopy sooner as I could've prevented months of illness. But I'm happy I didn't delay it any further.
tl;dr. Caught covid, then GERD, thought it was long covid, had several consultations and medications, finally got endoscopy done and it turned out to be H Pylori and Hiatal Hernia. Antibiotics worked and now I feel as good as normal except for some bloating.

Hi all, just wanted to share my journey through a series of events and illnesses in hopes that this helps you and your doctor diagnose the root cause faster. tl;dr at bottom
I've never had GERD in my life ever before, nor was my lifestyle GERD inducing (vegan, high fiber, gap between dinner and sleep time). So when I started feeling GERD like symptoms post covid, I was confused about what exactly I was feeling.
Right after catching covid in Aug 2022 my throat and nostrils went super dry, it was as if I had no mucous left in me. And I started facing this weird throbbing/pulsating sensation in my left ear. These were very bizarre symptoms that I had never observed before.
My first guess was this is something to do with covid and maybe it'll clear out in a month or two. But no, it only got worse. Ear throbbing became more frequent and by now my throat started to burn to the point I would get tears in my eyes. I suspected it was due to talking a lot (too many meetings in the office) but it would still happen on weekends. I also observed this was more pronounced at night. 2 months passed and I thought I should get an appointment with an ENT.
My ENT diagnosed it as an allergic response, she felt my body was overreacting to covid. She gave me anti allergens and antacids, and some nasal sprays to get my mucous back. She said my eustachian tube might be blocked, which is why I was hearing this fluttering.
One month passed and it was as if i was cured, but there would still be some days where these symptoms would come back. 2 weeks after my dosage was complete, the issues came back. She checked again and told me it could be GERD, so avoid coffee and spicy/oily foods, and have a gap between dinner and bedtime. This time she gave a steroid for my ear problem.
Another month passed, all good, 2 weeks after my dosage the GERD symptoms came back. However my ear problem was fully resolved by now. The steroids did their job it seems.
This time she said it definitely is GERD and prescribed me PPI. She also said it could be H Pylori so you may consider an endoscopy if issues persist 4 weeks after taking PPIs. She also asked if was going through stress in life. I mean, who isn't. But it did coincide with tech layoffs back in Dec 2022, my company was impacted by that but I was safe. I thought maybe covid has increased stress levels coz usually I am pretty good with dealing with uncertainty. I thought maybe all of this is long covid as I could see news reports that covid patients end up also getting GERD.
Anyway, I took the PPIs and like clockwork, the GERD symptoms came back on the 6th week. I felt that we're not really solving the root cause but only trying to treat it symptomatically. I was also afraid that the longer I get GERD the higher the risk of cancer. This made me anxious.
I started eliminating ingredients from my diet, coffee, sugar, ketchup, sourdough bread, pineapple, fizzy drinks etc. I also started raising my bed by putting an extra pillow underneath my mattress. These made slight changes, but I'd get relief only for a day or two. I also started taking antacids on top of PPI whenever I needed instant relief. Then I removed tomatoes from my diet and I went through one week without needing any PPI or antacid. Then I tried to have a very small portion of tomato in my oats (22g tomato) and GERD was back.
I met the ENT doctor and asked for a consultation with a Gastroenterologist as well. ENT said my tonsils are enlarged and it seems there's still some allergic response, while gastro said this is typical GERD, take PPIs for another month and schedule an endoscopy. It could also be a hernia, so we'll need to check.
I was already frustrated and was basically having oats, boiled pasta with some veggies and lentil rice with just salt daily, but my symptoms kept coming back, despite taking PPIs and antacids. And I also started feeling LPR like symptoms where my throat seemed to choke me from inside.
Endoscopy was done, damn I couldn't stop my gag reflex at all. Anyway, he collected the sample and observed a small hiatal hernia. I've already had two inguinal hernias so getting my body operated to treat another hernia was pretty disappointing. It felt like my body cavity is just full of flaws, and if not for modern medicine I would've had a very bad life. It feels both fortunate and unfortunate at the same time.
He also asked me to call him if and when the sample turns pink in 24 hours. Pink = H Pylori. Well, it surely turned pink in 4 hours. This relieved me a bit because treating H Pylori was ideally as simple as taking antibiotics, and treating hernia would've meant surgery.
I went through 2 weeks of antibiotics course (Tab LEVOFLOX 250 MG BD ,Tab METROGYL 400MG BD). The first 2 days were usual, but on the 3rd day I got insane levels of nausea. You know that sickly feeling you get that makes you panic. I rushed to the doctor and he told me it's normal with Metrogyl, try to tolerate, 10 more days to go, but if you can't then there are other antibiotics. Knowing that it's expected I thought I could soldier through for 10 more days, which I did. By the 5th day it was all normal, and my GERD was completely healed, or it seemed so. Note, by now even PPIs and antacids couldn't give me relief, so whatever these antibiotics were doing was definitely working.
My course was over and now I just had bloating. The doctor prescribed probiotics and 6 weeks of PPIs. I also met another doctor, one who has operated on me in my previous inguinal hernia, just to take a second opinion. He listened to be patiently, asked questions about lifestyle, diet, stress, and told me that the hiatal hernia based on my endoscopy doesn't warrant surgery. This is a very small hernia which you shouldn't worry about. He told me this is largely to do with stress and lifestyle (I felt a bit gaslit coz at this point I was having only 6-7 ingredients daily and doing everything I could to not trigger GERD). He suggested that I try some deep breathing exercises, to strengthen my diaphragm, and carry on with recommended lifestyle changes.
Fast forward to today, and I basically feel fit. No more GERD, no more LPR. Just bloating. I even have tomato, coffee, sourdough and other trigger foods carefully and it all seems fine now. This is the fittest I feel in the last 10 months. I wish I had gone for endoscopy sooner as I could've prevented months of illness. But I'm happy I didn't delay it any further.
tl;dr. Caught covid, then GERD, thought it was long covid, had several consultations and medications, finally got endoscopy done and it turned out to be H Pylori and Hiatal Hernia. Antibiotics worked and now I feel as good as normal except for some bloating.

Atop of the physical plan, answering to different rules and principles, was another plan. A world of energy, of conceptions, of mirages and of changes. A world that was like an echo of the physical one, just like its echo reverberated through the physical one. As far as words were concerned, this plan could be called the Ether.
The Ether was inhabited by many entities, many things for which “living” or “dead” would be meaningless. But the ones that were the most anchored, the most capable of moving and acting through the continuous fluctuations of the Ether, were the Concepts. They were entities created and maintained through the social beliefs of the beings living in the physical worlds. The saying of one making something real if one was believing in it hard enough, was true in the Ether. The joined beliefs of millions, billions of beings sharing a same vision, into a concept, created an entity to answer for that belief, to represent it. And that entity had the corporal traits of the common representation said living beings had of this Concept.
The appearance and the power of a Concept varied according to the beings’ beliefs in it. If a concept was thought to be refined, its appearance would have a refined clothing and behaviour. If the belief in this Concept was faint, its power would be weak. And just like the physical world’s changes influenced Concepts, the Concepts could also influence the physical world : if two Concepts fought, and one won, then the living beings’ belief in this concept would be significantly weakened. Thus, the victories of one people over another also somehow depended on the literal power of their beliefs into their Concepts. A weakened Concept could break a people’s spirit and unity, and allow their opponents to gain the upper hand.
The Galactic Agglomerate was an empire both in the physical world and in the Ether. The Hinbaa were the first ones to initiate this gigantic motion of conquest, and since then, it never stopped. Thanks to the races that were conquered and the ones that joined the Hinbaa, the Agglomerate waged war through cultural means as well as military ones, expending the right religion to take over the people, proposing the right deals to appeal to the right side of the ruling class, managing to gain the interest of the race for the way of life they offered them if they joined the empire… The Galactic Agglomerate took in tens, hundreds of billions of individuals, and organised the different people to work together for the conquest, strengthening the principles and values, and by doing so, strengthening the Concepts.
In the Ether, the Galactic Agglomerate was the union of many Concepts, shared and developed, carefully nurtured, and unconsciously granted great powers thanks to the strongest beliefs of each people that joined the Agglomerate. When a newly discovered race needed to be conquered through force, the empire’s Concepts defeated the Concepts of this race mostly with ease thanks to that overwhelming power, and when one Concept was particularly resilient, the victories in the physical world were enough to weaken it before crushing it.
This was the Galactic Agglomerate, and no people stood against it. All joined it, or were destroyed. And, one day, it came across a specific corner of the galaxy, and its conquest started once more.
​
———————————
The empire Concepts were all gathered in front of Humanity. The bipedal race seemed to be like many other ones they had encountered, a bit on the rebellious type; they refused to be integrated into the empire because of what they judged unfair trade and regulations deals, they could not be seduced by the amazingly rich culture of the Agglomerate because they had themselves a diversified cultural system – a particularity frequently came across in territorial races – and they refused to surrender in front of the empire’s forces, probably because of their pride or their overconfidence.
The two factions already organised their positions strategically for the fight to come, as far as strategy could go in a battle of pure power. They were staring at each other, trying to analyse the weak spots, to see the layout of the forces. And finally, while in the physical world the armies were preparing to clash, the Concepts began their fight.
Humanity had put their weakest Concepts in the front, and they were quickly wiped out. It always went like that. The weak beliefs were forgotten in front of conflict, only what mattered remained when a common enemy was encountered.
Then came the common Concepts, the ones that are not actively nurtured, the ones at the back of the mind. Morning, a child with warm clothes and smelling coffee, fell to the Gulmos’ Dawn, a humanoid octopus dressed in dark robes. Dog and Cat both fell to the double-jawed reptile of the Hurkins. Home, an old woman with firewood in her back and a pillow in her arms, fell to the Junmys’ Citadel and its metal spikes upon its long arms.
Then, there were the weird ones, the Concepts that were strong for no reason, usually out of shared culture or recent events. Star Wars, a human with a black mask and a blue lightsaber, and Lord of the Rings, a small man dressed in grey with a sword, a ring and pointy ears; Internet, fairly strong being with many limbs and faces, all different colours and age, carrying books and screens by its belt; or Ghost, a white draped figure with bloody hands and no pupil. All of them were outnumbered and butchered by the Kalos’ Moonhister, the Frusfatas’ Huji and Guji, the Pos’ Number Four, and many others.
Then, came the strongest ones. The ones that were old, the ones that were primal, or
the ones that were followed. First was Honor, a man in metal armour, carrying a katana in his white gloved hands. He fell to the Lomsans’ Strategy, a lean and quick feline that pierced his armour right under the arm with a long claw.
Revenge came next, a young girl with a rusted knife, blood on her clothes, dark eyes, torn clothes. She fell to the Gyrtas’ Explanation, a tall six-limbed pale skin being, with mouths all over its abdomen.
Sun, a tall shining human carrying a water bucket and a flaming wood branch, and Night, a black wolf with white lighted eyes and silent steps, both fell to the Huubzas’ Nebulae and Ocean, two beings of changing fluids and multiple teints.
Science then fell, an old man with white blouse, grey beard and hair, and an electric gun in hand; he coulnd’t beat the power of the Fotlms’ Knowledge, its heavy horned head out of its thick shell covered with books.
Then came Justice, a woman in a dark robe carrying a sword and a scale. She fell to the Rees’ Law, a fish-like being with dozens of eyes and a spiked tail.
Money put a serious threat, a fat man richly dressed, with a metal arm and calloused dirty hands. But he fell to the Ezreets’ Economy, a giant bird with four wings and gems as feathers.
Then, Art advanced, an old man covered in paint, a guitar on his back and a hammer and chisel in his hands. He fell to the Ysells’ Tales, an arachnid with colourful clothing and amps on its back.
Family came, a two-faced human on a female-like body, with large belly and strong arms, only to fall in front of the Rotthals’ Tribe, a blue-skinned and black haired being with large muscles and wood armour.
War was next, and the level of power went up. It was a huge man in a kevlar vest and straw loincloth, carrying an axe, an assault rifle and grenades. He fought long and hard but fell to the Gyguns’ Violence, a red-haired mammal with four arms and huge fists armed with metal spikes.
Then advanced God, with gray hair and white clothing, slowly flying with lightning in one hand and a huge key in another, only to fall in front of the Aions’ Elder, a gigantic stone-skinned being, with lava as a breath and trees on its back.
Next was Love, a woman simply dressed with her head held high and a large smile on her face. She emanated strong energy that was hard to pass through, but eventually she fell to the Turnims’ Fusion, a two-headed being with intertwined colour patterns upon a sleek skin and two sharp tails.
The end was near. Hope stood, a child with closed fists and an ever-shifting flag. Each time he fell, he stood back up. Each time he was cut off, he regrew. Each time he was beaten, he continued to strike back. But finally, he fell, burned to oblivion by the Kalaxis’ Ruthlessness and its burning hands, its scales pulsing with dark blood and its eyes lighting up in cold blue.
The last Human Concept was the most primal. The first one and the last. The thought about and the fled. Death rose up. A black dress, white hands of bones, and in them, a huge scythe. Death was often one of the strongest Concepts of the encountered races, but it was unusual to see it last. Nevertheless, the Hinbaa’s Survival always wanted to deal with the last one. And it did. The battle was a chilling one; the Hinbaa’s Survival was a hairy being on all fours, with prehensile hands and tools hanging on multiple belts. It was clever and quick, and could adapt to everything. But Humans’ Death wasn’t one to be diversified. It was simple, both brutal and swift. Death tore up Survival one limb at a time, and Survival regrew them one limb at a time. Survival ran and striked, bit and jumped. Death just swang its scythe tirelessly. It was a long fight. None of them seemed to weaken. But, after another merciless fury of Survival’s claws, Death fell, vanquished.
And behind Death, it appeared.
Cross-legged on the ground, it stood up. And every Concept of the empire could feel it. Its power was enormous.
It was a human, or at least a human shape. But that was all it was, a shape. No skin, no features, no defined characteristics. Staring at it was both like staring at emptiness and at blinding lights. There was no murderous intent, no kindness, no fear, emanating from the human entity. It stood there, its head moving from one side to the other as it seemed to be examining the Concepts that were facing it. And then, it walked forward.
Survival tried to jump against it. And many others. Violence, Law, Ruthlessness… But none of them touched it. Before coming into contact with it, they fell to the ground, inert. It continued to walk forward. Step by step, it went further into the mass of powerful Concepts of the empire. No attack landed, no word reached. The closer it came, the more its power crushed the other Concepts. It just was there, walking, and its sole power sufficed to render useless all the strength of all the Concept that stood near it.
Finally, it reached the most powerful Concept of the empire. A mass of limbs, heads, skins, feathers, scales, hairs, tendrils, shells, eyes, claws, the fruit of the common and strongest belief of all of the beings of the empire: the Galactic Agglomerate’s Conquest. And once it reached it, in the heart of the empire army of Concepts, face up looking at the huge enemy in front of it, it just stood there. Immovable. Unfaceable. All entities around, as they were being drained and vanquished by its sole presence, wondered.
All Human Concepts had stood in front of it. Revenge, Justice, Art, War, Hope, they all stood up for it. Even Death protected it.
And no belief in the empire was strong enough to face it, let alone defeat it. They all fell. Even Conquest. In the physical world, the armies were stopped, the forces were unable to advance, the planets were not conquered, the race not assimilated. So they went back. And in the Ether, they did the same. Weak, hurting, the Galactic Agglomerate’s Concepts were pushed back in front of it.
And just before the last of them went away, just before they left Humanity alone and abandoned fighting them, Conquest turned back, and asked the entity.
“Please, tell, just… What… are you ?...”
The entity lifted its head up once again, and spoke, calmly.
“I’m Freedom.”
​
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Hi there ! A story written in one shot, on a concept (heh) that came to me. A bit on the abstract side. Dunno how decent it is, but here it is. I hope you enjoyed it, as usual don’t hesitate to criticise english, form or substance. Until next time !

This is part of my little series about the adventures of Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick. If you'd like to read previous parts, they're linked below, along with brief summaries of each:
Part One: Alien learns what "sleep" is and how humans prefer to do it in a comfy bed with blankets and pillows. And they find it utterly adorable.
Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick are sent on a survey mission together. Things go south, Aldrick makes sure they're safe, and then Vr'ocria learns what human sleep is and how vulnerable humans are when they sleep. Vr'ocria's people don't sleep, but enter stasis, a form of rest in which they typically stand, and they are still slightly aware of their surroundings. Vr'ocria finds human sleep utterly adorable, and also decides she will protect Aldrick while he sleeps. And she also develops a massive crush on him. (Her scales turning purple is her version of blushing)
Part Two: An alien + human adventure with such shenanigans as poison drinking, befriending dangerous wildlife, and fighting a space pirate. Oh, and they have a huge crush on each other.
Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick end up assigned together for another survey mission. Vr'ocria tries to deny her feelings for Aldrick after a tense conversation with her nestmate about the danger of humans, but when they're ambushed in the night by a pirate and Aldrick takes a blow to save her, becoming injured in the process, she comes to realize just how strongly she feels for him. She kills the pirate, carries Aldrick to safety, and the two share a tender moment.
Part Three: When a cold-blooded alien has to cuddle a warm-blooded human for warmth
Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick are assigned to an ice plant for their next mission. Aldrick chews out Command for assigning Vr'ocria there when they know she's cold-blooded and not built for the cold, and when the power goes out, they cuddle to keep her from freezing. They finally confess their feelings for one another, and Vr'ocria learns what kissing is.
Part Four: A human leaves a hickey on his alien lover. Her nestmate doesn't understand what a hickey is, and thinks the human injured her
Vr'ocria enjoys neck kisses, and asks Aldrick to indulge her. Later, she has a video call with her nestmate Galek. Galek is already wary of humans, and when he sees a bruise on her throat that she didn't notice, he figures out Aldrick is responsible and freaks out, thinking Aldrick intentionally hurt her. Vr'ocria dresses Galek down, explaining that it's not an injury, and also that he needs to get over it and respect her relationship with Aldrick.
Now for the new story!
TW: There will be blood and broken bones.
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"I have a bad feeling about this."
Vr'ocria turned to Human Aldrick in the pilot seat next to her. He was drumming his fingers on the console, brow furrowed, as he watched the Xenthum solar system approach.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I dunno. I just–" he bit the inside of his cheek. "You ever just get an ick feeling about something?"
Vr'ocria frowned. "No. Can you explain it?"
He scratched the back of his neck. "It's hard to explain. Like, there's nothing wrong that I can tell about this mission, but ever since we got within visual range, I've had this gut feeling that we need to turn back."
Vr'ocria wasn't sure she understood, but she didn't like seeing him uncomfortable. "Well, we're here on orders–"
"I know, I know, I don't want to get us in trouble, I'm already on thin ice after yelling at Lieutenant Prax–"
"–but the minute anything starts to go wrong, no matter how small, we can turn around."
He glanced over at her. "Thanks," he said with a grateful smile.
They had entered the Xenthum system now. Its main planet was sparsely populated, used mostly as a trading outpost since it was so close to the Dridian border. The trick was navigating through the minefield of asteroid clusters. Aldrick let Vr'ocria take the lead piloting, since of the two of them, she was more skilled at delicate maneuvers.
They were almost to the planet when an alert pinged. Aldrick sat up to check the sensors.
"There's a ship nearby," he reported. "A big one."
"Where?" Vr'ocria pulled up the sensor on her screen. "I don't see anything. Just asteroids."
"Turn on the warp detector and increase the ion frequency."
Vr'ocria pressed a few controls. "Oh wow, you weren't kidding." She frowned. "It's way too big to be in the middle of an asteroid field. What are they doing?"
"I don't know, but I don't like it." She could feel the tension radiating from him.
"You want to get out of here?" she asked.
He chewed his lip. "Y'know what? Yeah. Let's at least take an alternate route, we can–"
But before he could finish, there was a loud BANG and they were sent flying from their seats as the shuttle rattled.
"What the fuck?" Aldrick yelled as he scrambled to his feet, lunging for the console. "Did we scrape an asteroid?"
Vr'ocria crawled back into her seat as well and banged out a few commands on her screen. Her blood froze.
"No," she said in a low voice. "It was phaser fire."
They'd been so focused on the massive ship that they'd missed the tiny shuttle creeping up from below them.
BANG. The screens flickered and glitched.
Aldrick cursed. "We've lost shields!"
There was another hit, then another, and another. Sparks were flying now, and the sensors were screaming as the shuttle's operating systems started failing.
Vr'ocria was tossed against the wall in one particularly brutal crash, and the last thing she saw was a broken panel flying right towards her face.
—
Everything hurt.
Especially her nose. The tang of blood clung to the back of her throat.
There were muffled voices somewhere nearby, and the sound of metal scraping. When she tried to move, she abruptly registered something cold and hard encircling her wrists.
"She's waking up."
Vr'ocria coughed, blood splattering from her lips. Moaning in pain, she managed to lift her head and crack her eyes open.
The scraping sound was the heels of her boots sliding across metal grate flooring as she was dragged by her wrists. She craned her head back, pain shooting through her neck, and realized that her wrists were clapped in rusty manacles. A massive blue hand fisted the rust red chains that suspended her arms over her head.
"Wha' th'fmm–" she slurred. Her brain felt like sludge.
Suddenly she was yanked even higher into the air, her toes just brushing the floor. A shock of cold assaulted her and she yelped, flinching as water dripped down her face.
"You awake now?"
A man was standing in front of her, tossing aside a now-empty bucket. There were several people, actually. All different species, all looking very pleased, and all wearing distinctive black Norvidian armbands.
Pirates.
A hand cracked across her cheek, sending more blood flying. She bit back a cry as the shockwave laced through her broken nose. "Fuck you," she spat instead.
The man chuckled. He was tall, muscles bulging through his coat, and his skin was blue. He must've been the one dragging her. "Picking up human words, I see."
Vr'ocria's blood turned to ice. "What have you done with him?" She demanded in a low voice.
His grin only widened. His teeth were crooked and rotting. "I'll be asking the questions here."
Her scales burned a bright and hot yellow and snapped as they turned on end. But before she could respond, his hand lashed out and grabbed her throat–not enough to choke her just yet, but enough to make her freeze.
"You're the lizard bitch from Theta-7, yes?" The grin was gone now, replaced by a withering glare.
Understanding dawned on Vr'ocria. Blast. Oh, blast.
He saw the realization in her eyes and slowly released her throat. "You are."
"What's it to you?" She snapped.
He sneered. "You killed one of my men."
"He attacked us first!"
Stars burst behind her eyes as the air was forced from her lungs, and it took her a moment to realize that he had punched her in the gut. All she could do was cough and gasp, trying to regain her bearings through the pain as he turned away from her and towards the others standing around. He raised his arms.
"We are Norvids!" He boomed, and the others whooped in agreement. "We stand together! We protect our own!"
Vr'ocria tuned him out as he kept proselytizing, using the opportunity to look around the room. It was massive and almost all metal with towering walls. Crane chains hung from the ceiling, and crates and barrels of different sizes were scattered about, everything dusty, rusty, and old. A storage room. An old cargo ship? She wondered. That would explain why it was so big.
She ran a quick headcount of everyone she could see. Seventeen.
But where was Aldrick?
Vr'ocria felt sick. You better be okay…you have to…please be okay…
The man–the captain, she guessed–finally turned back to her. He drew a dagger from a sheath strapped to his arm, and her eyes went wide.
"A life for a life," he growled, stalking towards her.
But before he'd made it even two steps, a voice rang out through the cargo bay.
"Don't you fucking touch her."
It was enough to stop the captain in his tracks.
Footsteps sounded from behind her, and Vr'ocria tried in vain to twist her body around.
But she didn't have to. The man approaching from behind came forward and stepped in between her and the captain, and she didn't have to see his face to know who it was.
"Aldrick," she nearly whimpered.
The caption sneered. "Well well, a little escape artist, are we?"
Aldrick was silent.
Deathly so.
Vr'ocria swallowed.
Even the captain, who was twice Aldrick's size, seemed to waver. Vr'ocria wasn't sure she wanted to know what he saw on Aldrick's face.
Finally, Aldrick spoke. "Any of you touch her, and you will die." His voice was so cold it pierced her to the bone. She could see his clenched fists trembling at his sides. He's not even armed!
The captain began to laugh, his voice echoing around the bay. The others laughed with him.
"And who's gonna stop us?" He demanded. "You? Little human, you don't know who you're messing with." He dashed forward, raising the blade, ready to strike.
"Aldrick!" Vr'ocria screamed.
But Aldrick dodged as easily as water flows through a river, ducking under the dagger and going for the captain's legs. He barreled his full weight against his hips, and with a shout, the giant fell, the dagger clattering from his grasp. Quick as a whip, Aldrick snatched it up–and drove it directly into the captain's throat.
Vr'ocria couldn't help but watch in horror as green blood frothed forth, spraying all over Aldrick. The captain's eyes were wide, and he choked and spasmed as his life drained out onto the dirty floor.
By now, the others were surging forward, shouting, screaming, and brandishing their own weapons.
"NO!" Vr'ocria screamed as they converged on him. She kicked and yanked uselessly at her chains, desperate to help, to do anything. The manacles bit painfully into her scales, some of them even popping off onto the floor, leaving beads of blood welling up in their wake. But the manacles did not yield.
When she looked back, she was terrified she'd see Aldrick lying dead on the floor.
But he wasn't.
In fact, there were three pirates–no, make that four now–sprawled lifelessly instead. Aldrick was a whirlwind of limbs and gnashing teeth–he ducked and dodged, spat and kicked, slashing at knees and elbows, slowly incapacitating or discombobulating each one until he was able to sink the dagger into throats, chests, between ribs–bodies were dropping--he was covered in blood now, eyes wild–
"BEHIND YOU!" Vr'ocria screamed.
Aldrick turned just a second too late, and a woman covered in dark fur landed a kick directly to his chest. He hit the floor, the dagger flying from his grasp. The woman pounced, her hands wrapping around his throat. His legs thrashed as he clutched at her hands, and he was just able to roll them over until he was on top. From there, he simply started punching, and punching, blood spraying his face with each hit.
A large man behind him had stumbled back to his feet. He lunged forward and yanked Aldrick up by the back of his shirt, throwing him bodily into the air, where he crashed against a metal crate.
He hit the ground and didn't move.
Vr'ocria was screaming. She didn't know if she was saying words anymore, but she was screaming, and blood was streaming down her arms now from how hard she was pulling against the manacles. All she could do was watch as the final three pirates approached her mate where he lay lifeless on the floor.
They stopped before they were in arms length, looking between each other. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but one of them finally edged forward and poked Aldrick's side with her toe.
Vr'ocria wanted to rip their entrails out with her bare hands.
He still didn't move. Seeming satisfied, they moved forward, and one bent to grab him.
All at once, her human surged back to life. The man closest to him hit the ground as Aldrick swung his legs around, sweeping the man's feet out from under him. Once he was down, Aldrick bashed a crane hook–one he must've picked up from the floor–into the man's skull so hard that it caved in with one blow. Still lying on the floor, Aldrick used his vantage point to kick the woman's knee backwards, and she collapsed with an agonized scream. One more strike with the hook, and she was silenced.
That left just one. The final pirate appeared to be reptilian like her, although he had large spines stretching across his head and shoulders. This one didn't try to rush Aldrick. Instead, he kept his distance, watching warily as Aldrick climbed to his feet.
"So it's true," the spined pirate said, "what they say about humans."
Aldrick returned a deadly stare. "And what's that?" His voice almost didn't even sound like his anymore.
"You're monsters. Demons. Scourge of the universe."
Aldrick grinned, but it looked more like a feral animal baring its teeth. "That's me."
The pirate's spines flexed. "You could join us," he said. "Join the Norvids. We'll find another crew, you can be captain."
They were circling now, Aldrick crouched like a predator ready to strike, the pirate shuffling back with his hands held out.
"You could be rich!"
Aldrick picked up a rusty chain from a barrel as he passed by.
"Think of the power you would wield!" The pirate cried desperately.
Aldrick still said nothing. He forced him back, and back, until the pirate realized, too late, that he was cornered between two crates. His back hit the wall and he slid down, cowering, as Aldrick loomed over him.
Vr'ocria could barely hear because of the distance, but the metal room carried Aldrick's low hiss as he bent down to the trembling pirate: "You hurt my mate. Now, you die."
The rusty chain crackled as Aldrick wrapped it around the pirate's neck in one fell swoop. He pulled the loop tight and the pirate clutched at the noose, his eyes and forked tongue bulging out. Then, with one swift and hard yank, an audible splinter-snap filled the room–and the pirate was dead before he hit the floor, his neck bent at an unnatural angle.
Aldrick dropped him in disgust. His back was turned, but Vr'ocria could still see his chest heaving.
He turned and met Vr'ocria's eyes, and the demented expression drained from his face. He stepped towards her, slowly at first, and then broke into a sprint.
It seemed like he wanted to throw his arms around her, but he came to a sudden halt before he could touch her, instead raising his shaking hands to her face. "Vr'ocria, 'ria, my Ria, I'm so sorry–" his voice broke and his eyes welled with tears that quickly spilled over and began running down his face, carving tracks into the grime and blood spatter.
"Aldrick," she whispered, drinking him in. He's alive.
"Hold on, hold on, I'll get you out of these cuffs, fuck–" he turned to the dead captain on the floor and rifled through his pockets until he produced a key.
He returned and had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the manacles, and with a scrape and groan of metal, the manacles cracked loose.
Vr'ocria collapsed onto Aldrick, her legs too weak to hold her up. Her arms fell over his shoulders, and he caught her around the waist. Together they sank to the floor until they were both on their knees, clutching at one another as if they would disappear.
Aldrick buried his face in her neck, shaking with silent sobs. Vr'ocria tangled her hands in his bloody hair, not caring about the mess. Her people couldn't weep like humans did, but she might as well have with the way her chest heaved with stuttering breaths, her scales burning bright red.
Aldrick clutched her tight enough to hurt, but she didn't care. "Ria, my Ria, my love," he gasped like a mantra.
She finally took his face in her hands and pulled him back, forcing him to look at her. "Are you alright?" She implored. "Are you hurt?"
He let out a half-laugh, half-sob. "You're asking me?"
She used her thumbs to wipe away some of the grime on his face. "You took on all of those people by yourself," she croaked. "And the way he threw you–planets, I thought you were dead."
His hands slid up her back to clutch her shoulders. "I'm alright," he assured her. "Bumps and bruises is all. But you–" he looked her up and down, rage rekindling in his eyes. "Son of a bitch, what they did to you–"
She shook her head. "They're dead now," she said firmly. "It's over and done." She leaned forward to squeeze him again, resting her head on his shoulder. "Let's just go home."
"Don't have to tell me twice." Aldrick rose, pulling her up with him. Her legs were still too unsteady to walk, so instead, he slid one hand under her knees and swept her up into his arms. She settled against his chest as he carried her out of the cargo bay.
"Should we be worried about any other crew members?" She asked, casting her eyes around the barren corridor.
Aldrick shook his head as he walked. He seemed to know where he was going. "It was just them."
"How do you know? And what happened to you, by the way?"
His arms tightened around her. "After you got knocked out, they locked a tractor beam onto the shuttle and pulled us inside."
They came to a fork in the corridor, and he turned left. "I thought they were just raiding for scrap metal and Union tech, but when they boarded the shuttle, they went straight for you. I–" his voice cracked. "I tried to protect you, but there were so many of them and I was so caught off guard..."
Vr'ocria stroked the nape of his neck with her thumb. "It's okay, it's not your fault."
Aldrick swallowed before continuing. "They took you away and locked me in an old storage container. Thankfully the hinges were on the inside, so I just popped the pins out once they were gone. I was able to access the ship's computer and scan the whole ship, because the idiots didn't know how to encrypt anything. All brawn and no brains, I guess. That's also how I was able to figure out where they kept their own shuttles, since ours is pretty busted."
"Is that where we're going?"
He nodded. "Anyway, I used the scanner to find your location, and then I just crawled through the air ducts so I could get inside without them knowing." He stopped. "We're here."
They'd arrived at a loading door with a rusty label that read "SHUTTLE BAY."
Twenty minutes later found them back out in open space in the least-old shuttle they could find. The engine puttered every few minutes, but with any luck, they'd reach their ship in an hour or so.
Vr'ocria had regained her bearings, and she was rummaging around the storage box at the back of the cabin. She finally found an old "in case of emergency" kit, but frustratingly, all the first aid supplies had been picked clean. She did, however, find an unopened package of wet wipes.
Vr'ocria took the wipes back to the front of the cabin. Ripping the package open, she knelt by Aldrick where he sat in the pilot seat.
"What're you doing?"
"Hold still," she murmured. She raised a wipe to his face, and began gently cleaning the blood off. His eyes became soft as she tended to him, throwing the dirty wipes aside one by one while she worked her way down his face and neck.
When she was done, he took her hand before she could get up. He reached for the package as well, and began wiping the blood from her arms, taking care around the nasty scrapes that marred her wrists. "We need to get these bandaged up."
"It's okay. They're not bleeding anymore, we have time."
Aldrick placed a hand on her cheek. "I love you so much," he whispered. "And I'm glad you're okay."
Vr'ocria leaned into his hand, closing her eyes. "I love you too."
Turns out it's REALLY hard to write fight scenes lol. I can see it happening in my head, but getting it down on paper is another story. I had fun though! And I hope I did it justice.
Thank you for reading!
PART SIX IS UP

So I am usually using a Resmed P10 nasal pillow mask which I like. I bought a Resmed Airtouch F20 for when I am too congested to breathe through my nose due to allergies or a cold. This has not occurred yet, I have not been too congested at any point in these 6 weeks that I have been using a CPAP.
Question:
Would it be better if I try sleeping with the Airtouch F20 ahead of time to get used to it as well so that when the time comes when I am too congested I am used to this different mask? Or should I not worry about it for now and just keep it in my supplies for the time being with the assumption that next time I am too congested to breathe through my nose I will use the full face mask and I will likely be miserable then anyway and getting used to the different mask ahead of time won’t make too much difference?

I have noticed that whenever I lay to my side when wearing the ResMed AirFit N20 nasal mask, I get air leaks. The way my face is angled towards the pillow when I sleep on my side presses the mask (and I guess the "elbow" part of the tubing) against the pillow which then lifts it off of my face. The leaks are significant enough to be uncomfortable/annoying, and it prevents me from sleeping on my side. The leaks only seem avoidable if 1) I have the straps super tight onto my face to the point where my eyes feel like they are being pinched inwards and 2) my head is at a certain angle on my pillow which sort of locks the mask into my pillow to prevent it from lifting off of my face.
I have been using the large size ResMed AirFit N20 nasal mask as that is what the sleep technician assigned me during a ResMed Autosense 10 trial. It's weird because after I had bought my own large sized mask, I measured which size I would fit (using the measurement card that ResMed sends you) and I am actually a small. I'm really not sure why she decided that a large would fit me, especially since I can recall her measuring the width of my nose using a card, which would had to have been the same one that ResMed sent me along with my mask.
My questions are:

• Would you say that this ill-fitting mask would be responsible for the air leaks I am getting when laying on my side?
• Or are the air leaks just something that happens/is unavoidable with nasal masks when side-sleeping? The leaks seem to be coming from the mask being pressed against my pillow, so I'm not sure if getting a smaller mask would prevent that.
• Should CPAP masks in general need to be super tight on my face?
• If you think a smaller mask would help, would you recommend me buying the small or medium sized mask? My nose pretty much fits exactly into the small section of the measurement card, but I'm worried it will feel too snug.

This is the measurement card I am talking about https://www.cpapclub.com.au/assets/alt_10/RESAirTouchN20NM.jpg?20201130131833

I should start this by saying I'm not a detective anymore.
After the events at the warehouse, I was paged to visit my direct supervisor, Sgt. Langley. She was sitting behind a mahogany desk when I came in, gazing at some sort of file. She looked up at me. "What the hell was that, Jonathan?"
"We were underprepared, ma'am." I replied.
She glared at me from across the room. "We have a man missing, and a severe casualty! How underprepared were you? Did you not take any precautions at all?"
"With all due respect, you weren't there, ma'am." I said, upset. "Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw down there. How would you expect someone to perform at their peak, faced with . . . that."
She sighed and looked down at the file, eyes skimming over the words. "The brass is asking I let you go, for the moment."
"You can't seriously thi-" I began to say.
She held up a palm. "Look, the media is all over this. For everyone's sake, including you," she jabbed a finger at me, "it's best that you stay out of this for the time being."
I stared at her. She stared back, and raised an eyebrow. I considered my options, and begrudgingly decided to hand over my badge and gun. Langley smiled again. "Look. This will all blow over soon. Just take a rest for a while, hmm?"
I didn't respond.
I left her office. It was twelve, and I had nothing to do besides worry about all that was going on.. So I went home and slept. I was exhausted after the past few days, after all.
I awoke to my doorbell ringing. I was in that half-asleep state, so I covered my head with a pillow, hoping that whoever it was would go away. The doorbell rung again. I shifted position in my bed, and checked my watch. Four o'clock. I was more tired than I thought.
The doorbell rung again.
I slowly got up and made my way to the door, brushing the sleep from my eyes. The door opened to reveal a scruffy-haired, lanky teenage kid, who looked to be about eighteen. He nodded at me, while smiling politely.
"What do you want?" I said, not-so-politely.
"Uh, yeah. I'm meant to drive you to this place. I mean, that is if you want to go." He said.
I looked at him, trying to discern if he was serious or not. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Someone came up to me and offered five hundred bucks to ask you to come with me. But you don't have to come, either. I've been told to say the decision is up to you." A look of remembrance flashed across his face. "Oh, yeah. I'm supposed to give this to you as well."
He pulled a well-folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to me. I opened it up, and read the words scrawled inside.
Heard you're out of work!
You should come join my zoo. We're always in need of more Zookeepers. :)
The boy peered at me from behind the paper. "So what is it then? Are you coming or not?"
I stared at him, blankly.
What do I say? How does whoever wrote this note know I lost my job anyways? It only just happened. This is obviously a trap anyways. The kid could even be on it. The last time I followed one of these notes, I lost a man, and almost got another killed. So what, then? Should I go or stay?
I looked back at the kid. "Yeah, I'm coming."
The kid drove with that careful rigidness that all first-year drivers seem to have. He drove for a while, slowly taking me out of town and into the rural back areas of my city. It took another thirty minutes of driving along long stretches of road the land becoming quieter and more desolate, before he pulled up onto a gravel pathway, which seemed to be the entrance of a much larger farm. I looked at the sign as he drove me in.
Winston's Family Orchard.
The gravel pathway diverted further up the track, and he took the right road. It ended up at what looked to be a farmhouse. There were lights on inside, and I heard the whir of machinery in the massive shed behind it. The kid stopped the car.
"This is your stop. Hope you have a great evening, sir." He cheerfully said, allowing me enough time to get out of the car before he drove back down the pathway.
I watched him until the headlights dipped below the horizon, before making my up the steps and onto the veranda. I could hear voices inside the house. Talking, laughing. It sounded like any house at dinnertime. Unsure of what to do, I knocked at the door.
The voices stopped.
I heard the soft pad of someone walking barefoot on hardwood towards me. The door opened. A man came out from behind it, he was of average height, cropped hair, and with three-day-stubble beginning to show. He stared at me with a faraway look in his eyes, before smiling, and gesturing for me to come in. "Glad you could make it! Dinner is just ready. Why don't you come join us?" His voice was deep and intoned, and familiar.
Very familiar.
"I . . . I know you." I said. More of an accusation than a fact. I thought back to the memories of the night I found my sister. The paramedic who passed me the note that started all of this. The paramedic who always seemed to be gazing of into the distance. No. No just gazing. Searching.
He tilted his head slightly. "Well, I'm happy to hear that! Makes acquaintances a bit more easier, then. Come on, you look hungry, let's eat!"
I didn't move. "I'm not going to fucking eat with you!" I yelled at him. "You killed my sister!"
He looked at me questioningly. "No. No. I didn't. I'm just a Keeper. You've got this all wrong. She-"
"I don't give a damn what you have to say!" I retorted.
"Hey, buddy. Let's calm down and talk this over a meal. I'm serious. Come and join us." And with that he walked back down the hallway. He turned left, into what I assumed was the dining room. I heard a couple of hushed voices, and scraping chairs. It seemed people were leaving.
I had two options. I could go in and find out what was going on. Or I could leave and forget about all of this. There was one problem, however. I would never be able to forget. The pain would never go away. The horrors of what I saw could not be forgotten.
I walked inside.
I entered the room I saw the paramedic go through. Inside there was a table, set like it was ready to feed a large family. There was a roast lamb in the middle, with a few cuts already sliced from it. Around it there was various side dishes and drinks. There was a man seated at the head of the table, directly opposite to where I was. It seemed everyone else had left.
The man spoke. His voice was rich and pronounced. "Isn't great that we can finally meet, Jonathan? I have so much that I would like to tell you."
". . . and who are you?" I asked.
He chuckled. "All in due time." He waved his hand at me. "Come. Sit. Eat. Anything you'd like. I do recommend the steamed asparagus, however. Bonnie really outdid herself there."
I remained standing.
He seemed unfazed, and continued to speak. "Now, I would like to remind you that you came here of your own accord, and you may leave whenever you feel like. We are not forcing you to stay here, but I so would enjoy your company." He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his stomach. "Now, before I start waffling on. Is there any questions you would like to ask? Any burning thing you would like to know?"
It didn't take me long to think of a question. "Why'd you do it? Why did you kill all these people?"
He paused for a moment, seemingly disappointed. "Straight to those questions, are we?" He sighed. "Look around at the world, what do you see? All I see is death. You, of all people should know that. People die all the time. Hundreds a second. Thousands a minute. So what does it matter that I take a few more lives? It's just a drop in the bucket of death."
He stood up. "And when people die, it's useless. Everything that they've ever done amounts to nothing in the void of eternity. But it's not just that. As a species, we are bringing ourselves closer to death every day. We cannot make the right choices. Ever. So, on behalf of all of us, I'm choosing."
I shook my head in disbelief. "Choosing what? You're just torturing people to the point of death! How is that supposed to solve anything?"
"Do you still not yet understand?" His voice rose. "I am saving us all! I am leading the charge in the evolution of our species! In due time, I will be revered all around the world, as the one person who saw what was right, and had the guts to do it!" He turned around to face me. "The first few deaths were unfortunate, yes. But they have helped the cause beyond anything you can dream of! I am so close to creating the perfect being. The savior of our species!" He looked at me, jabbing a finger in my direction. "And you will join me! Become a Keeper and embrace the new world!"
I was silent for a while. This guy is insane. I thought. Join him? Who the hell does he think he is? I'm leaving the first chance I get. But I had one more question I wanted to ask him.
"Why me? Out of all the people you could have chosen, why me?"
He smiled widely, and let out a low laugh. "All of these smarts, and yet you couldn't figure that out? I didn't choose you. Look at you, quivering in a corner. There are so many more suitable prospect then you." He said with a hint of disgust. "Now tell me, what makes you think I choose you?"
"I don't know! The notes. . .my sister. You just seemed to be interested in me." I said.
He chuckled again. "You really don't know, do you? Tell me, how often would your sister go for a walk at midnight?"
". . .I'm not sure. Never, I suppose."
"Then what was she doing that night?"
The question struck me as odd. I had never thought about what she was doing, only about how it happened. I could never figure it out. The only way it seemed possible for her to disappear, was if she had let it happen. But I ruled that one out early. She wouldn't just let herself get kidnapped, right?
Right?
The man arched an eyebrow at my silence. "You deserve the truth. Everyone does. Some people like to hide their secrets behind shadows and dark corners, praying they don't see the light of the day. I am not one of them. I strive to be open and honest in all that I do. I long for a world with no lies because there is nothing to lie about. Everyone is accepted. Everyone is valued. If you need proof, have I not told you my exact location twice now?"
"That's hardly fair. You shot at us the first time." I said.
"I did not shoot at you. You were just there. Look, I will explain to you everything. But first, I require something of you." He picked up a mug and started sipping at it. "Your loyalty. Tell me, Jonathan, will you join me?"
"You're out of your mind if you think I want any part of this." I said, resolutely.
A smile curled at the edge of his lips. "A pity." His eyes traveled down my body, seemingly gazing in everything. "Look at you, always slithering into situations you shouldn't have to be in. I think you'll make a fine snake."
I heard a shuffle behind me, and turned around just in time to see a metal bar being swung at my face. It connected with my forehead with a loud crack, sending me flying backwards onto the ground.
Pain.
That was the first thing I remember from when I woke up. Hot, searing pain, burning throughout my body and culminating in my forehead.
Pain.
A throbbing sensation that shook my body with every strangely-prominent beat of my heart, blurring my vision and deafening my eardrums.
Pain.
The metal floor was cold beneath me, drenched in my sweat. My arms were held down by some sort of shackle on each side, limiting my movement.
I was trapped.
With a killer.
I panicked. I thrashed my arms against the shackles, on the blind hope that I'd be able to free myself. The pain on my arm increased, and probably caused a bruise. I yelled out in pain, but discovered I was gagged with a piece of cloth.
"Struggling's just going to make it worse, you know." A voice said behind me. The man's voice from the dinner table. "Like I said before, you are free to leave whenever you wish. But since you won't give me your loyalty, I'll have to settle with something else." He walked around into my line of vision, holding what looked to be a saw. "I'll make this quick, but I have to warn you, I don't like using anesthetic. The body should feel pain. It's natural. How else would it learn to heal?"
He walked around to the other side of me, and turned on a camera that was held up on a tripod facing me. The lights blinked to signify that it was recording. He came back to me, and placed the teeth of the saw on my left arm, in the pit on the opposite side of the elbow. "Now, snakes don't have arms. So, I'll start with that."
I struggled against the binds again. Adrenaline coursed through my veins from the fear, with no way to use it. Panic was setting in, and the human body's core instinct is self-preservation. And I was doing the best I could to get away from this.
"Don't struggle, Jonathan. It just makes it take longer. It'll be over soon. I promise." He said, in a calm, steady voice.
And with that he pushed the saw downwards. My body screamed with pain, and my visioned blackened. I could feel blood seep out of the incision across the arm.
He continued to bring the saw downwards. Pushing it forwards and backwards, cutting through veins and arteries. I felt him hit bone. He continued to cut, I could feel the vibrations of my humerus being split in two.
I lost consciousness for the second time that evening.
When I came to my gag was gone. And my arm. The remaining stump was wrapped up in a torniquet and bandaged at the end. Everything still hurt, but much worse than before. Much, much worse. The man was still standing there, behind the camera. He seemed happy to see me awake.
"Had a good nap, then?" He walked over to where I was laying down, and held my remaining hand in his. "Everyone deserves a choice. Free will is what defines us. So I'm going to give you a choice. You could get up and leave right now, and work for me, or have your other other arm removed and your legs stitched together. It's completely up to you!"
Work for a madman. Or die to a madman. Self-preservation is stronger than dignity. "I. . .want to work for you." I said, struggling between breaths.
"Very good! Let's get you out of those binds shall we?" He plucked a key from his pocket and swiftly unlocked them, I tried to sit up, and promptly fell back down, my head spinning.
The man started to walk away. "Now, I'm going to begin your induction, you may feel free to leave or explore the house whenever you feel like. If you're hungry there's leftovers in the fridge. As I said, we're not trapping you here." He turned and smiled at me. "You're going to enjoy this, Jonathan. Toodles!"
He left the room, and went up a few stairs that I hadn't noticed before.. I took my time getting up, waiting until the earth stopped spinning under my feet. Walking felt strange without an arm, the weight was gone from there and I felt lopsided and unbalanced. I took in my surroundings. It was some sort of basement under the house, with different types of surgical equipment scattered around.
Besides that there was recording equipment scattered around and placed at various places. A few were still on, but most were turned off. There was a door to my left, and the staircase directly in front of me. There was a placard on the door with a single word on it.
Elephant.
I opened the door. It was dimly lit inside. The air smelled of musk and human waste. There was a small machine in the corner, lit up and whirring, with various cables hooked up to a large mound in the middle. The door slammed shut behind me.
The mound moved.
I took a step back out of fear. My focus shifted, and the horrible realization that I was looking at a person dawned on me. The person was extremely large, covered in layers of fat that rolled across their body. The person laboriously shuffled around to face me. The tubes from the machine connected into a mask that covered their mouth. The tubes continuously pumped a soft, gray liquid into the person's mouth.
I had only seen something like this once before, when looking for a murderer who was hiding in an abandoned mental hospital. A force-feeder.
On either side of the mask, the person had two large metal spikes coming out of each nostril, and back out the side of their head. Judging by the scars surrounding them, the spikes were drilled inside the cranium, until they eventually came out the other side, through the nose.
I shuddered at the thought.
The person slowly made their way forwards, shoving themselves against the floor. The person looked up at me, directly into my eyes. I saw the pleading in them. The humanity. Asking to be set free. And I saw something else, a flicker of recognition. Of understanding. I looked closer, past what I didn't want to see, past everything I didn't want to think about and I saw a friend.
I saw Thompson.
He was battered and beaten, and larger than he used to be. But it was still him. I rested on his shoulder and cried. Long and hard. This, more than anything broke me. Thompson didn't deserve this. No one does.
I glanced behind me, at the saw that cut off my arm. I stood up and grabbed it off the table, with my remaining hand. I brought it over to Thompson and held it over his face. His eyes grew misty, but he nodded, a slow and deliberate movement. He knew what it meant.
It was going to be hard to cut with only one available hand, so I opted for a large swing and used momentum to get the job done. A clean cut that severed his jugular and removed his life from his body.
I dropped the saw on the ground next to Thompson.
I made my way up the stairs and out of the front door. I had no shoes on, and the gravel road was tough under my feet. But I walked forwards. I was leaving, and nothing would stop me. The man had said so himself. And so I left.
But not forever.
I will be back.
For Thompson. For Alice.
I've got nothing left to lose and everything to gain.
Part 4
x

Chapter 1
The Villager’s Warning
In the North near the tempestuous mountains and the groves of the Relum trees, which grow relum, which are like sweet pears, was a prosperous village called “ Alestra”. Alestra is a medium-sized village known for its cloying relums and its soft and crumbly soil perfect for the trees and gardens. They lived a humble and healthy life supplying themselves with veggies and meat from the boars they hunted. The water from Rivenile was the source of their agricultural success and survival. The sound of little children having fun exploring the fields of grain while their family works diligently on the farms. Most of the children spend their time outside either helping with their family's farm or playing near the grains and on the trees playing fun games. All except one particular boy who will spend his days indoors writing stories and reading about the fascinating creatures he wishes to discover. His name was Aran Yearwood, a 12-year-old with red hair living with his parents who helped the village by transporting their food and veggies to nearby villages. Aran eagerly followed his father, perpetually saying “Father, can I hear the story about the Rift Creators of the Coliseum again please?”. The father replied, “ How about tonight when your mother is back for dinner, is that alright?”. “ Yes Father,” said Aran. Aran rushed to his room whose walls were covered with sheets of drawings and a portrait of his family right in the center of his room. His desk was piled with books and maps slightly torn and dirty. His bed was big enough for him, and a little chest lay at the end of the bed to store the items he cherished. Aran sat on his chair and picked up a book labeled “ Creatures of the Night” and he sat on his bed and read from where he began. Meanwhile, the Father went near his stable and put the ponderous goods on the wagon when he smelled a putrid stench of a rotting corpse. The father looked around to find the smell and discovered a Villager riding a horse carrying a wagon with numerous dead bodies disfigured and all missing body parts. “ What happened to them!?” stuttered the father in shock. “ To be honest I don’t know?” said the villager. “It might be a wolf or a bear,” said the villager. “That can’t be bears since it's winter,” said the father. “We might have to stop shipment to other villages,” said the villager. “Why, though, it's only a few animals we can take care of,” said the father. “Well, that depends if the mayor agrees,” the villager says. “Shouldn’t we mail this to animal control, maybe they can control these beasts,” the father said. “Already mailed it to them, should be arriving in a few weeks or so”. The villager rode his horse to the village square leaving the father worried. When it was nightfall the family was at the dinner table eating their food. They had a hot and warm meat pie filled with lamb and pork all mixed with gravy with a side of pan-fried spinach. After their dinner, Aran rushed towards his room with his father following him. “ Are you gonna tell me the story Father?” asked Aran. “ Alright, hold your patience,” said the father as he sat down on the bed. “ The story of the ..colosseum begins with the Greater wills, gods who judge the realms and serve as the way of evolution”. “When these gods see someone they love they give birth to the demigods. “ Each demigod ruled the realms and served as a ruler for their realms,” asked the Father. “ They had abilities like gravity, time, War, pestilence, and even death, while others had less powerful abilities like sand,” said the father. “ Each of the demigods is known to be the best and the most revered in their worlds.,” said the father in a Joyous mood. '' “All had everything they could need in their lives, but some wanted more”. The father looked outside the dark knight. “ Well it's getting late. The father replied with a tired tone “ Sleep well Aran”. “Can you finish the story tomorrow? " asked Aran, resting his head on the pillow. “Of course,” said the father. Aran closed his eyes and dreamed of himself in the stars, seeing the planets go by as he feels the
5 years later
Aran who was now 17 got off his bed with his room no longer having the drawings he used to have and the desk he still had an accumulation of books. He passed his parent's room and went into the kitchen to make his parents some breakfast. Aran's parents were always tired of the number of resources needed for other villages and Aran’s mother sprained her knee when running back to the village. Aran grabbed a few thick pork slices and chopped them to put on the ardent sizzling pan. Aran proceeded to crack a few eggs, mix them with scallions, and place them on the pan with the pork bits until they were cooked well. The sound of the sizzling food awoke the father as he peeked through the kitchen to see his son cook. The father asks” Son it's still dark outside why are you up this early”. “I wanted to give you something to eat while I’m gone with the delivery for the next town,” said Aran. “ Alone, you can’t be alone when Wendigos are out on the road”. “ Let me come and help you deliver the food..” but as the father said that he was cut off and the Aron said, “ It's alright I brought a knife with me and I’ll be cautious”. Aran exited the house and went near the stable to ride his horse carrying the fruits and vegetables on his side. Aran rode his horse down the road to the village square. The village square had big houses with markets surrounding the houses and farms surrounding the Relum trees growing ever so long behind the village. The villagers look depleted and worn out. Aran rode his horse to the other houses to ask for resources and food they offered them all saying “ Tell Newberry to stay strong”. After Aran was finished taking the villager's supplies for Newberry he went to the village chief to gather his resources. He knocked on the door of the Mayor's house and saw him with a pile of water buckets, a few bags of gold, and Packs of wood. “ Ah Aran, please put this on your cart and tell Newberry to stay safe and have hope”. “Of course chief,” said Aran. Aran rode his horse to the village gate next to the tower post. When Aran was next to the post a Knight went outside of the tower replying “ What is your business of leaving Alestra '' . “ I’m transporting my family’s food to the village of Newberry, “ said Aran. “ The village of Newberry isn't doing well since the Wendigos raided them, they're going to need those supplies” said the knight. Aran was permitted to leave Alestera and Aran continued his journey on the path. Aran passed through from a few corpses to an abundance of them until Aran saw the village. The village was burned and ravaged with dark smoke covering the sky and the stench of burning flesh still in the air. Aran rushed to the village to see if anybody survived but found none survived. When Aran was about to leave he saw smoke coming out of the forest, Aran rode his horse swiftly and came to the source of the fire. He saw a few villagers and a small number of children near the fire scared and tired from the raid. “ Are you the villagers of Newberry?” asked Aran. “ We used to be until the Wendigos attacked,” said an elderly lady. Aran with a shocked look on his face asked: “ What about the knights”. “ Most of them died fighting while some died running,” said the old man next to the lady. “ Some more knights tried to help but those insidious beasts forestalled ”. Aran was worried for the villagers of Newberry and shouted“ I have resources from the town of Alestra and we have come for your help!!!”. All the villagers looked at Aran as he continued to shout “ Please gather any resources you need and help yourself to the food you need to survive with!!!”. The Villagers filled with hope and joy rushed to the cart and gathered all the supplies. They were all eating and drinking and covering themselves with blankets making them feel just a little bit safer. “ We don’t know how to thank you, young sir,” said a man with his children next to him. “ Please sir you don’t have to do anything, but if you and the others need help we're just a few miles away south,” said Aran. Aran left with an empty cart and a feeling of beatitude when he saw the villagers of Newberry full of bliss and hope. Halfway through his trip back to his village the horse instantaneously stopped and nearly threw Aran off the horse. “ Stay here Becky,” said Aran smoothly. He jumped off the horse and looked all around to see if anything would jump out and attack him. Suddenly he heard a large screeching sound mixed with screeching. He heard rustling and sticks being broken. He heard the noise again except it was teeth chattering and the sound of a loud sharp horn was closer. “ We have to go, Becky,” said Aran urgently as he jumped on his horse and rode as fast as he could. Aran heard the sound come closer and faster towards him. Aran had the sudden urge to stop the horse midway. Aran stopped his horse and soon after a dark wendigo jumped out in front of him and crashed near some trees and was unconscious for a few seconds. Aran used that time to ride away while horrified by that chase. The wendigo screeched in anger as Aran was out of its sight. Aran returned to the village sweaty and scared and opened the doors only to be on his knees. The father rushed up to him with the mother following him slowly. “ Aran what happened to you?!” asked the father in a frightened manner. “I escaped from a wendigo,” said Aran panting. “ How in this world did you survive?!” asked the father. “ Raranold, let the Aran rest now,” said the mother. “ Aran is traumatized enough for today, we can ask when he is ready but for now let him sleep and rest”. The father took a deep breath and said to Aran “ You can go upstairs and we’ll cook something for you, is that okay ''. “That's okay,” Aran replied. Aran went upstairs to his room and went to his bed to sit. Aran heard voices from downstairs wanting to hear what his parents were talking about. Aran opened the door quietly, walked on the stairs sneakily, and peered through the kitchen to hear what they were saying. “ 7 people died on that road and were eaten, there is no way our son could survive one of their attacks,” said Raranold. “ I think it's time for us to leave the village”. “But where will we go, Raranold,” asked the mother. “ We could go to the city of Elistar and maybe there we can be safe,” said the father. “I don’t know what to do now Elizabeth”. “ We can leave tomorrow when we pack all our stuff and leave while we still have light, and maybe we can reach an inn,” said Elizabeth. “ But what about Aran, how will he handle this?” asked Raranold. “He might be upset about it but I’m sure he’ll love the big city and all its fancy buildings and all the new stuff he’ll like”. “ Plus we have a good amount of money to survive in the city”. “ Now then, we should be cooking dinner at Raranold”. “ Please pass me the mushrooms on your right, we're going to be making some skewers” Aran walked to his room quietly shocked by the fact that he will move from the village he grew up in. Aran looked out the window gazing at the village thinking about how he will never get used to the city. Aran suddenly saw something big and tall in the bushes. It was the same wendigo that was chasing him through the path. Aran quickly fell over in terror and when he got back up, the wendigo was suddenly gone in an instant. “ Oh lords,” said Aran. The wendigo rushed deep into the forests crossing through the dry trees and the murky puddles towards an abandoned camp. The abandoned camp was full of wendigos either resting or fighting each other for food. Near the big stump sat a tall wendigo with various skulls and aches full of bottles and ashes on his sides. The wendigo held a staff with a large skull. The wendigo went towards the large wendigo and shrieked “ Shouldn’t we attack the village now”. The tall Wendigo stood up and said “ We attack when the sun is dim”. They heard horses coming through the road with knights packed with weapons passing by them. The tall Wendigo screamed in the sky letting every Wendigo know that they would attack the village of Alestra.

Male 24 178cm, 170 pounds Some jaw recession/small chin from side profile looks fine from front (awaiting NHS oral maxillo consultation) Resmed air sense 10 auto
F&P Sim plus (S) - - Bad seal - Pulled jaw inwards - Had to wear tight to get seal making skin sore and uncomfortable - Mouth breathing (morning dry mouth)
Res Med air fit (S) - - Too tight - Bad seal without tightening further - Had to wear tight to get seal making skin sore and uncomfortable - Pulled jaw inwards - Mouth breathing (morning dry mouth)
Res Med Pillows (S) - - Burning nasal passages (No Dehumidifier?) - Not sealing properly the best in certain positions - Opening mouth during sleep causing air to shoot out and wake me up - Mouth breathing (morning dry mouth)
F&P Evora full (S mask, M headgear) - - Can achieve a better seal without wearing super tight, but starts to leak when I roll on my side in certain positions - Uncomfortable making it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep - Mouth breathing (morning dry mouth)
Any suggestions? Using NHS uk so months between appointments long waiting times and struggle to work so can’t really go private. Would a dehumidifier stop the pillows burning the inside of my nose?

Chapter 1
The Villager’s Warning
In the North near the tempestuous mountains and the groves of the Relum trees, which grow relum, which are like sweet pears, was a prosperous village called “ Alestra”. Alestra is a medium-sized village known for its cloying relums and its soft and crumbly soil perfect for the trees and gardens. They lived a humble and healthy life supplying themselves with veggies and meat from the boars they hunted. The water from Rivenile was the source of their agricultural success and survival. The sound of little children having fun exploring the fields of grain while their family works diligently on the farms. Most of the children spend their time outside either helping with their family's farm or playing near the grains and on the trees playing fun games. All except one particular boy who will spend his days indoors writing stories and reading about the fascinating creatures he wishes to discover. His name was Aran Yearwood, a 12-year-old with red hair living with his parents who helped the village by transporting their food and veggies to nearby villages. Aran eagerly followed his father, perpetually saying “Father, can I hear the story about the Rift Creators of the Coliseum again please?”. The father replied, “ How about tonight when your mother is back for dinner, is that alright?”. “ Yes Father,” said Aran. Aran rushed to his room whose walls were covered with sheets of drawings and a portrait of his family right in the center of his room. His desk was piled with books and maps slightly torn and dirty. His bed was big enough for him, and a little chest lay at the end of the bed to store the items he cherished. Aran sat on his chair and picked up a book labeled “ Creatures of the Night” and he sat on his bed and read from where he began. Meanwhile, the Father went near his stable and put the ponderous goods on the wagon when he smelled a putrid stench of a rotting corpse. The father looked around to find the smell and discovered a Villager riding a horse carrying a wagon with numerous dead bodies disfigured and all missing body parts. “ What happened to them!?” stuttered the father in shock. “ To be honest I don’t know?” said the villager. “It might be a wolf or a bear,” said the villager. “That can’t be bears since it's winter,” said the father. “We might have to stop shipment to other villages,” said the villager. “Why, though, it's only a few animals we can take care of,” said the father. “Well, that depends if the mayor agrees,” the villager says. “Shouldn’t we mail this to animal control, maybe they can control these beasts,” the father said. “Already mailed it to them, should be arriving in a few weeks or so”. The villager rode his horse to the village square leaving the father worried. When it was nightfall the family was at the dinner table eating their food. They had a hot and warm meat pie filled with lamb and pork all mixed with gravy with a side of pan-fried spinach. After their dinner, Aran rushed towards his room with his father following him. “ Are you gonna tell me the story Father?” asked Aran. “ Alright, hold your patience,” said the father as he sat down on the bed. “ The story of the ..colosseum begins with the Greater wills, gods who judge the realms and serve as the way of evolution”. “When these gods see someone they love they give birth to the demigods. “ Each demigod ruled the realms and served as a ruler for their realms,” asked the Father. “ They had abilities like gravity, time, War, pestilence, and even death, while others had less powerful abilities like sand,” said the father. “ Each of the demigods is known to be the best and the most revered in their worlds.,” said the father in a Joyous mood. '' “All had everything they could need in their lives, but some wanted more”. The father looked outside the dark knight. “ Well it's getting late. The father replied with a tired tone “ Sleep well Aran”. “Can you finish the story tomorrow? " asked Aran, resting his head on the pillow. “Of course,” said the father. Aran closed his eyes and dreamed of himself in the stars, seeing the planets go by as he feels the
5 years later
Aran who was now 17 got off his bed with his room no longer having the drawings he used to have and the desk he still had an accumulation of books. He passed his parent's room and went into the kitchen to make his parents some breakfast. Aran's parents were always tired of the number of resources needed for other villages and Aran’s mother sprained her knee when running back to the village. Aran grabbed a few thick pork slices and chopped them to put on the ardent sizzling pan. Aran proceeded to crack a few eggs, mix them with scallions, and place them on the pan with the pork bits until they were cooked well. The sound of the sizzling food awoke the father as he peeked through the kitchen to see his son cook. The father asks” Son it's still dark outside why are you up this early”. “I wanted to give you something to eat while I’m gone with the delivery for the next town,” said Aran. “ Alone, you can’t be alone when Wendigos are out on the road”. “ Let me come and help you deliver the food..” but as the father said that he was cut off and the Aron said, “ It's alright I brought a knife with me and I’ll be cautious”. Aran exited the house and went near the stable to ride his horse carrying the fruits and vegetables on his side. Aran rode his horse down the road to the village square. The village square had big houses with markets surrounding the houses and farms surrounding the Relum trees growing ever so long behind the village. The villagers look depleted and worn out. Aran rode his horse to the other houses to ask for resources and food they offered them all saying “ Tell Newberry to stay strong”. After Aran was finished taking the villager's supplies for Newberry he went to the village chief to gather his resources. He knocked on the door of the Mayor's house and saw him with a pile of water buckets, a few bags of gold, and Packs of wood. “ Ah Aran, please put this on your cart and tell Newberry to stay safe and have hope”. “Of course chief,” said Aran. Aran rode his horse to the village gate next to the tower post. When Aran was next to the post a Knight went outside of the tower replying “ What is your business of leaving Alestra '' . “ I’m transporting my family’s food to the village of Newberry, “ said Aran. “ The village of Newberry isn't doing well since the Wendigos raided them, they're going to need those supplies” said the knight. Aran was permitted to leave Alestera and Aran continued his journey on the path. Aran passed through from a few corpses to an abundance of them until Aran saw the village. The village was burned and ravaged with dark smoke covering the sky and the stench of burning flesh still in the air. Aran rushed to the village to see if anybody survived but found none survived. When Aran was about to leave he saw smoke coming out of the forest, Aran rode his horse swiftly and came to the source of the fire. He saw a few villagers and a small number of children near the fire scared and tired from the raid. “ Are you the villagers of Newberry?” asked Aran. “ We used to be until the Wendigos attacked,” said an elderly lady. Aran with a shocked look on his face asked: “ What about the knights”. “ Most of them died fighting while some died running,” said the old man next to the lady. “ Some more knights tried to help but those insidious beasts forestalled ”. Aran was worried for the villagers of Newberry and shouted“ I have resources from the town of Alestra and we have come for your help!!!”. All the villagers looked at Aran as he continued to shout “ Please gather any resources you need and help yourself to the food you need to survive with!!!”. The Villagers filled with hope and joy rushed to the cart and gathered all the supplies. They were all eating and drinking and covering themselves with blankets making them feel just a little bit safer. “ We don’t know how to thank you, young sir,” said a man with his children next to him. “ Please sir you don’t have to do anything, but if you and the others need help we're just a few miles away south,” said Aran. Aran left with an empty cart and a feeling of beatitude when he saw the villagers of Newberry full of bliss and hope. Halfway through his trip back to his village the horse instantaneously stopped and nearly threw Aran off the horse. “ Stay here Becky,” said Aran smoothly. He jumped off the horse and looked all around to see if anything would jump out and attack him. Suddenly he heard a large screeching sound mixed with screeching. He heard rustling and sticks being broken. He heard the noise again except it was teeth chattering and the sound of a loud sharp horn was closer. “ We have to go, Becky,” said Aran urgently as he jumped on his horse and rode as fast as he could. Aran heard the sound come closer and faster towards him. Aran had the sudden urge to stop the horse midway. Aran stopped his horse and soon after a dark wendigo jumped out in front of him and crashed near some trees and was unconscious for a few seconds. Aran used that time to ride away while horrified by that chase. The wendigo screeched in anger as Aran was out of its sight. Aran returned to the village sweaty and scared and opened the doors only to be on his knees. The father rushed up to him with the mother following him slowly. “ Aran what happened to you?!” asked the father in a frightened manner. “I escaped from a wendigo,” said Aran panting. “ How in this world did you survive?!” asked the father. “ Raranold, let the Aran rest now,” said the mother. “ Aran is traumatized enough for today, we can ask when he is ready but for now let him sleep and rest”. The father took a deep breath and said to Aran “ You can go upstairs and we’ll cook something for you, is that okay ''. “That's okay,” Aran replied. Aran went upstairs to his room and went to his bed to sit. Aran heard voices from downstairs wanting to hear what his parents were talking about. Aran opened the door quietly, walked on the stairs sneakily, and peered through the kitchen to hear what they were saying. “ 7 people died on that road and were eaten, there is no way our son could survive one of their attacks,” said Raranold. “ I think it's time for us to leave the village”. “But where will we go, Raranold,” asked the mother. “ We could go to the city of Elistar and maybe there we can be safe,” said the father. “I don’t know what to do now Elizabeth”. “ We can leave tomorrow when we pack all our stuff and leave while we still have light, and maybe we can reach an inn,” said Elizabeth. “ But what about Aran, how will he handle this?” asked Raranold. “He might be upset about it but I’m sure he’ll love the big city and all its fancy buildings and all the new stuff he’ll like”. “ Plus we have a good amount of money to survive in the city”. “ Now then, we should be cooking dinner at Raranold”. “ Please pass me the mushrooms on your right, we're going to be making some skewers” Aran walked to his room quietly shocked by the fact that he will move from the village he grew up in. Aran looked out the window gazing at the village thinking about how he will never get used to the city. Aran suddenly saw something big and tall in the bushes. It was the same wendigo that was chasing him through the path. Aran quickly fell over in terror and when he got back up, the wendigo was suddenly gone in an instant. “ Oh lords,” said Aran. The wendigo rushed deep into the forests crossing through the dry trees and the murky puddles towards an abandoned camp. The abandoned camp was full of wendigos either resting or fighting each other for food. Near the big stump sat a tall wendigo with various skulls and aches full of bottles and ashes on his sides. The wendigo held a staff with a large skull. The wendigo went towards the large wendigo and shrieked “ Shouldn’t we attack the village now”. The tall Wendigo stood up and said “ We attack when the sun is dim”. They heard horses coming through the road with knights packed with weapons passing by them. The tall Wendigo screamed in the sky letting every Wendigo know that they would attack the village of Alestra.