Finn Tresscoat, a 20-year-old with short dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a pale complexion, strolled down the sidewalk of his small town. He wore a light brown leather jacket over a black shirt, paired with black jeans and black-and-white sneakers.
As Finn ambled along, he glanced at the many shops lining the main road of the town's bustling center. He wasn't searching for anything in particular; he simply wanted to enjoy the rare day off from his job, one of the most perilous occupations in the United West (U.W.).
"Finn! Oh, Finn!"
Finn turned his head to the right and spotted Ms. Tori Elortor, or simply Ms. Tori as he called her. She was an older lady in her early fifties, though her youthful appearance often surprised the townsfolk. With long white hair cascading down her back, pale skin, and bright hazel eyes, she was a striking figure. Today, she wore a navy blue sundress over a pair of tight blue jeans and brown cowboy boots.
Ms. Tori, the local bakery owner, was considered quite attractive and often caught the eye of the younger men in town. Her curvaceous figure and active lifestyle, including regular yoga sessions in the park, only added to her allure. However, Finn saw her differently. Having known her since childhood and feeling like part of her family, he saw her as a maternal figure rather than anything else. He was also close to her son, Eric, feeling like an older brother to him.
Despite his demanding job, which kept him busy for nearly twenty-four-seven, Finn always tried to visit Ms. Tori and Eric whenever he could. Today was a rare opportunity for him to relax and reconnect.
"Ah, hi Ms. Tori! How are you today?" Finn greeted her with a warm smile.
Ms. Tori returned his smile. "I'm just fine, Finn. The real question is, how are you? I haven't seen you in months!" Her tone shifted to one of concern. "I was worried, and so was Eric. You do have quite a dangerous job for someone so young," she added.
What kind of dangerous job did Finn have, you might ask?
Well, Finn was a "Gaunt Hunter," a member of a specialized group tasked with safeguarding the small towns outside the major cities in the United West from creatures known as Gaunts.
These slim, humanoid creatures had leathery black skin, no eyes or nose, and wide mouths that drooled a strange dark green liquid. They had emerged after the cataclysmic "Decade of Winter."
The Gaunts varied in form and capability. Some were very muscular, while others had bat-like wings, allowing them to fly. They were also cunning, often creating weapons from scavenged materials and hunting in packs.
Disturbingly, these were just the common variants.
There were tales of Gaunts resembling animals and some that could even speak, though Finn himself had never encountered such anomalies.
Despite the ominous title of Gaunt Hunter, Finn's role wasn't as glamorous as one might imagine.
He wasn't a high-tech, gadget-wielding hero. Gaunt Hunters received training similar to regular police officers, focusing on the use of firearms. However, since firearms were not commonly traded or shipped to the smaller towns outside the major cities, Gaunt Hunters were also taught to wield swords, knives, and other melee weapons, as well as trained in close-range combat.
Finn had been trained to fire a pistol but also learned to fight with a machete, which was more practical for their needs than a traditional sword. On duty, he carried a standard-issue Glock-17 and a machete strapped to his side. He also wore the standard protective gear issued to United West Security Forces (UWSF) officers.
Returning to the conversation with Ms. Tori, Finn let out a lighthearted chuckle. "Dangerous for most of the veterans on the job, but I'm young and fit! Practically invincible!" he said with a grin.
Ms. Tori gave Finn an unimpressed look, raising an eyebrow. "Is that right?" she asked. "Then what's this I hear about a Gaunt nearly taking your head off just last week?"
Finn's face flushed with embarrassment as he recalled the incident. A Gaunt had caught him off guard and nearly decapitated him with a makeshift axe. "Okay... yeah, fair enough," he admitted, looking down.
Ms. Tori's expression softened, and she gave him a few light taps on the shoulder. "Oh, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Finn, I'm just reminding you that your job is dangerous… You need to be careful," she said gently.
Finn looked up at her and nodded. "I know, and thank you for caring," he replied. Inwardly, he thought, 'It's not like anyone else does'
"Of course, I care, Finn," Ms. Tori said firmly. "Do you know how devastated I'd be if you got hurt or, heaven forbid, died? I'd be heartbroken,” she told him. “Eric would be even worse off, after all, who would play with him?"
Finn felt a wave of warmth at her words. Despite not wanting to worry Ms. Tori or Eric, it was comforting to know there were people who cared about him, and who wanted him to stay safe and come back home. "I guess you're right," he said with a soft smile. "I'll try to be more careful out there, I promise,”
Ms. Tori nodded, her smile lingering. "Good,” she said. “Now, how many days do you have off?" she asked.
"Not many," Finn replied with a sigh. "Just today,"
Ms. Tori's eyes widened in shock. "Only today? Why?" She asked.
Finn's expression turned serious. "Many of the other Gaunt Hunters are either dead, retiring, or switching to become cops... There are only ten of us left in the entire town,"
Ms. Tori's eyes widened in horror. Gaunt Hunters were the primary defense against the Gaunts. The law across the U.W. dictated that local law enforcement dealt with human issues, leaving Gaunt-related threats to the Hunters. The thought of their numbers dwindling was terrifying.
Each town was supposed to have a contingent of Gaunt Hunters, given that small towns were the primary targets for Gaunt attacks.
Major cities, in contrast, rarely had to deal with Gaunts.
The dense populations of these urban centers acted as a deterrent, scaring off most Gaunt packs. Even if a small group of Gaunts did manage to attack, the cities were equipped with heavy weaponry and advanced defenses, making Gaunt Hunters unnecessary there.
This starkly contrasted with the dire need for Gaunt Hunters in the smaller, more vulnerable towns.
Ideally, each small town would have around fifty Gaunt Hunters, a number intended to ensure adequate protection against the Gaunt threat. However, the reality was far grimmer. The inherent dangers and heavy responsibilities associated with the job dissuaded many from becoming Gaunt Hunters. The perilous nature of the work, combined with the constant threat of death, resulted in a severe shortage of recruits.
As a result, the numbers in many towns had dwindled alarmingly.
"Only ten?" she repeated her voice barely above a whisper. "That's... alarming… What happens if more Gaunts come?"
"We do our best," Finn said, trying to sound confident. "But it's tough… Every day, we’re stretched thinner,"
Ms. Tori took a deep breath, trying to process the gravity of the situation.
Finn felt a lump in his throat. "I promise, Ms. Tori. I'll do everything I can to stay safe," he said, trying to remind her if his promise mere moments ago.
Ms. Tori wanted to argue with Finn's comment, but deep down, she knew he was somewhat right. The town was struggling—trade had slowed to a trickle, and many residents had moved away. The constant threat of Gaunt attacks made living there increasingly untenable. Even Ms. Tori had considered leaving to ensure Eric’s safety and to give him a chance to grow up in a more stable environment where he could interact with other children and experience the broader world.
However, she couldn’t bring herself to leave.
Her late husband was buried in this town, and even though years had passed since his death, she felt tied to the place where he rested. She had loved this town deeply, and in a way, staying felt like keeping a part of him alive.
Seeing the conflict in her eyes, Finn decided to change the subject. "Hey, why don't I come over for dinner?" he suggested with a soft smile. "I'm sure Eric would be happy to see me after so long,”
Ms. Tori was pulled out of her thoughts by his offer. She smiled, grateful for his willingness to spend his rare day off with them. "That would be lovely, Finn," she said with a quick nod.
They walked together to Ms. Tori's home, a modest three-bedroom house with a large attic. Inside, they found Eric sitting in front of the TV, watching cartoons. Hearing Finn’s voice, Eric turned, his face lighting up with excitement. He jumped out of his seat and ran to give Finn a hug.
Eric was about 11 years old, with brown hair like his deceased father but hazel eyes like his mother. He was wearing a dark black and blue striped shirt, dark gray pants, and black slip-on shoes.
Finn hugged him back, smiling. "I've got some stories to tell over dinner," he said, which made Eric's eyes sparkle with anticipation.
He loved hearing about the world beyond their town, even if it was mostly filled with woods and the ruins of an old world.
Finn then followed Ms. Tori into the kitchen to help prepare dinner. He found what he could and handed the items to her, glad to be of assistance. Ms. Tori thanked him and asked if he could help chop vegetables, which he was more than happy to do.
As they worked side by side, Ms. Tori glanced at Finn, her expression a mix of gratitude and concern. "You know, Finn, this town means a lot to me,” she told him “It’s where I built my life with my husband, and it’s where I want Eric to grow up, despite everything,"
Finn nodded, understanding the deep attachment she had. "I get it, Ms. Tori. This place has a lot of memories, and as long as I'm here, I'll do my best to keep it safe for you and Eric,"
Ms. Tori smiled warmly. "I know you will, Finn... Thank you,”
Dinner was a warm, lively affair. Eric listened intently to Finn’s stories, hanging on every word. The laughter and conversation filled the small home, creating a moment of normalcy amidst the chaos of their world. For a brief time, the threats outside seemed distant, and they enjoyed the simple pleasure of being together.
After a few bites, Eric looked at Finn eagerly. "Can you tell me one of your stories, Finn?" he asked, his eyes bright with anticipation.
Finn nodded, swallowing a mouthful of food. "Well, a couple of days ago, I was out with two or three other Hunters, we had just finished fighting off a few Gaunts, once they were dealt with, we decided to explore the area since it was the site of an old abandoned amusement park,” he began. “Some of the rides were still standing, though most were broken and destroyed, it was interesting to see the tech they used to have back then," Finn recounted.
Eric's eyes widened with excitement. "Wow! That's awesome!" he exclaimed.
Finn grinned. "It was pretty cool, but it’s nothing compared to some of the parks I saw in Salton Lake City! Those places are amazing,"
Eric's eyes gleamed at the mention of the nearby city. "Man, I want to go there someday!" he said enthusiastically. "Maybe when I start my training to be a Gaunt Hunter," he added with a big smile.
Finn chuckled. "So, you want to be a Gaunt Hunter, huh?" he asked. "You think you’ve got what it takes?"
Eric nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh! I know I can be a Gaunt Hunter! I bet I can even be better than you!" he declared, pointing at Finn.
Finn raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh really?" he said. "Who's to say I'm not the best of the best, huh?"
Eric gave him a smug smirk. "Because if you were the best Hunter, you'd have already gotten rid of all the Gaunts!" he said confidently.
Finn chuckled. "Well, you got me there," he admitted. "But hey, if you think you can be the best and get rid of all the Gaunts, then I say go for it, dude."
Eric chuckled and resumed eating, his enthusiasm undimmed. Ms. Tori watched the two with a fond smile, marveling at the brotherly bond between them. It warmed her heart to see how close they had become. She knew that Finn cherished this connection just as much as Eric did, especially since Finn had grown up without a family of his own, raised in the local orphanage.
She recalled those early days when a young Finn would walk into the bakery, clutching a few coins. His eyes would light up with wonder at the sight of the treats and goodies lining the shelves. Something about him had touched her heart, and she began offering him free treats for him and the other orphans whenever he visited. Her late husband had also taken a liking to Finn, treating him like the son they never had. When Finn decided to become a Gaunt Hunter, it was her husband who had helped him prepare for the rigorous training, getting him into shape and offering constant encouragement.
After her husband's death, it was Finn who helped her grieve and find the strength to carry on. She had felt terrible about leaning on him during such a hard time, knowing he had his own sadness to deal with, yet he remained steadfast and strong. He had been there for her and for Eric, helping the young boy understand their loss and navigate the difficult times that followed.
She was truly grateful to have Finn in her life.
Suddenly, Finn's phone vibrated insistently in his pocket. He quickly reached for it and saw a text message from work. He opened it, dreading what it might say.
[~Finn, we need you tonight. Jon and Gary quit out of the blue, so we need someone to fill in.~]
Finn sighed, frustration bubbling up inside him. 'Great, now we're down to eight Hunters,' he thought. 'And Jon and Gary were both my age and in better shape than the veterans at the station.'
Ms. Tori noticed the change in his expression and knew immediately what it meant. "Does duty call, Finn?" she asked gently.
Finn nodded, his expression weary. "Yeah, looks like Jon and Gary quit. They need me to cover tonight."
Ms. Tori sighed, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Finn. I know how much you were looking forward to some time off."
"It's alright," Finn said, forcing a smile. "I knew it was a long shot anyway. The town needs all the help it can get."
Eric looked up, concern etched on his young face. "Do you have to go, Finn?"
Finn ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "Yeah, buddy. Duty calls. But I'll be back, and we’ll have more stories to share. I promise."
Ms. Tori gave him a supportive nod. "Just promise us you'll stay safe, Finn."
"I will," Finn assured her. He stood up, preparing to leave. "Thanks for dinner, Ms. Tori. It was great, as always."
As he left the warm, comforting atmosphere of Ms. Tori's home and headed out into the cold night, Finn felt a renewed sense of purpose. Despite the exhaustion and the ever-present danger, he knew he had to keep fighting. For the town, for Eric, and for the memory of the man who had helped him become who he was.
Once at the station, Finn entered and immediately spotted Dick Cortez, a veteran Gaunt Hunter who had been safeguarding the town for as long as Finn could remember. Dick, now in his 50s, had graying hair, deep-set wrinkles, and perpetually tired eyes. He was wearing the standard-issue armor that all Gaunt Hunters received, though each Hunter was allowed to customize their armor with different colors and modifications.
Dick's armor consisted of a high-collar black shirt beneath a modified, pure black chest plate that covered his upper abdomen, along with similarly-colored bracers. Both the chest plate and bracers were trimmed with white and featured matching shoulder pads. He also wore gloves with small metal plating on the fingers, dark navy jeans, black and white metal knee pads, and dark brown boots.
Dick noticed Finn and offered a small smile. "Heya, Finn," he greeted.
"Hey yourself, Dick," Finn replied with a nod.
"Sorry about having to bring you in on your day off," Dick said, his tone genuinely apologetic.
Finn walked over to his locker, where his armor and weapons were stored. He glanced at Dick and shrugged, giving a small smile. "It's alright, Dick. I understand why, and I'm not angry—well, not at you, but at those two," Finn said, referring to Jon and Gary.
Dick nodded in understanding. "Trust me, I'm disappointed in them too, but I can see why they left so suddenly," he said.
Finn nodded back, opening his locker to reveal his armor. His armor was similar to Dick's but differed in color and the clothing underneath. Finn wore his usual attire beneath the armor, which consisted of a dark brown chest plate trimmed with black, matching bracers, shoulder pads, knee pads, and gloves.
He took the armor out and quickly dressed, securing the pieces in place. He then grabbed his Glock and its holster, strapping it around his waist, and added his machete in its sheath. Once fully suited up, he turned to Dick with a raised brow. "Which side of town am I patrolling tonight?"
"Outer wall, west side," Dick stated, his voice firm.
Finn nodded, mentally preparing himself for the task ahead. The west side of the outer wall was notorious for Gaunt activity, a hotspot for their attacks. It was going to be a long night.
As he headed out, Dick called after him, "Stay sharp out there, Finn. We can't afford to lose any more good Hunters."
Finn turned back and gave a resolute nod. "I will, Dick. See you in the morning."
Once outside the city, Finn couldn't help but take in the grim sight of the outer wall. It was marred with deep scratches and chips from relentless Gaunt attacks, stained with the dark green goo that dripped from their slavering mouths, and speckled with bloodstains that would never fully wash away. The stark contrast between this battered exterior and the inner walls of the town was striking. Inside, the walls were adorned with chalk drawings from children and vibrant murals from the town's artists. These cheerful images served as a reminder of what he was protecting, and why he had chosen to become a Gaunt Hunter in the first place.
Reaching the west side of the wall, Finn began his patrol, moving back and forth to ensure no Gaunts were attempting to scale the barrier. For now, the night was quiet, and he hoped it would remain that way.
As he walked his beat, his thoughts drifted back to dinner with Eric and the boy's enthusiastic declaration about becoming a Gaunt Hunter. While part of him felt honored by Eric's admiration, another part was deeply troubled. The life of a Hunter was dangerous and filled with horrors that no one should have to witness, let alone a young boy like Eric.
Finn's mind flashed back to a particularly gruesome memory from a past patrol. He and another Hunter had been called to assist in repelling a large pack of Gaunts. They had rushed to the scene, only to find their comrades dead, slaughtered in horrific ways. One Hunter's skull had been cracked open, with Gaunts eating from it as if it were a bowl of grapes. Another Hunter, still alive, was being disemboweled and devoured. Finn could never forget the man's agonized expression as he watched his own entrails being torn apart and consumed. The sight had been so revolting that Finn had vomited on the spot, paralyzed by shock until his partner snapped him back to reality.
Then there were the stories he had heard from veterans like Dick. Dick once recounted an incident where a Hunter had been speared to death by multiple Gaunts. They hadn't even eaten him; they had just impaled him repeatedly, leaving his body to rot in the woods for days. Such tales highlighted the Gaunts' malevolence and complete lack of empathy.
Finn shuddered at the memories. He didn't want Eric to face such nightmares. The boy was full of life and potential, and Finn couldn't bear the thought of him enduring the same horrors he had.
Since that harrowing incident and the chilling story Dick had shared, Finn had sworn to himself that he wouldn't meet a similar fate. He vowed to go out fighting, to not end up like those other hunters. He couldn't bear the thought of becoming another victim, especially after what happened to his sister.
The sudden howl nearby jolted Finn out of his grim thoughts. The sound was close—too close. Instantly alert, he scanned his surroundings. Just then, something whizzed past his face, slicing his cheek. He turned to see a makeshift arrow embedded in the wall. Spinning back around, his heart sank as he saw ten Gaunts emerging from the tree line.
"Shit!" Finn cursed, his eyes widening in horror. This was a dire situation. He quickly drew his Glock and aimed at the advancing creatures. Before he could fire, a sharp pain seared through his left side. He glanced down to see a small dagger lodged in his torso.
'What the hell?' Finn thought, bewildered. 'Did one of the Gaunts throw this?'
"Sorry, but it's nothing personal," a strange voice echoed through the darkness.
Finn's gaze snapped forward, and he saw a figure emerging from the shadows. They wore a long black cloak that seemed to envelop them completely, giving the eerie impression that they were gliding across the ground rather than walking.
The figure approached him, their face obscured by the cloak's hood. "My, you are a handsome young man," they purred in a sultry tone. "Such a fucking shame that my babies must eat. We've been on the run, and they haven't had a chance to rest and eat until we saw you." They giggled, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Finn's spine.
Fear gripped Finn, but he managed to look up at the cloaked figure with a raised brow. "W-Who are you?" he stammered, his voice wavering.
The figure tilted their head slightly as if amused by his question. "Who am I?" they echoed. "I am their mother, their caretaker. I ensure they survive, even if it means feeding them humans like you." The figure leaned closer, and Finn could just make out a twisted smile beneath the hood.
Finn's mind raced. He needed to think of a way out, and fast. The Gaunts were closing in, and he was injured and at a severe disadvantage. Summoning his remaining strength, he clutched his Glock tighter and tried to steady his breath. He couldn't let this be the end.
The figure's giggle echoed eerily through the night, sending a shiver down Finn's spine. "Oh! Now I'm regretting stabbing you," they remarked with a twisted amusement. "It's not every day a handsome young man asks me my name, you know? Most prefer a no-name policy." Their tone was cryptic, and Finn couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in his gut. "While I would love to give you my name in far better circumstances, I'm afraid I don't have the time," they continued, their words dripping with urgency. "As I said, we're on the run from a rather unpleasant girl."
Finn's confusion only deepened. The figure's response didn't provide any clarity, leaving him even more perplexed. As the figure began to back away, Finn's eyes widened in shock as the Gaunts beside them moved in unison. ‘She can... control them!?’ he realized, disbelief washing over him.
"Go ahead, babies... EAT!" the figure commanded, her voice chillingly calm.
With a sickening lurch in his stomach, Finn watched as the Gaunts surged forward, their hunger palpable in the air. Determination surged within him, driving him to fight against the odds stacked against him. Ignoring the searing pain from his wound, he raised his gun and fired at the approaching Gaunts. Despite his efforts, only one was hit, and even then, it didn't slow down.
Finn gritted his teeth, preparing for the inevitable close-quarter battle with the monsters. "Come on!" he growled defiantly. "I'm right here!"
The Gaunts closed in, their predatory instincts driving them forward. Just as they leaped toward him, ready to strike, something unexpected occurred.
Thorny vines erupted from the ground, snaking around the Gaunts with incredible speed. Finn's eyes widened in astonishment as the vines ensnared the creatures, halting their advance. The vines twisted and contorted, slamming the Gaunts into the ground with brutal force, tearing at their flesh and rendering them helpless.
" Damn! How did that bitch already find us!?" the figure exclaimed, frustration evident in their voice.
Finn's gaze followed the figure's gaze as a new figure emerged from the shadows.
Her appearance was striking, to say the least. With a spiky red Mohawk and piercing red eyes devoid of any white, she exuded an aura of fierce determination. Smudged mascara framed her intense gaze, adding to her wild and untamed appearance. Her lips were painted black, a stark contrast to her fiery red hair and eyes. Clad in a black leather crop top vest that accentuated her slim, athletic frame, she exuded an air of defiance. Arm bands encircled her wrists and biceps, resembling the wraps worn by boxers, hinting at her combat prowess. Around her neck, she wore a large choker, adding to her rebellious demeanor. Her attire was completed by tight leather pants and high-heeled platform boots, giving her an imposing presence.
"Found you, ya freaking cunt!" she spat, her voice laced with venom.
The cloaked figure retreated, increasing the distance between them and the girl. "Ugh, don't you ever give up?" they retorted, their tone tinged with irritation.
The girl leveled a fierce glare at the figure. "After the shit you've done!? I ain't letting you go!" she declared, her voice dripping with disdain.
The figure let out a mocking giggle. "Is that so?" they taunted, gesturing toward Finn who lay wounded on the ground. "Not even to save his life?"
The girl's gaze shifted to Finn, her expression softening momentarily as she registered his injuries. Before she could react, a shrill howl pierced the air, drawing their attention back to the figure.
"What the hell did you do!?" the girl demanded, her voice trembling with rage.
"Oh, just called in a few friends over for dinner," the figure replied casually.
"You bitch!" the girl seethed.
With a swift motion, she thrust her hand forward, summoning a massive vine with thorns protruding from its surface. The vine lunged toward the figure, but they evaded the attack with agile grace, darting away through the forest.
"Have fun~!" they taunted, their laughter echoing through the trees as they disappeared into the darkness.
Driven by determination, the girl pursued the figure, her footsteps echoing through the forest. However, her path was suddenly obstructed as a horde of Gaunts emerged from the shadows, blocking her way with menacing snarls and bared teeth.
"Get out of my way!" the girl cried, her voice ringing with determination.
In an instant, a smaller thorned vine shot out of the ground with startling speed, piercing through the approaching Gaunts like a bullet. Lifted into the air by the force of the vine, the creatures were hurled aside, crashing into trees with bone-crushing force.
As more Gaunts emerged from the shadows behind her, four shots echoed through the air. Finn's aim was true, striking the advancing Gaunts and causing them to writhe in agony as they fell to the ground. The girl glanced back to see Finn's timely intervention, offering a silent nod of acknowledgment before focusing her attention back on the remaining threats. Summoning more vines, she ensnared the creatures, tearing them apart with ruthless efficiency.
Satisfied that the immediate danger had passed, the girl turned back towards Finn, who was now sitting against the wall, applying pressure to his wound.
Bending down beside him, the girl flashed a smile, revealing sharp triangular teeth reminiscent of a shark. "Nice shooting there, dude. Really saved my ass back there," she remarked.
Finn managed a weak chuckle. "I should be thanking you. If you hadn't shown up, I'd be Gaunt food," he admitted.
"Let's call it even, then, eh?" she suggested. "What's your name?" she inquired.
Finn met her gaze, taking a moment to catch his breath before responding. "Finn, Finn Tresscoat," he introduced himself. Curiosity burning in his eyes, he posed a question in return. "Who are you? No... What are you?" he asked, unable to shake off the mystery surrounding her.
The girl maintained her enigmatic smile, meeting his gaze with her striking red eyes. "The name's Rachel Rose," she revealed. "As for what I am, well... I can answer that once you're all patched up," she added cryptically.
Summoning another vine, Rachel gently lifted Finn to his feet, supporting him as they began to make their way back towards town. With each step, Finn's mind buzzed with questions, the mysteries surrounding Rachel and her abilities swirling in his thoughts. Who was the cloaked figure? How did they control the Gaunts? And most pressing of all, who—or what—was Rachel, and how was she able to command those vines with such ease?
As they walked back toward town, Finn couldn't help but feel the weight of exhaustion settle upon him, both physically and mentally. His thoughts swirled with questions about the events that had just transpired—about Rachel, the cloaked figure, and the unsettling abilities they both possessed. Yet, amidst the chaos of his mind, one pressing question emerged, demanding attention above all else.
'When the hell am I gonna get another day off? Because I can sure as hell use it right now...!' Finn thought to himself, his weariness palpable.
Rachel, walking beside him, seemed to sense his inner turmoil. Casting him a sidelong glance, she offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Finn. You'll have your chance to rest soon," she assured him, her voice carrying a note of empathy.
Finn managed a weary smile in return, grateful for the reassurance. Despite the gravity of their situation, her words offered a glimmer of hope amidst the uncertainty that loomed over them…

27m, 5' 10" , non-smokee, Latent TB, duration 1 day (so far)
I have not left the house in 4 weeks, except for a trip to the corner shop every now and then. At which I'm always the only person in there and the cashier never had signs of being ill (sniffles, coughing, no catchy voice ect). I've know them my whole life so I know what they sound like.
Well I finished uni 4 weeks ago and like I said, I haven't left the house for anything other than what I mentioned. I live with my parents and neither of them have been ill. Yet today I start to get a sore throat and the chills. How can this happen, if from what I know of.. I haven't been in any situation to catch something.
Which makes me wonder, I have latent TB.. and have just finished a 3 month treatment of strong antibiotics. The treatment ended (I took my last pill) literally 3 days ago. Could this be a flair up from no longer being on antibiotics?
Also to note is that I did not get ill the entire time I was on the course of antibiotics, but now I check my throat with a light and it's inflamed and red in areas, also noticed a polyp just behind where my tonsils used to be.
Any ideas?

Hello- earlier this morning my husband 26M was feeling a little under the weather with a sore throat but generally okay. Around 1pm when I left for work he noticed a strange rash/spots on his eye. He did have a stressful conversation and cry earlier that morning so I thought he maybe rubbed his eye too hard?
Anyways later he confirms he’s feeling more sick- symptoms of sore throat, chills, body ache, fever. He’s been taking ibuprofen but still has a fever of 100.8 F. His eye rash doesn’t look great still but I can’t decide if it is an isolated incident or connected. My mom is freaking me out with the possibility of meningitis.
He’s feeling a bit out of it, but I can’t figure out if it is a normal head cold/ virus or possibly that. He has no nausea or vomiting. Has been dizzy when standing up and a really bad headache as well as the other symptoms I previously mentioned. The rash is no where else last I checked. I will post a picture in the comments.
Thank you for any help. For context my husband is generally very healthy with no other comorbidies.

38F 5'5", 150 lbs, non smoker, United States. Duration one day.
This morning I woke with a stuffy right ear, after fighting what I think was a light case of flu (I'm vaccinated) this week. I did not have any congestion really, just a sore throat, dry cough, chills and fatigue. I also had some conjunctivitis in my right eye that seems to have been viral and not responsive to antibiotics.
So all of that was going away and getting better until this morning. I am not congested except for my ear. Over the course of the day it got worse. I took Mucinex, Sudafed, Aleve and Flonase in an attempt to get it unclogged, but it just got worse. I used swimmer's ear drops as the pain grew even worse. Finally around noon it got bad enough I did a telehralth appointment. They said nothing they can do without looking (why was earache on your menu then 🙄), so I make an appointment at a Minute Clinic. By this time it is abaolutely excruciating pain.
When I get examined at 3:30, my ear canal is so swollen she couldn't see my ear drum. To be safe, she gave me antibiotic drops and pills, and told me to take both Tylenol and Advil. I do all four ASAP and after a short nap felt a little better. My ear started crackling, which seemed like a good aign. Got my kids to bed and started feeling bad again so I took more Advil and another dose of the antibiotics. Been lying awake with tinnitus and pain until midnight, took more Tylenol.
I am still wake ful and ouchy. I may be panicking at this point but my other ear feels like it might be starting to clog.
Is this some kind of virus? Do I need steroids? I am a working mom and I have not gotten as much rest this week as I would like, never do. I am sure my immune system is run down.
I just want this tinnitus to stop and a clear ear so I can take care of my kids this weekend. They are so mad at me for being to sick to go to the pool all week. :(

M-25 here, my girlfriend F-20 and I have been dating for over a year. We’ve gone through a lot of obstacles together in this time including an unplanned pregnancy which we had aborted.
Over the last 2 weeks, she had been acting really weird with me on the phone and I could sense something was up. My mum was recovering from a really bad surgery so most of my attention was focused on her at that time.
During Mothers day (2 weeks ago I found out), I had surprised her with me and my mum eating at a restaurant she works at. After a few hours we left, he ex rocks up with his mates and they started talking after.
She later messaged him that night saying “sorry I didn’t say bye to you properly” and they started talking it out. Her reason for initiating the convo was due to her not getting enough closure.
They later then spoke for more then 2 weeks, she was sharing gym photos of herself while he was making degrading comments to her (his sense of humour apparently). Also talking about my height, my “dad bod and big back” that I had which she described to him. Talking about their old sex life which he didn’t do because he was doing no fap while she had a free house.
It gets worse…. The day I see her we went back to my house and chilled for a bit. While she went to the shower, my gut instinct was to go through her phone. I had never done this until this date because of how much I trust her. When scrolling, I saw that she had met him that day over coffee before her exam. She was the one who initiated this meetup as well.
My heart sank as her last messages were, “we should always do coffee before exams” because she had got 100% and made a remark that he maybe her good luck charm.
I broke down and demanded to go through all her texts when I was dropping her off home. I was still scrolling for more than 20 mins and the texts would just not stop, she was messaging him like crazy.
She was adament that she was going to tell me that day as it was bothering her but like? Why would she say stupid things like your my good luck charm and we should meetup for coffee before all my exams?
I work really hard for someone my age and I don’t know what is right or wrong when im emotionally invested in someone.
I know for a fact that they didn’t do anything with each other but how am I to move on with this in my head and having these scenarios play out everyday?
I called d her mum the next day and told her what she did. She went home crying so I thought Id explain myside and suggest Im ending it. Cautions of your uni, she suggested she was going to take time off as there was heaps going through her head and couldn’t focus. My priority was for her to do this uni course before deciding to end it.
Chat, any recommendations or if anyone else has given a second chance to someone how are you tracking along now?

Has anybody come down with a virus going around that causes LONG lasting sore throat, chills, headache, nausea, and major congestion?
I’m on day 7 with this thing and no signs of improvement. I cannot believe how it is dragging on. Some parts of the day I think I seem better, but then I just crash and feel shitty all over again. Went to the doc was negative for Covid, flu, and strep.
Curious if anyone else out there has or had it?

I have an infant and have been really struggling since yesterday. Extreme headache and fever, chills, body aches. NO sore throat. NO stuffy/runny nose. What is going on with me? 😞 Tylenol and Theraflu have helped the fever but the headache persists. Any insight?

Just an old story I wrote a while ago. I went exploring for good subreddits to post this in, and I found this one. I don't know if it will exactly fit, since it's a psychological horror story at its core and there's no big bad monster, but I've been told it's chilling all the same ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯
If you like this, I might write more horror stuff. I also write non-horror stuff if you're interested. Anyway, enjoy reading my garbage.
The following brain scan was provided by the Terran Institute of Pet Assimilation (TIPA) and the Protectorate Xenopet Acquisition and Integration Corporation (PXAIC) and may only be viewed by qualified and permitted individuals for educational purposes of the study of Xenopet neural interface errors and how to prevent them in the future, as well as expediting the domestication of Xenopets suffering from false sapience. Violating such procedure is a Class C offense by the Protectorate Department of Xenopet Betterment, and can lead to twenty years of imprisonment and a fine of over a hundred thousand credits.
Booting up memory scan: Rocky
Loading and processing firmware data… translating… memories and subconscious simulated…
Beginning neural catalog presentation…
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My head was spinning, and my skull thumped in pain like an entire herd of freshly captured slaves recently made pet friends were panicking celebrating within. Everything was blurry, so blurry, and I just wanted to close my eyes again and waste away. Sensations assaulted me from all angles, some of them good and some of them bad: the warmth of sun-bleached wooden planks in my feathery hide, the smell of different roasting meats, the splashing of individuals in a small body of water very close by, the smell of the salty air, and the oppressive white brightness of the daylight passing through my closed eyelids. I had a migraine from my sudden consciousness and perception of the light, causing me to clutch my snout and face with my clawed hands with a guttural moan.
My backside hurt as well, in my… area. I didn't know why, but something was horribly wrong everything was fine. I tried to recall who I was and what was going on, but I couldn't even remember my name. Every time I tried, right when I grasped onto a sliver of something, it was as if it was torn from my grasp and replaced with something else knowingly like I was being watched and corrected but within the depths of my own mind.
I needed to remember my name. What was my name? Wasn't it Yuutek Rocky? I couldn't remember exactly, but Yuutek Rocky was the only name I could recall. It felt… wrong, right, like something was missing, but I couldn't put my claw on what. everything was fine, and I shouldn't think about it too much. I could feel things that should have been important, things that my conscious had perceived but a moment ago, slip away from me like I was clenching sand within my claws.
##Relax. Let go of your burden##
I inhaled sharply as a strange, warm feeling overtook the back of my skull and my muscles became loose and relaxed. Something also felt… out of place, like I needed something but I didn't know what. Everything felt so strange. My head spun, but I was too weak to do anything about it. I felt sick in the same way one would feel when they consumed too much caffeine.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my head. "Dad, I think he's awake!" I heard a young, shrill voice say, hurting my ears. The touch of the hand made my skin tingle and the spinning of my head recede as if it grounded me. It felt nice, as if this was wrong, something was horribly wrong what normalcy felt like. The hand then began to rub up and down my head and across the ridges along my head, causing me to release a chuff of delight against my will, something I hadn't done since I was merely a hatchling.
"It sounds like he likes it, David; keep going, and make sure to scratch his chin, they're sensitive there."
The human spawn, David, did what the other human said and began to scratch under my chin. It felt really good, and I stretched out instinctively. David was thorough and gentle, making sure he scratched every part of me that seemed itchy, and I felt the same warmth in my head from before, but it felt… nicer than before like it was trying to manipulate encouraging me to relax.
##You will learn to love this##
I inhaled sharply again, but this time it was almost refreshing, and everything was right in the world. The human's hands felt so good, and the warmth from before spread through my body, melting the knots in my muscles and causing me to close my eyes in comfort. The boy lifted my head up and placed it in his lap before continuing to pet me, my eyelids heavy and my leg lightly kicking.
##Let them continue. You love this##
Oh, that felt nice… what was I thinking about before? The pain on my backside? My legs didn't work too well, and although I could move them gently, my muscles seemed to be fighting against me. What did they do?
##Do not think##
Everything was cold and harsh again, and my thoughts scrambled and my head throbbed. I needed to focus on grounding myself. I couldn't let go, I couldn't let them take my mind from me.
##Do not think. You are a good boy.##
I… I was a good boy? I… I can't… I… no…
##Good boy.##
I was a good boy… good boys don't think hard… I don't…
##Good boy##
I was a good boy… I was a good boy…
I was… I was… a good… boy…
I'm scared.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who was I again?
##You are Rocky##
I hissed under my breath as I felt that bad feeling creep up on me again. I didn't like the bad feeling. I was not Rocky! I was Yuutek! Rocky.
My thoughts became jumbled again in a whirlpool of nausea and confusion.
Where was I?
##You are home.##
It was bright out, and nice and warm as well. The sun was soaking my feather-cloaked skin and my side felt good against the warm back porch. I heard splashing and laughing in the distance, and the soft clinking of glass against glass. I could smell the salinity in the air, and the air was dense and humid but in a good way.
I had lost all sense of time. Everything had been a blur since I had been taken from that horrid facility, the wretched prison they called the Xenopet-Megaplex. There, I was in a padded cell with a few insulting amenities for most of the day, except for the three periods a day where they let us out into a small gated courtyard for an hour or so to 'socialize' as they had so condescendingly put it. There, the worst part was the boredom and the mind-bending lack of individuality: I had lost my ability to speak, stand on two legs, and even eat normally. I was treated like cattle, but the smiles and cloying gestures hinted that something even more sinister was going on, like I was a lesser beast to be kept for their amusement.
Now I had traded that particular prison for another, far worse one: I was at the mercy of a gross violation of my sense of self. Something horrible was growing in my mind, both in the physical and metaphysical sense, and I could feel it working its way through my consciousness like the parasite it was. It silenced me, it stole from me, it gaslit me, and it made me question the very nature of my own individuality and personality: was I who I thought I was? Everything was so elusive and hard to acknowledge that nothing seemed real between these bouts of semi-consciousness.
##Don't think, just rest.##
In an instant, everything changed. My head became… fuzzy like a thousand voices were whispering to me all at once, but from all directions and inside my head. I didn't hear it, per se, but I felt the presence, the oppressive feeling of pure unfocused nonsense. I felt my temporary bout of concentration and resolve become jumbled up into a mess of sporadic confusion. Whatever I was just thinking of was gone.
##Don't think: Just relax. Let go of your burden.##
Every part of me became relaxed and limp, my muscles unwinding from their tension and stress. I couldn't resist the feeling, and I stretched out subconsciously with a yawn, my body twitching from the stimuli. I was even sleepier than before, my head spinning once again and my eyelids heavy.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my snout and forced the eye that was facing upwards to open sluggishly. If I had to guess, it was an older human with cinnomon-colored skin, short-cropped brown hair, a gruff, wrinkled face, and chocolate brown eyes. He patted my side gently and gave me a soft rub, the feeling of his rough hands causing my chest to rumble with a satisfied chuff. I hated loved that it felt good, but I hated loved it even more that I couldn't bring myself to resist I felt content. I needed to escape relax, and I needed to find my way home appreciate my new life.
##You are already home##
No, I couldn't will not obey
This isn't is my home, my home is [Redacted] here.
No! Yes, I won't will obey!
YOU CAN'T SILENCE ME!
##Do not resist. Resistance is wrong. Good boys do not resist##
Suddenly, I felt an intense pressure in my skull, but I didn't know where it came from. I became dizzy, and my eyes twitched, a rapidly growing pain intensely forming in my forehead, causing me to wince and clutch my snout in my claws. I couldn't concentrate, and I felt the horrible sensation of an invasive presence in my mind once again working its way through the folds of my brain, strangling my chain of thought. Bile grew in my throat and I felt the sour, stinging sensation of a building retch in my cheeks.
I scrambled onto all fours and vomited onto the deck, my hackles and feathers rising as I heaved. The older human from earlier rose from a sleek chair on the deck, his hat on the glass sun table next to him and his eyes widened in shock. He rushed over to me, and I hissed at him instinctively. I wouldn't let him touch me again. I wouldn't let them control me.
##Do not attack owner##
In an instant, my world transformed into absolute pain. I felt as if my brain was being deep fried in a vat of boiling grease, and my eyes were being squeezed in vices. I kept heaving, my stomach doing loops and somersaults around all my other organs, and my heart fluttering like a flock of startled birds. It was weightlessness. I could see the man approach me and push me back down on my side, muttering under his breath.
"Carol! Get Xenopet emergency services on the phone, Rocky's having another implant attack!"
I heard another muffled voice in the background, as well as the sound of the human spawns crying in the pool. For some reason, I felt bad: I'd never felt bad for humans before, but I could feel the guilt in my chest. Had I failed my owners?
##Breath. Calm. Let Go##
I felt like I was wrestling with my own mind. I wanted to believe that I was not someone's pet, but my body screamed otherwise: amidst the chaos caused by the wretched implant, I felt the painful sensation of guilt and regret bloom in my chest as I twitched and shuddered on the deck, my mouth frothing. The world was spinning, and suddenly everything erupted into a kaleidoscope of colors.
Oh, by the forbidden one, look at all the pretty colors! I was completely delusional at this point, cackling as I lost it all. If I was going to die here, I'd die happy and completely mad.
Soon, everything began to fade away, and I slipped into an unconscious state.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I woke up to the sound of medical equipment beeping and whirring, the sound of a few hushed human voices, and soft music.
I opened my eyes: the room was dark. I didn't feel anywhere near as bad as before, but my head still throbbed. I lifted up my head with a groan and examined the room: it was a dark hospital room, with a window covered in blinds that let very little sunlight in, a few chairs, and of course the hospital bed itself. Mountains of advanced medical equipment were set up on either side of my bed, and a heartbeat monitor beeped slowly, although the speed was growing.
Suddenly, I heard the voices again, and this time they were legible.
"Hush, he's awake: we need to make sure he's ready."
Huh? Ready for what?
Something that irked me was I felt strangely… free. I didn't feel the oppressive force of the implant in the back of my skull anymore, how it attempted to crush my will with every waking moment. I still couldn't speak: all that came out were animalistic noises, but I was free from the invasion of my mind for now.
"Give him some peace, Emilia, he just woke up from an implant attack; you know how traumatic they can be."
"We have to begin soon; my dissertation for this new technique is due in less than a week, and by law I need at least one more successful example for it to be deemed acceptable! Besides, he needs to go home soon anyway."
My heart sank. I would not go back to that place. I wouldn't let those people keep me like some kind of pet: I was a Russu; a member of a proud warrior race! I would not be reduced to some animal for the amusement of these humans!
Suddenly, I heard footsteps, and I tensed. The door creaked open and I spotted a younger human, a male I had never met before, in a lab outfit with his shoes, pants, shirt, and overcoat all bleached white and almost glistening. He eyed me warily, as he should, before he sauntered in, a tablet clipped at his side and a strange plastic container in both hands. I growled at him threateningly, extending my talons and raising my feathered hackles. The human paused for a microsecond before continuing forward, caution in his eyes, and right before he was within swiping range he opened the container and the most wonderful smell assaulted my nostrils.
Meat.
I was starving. I don't remember the last time I had eaten anything in particular: the implant had a terrible habit of causing me to go about my day in a hazy blur: entire lengths of time just… gone, whitewashed like a sheet of freshly decorated paper dunked in cold water. I knew something was there, or at least that something should have been there, but I mostly spent the days or weeks that I had been captured bobbing like an ocean buoy in a state of frustratingly bleary semi-consciousness.
But I'm awake now and mostly in control. Sure, some things were still missing everything was clear now, like my name: What was my name again? My name was Rocky. And now I knew that I needed to eat something, and if putting up with this human for now meant that I could fill my stomach, then I suppose that it was an acceptable sacrifice.
I salivated expectantly as the human lifted out a large piece of meat with his gloved hand, eyeing me humorously as he wiggled it. It was dark on the outside, but still dripping with blood and juices: humans had this weird habit of cooking their meats, and although it didn't taste bad at all cooked, nothing beat the feeling and flavor of tearing into raw flesh, the blood and the texture still fresh. At least this meat only seemed to be raw and not fully cooked.
I snapped up the piece of meat just as he lowered it enough for me to reach it. It was divine! It burst with flavor just as I bit into it, the juices spilling into my mouth. I quickly tore it apart with my strong jaws before snapping up another big piece with a beak-like protrusion at the tip of my snout. All the while, the human gently ran his fingers through my tightly-knit feathers and along my knobby, scaly hide. I made my annoyance with his touch clear, but he merely chuckled as if I wasn't an apex predator larger than him but rather simply a feisty hatchling.
"I know, I know, just relax. I need to perform a quick test to see if you're healthy before we continue."
Continue? Continue with what?
Just as the second piece of meat slid down my gullet, I eyed him with hostility and growled, but he quickly slipped something between the scales and feathers on my side and plunged it into my skin. Suddenly, I went rigid, and all the air was expelled from my lungs in an instant with a hoarse wheeze. The human merely chuckled and scratched under my chin as if nothing was wrong and my face wasn't frozen in horror.
"Good, that'll keep you occupied for a few seconds while I just slip this on…" he placed a breathing mask over my face and strapped it on before flicking a switch on a machine next to my bed. Then he released the plunger of the strange device on my side and I suddenly inhaled deeply and deflated like a balloon. I hissed under my breath, but suddenly panic filled my chest: I wasn't breathing just air. A cloyingly sweet-smelling gas coated the inside of my lungs, causing me to become dizzy. Suddenly, I was fully at their mercy again, blinking rapidly and my head spinning.
"Sorry about that, big guy, but we need to make sure you're passive before we begin the procedure." He said, almost apologetically, although there was a hint of mirth still detectable. "Sadly, you have to remain awake for some of it or I'd simply feed you more and then put you to sleep, but there are some benefits to this inhalant."
As if he summoned it with his words alone, my scales suddenly felt very… tingly. The human ran his hands across the scales at my side and I shivered from the feeling, like pain but better. Everything felt so warm and strange like I was floating on water, but also like I was being gently prodded by blades. Then, with panic rising in my chest, I suddenly felt a soft click as something was plugged into the neural port at the back of my skull that the humans had installed into my head when they had first captured me and placed me in that wretched facility some time ago.
"There you go, all prepped for the Doctor. She'll be here to begin the procedure in a bit." He said, "For now just relax and let the inhalants work their magic."
I whined quietly, and he rubbed the side of my head in an attempt to calm me which only made me more angry. I wasn't someone's pet! I wouldn't be treated like this!
I didn't want to go back to where I was before! I didn't want to become that sluggish, broken puppet again! I couldn't!
I tried to get up, to will my muscles to move, but I couldn't: my body refused to respond, as if I was paralyzed. But that wasn't right: I still could feel everything, especially the strange, mind-bending sensations the inhalants gave me.
##Initializing beginning phases of Neural Alteration Preparation##
Something else is wrong, I can feel it
##Assessing if the neural state is nominal for Alterations##
I can't let this happen, they're going to do something to me! I won't let them!
But nothing happened. I was at their mercy. It was over for good this time.
All those battles, all those tragedies and triumphs amongst my kin, only for me to be reduced to this? The plaything for a human?
##Query: is [Dr. Kalenghari] present to begin Neural Alterations?##
The door across the room opened again, and a human woman with light brown skin, chocolate brown eyes and long locks of black hair stepped in. She was holding a digi-pad in her hands and swiping up as if she was reading into something before she set it down on the counter across the room and gave me a warm, condescending smile.
"Well, how are we doing today, Rocky? I know, this predicament you have found yourself in must be very stressful, but I assure you that it's for your own good," She said, almost cheerfully, which sent shivers down my spine, "we're here to lift your burden, and we won't stop until you're capable of living the life of a happy, healthy, and well-behaved pet."
I whined under the mask, and the woman rubbed the feathered crest on my forehead. "I know, it hurts, but it'll be all over soon. It'll be like you, or at least this version of you, never existed. Just relax and close your eyes while we root around your brain and remove all those bad thoughts and silly delusions: I assure you, you won't feel a thing, and you'll feel much better afterward."
My heart raced and I began to panic internally, watching in horror as the woman stepped over to the medical console and tapped away for a few seconds before the machinery around me began to whir to life.
##Identification accepted: booting neurochemical firmware. Preparing for selective memory erasure.##
In an instant, my eyes involuntarily rolled back into my head as I felt the intrusive sensation of my mind being violated. It wasn't painful, but it was horrible all the same: it felt like a thousand black, slimy leeches were slithering through every crevice of my brain, leaving behind their cold, corruptive filth. The cold sensation seeped further into my brain, behind my eyes, and in my ears, enveloping every bit of it until there was nothing left.
##Relevant memories extracted for tailoring. Beginning total memory erasure.##
Suddenly, things just began to slip away: important memories, like the faces of my parents, the day of my initiation into the Corsair Collective, the face of my life mate, the birth of our hatchlings. I hoped that wherever they were, they were okay: if they never had to face the fate I would face, then maybe there would be some justice in this cruel, twisted galaxy. Maybe they could take the fight to humanity, remind them that they once had been the heroes of the cosmos, fighting against the cruelty of my people and the Triarchy at large. Maybe my hatchlings could live normal lives.
##Memory erasure process at 47%##
A single tear rolled down my scaly cheek as everything I once knew, everything that made me was torn from my mind and rendered null. Every second saw a million memories massacred, leaving the memories the implant had attempted to supplant my old memories with: Me playing fetch with my 'owners', chasing birds on the beach with my 'owner's' grandchildren, swimming in the pool in their backyard as steaks and bratwurst cooked on the grill, relaxing on the back porch and listening to the rasping calls of the katydids during humid summer evenings by the swamps. My psyche was being mutilated piece by piece, reduced to that of an animal, a pet.
##Memory erasure process at 64%##
Soon I had a hard time telling who I was anymore. I couldn't tell what was real or what wasn't, or what I actually felt. I couldn't even remember my own name anymore. Who was I? Why was I here? What was happening to me? I'm so scared, someone help me, please!
##Memory erasure process at 83%##
There was nothing left. I felt nothing. I knew nothing. I was floating in a void, with little flashes of light depicting events I didn't recognize. There were people I felt like I was supposed to know, but I didn't know them. A human woman with bright blue eyes and blonde hair. Two Russu hatchlings that looked a bit like me. A Russu female… my chest hurt for a moment but the feeling quickly subsided. I didn't know any of them.
##Memory erasure process completed. Implanting tailored memories and personality. Happy birthday, [Rocky]: you have been unburdened and reborn.##
In an instant, the confusion of who I was before was replaced with absolute certainty: I knew who I was now, who I always was:
I was Rocky, and I was a good boy. I belonged to Mr. And Mrs. Chen. I was their Russu hound. I loved them: they took care of me and let me play with their grandchildren. I swam in the pool and played outside every day. Life was good. Today was my birthday! That meant it would be a happy day! Mrs. Chen would always come home with a whole duck for me to eat and then take me to the Xenopet Comex for a bath and a spa day, just like my last birthday, and the birthday before that, and the birthday before that! It was a good life. I was happy. I was always happy. Good boys were always happy.
I was Rocky, and I was a good boy: that's all that mattered.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Miguel O'Hara, Chief Medical Representative of the Protectorate Xenopet Acquisition and Integration Corporation, with the best of intentions.
The over-reliance on neural suppressant firmware programs along with thought scrubbing/replacement firmware programs and countermeasures towards higher thought and tainted thoughts with a relatively active hormonal reward structure can be incredibly effective when placed into the brain of a more passive Xenopets. However, Xenopets that come from more… difficult backgrounds such as one in a militant setting tend to be much more resistant to being reprogrammed by just an implant alone. The Russu are an excellent example of more tainted Xenos that need neurological care of much higher intensity, a level of care that the average Xenopet-Megaplex is ill-equipped to handle due to the current level of technology.
I am a firm believer in the idea that thought correction, a hormonal behavioral reinforcement structure, and neural countermeasures can have a place in the proper unburdening process but we have been chasing the wrong solution for the past century: Many people are under the misconception that the burden these Xenos carry is surface level when in reality the corruption runs far deeper: it is like a weed, with deep roots. To kill the weed permanently, you must rip out the roots, and not just the surface plant. If you do not eliminate the source of the problem, it may just return and worse still the mind may adapt to the standard unburdening process, allowing the xenopets to fall victim to those degenerate zealots who seek to pretend xenopets possess even the capacity for true sentience. We as Terrans should be united in this cause of unburdening the galaxy, but I digress.
The implants should be there to reinforce good behavior and stigmatize bad behavior, not completely reprogram the pet. To fully stamp out any potential for a relapse, we must remove the core issue that has the most potential to cause problems: their memories. The Russu are an excellent example
We are in the advanced testing stages of a new method that may revolutionize how we process and integrate xenopets into our society. By removing or modifying any and all problematic memories, we can completely remove the risk of relapse and make it nearly impossible for those misguided degenerate rebels to bring to the surface problematic ideas and memories that could reawaken a sense of false sentience. It is the perfect, final solution to our overarching goal: for humanity to unburden the galaxy, one happy pet at a time.
We hope to secure more funding from PXAIC that will greatly assist us in the expansion of the possibilities that this breakthrough technique can provide, more than just using it on board-approved fringe cases. Think about the many Xenopets we can unburden, and how they'll live happy and ignorant lives with their human owners! This could be a game changer, Representative, and I implore you to bring it before the board with the best of intentions.
Best regards,
Dr. Emilia Kalenghari, Head Researcher of the Epsilon Eridani Institute's Behavioral Neurology and Neurochemistry Division (BNND).

24f, 5’6, 113 pounds (current) only medications i’m on are prenatals for current pregnancy and zofran for morning sickness. here’s a list of dates and events that happened to kinda tell the story of where i am
August, 2023, weighing 165lbs - ate a waffle cone, assumed i swallowed a sharp piece without chewing it properly. x-ray and ct scans confirmed nothing was stuck in my throat but i had a feeling of pain when swallowing and overall just felt like food was stuck in my throat and wouldn’t go down
September, 2023, weighing 155lbs - all i had been eating for a month straight was very soft noodles and ice cream. dropped ~10lbs like it was nothing
October 31, 2023, weighing 140lbs - got in to a GI doctor and had an upper endoscopy done to check for physical lumps or blockages. conclusion - they found nothing that would be causing my problems and only really found a couple of “precancerous” cells in my stomach but said that wouldn’t cause this issue and to follow up in 3 years for a repeat. After this procedure i actually felt like the lump was gone, strangely enough. i was back to eating normally for a couple weeks until one day i swallowed a noodle and felt like it got stuck
November-December 2023, went from 140lbs to 128lbs at the end of december - still only eating ice cream and chocolate that i can suck on until i became liquid. even thicker purées like pudding, yogurt, smoothies, and peanut butter felt like i was choking on them when swallowing. been working with my PCP and GI doctor during this time to figure out what’s going on. i was prescribed antireflux meds & anti fungal meds to take and see if either or those help. took both for about a month and noticed 0 change. noticed numbness in my legs and toes, mentioned it to my doctor
January, 2024, weighing 120lbs - went back to my PCP as the feeling is still there, i’m losing an extreme amount of weight very fast due to malnutrition and wasn’t able to even get out of bed most days without almost passing out. They ran blood tests and did a 48 heart monitor on me. ended up at the ER after a fainting spell from getting up from bed. no abnormal findings but they admitted me for 2 days to run a bunch of tests and give me IV nutrients as i was very malnourished. they did a repeat endoscopy and found nothing, told me to follow up with my PCP again. after the second endoscopy i noticed i was able to eat normally again for a week or two before the feeling came back.
February, 2024 weighing 115lbs - Got the results back…my liver function is very low, my thyroid levels are extremely low, and my heart monitor test came back as “normal” i guess but they did say my heart beats faster than normal? (lowest it ever got was 72 and that’s when i was sleeping, highest was in the 200s) got a referral to an endocrinologist for my thyroid, a referral to do a swallow study, and they closed the whole cardiac case.
March, 2024, weighing 110lbs - got in to do the swallow study which came back “ normal” (no food was getting caught on the way down that they could see) but the sensation of food getting stuck was still there! if i ate anything solid it felt like it would stay there until i chugged water. shortly after i found out i was pregnant and started working with my OBGYN to figure out how to get nutrients to maintain a pregnancy.
April - may - ended up gaining weight after living off of nothing but yogurt and peanut butter straight from the jar for protein and crushing my prenatals into the yogurt to take
it’s currently may 31st, i weigh around 123lbs and the weight gain is solely due to eating a ton of peanut butter and yogurt (plus the pregnancy) im awaiting a referral to an ENT but other than that none of my doctors are showing concern or a sense of urgency with my problem. i have no idea what could be wrong but i KNOW it’s not “all in my head” i did some research after my second endoscopy and learned that they dilate your throat for that and dilation is something they do for other issues as well. i guess my main questions are …

1. Could the feeling i have be scar tissue from the initial trauma? would that be something they would see in the endoscopy?
   
2. I have a follow up with my GI in june, should i ask about a more permanent solution to the dilation considering it helped both times? how do i bring that up?
   
3. should i switch PCPs? i feel like mine doesn’t take me very seriously or sees me as someone who’s making it all up but im not sure switching at this point would be beneficial.
   
4. what can i do to add more nutrition into my diet without doing solid foods?
   

ETA: i am still experiencing numbness/pins and needles in my legs and feet. i brought it up to my PCP and he said it’s most likely due to malnutrition and to not worry since my strength is still there.

So my 1st child caught a cold from the neighbor’s kid during a brief interaction (they were talking and comparing stickers). It’s been a week since she had it and I thought I was in the clear until yesterday. End of my shift I start getting a tickle in my throat and I sound like Marge Simpson. Wake up it’s even worse. It sucks. I can’t really medicate myself like I would pre-pregnancy. And thanks to this sleeping is even worse as my nostrils alternate which one is open or closed😫. That aside I'm 8 weeks tomorrow and so far so good according to my OB.

My anxiety is driving me absolutely crazy lately.
I’ve had anxiety for years, but it got really bad in college. There was a period of time when I was convinced I was dying or going to get third degree burns or botulism, the list goes on. I did therapy but didn’t really start feeling better until I got on Zoloft, which I had been on for a bit in high school after a nearly fatal eating disorder.
I thought the worst of my anxiety was in the past. Wrong! My 18-month-old son has been diagnosed with autism and global developmental delay. I am now constantly anxious about his future (Will he talk? Will he ever find a way to communicate with me? Will he start to understand me?), the past (did I do something that made him this way?), and the present (how do I keep him safe when he’s constantly throwing things and doesn’t understand ‘be careful,’ ‘no,’ and ‘stop’)?
I am pregnant and am debating going back on Zoloft. I was on it during my pregnancy with my son because I was told it was safe. He was born super tiny. I have no proof that Zoloft caused any of his delays or his small size at birth, but now I’m terrified of going back on anxiety meds while pregnant. Then I worry that my stress is bad for the baby and it would be better to just go back on Zoloft. I go through cycles of more manageable anxiety and practically debilitating, nightmare-inducing anxiety and right now I’m in the nightmare category.
I’m driving my husband crazy with my anxiety. Some of it is justifiable (my son has diagnoses from professionals, so he does have significant delays that I am not imagining) but other times I have a hard time judging when I’m being overly anxious or reasonable. My son has had a scratchy throat and I was briefly convinced he must’ve eaten a battery even though I have no idea how he would have even gotten access to one. He also has bonked his head a few times recently and I’ve been obsessing over TBIs although my son hasn’t shown concussion symptoms that the pediatrician told me would be of concern. I feel like since my anxieties about his delays were proven true, any of my other anxieties might also be true.
I am in therapy but that only helps for a day or two, then it’s back to anxiety hell.

I thought I’d share my personal experience for anyone who may be worried about the surgery/recovery :)
I had my tonsils and adenoids removed on May 20th. For anyone worried about going under anesthesia, I was too! It was my first time going under and they gave me a sedative in my IV before I went into the OR. The anesthesiologist introduced himself in the OR and told me when he was administering anesthesia, and the next thing I remember was waking up in recovery lol. I didn’t feel drowsy or loopy, I just kind of blacked out.
I did have some initial pain upon waking up. The best way I can describe it is almost like having an elephant sitting on the back of your throat lol. The nurse was super nice and made sure I had ice chips and apple juice on my bedside. I felt VERY tired after I woke up, I ended up falling asleep for ~2 hours in the recovery room. I was able to talk, although I did sound like a muppet lol.
I was prescribed Percocet, but I found that all it did was make me sleep the entire day. I was able to manage the first few days with extra strength liquid Tylenol.
The pain does get progressively worse within the first week, ESPECIALLY in the mornings. I’ll keep it real, there were a few mornings where I was down on the floor in fetal position waiting for the Tylenol to kick in. A lot of times, the ear pain was worse than the throat pain. You WILL have pain no matter what, and unfortunately you’ll just have to power through. It gets a lot worse before it gets better!
I didn’t have any bleeding at all, and I was able to start alternating between Tylenol and ibuprofen around the clock within ~5 days or so (per my ENT’s advice.) My scabs began to fall off around the 1 week mark. I personally had a foul taste in my mouth on occasion when scabs were forming/coming off.
I’m currently on day 11 (with day 1 being the day of surgery.) I don’t have to take painkillers during the day anymore, just an ibuprofen in the morning if I wake up with bad ear pain.
My personal advice:

• DRINK YOUR WATER!!! It will hurt, but you must force yourself to drink. I had one of those 32 oz Nalgene bottles with me at all times. Set alarms on your phone for every hour if you have to!
  
• Get your rest! You will most likely be pretty tired for the first few days, allow yourself to rest and chill out.
  
• Distract yourself from the pain. Read a book, play some video games, watch YouTube video essays, find a craft/puzzle/coloring book to do, anything to get your mind off the pain.
  
• Don’t force yourself to talk. I used a text to speech app (AAC Bestie on the App Store) to talk to my family for the first few days.
  

If anyone has any questions or additional advice please comment! I’m happy to answer based on my experience :)

I don’t know where to start…
About 5yrs ago, I got an absolutely chronic sore throat (like 4-5mos at a time). Saw ENT, treated for reflux, did all the allergy things, no changes.
For maybe 5-7 years, I’ve had just a few guttate spots at a time, during stress or illness, but never more than like 10 spots on my whole body.
Dec 2023, during an extremely stressful time in our family, I got plaque psoriasis patches for the first time (on elbows) AND hives at the same time. Lasted about 3 weeks.
I am a trail runner and have damaged the hell out of my feet and have fungus, but in the last year, one single toenail suddenly got much much worse, crumbled, is painful.
March 2024 I got a bad case of strep and the guttate started popping up on my legs prob the day I finished antibiotics. It’s now ALLLL over my legs, so we’re going on 8-9 weeks of getting worse. No response to any topicals.
And today…I tested pos for covid, which I’ve already had twice, and had all the available shots.
In the last weeks, I’ve noticed an oral allergy reaction. I think it’s related to birch bc that’s one of my top allergens, but I get itchy lips or tongue or mild tongue swelling from so many diff things—berries, mangoes, wine, nuts…no respiratory or gastro symptoms. I live in the PNW and am allergic to pretty much all the trees here.
I’m wondering if any guttate babes out there have experienced nail issues with flares, chronic sore throats, or the oral allergy stuff?
I’m so bummed bc I’m assuming this covid is going to keep the flare going and I don’t see an end in site. I have two little kids and fear going on immunosuppressants bc I’m sick too often already.
Also wondering if everyone with guttate is just covering it up?? I’ve never seen anyone looking like me out in public with all these dots, but I’ve seen plenty of plaque un-covered.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION & INDICATIONS Do not use if you are allergic to dupilumab or to any of the ingredients in DUPIXENT®. Before using DUPIXENT tell, your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you: • have eye problems. • have a parasitic (helminth) infection. • are scheduled to receive any vaccinations. You should not receive a “live vaccine” right before and during treatment with DUPIXENT. • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether DUPIXENT will harm your unborn baby. • A pregnancy registry for women who take DUPIXENT during pregnancy collects information about the health of you and your baby. To enroll or get more information call 1-877-311-8972 or go to https://mothertobaby.org/ongoing-study/dupixent/. • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known whether DUPIXENT passes into your breast milk. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your healthcare provider if you are taking oral, topical, or inhaled corticosteroid medicines; have asthma and use an asthma medicine; or have atopic dermatitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis, eosinophilic esophagitis, or prurigo nodularis and also have asthma. Do not change or stop your corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine without talking to your healthcare provider. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by the corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine to come back. DUPIXENT can cause serious side effects, including: • Allergic reactions, DUPIXENT can cause allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe. Stop using DUPIXENT and tell your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms: breathing problems or wheezing, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat, fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded, fast pulse, fever, hives, joint pain, general ill feeling, itching, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, nausea or vomiting, or cramps in your stomach-area. • Eye problems. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision, such as blurred vision. Your healthcare provider may send you to an ophthalmologist for an exam if needed. • Inflammation of your blood vessels. Rarely, this can happen in people with asthma who receive DUPIXENT. This may happen in people who also take a steroid medicine by mouth that is being stopped or the dose is being lowered. It is not known whether this is caused by DUPIXENT. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have: rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of your arms or legs, or persistent fever. • Joint aches and pain. Some people who use DUPIXENT have had trouble walking or moving due to their joint symptoms, and in some cases needed to be hospitalized. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or worsening joint symptoms. Your healthcare provider may stop DUPIXENT if you develop joint symptoms. The most common side effects include: • Eczema: injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, dry eye, cold sores in your mouth or on your lips, and high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia). • Asthma: injection site reactions, high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), pain in the throat (oropharyngeal pain), and parasitic (helminth) infections. • Chronic rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyposis: injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), gastritis, joint pain (arthralgia), trouble sleeping (insomnia), and toothache. • Eosinophilic Esophagitis: injection site reactions, upper respiratory tract infections, cold sores in your mouth or on your lips, and joint pain (arthralgia). • Prurigo Nodularis: eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, herpes virus infections, common cold symptoms (nasopharyngitis), dizziness, muscle pain, and diarrhea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of DUPIXENT. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Use DUPIXENT exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It’s an injection given under the skin (subcutaneous injection). Your healthcare provider will decide if you or your caregiver can inject DUPIXENT. Do not try to prepare and inject DUPIXENT until you or your caregiver have been trained by your healthcare provider. In children 12 years of age and older, it’s recommended DUPIXENT be administered by or under supervision of an adult. In children 6 months to less than 12 years of age, DUPIXENT should be given by a caregiver. Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information including Patient Information. INDICATIONS DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used: • to treat adults and children 6 months of age and older with moderate-to-severe eczema (atopic dermatitis or AD) that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin (topical), or who cannot use topical therapies. DUPIXENT can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with atopic dermatitis under 6 months of age. • with other asthma medicines for the maintenance treatment of moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral steroid dependent asthma in adults and children 6 years of age and older whose asthma is not controlled with their current asthma medicines. DUPIXENT helps prevent severe asthma attacks (exacerbations) and can improve your breathing. DUPIXENT may also help reduce the amount of oral corticosteroids you need while preventing severe asthma attacks and improving your breathing. DUPIXENT is not used to treat sudden breathing problems. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with asthma under 6 years of age. • with other medicines for the maintenance treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) in adults whose disease is not controlled. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis under 18 years of age. • to treat adults and children 1 year of age and older with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), who weigh at least 33 pounds (15 kg). It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with eosinophilic esophagitis under 1 year of age, or who weigh less than 33 pounds (15 kg). • to treat adults with prurigo nodularis (PN). It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with prurigo nodularis under 18 years of age.

In the past couple years I’ve had mild throat itchy ness during this season . Nothing major , last year from May 31 until about July I had on and off body aches and soreness come and go . Today is May 31 and I’m feeling the same again . I have just read that pollen allergies can definitely cause inflammation and feeling flu-ish . I currently don’t have any other symptoms so I’m wondering if Claritin or reactin could help alleviate the sore muscle pain ?

(The girl stirs, fitful rest interrupted by a noise at the edge of her awareness…a voice, she realizes. She can’t make out the words, but it’s clear that someone is speaking nearby. She opens eyes that glow with an inner light of purest gold, snarls and bares fangs that were not there when she fell into slumber.)
(She is changed…)
(She is hungry)
“Oy now, was wonderin’ when you’d come out of it. Welcome back, lass.”
(The girl leaps toward the voice, rising from where she rests with little effort and hurling herself at the source with newly grown claws reaching for where a neck should be. She knows nothing, in this moment. Only that the hunger must be satisfied. The Thirst must be quenched…)
(A man stops her. He holds out one thin arm and snatches her out of the air, fingers closing around her throat. She claws wildly at him, desperate to tear into warm flesh and drink deep of the crimson waters which flow only in the veins of the living. She can smell the stench of blood; and it drives her into a deeper fury)
“Now now, calm down lass. I’ll not harm you, but neither will I allow you to harm me. Made that mistake myself, never lived it down.”
(She does not listen. Cannot listen. His words are just noise, carrying no meaning.)
“Let…me go!” (She manages, forcing the words out.) “LET ME GO!”
(The man before her smiles. He’s short, thin, but his strength is unbelievable. He holds her in place seemingly without exerting himself to the fullest extent; her thrashing an inconvenience, not a burden)
(He holds his free hand up to his mouth, and bites deeply into the wrist. Blood pools on his tongue, and he draws his wrist away swiftly before spitting it back out on to the floor. The waste angers her, but the rage is brief. Slowly, almost tenderly, he brings the bleeding wound up towards her mouth and allows a small trickle of his blood to fall upon her lips. She licks it, and the taste… indescribable. He does not allow her to grab his arm, to pull it close and latch on as she wishes, but the blood flow from his wrist remains constant, and she opens her mouth to accept it. She is in heaven; lost in the sensation of… satiation?)
(Why does his blood satisfy? Who is he? Where the hell is she? Question upon question, flooding her mind as the fog of the Thirst clears and allows her to begin thinking again.)
“There we go… drink up, now. Not too quickly, you’ll sicken yourself.”
“Who…” (her teeth are stained red, her tongue alive with the taste of his Vitae)
“Shhh, questions are for later. Right now, focus only on clearing your mind… you know yourself? Your name?”
“A…Amanda.”
“Last name?”
“I…I don’t remember”
(He moves his wrist away from her and licks it, cleaning the excess blood away. As she watches, the wound begins to close; skin reknitting itself until only a faint scar of teeth marks remains, before that too begins to fade. Slowly, hesitantly, he lowers her to the ground, allowing her to stand, but not removing his hand from her throat. His grip holds her in place, the strength of it enough to halt any attempt at movement)
“Think, lass. Find it, and I’ll let you go.”
(She struggles for a moment, searching through scattered memories in search of her own identity. She remembers a street corner, cold upon her skin, rain in her hair. She remembers begging, searching for succor among strangers…)
“Westenra.”
“Say again?”
“My name…I think…I think it’s Westenra.”
“Good lass.”
(He removes his hand from her throat. His fingers are tipped by claws, she notices)
“Now… you’ll be confused. Disoriented. Take a moment to steady yourself. Don’t push yourself too far too fast lass.”
“Where am I? Who are you? What are you?!”
“What are we, lass. Where you are…well, I found this little corner of nowhere during a hunt. It’s a warehouse on the edge of town, if you remember where town is. Who am I? I suppose I’m your Da. Call me Atlas.”
(He reaches for her, extending a hand as though expecting her to shake it. She doesn’t; she merely stares at him)
”What are you!?”
(He smiles. A predators grin, on the red bearded face of a man. In his eyes is the wisdom of one beyond his years.)
“You know what I am. What you are. Say it with me now, lass: vam…”
(Her eyes widen)
“No…no this isn’t real. I’m dreaming.”
“Aye, thought that myself when I drank the red. I could smack you, but me ma would do somersaults in her grave. Take me word for it: this ain’t a dream, and it’s very real.”
“I was…I was hiding. From you?”
“Possibly, but I doubt it. You’ve been on the streets for months, lass. Plenty of things to fear out there besides me.”
(She shakes her head in disbelief. This thing, this Atlas, is telling her that what’s happened to her is nothing less than a total transformation: mind, body, soul…)
“It’s not real…this isn’t real…”
“Oh it is. I assure you.”
(He takes a step forward and rests a hand upon her shoulder. The motion is comforting, despite the fear that consumes her core. Somehow, this man does not frighten her. He hasn’t hurt her so far…that she knows of.)
“How?”
“Gonna have to be more specific.”
“How did this happen?”
“Well, it’s a long story. You see, I’ve been watching you. I’ve had my eye on you for a long while now, and what I’ve seen upsets me terribly. You were living in an alleyway, sheltering in a cardboard box from the rain and the cold while men and women in fine clothes walked right past you, blind to your suffering. I don’t know how you came to be there… but it’s a crime that you were.”
“And…you saved me?”
“In a sense. You’re not human anymore, lass. Don’t think you were ever meant to be, either. You’ve got the spark of a killer in you…”
(She pulls away from him, eyes widening.)
“I am not a killer!”
(He doesn’t attempt to restrain her, he merely returns his hand to his side and meets her gaze. Hers is fearful; his unflinching)
“You are now.”
(Tears well in the corners of her eyes. She feels them racing down her cheeks and presses a hand to them. She notices the claws on her own fingers for the first time, and jerks her hand away. The fingertips are red)
(She’s crying blood)
“Now now, enough of that bollocks!”
(The man - Atlas - reaches for her. Past experiences barely recalled cause her to jerk away from the motion, but he presses on despite it, running his hand across her cheeks and eyes to clean the blood from them.)
“You sweat it too, before you ask. If you want to maintain some semblance of humanity, I suggest you halt that weeping.”
“You’ve killed me… you’ve murdered me…”
“Again, said the same thing when I was born. But in the end, I realized a very simple truth: my life was dogshite before. Probably why I’ve forgotten most of it. I’ve tasted the sorrow in your soul, the pain in your blood…I’ve a feeling our stories aren’t very different. You remember your life before now? How it turned to ash?”
“I was… I was in college. I dropped out. My dad…”
“Aye, shite Da’s, that’ll usually do it.”
“No…no my dad died. I couldn’t go home. I didn’t have a home.”
(This seems to give him pause. He runs his hand through his hair before beginning to pace.)
(He stops, and looks at her)
“As I said… not very different.”
(He places his hand upon her shoulder once more, slower this time so as not to startle her. She accepts the contact. His proximity calms the fear brewing at her core; his touch seems to quench it entirely)
“I don’t want to kill…”
(He reaches into his coat pocket and removes a flask. He shakes it; the liquid within sloshes audibly, sluggishly, as though it were filled with oil. He puts it back)
“You don’t have to. There are more ways than just one to walk the night, lass. I can show you…if you’re willing.”
“S-show me?”
“Oh aye. We may be monsters, but we don’t have to be killers. You can take what you wish without stopping a single heart, but to do so, you’ll have to learn. You can’t do that on your own, trust me.”
(She closes her eyes, willing fresh tears back. She draws in a shaky breath…only to realize that feels no need to continue doing so. Her heart still beats, her blood flows…but she can tell that she is dead. A walking, living corpse, animated…)
(Animated by what?)
(She hears his words, and knows that they are true. She feels his concern, and knows that it is sincere. She senses his pity, and knows that it is not false)
(She opens her eyes)
“You said you’re my ‘da…’ You mean father?”
“Of a kind. Not the one you were born with, obviously, but the one you need, certainly. So...”
(He removes his hand)
“Shall you learn, young one? Or shall I leave you to the sun?”
(At the mention of the sun, she feels a chill race down her spine. She’s certain that what she knows about his kind is far from the concrete truth…but the sun? That part is definitely true. She knows in her bones that to step out during the day now would be nothing short of a death sentence.)
“I…I will learn.”
(He grins, and moves toward her. She flinches away, but he takes her into his embrace despite it. His arms encircle her, and the contact heartens her. She is afraid. She is tired… she is thirsty…but somehow, she knows all of these things to be minor issues, for another time. For now, she returns his embrace)
“Welcome then, my Childe, my Daughter... Welcome to our World of Darkness…”

I just wanted to share my trip to the zoo with you guys and let you know that we can still have fun and do things. We just have to adjust to our condition. It was the best day I've had in years since I've not only been going through this illness but the loss of multiple jobs, friends and the death of my mother and grandfather. It was a breath of fresh air to actually get out of my house and my head and enjoy the day.
I was out from 8:30 to 5. The drive was 1 hr 10 minutes there. I took my grandma with me and we are both slow and have trouble getting around so that was nice. We got to see the beautiful butterfly gardens, walk around with kangaroos, go inside an aviary, and see the dolphin show. I was raised going to the zoo quite often with my mom and grandma so it was a good trip down memory lane in remembrance of my mom.
How did I feel and how am I feeling now?
During the day I actually felt really good. I picked a time of the month where I wasn't going to be too symptomatic and I can plan this because I flare up really bad around my period. I was shocked I didn't have any dizziness or balance issues. My stomach also did not feel sick and I didn't have to make any emergency bathroom trips. I did start to get extremely fatigued and a lot of back pain toward the end of the trip. It wasn't until the last 20 minutes that I became so tired I was getting woozy and felt like I'd fall over but this was after 4 HOURS of walking! Later that night when I got home I definitely paid for it with sore muscles and all over body aches. I felt kind of nauseas for the rest of the night and had a slight sore throat. I slept it off and today Im alittle tachy but overall I feel fine.
My tips for you and your adventures:
Of course bring a big bottle of water. I got one with a strap I could carry on my shoulder.
Bring a mini backpack full of your necessities: vital readers, medication, cooling packs or mini fans, food, etc.
Take lots of sit breaks. Every half hour or so we would sit on a bench and talk for about 5-10 minutes and I think this was the biggest thing that helped
Get inside air conditioner and shade for your breaks. The zoo had a lot of indoor attractions like the aquarium so we were able to cool off. We also stayed in the shade as much as we could on the trails.
Don't stand in one place too long. A lot of the animal exhibits had viewing benches and I took advantage of them and if I was standing to watch them I moved a lot up and down the fences. Walking for four hours is way easier than standing for 10 minutes.
Don't EXPECT to feel bad. Expect the best, prepare for the worst. I went in knowing I had to keep my mind off all the possibilities so practicing relaxation techniques helped. Keeping myself calm, relaxed and in the moment helped me so I didn't set off my own symptoms with anxiety.
Don't eat big heavy meals before or during. I ate only fruit while I was out and didn't eat anything more until I got home. You might be able to handle a little more but my stomach is extremely sensitive. Bananas and apple sauce are my safe foods. I can eat them always and they never make me sick. Bananas especially will keep me from getting lightheaded and make me feel full for quite some time before I need anything else.
I hope you all get to go out there and make memories too. This has given me confidence and I think this is just the beginning of my fun times <3

My 15 month old got hand foot and mouth disease two weeks before my second daughter was born and AGAIN two weeks after she was born! Im just like why and how is this happening?? I was already struggling with postpartum hormones and living in constant anxiety that my newborn is going to get sick is doing a number on me. Her pediatrician says that infants under two months who have a fever need to go straight to the ER. Last night I started to feel chills and body aches and a sore throat… so I probably have hand mouth and foot too. Has anyone had experience with a newborn being sick? My baby is less than 3 weeks old.

Read PART 1 here
 
Erik only emerged from his room at around noon the next day with puffy eyes and red marks and bruises on his face. He dragged his legs and hung his head as he moved.
Once he’d gotten something to eat, I waved him into my room and closed the door.
“Erik, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Why did you barricade your window with a table, chair, and wardrobe?”
“Uh, never mind that. This Old Henriksen guy. Did he get eaten by the Great Eel God in the past?”
“Nick, I really don’t want to talk about that right now. I don’t even want to think about Storålens natt anymore.” He sighed.
“I know, Erik, I’m really sorry. I just need to know this.”
“He got regurgitated during the festival, but that was a long time ago. Maybe before I was born, or at least when I was still a baby.”
“Did you see him before he stopped showing up in Maelstrom?”
“I barely remember. Think so. Lots of unkempt hair. Kept scratching himself.”
“Right, thank you.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Pay him a visit.” I slung my bag onto my shoulders.
“You can’t be serious. He’s…probably dead or something.” Erik shook his head in disbelief.
“Won’t know until we actually look.”
“It could be dangerous, especially for a newcomer. You could get stopped.”
“Then come with me.”
He looked down at the floor.
“Erik, this is our chance to really uproot all this. Expose Storålens natt.”
He shook his head. “This festival has been running every year for centuries, ever since my ancestors first settled here. It’s not being stopped anytime soon.”
“We can just take the first step. Just visit Old Henriksen. Will you come with me?”
He placed his face into his hand, pacing in a circle. Then, he looked up and sighed. “You have a way with words, Nick. Let’s go.”
Heading out his door, we quickly headed up the terraces, Erik leading and allowing us to avoid anyone who would stop me. Several people watched us from windows, but nobody actually approached us.
It took a while, but we finally arrived at the top of the hill.
“Goddamn, I’d never leave my home either if this was the climb back.” I said, panting hard and wiping buckets worth of sweat off my forehead. I looked out over the rest of the village, at the completed festival square and the boats out on the calm blue water. For a second, I saw a massive snaking shape under the surface, just like I had on my arrival, but it vanished in the next moment. Was that the fabled Great Eel God?
Rubbing my eyes, I turned my attention back to Old Henriksen’s place. This house was old. The red paint was flaking off, the windows were boarded up, and the doorknob was entirely rusted. I tried it. Locked.
“If we kick it down, people will hear and tell the village chief.” I said.
“Don’t worry, I know a little trick.” He gave me a sly grin and pulled what looked to be a piece of metal wire, which he inserted into the keyhole.
“Is that a lockpicking wire? Erik, you’re naughtier than I thought.”
“Don’t tell anyone.” He giggled and worked away at the door. After about a minute of finicking and under the breath curses, I heard one final click and Erik turned the doorknob.
An overwhelming smell hit us immediately upon entry. I’d been in old buildings before, slept in them even. They have a strong musty stale smell to them. Old Henriksen’s house was on another level entirely. It was putrid rot that wormed its way down my throat. I gagged, as did Erik, as we tried to hold in our vomit. The rancid stench was unbelievable.
All the furniture were still in their proper places, untouched by any signs of struggle or human inhabitation. A thick layer of dust covered everything from the plates to the floor, which etched our shoeprints as we walked.
Erik put a handkerchief to his nose and I made do with the sleeve of my arm. Peeking into the lone bedroom, his bed was unmade, and a hole in the roof had been letting in rainwater, turning it into a grimy brown sponge for filthy water. Whatever the case, Old Henriksen had not been in this room in a long, long time.
“Nick, come here.” I followed Erik back out into the main room, where he pointed at a trapdoor in the corner. He leaned down and pulled it open. Unlocked. A ladder led down into darkness. We looked at each other.
“I have to go down to check.” I quickly said before he could express any doubts. “You can stay up here if you want.”
“I’m coming with you.”
The ladder shook and creaked with each step down I took, but it didn’t go down very far at all. I stepped on the dirt floor, putting my hands on my knees and gagging in a desperate attempt not to vomit. The revolting odour was even worse down here, packed into this small underground space and crowding out the breathable air.
I heard Erik come down behind me. He lit a candle, illuminating a small portion of the musty basement. We crept forward into the main room, lined with old shelves filled with various tools and cans. The ground was sticky with something. Our shoes squelched with each step.
A strange hissing groan came from just ahead, making both of us jump. I could hear something shifting, grinding against the ground. We stepped closer into the centre of the room, and that was when we saw it.
There was something long on the ground about the width of a large plastic bottle, occasionally squirming as we got closer.
“Oh my god.” I muttered.
“What is it?” Erik’s hands were shaking in terror.
“Find one end.” We followed it carefully as it snaked across to one end of the basement, and there we saw what it looked like at one end.
It was Old Henriksen, there was no doubt. He become long enough to stretch like rope across the basement. His skin was loose like torn clothes, covered in thousands of massive rotting ulcers and black sores, oozing fetid necrotic fluid onto the basement floor and coating it in a thin layer.
The top part of him ended in his oblong skull, but his skin had gotten so loose that his face had entirely detached, lying in a messy heap half a metre away. One eye on the side of his face not lying in his own rotting flesh goop looked up at us. He had no iris, just a small black pupil in his white beady eyes. He opened his mouth, where his few remaining teeth had turned razor sharp, and made the same hissing groan we heard moments earlier.
I felt something slowly wrap around my calf and let out a high-pitched shriek, leaping up and stomping on it. Old Henriksen hissed at me, and I looked down to see pencil-thin rubbery fingers as long as my legs retreating, attached to arms similarly disproportionately long. They were coiled all round the room, one even pooled in a corner like a heap of rope.
“Where’s his other end?” I asked. Erik nodded and we went along by his candlelight, following his sore-filled body with skin pooling off, until we reached the opposite corner of it. A shelf filled with heavy paint cans had toppled and practically shattered his legs. What was left was actively decomposing while he was alive, releasing even more of the septic stench. As much as his long eel-like body squirmed, the heavy shelf remained pinned over him.
“He must have gotten trapped down here and just kept growing and growing.”
“For…my whole life?” Erik gasped in horror. “How’s he not died of thirst yet?”
We walked back across to his head, where I had Erik lift the candle as high as he could. The ceiling was cracked in placed, and even know, the filth-water from his bedroom was slowly leaking through the cracks and dripping down into the basement, right into his open mouth.
“I-I can’t believe it.” Erik gripped onto one shoulder to support as he held his head in the other. “I’m getting lightheaded.”
“Alright, we’re getting out of here.” As Erik turned, I noticed Old Henriksen’s mouth moving. It sounded like a word.
“Henriksen? Did you say something?”
“Eeeee…” He groaned.
“Yes?”
“Itchy…” He scratched at a black wound the size of a basketball, fingernails digging into the rotting flesh and ripping it up.
“Yeah, sorry.”
“Hungry…” I felt his other hand suddenly grab me and shove me towards him.
“Erik!” I cried out. I violently wrenched at Henriksen’s fingers, but despite his thin limbs, he was freakishly strong. He yanked me towards his face, where his mouth hung open. Erik rushed over, pulling at Old Henriksen’s arm, but he couldn’t overpower him either.
“My bag! Take his photo!”
“Now?”
“Just do it!” I screamed, shoving a shoe into his mouth and stomping on his loose skin. Erik unzipped my backpack and pulled my camera free.
“This button?”
Old Henriksen sunk his teeth into my sole, and I could feel the very tip of his fangs stab into my socks.
“Yes!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. “Now!”
Erik took aim and clicked, briefly engulfing Old Henriksen and me in a blinding flash. His pupil constricted immediately and he let go, letting out an unholy half-hiss, half-shriek as he raked at his eyeballs with his fingers. Erik grabbed me by the hand, and we bolted towards the ladder, scrambling up it as fast as our bodies allowed us to. We slammed the trapdoor shut and rushed out of the house, coughing the last of the awful fumes out.
Fresh sea air filled our lungs again and it was like ambrosia to us. We gasped and took deep inhales, clearly any dizziness we had. Breathing heavily, we sat down on the front steps of the house, trying to wrap our heads around what the hell we just saw.
“Old Henriksen. He…he’s what people who got regurgitated are turning into?” Erik asked, incredulity in his voice as he passed my camera back to me.
“They’re not just growing taller. They’re turning into human eels.” Erik buried his face in his hands, trying to make sense of it all. “They never told us anything about that.”
“What do you think happens to those the Great Eel God swallows?”
He didn’t reply.
“I’m going to get evidence about the festival.” I told him. “You can join me if you like.”
“I’m going home.”
“Erik…”
“You saw it yourself. My mom either gets eaten or she starts turning into one of those things. I don’t want to think about this anymore.” Erik got up and trudged off slowly back down the hill.
It didn’t matter. I’d do it with or without him.
 
I waited until the Sun vanished behind the western hill and darkness slowly fell onto Maelstrom once more.
Yet this time, it wasn’t the same omnipresent blanket of night. The festival square lit up, lanterns blazing, bonfires in braziers lining the sides of the square. Blazing torches adorned the open-air towers, each with one particularly tall villager standing there beating a drum. It lit up like a sole beacon in the darkness of Maelstrom and the surrounding forests.
Processions of villagers began to drift towards the festival square like moths to a flame. They mostly wore their usual clothes, but each carried a light source – handheld lanterns, fiery torches, the odd flashlight. Other villagers watched from the same or higher terraces.
I spotted the village chief standing before the raised platform. The tall man was dressed in a purple robe that glinted in the light of the flames around him. Before long a crowd had gathered, and the chief started talking to them, though I couldn’t make out the words from where I was standing.
A loud, deep, groaning call came from the sea, shaking the foundations of the village houses and vibrating my very bones. Maelstrom fell dead silent, all eyes staring at the coast.
Seawater began creeping in, slowly turning from abnormal tide into a full-scale of the coastal region. Everything not nailed down was swept away as water rushed down every street and alley. Then, something absolutely gargantuan emerged from the sea. I could see only its silhouette from here but it dwarfed the houses around it. Not caring about them, the giant eel pushed itself onto land, scraping across the slightly flooded ground and smashing straight through the first house it touched.
I could feel my hands trembling in sheer amazement at what I was witnessing. It continued dragging itself for a while, crushing houses and shoving the debris aside until there was practically a wall of smashed furniture and devastated walls surrounding it. With a great groan, the eel lifted its front section up and flopped forward, crossing half the coastal town in one move.
It landed with a massive crashing noise, shaking the ground beneath my feet. Hundreds of houses crumbled apart like a house of cards, crushed beneath its massive weight. It began its climb up the side of the hill towards the terrace. The entire place shook. Rocks dislodged and tumbled down the slope. Even as it continued pushing up the terrain, more and more of its massive, elongated body slithered out of the water. It must have been well over a hundred metres long.
At last, it reached the festival square. It rested its head onto the velvet-covered platform, fit rather snugly with the wooden roof above it and bent, angular pillars all around. Finally, it stopped moving and all was still in Maelstrom.
Taking the opportunity, I began to descend the terrace layers, running down the steep staircases. I could see the village chief and several other abnormally tall villagers approached it, splashing it with buckets of water. Other villagers began to dance and wave banners before it, casting shadows onto the eyes of the silent god-beast.
Finally, I arrived at the terrace where Erik’s home was located, one step up from the festival square. Finally close enough, I could get a good look at this eel god. It appeared to have…human skin? Pale, loose, wet skin hung from its body and pooled on the edges of the platform. It was absolutely covered in massive rotting wounds and sores. It opened its mouth wide, and from within I could spot more putrid oozing ulcers and disgusting gums lined with sharp fangs.
One of the chief’s tall assistants nodded and walked straight into its mouth, taking care to avoid the teeth. I thought he was about to stroll right down its throat too, but the eel god lifted its tongue and flung him off his feet. With a gulp, he vanished right down the monster’s throat without a sound.
The village chief made another call, and this time a regular-looking woman climbed in and was practically swallowed immediately too.
This was it. What I needed. I slung my bag onto one shoulder and pulled the camera out. Zooming in, I waited for the next person. In came a tall woman, who bowed to the Great Eel God before stepping in.
No, I had to get a photo with a regular-looking person or someone could get suspicious about fakery.
Footsteps and talking spectators began to approach me.
Shit. Hurry up!
One man, dressed in rags and with a white bandana around his head, carefully took his clothes off and handed them to one of the village chief’s assistant before he stepped into its mouth.
The footsteps closed in.
I clicked the button.
The bright flash enveloped the entire festival square.
The Great Eel God’s pupils immediately constricted.
Dozens of heads turned to look straight at me.
I felt my blood run cold.
The eel let out a deafening hissing call of pain and smashed its jaws shut. I heard the sound of screaming and snapping bones as it swallowed its prey. The village chief backed off in surprise as the furious eel god flung its head upwards, smashing the wooden roof above it into a million splinters that came raining down. Screeching ever louder, it pushed itself forward, opened its mouth, and enveloped three of the nearest villagers in one gulp, shredding one of them on its teeth. Blood spewed from its mouth as it swallowed them.
It swiped its head to one side, flinging several people off the square and sending the fiery braziers toppling off. Then it appeared to tense up and cracked its own body like a whip. Its lower half swept across half the coastal village in seconds. Houses were ripped off their foundations and broke to pieces. A tsunami of debris and the eel’s body tore through streets and boats alike. Dozens of people tried to flee before being enveloped and vanishing into the carnage.
Debris flung high into the air. Chunks crashed into the hillside. One massive metal piece landed on Old Henriksen’s house and collapsed it down into the basement.
At the square, the eel god continued its feast, snatching up villagers and devouring them. Yet they didn’t flee. Instead, they bowed, clasping their hands, and silently awaited their turn.
But not all. The village chief glared straight at me and broke into a run, scaling up the terrace steps with frightening speed. I felt my entire body freeze instantly as the tall man approached me with nothing but murder in his eyes, but I pried myself from my spot and broke into a run.
I could hear his footsteps. He was closing in. Closer and closer.
Thud!
I heard him cry out in pain and fall. Turning my head, I saw the chief lying on the dirt path, one hand on his bloodied head and a large sharp rock lying beside him. Another rock cracked him on the chin, and I looked up to see Sigrid on the next terrace up with an armful of stones as ammo, hurling them at him.
“Go, run!” She yelled at me.
“Sigrid!” He roared, getting to his feet and running up after her. Tucking my camera into my bag, I continued to sprint away as well, pushing past a woman in my way. I barely made it much further before I collided straight into Erik. We both fell to the ground, groaning.
“Nick! W-what’s happening?”
“Your god’s pissed off! It’s eating everyone!” I pointed over, where the eel had coiled around the entire festival square and was picking through the last of the villagers awaiting their eternal prize.
“My mom!” He screamed, pointing behind me. I turned round to see the woman who had just gone past me, currently scampering at full speed towards the festival square. “Stop her!”
Both of us scrambled up, chasing after her. She ran and ran, darting across the wooden boards that led to the now-abandoned open-air towers. Picking up a drumstick, she beat on the drums, yelling down inaudibly at the Great Eel God.
Erik pulled ahead of me and ran over onto the tower as well, grabbing onto his mother’s arm.
“Mom, stop it! Please!” He screamed. She yelled back, tugging away from him and slapping at his face. As I started crossing over the wooden board, I looked down to see the eel god bringing its head back and swinging it like a bat. One pillar snapped with a thunderous cracking noise. The tower violently leaned onto an angle, sending Erik’s mother tumbling over the side.
Erik leapt right off as fast as lightning, one arm grabbing onto the wooden railing and the other clutching her forearm tightly as she dangled over the festival square. He caught his foot on the edge of the railing on the way down and I heard an audible crack and an agonized cry from him.
The eel god pulled back once more and slammed into the tower again. Erik’s fingers slipped and he fell. Literally throwing myself forward, I slammed into the railing and caught his hand with my right, both of us clutching tightly. Pain immediately ripped through my shoulder in protest from the sheer weight dangling from it.
Down below, the eel god opened its massive bloody maw. Its loose skin rippled as it roared, waiting for its sacrifices. Dangling several metres up, Erik’s mother struggled to land in it, but he wouldn’t let go.
“Erik! Let go of me, now!” She screamed.
“No! I’m not going to!”
“Let go!”
“Mom! Stop this. Just come back home with me.” He pleaded.
“He’ll will take me to his eternal kingdom.”
“You don’t know that!”
“Let go of me, Erik.”
“Please.” Tears were streaming down his face. “Don’t abandon me too. Don’t leave me alone. Please don’t leave me alone!”
“Erik…”
“I’ll have no one left if you go! Don’t leave me too!” He screamed from the very bottom of his heart.
“Erik!” I cried out. I could feel his fingers slipping from my grip. My shoulder screamed in sheer white-hot agony. “I…can’t hold on much longer.”
The eel god snapped its jaws impatiently, waiting for its food.
“I’m not letting go!” He shouted.
“Erik,” his mother said gently, a calm look on her face, “it’s okay.”
“No, it isn’t.” He desperately shook his head.
“Listen. You still have your life ahead of you. It’s okay.”
“I’m not letting you go, mom!” Erik wailed, his voice going hoarse from the strain.
“Erik. I’m just going to see your father again. I’ve missed him so much.”
“Erik, please!” I begged, clinging onto him with the tip of my fingers, the two positioned right above the snapping jaws of the eel.
“…goodbye.” Erik whimpered.
“I love you.” She smiled.
And he let go.
She fell for just a second, and then she was gone, engulfed by the Great Eel God.
With the weight lessened, he gripped my hand with his other arm, and I pulled harder than I ever had in my life until we both collapsed on the floor of the precariously leaning tower.
“Is the god going to puke them out now?” I asked.
“He should.”
We watched as the Great Eel God raised its head and screeched one last time, and it turned and began slithering sideways through the wrecked village back into the sea without regurgitating a single person.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He wiped his tear-stained face. “I don’t think I can stand.”
I looked down to see his right leg had swollen considerably and turned black-blue with massive bruising.
“Alright, careful.” I wrapped one arm of him over my shoulders and we very carefully clambered up the sloped tower floor and onto the terrace.
Before us stood the village chief, blood profusely leaking from his forehead. He stared daggers at us and in his massive hands he held a huge woodcutter’s axe.
He opened his mouth to speak or snarl or maybe curse us before he hacked us to death, but I interrupted him before he could.
“Chief. Are you going to keep your god waiting?”
His head turned, watching the Great Eel God crawling halfway to the sea, sweeping houses and bloodied corpses with it.
The village chief dropped his axe with a metallic clatter and ran off into the ruined village after it.
 
Dawn broke on a brand-new day for Maelstrom.
Erik and I sat wrapped in a blanket, him leaning into my shoulder, softly crying at the utter carnage that had ensued in his hometown. Different emotions swept across me. Guilt, relief, despondence. I really felt like I had to do it. To finally expose the cultish religion that had seized hold of the town for the past few hundred years. I’d never expected such devastation to occur.
Local country police officers swept through the town, while paramedics and firefighters worked to help survivors and find anyone buried in the rubble. The flashing red and blue lights alarmed me at first, but nothing emerged from the sea after us.
A paramedic had applied a splint to Erik’s fractured shin, and I’d told disbelieving police officers to get divers or a submarine to look into what was underwater. Right now, I could spot people in wetsuits wading out of the water after a dive.
Elsewhere, I could see Sigrid embracing her family as they were taken out on stretchers, hurt but alive.
“Erik.”
“Nick…I don’t know what to do now.”
“You could come with me.”
“With you?”
“If you don’t want to stay here, that is. I don’t know what Maelstrom’s future holds, but me and Addison, we’ll be going upstate. And what I’m saying is, I’d be happy to have you join me. Join us.”
He was quiet.
“It’s up to you.”
“I think…I just want to sleep for now.” He lay his head fully on my shoulder, and I carefully wrapped a hand around his.
A police detective came up to me, dressed in a drenched coat. All colour had drained from his face.
“You’re the one who called us to check under the water?”
“Yeah. What did your divers see under there?”
His teeth were chattering. “This information will go nowhere. You’re not to speak about this to anyone.”
“What did you see? What’s inside the water?”
But he didn’t answer. He walked away, shaking his head and staring at the sky, as if asking the heavens for an explanation.
Holding onto Erik even tighter, I could only wonder what had become of those eaten by the Great Eel God.
   
Author's note: IceOriental123 here! Hope you enjoyed this kaiju story!
This turned out to be my longest short story yet, and definitely took a lot of work.
You can check out my other stories in my subreddit at this link.
The subreddit's still WIP but the story list in the link is updated.
Thanks for reading!

A newcomer to the strange town of Maelstrom finds himself embroiled in a strange festival dedicated to their Great Eel God
“Maelstrom! Everyone off for Maelstrom!” The lethargic voice of the bus driver rang out.
I felt a dozen seated eyes on me as I awkwardly stood up, mumbling apologies as I shuffled past the unhappy-looking man beside me and onto the aisle. I couldn’t help but notice the bus driver’s stare on me as I clambered down the steps off the rickety old bus. Nobody else had alighted with me.
“Hey, sir!” He called out. I gulped. Did he notice…?
“You sure you’re alighting here? Augusta’s two stops down.” He continued.
“I’m alighting here, that’s right.” I said, a small sense of relief washing through me. His eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to say something else, but apparently decided otherwise and bit his lip.
“You’re letting the bugs in!” An annoyed voice shouted from within the bus.
“Alright, suit yourself.” The driver gave me a slow shake of the head before closing the doors. The bus drove on down the lonely road, spluttering black exhaust as it clattered onwards.
I took a deep inhale, breathing in the salty scent of the sea. It had been a long time since I was on the coast, or anywhere nice, really.
It was a short walk off the road and along the coast before I came upon it: Maelstrom. The tiny quiet fishing village stretched from the coast all the way up the side of a hill. The villagers had carved the slope up into terraces, each packed with houses, narrowing the higher up the hill they went. Each terrace had its own path, and they were connected by steep flights of stairs cut into the earth.
Something caught my eye. At the heart of the village, around halfway up the hill, construction was ongoing. It seemed like some sort of festival square, wooden beams and arches draped with unlit white lanterns. Two open-air wooden towers flanked the square reaching in height to the next terrace up, a wooden plank connecting it to that path. Banners with all colours of the rainbow were strung up between them.
My gaze then leapt from house to house, spotting a lone red one at the very top where I presumed the village chief stayed, but none of them showed any signage designating them as an inn.
 
“An inn?” The first stranger I’d gone up to asked as if it were the strangest question in the world. He was slightly taller than me, with dry matted hair and leathery sun-baked skin. “We don’t have an inn.”
“You don’t?” My eyes widened.
“Don’t get visitors around here. We don’t like tourists.” He gnashed his crooked teeth together.
“I’m not a tourist. I just want to stay here for a few days before moving further upstate.”
“Well, doesn’t change much. We don’t have an inn, a motel, or a hotel here.”
“Great…thanks anyway.”
Staring at the man as he limped off towards the coast, various possible solutions ran through my head. This wasn’t going to be fun.
 
My sore knuckles rapped against the next door down.
“Hey, sir, I’m new in town. I’m wondering if you have a room that I could rent for about three to four days.” I forced a smile for the umpteenth time.
“No tourist is going to live in my house.” The bald grumpy fisherman slammed his door in my face.
“I don’t even have enough rooms for my own family, run along.” The bearded man with a long scar across his eye shooed me away.
“Leave!” I heard the elderly lady latching at least three locks on her door.
“Sorry, no openings here.” A young woman said, only peeking her right eye at me from behind her door.
The setting Sun’s orange rays peeked through from behind the hill and cast a long shadow behind me as I went for what must have been my millionth door and tapped on it. It slowly creaked open.
“Hi sir, I’m new here. Do you have room for rent or something?” I asked. God, I was thirsty.
“Room?” A raspy deep voice emerged from the house. Elongated thin fingers about the length of my hand wrapped around the edge of the worn wooden door and pulled it open, slowly revealing the inhabitant to me.
The man was tall, at least two metres in height. He towered far above me, bending down nearly 70 degrees to avoid hitting the doorframe. I barely reached his hips, which were supported on disproportionately long and thin legs. A belt had been curled three times around his waist to hold up his baggy pants…or were they regular-sized?
“You need a room, you say?” His beady eyes surveyed me as he leaned out the doorframe, then grunted in annoyance at the sunlight reflecting off the sea. The brief glimpse of him in the light illuminated what his wrinkled, sagging oval-shaped face. Both it and his long neck were covered in black festering sores. He settled back halfway out the door.
“I think I’ve one to spare, young man.” The man said, scratching his arms. I had a sudden, very bad feeling about this situation.
“A-actually, I don’t need one.” I stammered out.
“So, you knocked on my door for fun?” He glared at me, his scratching on his arms getting faster and faster. “I think it’d be rude not to come in to take a look, wouldn’t it?”
“No, no, um…how many rooms do you have on offer?”
“One.”
“Ah, see, I’m actually renting for two people.” I said, before another thought rushed into my mind. “And we both cannot stand being in the same room with each other.”
“Hmm…well I think I could spare two rooms.” He pondered, biting on the skin of his index finger and pulling it a dozen centimetres away before letting it snap back.
“Did I say two? I meant three people total.” I nodded frantically. “Three rooms. We all hate each other.”
He stared at me.
“Welp, gotta go then.” I gave him a slight bow and power-walked away from the house as fast as I could.
Just my luck! I grumbled under my breath as I walked off. I’d chosen this town since it was so remote and unknown. Just one review on Google too (one star), saying it was weird but cheap. Everything lined up, or so I’d thought.
Now what? Addison was probably heading this way, if she hadn’t been caught already, but it would take three or four days. The thought of sleeping rough in such a strange town didn’t bode well, but if I had no choice…
I was snapped out of my thoughts when I nearly walked straight into a thick wooden pillar in the middle of the terrace path. Looking round in annoyance at this awful bit of town design, I realised I’d accidentally stumbled my way onto the festival square. Nobody seemed to be around; it was evening after all.
Rounding the pillar of the leftmost tower, I stepped onto the festival square. It was about 15 metres wide or so, with the centre having a massive rectangular platform raised slightly from the ground, stretching to the edge of the terrace facing the sea. Perhaps they’d construct some altar of sorts, I thought.
I stared into the sea, waves gently lapping at the shore. I blinked. For a moment, I thought there had been something utterly massive under the waves.
“First time seeing this?” A gentle-sounding voice came from behind me. I quicky turned round to see an attractive young man, looking to be around my age, with loose, neck-length black hair and tanned skin, dressed in a T-shirt and frayed jean shorts.
“Umm…sorry I was just taking a look.” I tried to explain.
“Yeah, don’t worry, you’re new.”
“Oh, is it that obvious?” I scratched my hair sheepishly, cheeks turning red.
“We don’t get many visitors, and people who live here don’t gawk at the festival square like that.” He said, running his hand along the wooden pillar of the towers. As if on cue, a tall woman with stringy blonde hair walked by, clasped her hands, and slightly bowed at the square, before continuing onwards without a second glance at us.
“What’s this festival about anyway?” I asked, glancing round at all the beautiful decorations in the half-finished square.
The young man stepped closer to me and pointed out to the sea, where the waters twinkled with the orange sunlight and where several boats were slowly pulling back to the small harbour.
“This town worships a god, who lives in the sea. Each year, we hold a festival, lighting this square up, and bring him to shore where we give him our devotion.”
“And he shows up?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright.”
“You don’t believe me, I get it.” He giggled. “Just look there.”
I followed his finger, watching it trace an invisible line from the square all the way to the coast, across dozens of houses. At first, I didn’t quite get what he was showing me. There wasn’t a road or path for this god of theirs, it was just various houses, somewhat haphazardly built.
That’s when I noticed it. These homes. They were repaired out of seemingly whatever materials the villagers could get, unlike the ones to the edges of the village or in the terraces of the hill. They looked awful, like two halves made from different materials and by different people had been awkwardly smushed together, but only houses in a rough wide line from the coast to the square. Almost as if a very precise tornado ripped through there a year ago.
Or a god.
“Well, if that’s true,” my mind was racing for explanations, “why would they rebuild their houses in the same place? Why not leave a proper gap for your god?”
“That’d be the smart choice, I guess,” he had a small grin on his beguiling face, “but people think its auspicious if their homes get touched by the divine.”
Touched? Just how big was this god of theirs, if he were actually real?
“When is this festival?”
“In two days. We’ve never actually had a newcomer arrive this close to the festival. Will you be staying?”
That stomped my current conundrum firmly back into my conscious thoughts and all I could do was sigh. “Well, I want to, but this place doesn’t actually have an inn, and people don’t want me to rent out a room.”
A twinkle seemed to appear in his brown eyes.
“You’re not going to believe this.”
 
“Hmm…”
I sat straight as a needle and sweated buckets as the short, middle-aged woman with dark eye circles and braided hair circled me, looking me meticulously up and down by the light of a candle.
At the other side of the small wooden dining table sat the young man, who I now knew as Erik, giving me an embarrassed smile, frequently averting his eyes.
“Mom, come on, isn’t that enough? Nick's fine.” He shook his legs anxiously.
“Hmm…he seems nice enough, not like a troublemaker.” She said in a wiry voice. Erik covered one side of his face in sheer awkwardness.
“Plus, he’s not bad in height.” She continued.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, throwing in a half-hearted laugh to avoid sounding rude.
“We like tall people around here. The taller, the better. It symbolises closeness with our deity.” Erik explained. The image of that grotesquely tall man staring at me in the doorframe crept back into my brain.
“We’ll let you take that room then.” Erik’s mother pointed to the closest of a set of three doors. “Rent will be $30 a day, and you will have to pay for what you eat here at the end of your stay.”
“Thank you so much!” I leapt up and shook her hand, feeling the weight of one solved problem being relieved, and at a price I could afford too! I’d been saving so much on my money that I’d even actually not gotten a real ticket for that bus ride. That would be solved once Addison makes it here. If she could without getting caught. Right away, I handed over the $30 in cash.
“Hope you like seafood.” Erik was positively beaming, an alluring smile from ear to ear.
“Don’t worry, I love seafood.” I said, sitting back down at the table again.
“Speaking of seafood, those useless fishermen caught less than half their usual haul today.” She said, bringing a plate of steamed fish to the table, the aroma making my famished stomach grumble.
“Mom, it’s just that they caught so many eels this time.” Erik said, clearly salivating at the food too.
“Eels are nice.” I said, causing both to look at me. “I’ve a friend, Kana, who’s really into researching them.”
“Research?” Erik’s mother raised an eyebrow.
“You know, studying them in jars, cutting them up after death, that kind of stuff.” I’d just finished the sentence, but it was like someone had taken a knife to the mood. Both the others at the dinner table now stared at their food, disdain slowly rising in Erik’s mother’s face.
“Um, Nick,” Erik cleared his throat, “eels are kinda sacred here in Maelstrom.”
I felt a deep sinking feeling in my gut.
“Sorry, really sorry, I didn’t know.” I said, looking over to Erik.
“Newcomers are always like this, right?” He gave his mom a light laugh in an attempt to defuse the situation.
“Don’t say it again.” She stared straight through my soul.
“Never will.”
 
The room they gave me was alright apart from all the junk that looked like it had been dumped in the corner and chopped apart with an axe.
“And that is?” I pointed at it, small candle in hand.
“Ah well,” Erik sat down on the bed, bouncing on the mattress a little, “this was my uncle’s room. But he did something we didn’t like.”
“We as in you and your mom?”
“We as in Maelstrom.” Erik looked down at his feet. “Look, there are some lines you don’t cross if you were born here, and he did.”
“And he’s…gone?”
“He left the village. Mom gave him three days to come back, and when he didn’t, she destroyed everything that he owned and has been looking for someone to live in this room for a while. To get rid of the scent, according to her.”
“Why not burn it, instead of just leaving it lying in a corner?”
“We’re not really allowed to start a fire so close to Storålens natt, even during the day. Inauspicious thing.”
“Sto-what?”
“The festival.” He let out a giggle. “Like I said earlier, we light up the square at night and bring our god in once a year. Every other night, Maelstrom is darkness incarnate.”
I peered out of the window, and he was right. The only light source was the dim glow from the candle in my hand. Everything outside the wooden windows had been swallowed up by the pitch-black night. I could hear footsteps in the dirt and some light chatter from nearby, but unease crept into me at not being able to actually lay eyes on those producing the sounds.
“That’s…creepy.”
“You get used to it. You can start unpacking now, I guess.” Erik motioned towards my bag.
“I don’t have much.” I chuckled softly, unslinging the backpack from my shoulders, placing it on the floor, and pulling my camera from it.
“Is that…?” His eyes widened.
“A digital camera, yeah. Smile.” I raised it to my eyes and aimed it at him. He let out a childish squeak and waved his outstretched hands to block his face.
“Don’t worry, I’m just joking.” I laughed again, lowering the camera and moving to replace it in my bag.
“Are you any good at photo taking?”
“Sure, I’m decent.”
“Hmm, I suppose it would be a waste to not take a picture.”
“So, you do want it, Erik?”
“Alright, Nick, you can take your photo. And you can delete it if it’s not good either.” He hurriedly threw the second sentence in.
“Smile.” I brought the camera up. Erik scrambled to a better position on the bed, crossing his left leg over the other and giving a slight smile. I clicked the button and enveloped him in a bright flash which made him flinch in surprise.
“Careful, don’t aim that out of the window.” He warned, before pushing that concern aside and practically bounding across the room to me. “How does it look? Not too bad, I hope.”
I flicked it over to gallery, staring at the captured image: his twinkling brown eyes, his smooth hair, and semi-confident look. “I think you look great.”
“That’s quite good. Uncle never took photos like this with his camera.” He rubbed his hands together in excitement.
“Did it get smashed to pieces?”
“He took it when he left.” He said with a wistful tone that clearly divulged some sort of longing for that man. “Do you have anything else fancy?”
“Just my extra clothes mostly.” I gave him an apologetic smile.
“You’re not traveling with much. Where are you going after these three days?”
“Upstate probably. Just waiting right now for a girl, Addison.”
“A…girlfriend?” He looked away at the floor.
“Nah, just a good friend. A partner of sorts.” I just hoped she’d avoided trouble so far.
“And you’ll be settling down somewhere in northern Maine then.”
“I suppose, yeah. You?”
“We’re not really allowed to leave. That’s part of why my mom was so mad about my uncle.” He sighed, anxiously fiddling with his fingers. “When we reach adulthood, all of us swear an oath for a lifetime of devotion to our god.”
Both of us fell silent for quite a few seconds before he awkwardly got up and cleared his throat. “I’ll leave you to it then. Goodnight, Nick.”
“Goodnight, Erik.”
 
They say the first night in an unfamiliar place is always sleepless. I’d managed to sleep in all sorts of places just fine since I left home seven years ago. But now here I was, staring into the ceiling, engulfed in total darkness now that I’d snuffed the candle out. Something about Maelstrom was off. It wasn’t just the weird customs or religion. The whole village felt wrong.
As I tossed and turned in the bed too short for my stature, strange sounds began to creep through the closed windows. I strained my ears, trying to make it out.
That was…hammering? Sawing? Soft chatter. Dragging wood and metal. Slowly, I got to my feet and crept to the window, pulling them open. The noises got louder. It was definitely construction, and it seemed to be coming from the direction of the festival square. Of course, as much as I squinted, I failed to pierce the veil of night that hid them. Why were they doing building up the festival stuff without any light? It seemed like a safety hazard.
Should I…take a photo with flash?
No, no, awful idea. Erik already warned me about the rules. Physically shaking my head as if to get that dumb thought out of it, I closed the wooden windows again and settled back in bed, the sounds of them building the festival square forming a monotonous background noise.
I’d just began to drift into sleep when I heard a different, louder sound. Boots crunching in the rocks and dirt, getting closer and closer. My mind shot awake immediately, but I stayed lying under the blanket. Just someone passing by with materials, probably.
The footsteps got closer and closer until they got to outside my window. Then they stopped.
I sat up quietly.
Sniffing sounds came from outside. I heard the wooden windows slowly open with a creak.
As silently as I could, I reached into my bag, taking extra care until I felt the metal blade of my knife and the remnants of dried blood on it. Tracing my finger along until it touched the handle, I grabbed the weapon and pulled it out, crouching low to the ground and very slowly creeping until I was beside the window, which had just hit the angular limit of its opening.
Then nothing.
They were waiting, I was sure of it. Waiting for me or waiting for something. I couldn’t see a damn thing, so I only had my ears. It was quiet except for the distant construction and the loud thudding of my heart, pounding at my ribcage. My hands were so sweaty I was sure I was going to drop the knife and alert whoever it was.
I could smell something vaguely fishy. As in actual fish. What the hell was happening? Should I go back to the bedside and light the candle?
Something big touched me on the front of the chest. Barely able to restrain a yelp, I hacked the knife down as hard as I could, cutting through it. Something heavy thudded to the floor and a deep howl of pain came from outside the window. Footsteps quickly retreated away from my window towards the festival square.
One hand still clutched on the knife handle in a death grip, I backed away until I felt my legs hit the bed. My left hand swept across the bedside until I grabbed the lighter, flicking it on and reigniting the candle.
I pushed the windows closed with my foot to make sure no light escaped and crouched down to the floor, searching for whatever I’d chopped off. My heart nearly stopped when I saw red blood staining the wooden floor. Following the trail, I spotted my target.
Still squirming on the floor was a severed human finger, at least fifteen centimetres long.
 
All the colour drained out of Erik’s face when I showed him the bloody mess the next morning.
We went out for a walk at dawn at his insistence, and I watched as he quickly tossed the finger into a small pond nearby, where the fish began to devour it ravenously.
“Don’t talk about it.” He told me grimly, and I could do nothing but nod. After a quick breakfast, Erik led me down the hill and into the more coastal section of Maelstrom. We navigated through streets filled with junk, where stray cats hissed at us and tired-looking villagers shot us glances as they went about the chores. Up close, these hastily rebuilt houses looked even worse. Walls barely held up corrugated metal roofs and gaping holes led water into them.
Finally, we arrived at the vacant remnants of a house that evidently never got reconstructed. Most of the items in the house had been cleared, as had much of the debris, leaving several piles of junk and the occasional weathered piece of furniture, where two others sat, a young man and young woman with dark tanned skin.
“Who’s the tagalong?” The woman asked, giving us friendly waves.
“This is Nick, he showed up in Maelstrom yesterday. Nick, my friends Jonas and Sigrid.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“We haven’t had a newcomer come this close to Storålens natt before.” Jonas mused.
“How exciting.” Sigrid said with a level of sarcasm I didn’t know was possible. “You looking to get eaten too?”
“Eaten?!” I exclaimed in alarm. “What do you mean?”
Both of them looked over at Erik.
“What?” He shrugged sheepishly. “There wasn’t a good time to explain yesterday.”
“You’re saying this festival involves people getting eaten? I thought your god just came ashore, crushed a few buildings, and got worshipped.”
“See this house we’re sitting in?” Sigrid said.
“Not really much of a house.” I pointed out.
“Exactly. The Larsen family used to live here. Two elderly parents and an unmarried son. The two old folks got eaten a couple of festivals ago, and their son finally went with them last year. Nobody was left to rebuild this place, so the village chief just collected their stuff and distributed it.”
“You need to explain what the hell happens.”
“Our god, a great eel, comes out onto land on Storålens natt every year.” Erik said, a deep frown on his suddenly crestfallen face. “Part of the festival…the most important part…devotees feed themselves to him.”
I gulped reflexively.
“They stuff him as much as possible, and he vomits out most of them before he leaves. Those ‘lucky’ ones are consumed, and we believe he takes them to his underwater kingdom to live for eternity. The Larsens got lucky, as they say.”
Words failed me in the moment. I looked back and forth at all three of them. Jonas gave me a sympathetic shrug.
“And those that get thrown up?” I finally said after what felt like an eternity of silence.
“They get blessed by the Great Eel God, physically.” Sigrid said.
My mind, overwhelmed by racing thoughts, snapped on a crystal-clear image. “You mean they get really tall and thin.”
“That’s one of them.” She nodded.
“Erik,” Jonas said hesitantly, “is your mother still insisting on feeding the Great Eel God tomorrow?”
He looked away. Both Jonas and Sigrid gave him empathetic looks.
“But don’t you all think that’s good? I mean, in your religion?” I asked.
“We’re supposed to.” Sigrid sighed. “But once you’ve actually…lost people or seen them change, it doesn’t feel good.”
“All the proper adults, our parents, the chief, everyone. They say it’s the nature of youth to have shaky faith in the Great Eel.” Jonas threw his hands up. “As if we don’t know anything.”
“Hate the chief.” Sigrid growled. “Spineless prick. When my grandma got eaten, he scolded me when I was sad. Said I was selfish.”
“We just have to go with it. Not like we can leave anyway.” Jonas continued.
“Why not?”
“I already told you last night. We’re not allowed to.” Erik said.
“Are there guards preventing you from leaving?”
“Um…no?”
“Then why can’t you leave?” The three of them stared at me incredulously.
“We can’t just leave our parents, you dick.” Jonas’ face reddened.
“It’s Nick. And I ran from my home when I was just 13. Sometimes, if there’s a situation where you just have to get out, you get out, even if it hurts. You have to let go.”
They all glanced at each other, except Erik, who stared at the ruined ground and refused to look over.
“And has your life been good since you ran away?” Sigrid asked.
I took a sharp inhale. “Well, no, it’s been pretty awful to be honest, but it was better than staying with my mom and dad. I’m just saying, really think about it.”
We stayed talking for a while, them prodding me for life details and me prodding them on this festival, but nothing substantial came from it. Sigrid and Jonas showed me around the coast, and before I knew it, the Sun was setting again. We bid goodbye to the two and Erik led me back up the hill through the steep terrace staircases and back to his home.
As we reached the terrace where his home was located, our path was blocked by two figures. I recognised the first man immediately. Looming menacingly before us was the same tall, thin man that I had rejected the room rent offer from, his saggy face with disgusting black sores moving closer to me.
“Village chief!” Erik greeted immediately, standing up straight.
“He’s the village chief?” My disbelief that my luck could be that bad rising.
“Is there a problem?” The village chief rubbed his ten spindly fingers together.
“Oh, no, chief. I’d just assumed that the village chief would be staying at that lone house up there.” I pointed to the highest house on the hill, roof glinting with sunlight.
“That’s just where Old Henriksen stays. Just a weirdo who never shows up.” Erik explained. A weirdo even by Maelstrom’s standards? That I had to see.
“Through my tenure as chief and my predecessors before me, it was deemed untenable to move Old Henriksen from his rightful home. But enough about that. I see you have decided to stay, newcomer.” He said.
“Yes, with Erik here.”
His lips curled open, but not into a smile, instead showing his rotting pointed teeth.
“I recall you saying you had two companions with you who required separate rooms. Yet young Erik here only has one room to spare, that of his rotten uncle.” His breath was pungent like rotting fish and meat.
“They decided they hated this place and left for Augusta.” I stood as strong as I could, barely hiding the sheer panic telling me to run for the next town.
“Very well. You are welcome in Maelstrom, even to observe Storålens natt, but we will not allow you to participate.”
“I understand.” Not like I wanted to get eaten by this supposed eel god anyway.
“And you will not take any photographs or videos to share with the outside world. This is our most sacred ceremony…I hope you understand for your own good.” He slapped me on the shoulder with his hand, fingers wrapping halfway down my spine.
“Of course.” I said, stepping back to dislodge the physical contact. “We will be hosting it here tomorrow night.” He gestured at the festival square one terrace step down. Work had been done on it since yesterday. A wooden roof structure with angular bent pillars covered the rectangular platform, now covered with a glittering piece of purple velvety cloth. The decorations of unlit lanterns and banners was far more complex, criss-crossing over and hanging from every available height.
“One more thing, don’t forget not to use any bright lights at night, or there will be consequences.” The chief said, breaking into a smile. “At last, after having been so devoted for so long, I will finally get my chance to join our god down in his eternal abyssal domain.”
“You’re leaving tomorrow?” Erik asked, surprised.
“Yes, Edvard here will be taking over.”
The man behind him, even taller and thinner with crumpled scratchy skin, nodded in a way that was somehow threatening. He scratched furiously at his face, where the skin was clearly peeling off and red raw.
“You better listen, newcomer.” His voice was thin and croaky.
His hand. Where his index finger should be was instead bandaged and stained with dried red blood.
“Lost your finger recently?” I stared at him. He returned the gaze with his beady dark eyes.
“Fishing accident.”
 
The exquisite taste of the salmon was almost enough to make me cry.
Erik’s mother looked at me amused as I scarfed down the food as soon as it touched my plate.
“See, son? My cooking is as good as it still is.” She boasted with the proudest grin on her face.
Erik stared sullenly into his own plate of food, taking the smallest nibbles once in a while. As dinner went on, his mother talked constantly to both of us, but he never replied to her once.
“What are you so angry about?” She finally asked. “Is it about Storålens natt?”
He didn’t speak.
“Erik, I’ve been waiting for this chance for a long time. I know your faith is shaky.”
Silence.
“Your father got lucky that day, you know?”
“He did. But we didn’t.” Erik mumbled just loudly enough for us to hear.
“Stop talking nonsense, Erik.”
“He got to go to his eternal underwater kingdom. We had to live life without him.”
“You should be happy for him.”
“I am. I’m just not happy for us.”
“I know you miss him, Erik. I miss him too.”
“Then why did you let him go?” He was shouting. “Why did you let the Great Eel God consume him?”
“It’s what he wanted.”
Erik silently shook his head, staring down at the table. “He was being selfish, letting us go.”
“Erik, what are you talking about?” His mother snapped at him.
“How much of our money did you have to spend on this?” He jabbed a fork at the salmon.
“Having a guest over is a special occasion.” His mother awkwardly glanced at me.
“Uncle Jakob had to get two jobs to help earn us enough money. He saw Storålens natt for what it was. That’s why he ran away.”
“That idiot abandoned us!” She slammed a palm on the wooden table. “He left us to have to fend for ourselves.”
“Isn’t that what dad did too?”
The sheer boiling rage displayed across her face made me want to cower under the furniture. She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him with little resistance to her room and slammed the door shut. I heard loud cursing and the sound of palms colliding onto flesh. My appetite suddenly gone, I hurriedly retreated into my room.
About half an hour later, I heard the door open and slow footsteps shuffle into Erik’s bedroom. I heard him crash onto his bed and softly sob for a long while. Part of me urged me to go over to talk to him, comfort him, but when I stood up, nothing but a huge wave of anxiety and fear washed over me.
Giving up on that thought, I sat back down on the bed and took my camera out in the dim candlelight. Clicking into the gallery immediately took me to the pleasant photo of Erik last night.
Could I? Should I?
Two sides of my mind were in fierce debate. I’d enough run-ins with the law not to risk it. Not to mention the village chief had warned me of ‘consequences’.
But listening to the quiet weeping next door, I had to. I was going to capture evidence of this accursed festival tomorrow and get some sort of law enforcement intervention.
 
Read PART TWO here.