11/20/2017
Log book of Det. Ryan Snow
Case #2798: The Appalachian Murders
When I woke up, I was in such a haze that I couldn’t make out where I was at first. My vision was a blur and all I could hear was the sounds of rushing water. I tried to move my limbs, but each muscle down to my little finger felt like lead weighing down on me, making it hard to breathe.
It felt like forever before the ringing in my ear was slowly swallowed out by a voice crying out from what sounded like a distance only to grow louder as it seemed to approach me from the void I had woken up in. It wasn’t until I heard my name that I recognized it was Kate’s voice, pleading and filled with tears.
I blinked away the blur, finding myself staring up at a water damaged ceiling, a single yellow light brightening the room. My head was pounding and my body still felt heavy, but I moved my head enough to turn and see where Kate was calling from. It took a moment, but I soon realized that she was lying on her back, strapped by her arms and legs to a metal table, looking to me with wide terrified eyes.
“Detective, please help!” She cried out. “Please don’t be dead! Please help me!”
“Bl-Black…Well…” I groaned out as I tried, painfully, to pick myself up off the stone floor, “Black…Well… Ah… Shit… Shit! Ms. Blackwell-“ I was gaining consciousness minute by minute as I finally took in the situation and got to my feet. However, the moment I had gotten to my feet and began running to Kate only to immediately fall back to the floor once again, my ankle getting caught by something heavy. I turned to see my ankle had been shackled to the floor by a cuff and chains. I searched my person to find my coat, along with my Glock had been taken, blood decorating my pants and sleeves. I placed a palm to my forehead to find blood when I lowered it down to look at the warm liquid slithering down from my scalp.
“Ms. Blackwell,” I returned my attention to her, examining what I could from my place on the floor, “are you alright, are you hurt?”
“I… I… I don’t… Don’t think so…” she managed to whine out.
“Where’s Mr. Raines?”
To this question, Kate looked away from me, sobbing being her only verbal response.
I went back to the shackles on my ankle and began trying to yank the chains off from the floor, but they had been well maintained and were too strong for me to simply yank out of the stone. I then quickly looked around the room to find we were in a different basement from the one in Cabin #3, though it had the same kind of layout, the table the only major difference. I also took note of the blood stains that trailed from the sides of the table and the dried pools below.
“I want my mom!” Kate cried out, her voice echoing in the empty room.
“I’ll get you to her, I will, I promise,” I assured her, trying to find something, anything to get us out of this, “do you remember how we got down here?”
“I… I… I just re-remember… Remember you g-getting knocked out… Knocked out by someone and them… Them putting a rag over me… Then everything went black… Then I woke… Woke up… H-Here…” Kate answered, trying to breathe with each sob she let out. “I… I th-thought… y-you… You were d-d-… Dead!”
“I’m not, I’m very much alive and I’m going to get you out of here and back to your parents,” I vowed as I continued looking for a way out of this situation, “we’re going to get you out of here, get you home, and we’ll make sure no one ever gets hurt here ever-“
The sound of the basement door from the splintered wooden steps cut me off. I listened as feet descended down the steps to the basement below, Kate’s ragged breaths the only other sound. The person who came down was a woman. The same exact woman from the photo I had found in her house. She looked as if she had not aged since that photo was taken, despite how long ago it seemed the photo was taken. She had the same exact long, white hair, same tired looking eyes, and same disgustingly pale skin as in that photo and on her profile picture. It was Mrs. Larson.
“Deeeeeetectiiiiiiive,” she spoke in a hoarse voice mixed with what I assumed was her own and several others, both male and female, adult and child, “youuuuuuu shouuuullld haaaaaaaaave juuuuuuusssssst giiiiiven herrrrrrr toooooo meeeeee… Youuuuuuuu diiiiiiiiid nooooooot haaaaaave toooooooo ssssssseeeee thiiiiiissssss…”
“Fuck you!” I shouted, beginning to charge at the elderly woman only to be yanked back by my shackles. “Let us go, right now!”
“Nnnnooooo,” Mrs. Larson replied harshly as she stepped over to loom over Kate.
“Stay away from her!” I barked, trying desperately to break free of my shackles.
She ignored me as she ran a shaky hand down along Kate’s trembling face. “Ooooooooohhhhh, Kaaaaaate… Sweeeeet, sweeeeeeeet, Kaaaaaaaaaate…” Mrs. Larson cooed as she went on stroking Kate’s wet cheek. “Doooooo noooooooot crrrrrrryyyyyyy, dooooooonnnnnn’t thiiiiiiiiiinnnnk oooooofff iiiiiiiit aaaaaaaassssss dyyyyyyyyiiiiinnnnng, thiiiiiiiiinnnk ooooooooffff iiiiiiit aaaaaassssss ssssssssaaaaaaaaaviiiiiiinnng aaaaaannnnoooootherrrrrrrrr liiiiiiiiife.”
“I-I… I d-don’t… Don’t under-understand… w-what th-that… That m-means…” Kate cried, her hands gripping the sides of the metal table beneath her, “P-Please, d-don’t… Don’t kill me… L-Let… Let us-us go!”
“Nnnnnoooooo,” Mrs. Larson answered in the same harshness she used on me, “IIIIIIIII neeeeeeeed youuuuuuuuuu,” she then shot a death glare my way through tired, silver eyes, “aaaaaaaannnnnnd heeeeeeeeee’ssssssss beeeeeeeeeennnnnn nnnnnnnoooooooothiiiiiiiiinnnnnng buuuuut aaaaaa thooooooorrrrrrnnnn iiiiiiinnnnn myyyyyyyyy ssssssssiiiiiiiide siiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnccccccce youuuuuu eeeeeessssssscaaaaaaped meeeeeeee.” She then looked back to Kate with a softer look. “Aaaaaaaassssss fffffoooooorrrrr whaaaaaaaat youuuuuuu caaaaaannnn’t uuuuuunnnnnnderrrrrrssssssstaaaaaaannnnnnd, IIIIIIIIII nnnnnneeeeeeed yourrrrrrrrrr heaaaaaaaarrrrrt tooooooo ssssssssaaaaaavvvvvvve myyyyyyy ssssssiiiiiiiisssssssterrrrrrrr.”
“The fuck does that mean?” I demanded, still trying to vain to pull my ankle from the chains. “How the hell will Kate’s heart save your sister?”
“Diiiiiiiiidnnnnnn’t nnnnnnneeeeeeed toooooo beeeee Kaaaaaaate’sssssss,” admitted Mrs. Larson, “buuuuuuuut sssshhhhhheeeeee hiiiiiiiiid theeeeee ooooooootherrrrr giiiiirrrrrrllllll ffffffrrrrroooooommmmm mmmmmeeeeee.”
“S-Son… Sonja…” Kate sniffed, the tears still streaming down her face.
“IIIIIIII oooooooonnnnnlllllyyyyy neeeeed fffffffeeeeeemmmmmaaaaallllle,” Mrs. Larson dismissed Ms. Greymoore’s name, “ffffffeeeeeeemmmmmaaaaaallllle heaaaaaaaarrrrrrrtsssss toooooo rrrrrrreeeeeetuuuuurrrrrrnnnnn mmmmmmyyyyy ssssiiiiissssssterrrrrrrrr toooooo theeeeeeee giiiiirrrrrllllll ssssshhhhhheeeee uuuuuuuusssssed tooooo beeeeeee.”
“That’s a fucking joke right?” I asked. “The hell makes you think eating a female heart will turn your sister back into a human woman? Have you seen what’s happened to your sister?”
“IIIIIIIII knnnnnnnooooooow beeeeeeecaaaauuuuusssssse iiiiiiiiiiit wooooooorrrrrked ooooooonnnnn mmmmmeeeeee,” Mrs. Larson explained, “IIIIIIIIIII waaaaaasssss aaaaaaablllllllle toooooo reeeeeeetaaaaiiiiiinnnnnn thiiiiiiiiiisssssss huuuuuummmmmmaaaaaannnnn fffffffooooorrrrrrmmmm ffffffrrrrrooooommmm eeeeeaaaaatiiiiiinnnnnng theeeeeeee heaaaaaaaaarrrrrtsssss, sssssspecifffffficaaaaaaallllllyyyyyy fffffffeeeeeemmmmmaaaaallllleeee sssssssooooooo IIIIIIIIII mmmmmmaaaaaayyyyyy rrrrrreeeeetuuuurrrrrnnnnn toooo beeeeeiiiiinnnng theeeeeeee giiiiiirrrrrrrllllll IIIIIII uuuuuuusssssed toooooooo beeeeeee.”
“You were dead,” I pointed out, “they found your body up here, you were buried.”
“Theeeeeessssssse sssshhhhheeeeeellllllsssss arrrrrrre mmmmmeeeeeerrreeeellllyyy veeeeeessssssellllllssssss ffffffoooooorrrrrr theeeeeeee sssssspiiiiirrrrriiiiiitsssss weeeee hiiiiiiiiiiide beeeeeneeeeaaaaattthhhh,” Mrs. Larson responded, finally turning her gaze to me, “IIIIIIII haaaaaaad tooooooo maaaake peeeopllllle beeeelieevvvve IIIIIII haaaaaad diiiiiiied tooooo keeeeeep frrrrroooommm theeeee poooooollllliiiiicccce ffffrrrrrrooooommmm pooookiiiiiinnnng aaaaarrrrouuuuuunnnnd aaaaannnnnd rrrrruuuiiinnnnniiinnnng eeeevvvveeerrrrryyythiiiiinnnng.”
“So, let me just get this whole thing straight,” I began as I started rubbing my temples, "when you and your sister starting into… Whatever the hell that thing you call your sister is-“
“Ooooouuuurrrrr sssssspiiiiiirrrrrriiiiiit,” Mrs. Larson corrected.
“Whatever!” I shot. “You found out that eating female hearts turns you two back into human women and to keep police from suspecting you, you pretended to be dead and… What? Just hope a shitty real estate agency would buy your property and you could just… Kill people, people with lives and families outside the mountains?”
“Thaaaaaaaat iiiiiiisssss cooooorrrrrreeeeect…” Mrs. Larson admitted, narrowing her eyes at me.
That’s when I began laughing hysterically, holding my sides that hurt with each harsh breath of a laugh I took. Both Mrs. Larson and Kate looked to me as if I had lost my mind and at this point I was starting to believe I had. Everything I had seen and heard about this entire case would put anyone in the looney bin. And I’m the damn fool who dug too deep into something he had nothing to do with.
“Whaaaaaat’s ssssoooo ffffuuunnnny?” Growled Mrs. Larson, stepping around Kate to stand between us.
“I don’t know what’s fucking funnier, honestly,” I chuckled, running a hand through my hair, “the fact that you thing people won’t be poking around even more when they discover not only is Blackwell missing, but so is a detective and escaped convict all of whom now have ties to these fucking mountains and those cabins, or that you thing I’m more afraid of what you plan on doing with me more than I am when her father finds out I got her in this situation in the first place!”
“Heeeeeee wooooonnnnn’t beeeee aaaaabllllle toooooo doooo aaaaaannnnnyyyyythiiiiiinnnng aaaaaaafffffterrrrrrr IIIIIIIII’mmmmm dooooooonnnne wiiiiiiiith booooooth ooooooooffffff youuuuuuuuu,” Mrs. Larson hissed as she inched closer, “fffffffiiiiiiirrrrrrssssst, IIIIIIIII waaaaaannnnnt youuuuuuuu toooo waaaaaatch mmmmmeeeee kiiiiiiillllll herrrrrrr,” she turned her head to look to Kate who was now just shaking, her eyes seemingly gone dry from the crying, Mrs. Larson then looked back to me, “sssssseeeeecooooonnnnd, IIIIIIII wiiiiillllll ssssssaaaaave youuuuu fffffooooorrrr mmmmmmyyyyy sssssiiiiiisssssterrrrr, oooooonnnnne heeeeaaaaart wiiiiilllll nnnnoooot ssssssaaaaaatissssfffffyyyy herrrr huuuuuunnnnnger.” She took another step. “Uuuuuuuunnnnnllllliiiiiike sssssssoooooommmme ssssssiiiiiibllllliiiiiiinnnnnngsssss, IIIIIIIII caaaaaarrrre aaaaaaboooouuuuut mmmmmmyyyyy ffffffaaaammmmiiiiilllllyyyyyy.”
She stared into my eyes, expecting a reaction and while my blood did somewhat boil at the accusatory statement, I didn’t fully understand what she was getting at. Not until she used that voice. Not until she relived that day with those two familiar child-like voices.
“Screw you, Liam!” She cried out in a voice I remember from my childhood. “I hope you drop dead!”
“Stop.” I demanded.
“Piss off, Ryan!” She shot back in a second boy’s voice.
“I said stop!” I began shouting.
“Help me, Ryan! Please, help me! I’m sorry! Please, Lucky Dime, help me!”
I then lunged toward her, reaching my hands out toward her neck only to be stopped by the shackles as she swiftly, almost without even moving, stepped just out of my reach.
“Fucking bitch!” I screamed out.
“If only you really cared about me, Lucky Dime,” sighed Mrs. Larson as she turned and began making her way to the side of the room where a cart stood in the shadows. She pulled it over to Kate’s side, the cart covered in rusted medical tools.
“P-Please,” Kate wheezed, “p-p-please… I… I d-d-don’t w-want… Want t-to d-d… D-Die, I… I w-w-want m-m-m… My m-mom!”
“Dooooonnn’t woooorrrrryyyyy,” Mrs. Larson soothed, using that mix of different voices, “mmmmmmaaaayyyyybeeee sheeee wiiiillll cooooommmme loooookinnnng ffffooooorrrr yooouuuuu aaaaannnnnd sheeeeeee caaaaannnnn joooooiiiiiinnnn youuuuuuu.”
Kate began to sob, begging and pleading for Mrs. Larson to let her go, thrashing around in her restraints. Telling the older woman that there was no saving her sister and that she was too far gone for this sick ritual to work anymore. I tried to yank at the chains once more, trying to loosen it at least enough to break free and grab at Mrs. Larson.
“Rrrrrrreeeeellllllaaaaax,” Mrs. Larson ordered as she began filling a syringe with some kind of clear liquid from a small bottle, “yoooouuuuuu woooooonnnn’t eeeeeveeennn fffffeeeellll iiiiiiit, thiiiissssss wiiiiiillllll puuuuuut youuuuu toooo ssssssllllllleeeeeep aaaaaannnnnnd wheeeeeennnnnn youuuuuu waaaaaake uuuuuuuup, youuuuuuu’lllllll beeee iiiiiinnnnnn heeeeeaaaaaaveeeennnnn… Uuuuuunnnnnnnllllllessssss youuuuuuu weeeerrrrrrre aaaaaa haaaaaarrrrrlllllooooooot, iiiiiiinnnnnn whiiiiiiiich caaaaaassssssseeeee, mmmmmaaaayyyy Goooooood haaaaaaaave mmmmmmmmerrrrrrrcccccyyyyy ooooonnnnn youuuuuur ssssssoooouuuuullllll… Aaaaannnnnd baaaaaaasssssed ooooonnnn hoooooow youuuuuu drrrrressss aaaaannnnnd theeeee coooommmmpaaaannnnyyyy youuuuuu keeeeeep,” She added as she eyed me, “IIIIIII ssssssaaaaaayyyy youuuuu haaaaaave aaaaa lllllloooooot ooooooffff fooooooorrrrgiiiiiviiiiinnnnng tooooo dooooo.”
Kate continued to cry as Mrs. Larson pushed the needle of the syringe into her arm, pushing down on the plunger as it pierced the flesh. Kate’s loud screams soon turned quieter and her red eyes began to glaze over, but she continued to stay awake, tightening her grip on the table and still begging to be let go.
“IIIIII waaaaannnnt youuuuu toooo waaaaatch, Detective,” Mrs. Larson spat out my title in Mr. Blackwell’s voice, “IIIII waaaaannnnnt youuuuu toooo waaaaatch herrrrrr fffffaaaaaade aaaaaannnnnnd mmmmmeeeee rrrrreeeemmmmooooove heerr heeeaaaarrrrrt toooooo ffffffeeeeeed tooooo mmmmmmyyyyyy ssssssiiiiiiiissssssterrrrrr,” she then pulled out a recorder, “theeeeennnnnn wheeeeeennnnn IIIIIII ssssssuuuuummmmoooooonnnnn herrrrrrr aaannnnd sheeeee fffffiiiinnnniiiishessssss oooooofffffff heeeerrrrr heeeaaaaarrrrrt, youuuuuuu’llllllll beeeeee neeeeeext.”
“Fuck you,” I snarled, “I hope you and your sister burn.”
“IIIIIIIII’mmmmm gooooonnnnnaaaaa gooooo aaaaallllllerrrrrrt mmmmmyyyyy ssssssiiiiiiissssterrrrrr,” Mrs. Larson turned and began making her way to the basement steps, “ssssseeee youuuuu boooooth ffffffoooooorrrr diiiiiinnnnnnerrrrrrr.”
She then pressed the play button on her recorder and a small, little girl’s voice echoed in the room before Mrs. Larson vanished up the steps.
“I’m here… I’m here… I’m here…”
Then the door slammed shut.
“De… Tec… Tive…” Kate squeaked out, her breathing slowing.
“Stay awake, Blackwell,” I ordered her gently, looking around frantically for anything to get us both out of this alive, “I’ll get us out of this, I promise, just stay awake, we’ll get out of here, I just need-“
“I’m… S… Sorry…” she breathed out. “I’m… So… Sorry… For… Get… Getting… You… In… To.. This…”
“No, no, this is not your fault!” I assured her. “That psychotic bitch got us both into this shit and I won’t stop until I get us out and put her and her fucking sister are six feet under!”
“W…Wha… What… H… Hap… Happened… To… To L… Liam…?”
I stopped struggling with the chains and turned to look to Kate. Her head was turned to me, her face wet, hands clenching as hard as they could to the table beneath her, the light in her eyes slowly fading second by second. She was trying desperately to stay awake. The medication Mrs. Larson taking hold of her as the minutes ticked by.
I dropped the chains that were in my hands, looking away from her, wanting to stare at anything other than another person I had failed.
“He was killed,” I answered, “we were fishing at a lake nearby… Lake Gaagige… We got into a really stupid ass fucking fight about how which fishing pole we were going to use. I wanted to use our dad’s, but Liam was older and said only men could use dad’s fishing pole… I told him… To drop dead and stormed off… When I got home, my parents dragged me back to the lake and scolded me for leaving him…” I trailed off, swallowing all the tears and screams I’d bottled up since that day. “When… We found… Him… The autopsy… Said he was mauled by a bear… I’ve blamed myself for leaving him there alone… For letting him die and getting killed like that… The last thing I ever told him was to drop dead… I was a shitty brother and now I’m a shitty detective…”
“Is… Is he… Why… You became… A… Detective…?”
I took a deep breath and swallowed the tears again. “No, Blackwell,” I answered, “he’s not why I became a detective… I already knew what had killed him… It was my fault… If I hadn’t been such a brat and stormed off… He might still be alive… And now… What that bitch said…” I replayed Liam’s screams that escaped Mrs. Larson’s mouth. “I’m starting to think I’m getting what I deserve. Karma’s back to kick my ass…”
“H… How… Old…?”
“I was six… Liam was eight…”
“N… N… Not your… F… Fault…”
I turned to look to Kate, her eyes on mine, however faded.
“Y… You were… Only… A k… Kid…”
I took another intake of what little air there was down in that basement. I had spent years trying to convince myself of the same thing, but those moments never got easier for me when those thoughts returned.
“I think you’re just being nice,” I laughed painfully, “but I’m afraid I- and my folks- don’t share the same sentiment.”
I was staring down at where the chains were coming from in the ground, Kate not saying a word for over a couple of minutes. I spun to see if she had fallen asleep and immediately tried to find out how to wake her up again. However, once I our eyes met, I saw that she was still fighting sleep, the last of her tears rolling down across the bridge of her nose and into her hair.
“I… I… I had… Had a c… Crush… O… On… J… Jasper…” she confessed, her voice getting quieter and higher. “P… Paul and… And Son… Sonja knew… I never… Never c… Cared f… For Luke… But I’m… Sure… S… Sonja t… Told him…” she looked like she was going to sob again. “I… I never g… Got the… Ch… Chance… T… To tell J… Jasper… I… Was… Scared… He… He and… P… Paul were friends… And I… I kn… Knew… How P… Paul f… Felt… A… About m… Me… I… I did… Didn’t wa… Want to… R… Ruin… Anyth… Anything…” She took a gulp of air. “I… I ha… Hated L… Luke… I… A… Always… Kn… Knew… He… He was a… Player… B… But Sonja… Said… Said she was hap… Happy… So… So I did… Didn’t wa… Want to g… Get in… H… Her way… B… But Luke d… Didn’t l… Like h… How cl… Close… We… Were… I d… Didn’t w… Want him to make… Make her th… Think I… I was l… Leading her o… On… T… To get them… To b… Break up… Th… Then… That n… Night… Sh… She w… Wanted to… To leave…” She let out two pained gasps of breath. “I… I let them down… I let them all down… Luke pro… Probably thought… Thought I w… Was the one who… Who f… Filled Sonja’s mind… With thoughts of… Of him ch… Cheating… Th… Then I… I got them… All killed…
I… I didn’t deserve them, d… Detective…” she went on, looking away from me to stare up at the water damaged ceiling, “I… I… I was a… Terrible… Terrible friend…”
“Did you read their guest book entries?” I asked.
“N… No… D… Didn’t w… Want to… To r… Read any… Anything p… Private…” Kate answered.
“Jasper didn’t blame you,” I assured her, remembering what he had written in his entry during his time watching Mrs. Larson just outside the cabin, “even when he heard the voices- when he heard Mrs. Larson- telling him to, he didn’t. I don’t think the others blamed you either. You didn’t do anything wrong, Ms. Blackwell, there’s no way you could have known any of this would happen.”
“K… Kate…”
“What?”
“C… Call… Call me… Kate…”
“Aright, Kate,” I let out what little laughter I had left inside me, “so long as we’re the last people we’ll be chatting with, call me Ryan.”
“R… Ryan…”
“If we at all live through this, I’m going to need a long vacation after this,” I said as I turned to look at my shackles again, looking around myself to try finding anything to Get free since a vacation sounded like something to die for at that moment, “do you know any good vacation spots I can book for the fall?”
“Y… You’re… You’re a… Dick…” Kate struggled to laugh.
“I also enjoy pineapple on pizza,” I winked as I reached down to my ankle, ready to break it just to taste that sweet combination of tomato sauce and fruit.
“G… God… I… I c… Can’t… Believe… I th… Thought y… You w… Were c… Cute…”
I sat down on the floor, grabbing my ankle with both my hands. Needing to hype myself up enough to do what I was going to do, I began removing my shoe and sock from the foot, rubbing and squeezing my way up and down the ankle to my toes. I had never broken a bone in my life before this and I definitely never thought I’d do it of my own volition, but this was a desperate time and it definitely called for desperate…
“Wait what?” I turned to look to Kate, finally registering what she had said.
However, just before I could be sure of what I heard, the sound of a hunting rifle going off just above our heads right before we heard the door to the basement swing open and immediately be slammed shut. Both Kate and I turned to see someone stumble down the wooden steps, his clothes torn and body scratched and cut to a nearly deadly degree. I was even shocked he was still breathing.
“M… Mr… R… Raines…?” Kate gasped out.
“What’s left of me at least,” Mr. Raines grumbled as he limped over to Kate and quickly began undoing her straps to the table, “damn thing almost ripped my head off, but one swing of the barrel to its eye and I was able to get away… Can’t say it didn’t do its damage though… I’m… Getting really fucking hungry…”
He shook his head violently before limping over to me. He then raised an eyebrow at me when he saw how I was positioned still on the floor with a bare foot in my hands shackled to the floor.
“I… I was… I… I thought you were-“ I stammered.
“I am,” Mr. Raines interrupted, “at least, I’m on my way there anyway.” He then retrieved my Glock from his back pocket. “I don’t know what that thing did to me, but I’m not gonna make it out of this alive, or the way I came in. It’s a massacre out there by the way. Lot of men in blue bodies out there… Very… Hard to ignore… Sure more will be on their way. So.”
With that, Mr. Raines pointed at my chains and pulled the trigger on my clock, barely giving me time to cover my ears as the sound rung out loudly in the basement. I shook my head, trying to undo the blurry and ringing side effects of the sound of a gun going off near your head. I gave the older man a glare before standing and snatching my Glock from his hands. That’s when I saw Kate shifting herself to the side of the metal table she was no longer tied to, trying to get her limbs to comply with her to help her off and on to the floor.
I ran over and grabbed her just as she nearly stumbled face first to the floor and lifted her up to her feet, her body heavy with lack of keeping herself up.
“Do you think you can walk?” I asked, trying to keep her on her feet.
“I… I don’t… I…” Kate stammered as she tried to push herself off of me while also using using me as a crutch until she could stand on her own. However, she didn’t seem to be able to put any kind of pressure on her legs without falling down.
“Kate?” A girl’s voice called out from above us.
Feeling Kate shudder, I realized that it must have been the sound of Sonja’s voice and Mrs. Larson was using her to keep Kate from running. I quickly swung my arm down behind her knees, pressing the other down on her back as I lifted her up off the floor, my Glock at the ready as I kept it pointed in front of me while my arm held up Kate’s knees.
“She must have heard the gunshots,” I pointed out, “how’d you get past her in the first place?”
“I set the other cabins on fire,” Mr. Raines answered as if it were the simplest of answers, “I had to distract her somehow and give those bodies she’d been eating a better fate than becoming her shit.”
“Are you planning on setting this place on fire too?” I asked.
“‘Course I am!” Mr. Raines exclaimed, seemingly offended I’d even ask. “I already doused it in gasoline, I ain’t wasting all that time!”
“Kate!” Sonja’s voice cried out, getting closer to the basement door. “Are you seriously leaving me here to die alone again!”
“Please… Make it… Stop…” Kate sniffed as she gripped my shirt and burying her face into the fabric.
“Let’s get you two out of here.” Mr. Raines began leading the way to the basement stairs, cocking his rifle as he did so.
“What about you?” I asked, immediately following after him.
Mr. Raines didn’t answer as he stomped up the stairs and kicked the door open to the first floor of the cabin. The stench of the gasoline he had spilled hitting me harshly in my face.
“Kate!” Sonja’s voice, along with a different crescendo of male voices shrieked out as Mrs. Larson appeared from the corner of the hallway where the basement was located.
“Leighton?” A different woman’s voice asked the moment the old woman’s eyes spotted Mr. Raines. I then watched in both shock and confusion as it almost looked like the very skin on the woman melted off to reveal a much younger woman. The woman I recognized as Bonnie Collins. “Leighton… Love is that you?”
Mr. Raines kept his rifle on the vision of the woman he once loved before her murder, but didn’t move or speak.
“Darling, I’ve missed you so much!” The fake Bonnie cried out as she began making her way to Mr. Raines with arms open wide to hug him.
Mr. Raines then lifted his gun up higher, placing his finger on the trigger which caused the vision to stop in her place.
“Leighton?” The fake Bonnie asked. “Baby, it’s me… Bun-Bun… Don’t you recognize me…?” She began to tear up.
“You’re not my Bunny,” Mr. Raines growled before he shot once at the woman.
The fake Bonnie swiftly dodged the bullet, an inhuman hiss coming from an unhinged mouth, revealing a row of long, sharp teeth. The skin of Bonnie then melted off to reveal another woman, a lot younger than the first one it intimidated. The face of one of the victims upon being brought on this case.
“Kate,” the fake Sonja called out, “Kate, what are you doing? Who are these men? Why are they trying to hurt me?”
Kate let out a sobbing gasp, her nails digging into my shoulder with her arm wrapped around my neck.
“Didn’t I suffer enough?” The fake Sonja asked. “First my boyfriend and now you? Why don’t you want to be with me anymore?”
“Shut up!” Kate demanded. “You’re not Sonja! You killed her, you killed all of them! I don’t care what happens to me, but I’m not letting their memories end with you!”
Kate then snatched my Glock from my hand under her legs and shot directly at the fake Sonja’s head. Again the shot missed as the fake vision of the girl slithered out of the way, a frustrated growl of a dog and human escaping it’s mouth. It then zipped to the side, cowering with its back to us on the floor.
“Lucky dime…” A child’s voice then took over. The vision’s skin melting now to a much smaller figure. “Is this what you want? To kill me all over again?” He turned to look up at me, Liam’s face forever eight-years-old staring up at me. “It’s no wonder mommy and daddy hate you now… You were always a shitty brother… Now, I’m gonna starve to death because you’d rather help a couple of strangers.”
“I’m sorry, Liam,” I replied, everyone, including the fake Liam looking to me in surprise, “I left you alone out here and that’s what got you killed by that thing out there and I’m sorry. But, if I’d stayed it may have been both of us and then mom and dad would have no one left to blame but each other. If you had left and I was the one killed, you’d probably be in my shoes instead. I’m sorry for letting you get killed, but I’m gonna make up for it now.”
I then took my Glock back from Kate and pointed it to the vision of Liam.
“Good bye, Liam.”
I shot the gun once again, missing the creature again, however, this time I just kept shooting, Mr. Raines following after. Our different bullets just kept firing, the thing dodging and trying to get closer to us. The creature screeched out at us in a myriad of different voices both familiar and unknown. It wasn’t until one shot from my Glock struck the creatures shoulder and Mr. Raines’ rifle struck its head when the skins of everyone it was trying to turn into all melted off, revealing Mrs. Larson once again.
However, this time, she looked shriveled, older than she looked before. Her face looked deformed, beginning to grow furry, her eyes growing nothing but red, no irises, no pupils, just red. Her hair grew longer, branches like antlers growing painfully out from her skull, breaking the skin as they grew larger. The lower half of her face grew elongated, turning into that of a muzzle of fangs and a drooling mouth.
“You… All… Have no rrrrrrriiiiiight!” A different, unknown voice snarled out from what used to be Mrs. Larson. “People liiiiiike you all… Abandoned me and myyyyyyyyy sister!” The fur growing around this thing grew out short and shaggy, the cloths it was using melting off with the skin and flesh it was wearing. It now didn’t look anything like a human woman. It now took the form of a large wolf mixed with that of a deer, it’s body dog-like with hooves, antlers, and a long, scraggly tail. “You lot abandoned us here! You left us all here to diiiiiiiie!”
Guilt was weighing down on me with each syllable it was growling. Kate looked away from it, burying her face in my neck as Mr. Raines lowered his rifle.
“Nooooow, you’re bringing more here to just leave and let die out here!” It went on, it’s horrifying, broken body shuddering. “Why let them just vanish and die up here when they can bring people like my sister and I back? Give me Kate’s heart and fix what you threeeeeeeeee failed!”
Mr. Raines then handed over his rifle to Kate, placing it down on her stomach as her hands were still wrapped around my neck. The older man made his way over to stand over the thing, its neck creaking like a rusted door as it turned its wolf-like head to look up at him.
“Leighton…” Bonnie’s voice came from the creature. “Give mmmmeeeee her heart aaaannnnd we can be togetherrrrr again… If you eat the deeeeeetective’s we can saaaaaave you tooooooo…”
“My Bunny’s dead,” Mr. Raines told it as he dug in his pocket and took out a carton of matches, “and so am I.”
“You’d burn your wife?” A mix of Bonnie and Mrs. Larson’s voices shrieked as it glared at the match he took from the match box.
“You’re not my wife,” Mr. Raines told it, “and I’ll never see her again.”
“Fooooooool,” Mr. Larson’s voice chuckled, “you’llllllll killllllll us both!”
“With the shit I’ve done in my life, I know you’re taking me to Hell with you,” Mr. Raines growled back as he struck the match on the box, “so I’m sure as fuck not afraid to burn here on Earth with you!”
Mr. Raines then dropped the match to the floor right before the creature and everything around the two of them immediately went up in flames, the fur of the creature catching quickly and engulfing it. An agonized shriek echoed out all around us, the creature thrashing in the fire it had gotten swallowed up in. Mr. Raines then grabbed it by it’s long, furry throat and swung it down back flat the floor, jumping to pin it down.
“Get out!” Mr. Raines cried out to me. “Leave here!”
Not needing to be told twice, I held onto Kate tightly and bolted past the two burning bodies, jumping over the fire as it began growing fast throughout the cabin. I quickly got to the front door and stopped to look back to see Mr. Raines fighting the creature and preventing it from coming after us, it begging for me to bring Kate back and that it would die without her.
“I’ll clear your name,” I called back, trying not to reel back in horror as I saw Mr. Raines skin begin to melt off, “I’ll let people know you didn’t kill Bonnie!”
“I’ll let people know you didn’t… Kill… Liam!” Mr. Raines’ voice called back, him thrashing around with Mrs. Larson as he said my brother’s name in my voice.
I turned back and kicked the front door open, rushing Kate out of the burning cabin. I ran until I got far enough from the smoke, turning back to see all three cabins now on fire, the area around them all ablaze. The only place untouched was Mrs. Larson’s house, all the evidence remaining. I could hear sirens in the distance coming closer. The sounds of shouts from the surviving officers sounding much closer.
“I’m here… I’m here… I’m here…”
I looked to the front porch of Mrs. Larson’s house where her recorder continued to call out for her sister. I set Kate down at the base of a nearby tree and ran to snatch the recorder, shutting it off. I searched around, looking for any signs of Prudence, but it appeared that the fire and the sounds of sirens and voices had scared her off. I ran back to Kate, her eyes closed and her not responding to me calling to her, but after checking her pulse and breathing, I found that the medication Mrs. Larson had given her had finally taken over and she was now fast asleep, the rifle Mr. Raines gave her still sitting on her rhythmically rising and falling stomach.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I leaned against the same tree I set Kate down on and slid down to the ground next to her. The first two cabins were already practically nothing but ash, the last still blazing as I heard the slowly fading screams of Mrs. Larson and Mr. Raines coming from inside.
When the screaming ended all together, the smoke turning blacker as it rose from the flames, I got to my feet and took out my pack of cigarettes as I approached the fires, staying far enough away not to get burned. I opened the pack up before stopping myself as I reached for one of the ten remaining cigarettes inside. I then flung the entire carton into the fires without taking one.
“Save one for me down there, you old bastard,” I told Mr. Raines before making my way back to Kate’s side.
It wasn’t long before the remaining officers found us, looking in confusion at the fires and to me with a sleeping victim in a homicide case on the ground. I told them we’d need to call an ambulance for Kate and that we needed to keep the flames from getting to Mrs. Larson’s house as it held evidence on the case. One officer retrieved his radio and called for an ambulance while a group ran to the house and another went to try controlling the fire as best they could by yanking out any bushes near by and throwing them away from the area around the house.
Luckily, the fire trucks were called long before the fire spread too far, residence noticing it practically the moment Mr. Raines set the first cabin on fire.
As I sat there, keeping Kate held up against the tree we sat under, I listened to the crackling of the fire, the sirens of fast approaching fire trucks and the ambulance, and the sounds of distance, coyote, almost human, howling.

Yggdrasil Class Megaflora refers to a group of genetically engineered and enhanced megaflora created by the Singaporean bio-engineering and agricultural corporation Yggdrasil ( named after the World Tree with the same name from Norse Mythology ) in early 2080s, specifically the Megatrees ( engineered into existence by mixing in parts of Redwood Trees', Baobab Trees', Oak Trees' and some unspecific flora from Rainbow Realm's genetics ) and Megafungi ( engineered into existence by mixing in parts of Armillaria ostoyae and Gymnopilus luteofolius mushrooms as well as some unspecified fungi from Rainbow Realm's genetics ) Yggdrasil Class Megaflora are notable for their ability to trive in unfriendly environment with limited amounts of care as well as their capacity to transform the environments that they're planted, resulting in them being utilized by many groups involved with Terraforming efforts.
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many communities developed across Earth centered around the caring of these Megafauna, with most of these communities living on cities built within the megafauna that they take care of, as a matter of fact with the exception of two Megatrees in southern Spain and three Megatrees in Yucatan all have permanent residents that live within them. Some of the more known out of these communities are :
Treelinked, an international movement with presence in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Indonesia and Gabon that aims to restore a mutual bond between Humans and nature through communal living within Megatrees and their plantations in the first place, this movement was founded by Irish Anarcho-Primitivist thinker Eamonn Crabs who later didn't like the way that the movement was taking, claiming it was parting ways with Anarcho-Primitivism so he founded the Cork Megatree Primitive Commune in Ireland as a seperate entity from the Treelinked Movement.
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Zamaniyya, an Sufi tariqa adhering to Shaafi madhab of Sunni Islam established by cleric Imam Zamani in 2060s, it is located in the northern fringes of Amazigh Republic of Agadez in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Zamaniyya center their community in a Megatree they planted on their former communal land with the intent of terraforming the local environment towards a more favourable state for Humans. Aside from their terraforming efforts in the Sahara Zamaniyya Tariqa focuses on the study of Magick specifically of a looked down upon school of Magick known as Chronomancy ( most Magi and Magickal institutions call Chronomancy to be Pseudomagick and a hoax )
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Four-Corners Movement, an international movement that has planted Megafungi in southern tip of Chile and Aotearoa ( formerly known as New Zealend ) as well as the northern tips of Quebec Province in Canada and Far Eastern Russian Republic. They're assumed to be a type of secretive cult with many of their ''leaked beliefs'' ( with no proper material evidence to be shown ) seemingly centered around a psychedelics-centered system of prayer based on Gnostic Christian beliefs as well as beliefs regarding John the Baptist as a prophet of God.
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The Second Evolution, an Provolutionary and Pansophist group with a hardliner belief on the Stoned Ape Theory, they have planted many Megafungi in the remaining parts of the Amazon Forest and currently reside in those. They believe an psychedelics-centered alternative to the current Uplifting of Non-Sophont Animals can be created with the intent of then spreading this to all the living organisms of Earth.

If you see something I still need to post, please post it below.
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Nike SB Dunk Low Classic Green - Restock
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Jordan 1 Low OG Metallic Silver
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Nike Air Foamposite One Light Orewood Brown
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Puma Forever Skepta Black Iridescent
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Jordan Spizike Low Lightning
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Nike Dunk Low Medium Curry (2021/2024)
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Nike Air Max Plus Drift Midnight Navy Total Orange
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Nike SB Dunk Low Pro Black Gum
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New Balance 550 White Slate Grey
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New Balance KAWHI 4 Grey Day (2024)
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Jordan 1 Retro High OG Latte (Women's)
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Jordan 1 Low Green Glow
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Jordan 1 Retro High Golf University Blue
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Jordan 1 High Golf Camo
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Jordan ADG 5 Black Fire Red
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General Spring Quotes -

Certainly! Here are 20 general spring quotes to brighten your day:

• "Spring adds new life and new joy to all that is."
• "The earth laughs in flowers."
• "No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn."
• "Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'"
• "Blossom by blossom, the spring begins."
• "Spring: a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be."
• "Where flowers bloom, so does hope."
• "The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful."
• "April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."
• "In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."
• "Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil."
• "Every flower must grow through dirt."
• "The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created spring."
• "Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush."
• "Spring is the time of plans and projects."
• "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."
• "Spring is the time of rebirth and renewal."
• "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."
• "The sun has come out, and the air is vivid with spring light."
• "Spring breathes new life into the world around us."

Spring Quotes about Renewal and Growth -

Here are 20 spring quotes specifically focusing on renewal and growth:

• "Spring is the time of plans and projects."
• "Every flower must grow through dirt."
• "The earth laughs in flowers."
• "Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil."
• "Bloom where you are planted."
• "The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."
• "In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours."
• "Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'"
• "The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created spring."
• "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."
• "Life stands before me like an eternal spring with new and brilliant clothes."
• "No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."
• "Spring is a time of new beginnings and fresh starts."
• "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."
• "The first blooms of spring always make my heart sing."
• "Spring is a time for plans and projects."
• "Spring: the season of hope, renewal, and new beginnings."
• "Spring is the season of the soul's blossoming."
• "Let go of yesterday. Let today be a new beginning and be the best that you can."
• "Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn."

For anyone who wants to see how things began.
https://www.reddit.com/HFY/s/S97b2fqIjx
“In what universe would I ever do you a favor? “ I say, sweeping the floor of the reinforced barn.
“It’s not a favor, it’s a trade, bud.
What do you want in return? “ Trenchcoat asks from within the coffin-like cage.
“To be back home, 8 months ago. “ I reply.
Over the past few weeks I’ve managed to integrate myself into the day to day life on the farm. Things are still a grim, horrifying slog, but with every day it gets a bit easier to deal with.
“Give me something I can do. “ The creature pleads.
“Why, so I can wind up on the end of another ‘ Gotcha’ moment? I’m good. “ is my answer.
A few minutes of silence go by, Augustus breaks it.
“I don’t know many secrets of the universe. Facts, not really my bag. But I know a couple.
How about I share one with you?
No one, not the pope, not my brother, not the shit-bird perched on the highest branch of my twisted family tree, knows what happens when you die.
Some of us never will, of course. Others have ways of avoiding it, but at the end of the day, when the lights truly go out, we know next to nothing.
We do know one thing though. There is judgement, by who? Who knows? Why? Not important.
But at the end of the day, if your battery can’t be recharged, you really want to be thinking about how many marks are on each side of the ledger. “
I don’t reply, and for the next hour or so I ignore the pleading and hinting Trenchcoat does.
But that night, as I sip acidic tea, and try to get a handle on how in the fuck old televisions function, his offer is at the forefront of my mind.
He wants to kill, specifically 6 teenagers who, according to him, have been murdering classmates yearly in a twisted ritual.
He wants me to think this is some kind of noble act, he frames it as almost superheroic. The evil prick knows how I feel, knows that I see the blood on my hands every day, and would kill ( possibly literally) for some way to atone.
Is it a play? I honestly don’t think so, something about how eager the twisted thing is, about how he’s treating the situation as a buyer’s market makes me think something about this makes it important to him.
He offers me everything besides safety and protection. I’m desperate for help, but I have no way to hold him to any agreement.
So the thought rolls around in my mind, staving off the few hours of sleep I get.
“Okay, so, I have it on good authority that tea is supposed to taste better over here. What the hell is wrong with this? “ I say, sitting around an outside table with Sylvia, Dafydd and Colin.
Sylvia smiles, “ Barium, calcium, and a touch of castor oil. “
I look at the brew, then at her.
“If I had told you when you got here you need to drink that to mitigate the effects of working with void touched objects and creatures, you’d have assumed the worst, and found a way to avoid drinking it.
Good to see you becoming more perceptive though. “ Sylvia explains.
“That’s called paranoia, Syl. “ I reply.
She laughs, lighting a cigarette.
“Do you know why I’ve let you figure things out on your own? “ The ancient woman asks.
“Accepted? Yes. Understood, not in the slightest. “ I answer, wondering what sadist invented the scone.
“It’s because I need a leader. Someone who can understand, not a boy who puts his head down and listens to orders.
Someone who can make their own decisions when the time comes.
And I think that time is coming soon. “ Her statement feels like a question.
“If I chose to be here I’d be honored.” I counter.
“That attitude on the other hand… needs work.
Nikolas, today, we talk about what’s really going on.
We play a role in a much larger organization, us, and other families like us, are the ‘boots on the ground’ so to speak.
Our job is not to capture creatures, or horde esoteric goods. We do not foil the schemes of demons, nor blind those who look too deeply into the abyss.
We’re given information about events that could steer the path of humanity into a brick wall. And our job is to make sure they don’t happen. “ Sylvia reveals.
“Something is happening with these fights? “ I ask.
“As I said, perceptive.
Yes, it could be next week, it could be in a decade or two. Right now, we know very little about it, other than when it happens, it would be in our best interests to be of a high standing in the pits. “ She replies.
I absorb the information, and t drug laced tea in equal measure. As I do, I feel something, I feel I’m a part of what’s going on.
This is going to sound dumb as hell, but up until this point I hadn’t been taking things seriously. Don’t get me wrong, death is on the table, and I was trying to avoid that. But I was just treading water, hoping something or someone came by and to get me out of this situation.
But as Syl lays things out, I start to think of my place here, what I can be doing to better my state.
“Here is the part where you avoid telling me why you couldn’t have used anyone around here. “ I prod.
I keep her gaze, Colin and Dafydd shift uncomfortably.
“Augustus, he’s a tricky one. But a very lucky find for us.
I’ve tried 2 others. A boy and a girl, both I practically raised.
Marco, he was a warrior. But the demon got in his head. There was nothing that could be done beyond end his suffering.
Zelma, I won’t talk about.
That thing, it has a way of turning someone’s best traits against them. You, are a blank slate, but you’re family. You’re my best guess as to how we can use him to our advantage.
And this is why I need you, not to listen, but to understand. To see what’s happening, and make your own decisions. If I were to give you my knowledge, if I were to arm you with the best weapons, and the most powerful esoteric objects I know. He’d just have more to turn against you. “ Sylvia’s revelation scares me and puts a massive weight on my shoulders all at the same time.
Confidence and fear are both dangerous emotions. The two of them are almost like drugs in a way.
After eight months of mainlining fear, the tiny line of confidence Sylvia gave me, went straight to my head.
Trenchcoat told me where to find a video file. And after a couple of weeks of running it through every possible test I could, to check for any kind of manipulation, supernatural or otherwise, I watched it.
I was confident that the world would be much better off without the people committing the vicious acts contained in those twenty minutes of footage.
A teenage view of morality, I admit. But what do you want, I’m a teenager.
We watch the abandoned house from across the street. It’s a dingy, urban blight affected suburb, that being said, how no one seems to notice the seven foot freak with me, I have no idea.
The kid inside smoking stolen cigarettes and illegally supplied booze is a husky young guy of about 14. The half dozen kids that show up a couple hours later look closer to my age, last couple of years of high school I’m guessing.
The way they get into the house tells me they’ve done this before. The backpacks they all carry tell me they’re there for a purpose.
“How fucking funny would it be if I just killed you here and took off? “ Trenchcoat says, looming behind me.
I tense.
“It’s a joke. Out of my whole rotten family, Art and I, are close. I’m not going anywhere.
Unfortunately for you. “ Trenchcoat shoves me to the ground as he walks toward the house.
We get in through a basement window, I fit easily, Trenchcoat contorts his body to fit through the thin opening, somehow doing so silently.
I keep hearing Sylvia in my head. Telling me how she needs someone that can make his own decisions.
As I stand in the litter strewn basement, beside a creature with child murder on it’s mind I question the decision that I made.
At first the illumination is dim, nothing more than scraps of moonlight filtered through splintered wood. But with an industrial click, suddenly a half dozen lightbulbs bathe the basement in harsh, yellowish light.
Harsh, but not harsh enough to cause the reaction I see from Trenchcoat.
He squints and tries, unsuccessfully to turn away from the lights. Something about them is causing him discomfort. I get my hopes up for a moment he’s going to burst into flame or turn into dust or something, but no dice.
The sight of the walking nightmare looking pained and confused makes me panic. But before I can think of how I fucked up, I hear a voice.
The room, by the sounds of it, the entire house, has been rigged with speakers. Cleverly recessed in sconces and corners.
“Augi, long time no see. And I see you brought a little Renfield fella with you. “ The voice is modulated, Trenchcoat looks curious for a moment.
“Who, is this? You that clown that’s been fucking with Art?” He guesses.
The voice laughs, “Nope.
Who I am, is a guy who managed to find a few boxes of lightbulbs from ’93.
Then again, with eBay, that could make me just about anyone. “
Trenchcoat turns and looks toward the window we came in. He reaches a hand toward it, stopping a few inches away.
“That’s fucking interesting. “ He says, eyes darting around the room.
“Isn’t it though? “ The voice replies, clearly hearing the creature’s whisper, “ Tonight you get the pay for centuries of the worst shit committed by man or beast. I’ve made sure of that. No one in this house is going anywhere for the next 8 hours.
I’m sure the rest of the houseguests are pretty confused as to what’s going on. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so let me give you the Cliff’s notes.
You kids have been killing a monster a year for half a decade. You were the perfect bait, and I have faith you’ll be able to outwit Augi long enough to make it out of here.
If not, you’ll still have helped kill one of the worst things to walk the face of the earth. “
“What the hell is he talking about? “ I ask, a sinking feeling in my gut.
“That’s what you’re worried about right now?
Yeah, these kids are more Scooby gang than Manson family. Don’t blame me for the fact it only took an out of context exorcism video and some promises of making things right with the universe to get you on board with killing them. “ Trenchcoat spits.
I feel afraid, stupid and small. Which is to say, lately, business as usual.
I begin to break lightbulbs, I notice no runes, or anything else that would indicate they have any kind of supernatural origin.
As the basement dims, Trenchcoat starts to breathe easier.
“What’s going on, what stopped you from leaving? “ I ask.
“This little shit is playing The Game. “ Trenchcoat says to himself as much as to me. He looks deep in thought, inspecting the glass from the bulbs.
“What are you talking about? “ I say, my voice cracking slightly.
I hear noises upstairs, frantic foot falls. Indecipherable shouting.
Trenchcoat turns to me, exasperated and filled with anger.
“You’ve heard of ‘Rules’ right? All that ‘Don’t turn left on East street at 3:24 am kind of shit? “ The creature starts, “More and more of them popping up lately. Can’t miss the things.
Well, your kind seems great at finding them, but fucking awful at figuring out what they are. It’s not someone’s new job, or creepy school. The answer is so damned simple, but all of you’ve missed it.
It's a game. It’s, The Game.
It’s ran by the thickest branches of my family tree, and the stakes are high enough even I don’t really understand.
And whoever has us here, he’s weaponized it. The crazy fuck. “
“Call on your family for help then. “ I say, starting to deal with the fear and confusion.
“You first. “ Is Trenchcoat’s reply.
I get his point, and for a twisted, shitty moment, I find myself relating to the murderous thing I’ve been saddled with.
“So what’s the plan? “ I ask.
“Get my hands on whoever’s been stalking me. Between A and B, probably kill those little do-gooders upstairs out of spite.
I need you to circumvent rules we come across. Humans need to agree to follow the rules, it’s why people encounter them in jobs and schools so much. I’m not human, if you haven’t noticed. I don’t get a choice. “ I’m shaking my head as Augustus relates his plan.
“We’re not hurting those kids. “ I say defiantly.
“I’m sure you’ll have no problem with that.
But I’m a God damned child killing monster, bud! How long is that going to take to sink the fuck in?
Me not doing what I do, isn’t like giving up smokes. Think of it like not having a slash for months on end. Sooner or later, like it or not, I’m either finding a bathroom or pissing my pants. “ the rant scares me, but it makes me think.
Something about Augustus, it seems very, 90’s. Whoever was on the speakers was talking about the lightbulbs being from ’93. I’m picking up on a very distinct pattern.
I file that information with the rest of the disconnected lore I’ve managed to find on Trenchcoat as I follow him up the steep, narrow set of stairs.
He whips the thin wood door open, taking an aggressive, lurching step into the livingroom beyond. Surely ready to dispense too far quips and limitless violence, as per usual.
But that doesn’t happen, his rage filled scowl turns into a look of resignation, “Fuck”, is the monster’s last word before he disappears.
I cautiously walk up the loose splinter ridden stairs, expecting Augustus to be waiting around the corner, or engaged in combat with some other horror.
But once I get to the top, there’s nothing more sinister than a livingroom covered in dust and graffiti strewn with old bottles and new stains.
I know my chance when I see it. The particle board sealing the bay window is rotten, the glass long since broken.
No monster, no crazy family, I’ll take my chances with the streets of the U. K.
I tap the crumbling wood with a foot, it rattles, it won’t take much to make a hole.
I line up a kick, freedom no more than a quarter inch of rotten wood away.
“I wouldn’t do that. “ Says a voice behind me, male, around my age I’d guess, but with a confidence that makes me listen, “ Rigged with a load of C4 in the window frame.
Don’t take my word for it, guy wasn’t very subtle. ”
Sure enough, I see small wires running along the edges of the frame and embedded in the particle board.
I turn around, the six people standing in front of me have a vibe I can only describe as severe.
“Are we going to have issues? “ a slight, dark skinned guy asks.
“You making threats? “ I reply.
“No, he isn’t. “ it’s the same voice that warned me about the explosives. It belongs to a squared jawed kid with short black hair, he’s wearing a grey hoodie, and separates himself from the group. “ Call me Kent, and I’m in charge of making threats.
Sid, he’s our people person, he’s just trying to see if you’re someone we need to worry about. “
“We don’t have time to figure this kid out, leave him. “ a short, ginger girl says.
“Ami, why don’t I stay out of equipment, and you and Kent let me figure this kid out?” Sid says.
“I’m Nik. “ I volunteer.
“Good to meet you Nik. “ Sid says, walking around Kent, “Didn’t mean to start things off on the wrong foot.
We’ve just gotten used to doing these kinds of things in our own way over the past bit. We get a little… weird around this time of year if I’m being honest. “
I nod, apprehensive at giving any kind of detailed response.
“Derik” says a tall, pale guy, “ Research. “
“Liam. “ a tanned boy in a flannel shirt and deep blue jeans tells me, “ Oxford doesn’t talk, accident a couple of years back. I’m logistics, he figures spooky shit out. “
Oxford is thin and bald, his face looks much older than it should. Like he’s the victim of some kind of wasting disease.
Telling these kids the truth would be, complicated. And something about their war vet demeanor, makes me want to keep things simple.
So I give them a version of the truth. One where I was plucked from my room by Trenchcoat, and brought here for a slow death.
They buy it. I think.
“Well, I don’t know what this Jigsaw wannabe has planned, but trust me when I say, it can’t be much worse than the things we’ve went through. “ Kent says, trying to be reassuring.
“Just, one more thing. “ Sid begins, “ Why all the scars? “
I know I’ve won most of the group over, but I don’t like the look Sid is giving me.
“Work on a farm, on top of that, the family owns an auction. Lots of bent steel and splinters, what can I say? “ I say, trying to sound casual.
“Fair enough, that accent though. “ Sid’s look becomes almost predatory as he talks.
“Immigration my guy. What’s with the third degree? “ I reply.
“We’ve just met and I’ve only asked three questions.
Humor me here though.
You get taken in the night by that thing that winked out of existence.
Seems pretty nice of him to let you put on shoes. “ Sid lets his statement hang.
Kent turns, I don’t like where this is going. Panic and fear start to well up.
“What’re you thinking Sid? “ Kent asks.
“Kid’s lying. But he’s good at it. “ Sid answers.
“You saying this has turned into a, me, situation? “ Kent’s question starts a deep pit in my stomach.
“I don’t know if we need to go that far. But I don’t like the idea of him having seen our faces. I think this is a Liam situation. “ As Sid says this I look to Liam, who already seems deep in thought.
“Local cops will back our story, but he could go beyond them.
We tie him up until all of this is done, and we get some video of him putting a blade into the body upstairs. He goes telling any stories, it’s us and the locals versus some Yank on video stabbing the kid. “ Liam suggests.
I tried to fight, it went, embarrassingly. Kent had me on the ground in some kind of arm lock in about a second.
I’m bound to an old wooden chair with electrical cords, dragged into a room on the second floor where the chubby kid from before lays face down in a coagulated pool of his own blood. Surrounded by the trappings of misspent youth.
The door locks, and I stare at the corpse, wondering what in the hell went on up here, and in what universe are these psychopaths anything other than what they seemed on screen.
Time becomes almost malleable. I’m terrified to the point where every moment seems to stretch out forever.
Then, I hear it. A wet, organic noise. It starts below the body, and slowly starts to spread.
After a minute or two, the body starts to jerk and twitch. The room is dim as hell, but some kind of ropey, flesh-like substance, is sealing off the door.
I watch as the corpse clumsily gets to it’s feet. It’s skin pale, it’s throat slit to the point of near decapitation.
The head falls backward, obscenely with a small spurt of thick blood.
I scream, I thought I’d been getting used to being face to face with monsters. But fully bound, inches away from a kid that seems to be filled with a twisting mass of barbed, writhing, intestine like tentacles, I realize I’m not used to shit.
The ropey mass forms the barest suggestion of features, a shifting, lumpen mass of ever moving tendrils coming from what used to be the kid’s neck.
The sound spreads more, cracks in the floorboards and walls begin to show hints of the tendrils filling them in like spray foam.
No one is hearing my screams, or if they are, they have no interest in helping.
Ever wonder how you’d handle torture? I think if you’re the kind of person to be reading this, it’s likely you have.
I started by pissing myself.
The second the thin tendril touches my hand, I feel a blinding, flensing pain. I can do nothing but watch, as thousands of nearly hair thin spines tear and consume my flesh. As it slowly, almost, curiously makes it’s way up my arm, it leaves a bloodless, scarred furrow about an eighth of an inch deep.
My second reaction was to lose any pretense at defiance or dignity. I thrash and scream, beg and offer. All of this turning into choked sobs as the thing starts to do much of the same with another tendril.
It felt like I was in hell, every inch of me nothing more than a canvas for this artist of misery.
But pain, it can only go so far. Whether we’re talking about my tolerance, or this thing’s interest.
Mutilation, the brutal wedding of pain and loss. That was it’s next step.
A thick, almost centipede like tendril sits on my pinky like a hot iron. I can only watch in horror as I see fat, then muscle, then bone, then, nothing.
My voice shreds, I tear my wrists and ankles trying desperately to break the expertly tied wires.
My mind is at the breaking point, the creature in front of my makes a terrible, high pitched keening I assume is laughter.
My body is a roadmap of scarred pits and lines. My hand sports a cleanly severed finger. Fuck me, I wish things ended there.
Of all the important parts of the human body, the eye, tends to feel the least pain. Which isn’t to say, as I watched the greedy, grasping claws slowly take pieces of one of mine, it didn’t hurt, but the worst part, was knowing what was happening.
The vision in my left eye begins to distort at first, the edges getting blurry, then going dark. Bit by bit, chunk by irreplaceable chunk, the creature takes half my vision.
I can feel the shifting air on the bare socket, to call what I’m doing screaming, would be understating things to the point of absurdity.
My brain reels at what has just happened. I can feel my grip on reality begin to loosen, pain, worse than can bare, loss of half my sight, it’s too much.
My brain feels filled with static, for a few brief moments I swear, I can hear someone, a voice, trying to tell me something.
But then, a smell hits me. Something so foul, so alien, it yanks me back from the brink of disassociation. I gag and choke, as the air becomes thick with the rotten, chemical reek.
Then, I see it, I see, him.
As randomly as he disappeared, in an instant Trenchcoat is in the room.
He’s torn apart, wounds so deep and ragged, I can see the door on the other side of the room through the worst of them.
One arm is a twisted, broken mess, the flesh jacket torn to shreds of necrotic tissue.
The look on his face is panic, paranoia. A rictus grin of someone that has been kept on his toes for entirely too long.
He trembles and heaves, looking like he could fall over at any second.
He points his good arm at the tendril creature, who I notice has a too familiar eye suspended in it’s shifting features.
“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the motherfucker who just made me kill my favorite cousin, would you? “ Trenchcoat asks, his voice cracked, and strained.
He gets a confused keening in response.
“Bad day for you then. “ Augustus says.
There is no style to his violence, Trenchcoat grabs the shifting mass, his wicked, claw tipped fingers angling themselves in tendrils. As he lifts the thing, floorboards break, and it’s torn free from the root-like system it was creating in the room.
Three brutal slams cover me in ichor and pieces of creature. Trenchcoat tosses the mewling, twitching pile in a corner and looks at me with disgust.
“You let that thing do this to you? Fuckin’ pathetic, bud.
And who tied you up? “ The nightmare I’ve been cursed with chides me.
“The kids downstairs. “ I say only now realizing I’ve still been sobbing.
One handed, Trenchcoat snaps the wires, then stumbles backward, slowly sliding down the wall.
He coughs, grey, bloody phlegm hitting the ground.
“So, what’s the play here? If this shit broke you, I could use the spare parts, if not, well, you know what the Bible says.
An eye for an eye. “ Trenchcoat grins as he talks, nearly on the brink of death.
And that’s where I think I’m going to leave things. Because, honestly I don’t know what I’m choosing.
I’m mutilated, half blind, using too much of my energy typing to strangers online about things because, I’m so fucking alone here.
If you hear from me again, I hope I made the right move. If not, take this as a lesson on what happens when you screw around with the occult.

For anyone who wants to see how I got into this situation.
https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/s/R0DAycoVIm
“In what universe would I ever do you a favor? “ I say, sweeping the floor of the reinforced barn.
“It’s not a favor, it’s a trade, bud.
What do you want in return? “ Trenchcoat asks from within the coffin-like cage.
“To be back home, 8 months ago. “ I reply.
Over the past few weeks I’ve managed to integrate myself into the day to day life on the farm. Things are still a grim, horrifying slog, but with every day it gets a bit easier to deal with.
“Give me something I can do. “ The creature pleads.
“Why, so I can wind up on the end of another ‘ Gotcha’ moment? I’m good. “ is my answer.
A few minutes of silence go by, Augustus breaks it.
“I don’t know many secrets of the universe. Facts, not really my bag. But I know a couple.
How about I share one with you?
No one, not the pope, not my brother, not the shit-bird perched on the highest branch of my twisted family tree, knows what happens when you die.
Some of us never will, of course. Others have ways of avoiding it, but at the end of the day, when the lights truly go out, we know next to nothing.
We do know one thing though. There is judgement, by who? Who knows? Why? Not important.
But at the end of the day, if your battery can’t be recharged, you really want to be thinking about how many marks are on each side of the ledger. “
I don’t reply, and for the next hour or so I ignore the pleading and hinting Trenchcoat does.
But that night, as I sip acidic tea, and try to get a handle on how in the fuck old televisions function, his offer is at the forefront of my mind.
He wants to kill, specifically 6 teenagers who, according to him, have been murdering classmates yearly in a twisted ritual.
He wants me to think this is some kind of noble act, he frames it as almost superheroic. The evil prick knows how I feel, knows that I see the blood on my hands every day, and would kill ( possibly literally) for some way to atone.
Is it a play? I honestly don’t think so, something about how eager the twisted thing is, about how he’s treating the situation as a buyer’s market makes me think something about this makes it important to him.
He offers me everything besides safety and protection. I’m desperate for help, but I have no way to hold him to any agreement.
So the thought rolls around in my mind, staving off the few hours of sleep I get.
“Okay, so, I have it on good authority that tea is supposed to taste better over here. What the hell is wrong with this? “ I say, sitting around an outside table with Sylvia, Dafydd and Colin.
Sylvia smiles, “ Barium, calcium, and a touch of castor oil. “
I look at the brew, then at her.
“If I had told you when you got here you need to drink that to mitigate the effects of working with void touched objects and creatures, you’d have assumed the worst, and found a way to avoid drinking it.
Good to see you becoming more perceptive though. “ Sylvia explains.
“That’s called paranoia, Syl. “ I reply.
She laughs, lighting a cigarette.
“Do you know why I’ve let you figure things out on your own? “ The ancient woman asks.
“Accepted? Yes. Understood, not in the slightest. “ I answer, wondering what sadist invented the scone.
“It’s because I need a leader. Someone who can understand, not a boy who puts his head down and listens to orders.
Someone who can make their own decisions when the time comes.
And I think that time is coming soon. “ Her statement feels like a question.
“If I chose to be here I’d be honored.” I counter.
“That attitude on the other hand… needs work.
Nikolas, today, we talk about what’s really going on.
We play a role in a much larger organization, us, and other families like us, are the ‘boots on the ground’ so to speak.
Our job is not to capture creatures, or horde esoteric goods. We do not foil the schemes of demons, nor blind those who look too deeply into the abyss.
We’re given information about events that could steer the path of humanity into a brick wall. And our job is to make sure they don’t happen. “ Sylvia reveals.
“Something is happening with these fights? “ I ask.
“As I said, perceptive.
Yes, it could be next week, it could be in a decade or two. Right now, we know very little about it, other than when it happens, it would be in our best interests to be of a high standing in the pits. “ She replies.
I absorb the information, and t drug laced tea in equal measure. As I do, I feel something, I feel I’m a part of what’s going on.
This is going to sound dumb as hell, but up until this point I hadn’t been taking things seriously. Don’t get me wrong, death is on the table, and I was trying to avoid that. But I was just treading water, hoping something or someone came by and to get me out of this situation.
But as Syl lays things out, I start to think of my place here, what I can be doing to better my state.
“Here is the part where you avoid telling me why you couldn’t have used anyone around here. “ I prod.
I keep her gaze, Colin and Dafydd shift uncomfortably.
“Augustus, he’s a tricky one. But a very lucky find for us.
I’ve tried 2 others. A boy and a girl, both I practically raised.
Marco, he was a warrior. But the demon got in his head. There was nothing that could be done beyond end his suffering.
Zelma, I won’t talk about.
That thing, it has a way of turning someone’s best traits against them. You, are a blank slate, but you’re family. You’re my best guess as to how we can use him to our advantage.
And this is why I need you, not to listen, but to understand. To see what’s happening, and make your own decisions. If I were to give you my knowledge, if I were to arm you with the best weapons, and the most powerful esoteric objects I know. He’d just have more to turn against you. “ Sylvia’s revelation scares me and puts a massive weight on my shoulders all at the same time.
Confidence and fear are both dangerous emotions. The two of them are almost like drugs in a way.
After eight months of mainlining fear, the tiny line of confidence Sylvia gave me, went straight to my head.
Trenchcoat told me where to find a video file. And after a couple of weeks of running it through every possible test I could, to check for any kind of manipulation, supernatural or otherwise, I watched it.
I was confident that the world would be much better off without the people committing the vicious acts contained in those twenty minutes of footage.
A teenage view of morality, I admit. But what do you want, I’m a teenager.
We watch the abandoned house from across the street. It’s a dingy, urban blight affected suburb, that being said, how no one seems to notice the seven foot freak with me, I have no idea.
The kid inside smoking stolen cigarettes and illegally supplied booze is a husky young guy of about 14. The half dozen kids that show up a couple hours later look closer to my age, last couple of years of high school I’m guessing.
The way they get into the house tells me they’ve done this before. The backpacks they all carry tell me they’re there for a purpose.
“How fucking funny would it be if I just killed you here and took off? “ Trenchcoat says, looming behind me.
I tense.
“It’s a joke. Out of my whole rotten family, Art and I, are close. I’m not going anywhere.
Unfortunately for you. “ Trenchcoat shoves me to the ground as he walks toward the house.
We get in through a basement window, I fit easily, Trenchcoat contorts his body to fit through the thin opening, somehow doing so silently.
I keep hearing Sylvia in my head. Telling me how she needs someone that can make his own decisions.
As I stand in the litter strewn basement, beside a creature with child murder on it’s mind I question the decision that I made.
At first the illumination is dim, nothing more than scraps of moonlight filtered through splintered wood. But with an industrial click, suddenly a half dozen lightbulbs bathe the basement in harsh, yellowish light.
Harsh, but not harsh enough to cause the reaction I see from Trenchcoat.
He squints and tries, unsuccessfully to turn away from the lights. Something about them is causing him discomfort. I get my hopes up for a moment he’s going to burst into flame or turn into dust or something, but no dice.
The sight of the walking nightmare looking pained and confused makes me panic. But before I can think of how I fucked up, I hear a voice.
The room, by the sounds of it, the entire house, has been rigged with speakers. Cleverly recessed in sconces and corners.
“Augi, long time no see. And I see you brought a little Renfield fella with you. “ The voice is modulated, Trenchcoat looks curious for a moment.
“Who, is this? You that clown that’s been fucking with Art?” He guesses.
The voice laughs, “Nope.
Who I am, is a guy who managed to find a few boxes of lightbulbs from ’93.
Then again, with eBay, that could make me just about anyone. “
Trenchcoat turns and looks toward the window we came in. He reaches a hand toward it, stopping a few inches away.
“That’s fucking interesting. “ He says, eyes darting around the room.
“Isn’t it though? “ The voice replies, clearly hearing the creature’s whisper, “ Tonight you get the pay for centuries of the worst shit committed by man or beast. I’ve made sure of that. No one in this house is going anywhere for the next 8 hours.
I’m sure the rest of the houseguests are pretty confused as to what’s going on. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so let me give you the Cliff’s notes.
You kids have been killing a monster a year for half a decade. You were the perfect bait, and I have faith you’ll be able to outwit Augi long enough to make it out of here.
If not, you’ll still have helped kill one of the worst things to walk the face of the earth. “
“What the hell is he talking about? “ I ask, a sinking feeling in my gut.
“That’s what you’re worried about right now?
Yeah, these kids are more Scooby gang than Manson family. Don’t blame me for the fact it only took an out of context exorcism video and some promises of making things right with the universe to get you on board with killing them. “ Trenchcoat spits.
I feel afraid, stupid and small. Which is to say, lately, business as usual.
I begin to break lightbulbs, I notice no runes, or anything else that would indicate they have any kind of supernatural origin.
As the basement dims, Trenchcoat starts to breathe easier.
“What’s going on, what stopped you from leaving? “ I ask.
“This little shit is playing The Game. “ Trenchcoat says to himself as much as to me. He looks deep in thought, inspecting the glass from the bulbs.
“What are you talking about? “ I say, my voice cracking slightly.
I hear noises upstairs, frantic foot falls. Indecipherable shouting.
Trenchcoat turns to me, exasperated and filled with anger.
“You’ve heard of ‘Rules’ right? All that ‘Don’t turn left on East street at 3:24 am kind of shit? “ The creature starts, “More and more of them popping up lately. Can’t miss the things.
Well, your kind seems great at finding them, but fucking awful at figuring out what they are. It’s not someone’s new job, or creepy school. The answer is so damned simple, but all of you’ve missed it.
It's a game. It’s, The Game.
It’s ran by the thickest branches of my family tree, and the stakes are high enough even I don’t really understand.
And whoever has us here, he’s weaponized it. The crazy fuck. “
“Call on your family for help then. “ I say, starting to deal with the fear and confusion.
“You first. “ Is Trenchcoat’s reply.
I get his point, and for a twisted, shitty moment, I find myself relating to the murderous thing I’ve been saddled with.
“So what’s the plan? “ I ask.
“Get my hands on whoever’s been stalking me. Between A and B, probably kill those little do-gooders upstairs out of spite.
I need you to circumvent rules we come across. Humans need to agree to follow the rules, it’s why people encounter them in jobs and schools so much. I’m not human, if you haven’t noticed. I don’t get a choice. “ I’m shaking my head as Augustus relates his plan.
“We’re not hurting those kids. “ I say defiantly.
“I’m sure you’ll have no problem with that.
But I’m a God damned child killing monster, bud! How long is that going to take to sink the fuck in?
Me not doing what I do, isn’t like giving up smokes. Think of it like not having a slash for months on end. Sooner or later, like it or not, I’m either finding a bathroom or pissing my pants. “ the rant scares me, but it makes me think.
Something about Augustus, it seems very, 90’s. Whoever was on the speakers was talking about the lightbulbs being from ’93. I’m picking up on a very distinct pattern.
I file that information with the rest of the disconnected lore I’ve managed to find on Trenchcoat as I follow him up the steep, narrow set of stairs.
He whips the thin wood door open, taking an aggressive, lurching step into the livingroom beyond. Surely ready to dispense too far quips and limitless violence, as per usual.
But that doesn’t happen, his rage filled scowl turns into a look of resignation, “Fuck”, is the monster’s last word before he disappears.
I cautiously walk up the loose splinter ridden stairs, expecting Augustus to be waiting around the corner, or engaged in combat with some other horror.
But once I get to the top, there’s nothing more sinister than a livingroom covered in dust and graffiti strewn with old bottles and new stains.
I know my chance when I see it. The particle board sealing the bay window is rotten, the glass long since broken.
No monster, no crazy family, I’ll take my chances with the streets of the U. K.
I tap the crumbling wood with a foot, it rattles, it won’t take much to make a hole.
I line up a kick, freedom no more than a quarter inch of rotten wood away.
“I wouldn’t do that. “ Says a voice behind me, male, around my age I’d guess, but with a confidence that makes me listen, “ Rigged with a load of C4 in the window frame.
Don’t take my word for it, guy wasn’t very subtle. ”
Sure enough, I see small wires running along the edges of the frame and embedded in the particle board.
I turn around, the six people standing in front of me have a vibe I can only describe as severe.
“Are we going to have issues? “ a slight, dark skinned guy asks.
“You making threats? “ I reply.
“No, he isn’t. “ it’s the same voice that warned me about the explosives. It belongs to a squared jawed kid with short black hair, he’s wearing a grey hoodie, and separates himself from the group. “ Call me Kent, and I’m in charge of making threats.
Sid, he’s our people person, he’s just trying to see if you’re someone we need to worry about. “
“We don’t have time to figure this kid out, leave him. “ a short, ginger girl says.
“Ami, why don’t I stay out of equipment, and you and Kent let me figure this kid out?” Sid says.
“I’m Nik. “ I volunteer.
“Good to meet you Nik. “ Sid says, walking around Kent, “Didn’t mean to start things off on the wrong foot.
We’ve just gotten used to doing these kinds of things in our own way over the past bit. We get a little… weird around this time of year if I’m being honest. “
I nod, apprehensive at giving any kind of detailed response.
“Derik” says a tall, pale guy, “ Research. “
“Liam. “ a tanned boy in a flannel shirt and deep blue jeans tells me, “ Oxford doesn’t talk, accident a couple of years back. I’m logistics, he figures spooky shit out. “
Oxford is thin and bald, his face looks much older than it should. Like he’s the victim of some kind of wasting disease.
Telling these kids the truth would be, complicated. And something about their war vet demeanor, makes me want to keep things simple.
So I give them a version of the truth. One where I was plucked from my room by Trenchcoat, and brought here for a slow death.
They buy it. I think.
“Well, I don’t know what this Jigsaw wannabe has planned, but trust me when I say, it can’t be much worse than the things we’ve went through. “ Kent says, trying to be reassuring.
“Just, one more thing. “ Sid begins, “ Why all the scars? “
I know I’ve won most of the group over, but I don’t like the look Sid is giving me.
“Work on a farm, on top of that, the family owns an auction. Lots of bent steel and splinters, what can I say? “ I say, trying to sound casual.
“Fair enough, that accent though. “ Sid’s look becomes almost predatory as he talks.
“Immigration my guy. What’s with the third degree? “ I reply.
“We’ve just met and I’ve only asked three questions.
Humor me here though.
You get taken in the night by that thing that winked out of existence.
Seems pretty nice of him to let you put on shoes. “ Sid lets his statement hang.
Kent turns, I don’t like where this is going. Panic and fear start to well up.
“What’re you thinking Sid? “ Kent asks.
“Kid’s lying. But he’s good at it. “ Sid answers.
“You saying this has turned into a, me, situation? “ Kent’s question starts a deep pit in my stomach.
“I don’t know if we need to go that far. But I don’t like the idea of him having seen our faces. I think this is a Liam situation. “ As Sid says this I look to Liam, who already seems deep in thought.
“Local cops will back our story, but he could go beyond them.
We tie him up until all of this is done, and we get some video of him putting a blade into the body upstairs. He goes telling any stories, it’s us and the locals versus some Yank on video stabbing the kid. “ Liam suggests.
I tried to fight, it went, embarrassingly. Kent had me on the ground in some kind of arm lock in about a second.
I’m bound to an old wooden chair with electrical cords, dragged into a room on the second floor where the chubby kid from before lays face down in a coagulated pool of his own blood. Surrounded by the trappings of misspent youth.
The door locks, and I stare at the corpse, wondering what in the hell went on up here, and in what universe are these psychopaths anything other than what they seemed on screen.
Time becomes almost malleable. I’m terrified to the point where every moment seems to stretch out forever.
Then, I hear it. A wet, organic noise. It starts below the body, and slowly starts to spread.
After a minute or two, the body starts to jerk and twitch. The room is dim as hell, but some kind of ropey, flesh-like substance, is sealing off the door.
I watch as the corpse clumsily gets to it’s feet. It’s skin pale, it’s throat slit to the point of near decapitation.
The head falls backward, obscenely with a small spurt of thick blood.
I scream, I thought I’d been getting used to being face to face with monsters. But fully bound, inches away from a kid that seems to be filled with a twisting mass of barbed, writhing, intestine like tentacles, I realize I’m not used to shit.
The ropey mass forms the barest suggestion of features, a shifting, lumpen mass of ever moving tendrils coming from what used to be the kid’s neck.
The sound spreads more, cracks in the floorboards and walls begin to show hints of the tendrils filling them in like spray foam.
No one is hearing my screams, or if they are, they have no interest in helping.
Ever wonder how you’d handle torture? I think if you’re the kind of person to be reading this, it’s likely you have.
I started by pissing myself.
The second the thin tendril touches my hand, I feel a blinding, flensing pain. I can do nothing but watch, as thousands of nearly hair thin spines tear and consume my flesh. As it slowly, almost, curiously makes it’s way up my arm, it leaves a bloodless, scarred furrow about an eighth of an inch deep.
My second reaction was to lose any pretense at defiance or dignity. I thrash and scream, beg and offer. All of this turning into choked sobs as the thing starts to do much of the same with another tendril.
It felt like I was in hell, every inch of me nothing more than a canvas for this artist of misery.
But pain, it can only go so far. Whether we’re talking about my tolerance, or this thing’s interest.
Mutilation, the brutal wedding of pain and loss. That was it’s next step.
A thick, almost centipede like tendril sits on my pinky like a hot iron. I can only watch in horror as I see fat, then muscle, then bone, then, nothing.
My voice shreds, I tear my wrists and ankles trying desperately to break the expertly tied wires.
My mind is at the breaking point, the creature in front of my makes a terrible, high pitched keening I assume is laughter.
My body is a roadmap of scarred pits and lines. My hand sports a cleanly severed finger. Fuck me, I wish things ended there.
Of all the important parts of the human body, the eye, tends to feel the least pain. Which isn’t to say, as I watched the greedy, grasping claws slowly take pieces of one of mine, it didn’t hurt, but the worst part, was knowing what was happening.
The vision in my left eye begins to distort at first, the edges getting blurry, then going dark. Bit by bit, chunk by irreplaceable chunk, the creature takes half my vision.
I can feel the shifting air on the bare socket, to call what I’m doing screaming, would be understating things to the point of absurdity.
My brain reels at what has just happened. I can feel my grip on reality begin to loosen, pain, worse than can bare, loss of half my sight, it’s too much.
My brain feels filled with static, for a few brief moments I swear, I can hear someone, a voice, trying to tell me something.
But then, a smell hits me. Something so foul, so alien, it yanks me back from the brink of disassociation. I gag and choke, as the air becomes thick with the rotten, chemical reek.
Then, I see it, I see, him.
As randomly as he disappeared, in an instant Trenchcoat is in the room.
He’s torn apart, wounds so deep and ragged, I can see the door on the other side of the room through the worst of them.
One arm is a twisted, broken mess, the flesh jacket torn to shreds of necrotic tissue.
The look on his face is panic, paranoia. A rictus grin of someone that has been kept on his toes for entirely too long.
He trembles and heaves, looking like he could fall over at any second.
He points his good arm at the tendril creature, who I notice has a too familiar eye suspended in it’s shifting features.
“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the motherfucker who just made me kill my favorite cousin, would you? “ Trenchcoat asks, his voice cracked, and strained.
He gets a confused keening in response.
“Bad day for you then. “ Augustus says.
There is no style to his violence, Trenchcoat grabs the shifting mass, his wicked, claw tipped fingers angling themselves in tendrils. As he lifts the thing, floorboards break, and it’s torn free from the root-like system it was creating in the room.
Three brutal slams cover me in ichor and pieces of creature. Trenchcoat tosses the mewling, twitching pile in a corner and looks at me with disgust.
“You let that thing do this to you? Fuckin’ pathetic, bud.
And who tied you up? “ The nightmare I’ve been cursed with chides me.
“The kids downstairs. “ I say only now realizing I’ve still been sobbing.
One handed, Trenchcoat snaps the wires, then stumbles backward, slowly sliding down the wall.
He coughs, grey, bloody phlegm hitting the ground.
“So, what’s the play here? If this shit broke you, I could use the spare parts, if not, well, you know what the Bible says.
An eye for an eye. “ Trenchcoat grins as he talks, nearly on the brink of death.
And that’s where I think I’m going to leave things. Because, honestly I don’t know what I’m choosing.
I’m mutilated, half blind, using too much of my energy typing to strangers online about things because, I’m so fucking alone here.
If you hear from me again, I hope I made the right move. If not, take this as a lesson on what happens when you screw around with the occult.

I watched a video & got great info out of it already, but I wanted to get a little bit of a more personalized reccomendation from more experienced people. I played baseball & soccer as a kid, ultimately dropped baseball since I loved soccer more & eventually went to go play profesionally for a team in Brazil (now no longer playing). I'm currently playing golf because my mindset is to still play a sport & be good at it, but with longevity in mind.
For those of you that play golf, please continue reading. You know how hard golf is, and I've been playing for a little over a year & broke 90 already, closing my way in to breaking 80. I don't want to sound cocky by any means, but according to other people, if you break 80 you are in the top 1% of golfers. Break 90 you are in top 20%. I would say I have a natural athletic ability to acclimate to any sport I play, pretty well. For reference, my swing speed for my driver on average is 110mph with a 65g, X-Stiff shaft.
With that being said, my friend is great at tennis. He got scholarships to play tennis (full ride), he said he had participated in some tournament & got a Silver Ball, I believe. First place gets the Gold Ball which he said, if you ever got that in your career & wanted to coach tennis, you could raise your rate as it's a pretty big deal. I could be butchering up what he said, but this is from what I remember.
Anyways, he's great at tennis from what he tells me & he plans on coaching full time as his career in the future. His rates I believe are like $80-100/hr & he has plenty of clients that go to him for coaching. He told me if I ever wanted to get into tennis that he would coach me personally, free of charge, just because we're friends. Now I don't know about you, but if you were ever interested in another sport & someone who is top notch at it offered you something like that, I think a lot of people would jump at it.
If any of you guys are asking, why don't you just ask your friend? Well he told me to get some cheap one at walmart, but I don't like buying cheap stuff, because my thing is if it's nice, it will make you want to use it more. I know it's not for everyone, but that's how I tend to look at things that I want to pick up, plus I'm in a position where I can afford these niceties.
So with that in mind, I want to give it my all, which includes buying some good shoes (I plan on getting Asics Gel-Resolution 9 All-Court, though if you guys recommend something else, I'm more than open to other suggestions), & a nice racket I could grow into. Here's some measurements that may help

• Height: 177cm/5'9.5 in
• Weight: 79.5kg/175 lbs
• Palm of hand to top of middle finger: 18.5-19cm/7.28-7.48in
• Width of hand (excluding thumb): 9cm/3.54in

From the video that I watched, the guy recommends 280-295g rackets, that way you can develop your muscles over time that comes associated with swinging a racket, 100 sq. in, & stiff with thick beams. They were saying if a racket is too forgiving & powerful, it'll also reward improper technique, which will have a negative effect on your development.
The rackets he recommended that fit that criteria were

• Wilson Ultra 100L
• Babolat Pure Drive Team
• Yonex Ezone 100L

Would these be a good fit for me to use? Or do you think moving up in weight would be fine for me, e.g. getting the Babolat Pure Drive instead of the Team?
Thank you to anyone who responds!
edit: He said he’s a 5.5 in singles & 5.0 in doubles.

Liquor writers love this extra-terrestrial phenomena. Beyond Earth. Beyond borders. Supernational ranch. Don't you feel nauseous like me? Who are the real shadows. It's all so obvious. But that's the putrid side of the stage isn't it... Isn't this stage so putrid? Isn't is sickly sweet? So many deep and dense cores of real love soaked meat... Human brambles... Whiskey rambles, but it's beer, isn't it always beer? Wasn't it Japanese in the worst of places? Wasn't it dusty Hina dolls in a hunch back cave? Do the Asiatics even wonder about this Wonderous Wonder Bread? Hah, isn't it nauseating. These silly things. What do you do to denigrate yourself? Do you ever vomit your worst fears on the shoes of your most patronizing enemy? We kamikaze'd for nothing. We Bonzai'd our most rancid things... and our purest. There is much to be resolved, and every one is rooting for the sure guy. Why was it the Japanese songs the hypnotized my simple soul? Tsar Bomba forever.

Dirt is a powerful thing in hoodoo. It can be used to heal or destroy, bond or banish depending on your dirt. You can even use a person shoe print against them
however, I’ll be going over the basics of dirt in hoodoo and talk about the advance stuff in another post.
before getting any dirt ask the spirit if you can and give an offering
Dirt can be use to amplify the working or you can only use dirt and work with the spirits of the dirt.
when Collecting dirt be sure to look at the plant near the dirt to see what the plant effect on the dirt is.
always take what you need if you have some rest over put it in a jar or return it back to the earth.
here are five dirt to use for your spells
1, cross road dirt to help you open job, new opp and can help work with new spirits
2, compound dirt: use for fertility, abundance and growth
3,grave yard ( be careful ask the dead for the dirt, be respectful and if they say no don’t take it. Use to connect with the ancestors, protection
4, bank dirt: dirt you use for getting a job or money.
5, church dirt use for protection and banishing working with saints, etc
bonus John the conqueror dirt: power to overcome problem, luck, and protect men like the herb does in root form.

Looking to finally upgrade my 970 and old i5 since I've been crashing on diablo and spending more time in loading screens than playing. Looking for someone to possibly bring me down to earth on requirements and just looking for a good ($/year) build that will last me a while (isnt everyone). My budget is quite flexible. Ive been looking at the pre-built thread but stumbled upon some bundles in canada computers that could help? Just unsure of how I would substitute or if they are even good deals/ parts.

• New build or upgrade?

New

• Existing parts/monitors to reuse? (List with models/links)

1440p 144hz Asus monitor. 1080p Asus monitor.

• PC purpose? (Gaming, editing, etc. List apps/games)

Primarily Gaming, have no other uses at the moment. Games: Diablo 4. Usually just play a lot of low requirement indie games which is why the 970 has held on so long. Every so often get into a bigger demanding game but low graphics settings have suited me since.

• Purchase country? Near Micro Center? (If not US, list local vendors)

Canada, Ontario. A few canada computers stores are near me. They seem to have bundle deals.

• Monitors needed? (Number, size, resolution, refresh rate)

Probably not?

• Budget range? (Include tax considerations)

<3k CAD all in with taxes preferably but likely don't even need something that powerful or maybe I do? who knows. Suggestions welcome.

• WiFi or wired connection?

Wifi needed

• Size/noise constraints?

As long as it's not a jet engine, noise isn't a huge factor.

• Cololighting preferences?

It's going to be sitting below a standing desk in a holder so it can move with it. So lighting doesn't seem really needed? It's basically not on display unfortunately.

• Any other specific needs?

Just looking to stream it to a TV occasionally but a large hdmi cord may solve that issue? Other than that as long as the case isn't built like a big brick house then I'm sure it will fit in the holder under my desk.

My 19mo is terrified of the following:

• Any bugs, including the tiniest of gnats that can only be seen under a microscope. She screeches and starts crying at every sighting. Daycare told me she was quite inconsolable when they had a fly in the class one day and couldn’t get it out. We taught her to “shoo” them, which she does when feeling particularly valiant.
• All the ceiling fans. Yes, the same ones she was fascinated with as a newborn, which she has seen every day since she was born. She’s been taking the long route around every room to avoid walking under them.
• The AC vent in her bedroom. There’s clearly a monster huffing and puffing behind there.
• Her own shadow, quite literally. She discovered it a few months ago and it’s been her arch nemesis ever since.
• Her toy cars. She’s absolutely HATED them since the moment I brought them home about 6 months ago. If I take them out when rotating toys, she refuses to touch them, because they are clearly poisonous.
• Her sandals, from which she visibly flinched and stepped back the second I pulled them out of the bag. They are white with sparkles, which is clearly a demonic color. If god forbid I try to put them on her, she cries bloody murder and, if she has to walk she’ll awkwardly saunter like a cat withth shoes on.
• Any sandals I bought thereafter. It’s already in the mid 90s out here, mind you.
• Overalls. She grabbed and pulled at the clasps as if they were flesh-eating snakes, wailing and begging me to take them off. I never tried again.
• Helium balloons.
• Any animal on god’s green earth.

It’s a miracle humans survived this long.

(In Canada) I bought gluten-free english muffins for the first time earlier this week; Walmart here just started carrying Promise brand GF products (I’ve had their brioche buns and bread, but had never seen the english muffins until now) so I bought a pack along with some sausage patties and slices of lactose-free marble cheese (because I’m not allowed to eat ANYTHING fun anymore 😂) and it was SO good. I warmed the english muffins in the microwave and the cheese melted between it and the sausage. I initially only made one but I ended up making a second immediately after 😋
As expected the english muffins are kind of expensive; $8 Canadian for 4, but that’s pretty on-par with the other Promise breads I’ve had. Honestly though, it was worth it…I’m already excited to make these for breakfast again tomorrow!
I would have posted a photo but by the time I thought of it I had already eaten half and it wasn’t particularly photogenic 😂
I know it’s not particularly fancy or special but it’s a comfort food I used to love before I found out I have celiac disease so it feels really exciting to have discovered! What kind of GF foods or meals have you discovered that made you feel really excited?
Also I’m curious about your opinions - what kind of sauce (if any) would you put on a sausage mcmuffin? BBQ sauce? Taco sauce? Ketchup? 🤔

Nintendo Switch
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim	CIB+	32.92
1971 Project Helios	New	15.41
AI: The Somnium Files	CIB+	60.5
ARMS	CIB+	30.5
Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion	New	25.68
AeternoBlade II	New	35.5
Afterparty	New	38
Aggelos	New	38.22
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX	New	18.98
Alwa's Collection	New	25.62
American Hero	New	40.49
Ancestors Legacy	New	24.07
Annapurna Interactive [Deluxe Limited Edition Collection]	New	230.00
Ape Out [Special Reserve]	New	40.00
Ara Fell & Rise of the Third Power	New	57.24
Arcade Spirits	New	20
Archvale	New	51.25
Ary and the Secret of Seasons	New	12.52
Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore	New	55.00
Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection	CIB+	17.48
Astalon: Tears of the Earth	New	50.63
Astral Chain	New	48.99
Astronite	New	19.48
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy	New	55.00
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout	CIB+	49.5
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout	New	60.1
Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle	New	65.00
Azure Striker Gunvolt 3	New	48.5
Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack	CIB+	25.79
BROFORCE [SWITCH RESERVE]	New	40.00
BUTCHER	New	36.9
Balan Wonderworld	New	11.77
Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Editions	New	120.00
Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe	CIB+	32.61
Battle Princess Madelyn: Royal Edition	New	52.88
Black Bird	New	55.5
Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition	New	48.72
Blasphemous	CIB+	108.49
Blaster Master Zero III	New	34.5
Blaster Master Zero II	New	40.49
Blaster Master Zero	New	44.14
Blazing Beaks	New	30.02
Blazing Chrome	CIB+	65.92
BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites	New	40.49
Bloodrayne 1 & 2: Revamped Dual Pack w/ Slipcover	New	100.47
Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon 2	New	28.49
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night	New	21.23
Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince	New	46.48
Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King	CIB+	150.47
Blue Fire	CIB+	28.49
Blue Reflection: Second Light	New	59.83
Bomb Chicken	CIB+	38.14
Boy and His Blob	New	50.49
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling	New	55.93
Bugsnax	CIB+	30.77
Burnout Paradise Remastered	CIB+	14.98
COGEN: Sword of Rewind & Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 Double Pack	New	80.48
Cannon Dancer: Osman	New	54
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker	CIB+	30.49
Captain Tsubasa: Rise of	New	Champions
Card Shark Collector's Edition	New	40.00
Carrion: Special Reserve Edition	New	40.00
Castlevania Anniversary Collection	New	40.00
Cat Girl Without Salad: Amuse-Bouche	New	40.97
Cat Quest + Cat Quest II: Pawsome Pack	New	49.5
Cathedral	New	66.91
Celeste	New	62.39
Chicken Police - Paint it RED!	CIB+	13.25
Children of Morta	CIB+	22.09
Children of Zodiarcs	New	44.77
Citizens Unite! Earth X Space	New	29.49
Coffee Talk	New	42.15
Collar X Malice	New	30.49
Contra Anniversary Collection Konami Version	New	55.00
Cooking Mama: Cookstar	New	36.11
Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition	New	42.7
Cosmo Dreamer & Like Dreamer: Double-D Collection	New	25.00
Cris Tales	New	13.99
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion	CIB+	25
Crossing Souls - Special Reserve	New	40.00
Crystal Crisis	New	31.52
Cthulhu Saves Christmas	New	45.17
Cult of the Lamb [Special Reserve]	New	72.48
DARQ: Complete Edition	New	38.97
DISC ROOM [SWITCH RESERVE]	New	30.00
DISTRAINT Collection	New	33.76
DOOM Eternal	New	89
DOOM: The Classics Collection	New	50.5
DOOM	CIB+	28.9
DRAINUS	New	63.39
Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition	CIB+	41.29
Dark Devotion	New	45.49
Darksiders Genesis	CIB+	18
Darkwood	CIB+	108.46
Dawn of the Monsters	New	50.36
Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Edition	New	32.01
Dead or School	New	52.03
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise	CIB+	16.77
Deadly Premonition Origins	New	38.03
Death Road to Canada	New	40
Death end re;Quest	New	41.97
Death's Door [Special Reserve]	New	33.03
Death's Gambit: Afterlife	New	38.72
Demon Throttle [Reserve Edition]	New	25.25
Demon Throttle [Reserve Edition]	New	25.25
Demon Turf	New	40.82
Demon's Tilt	New	44.5
Deponia Collection	New	83.14
Dex	New	48.38
Digimon Survive	New	20.95
Dimension Drive [Limited Edition]	New	65.48
DioField Chronicle	CIB+	25.46
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories	CIB+	25.5
Disgaea 5 Complete	New	39.5
Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King	New	18.29
Disney Tsum Tsum Festival	New	26.55
DoDonPachi Resurrection	New	55.38
Dodgeball Academia	New	19.5
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!	New	20.00
Doom 64	New	45.45
Double Dragon & Kunio-Kun Retro Brawler Bundle	New	52.83
Double Dragon IV	New	33.97
Double Dragon: Neon	New	50.49
Double Switch: 25th Anniversary Edition	New	55.89
Downwell [Special Reserve Edition]	New	60.00
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot + A	New	Power Awakens Set Used 25.00
Dragon Quest Treasures	New	29.53
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition	New	40.00
Dragon Star Varnir	New	45.49
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen	CIB+	24.74
Dragon's Lair Trilogy	New	144.25
Dreamscaper	New	44.72
Dusk	New	44.49
Eastward	CIB+	20.3
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	CIB+	35.31
Eldest Souls	New	45.5
Elliot Quest	New	28.48
Enclave HD	New	52.67
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights	New	55.00
Endling - Extinction is Forever	New	25.76
Epic Chef	New	15.57
Espgaluda II	New	60.27
FAR: Lone Sails	New	49.69
FINAL FANTASY VII & VIII REMASTERED TWIN PACK	CIB+	37.63
Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force	New	48.41
Falconeer: Warrior Edition	New	18.88
Fast RMX	New	71.73
Fatal Twelve	New	44.49
Fault Milestone One	New	28.49
Fight'N Rage	New	45.49
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age	New	31.61
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes	New	20.17
Flinthook	New	45.49
Flipping Death	CIB+	28.39
Foretales	New	19.29
Forgotton Anne	CIB+	35.49
Fran Bow	New	111.48
Freedom Finger	CIB+	77.4
Freedom Planet	New	57.39
Friends Of Ringo Ishikawa	New	26.73
Furi	CIB+	48.64
Gal Metal: World Tour Edition	CIB+	17.69
Gato Roboto [Special Reserve Edition]	New	40.00
Ghost 1.0 + Unepic Collection: Standard Edition	New	30.00
Ghost of a Tale	New	66.61
Going Under	New	37.47
Golf Story	New	82.75
Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness	New	45.35
Grandia HD Collection	New	82.51
Great Ace Attorney Chronicles	CIB+	30.98
GrimGrimoire OnceMore [Deluxe Edition]	New	42.33
Gunbrick: Reloaded	New	24.68
Gunlord X	New	90.00
Guns, Gore & Cannoli 1 & 2	New	140.00
Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX	New	84.5
Gyakuten Saiban 123: Naruhodo Selection	New	41.49
Hades	New	39.19
Haven	New	45.49
Heaven's Vault	New	32.15
Hero Must Die. Again	New	56.5
Heroland Knowble Edition	New	18.63
Hollow Knight	CIB+	31.5
Horgihugh and Friends	New	28.18
Hot Wheels Unleashed	New	22.03
Hotline Miami Collection [Special Reserve]	New	40.00
ITTA [Steelbook Edition]	New	50.00
ITTA	CIB+	35.00
Ib	New	55.46
Ikenfell	New	42.56
Immortals Fenyx Rising	New	15.22
In Sound Mind: Deluxe Edition	New	21.81
Indivisible	New	19.41
Infernax	New	50.5
Inscryption [Special Reserve]	New	200.00
Ion Fury	New	35.35
Ittle Dew 2+	New	43.45
Jamestown+	New	50.98
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf	New	65.54
Katamari Damacy REROLL	New	23.45
Katanakami	New	42.3
Kaze and the Wild Masks	New	32.44
KeyWe	New	25.49
Killer Queen Black	New	16.13
King's Bounty II	New	17.85
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory	New	20.59
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning	CIB+	19.98
Knights and Bikes	New	45.49
Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa	New	19.45
L.A. Noire	CIB+	29.99
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga	New	20.48
LUNARK	New	49.52
Lair of the Clockwork God	New	39.13
Layers of Fear: Legacy	New	147.86
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III - Extracurricular Edition	CIB+	31.77
Legend of Tianding	New	45.00
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom	New	47.46
Letter: A Horror Visual Novel [Limited Edition]	New	73.75
Little Golf Journey	New	29.62
Little Nightmares II	CIB+	20.75
Lonely Mountains: Downhill SRG#46	New	86.79
Loop Hero [Collectors Edition]	New	40.00
Loop Hero	CIB+	25.00
Love Esquire [Limited Edition]	New	90.5
LoveKami Trilogy	New	35.00
Lumines Remastered	New	32.5
MONARK Deluxe Edition	New	37
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope	CIB+	15.42
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order		30.00
Mato Anomalies	New	19.73
Mega Man 11	New	20.48
Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection	CIB+	24.5
Megadimension Neptunia VII	New	45.5
Mighty Gunvolt Burst	New	44.45
Mighty Switch Force! Collection	CIB+	45.49
Ministry of Broadcast	New	26.72
Minoria	New	50.47
Miracle Snack Shop [Limited Edition]	New	35.00
Missing	CIB+	35.5
Moero Chronicle Hyper	New	90.35
Moero Crystal H	New	50.77
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight	New	71.68
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate	New	42.69
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin	New	31.49
Monster Sanctuary	New	58.46
Monstrum	New	38.5
Mother Russia Bleeds [Special Reserve]	New	45.00
Mother Russia Bleeds [Special Reserve]	New	45.00
Ms. Splosion Man	CIB+	31.98
Mulaka	New	60.00
Mummy Demastered	New	57.71
Murder By Numbers Collectors Edition	New	80.36
Mushihimesama	New	60.7
My Friend Pedro [Special Reserve Edition]	New	45.00
NEO: The World Ends With You	CIB+	20.5
Narita Boy	New	45.55
NeoGeo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1	New	43.06
Neon Abyss	New	42.38
Neversong & Pinstripe	CIB+	37.5
New Super Lucky's Tale	New	33.59
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe	New	39.5
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch	New	26.5
NieR: Automata - The End of YoRHa Edition	New	39.5
Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition	New	56.06
Night in the Woods	New	59.92
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection	New	50.42
No Man's Sky	CIB+	26.25
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle	CIB+	35.92
No More Heroes III	CIB+	15.5
No More Heroes	CIB+	40.5
Ocean's Heart	New	53.33
Octahedron	New	45.43
Octopath Traveler II	New	39.99
Octopath Traveler	New	52.43
Oddworld - Collection	New	36.25
Okami HD	New	32.99
One Step From Eden	New	34.15
Oniken + Odallus Collection	New	36.51
Opus Collection	CIB+	22.49
Ori: The Collection	New	28.97
Othercide	New	32.45
Outlast: Bundle of Terror / Outlast 2	CIB+	250.00
Overlord: Escape from Nazarick	New	35.97
Owlboy	CIB+	16.48
Oxenfree	New	99.53
Panzer Dragoon	New	40.5
Panzer Paladin	New	48.13
Pathway	New	27.6
Phoenotopia: Awakening [Premium Edition]	New	114.25
Pikmin 3 Deluxe	CIB+	35.00
Pikmin 4	New	42.79
Piofiore: Fated Memories	New	27.95
PixelJunk Eden 2	New	25.49
Pocky & Rocky Reshrined	New	25.49
Pokemon Legends: Arceus	New	41.19
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX	CIB+	40.5
Pokemon Sword	CIB+	30.26
Pokemon Violet	New	44.5
Postal Redux	New	25.5
PowerSlave: Exhumed	New	55.00
Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2 [Deluxe Edition]	New	43.99
Prodeus	New	40.67
Project Warlock	New	67.14
Puyo Puyo Tetris	New	17.5
Q.U.B.E. 2	New	51.32
Quake	New	38.49
RED STRINGS CLUB [SWITCH RESERVE]	New	38.5
RUINER [SWITCH RESERVE]	New	45.00
Radiant Silvergun	New	58.09
Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan	New	23.82
Razion EX	New	90.00
Red Lantern	New	58.5
Republique: Anniversary Edition	New	35.49
Return of the Obra Dinn	New	58.18
Return to Monkey Island	CIB+	43.09
Return to Shironagasu Island	CIB+	28.5
Risk of Rain 2	New	14.7
River City Girls 2	New	50.5
River City Girls Zero	New	44.49
River City Girls [PAX Variant]	New	142.6
River City Girls	CIB+	80.23
River City: Rival Showdown	New	30.49
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos	CIB+	30.00
Roki	CIB+	30.00
Rolling Sky Collection	CIB+	20.00
Root Film	New	34.09
Rune Factory 3 Special	New	23.41
Rune Factory 3 Special	New	23.41
Rune Factory 4 Special [Archival Edition]	New	90.00
SENSEs: Midnight [Limited Edition]	New	47.43
SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy	New	29.15
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin	New	27.5
Sally Face [Deluxe Edition]	New	224.81
Sam & Max Save the World	New	43.5
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Remastered	New	44
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time	New	70.48
Save me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition	New	33.5
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition	New	32.49
Sea Horizon [Limited Edition]	New	42.49
Sea of Solitude: The Director's Cut	New	20.00
SeaBed [Limited Edition]	New	135.38
Seabed	New	40.42
Senran Kagura Reflexions	New	129.74
Senren * Banka	New	70.00
Serious Sam Collection [Switch Reserve]	New	50.00
Seven Pirates H	New	30.00
Seven Pirates H	New	30.00
Seven Pirates H	New	30.00
Shadow Man Remastered	New	48.39
Shadowgate	New	62.5
Shadowrun Trilogy	New	45.00
Shadows of Adam	New	34.49
Shadowverse: Champion's Battle	New	21.95
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse	Box	49.62
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse	New	381.21
Shantae and the Seven Sirens	New	50.2
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero [Ultimate Edition]	New	38.2
Shantae: Risky's Revenge	New	38.51
Shantae	New	39.34
Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn	New	19.57
Shikhondo: Soul Eater	New	34.44
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster	New	25.5
Shin Megami Tensei V	New	22.38
Shin Megami Tensei V	New	22.38
Shining Resonance Refrain [Draconic Launch Edition]	New	48.6
Silver Case 2425 Deluxe Edition		25.00
Sine Mora EX	New	23.02
Skelattack	New	45.00
Slime-san	New	43.74
Smile For Me	New	30.00
Sol Cresta: Dramatic Edition	New	45.48
Sonic Colors Ultimate	CIB+	15.48
Sonic Frontiers	CIB+	21.62
Sonic Mania	New	16.51
Spiritfarer	New	28.95
Splatoon 2	CIB+	19.67
Splatoon 3	New	43.99
Star Wars Pinball	New	19.72
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords	New	59.79
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords	New	59.79
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	New	60.49
Star Wars: Republic Commando	New	26.45
Steel Assault	New	48
Streets of Rage 4	New	33.45
Strife: Veteran Edition	New	30.00
Subnautica + Subnautica: Below Zero	New	32.49
Super Blood Hockey	New	60.96
Super Bomberman R	New	20.42
Super Mario Maker 2	CIB+	30.48
Super Meat Boy Forever	New	25.98
Super Meat Boy	New	38.5
Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania	New	13.48
Supraland	New	33.75
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido	New	12.17
Taiko no Tatsujin Rhythm Festival	New	15.5
Tails of Iron [Crimson Knight Edition]	New	42.89
TakeOver	New	47.41
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition	New	30.41
Talos Principle	New	40.00
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows	New	20.48
Terraria	New	24.66
The Messenger [Special Reserve Games Edition]	New	280.00
There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension	New	53.51
Thumper	New	45.45
Time on Frog Island	CIB+	17.43
Timespinner [Limited Run]	CIB+	77.28
Tiny Barbarian DX	New	33.97
To The Moon	New	67.98
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove!	CIB+	49.86
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore	New	66.72
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore	New	66.72
Touryst	New	60.00
TowerFall	New	45.5
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes	CIB+	24.99
Treasures Of The Aegean	New	17.98
Trigger Witch - Limited Edition	New	57.66
Trigger Witch	New	34.59
Trover Saves the Universe	New	37.76
Turok / Turok 2: Seeds of Evil	New	167.4
Twin Blades of the Three Kingdoms	New	30.00
Two Point Hospital	New	26.5
UnderMine	New	51.08
Unravel Two	CIB+	18.35
Unreal Life	New	39.15
Unsighted	New	47.2
Untitled Goose Game	New	22.45
Valfaris	New	39.64
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection II	New	50.5
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection	New	70.61
Valkyria Chronicles 4	New	66.81
Very Very Valet	New	17.77
Wandersong	CIB+	33.99
Warborn	New	16.6
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus	CIB+	21
WarioWare: Get it Together!	CIB+	24.55
West of Dead	New	39.1
Wizard of Legend	New	55.00
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap	New	39.14
Wonderful 101: Remastered	New	23.5
World Ends with You: Final Remix	New	53.95
World Of Simulators	New	45
Wreckfest	New	25.5
Wulverblade	New	68.83
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna the Golden Country		45
Xenoblade Chronicles 2		42.6
Xtreme Sports	New	50.5
Yoku's Island Express	CIB+	35.5
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair	New	35.5
Young Souls	New	34.49
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution	CIB+	17.69
Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition (Elite Edition)	New	45.49
Yurukill: The Calumniation Games (Deluxe Edition)	New	20.73
Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol	New	40.09
realMyst: Masterpiece Edition	New	78.08

PS2
Armored Core Nexus	CIB	105.33

PS4
88 Antarctica	New	45.00
Antartica 88 [Variant Cover]	New	185.5
Deadpool	CIB+	76.33
Death Park	New	45
Death Park	New	45
Death Park	New	45
Death Park	New	45
Digimon Survive	New	16.55
Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition	New	71
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!	New	21.17
Helldivers [Super-Earth Ultimate Edition]	CIB+	45.00
Minecraft: Story Mode - A Telltale Games Series - The Complete Adventure	CIB+	58.41
Outriders: Worldslayer	New	18.48
Revenge of The Bird King	New	31.99
Saints Row: The Third Remastered	New	15.1
Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal [At the Seams Edition]	New	60.49
Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal [Tailor Made Edition]	New	47.99
Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash (No Shirt, No Shoes, All Service Edition)	New	71.5
Shadow Warrior 2 [Special Reserve Edition]	New	235.52
Super Perils of Baking Special Edition [SEGA Outerbox]	New	120.00
Swords of Ditto: Mormo's Curse [Special Reserve Edition]	New	40.00
Tamashii	New	450.00
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan	CIB+	40.00
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered Steelbook Edition	New	30.45

VITA
2064: Read Only Memories	New	67.97
88 Heroes	New	40.6
99Vidas	New	125.97
Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault	New	26.49
Akiba's Beat	New	30.25
Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed	CIB+	25.49
Alone With You	New	38.5
Amazing Spider-Man	CIB+	64.75
Amazing Spider-Man	CIB+	64.75
Angry Birds Star Wars	New	20.48
Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition	New	40.49
Antiquia Lost	New	34.75
Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender DX	New	51.5
Army Corps of Hell	New	23.99
Asdivine Hearts	New	35.46
Astro Aqua Kitty [Limited Edition]	New	64.7
Atari Flashback Classics	New	60.61
Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky (Limited Edition)	New	168.49
Awesome Pea Collection [Limited Edition]	CIB+	40.1
Axiom Verge Multiverse Edition	New	56.56
Back in 1995 [Limited Edition]	New	191.4
Bard's Gold	New	33
Bard's Tale: Remastered and Resnarkled	New	50.49
Bastion	New	64.16
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate	CIB+	23.67
Bit.Trip Limited Edition	New	33.5
Bit.Trip Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien	New	33.49
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon	New	118.23
Borderlands 2	CIB+	23.49
Breach & Clear	New	308.01
Broken Age	New	33.77
Bunny Must Die: Chelsea and the 7 Devils	New	95
Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified	CIB+	22.29
Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified		18.98
Chaos;Child	New	45.61
Chasm	CIB+	60.49
Child of Light	CIB+	24.56
Claire: Extended Cut	CIB+	35.17
Code:Realize - Future Blessings		14.9
Code:Realize - Guardian of Rebirth	New	25.5
Code:Realize - Guardian of Rebirth		14.2
Conga Master Go! [Limited Edition]	New	51.83
Corpse Party: Blood Drive	New	58.77
Cosmic Star Heroine	CIB+	43.25
Count Lucanor [Signature Edition]	New	144.47
Criminal Girls 2: Party Favors	CIB+	74.09
Criminal Girls: Invite Only	CIB+	54.49
Croixleur Sigma	New	40.49
Cursed Castilla EX [Limited Edition]	New	60.5
Curses 'N Chaos	New	38.72
Damascus Gear: Operation Osaka	New	40.51
Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo	New	41
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair		19.41
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair		19.41
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls	New	31.5
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony	CIB+	58.89
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc	CIB+	25.97
Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours	New	47.38
Deadbolt	New	42.44
Death Mark	CIB+	23.22
Death Tales [Limited Edition]	New	40.4
Deemo: The Last Recital	New	34.22
Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten	New	37.86
Demon Gaze II	New	74.66
Demon Gaze	CIB+	25.81
Demon Gaze		22.22
Demon's Tier+ [Limited Edition]	CIB+	55.49
Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax	CIB+	25.5
Devious Dungeon - Limited Edition	CIB+	67.38
Devious Dungeon 2 [Limited Edition]	New	84.5
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth	CIB+	65.9
Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited	CIB+	25.49
Dokuro	New	52.94
Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice	New	34.5
Dragon Fantasy: The Volumes of Westeria	New	40.49
Dragon Sinker: Descendants of Legend	New	35.5
Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & The Monster Seal	CIB+	53
Dynasty Warriors: Next		16.66
EMMA: Lost in Memories [Limited Edition]	New	52.49
Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders from Planet Space	New	28.19
Exile's End	New	39.65
Exist Archive: The Other Side of The Sky		18.48
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star Noble Phantasm Edition	New	46.26
Fernz Gate	New	30.69
Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster		25.49
Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster	New	61.19
Forma.8	New	32.5
Freedom Wars	CIB+	13.48
Furwind [Limited Edition]	CIB+	40.5
Futuridium EP Deluxe	New	45.97
Gal*Gun: Double Peace	CIB+	32.34
Ghoulboy [Limited Edition]	New	160.5
God of War Collection	New	74.75
Grand Kingdom	New	47.6
Gravity Rush	CIB+	44.5
Guard Duty [Limited Edition]	CIB+	47.38
Gundemoniums	New	84.18
Gunhouse	New	30.38
Habroxia 2 [Limited Edition]	New	65.5
Habroxia	New	129.94
Halloween Forever [Limited Edition]	New	74.5
Hole	New	World
Home: A Unique Horror Adventure	New	35.92
Horizon Chase Turbo [Limited Edition]	New	76.81
Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational	New	26.19
Hotaru no Nikki - The Firefly Diary: Limited Edition	New	59.25
House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition	CIB+	99.5
House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition	M+B	40.1
Hue	New	40.5
Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart	CIB+	35.5
Hyperdimension Neptunia PP: Producing Perfection	CIB+	35.97
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1	CIB+	47.01
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1	CIB+	47.01
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation	CIB+	60.49
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation	CIB+	60.49
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V Generation	CIB+	55.95
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V Generation	CIB+	55.95
Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed	CIB+	43.81
Iconoclasts	New	96.5
Indigo 7 : Quest for Love	New	?
Jak and Daxter Collection	CIB+	50.49
Jet Set Knights [Limited Edition]	New	100.5
Jet Set Knights [Limited Edition]	New	100.5
Just Ignore them + My Big Sister Collection	New	60.49
Kawaii Deathu Desu	New	45.5
Killzone: Mercenary	CIB+	32.68
Killzone: Mercenary		24.49
King of Fighters '97: Global Match	New	64.81
Knightin' + [Limited Edition]	New	60.45
Knytt Underground	New	128.14
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes		11.33
LEGO Jurassic World	CIB+	13.44
LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin		17.12
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens	New	28.75
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens		12.21
LEGO The Lord of the Rings		10.49
La-Mulana Ex	New	38.03
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel (Lionheart Limited Edition)	New	72.39
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II	CIB+	57.82
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel	CIB+	36.49
Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut	New	42.49
Longest Five Minutes	New	32.5
Lost Child	New	56.03
Lost Cube [Limited Edition]	New	50.49
Luckslinger [Limited Edition]	New	60.41
Lumines: Electronic Symphony	New	18.61
MUSYNX	New	50.49
Mary Skelter: Nightmares	CIB+	92.87
MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies	New	37.58
MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death	CIB+	25.39
Mercenary Kings: Reloaded Edition [Limited Edition]	New	106.71
Metagal [Limited Edition]	CIB+	100.35
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection	CIB+	46.49
Metal Slug 3	New	115.48
Mind Zero	CIB+	20.48
Mooseman [Limited Edition]	New	119.05
Mortal Kombat	CIB+	26.99
MotoGP 13	CIB+	23.83
Muv-Luv Alternative	New	66.95
Muv-Luv Complete Set	New	90.5
Muv-Luv	New	53.36
My Aunt is a Witch [Limited Edition]	New	55.5
Mystery Chronicle: One Way Heroics	New	27.94
Need for Speed: Most Wanted - A Criterion Game	CIB+	20.32
Neurovoider	New	35.5
Nicole [Limited Edition]	New	48.22
Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition	New	58.99
Nova-111	New	28.67
Nurse Love Addiction	New	59.18
Nurse Love Syndrome	New	50.49
Nurse Love Syndrome		15.49
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas	New	52
Octodad: Dadliest Catch	New	46.36
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee -	New	'n' Tasty
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee HD	New	52.5
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD	New	69.73
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir	CIB+	72.45
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir		70.5
One More Dungeon	CIB+	60
Operation Abyss:	New	Tokyo Legacy
Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines	New	93
Papers, Please	New	115.47
Pato Box [Limited Edition]	New	73.23
Penny-Punching Princess	New	45.41
Period: Cube - Shackles of Amadeus	New	54.65
Persona 4 Golden	New	61.12
Persona 4 Golden		25.37
Persona 4: Dancing All Night - Disco Fever Edition	New	145.5
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds	New	53.5
Pix the Cat	New	28.84
Plague Road	New	43.4
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale	New	31.74
Proteus	New	36.49
Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk	New	51.5
Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk	New	51.5
Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly	CIB+	33.57
Pushy and Pully in Block Land	New	70.45
Rabi-Ribi	New	93.59
Rainbow Moon	New	44.89
Ratchet and Clank Trilogy	CIB+	72.77
Ray Gigant	New	102.84
Rayman Legends		17.37
Rayman Origins	CIB+	16.71
Retro City Rampage DX [Re-Release]	New	35.00
Revenant Dogma	New	35.36
Revenant Saga	New	29.44
Reverie [Limited Edition]	CIB+	43.49
Riddled Corpses EX	New	40.49
Risk of Rain	New	38
Rock Boshers DX	New	29.34
Rocketbirds 2: Evolution	New	55.5
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken	New	43.2
Root Double [Xtend Edition]	New	53.5
Root Letter	New	46.11
Rose in the Twilight	New	192
SUPERBEAT: XONiC	New	28.49
Salt and Sanctuary	New	100.49
Salt and Sanctuary	New	100.49
Saturday Morning RPG	New	50.49
Sayonara Umihara Kawase++	New	67.33
ScourgeBringer [Limited Edition]	New	59.97
ScourgeBringer [Limited Edition]	New	59.97
Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus: Let's Get Physical Edition	New	115.5
Senran Kagura: Bon Appetit! Full Course - Collector's Edition	New	185.13
Senran Kagura: Bon Appetit!	New	150.44
Senran Kagura: Estival Versus Endless Summer Edition	New	115.48
Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story	New	155.5
Severed [Limited Edition]	New	100.81
Shakedown: Hawaii	CIB+	36.85
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero	CIB+	37.5
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen	CIB+	38.67
Shovel Knight	New	96.49
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution 2+	CIB+	76.26
Silent Hill: Book of Memories	CIB+	76.38
Sir Eatsalot [Limited Edition]	CIB+	53.08
Siralim 2	New	30.49
Siralim	New	50.5
Skullgirls: 2nd Encore	New	52.81
Sky Force Anniversary	New	75.48
Slain: Back From Hell [Signature Edition]	New	150.65
Sly Cooper Collection	CIB+	52.27
Smart as...	CIB+	9.67
Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype	New	44.12
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed	CIB+	23.56
Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God [Limited edition]	New	80.5
Soul Sacrifice Delta	New	105.5
Soul Sacrifice	CIB+	17.36
Spelunky	New	70.5
Spy Hunter	CIB+	24.31
Stay [Limited Edition]	New	130.5
Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark (Ultimate Edition)	New	29.13
SteamWorld Dig	New	55.72
SteamWorld Heist	New	52.97
Steins;Gate 0	CIB+	29.49
Steins;Gate	CIB+	30.58
Stranger of sword city limited edition	New	63.57
Super Hydorah	New	47.9
Super Meat Boy	New	60.5
Super Mutant Alien Assault	New	34.9
Super Skull Smash GO! 2 Turbo	New	42.35
Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls	New	58.5
Swapper	New	51.48
Swindle	New	27.51
Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment	New	65.48
Synergia [Limited Edition]	New	110.49
Tachyon Project Limited Edition	New	55.35
Takotan [Limited Edition]	New	51.59
Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack	New	50.24
Tales of Hearts R	CIB+	69.48
Tales of Hearts R		50.5
Task Force Kampas	New	36.5
Tetris Ultimate	New	70.47
Tetris Ultimate	New	70.47
Thomas Was Alone	New	33.5
Tokyo Xanadu	New	49.32
Touch My Katamari	CIB+	33.72
Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure [Limited Edition]	CIB+	47.09
Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3	CIB+	31.21
UnMetal	New	163.32
Uncharted: Golden Abyss	CIB+	27.23
Uncharted: Golden Abyss	CIB+	27.23
Undertale	New	66.38
Unepic [Limited Edition]	New	274.98
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception	New	72.27
Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - Launch Edition	New	36.5
Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - Launch Edition	New	36.5
VA-11 Hall-A	New	79.91
Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni	CIB+	66.81
Vasara Collection	New	98.5
Velocity 2X: Critical Mass Edition	New	63.05
Volume	New	32.25
Walking Dead: Season Two - A Telltale Games Series	New	22.61
Windjammers	New	35.83
Winter's Daydream [Limited Edition]	New	64.1
Wipeout 2048	New	31.24
World of Final Fantasy	New	33.99
Xeno Crisis [Limited Edition]	New	100.5
Xeno Crisis [Limited Edition]	New	100.5
Xeno Crisis [Limited Edition]	New	100.5
Xenon Valkyrie+	New	68.11
Xeodrifter	New	44.2
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows	CIB+	33.71
Yomawari: Night Alone / htol#NiQ: The Firefly Diary	CIB+	40.5
Ys Origin	New	56.4
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA	New	72.34
Ys: Memories of Celceta	CIB+	25.99
Yumeutsutsu Re:After [Limited Edition]	New	82.97
Yumeutsutsu Re:Master [Limited Edition]	New	75.48
Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward	CIB+	15.5
Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma	New	33.17
Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma		24.51

3DS
Aliens: Infestation		45.00
Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition	New	34.72
Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson (Double D Edition)	New	70.5
Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson (Double D Edition)	New	70.5
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [Collector's Edition]	New	89.39
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [Collector's Edition]	New	89.39

September 26, 2072 - Houston, Texas
The President of The Republic of Houston, Alex Jones awoke as the sun rose above the capitol of his Republic. His Presidential Palace the former Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, converted into a Presidential Residence in 2034 also rose to greet him. In the grand dining room built to the President's specifications, he was served his coffee and breakfast. And as he always did, Alex Jones perused the headlines around the world, offering bits of commentary that those around could hear, but which they were forbidden to respond to. The submission of Christian lands to the Eden behemoth? "Fuckin, moloch worshippers" the President grimaced. The Second Roman Republic marching in step and speaking classical Latin? "Fuckin queers". Or Canada merely existing in the North? "Jesus Christ Trump should have invaded them when he had the chance". This routine was familiar, indeed for 52 years aide after aide, servant after servant, guard after guard heard the President make similar observations. As the world changed around him, Alex Jones read that the world did not change a bit. This morning however would be different, fate had ordained it to be so.
Mike Lindell the former CEO of My Pillow was the President's choice for Vice President in 2021. Lindell was in many ways the perfect lieutenant to Jones, he shared the President's love of showmanship and bravado, but he lacked the command and decisiveness the President possessed. For that reason he was ideal, he could sing the praises of the regime wherever the President could not be, all without challenging the authority of the President. And so for 51 years, Lindell stood by the side of Alex Jones, unquestionably loyal unquestionably obedient, doing the President's bidding wherever he was sent.
Much like the President, Lindell was given age-lengthening treatments that staved off the effects of aging. But while the President lived a strictly regimented life, Lindell throughout the 2050s fell back into the life of substance abuse that plagued him in the 20th century. The President of course noticed this but did not care, for him, Lindell could smoke as much crack as he wanted so long as when he put the pipe down the first words he spoke were "God I love President Jones!". And because of this the Vice President slowly entered a downward spiral with no end in sight. In 2066 at the graduation of Houstonian Naval Cadets, the VP slurred his words as he tried to get through a short prepared speech. In 2069 during the Presidential Campaign and the VP debate, Lindell seemingly forgot who and where he was and asked his opponent "When does happy hour start?" Houstonian media of course covered this up, but rumours cannot be suppressed and word of mouth did its job.
That is why on September 26, 2072, President Jones did not show much concern when an aide told him "The Vice President was found unresponsive on the floor of his residence". That was merely part of the deal, that was what was expected. This also meant when he was told that his lieutenant was on life support the President merely scoffed and said "fuckin' Mike". That is why at 1:56 pm on that day came and when the President was told his faithful VP had died, he could not believe it.
September 27, 2072 - Houston
A STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
It is with deep sorrow that the President announces the death of the Vice President of The Republic of Houston, the Honorable Michael James Lindell. The Vice President died peacefully last evening at his residence in Houston. The President asks the. nation for its prayers at this difficult time. Announcements regarding the state funeral of the Vice President will be made in due course.
October 3, 2072 - Houston
The day was rainy and gloomy. The ceremony over the last three days was dizzying and hurried for Alex Jones. From a laying in state that saw 2 million people file past the coffin of his Vice President, to a church service where even he was moved to tears. The man at the heart of the Republic of Houston was at his wit's end. The funeral events came to the coda, as the flag of Houston was lifted off the coffin, and the remains of the Vice President who served him loyally were lowered into the earth. As the golden casket slowly drifted down, so too did a single tear on the President's face. Mortality was on his mind, and so too was the future, Memento Mori...
December 12, 2072 - Houston
PRESIDENT JONES CALLS CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
51 years after the establishment of Houston, President Jones this morning finally called a constitutional convention to establish the first constitution in the history of Houston...

Wondering if anyone else has had this experience. I wore my first pair of this style today and they have got to be the LEAST comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. Have enjoying Kayano and GTs for years and just assumed I could expect a high quality and comfortable shoe from ASICS every time. What’s crazy is I see other people in this sub saying the 360s are the most comfortable shoes they’ve ever worn. How?!????
The insole is so hard and it feels like I might as well have been standing on concrete all day. I wore them to my job as a personal trainer at the gym and after 5 hrs my feet were ACHING. I’ve had $20 shoes from Walmart that were infinitely more comfortable and could be worn for 3-4x as long without pain and discomfort. I honestly wish I could get a refund. Confused how others seem to have glowing reviews. What is going on???? Is there a possible explanation for this? Has anyone else had this experience?

Name:Hilbert Black
Nationality:American
Race:Caucasian
Appearance: He has brown hair and eyes. His favorite outfit which he wears most of the time is a black shirt, blue zip up hoodie, black pants, red shoes, and a baseball cap.
Backstory: Hilbert comes from a family of sorcerers but never had any interest in being one himself due to the danger and complications of such a life, preferring to indulge in his hobbies. After people close to him were badly hurt, he became a jujutsu sorcerer to help protect them. When starting out as a sorcerer he was inexperienced and lacking in multiple fields which he made up for with his CT and DE.
Shikigami Creation: The Black Family’s cursed technique revolves around creating new shikigami. Because of Hilberts love for and familiarity with Pokémon, that is the form in which his shikigami take.
Cursed Technique:Shikigami Creation: Hilbert can summon one random Pokémon to fight by his side. He can customize their set(their moves, ability, evs, ivs, nature, and item). The randomized aspect is part of a binding vow he made in order for his pokemon ally to become stronger than normal in exchange for the summoning to be random.
Domain Expansion:Cursed League Victors: This domain takes the form of a Pokémon tournament battlefield of which Hilbert can decide what setting he wants it to be. When within this domain, nobody can attack anybody. Only two people can be on the field at a time, the caster and whoever the caster chooses to be their opponent. Any other individual caught up in the domain is sent to the stands to watch the battle until it’s either their turn to fight or the domain is extinguished. This domains sure hit effect is not an attack but a basic explanation as to how Pokémon, moves, abilities, ivs, evs, held items, field conditions, and status conditions work. Each player is given a chance to make a team of 6 pokemon. They cannot use the same pokemon twice however. There are three matches. Once the first match ends, whoever wins will get their Atk, Def, SpA, SpD, Spe, CE Pool, CE Output, CE Regeneration and critical hit ratio maximized(multiplied by 4) and a fight will ensue. Atk is someones raw strength and damage they do with physical attacks, SpA is how much damage they do with ranged attacks, Def and SpD is how well they resist the corresponding attacks, Spe is their overall combat, reaction, and movement speed, and critical hit ratio is the capability of landing a black flash. Whoever wins the fight will get one out of three points and this will be repeated until someone gets two points. If they win the second Pokémon battle phase, they can pick their Pokémon ally. Once they get two points, all spectators will turn against the loser. If there are no spectators, the winner gets two Pokémon allies and a third fight will begin. Every combat round has a 5 minute timer. If the timer runs out and both participants are still alive, neither fighters are given a point and they will be healed and have a rematch. If someone does die before the round ends, the domain is exhausted.
Cursed energy attribute: Whatever pokemon Hilbert summons, his cursed energy takes on the type of the summoned pokemon. Basic cursed energy has dark type properties. Every type follows its battle properties in the pokemon games against cursed energy, techniques, and spirits. For example, if hilberts, cursed energy is ground type, he will take no damage from electricity, deal 2x damage against fire, steel, poison, electric, and rock based things, deal 1/2 damage against bug and plant based things, receive 2x damage from water, grass, and ice based things, and receive 1/2 damage against poison and rock based things. Hilbert can use one move of his choice that shares the type he takes on. They can also take up any ability and item they want. If the users Pokémon ally has two types, they can use two moves.
Type effects: Fire:Has a 30% chance to burn opponents, burns burn away at their body, and halves their physical damage and ce output. Deals 2x damage in the sunlight and half in the rain.
Water:Deals 2x more damage in the rain and half in the sunlight. The user can also breath and swim faster in water.
Grass:Heals the attacker by half the damage dealt upon contact.
Electric:Has a 30% chance to paralyze opponents which cuts their speed in half and occasionally prevents them from moving completely.
Psychic:Users attacks have a 30% chance to inflict opponents with confusion.
Ice:Has a 30% chance to freeze opponents, rendering them completely immobile for a period of time and a 30% chance to inflict frostbite, reducing special attack damage and ce output by half.
Dragon:Users base stats rise.
Dark:Users attacks have a 30% chance of putting targets to sleep.
Fairy:Reverses users cursed energy. Immune to dragon/reptile based cursed phenomena.
Normal:User is immune to physical attacks from the reanimated but cannot damage them directly either.
Fighting:Gains proficiency in all forms of combat. Attacks have a 30% chance of flinching opponents.
Flying:User can fly around freely. Immune to earth based cursed phenomena.
Poison:Has a 30% to badly poison opponents which deals more damage as time passes.
Ground:Attacks lower targets accuracy.
Bug:Has a 30% chance to inflict an infestation which deals damage over time.
Ghost:Immune to attacks that are both not imbued with cursed energy and not from a reanimated individual.
Steel:Users durability increases greatly.

This is my ficnapping of The Power of Forgiveness by u/Espazilious. If you're here and you haven't read it yet, (why?) do it now! Anyways, here it is.
—
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Memory Transcription Subject: Dan Hayes, Human Resident of Venlil 4
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Date (standardized human time): January 24th, 2137
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I woke unpeacefully, jolted awake by the doorbell going off. I stared at the ceiling for a good few moments, trying to banish the dreams that weren’t fading quickly enough and hoping whoever it was would go away. To the annoyance of my sleepy mind, the doorbell rang again.
I grumbled and yanked the blankets off me. Damn was it good to sleep in my own bed without an alien squeezing my lungs for hours. Speaking of, Sparci wasn’t in sight. The Farsul must have scampered off while I was still sleeping.
I groggily ambled around to the front door and unlocked it. Outside was a Venlil with an, admittedly, adorable little uniform. I looked down at the delivery person, having completely forgotten to put on my mask.
The poor sheep staggered backward as soon as they saw my face. There was also a box, markedly larger than I could comfortably carry. How the scrawny Venlil got it up here, I didn’t know. Nor did I really care.
“Hey, I almost forgot about this thing. Glad it's finally here, though,” I casually said. “You need me to sign anything?”
“U-Uh. Y-Yes. Please.” They raised their appendage with the holographic screen for me to see. I waved my finger around, signifying my identity with nought more than a single curvy line. They wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyways.
“Thanks.” I put my hands on either side of the box and tugged, sliding the box into my humble dwelling. I pushed the door shut before the Venlil could do anything else and began to shove it further into the main living space.
“What is that?” Sparci pondered, suddenly emerging from off the couch. He must have been reading, or something, while I was still asleep. At least I don’t have to worry about him answering the door, I suppose.
“What does it look like?” I retorted.
“A box.”
“Amazing.”
“Well…” he pouted. “What’s inside of it?”
“Stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“The stuff that I have to ship across the damn galaxy and pay way too fucking much on shipping fees. All this crap is only found on Earth.”
He stood still for a moment, thinking of what to say. I waited patiently.
“Can… Can I see?”
I quickly grabbed a knife. I sliced through the tape, then slowly drew my gaze to Sparci. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“Of c—Wait, why do you say it like that?”
“Once you lay your eyes on what’s in this box, you may never be the same.”
There was a twitch of his ears. “Uhm… Okay?”
I slowly lifted the lid, pausing for dramatic effect. Unfortunately, Sparci wasn’t playing along with my foreboding box unfolding. He took a few steps forward to peek inside as I began to dig through it.
The first thing in the box I spotted was a reflective mesh in the shape of a bowl; the ideal tool to teach those damn wet noodles a lesson. Never again.
I fished it out of the box and handed it to Sparci. “Here.”
His ears perked up. “What is this?”
“A hat,” I deadpanned. “You can wear it, if you want.”
He studied me. It took all of my willpower to keep every muscle in my face straight, and by some divine power, I managed to do it by the time he took it from my hand. I quickly looked away, doing my very best to not imagine him wearing a strainer atop his head.
After pulling out some less interesting items, including some spaghetti sauce, Sparci spoke, “I thought it would be more. Um. Comfortable?”
I looked up. Oh lord, forgive me, and bless this poor innocent soul.
His poor ears were being smushed against his head by the dome of shiny metal lattice. The rim of the thing came to a rest right at the end of his snout, leaving his eyes partially hidden. At least he could see me, a little. Overall, he looked exactly as I expected an alien wearing a strainer to look.
“Yeah,” I forced a laugh back into my throat. “Works better on a human, I think.”
He took it off and gave it back to me. “I want to see.”
I spun it around in my hands, contemplating his words. It would only be fair. In a decidedly smooth motion, I flipped it onto my head, feeling the metal scratch against my scalp. He studied me, hopefully in awe, but realistically in confusion.
In a strange burst of compulsion, I tipped the rim at Sparci. “M’lady.”
“What?”
Immediate regret. “Nothing.”
“Is that a human greeting?”
“No. And don’t ever repeat what I just said. Ever.”
His ears pulled back in what I guessed to be fear, or maybe shock. “O-Okay.”
I quickly yanked the strainer off my head and threw it into the kitchen. I was aiming for the sink, but it came short and clattered to the floor in a mocking fashion.
“Anyways,” I resumed. “Let’s see what else I got.”
Before I could look back in the box, Sparci was already pointing inside of it. “What are those?”
He was motioning towards a brightly colored package full of sugary treats. “Those are gummy b-” I stopped myself. Would it be wrong to lie about what the shapes represented? Would it be worth it to see if he liked them? The answer to both questions was, undoubtedly, yes.
“They’re gummy candies,” I continued, reaching for the package. “You wanna try one?”
“Yes. Please.”
I ripped open the package and handed him a small yellow bear; the worst flavor. He took it, and while I popped a green one into my mouth he spun it around in his paw.
“What is it supposed to look like? It’s almost like a Zurulian.”
I frowned, realizing I was worried about the wrong thing. “Um. These have existed for far longer than we’ve been spacefaring, so that’s just a coincidence.”
“But that still doesn’t answer my question.”
Damnit. How do I explain this to him? A predator eating a candy version of another predator. That’s about as bad as it can get for these aliens.
“I dunno,” I said. “People just make weird stuff sometimes. Give it a try.”
He gingerly placed it into his mouth and began to chew. He eventually swallowed it, without much reaction.
“No reaction at all?”
“Sugar,” he admitted.
“Yeah, fair enough.” I put the gummy bears on the counter and began to dig through the box again. My eyes fell upon something I had forgotten I’d been looking forward to. “Alright, I think you’re gonna like this next thing I got.”
“Hm. What is it?”
I twisted the lid off and pulled off the seal, exposing the hopefully creamy peanut butter. I paid extra for this, so it better be worth it. I noisily dug out a spoon from the drawer and stuck it into the semisolid, pulling out a nice dollop of it. As I offered it to Sparci, I had to forcibly stop myself from simply wiping it on his nose and letting him deal with the aftermath.
He gingerly took the spoon from me, giving it a sniff. “It smells… interesting.”
“I did a quick look-through on any dietary limits… mainly allergies. You should be good to go but… maybe just take a tiny lick for now.” When his ears folded in that special way, I quickly added, “It’s nothing to worry about, really.”
He stuck his tongue out the tiniest amount, taking just a drop of it into his mouth. His ears twitched, and in the time I could blink he shoved the entire spoon into his mouth.
“Itsh shticky in my mouf.”
I let out a small chortle, to my own disbelief. “Yeah, it, uh, tends to be that way. I take it you like it?” It was a dumb question, but it would make him talk with his mouth full again.
Instead, he nodded, foiling my plan. When did he learn to do that?
“You can put the spoon in the sink. When you’re done, I mean.”
He pulled it out of his mouth, completely spotless. “Can I haf shum more?”
I twisted the cap back onto the jar with vehemence. “Hell no. Do you know what this is? This is Extra Deluxe Creamy. With shipping, that’s at least six times what normal peanut butter costs. Go get your own.”
“Meow?”
“It’s less cute when your mouth is full of peanut butter,” I lied. “Try again later.”
To say he looked crestfallen would be a massive understatement. I set the jar on the counter, and made a mental note to hide it on the top shelf of a cabinet. The sneaky shit was bound to try and find it at some point.
When I got back to the box, Sparci was looking into it. He pointed at something. “What are those?”
I took out what he was referring to. “Socks.”
“Sawwcks,” he repeated. “You wear them?”
“Yeah. I need socks for my shoes and shoes for my feet. It stops me from doing that,” I gestured at the small trail of paw marks leading from the front door he’d left after the storm.
He coyly lowered his ears. “S-Sorry.”
“Whatever.” I took the package of socks and threw them into my room. I had no idea where they landed. Had to keep things entertaining for my future self, of course.
I shuffled through the rest of the box, mostly innocuous items that were apparently the most interesting thing in the world according to Sparci.
After many questions and explanations and objects thrown into my room, I finally got to what I had really been looking forward to.
“Alright, these last few things I got specifically for you.”
He dropped the pair of sunglasses he was trying to fit on his face and scurried over to me. I reached into the box and pulled out the two books. I gave them a quick look-through before giving them both to Sparci.
His expression changed several times. “What…?”
“Coloring books.”
He began to look through one of them, tail flicking with eagerness. “I recognize some of these…”
“They’re both full of animals you would find on Earth.”
He was already flipping through the second book. “There’s so many!”
I smiled. “Well, I sure hope so. There aren’t many dogs or cats, or raccoons for that matter, but I think the variety makes up for it. Oh, and don’t forget these.” I reached for the last item in the box, a 48-pack of not-so-cheap markers, and gave them to him.
His eyes sparkled as he took it into his paws, flicking over each color. “These are…”
“Better than crayons,” I finished. “And I rightfully paid for them, so you don’t need to worry about that. Oh, and I hope they aren’t too… childish? The last time I touched a coloring book was… well, I guess I don’t know, but I figured one from an alien planet would be interesting.”
His eyes looked back and forth between the books and the markers, as if he couldn’t decide which one was better.
“…do you want to go color?”
“Mhm!”
He took off. It was good to see him move so enthusiastically. What he revealed to me the night before still weighed on my mind, and he was the one that had to live through it. But now wasn’t the time to think about that. It was time for the Happy, and damn if I wasn’t going to get it.
I joined him at the table as he was flipping through pages, trying to make a choice. He managed to pick a sea turtle. Or perhaps “choose” was a strong word, as he took on a more confused expression.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I just realized I don’t know what color to pick.”
“Oh. Well, I guess I could search up a picture or a video of one. Or maybe you could color it what you think is right, and we can compare after.”
“Hmmm. The second option. But can you tell me what kind of animal this is? It doesn’t look like any of the ones from your videos.”
“It’s a sea turtle. They’re reptiles, and they spend most of their time in the ocean.”
His ears drooped. “The… ocean.”
Oh. Of course. The Archives.
“There’s plenty of kinds of turtles that live in freshwater, like rivers and lakes. If you want to color it, do it. Nothing else should matter.”
“I… guess you’re right.” He thought for a long moment before his gaze settled back on me. “Do you… want to color something?”
“Sure. Why not.”
He passed the other book to me and began to dig through the markers. He settled on orange, which I of course would not weigh in on. If anything, I was curious what he thought a turtle might look like. Plus, I would get to see what his reaction would be to seeing how the real thing compared to his colors.
I decided to pick a random color and flip to a random page. Filling in a bunch of smaller shapes to create one larger shape wasn’t exactly the most exciting thing. Although, an alien coloring book would certainly be more interesting. Maybe I should’ve looked into getting a coloring book from one of the local stores. What would aliens decide worthy of coloring?
My random choice left me creating a grass green moose. Earth grass, that is. Not some weird purple alien stuff from God knows where. Sparci was already diving into one of the turtle’s now orange flippers.
“You have any music on your pad you might wanna listen to?” I asked, the silence slowly becoming loud.
He stopped coloring and looked up at me, his brows furrowing and ears tilting back. “I’m, uh, not sure you would enjoy it.”
“You listened to me ramble on about Esoterica for a good two hours. I can at least repay the favor. Plus, I’d like to think that I’m pretty open to new music.”
He thought for another moment.
/////
Advancing transcript by ≈50 minutes
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“Oh! This is another really good one!” Sparci’s ears wiggled and his tail picked up some speed as another track came on. He replaced his marker for a different color.
I still hadn’t finished my green moose, and he was already on his fourth page. The other three he removed from the book and laid out across the table to see. There was his orange and brown sea turtle, a blue elephant with a cyan trunk, a school of fish colored to create a rainbow across the page, and was now working on a fairly normal looking cheetah.
“So how long ago did this one come out?” I queried.
He didn’t look up from his page. “This specific one came out around thirty years ago, but it’s a remix. The original came out about eight years before that. I can find the original if you want, but I prefer the remix, not that it’s worse, but I think the different bassline and effects they added make it just a little more to my taste. Oh, and they also replaced one of the verses with a new portion by a different singer, and it’s a lot catchier, and they manage to do that all while keeping the feeling of the song the same.”
I nodded along to the quick beat, but the translator left something to be desired. The lyrics talked about the incredulous nature of giving a ground mammal wings to fly, or something. The instrumentals were catchy enough, a blend of strings and synths. It was almost like listening to a foreign pop song.
“It sounds… kinda similar to something. Is-”
“It’s part of the same album as Teleport, so also the same artist. But like I said, it’s also a remix.”
“Ah, that explains it.”
I still couldn’t get over just how much he could talk when he was prompted with a set of ears and something he liked. And that wasn’t even mentioning that he had talked for nearly seven hours straight the moment he got his pad’s data back. Getting that worked out was probably the best thing that anyone could have done for him. It was good to see him like this. Enjoying himself.
I finished up the final details on my green moose. By stroke of my random color choice, it had bright red antlers, even though I wasn’t exactly going for a holiday theme.
I spun the book around to Sparci. “What do you think? Is it fridge-worthy?”
He slowly pulled his head up even as his eyes lingered on his page. Once he finally finished filling in the shape, he looked over my page. He stopped wagging his tail to the beat of the song. “What is that?”
“A moose.”
His ear twitched. “That’s what it looks like?”
“Hey, I didn’t judge your coloring.”
“That looks nothing like the other animals I’ve seen.”
“What did you expect? I chose random colors.”
The other ear twitched. “But aren’t you supposed to know what they look like?”
“First of all, that’s very prejudiced of you. Secondly, it was a lot more fun this way. Here, I’ll show you what an actual moose looks like.”
I pulled out my pad and quickly looked for a picture. A moment later, I had it pulled up and Sparci was looking at the animal with awe.
“That one’s brown,” he commented.
“Correct.”
“Its head things are big.”
“Yep. I should also mention that they’re huge. Like, as tall as I am, and about five times as heavy.”
His eyes went wide. “How big is its body!?”
I resisted the strong urge to slap my forehead. “No, it’s body is as tall as I am. Its antlers put it a little bit higher.”
His shock died down slightly. “Oh. That’s still huge.”
“Wait until you learn about the elephant you colored.”
His eyes darted between his colorings. “Wha…?”
I stuffed my pad away. “Welp. I think I’m done coloring. And I’m also hungry. You want some questionable fruit goop oatmeal?”
He perked a single ear. “Uhm. Yes. Please.”
I got up from my seat and shuffled into the kitchen, picking up the strainer off the floor. I put away the rest of the things, making damn sure the peanut butter was tucked away in the corner of the highest shelf of a cabinet.
I was reaching for the oatmeal when I noticed the music had paused. I looked over, seeing Sparci standing in the kitchen.
“Do you want me to show you an elephant?” I guessed.
“No. I mean, yes, but… I…” His tail twitched restlessly.
I patiently waited.
He took a breath. “Thank you. For, um, everything.”
I shrugged. “You’re welcome. But you’ll have to thank me again soon, because this oatmeal is going to be fire.”
“You… You didn’t have to do this.”
I shrugged again, setting a pot on the stove. “I was just ordering some normal stuff, and had the thought to get a pair of coloring books. It’s not that big of a deal.”
His tail curled around his leg. “But, everything else.”
I guessed even little things could mean the absolute world to someone when they were coming back from what Sparci had gone through. Was still going through.
I sighed. “Yeah. You’re welcome for everything else, too. Thanks for sharing the music. It’s, uh, definitely alien music.” Is that even a compliment?
He seemed to hesitate for a second before coming further into the kitchen towards me. His arms parted slightly, and before I knew it he had them wrapped around me. I mirrored the motion, placing my hands on his back and gently rubbing.
There was something ever so slightly different in him at that moment, as if he was more sure of how he leaned into the hug. His warmth slowly seeped into me, starkly contrasting how cold he had been when I carried him from that alley, broken and bruised.
“Thank you,” I heard him whisper.
I simply rubbed his back and let him pull away on his own. I hadn’t even realized how quiet it was without the music.
I cleared my throat. “Alright, lemme get this oatmeal going before you get hair everywhere.”
—
A/N: Oh my goodness, give this poor boy everything I have. He deserves the world. Strainers, peanut butter, my soul, whatever. And, of course, some coloring books and a good playlist to share.
Thanks to for organizing yet another ficnapping! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading!

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark, when out of the blue, my wife called me at work. "We're going to Niagara Falls for the weekend. I got us an awesome deal!"
We had both been working at our first "full-fledged" jobs for a year and had reached that moment after graduation when you suddenly realize you can't make that impact on the world your student enthusiasm once promised. At first, I just sighed. It was the dead of January, and I had already expended all my energy on a week of inconsequential stress. I just wanted to collapse on the couch for two days. Sarah felt a similar weary exhaustion. I could tell. Her tone was more hopeful than excited, but she had dreaded the routine we were sinking into and was trying her best to pull us free.
I looked to the ceiling and adjusted my telephone headset. At that time I was working at Stats Canada on the tele-query desk. I took a deep breath and, as convincingly as possible, said, "Sounds good." I don't think she bought it, but we went nonetheless.
This was Niagara Falls before the casinos when there was a very distinct off-season. When we got to the hotel, we were given the details of our "lovers' special". One dinner to be used either Friday or Saturday, two breakfasts, a roll of tokens for the arcade, 10% off some "4D" movie ride experience, and a 2-for-1 coupon to Max Tussaud's. I guessed it was Madame's nephew? We also got a bottle of sparkling wine in our room and chocolate treats on our pillows. I was impressed. It sounded good.
When we got into our room and saw the "bottle" of wine - basically an aeroplane-sized glass and half - and the chocolates - "fun wrapped" Oh Henry's left over from Halloween - we both started to laugh. The tone for two wonderful days had been set. We decided to cash in on our dinner coupon right away.
The restaurant off the lobby had hopes of being better. There were huge panoramic windows that promised a view of the gorge. Unfortunately, they had some winter moisture problems that day, and it felt like we were defrosting amid the dripping streaks and foggy patches. The decor was your standard booths and tables though the "romantic" lighting was unique. Dollar store battery-powered tea lights were lodged inside thick tumbler glasses and shed a muted pleasantness in a "what a great idea for a craft" sort of way. I had a feeling they were created by our waitress since she was the one who always seemed to be fussing with them. Only one other couple was in the dining room, so she attended to us immediately.
"Can I get you something to start?"
"Sure." "Thank you, that would be nice." We both responded simultaneously.
"And what would the lady like this evening?"
Sarah smiled at the flattery. "I think I'll have a glass of white wine." She glanced over at me to see my reaction. This was a subtle cue of the mood to follow. Diet Coke was usually the beverage of choice. She didn't normally drink alcohol. One glass numbed her nose and made her giggle far too easily. When she did drink, however, it meant she was comfortable with my company and open to anything to follow. I raised my eyebrows in a debonair way.
"And for the gentleman?"
"Do you have Foster's on tap?"
"Yes we do."
"I'll have a pint please."
Sarah smiled at the happy memories I invoked. At university, Foster's was my signature beer. It was at a time when Crocodile Dundee was a known name, and Australia was inexplicably cool. 15 cent buffalo wings and a pitcher of Foster's was the Tuesday night special at the London Arms pub. There the Classics Club would meet and, as a group, circle the wagons and drink ourselves into extroverts.
As soon as the waitress left, Sarah smiled at me. She reached out and held my hand across the table. With my gaze on hers, she slipped her foot from her shoe and slowly began sliding it up my pant leg.
"I got a pedicure this morning." She announced seductively.
I nodded and pretended I didn't notice her invitation. "What colour?" I asked.
"I'm not telling." She teased. "You'll just have to find out later." Her devious little smile was gorgeous.
"Mmmm. I can't wait."
When the waitress returned with our drinks, we immediately retreated to our personal spaces as if we had been discovered by the chaperone. Sarah opened the menu and began to salivate at the variety.
"Can we add an appetizer to the package dinner?" Her question seemed innocent enough.
"You're on the package?" Our friendly waitress disappeared, and we were no longer a lady or a gentleman. She ripped the menu out of Sarah's hand and took mine before I had even opened it. She then scurried to her podium and brought back a tattered, grease-stained, photocopied page that we had to share. We both burst out laughing.
The waitress was flustered that we were not as bothered as she was. "The drinks are NOT included!"
"What choices do we have?" I asked, expecting the usual chicken or fish. I had been on many packages before with my parents.
"Coffee or tea." The waitress snapped.
Sarah and I looked at each other in amused disbelief.
"I'll have coffee please." I didn't even flinch at the ridiculously limited package. I was eager to get my order in early.
"And I'll have the tea!" Sarah followed my lead. "Can I have some milk with that?"
"Yes." The waitress snarled.
"Fantastic!" I enthused.
"Yes, great! I'm glad we got the package, Honey." Sarah joked.
The waitress stormed off and returned sometime later with our lettuce-only salads drowned in Kraft's Italian dressing and our chewy chicken dinners, which she had thoughtfully allowed to cool. She tossed the plates on the table and left us to peacefully devour our deal. We didn't see her again until we requested the bill. For some reason, we found it amusing to leave a generous tip, which of course, defeated the purpose of the package, but we didn't care. It was fun.
The rest of the holiday was marred with similar off-season products and services. The wax museum was only half open, so we couldn't see the pop stars of the seventies. I didn't think it was a problem, but Sarah pouted playfully. She really wanted to see young Bowie. Meanwhile, the arcade was particularly stingy about spitting out coupons. So much so that Mike, the scraggly-haired repair guy, ended up escorting us from game to game and repairing the devices on demand. In no time, he was acting like an old drinking buddy. He joked and laughed, then, out of the blue, revealed that working at the Niagara Falls Fun Centre wasn't his career choice, that his dream was to be part of a travelling carnival. He desperately wanted to see more of the world, he explained and socialize with a greater variety of "wildlife." Mike winked at Sarah to punctuate his meaning, then began advising her on which games to play.
Sarah was partial to Skee ball and clearly had career potential in the sport, but Mike quickly pointed out that the token-to-coupon payout was not the best. In a furtive whisper, he revealed that The Storm Stopper was your best bet, provided the arcade had left it on its original factory settings. He assured us the ones here were "cool." The game had lights that ran around the outside in opposite directions and you had to hit the button at just the right spot to win. It looked impossible, but Mike was right; if you calculated tokens in versus coupons won, it was the best deal. It only took a little practice to win a minor jackpot every 5 or 6 times.
We would cheer each win as if Toronto had won the Stanley Cup. I would give a quick fist pump and a full lung "Yes!" while Sarah would jump up and down screaming, "WhoooHooo!" Of course, in the end, when we cashed in, "Mike's secret" only bumped us up from a key-chain flashlight to a "deluxe" nail beauty set. Mind you, it did come complete with clippers, scissors, a file AND a cuticle scraper. Not only that, it was all neatly packaged in a paisley-patterned pink and green plastic vinyl case. Mike was so pleased to give us our prize and to be honest, we were thrilled to win it if only to see his broad chicletted smile. It was more of a trophy than a grooming set.
That night, I made reservations for us at a fancy Chinese food restaurant - the Bamboo Garden. When we arrived, we had half-expected renovations of some sort. Instead, the place was immaculate. Gentle pools teeming with goldfish highlighted the epic black and red Ming dynasty decor. Real candles flickered on crisp white tablecloths. Again, the restaurant was virtually ours. The reservations on my part were entirely unnecessary. In fact, as soon as we entered, they knew us by name and guided us directly to our table. A live lounge piano caressed the air, its notes danced vaguely around familiar harmonies until finally, as if prompted by our presence, a song emerged immediately accompanied by the velvet voice of oriental karaoke. It was our song remastered