Silver daddy briefs
/r/coconutsilvertongue0
2020.04.09 00:36 /r/coconutsilvertongue0
Home of Daddy Coco, the silver tongued devil, melter of panties and corruptor of good girls. 👀
2024.06.05 06:09 _Triple_ [STORE] 900+ KNIVES/GLOVES/SKINS, 100.000$+ INVENTORY. BFK Lore, Gloves Amphibious, Skeleton Fade, Bowie Emerald, BFK Auto, Gloves MF, Talon Doppler, Gloves POW, Bayo Tiger, Gut Sapphire, Stiletto MF, M9 Ultra, Ursus Doppler, Flip Doppler, M9 Stained, Nomad CW, Paracord CW, AK-47 X-Ray & A Lot More
Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory
Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.
All Buyouts are listed in cash value.
KNIVES
★ Butterfly Knife Lore (Factory New), B/O: $7194.77
★ Butterfly Knife Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2025.74
⎯★ M9 Bayonet Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $557.87
★ M9 Bayonet Stained (Well-Worn), B/O: $529.41
★ M9 Bayonet Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $465.39
⎯★ Talon Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $1295.27
★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth (Minimal Wear), B/O: $746.28
★ Karambit Bright Water (Field-Tested), B/O: $688.15
⎯★ Flip Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $547.93
★ Flip Knife Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $476.69
★ Flip Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $278.18
★ Flip Knife Black Laminate (Well-Worn), B/O: $258.83
★ Flip Knife Urban Masked (Field-Tested), B/O: $181.64
⎯★ Stiletto Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $686.04
★ Stiletto Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $665.41
★ Stiletto Knife, B/O: $601.39
★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $418.25
★ Stiletto Knife Night Stripe (Field-Tested), B/O: $227.80
★ Stiletto Knife Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $194.96
★ Stiletto Knife Safari Mesh (Field-Tested), B/O: $192.79
⎯★ Nomad Knife Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $518.11
★ Nomad Knife Scorched (Field-Tested), B/O: $169.78
★ Nomad Knife Forest DDPAT (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $166.88
★ StatTrak™ Nomad Knife Blue Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $335.79
⎯★ Skeleton Knife Stained (Well-Worn), B/O: $442.05
★ Skeleton Knife Urban Masked (Minimal Wear), B/O: $426.24
★ Skeleton Knife Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $314.03
★ StatTrak™ Skeleton Knife Fade (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2361.28
★ StatTrak™ Skeleton Knife Urban Masked (Field-Tested), B/O: $376.53
⎯★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $557.12
★ Ursus Knife, B/O: $471.42
★ Ursus Knife Blue Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $212.37
★ Ursus Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $187.66
★ Ursus Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $178.18
★ Ursus Knife Ultraviolet (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $155.13
★ Ursus Knife Boreal Forest (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $124.26
⎯★ Huntsman Knife Black Laminate (Minimal Wear), B/O: $204.83
★ Huntsman Knife Black Laminate (Field-Tested), B/O: $184.50
★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Lore (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $224.11
⎯★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $2142.02
★ Bowie Knife, B/O: $230.44
★ Bowie Knife Damascus Steel (Factory New), B/O: $209.20
★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet (Minimal Wear), B/O: $180.51
★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $131.03
⎯★ Falchion Knife Night (Field-Tested), B/O: $132.54
★ Falchion Knife Urban Masked (Well-Worn), B/O: $112.81
★ Falchion Knife Scorched (Field-Tested), B/O: $108.81
★ Falchion Knife Forest DDPAT (Field-Tested), B/O: $107.82
★ Falchion Knife Safari Mesh (Field-Tested), B/O: $107.46
★ StatTrak™ Falchion Knife Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $143.08
⎯★ Paracord Knife Crimson Web (Minimal Wear), B/O: $486.48
★ Paracord Knife Blue Steel (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $163.12
⎯★ Survival Knife Blue Steel (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $138.26
★ Survival Knife Night Stripe (Field-Tested), B/O: $131.03
⎯★ Gut Knife Sapphire (Minimal Wear), B/O: $1127.79
★ Gut Knife Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $286.17
★ Gut Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $246.55
★ Gut Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $240.77
★ Gut Knife, B/O: $210.49
★ Gut Knife Lore (Field-Tested), B/O: $194.22
★ Gut Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $151.51
★ Gut Knife Blue Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $124.94
★ Gut Knife Rust Coat (Well-Worn), B/O: $118.99
★ Gut Knife Boreal Forest (Minimal Wear), B/O: $109.80
★ StatTrak™ Gut Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $237.96
⎯★ Shadow Daggers Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $264.92
★ Shadow Daggers Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $253.03
★ Shadow Daggers Tiger Tooth (Factory New), B/O: $237.22
★ Shadow Daggers Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $153.40
★ Shadow Daggers Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $144.42
★ Shadow Daggers Blue Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $105.20
★ StatTrak™ Shadow Daggers Damascus Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $150.46
⎯★ Navaja Knife Fade (Factory New), B/O: $365.99
★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $228.93
★ Navaja Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $227.43
★ Navaja Knife Slaughter (Factory New), B/O: $209.06
★ Navaja Knife, B/O: $203.16
★ Navaja Knife Case Hardened (Well-Worn), B/O: $132.57
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Factory New), B/O: $121.69
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $109.95
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $100.41
★ StatTrak™ Navaja Knife Fade (Factory New), B/O: $369.01
★ StatTrak™ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $109.95
GLOVES
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2394.67
★ Sport Gloves Omega (Well-Worn), B/O: $572.33
★ Sport Gloves Bronze Morph (Minimal Wear), B/O: $338.88
★ Sport Gloves Big Game (Field-Tested), B/O: $323.66
⎯★ Specialist Gloves Marble Fade (Minimal Wear), B/O: $1652.07
★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike (Field-Tested), B/O: $599.14
★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web (Well-Worn), B/O: $231.57
★ Specialist Gloves Buckshot (Minimal Wear), B/O: $126.21
⎯★ Moto Gloves POW! (Minimal Wear), B/O: $996.99
★ Moto Gloves POW! (Field-Tested), B/O: $383.31
★ Moto Gloves POW! (Well-Worn), B/O: $276.00
★ Moto Gloves Turtle (Field-Tested), B/O: $180.28
⎯★ Hand Wraps CAUTION! (Minimal Wear), B/O: $502.29
★ Hand Wraps Giraffe (Minimal Wear), B/O: $180.73
★ Hand Wraps CAUTION! (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $178.32
⎯★ Driver Gloves Queen Jaguar (Minimal Wear), B/O: $181.01
★ Driver Gloves Rezan the Red (Field-Tested), B/O: $101.66
⎯★ Broken Fang Gloves Jade (Field-Tested), B/O: $127.88
★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point (Minimal Wear), B/O: $124.55
⎯★ Bloodhound Gloves Guerrilla (Minimal Wear), B/O: $127.94
★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened (Field-Tested), B/O: $102.55
WEAPONS
AK-47 X-Ray (Well-Worn), B/O: $478.95
AUG Hot Rod (Factory New), B/O: $425.83
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Hyper Beast (Factory New), B/O: $413.95
M4A4 Daybreak (Factory New), B/O: $309.51
StatTrak™ AK-47 Aquamarine Revenge (Factory New), B/O: $305.43
AK-47 Case Hardened (Well-Worn), B/O: $196.38
StatTrak™ M4A4 Temukau (Minimal Wear), B/O: $174.64
P90 Run and Hide (Field-Tested), B/O: $167.03
AWP Asiimov (Field-Tested), B/O: $153.33
Souvenir SSG 08 Death Strike (Minimal Wear), B/O: $140.00
M4A1-S Printstream (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $124.70
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Golden Coil (Field-Tested), B/O: $117.48
AWP Asiimov (Well-Worn), B/O: $115.97
StatTrak™ Desert Eagle Printstream (Minimal Wear), B/O: $112.96
StatTrak™ AK-47 Asiimov (Minimal Wear), B/O: $110.85
Souvenir M4A1-S Master Piece (Well-Worn), B/O: $102.42
AK-47 Bloodsport (Minimal Wear), B/O: $100.53
Trade Offer Link - Steam Profile Link - My Inventory
Some items on the list may no longer be available or are still locked, visit My Inventory for more details.
Send a Trade Offer for fastest response. I consider all offers.
Add me for discuss if there is a serious offer that needs to be discussed.
2024.06.05 05:45 adorabletapeworm Orion Pest Control: Crows With Strange Shadows
Previous case
Victor hadn't been kidding when he'd said that the mechanic was going to become more aggressive. The only reason why this week wasn't my last was because I'd had Orion behind me as well as a plethora of precautions in place.
(If you're not familiar with what Orion Pest Control's services are, it may help to start here.)
For example, at Orion, all employees are advised to get lockboxes for their mail rather than regular mailboxes. It would be far too easy for a Neighbor to follow one of us home and fish out a piece of mail to find our names. This is only recommended for people who've had frequent or unpleasant interactions with the Neighbors.
You could also ward off your mailbox with iron. Salt, as always, would work as well, but I'm sure your mailman wouldn't appreciate getting seasoned every time he simply tries to give you your junk mail.
When it comes to monetary transactions, cash or pre-loaded debit cards are the safest, unless you can be certain beyond a reasonable doubt that the person ringing you out is human.
Another precaution that I've taken when it comes to the mechanic is that I've bought a cast iron fire poker from an antique store. Iron is one of the most effective weapons against the Neighbors, though it's best to think of it as an allergy rather than a perfect repellant. Some Neighbors will crumple instantly if they're within a few feet of it while others need direct contact in order to cause anything worse than hive-covered burns.
Given that the mechanic must have frequent exposure to iron during his daytime profession, I have to wonder how effective it is against him. I do see him wearing gloves from time to time, so it must do something, even if it's a minor skin irritation. Either it's a pride thing or he's just that committed to the ‘mechanic’ bit.
I've been keeping the poker in the company truck. Even if it's not lethal to him, I’m sure that getting smacked over the head with it probably wouldn't feel too good. Along with that, I've restocked my salt shells. If the mechanic decides to try anything, he'll have an arsenal waiting for him.
I don't have any delusions about being able to kill him. I think that's something only a true hero could accomplish. I'm talking about legendary individuals like Cú Chullainn, Beowulf, or Māui. People whose deeds are so great that their stories live on to this day. Find someone like that in the modern age. (Though, I would argue that Marc-André Fluery comes close. Flyers fans, don't interact.)
Reyna suggested bathing the hagstone in saltwater to amplify its deterring effects. She also wrapped red thread along the outside of the ring, explaining that it should help enhance its protective properties.
It's a good thing, too. Since my last interaction with the mechanic, promptly at dusk, I would hear the beating of wings outside, and always from the west. I risked a glance out the window one night to find a murder of crows. Ever since I saw that the birds’ shadows move independently of their owners, I don't look at them. I ignore their calls. I know who they serve.
After Reyna's additions, the hagstone vibrates against my chest whenever they're near.
However, in my case, these were only temporary solutions, unless I wanted to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life and fearing death even more than I did before. But in the meantime… raccoons.
A client called about hearing scratching and chattering in her attic. Her uninvited guest also put a hole in her siding. In other words, it was enough of a mess to momentarily distract me from my own problems.
Raccoons are incredibly destructive, chewing up anything that they can get their little hands on. From the client's description, it sounded like we could be dealing with a nest. Mother raccoons can be especially feisty when it comes to protecting their young, so I had Reyna join me in case there were any kits.
At Orion, we are licensed to use humane trapping methods on smaller wildlife, so don't worry, no garbage kitties are being harmed. Though I want yinz to know that raccoons are not to be underestimated. They may not try to take your soul, like some pests out there will, but they can spread a variety of diseases, including rabies and roundworm among others. They also present a major fire hazard when they claw their way into a home since they can chew through wiring like nothing.
The first thing we had to do was identify the garbage kitties’ entry point. Reyna opted to go on the roof while I investigated the attic.
The first thing I noticed was the telltale stench of dried urine. Yup, those were droppings over there in the corner. Delightful. Looking around, I found that the raccoons had torn out a few chunks of the insulation, but nothing that wouldn't be too difficult or expensive to replace. All in all, it seemed like it'd be an easy call.
Then I felt the hagstone begin to tremble. Not long after, Reyna screamed.
I rushed out, my heart surging with panic as I was greeted with the frenzied calls of crows. Shit! They followed me.
She was on the ground, swinging her silver-tipped knife clumsily against the swarm of black feathers swirling around her. I heard her cry out again as I got closer to her, then suddenly, the cloud of feathers dispersed, twisting towards the sky with a cacophony of angered caws. Reyna had managed to get some salt on them before they could gouge her eyes out.
My hand was coated with blood as I guided Reyna towards the house. She'd managed to keep her eyes, but they’d shredded her with their beaks and talons. I could feel her shaking as we retreated from the horde. Reyna tried to hide it, but she was crying, the tears mingling with the blood covering her nose and cheeks like a bandit's mask.
The whole time, the hagstone didn't stop vibrating. I think that was the only thing keeping the horde from coming after us. Their calls were piercing as we took cover in the house.
The client was alarmed when she saw the state Reyna was in, “What psycho ass raccoons do I have?!”
I promised I'd explain later (I honestly don't remember what bullshit story I gave her) then asked her to watch over Reyna as I went out to get the emergency first aid kit we keep in the truck.
Reyna held me in a grip so tight that it left bruises, pleading, “Don't go out there! Please!”
Now that we weren't on the run, I could see the injuries on her face more clearly. The deepest one went through her right eyebrow towards the bridge of her nose. The rest were shallow, painful-looking cuts that criss crossed over her skin.
“They can't come near me. And I’ve got something in the truck that’ll make them think twice.” I assured her.
She didn't let go. I couldn't find it in me to pry her fingers off, so instead, I put my hand over hers, hoping that it was comforting.
The client gently pressed a paper towel to the side of Reyna’s face, her voice heart-achingly motherly as she uttered, “It's okay, honey. Everything's going to be alright.”
I'm not sure if it was from pain or something else, but Reyna noticeably stiffened when the client spoke to her in that maternal tone, closing her eyes as if to keep more tears from falling. Her clutch loosened until my wrist was freed, her hand dropping limply to her side.
The fucking birds sounded like they were laughing when I marched out to the truck. The sound grated on me as I snatched the fire poker and the first aid kit.
“Laugh at this!” I snapped as I swung the poker at the nearest crow.
It let out a squeal as the poker grazed its wing, hopping as far out of reach as it could afterwards. They didn't cackle after that.
After we cleaned Reyna's injuries up, they didn't look quite as terrible, but just to be safe, I dragged her to the hospital. Thankfully, the client was an absolute angel about the whole thing and understood that one of our employees being injured was going to be a setback. I called up Victor to inform him of the situation as well as the entry points that we’d found; he took over where Reyna and I left off.
On the way to the hospital, Reyna muttered, “So… does my little Alfred Hitchcock moment initiate me as an official Orion employee?”
Wearily, I gave her a small chuckle, “Yeah, you're one of us, now. Lucky you!”
“Hey, I’ll take the murder birds over Psycho Mantis.” She replied with a small smile.
Her nickname for the mechanic. I think it's from a video game. I don't know. Never quite got into them.
It was quiet for a moment. The smile faded away as she distantly said, “I think that's how they do it. They take your eyes, they take you, you know?”
I nodded, feeling a lump in the back of my throat, thinking about how the mechanic can control someone just by meeting their gaze. “I think you might be right about that.”
I couldn't help but wonder if the Hunt had attacked her simply because she's an Orion employee or if they were drawn to her because of something else. Was she grieving over something? I didn't know her well enough at that point to be able to tell. They hadn't hesitated to go for her eyes. If that was the case, that'd make her the most vulnerable of the three of us.
Another thing I want yinz to know when it comes to dealing with the atypical: if you or a loved one has been harmed, one of the best things you can do is to support the victim. And if you need support yourself, ignore that stupid little voice in your head that tells you not to bother anyone and reach out. Isolation will destroy you in more ways than one.
After I got Reyna settled at the hospital, I made a beeline to the river to find another hagstone. Clearly, Reyna was going to need one, too.
Naturally, the stupid birds followed me, causing my hagstone to quiver nonstop. I went into the woods armed with my toolbelt and the iron poker. I opted out of taking the shotgun simply because I was going to need a free hand to look for another hagstone. There was a part of me that hoped that one of them would try something so that I'd have the opportunity to smack the shit out of them.
While I was searching, among the crows’ calls, I heard whispers. They sounded close, like they came from behind some brush about twenty feet away, but I believed the False Egg when it said that the whispering thing likes to confuse its victims. Without listening to what they were saying, I glanced around as the river's cold water rushed around my boots, trying to figure out what was stalking me.
The whispers pretended to move further away. But still, I couldn't see the thing causing them. I clutched the poker tighter. The crows had stopped their chattering. They heard the voices, too. Hold on. What were they all looking at?
Gingerly, I pulled out the hagstone and held it to my eye in the direction of the crows' gazes. At first, it looked like one of the trees, until I was able to make out a triangular head with eyes the size of basketballs. It held up two massive, folded appendages that were lined with sharp spines. It looked to be as tall as a draft horse, yet it was so still that I couldn't even tell if this huge animal was breathing. The whispers were quieter than they'd ever been before.
Those huge eyes were fixed on me. I didn’t dare move.
One of the ‘crows’ glided to the ground near to the whispering thing, passing in front of my field of view. I stifled a shudder when I saw the state of its frail, humanoid body. Its skin clung like molten wax to its ribs and spine. Tattered wings extended from the sides of its torso, the feathers looking as if they were ripped from numerous other avians and fused to the miserable animal's stretched, contorted arms to make it fly. Where the eyes should have been were empty sockets. A curved beak had been forced onto the creature as well, driven into the skull hard enough to leave ridged, fleshy lumps.
Now that I've seen it, I think the crows were human, once. Transformed and disfigured to serve the Wild Hunt.
The crow shuffled a little too close to the whispering thing. Quicker than a blink, the whispering thing's folded appendage shot forward, curving around the crow's midsection, spikes driving into the crow's torso. My mind could barely keep up as the whispering thing then bit the crow's head clean off with a terrible crunch.
The other crows began to frenzy, shrieking as they dove towards the whispering thing. Without having to take a step, it snatched another crow out of the air. Flesh ripped with a wet tearing sound.
Since the animals were all focused on each other, I took the opportunity to dig frantically around for a hagstone, holding my own against my eye in the hopes it would lead me to another one.
There was a low hum that I felt more than heard. Deep within my chest, as if I was standing next to an amp at a concert. This was followed by an enraged screech from one of the crows. Still, I kept looking.
There had to be one. There just had to be!
One circular, black rock stood out among the rest, the water seeming to outline it from the view of my hagstone. There! I plucked it out of the water, looking over my shoulder to see if either the crows or the whispering thing were paying attention to me. They were too engrossed with trying to tear each other apart.
I shoved the black hagstone into my pocket and made a break for it, poker at the ready. One of the crows noticed and let out an ear-splitting cry to alert the others.
As I ran, I checked back to see that three of the crows split off to pursue me. I wasn't worried about them catching me. The whispering thing was another matter. This was only my second time encountering it and I hadn't had enough information to identify it, so I didn't want to find out the hard way if the defenses I had on me would be enough to stop it from tearing me apart like it did the crows.
There was another low hum that rumbled against my ribs as the whispering thing used one of its forelegs to swipe a crow out of its way. It had lost interest in them, its huge amber eyes focused on me once again. I prayed that the crows swarming around it would be enough to slow it down.
As I raced through the trees back to where the company truck waited, the whispers started anew. They became louder and clearer the faster I went, interrupted by the shrill cries of the crows tailing me. I did my best not to listen to any of them. The last thing I needed was to get led astray by any of my pursuers.
A crow swooped close enough for me to smack it with the poker. The sound the bird made when the iron scalded its skin made my teeth clench. The others joined it, bringing me to my knees, my ears ringing. High pitched, grating, like broken glass against a chalkboard. Disoriented, I swung desperately with the iron poker again, not hitting anything.
And among all that, the whispers hadn't stopped. My head rang, ears going numb. I swung again. One of the shrieks stopped as the poker found its mark. Even as the auditory assault continued, I got to my feet, grabbing the trees closest to me to keep myself going. The whispers became even more frantic as its prey got further and further away. The truck was right there.
The two crows tailing me had finally stopped their dreadful screaming and simmered down to furious clicking sounds with their beaks, as if they could think of nothing but stripping the flesh from my bones.
When one tested the limits of the hagstone as I got close to the truck, I swatted at it with the poker, the tip colliding with the creature's skull. The crow’s body crashed against an oak’s trunk, then went still.
As soon as I cleared the treeline, the whispering stopped. I looked over my shoulder. The whispering thing was retreating, only visible for a brief moment before blending in among the trees.
It couldn't leave the forest. That was good to know.
I closed myself into the truck, leaving the furious crows outside. They glared at me from the branches of a nearby oak. After taking a moment to collect myself, I drove back to the hospital, wanting to hand the black hagstone off to Reyna before anything else.
At a stop sign, I got a text from Victor: he had finished setting traps for the client's raccoon infestation and was going to meet me at the hospital.
Reyna was chilling in her hospital bed, face bandaged, wearing a hideous blue hospital gown decorated with faded green and pink squares.
“Guess who got her rabies shots!” She announced with a sleepy grin, holding her hand up in a shaka.
Someone was clearly given the good painkillers.
Victor arrived a few minutes later, wearing a black mask that covered his mouth and nose, smelling strongly of lavender. It made my nose itch.
“Why do you smell like an old lady?” I complained.
The mask intensified his withering stare, voice muffled by the mask, “Lotta blood around here. Probably wouldn't be too good if I smelled it.”
Reyna chimed in, slurring slightly, “If you're gonna eat anyone, go for the receptionist. He was reading Anne Rice, so he'd probably be into it.”
It was Reyna's turn to get The Glare. He said flatly, “You're high as a kite, aren't you?”
Reyna flashed a peace sign.
To summarize Reyna's condition, she's as okay as she can be. They had to close up her eyebrow and cheek, and they gave her a plethora of shots to make sure that she didn't catch any diseases from the crows. The hospital doctor wanted to keep her overnight to make sure that she didn't have an infection, then afterwards, she was going to take some time off of work to recover.
Also, I slipped the black hagstone into her purse so that it wouldn't be misplaced.
After we discussed Reyna's injuries, I decided to address the elephant in the room, “So… what can we do about the mechanic?”
Reyna shrugged, “Grovel and plead for our lives?”
Victor rubbed his eyes. “We might be a bit past that point.”
I asked Victor about the specifics of his deal with the mechanic. I knew that there had to be some sort of condition that had to be fulfilled before the mechanic could take someone, otherwise I probably wouldn't be alive to type this right now. Reyna was equally curious.
The boss seemed reluctant to speak on this matter, at first. I told Victor that he didn't have to share anything if there was any possibility of retaliation. The last thing I wanted was for him to be punished in some horrific manner for trying to help me.
He eventually shrugged a shoulder in resignation, “Whatever happens, I can handle it. It didn't take him long to figure out that I was the one that helped you find the hagstone. That wasn't pleasant, but…” He went quiet for a second, his eyes glazing in a way that reminded me of when I first came home from active duty. He then shrugged again, “I'm willing to risk it if that means getting a chance to hurt him back someday. Lord knows it's been a long time coming.”
He didn't tell us what the consequences had been for assisting me, and neither Reyna nor I pressed the issue. Some mysteries are best left unsolved.
Even though I was nervous to hear the answer, I didn't pull any punches and straight up asked, “Why hasn't the mechanic sent you after me yet?”
Victor considered for a moment, then explained, “I'm not sure on the specifics, since the mechanic doesn’t tell me anything other than what I need to know to get the job done. But from what I can tell, he takes those who are dead, dying, or… ‘dead inside,’ I guess is the best way to put it. Some souls appear to be harder for him to take than others. The hard ones need to be… broken down first. As of right now, he says you're not ready.”
Reyna numbly asked, “So if the birds tried to nab me, does that mean that I am ‘ready’? That they could take me at any moment?”
Victor hesitated before replying, “We won't let that happen. Alright?”
Reyna nodded, eyes low.
I wanted to ask her what was going on. Figure out why she was suffering in a way that made her fair game to the crows. But she'd been through enough for one day. That discussion could wait for another time.
My next question was another one that I dreaded the answer to, “And where do you come into all of this, Vic?”
Regretfully, Victor admitted, “I bring him the ones that are ready if he can't get to them himself.”
He glanced at Reyna, “As of right now, keep that hagstone on at all times. Even wear it when you're sleeping. The mechanic didn't know who you were initially, but I guarantee the fucking Lessers tipped him off. I think he’s more focused on Nessa, at the moment, but if I get sent after you, hit me with iron, salt me, do whatever and don't feel bad about it. Same goes for you, Nessa.”
I hated this. I hated that he was being used like this. I hated that he spoke about someday being sent to drag one of us to meet our fate at the hands of the Wild Hunt as if it was unavoidable.
The air suddenly felt like it was much thinner in the room. Somehow, I got enough oxygen to ask, “What if I learned the mechanic's true name? Would that end this?”
Victor let out a soft scoff, rubbing the bridge of his nose over his mask, “Probably, but good luck with that.”
I had already figured that the mechanic wouldn't dance around a fire singing his true name all willy nilly like Rumpelstiltskin. But I couldn't accept that all of us were screwed. There had to be a way. I had to believe that there was a way.
I announced that I'd be back in the morning. Reyna looked as concerned as her painkillers would allow, while Victor jumped out of his seat.
“What are you going to do?” He demanded.
“I'm going to talk to him.” I replied. “One of us is in the hospital and another one of us is undead-”
“I know it's looking bad right now, but they can easily get worse if whatever you're thinking of doing goes south.” He cautioned.
“I'm just going to see if there's some way I can… I don't know, talk him down? I haven't gotten that far yet, but something needs to be done.”
He didn't look convinced, and with how terrible my argument was, I don't blame him. “I'll go with you.”
I motioned towards Reyna. “And leave her alone?”
Reyna, looking like she was fighting sleep, groggily said, “I got the adder stone and I'm in public. I'll be fine. If you're going to confront Psycho Mantis, you're going to need Vic around more than I will.”
Victor agreed, “Like it or not, you're not handling this alone. Remember what I told you when you got hired in?”
We're not heroes, we're pest control specialists.
You know that thing I said about not isolating yourself? I can be bad about not following my own advice sometimes, especially that one.
Going forward, I do want to note that the decisions that were made on that night were extremely risky and I don't recommend for anyone to repeat them. Believe it or not, we are professionals.
On our way to our destination, we stopped by the 24-hr convenience store. Victor was about to question me until he saw me go for the whipped cream. I also got s'mores supplies, thinking that maybe some bribery would make the mechanic more amiable. I figured that if he rejected them then, hey, I like s'mores, too.
Afterwards, we followed the path to the skull trees.
During our hike, Victor whispered, “That fucker is hubris incarnate, but he's not stupid. If he offers you a deal, know that it's not going to be in your favor. And be careful with the way that he twists words.”
Something noteworthy is that the hagstone doesn't react to Victor. I think it's because he doesn't have the same malicious intentions as his captors. He may have changed after his murder (hell, anyone would) but at his heart, he was still Victor. Meanwhile, as we got closer to the skull tree clearing, I felt the stone gradually begin to quake.
Up ahead, orange light flickered. The mechanic had a small fire going. He lay on a blanket next to it, that cursed banjo on the ground beside him, one arm folded under his head, legs crossed at the ankle. His eyes were closed.
He didn't open them as he greeted us, “I was wondering when you two would show up.”
Keeping my nerves buried beneath the surface, I held up the bag of sugary goodness. “I'm here to negotiate.”
He laughed, still not looking at me. “Are you, now? And what exactly do you think a little thing of cream will get ya?”
“Not much, I imagine.” I said evenly. “But I thought it'd be a good jumping off point.”
Even though I’d originally protested Victor coming with me, I was glad that he was there. I don't think I would've been able to be so level-headed if I'd met with the mechanic alone. It would probably be interpreted as a sign of weakness, but I was counting on that.
As soon as I saw the mechanic begin to crane his neck towards us, I slammed my eyelids shut. He knew way more about me than I'd ever wanted him to know already, and I was afraid of giving him more.
Again, another potential sign of weakness. When it came to trying to get him to back off of Orion a bit, I figured it'd be best if he underestimated me.
I didn't have to see the mechanic to know that he had that wicked grin on his face, “Alrighty. Let's see what you've got.”
A hand that was as cold as the grave gently removed the bag of goodies from my grasp. Victor. Wordlessly, he brought the cavity-inducing offering over to the mechanic. I never realized how quiet his footsteps were until then. He moved like a shadow. He could've been five feet away or five hundred, for all I knew.
There was the rustling of plastic, followed by the trademark sound of whipped cream being sprayed from the nozzle. Sounding slightly less prick-ish, the mechanic told me I had his attention.
I had been trying to find the magic words that would make this whole situation blow over. Nothing that I came up with in my head fit that description.
So I decided to be straight forward, then go from there. “What will it take to de-escalate things between you and Orion?”
The whipped cream wailed once again. A moment later, the mechanic replied, “Why are you asking a question that you already know the answer to?”
“Other than my soul.”
He chuckled softly, the sound too casual and charming for this sinister discussion.
“You know, I’m curious, puppydog,” Fabric rustled. Without looking, I assumed he'd sat up, “Which o’ your parents are you most like?”
Here we fucking go.
I tried to redirect him, “With all due respect, that isn't relevant.”
“Oh, but it is.” His tone of voice brought chills to the back of my neck. “You see, I'd be willing to take a trade. Find a soul as mouth-waterin’ as yours, and all this goes away. Hell, I might even let you rest in peace! You know what choice your father would pick.”
I was hoping that the firelight wouldn't be enough for him to see my face flush and my jaw stiffen. That had touched a nerve, just as he knew it would.
That was also a horrible deal. One that I wouldn't even consider. There was no way that I could condemn someone else to an afterlife of torment. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even that weasel-faced client that I rescued the False Egg from. Not even my father.
Swallowing back the plethora of terrible emotions threatening to bubble up, I suddenly felt Victor subtly squeeze my shoulder supportively. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't hesitate to give anyone who insulted his employees a piece of his mind, but the mechanic was the last Neighbor to mouth off to. That was the best he could do for me, in the moment.
When I informed the mechanic that I wouldn't sacrifice someone else to save my own skin, he laughed again, “If only you knew how many times I heard those exact words! Thing is, I ain't even got started on you, pup. Given enough time, you might find you're more like your old man than you thought.”
I took a deep breath to keep the mixture of dread and anger confined to my chest, then calmly replied, “Sounds like you know exactly how everything will play out. Isn't that boring for you?”
The tension that filled the air after those words left my mouth made my chest feel tight.
The whipped cream can wheezed thoughtfully before the mechanic mildly admitted, “A bit, yeah.”
There it is.
“You already have all of the advantages,” I started, “It’s not much of a hunt if your prey can't even run, is it? There's no challenge in killing something that's already baited and trapped.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
Oh boy. I was about to do one of many things I warned yinz not to do: “The only way I can bring you the excitement you're craving is if I have a fighting chance. And a good one. I'll be searching for your name, but I need to know where to look first.”
His laughter made me suppress a shudder. I remember thinking that I should've known that he'd see through my words like he saw through everything else.
The mechanic then said, “I know what you're trying to do, pup. But the problem is, you're right! It's too easy anymore, especially since y'alls names are just available on the internet for anyone to find. I've been getting kind of soft lately.”
This was his soft side?
The mechanic continued, “You really think you can pull this off, pup? I know you're a fighter and all, but you're not a warrior, not really. Being a soldier ain't the same thing.”
“I may not be Cú Chullainn, but I'm as close as you're going to get in Mercer County. We've got a bit of a warrior shortage around here.”
He snorted, “You seem awfully sure of yourself for someone who can't even look at me.”
“I'm not sure about anything. That's why I'm here, isn't it?”
It was quiet for a moment with only the frogs chirping in the forest able to find their voices. Not even the whipped cream broke up the silence this time. I was tempted to risk peeking through my eyelashes, but managed to resist.
Just as my nerves started getting to me, the mechanic said, “So, you want me to give you a hint. That's a lot to ask, but you knew that already.”
“You want something in return.”
“Hagstone. Smash it.”
No way. It was too valuable. If I gave that up, I was dead. I promptly shook my head.
He sounded amused. “Shoulda known you wouldn't fall for that.”
Looking back, I wondered how many he'd tricked like that. Giving up some form of protection after being misled into thinking the mechanic was going to let them go, only to regret it seconds later. Probably far too many.
He continued, “Alright then, we'll talk for real. I'll give you that hint, but I got some conditions. You get three chances to guess correctly. Each time you guess wrong, you have to give me one of your names starting with your first, middle, then last name. Don't try fucking with me by trying to pass your middle name off as your first.”
That made my throat tighten even more. If I agreed to that, failure wouldn't just spell disaster for me, but for everyone I knew as well. I'd be dragging my mom and anyone else associated down with me. I'd essentially be doing what he already requested: sacrificing others to save my own skin.
I heard Victor faintly, from my right, “Don't!”
The mechanic wasn't pleased, “This ain't about you, blue eyes. This is between me and her.”
The stakes were getting way too high. I couldn't do this. But then what? The Hunt wasn't going to wait around for me to find another way, assuming that there even was one. Victor clearly thought it was a terrible idea. For the record, I did, too. I could feel the boss' eyes on me, willing me not to forget what he'd said earlier about dangerous heroics.
Maybe there was another way and I just couldn't see it. But desperation has a way of messing with your head.
“If I agreed to this,” I started, knowing that I was probably digging my grave even deeper. “And I haven't agreed to anything. just to be clear. If I did this, I'd need the assurance that you won't send your crows or hounds or any others that serve the Wild Hunt after those that I care about. That includes my colleagues and me, for that matter. Like you said, this is between us two.”
The mechanic chuckled and I heard him shift again. “You're feeling awfully bold tonight, aren't you?”
I reminded him, “You want this to be interesting, don't you?”
He considered, then with a click of his tongue replied, “You hear that, blue eyes? Means you, as well. On both sides, mind you. Same with that witch doctor. Yeah, I know about her. I keep mine out of it, if you keep yours out. All's fair, right?”
I didn't feel right with any of this, but the alternative was for things to continue as they were. If that happened, we were all screwed anyway.
“And if I agreed, the hint that you provide will have to be both true and helpful. And it'll also be given in easily understandable American English, no riddles or puzzles or any other forms of confusing phrasing. You’d also have to give it to me tonight. The whole thing would begin after that.”
Once again, he laughed, “Shit, you're not messin' around!”
I know how the Neighbors do deals. If I hadn't mentioned it, he probably would've given me the hint in the form of a riddle spoken in backwards Gaelic.
“Alright, pup, I get the picture. You know what you're dealing with. I’ll play nice.”
His voice had a subtle sardonic edge. Nothing about this was going to be nice, if I chose to go this route, but that wasn't news.
“Oh, and one more thing!” The mechanic added a little too cheerfully. “You have until Samhain. I’m sure you know why.”
It's June already; still a good while away from October, but this year feels like it’s flying by fast, like every other year following 2020. He didn't have to explain why: the Wild Hunt are at their most powerful during Samhain, which for those who don't know, was a Celtic holiday that eventually gave birth to Halloween. It's when the veil between the atypical world and ours is thinnest.
In short, it's a busy day for Orion. Looks like it’s going to be even worse this year.
Victor spoke again, “Can I talk to her for a moment?”
“Nope. You don't get a say. Either she takes it or leaves it.” The mechanic answered curtly.
As I deliberated, there were subtle taps on a tree nearby. Hold on. Morse code. M-I-S-S-I-N-G. What was I missing? Maybe it was because I hadn't clearly spelled out what I wanted to happen if I correctly guessed the mechanic's identity.
“If I accept this bet, then if I find your name, you’ll relinquish your claim on my soul, as well as all other Orion employees, whether they're living, dead, or undead. Have I made that clear?”
After a moment, the mechanic answered, the smirk blatant in his voice, “You have now.”
Of course. It was so simple. If I had gone through with the deal without being specific about the outcome, the mechanic wouldn't have been obliged to release any of us. I would've done all the work to identify him for nothing. Tricky bastard.
Thanks, Victor.
With a heavy sigh, I politely asked the mechanic to repeat everything that we'd just discussed to make sure that he wasn't going to conveniently forget something. To my surprise, he did it without comment, though he sounded like he thought the whole thing was funny. He left nothing out.
When I say that agreeing to this deal was one of the hardest things I've ever done, I mean it.
I instantly had second thoughts the moment I heard the mechanic stand up and cheerfully say, “Well, you ready for that hint? You’re gonna wanna open your eyes for this. I can show you better than I can tell you.”
Oh God, I made a mistake! No. I could do this. I had to.
Black cherries. He was in front of me. Steeling myself, I opened my eyes. The mechanic stood as close as the hagstone would allow, a dark silhouette in front of the crackling flames.
“Blue eyes, would you mind holding puppydog’s hagstone for her? Wouldn't want that gettin’ lost, now, would we?”
What?!
“Don’t get all frantic, I can’t do shit to you until you get your hint, per our agreement,” The mechanic said dismissively as Victor approached me. “You’ll get it back after.”
Victor looked apologetic as he gently removed the most powerful defense I had. He had an odd glint in his eye. Was that defiance?
I’ll get you out of this, Vic. I promise.
The very moment that he was able to, the mechanic grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes.
A church surrounded by black water… A great feast of viscera and wildflowers… Black thorns drinking the blood of the unworthy… The great antlered headdress of the White Son of Mist… Pricking his finger on those horns… He signed in blood…
Victor pulled me back, not giving the mechanic even a picosecond to take full advantage of being outside of the hagstone’s influence. If he hadn't been holding me up, I would've been on the ground, still recovering from what I'd just seen.
“You find that ledger, you find me.” The mechanic said coolly.
That church. It reminded me of something. In the morning, I’m going to check our records. For now, I just want to crash. I'll keep yinz updated.
On the bright side, there weren't any crows waiting for me when I got home.
(Here's an index of all the cases I've discussed so far.)
submitted by adorabletapeworm to nosleep [link] [comments]
Victor hadn't been kidding when he'd said that the mechanic was going to become more aggressive. The only reason why this week wasn't my last was because I'd had Orion behind me as well as a plethora of precautions in place.
(If you're not familiar with what Orion Pest Control's services are, it may help to start here.)
For example, at Orion, all employees are advised to get lockboxes for their mail rather than regular mailboxes. It would be far too easy for a Neighbor to follow one of us home and fish out a piece of mail to find our names. This is only recommended for people who've had frequent or unpleasant interactions with the Neighbors.
You could also ward off your mailbox with iron. Salt, as always, would work as well, but I'm sure your mailman wouldn't appreciate getting seasoned every time he simply tries to give you your junk mail.
When it comes to monetary transactions, cash or pre-loaded debit cards are the safest, unless you can be certain beyond a reasonable doubt that the person ringing you out is human.
Another precaution that I've taken when it comes to the mechanic is that I've bought a cast iron fire poker from an antique store. Iron is one of the most effective weapons against the Neighbors, though it's best to think of it as an allergy rather than a perfect repellant. Some Neighbors will crumple instantly if they're within a few feet of it while others need direct contact in order to cause anything worse than hive-covered burns.
Given that the mechanic must have frequent exposure to iron during his daytime profession, I have to wonder how effective it is against him. I do see him wearing gloves from time to time, so it must do something, even if it's a minor skin irritation. Either it's a pride thing or he's just that committed to the ‘mechanic’ bit.
I've been keeping the poker in the company truck. Even if it's not lethal to him, I’m sure that getting smacked over the head with it probably wouldn't feel too good. Along with that, I've restocked my salt shells. If the mechanic decides to try anything, he'll have an arsenal waiting for him.
I don't have any delusions about being able to kill him. I think that's something only a true hero could accomplish. I'm talking about legendary individuals like Cú Chullainn, Beowulf, or Māui. People whose deeds are so great that their stories live on to this day. Find someone like that in the modern age. (Though, I would argue that Marc-André Fluery comes close. Flyers fans, don't interact.)
Reyna suggested bathing the hagstone in saltwater to amplify its deterring effects. She also wrapped red thread along the outside of the ring, explaining that it should help enhance its protective properties.
It's a good thing, too. Since my last interaction with the mechanic, promptly at dusk, I would hear the beating of wings outside, and always from the west. I risked a glance out the window one night to find a murder of crows. Ever since I saw that the birds’ shadows move independently of their owners, I don't look at them. I ignore their calls. I know who they serve.
After Reyna's additions, the hagstone vibrates against my chest whenever they're near.
However, in my case, these were only temporary solutions, unless I wanted to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life and fearing death even more than I did before. But in the meantime… raccoons.
A client called about hearing scratching and chattering in her attic. Her uninvited guest also put a hole in her siding. In other words, it was enough of a mess to momentarily distract me from my own problems.
Raccoons are incredibly destructive, chewing up anything that they can get their little hands on. From the client's description, it sounded like we could be dealing with a nest. Mother raccoons can be especially feisty when it comes to protecting their young, so I had Reyna join me in case there were any kits.
At Orion, we are licensed to use humane trapping methods on smaller wildlife, so don't worry, no garbage kitties are being harmed. Though I want yinz to know that raccoons are not to be underestimated. They may not try to take your soul, like some pests out there will, but they can spread a variety of diseases, including rabies and roundworm among others. They also present a major fire hazard when they claw their way into a home since they can chew through wiring like nothing.
The first thing we had to do was identify the garbage kitties’ entry point. Reyna opted to go on the roof while I investigated the attic.
The first thing I noticed was the telltale stench of dried urine. Yup, those were droppings over there in the corner. Delightful. Looking around, I found that the raccoons had torn out a few chunks of the insulation, but nothing that wouldn't be too difficult or expensive to replace. All in all, it seemed like it'd be an easy call.
Then I felt the hagstone begin to tremble. Not long after, Reyna screamed.
I rushed out, my heart surging with panic as I was greeted with the frenzied calls of crows. Shit! They followed me.
She was on the ground, swinging her silver-tipped knife clumsily against the swarm of black feathers swirling around her. I heard her cry out again as I got closer to her, then suddenly, the cloud of feathers dispersed, twisting towards the sky with a cacophony of angered caws. Reyna had managed to get some salt on them before they could gouge her eyes out.
My hand was coated with blood as I guided Reyna towards the house. She'd managed to keep her eyes, but they’d shredded her with their beaks and talons. I could feel her shaking as we retreated from the horde. Reyna tried to hide it, but she was crying, the tears mingling with the blood covering her nose and cheeks like a bandit's mask.
The whole time, the hagstone didn't stop vibrating. I think that was the only thing keeping the horde from coming after us. Their calls were piercing as we took cover in the house.
The client was alarmed when she saw the state Reyna was in, “What psycho ass raccoons do I have?!”
I promised I'd explain later (I honestly don't remember what bullshit story I gave her) then asked her to watch over Reyna as I went out to get the emergency first aid kit we keep in the truck.
Reyna held me in a grip so tight that it left bruises, pleading, “Don't go out there! Please!”
Now that we weren't on the run, I could see the injuries on her face more clearly. The deepest one went through her right eyebrow towards the bridge of her nose. The rest were shallow, painful-looking cuts that criss crossed over her skin.
“They can't come near me. And I’ve got something in the truck that’ll make them think twice.” I assured her.
She didn't let go. I couldn't find it in me to pry her fingers off, so instead, I put my hand over hers, hoping that it was comforting.
The client gently pressed a paper towel to the side of Reyna’s face, her voice heart-achingly motherly as she uttered, “It's okay, honey. Everything's going to be alright.”
I'm not sure if it was from pain or something else, but Reyna noticeably stiffened when the client spoke to her in that maternal tone, closing her eyes as if to keep more tears from falling. Her clutch loosened until my wrist was freed, her hand dropping limply to her side.
The fucking birds sounded like they were laughing when I marched out to the truck. The sound grated on me as I snatched the fire poker and the first aid kit.
“Laugh at this!” I snapped as I swung the poker at the nearest crow.
It let out a squeal as the poker grazed its wing, hopping as far out of reach as it could afterwards. They didn't cackle after that.
After we cleaned Reyna's injuries up, they didn't look quite as terrible, but just to be safe, I dragged her to the hospital. Thankfully, the client was an absolute angel about the whole thing and understood that one of our employees being injured was going to be a setback. I called up Victor to inform him of the situation as well as the entry points that we’d found; he took over where Reyna and I left off.
On the way to the hospital, Reyna muttered, “So… does my little Alfred Hitchcock moment initiate me as an official Orion employee?”
Wearily, I gave her a small chuckle, “Yeah, you're one of us, now. Lucky you!”
“Hey, I’ll take the murder birds over Psycho Mantis.” She replied with a small smile.
Her nickname for the mechanic. I think it's from a video game. I don't know. Never quite got into them.
It was quiet for a moment. The smile faded away as she distantly said, “I think that's how they do it. They take your eyes, they take you, you know?”
I nodded, feeling a lump in the back of my throat, thinking about how the mechanic can control someone just by meeting their gaze. “I think you might be right about that.”
I couldn't help but wonder if the Hunt had attacked her simply because she's an Orion employee or if they were drawn to her because of something else. Was she grieving over something? I didn't know her well enough at that point to be able to tell. They hadn't hesitated to go for her eyes. If that was the case, that'd make her the most vulnerable of the three of us.
Another thing I want yinz to know when it comes to dealing with the atypical: if you or a loved one has been harmed, one of the best things you can do is to support the victim. And if you need support yourself, ignore that stupid little voice in your head that tells you not to bother anyone and reach out. Isolation will destroy you in more ways than one.
After I got Reyna settled at the hospital, I made a beeline to the river to find another hagstone. Clearly, Reyna was going to need one, too.
Naturally, the stupid birds followed me, causing my hagstone to quiver nonstop. I went into the woods armed with my toolbelt and the iron poker. I opted out of taking the shotgun simply because I was going to need a free hand to look for another hagstone. There was a part of me that hoped that one of them would try something so that I'd have the opportunity to smack the shit out of them.
While I was searching, among the crows’ calls, I heard whispers. They sounded close, like they came from behind some brush about twenty feet away, but I believed the False Egg when it said that the whispering thing likes to confuse its victims. Without listening to what they were saying, I glanced around as the river's cold water rushed around my boots, trying to figure out what was stalking me.
The whispers pretended to move further away. But still, I couldn't see the thing causing them. I clutched the poker tighter. The crows had stopped their chattering. They heard the voices, too. Hold on. What were they all looking at?
Gingerly, I pulled out the hagstone and held it to my eye in the direction of the crows' gazes. At first, it looked like one of the trees, until I was able to make out a triangular head with eyes the size of basketballs. It held up two massive, folded appendages that were lined with sharp spines. It looked to be as tall as a draft horse, yet it was so still that I couldn't even tell if this huge animal was breathing. The whispers were quieter than they'd ever been before.
Those huge eyes were fixed on me. I didn’t dare move.
One of the ‘crows’ glided to the ground near to the whispering thing, passing in front of my field of view. I stifled a shudder when I saw the state of its frail, humanoid body. Its skin clung like molten wax to its ribs and spine. Tattered wings extended from the sides of its torso, the feathers looking as if they were ripped from numerous other avians and fused to the miserable animal's stretched, contorted arms to make it fly. Where the eyes should have been were empty sockets. A curved beak had been forced onto the creature as well, driven into the skull hard enough to leave ridged, fleshy lumps.
Now that I've seen it, I think the crows were human, once. Transformed and disfigured to serve the Wild Hunt.
The crow shuffled a little too close to the whispering thing. Quicker than a blink, the whispering thing's folded appendage shot forward, curving around the crow's midsection, spikes driving into the crow's torso. My mind could barely keep up as the whispering thing then bit the crow's head clean off with a terrible crunch.
The other crows began to frenzy, shrieking as they dove towards the whispering thing. Without having to take a step, it snatched another crow out of the air. Flesh ripped with a wet tearing sound.
Since the animals were all focused on each other, I took the opportunity to dig frantically around for a hagstone, holding my own against my eye in the hopes it would lead me to another one.
There was a low hum that I felt more than heard. Deep within my chest, as if I was standing next to an amp at a concert. This was followed by an enraged screech from one of the crows. Still, I kept looking.
There had to be one. There just had to be!
One circular, black rock stood out among the rest, the water seeming to outline it from the view of my hagstone. There! I plucked it out of the water, looking over my shoulder to see if either the crows or the whispering thing were paying attention to me. They were too engrossed with trying to tear each other apart.
I shoved the black hagstone into my pocket and made a break for it, poker at the ready. One of the crows noticed and let out an ear-splitting cry to alert the others.
As I ran, I checked back to see that three of the crows split off to pursue me. I wasn't worried about them catching me. The whispering thing was another matter. This was only my second time encountering it and I hadn't had enough information to identify it, so I didn't want to find out the hard way if the defenses I had on me would be enough to stop it from tearing me apart like it did the crows.
There was another low hum that rumbled against my ribs as the whispering thing used one of its forelegs to swipe a crow out of its way. It had lost interest in them, its huge amber eyes focused on me once again. I prayed that the crows swarming around it would be enough to slow it down.
As I raced through the trees back to where the company truck waited, the whispers started anew. They became louder and clearer the faster I went, interrupted by the shrill cries of the crows tailing me. I did my best not to listen to any of them. The last thing I needed was to get led astray by any of my pursuers.
A crow swooped close enough for me to smack it with the poker. The sound the bird made when the iron scalded its skin made my teeth clench. The others joined it, bringing me to my knees, my ears ringing. High pitched, grating, like broken glass against a chalkboard. Disoriented, I swung desperately with the iron poker again, not hitting anything.
And among all that, the whispers hadn't stopped. My head rang, ears going numb. I swung again. One of the shrieks stopped as the poker found its mark. Even as the auditory assault continued, I got to my feet, grabbing the trees closest to me to keep myself going. The whispers became even more frantic as its prey got further and further away. The truck was right there.
The two crows tailing me had finally stopped their dreadful screaming and simmered down to furious clicking sounds with their beaks, as if they could think of nothing but stripping the flesh from my bones.
When one tested the limits of the hagstone as I got close to the truck, I swatted at it with the poker, the tip colliding with the creature's skull. The crow’s body crashed against an oak’s trunk, then went still.
As soon as I cleared the treeline, the whispering stopped. I looked over my shoulder. The whispering thing was retreating, only visible for a brief moment before blending in among the trees.
It couldn't leave the forest. That was good to know.
I closed myself into the truck, leaving the furious crows outside. They glared at me from the branches of a nearby oak. After taking a moment to collect myself, I drove back to the hospital, wanting to hand the black hagstone off to Reyna before anything else.
At a stop sign, I got a text from Victor: he had finished setting traps for the client's raccoon infestation and was going to meet me at the hospital.
Reyna was chilling in her hospital bed, face bandaged, wearing a hideous blue hospital gown decorated with faded green and pink squares.
“Guess who got her rabies shots!” She announced with a sleepy grin, holding her hand up in a shaka.
Someone was clearly given the good painkillers.
Victor arrived a few minutes later, wearing a black mask that covered his mouth and nose, smelling strongly of lavender. It made my nose itch.
“Why do you smell like an old lady?” I complained.
The mask intensified his withering stare, voice muffled by the mask, “Lotta blood around here. Probably wouldn't be too good if I smelled it.”
Reyna chimed in, slurring slightly, “If you're gonna eat anyone, go for the receptionist. He was reading Anne Rice, so he'd probably be into it.”
It was Reyna's turn to get The Glare. He said flatly, “You're high as a kite, aren't you?”
Reyna flashed a peace sign.
To summarize Reyna's condition, she's as okay as she can be. They had to close up her eyebrow and cheek, and they gave her a plethora of shots to make sure that she didn't catch any diseases from the crows. The hospital doctor wanted to keep her overnight to make sure that she didn't have an infection, then afterwards, she was going to take some time off of work to recover.
Also, I slipped the black hagstone into her purse so that it wouldn't be misplaced.
After we discussed Reyna's injuries, I decided to address the elephant in the room, “So… what can we do about the mechanic?”
Reyna shrugged, “Grovel and plead for our lives?”
Victor rubbed his eyes. “We might be a bit past that point.”
I asked Victor about the specifics of his deal with the mechanic. I knew that there had to be some sort of condition that had to be fulfilled before the mechanic could take someone, otherwise I probably wouldn't be alive to type this right now. Reyna was equally curious.
The boss seemed reluctant to speak on this matter, at first. I told Victor that he didn't have to share anything if there was any possibility of retaliation. The last thing I wanted was for him to be punished in some horrific manner for trying to help me.
He eventually shrugged a shoulder in resignation, “Whatever happens, I can handle it. It didn't take him long to figure out that I was the one that helped you find the hagstone. That wasn't pleasant, but…” He went quiet for a second, his eyes glazing in a way that reminded me of when I first came home from active duty. He then shrugged again, “I'm willing to risk it if that means getting a chance to hurt him back someday. Lord knows it's been a long time coming.”
He didn't tell us what the consequences had been for assisting me, and neither Reyna nor I pressed the issue. Some mysteries are best left unsolved.
Even though I was nervous to hear the answer, I didn't pull any punches and straight up asked, “Why hasn't the mechanic sent you after me yet?”
Victor considered for a moment, then explained, “I'm not sure on the specifics, since the mechanic doesn’t tell me anything other than what I need to know to get the job done. But from what I can tell, he takes those who are dead, dying, or… ‘dead inside,’ I guess is the best way to put it. Some souls appear to be harder for him to take than others. The hard ones need to be… broken down first. As of right now, he says you're not ready.”
Reyna numbly asked, “So if the birds tried to nab me, does that mean that I am ‘ready’? That they could take me at any moment?”
Victor hesitated before replying, “We won't let that happen. Alright?”
Reyna nodded, eyes low.
I wanted to ask her what was going on. Figure out why she was suffering in a way that made her fair game to the crows. But she'd been through enough for one day. That discussion could wait for another time.
My next question was another one that I dreaded the answer to, “And where do you come into all of this, Vic?”
Regretfully, Victor admitted, “I bring him the ones that are ready if he can't get to them himself.”
He glanced at Reyna, “As of right now, keep that hagstone on at all times. Even wear it when you're sleeping. The mechanic didn't know who you were initially, but I guarantee the fucking Lessers tipped him off. I think he’s more focused on Nessa, at the moment, but if I get sent after you, hit me with iron, salt me, do whatever and don't feel bad about it. Same goes for you, Nessa.”
I hated this. I hated that he was being used like this. I hated that he spoke about someday being sent to drag one of us to meet our fate at the hands of the Wild Hunt as if it was unavoidable.
The air suddenly felt like it was much thinner in the room. Somehow, I got enough oxygen to ask, “What if I learned the mechanic's true name? Would that end this?”
Victor let out a soft scoff, rubbing the bridge of his nose over his mask, “Probably, but good luck with that.”
I had already figured that the mechanic wouldn't dance around a fire singing his true name all willy nilly like Rumpelstiltskin. But I couldn't accept that all of us were screwed. There had to be a way. I had to believe that there was a way.
I announced that I'd be back in the morning. Reyna looked as concerned as her painkillers would allow, while Victor jumped out of his seat.
“What are you going to do?” He demanded.
“I'm going to talk to him.” I replied. “One of us is in the hospital and another one of us is undead-”
“I know it's looking bad right now, but they can easily get worse if whatever you're thinking of doing goes south.” He cautioned.
“I'm just going to see if there's some way I can… I don't know, talk him down? I haven't gotten that far yet, but something needs to be done.”
He didn't look convinced, and with how terrible my argument was, I don't blame him. “I'll go with you.”
I motioned towards Reyna. “And leave her alone?”
Reyna, looking like she was fighting sleep, groggily said, “I got the adder stone and I'm in public. I'll be fine. If you're going to confront Psycho Mantis, you're going to need Vic around more than I will.”
Victor agreed, “Like it or not, you're not handling this alone. Remember what I told you when you got hired in?”
We're not heroes, we're pest control specialists.
You know that thing I said about not isolating yourself? I can be bad about not following my own advice sometimes, especially that one.
Going forward, I do want to note that the decisions that were made on that night were extremely risky and I don't recommend for anyone to repeat them. Believe it or not, we are professionals.
On our way to our destination, we stopped by the 24-hr convenience store. Victor was about to question me until he saw me go for the whipped cream. I also got s'mores supplies, thinking that maybe some bribery would make the mechanic more amiable. I figured that if he rejected them then, hey, I like s'mores, too.
Afterwards, we followed the path to the skull trees.
During our hike, Victor whispered, “That fucker is hubris incarnate, but he's not stupid. If he offers you a deal, know that it's not going to be in your favor. And be careful with the way that he twists words.”
Something noteworthy is that the hagstone doesn't react to Victor. I think it's because he doesn't have the same malicious intentions as his captors. He may have changed after his murder (hell, anyone would) but at his heart, he was still Victor. Meanwhile, as we got closer to the skull tree clearing, I felt the stone gradually begin to quake.
Up ahead, orange light flickered. The mechanic had a small fire going. He lay on a blanket next to it, that cursed banjo on the ground beside him, one arm folded under his head, legs crossed at the ankle. His eyes were closed.
He didn't open them as he greeted us, “I was wondering when you two would show up.”
Keeping my nerves buried beneath the surface, I held up the bag of sugary goodness. “I'm here to negotiate.”
He laughed, still not looking at me. “Are you, now? And what exactly do you think a little thing of cream will get ya?”
“Not much, I imagine.” I said evenly. “But I thought it'd be a good jumping off point.”
Even though I’d originally protested Victor coming with me, I was glad that he was there. I don't think I would've been able to be so level-headed if I'd met with the mechanic alone. It would probably be interpreted as a sign of weakness, but I was counting on that.
As soon as I saw the mechanic begin to crane his neck towards us, I slammed my eyelids shut. He knew way more about me than I'd ever wanted him to know already, and I was afraid of giving him more.
Again, another potential sign of weakness. When it came to trying to get him to back off of Orion a bit, I figured it'd be best if he underestimated me.
I didn't have to see the mechanic to know that he had that wicked grin on his face, “Alrighty. Let's see what you've got.”
A hand that was as cold as the grave gently removed the bag of goodies from my grasp. Victor. Wordlessly, he brought the cavity-inducing offering over to the mechanic. I never realized how quiet his footsteps were until then. He moved like a shadow. He could've been five feet away or five hundred, for all I knew.
There was the rustling of plastic, followed by the trademark sound of whipped cream being sprayed from the nozzle. Sounding slightly less prick-ish, the mechanic told me I had his attention.
I had been trying to find the magic words that would make this whole situation blow over. Nothing that I came up with in my head fit that description.
So I decided to be straight forward, then go from there. “What will it take to de-escalate things between you and Orion?”
The whipped cream wailed once again. A moment later, the mechanic replied, “Why are you asking a question that you already know the answer to?”
“Other than my soul.”
He chuckled softly, the sound too casual and charming for this sinister discussion.
“You know, I’m curious, puppydog,” Fabric rustled. Without looking, I assumed he'd sat up, “Which o’ your parents are you most like?”
Here we fucking go.
I tried to redirect him, “With all due respect, that isn't relevant.”
“Oh, but it is.” His tone of voice brought chills to the back of my neck. “You see, I'd be willing to take a trade. Find a soul as mouth-waterin’ as yours, and all this goes away. Hell, I might even let you rest in peace! You know what choice your father would pick.”
I was hoping that the firelight wouldn't be enough for him to see my face flush and my jaw stiffen. That had touched a nerve, just as he knew it would.
That was also a horrible deal. One that I wouldn't even consider. There was no way that I could condemn someone else to an afterlife of torment. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even that weasel-faced client that I rescued the False Egg from. Not even my father.
Swallowing back the plethora of terrible emotions threatening to bubble up, I suddenly felt Victor subtly squeeze my shoulder supportively. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't hesitate to give anyone who insulted his employees a piece of his mind, but the mechanic was the last Neighbor to mouth off to. That was the best he could do for me, in the moment.
When I informed the mechanic that I wouldn't sacrifice someone else to save my own skin, he laughed again, “If only you knew how many times I heard those exact words! Thing is, I ain't even got started on you, pup. Given enough time, you might find you're more like your old man than you thought.”
I took a deep breath to keep the mixture of dread and anger confined to my chest, then calmly replied, “Sounds like you know exactly how everything will play out. Isn't that boring for you?”
The tension that filled the air after those words left my mouth made my chest feel tight.
The whipped cream can wheezed thoughtfully before the mechanic mildly admitted, “A bit, yeah.”
There it is.
“You already have all of the advantages,” I started, “It’s not much of a hunt if your prey can't even run, is it? There's no challenge in killing something that's already baited and trapped.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
Oh boy. I was about to do one of many things I warned yinz not to do: “The only way I can bring you the excitement you're craving is if I have a fighting chance. And a good one. I'll be searching for your name, but I need to know where to look first.”
His laughter made me suppress a shudder. I remember thinking that I should've known that he'd see through my words like he saw through everything else.
The mechanic then said, “I know what you're trying to do, pup. But the problem is, you're right! It's too easy anymore, especially since y'alls names are just available on the internet for anyone to find. I've been getting kind of soft lately.”
This was his soft side?
The mechanic continued, “You really think you can pull this off, pup? I know you're a fighter and all, but you're not a warrior, not really. Being a soldier ain't the same thing.”
“I may not be Cú Chullainn, but I'm as close as you're going to get in Mercer County. We've got a bit of a warrior shortage around here.”
He snorted, “You seem awfully sure of yourself for someone who can't even look at me.”
“I'm not sure about anything. That's why I'm here, isn't it?”
It was quiet for a moment with only the frogs chirping in the forest able to find their voices. Not even the whipped cream broke up the silence this time. I was tempted to risk peeking through my eyelashes, but managed to resist.
Just as my nerves started getting to me, the mechanic said, “So, you want me to give you a hint. That's a lot to ask, but you knew that already.”
“You want something in return.”
“Hagstone. Smash it.”
No way. It was too valuable. If I gave that up, I was dead. I promptly shook my head.
He sounded amused. “Shoulda known you wouldn't fall for that.”
Looking back, I wondered how many he'd tricked like that. Giving up some form of protection after being misled into thinking the mechanic was going to let them go, only to regret it seconds later. Probably far too many.
He continued, “Alright then, we'll talk for real. I'll give you that hint, but I got some conditions. You get three chances to guess correctly. Each time you guess wrong, you have to give me one of your names starting with your first, middle, then last name. Don't try fucking with me by trying to pass your middle name off as your first.”
That made my throat tighten even more. If I agreed to that, failure wouldn't just spell disaster for me, but for everyone I knew as well. I'd be dragging my mom and anyone else associated down with me. I'd essentially be doing what he already requested: sacrificing others to save my own skin.
I heard Victor faintly, from my right, “Don't!”
The mechanic wasn't pleased, “This ain't about you, blue eyes. This is between me and her.”
The stakes were getting way too high. I couldn't do this. But then what? The Hunt wasn't going to wait around for me to find another way, assuming that there even was one. Victor clearly thought it was a terrible idea. For the record, I did, too. I could feel the boss' eyes on me, willing me not to forget what he'd said earlier about dangerous heroics.
Maybe there was another way and I just couldn't see it. But desperation has a way of messing with your head.
“If I agreed to this,” I started, knowing that I was probably digging my grave even deeper. “And I haven't agreed to anything. just to be clear. If I did this, I'd need the assurance that you won't send your crows or hounds or any others that serve the Wild Hunt after those that I care about. That includes my colleagues and me, for that matter. Like you said, this is between us two.”
The mechanic chuckled and I heard him shift again. “You're feeling awfully bold tonight, aren't you?”
I reminded him, “You want this to be interesting, don't you?”
He considered, then with a click of his tongue replied, “You hear that, blue eyes? Means you, as well. On both sides, mind you. Same with that witch doctor. Yeah, I know about her. I keep mine out of it, if you keep yours out. All's fair, right?”
I didn't feel right with any of this, but the alternative was for things to continue as they were. If that happened, we were all screwed anyway.
“And if I agreed, the hint that you provide will have to be both true and helpful. And it'll also be given in easily understandable American English, no riddles or puzzles or any other forms of confusing phrasing. You’d also have to give it to me tonight. The whole thing would begin after that.”
Once again, he laughed, “Shit, you're not messin' around!”
I know how the Neighbors do deals. If I hadn't mentioned it, he probably would've given me the hint in the form of a riddle spoken in backwards Gaelic.
“Alright, pup, I get the picture. You know what you're dealing with. I’ll play nice.”
His voice had a subtle sardonic edge. Nothing about this was going to be nice, if I chose to go this route, but that wasn't news.
“Oh, and one more thing!” The mechanic added a little too cheerfully. “You have until Samhain. I’m sure you know why.”
It's June already; still a good while away from October, but this year feels like it’s flying by fast, like every other year following 2020. He didn't have to explain why: the Wild Hunt are at their most powerful during Samhain, which for those who don't know, was a Celtic holiday that eventually gave birth to Halloween. It's when the veil between the atypical world and ours is thinnest.
In short, it's a busy day for Orion. Looks like it’s going to be even worse this year.
Victor spoke again, “Can I talk to her for a moment?”
“Nope. You don't get a say. Either she takes it or leaves it.” The mechanic answered curtly.
As I deliberated, there were subtle taps on a tree nearby. Hold on. Morse code. M-I-S-S-I-N-G. What was I missing? Maybe it was because I hadn't clearly spelled out what I wanted to happen if I correctly guessed the mechanic's identity.
“If I accept this bet, then if I find your name, you’ll relinquish your claim on my soul, as well as all other Orion employees, whether they're living, dead, or undead. Have I made that clear?”
After a moment, the mechanic answered, the smirk blatant in his voice, “You have now.”
Of course. It was so simple. If I had gone through with the deal without being specific about the outcome, the mechanic wouldn't have been obliged to release any of us. I would've done all the work to identify him for nothing. Tricky bastard.
Thanks, Victor.
With a heavy sigh, I politely asked the mechanic to repeat everything that we'd just discussed to make sure that he wasn't going to conveniently forget something. To my surprise, he did it without comment, though he sounded like he thought the whole thing was funny. He left nothing out.
When I say that agreeing to this deal was one of the hardest things I've ever done, I mean it.
I instantly had second thoughts the moment I heard the mechanic stand up and cheerfully say, “Well, you ready for that hint? You’re gonna wanna open your eyes for this. I can show you better than I can tell you.”
Oh God, I made a mistake! No. I could do this. I had to.
Black cherries. He was in front of me. Steeling myself, I opened my eyes. The mechanic stood as close as the hagstone would allow, a dark silhouette in front of the crackling flames.
“Blue eyes, would you mind holding puppydog’s hagstone for her? Wouldn't want that gettin’ lost, now, would we?”
What?!
“Don’t get all frantic, I can’t do shit to you until you get your hint, per our agreement,” The mechanic said dismissively as Victor approached me. “You’ll get it back after.”
Victor looked apologetic as he gently removed the most powerful defense I had. He had an odd glint in his eye. Was that defiance?
I’ll get you out of this, Vic. I promise.
The very moment that he was able to, the mechanic grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes.
A church surrounded by black water… A great feast of viscera and wildflowers… Black thorns drinking the blood of the unworthy… The great antlered headdress of the White Son of Mist… Pricking his finger on those horns… He signed in blood…
Victor pulled me back, not giving the mechanic even a picosecond to take full advantage of being outside of the hagstone’s influence. If he hadn't been holding me up, I would've been on the ground, still recovering from what I'd just seen.
“You find that ledger, you find me.” The mechanic said coolly.
That church. It reminded me of something. In the morning, I’m going to check our records. For now, I just want to crash. I'll keep yinz updated.
On the bright side, there weren't any crows waiting for me when I got home.
(Here's an index of all the cases I've discussed so far.)
2024.06.05 05:35 Mysterious_Cat_1706 Gribble 2 - Chapter 2
[Backstory][Arc 1][[[Next>]]()
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Chapter 2: The Egg of Shadows
Gribble towered at the kingdom's entrance, robes lashing in the wind. Red eyes blazed with dark power, remnants of the Shadow Trent's powers surging through him. Necromantic energy crackled around his form. Gribble sneered, surveying the ranks of reanimated dwarven skeletons - his Dark Legion, raised from those slain by his own hand. Pride and cruel anticipation swelled in his chest as he beheld his gruesome handiwork, the once fierce dwarven warriors reduced to mindless thralls under his absolute dominion. Clawed fingers flexed with eagerness, dark forces gathering as Gribble prepared to unleash his vile horde upon the unsuspecting world beyond these mountainous confines.
Bony digits slashed the air. At Gribble's command, the Dark Legion surged forward, an avalanche of rattling bones and rusted armor, skeletal feet clattering against weathered stone. The discordant march reverberated through the cavernous depths of the desecrated dwarven stronghold, a macabre rhythm heralding the nightmares to come. Raw exultation pulsed through Gribble's veins as he bent the undead to his indomitable will, relishing the cold precision of their unholy unison, every jerking step propelling them toward the warm lands ripe for his bloody harvest. Shambling bones clacked and scraped, ancient weapons gripped in fleshless hands, as the abominations that once defended these halls now paraded from their defiled resting place at their master's behest, hungering to visit oblivion upon all who dared oppose his twisted desires.
As the final skeletal warrior lurched through the archway, movement flickered in the periphery. Gribble tensed, then relaxed as his loyal Grey Fur Beast emerged from the gloom to pad silently to his side. Otherworldly silver pelt shimmered in the faint light, belying its unnatural origins. Eyes smoldering with feral intelligence met Gribble's own, a profound understanding passing between master and monstrosity. Savage pride tugged Gribble's thin lips, gnarled hand coming to rest upon the beast's back, tracing the scars of their shared victories etched into ashen hide. Claws absently caressed rough fur, eliciting a rumbling purr that promised unflinching obedience and remorseless savagery. His most prized possession, birthed from the bloodshed of his greatest conquest. With the Dark Legion and his Grey Fur Beast heeling to his every whim, Gribble's legend would echo through eternity.
Memories stirred, cold mist and jagged stone. Gribble recalled that fateful day in the mountains, where destiny fell into his clutches. Exhaustion weighed upon his wiry frame, each step an agony, crimson rivulets painting his green flesh. But beneath the pain, triumph blazed, his greatest foe vanquished, the Shadow Trent's essence Even now, he could feel the monster's power thrumming through his body, every cell alight with stolen vitality. And there, nestled against an onyx boulder, his final prize awaited - an egg, large as a human skull, its shell shimmering with bewitching iridescence. Bands of silver undulated across its indigo surface like captured moonlight, ancient runes etched in the ever-shifting patterns. It called to him, a siren song tangling the threads of fate, beguiling him closer with unspoken promises of unfathomable might.
Claws scraped stone as Gribble knelt, scooping the egg into greedy palms. An icy tingle crept through his fingers, eldritch energies swirling within the calicified prison, as if tasting the blood and darkness permeating his aura. The shell pulsed against his flesh, strangely warm and vital, like a second heartbeat, sending a shudder down his twisted spine. Transfixed, Gribble studied the mesmerizing whorls, each elegant curve hinting at grandiose cosmic secrets. With every breath, the egg seemed to synchronize with his own, a tangible declaration that their destinies were now inextricably entwined. Here, cradled in his battered hands, lay the key to his deepest aspirations, a weapon to bring kingdoms to their knees, to carve his name into the weeping flesh of history.
Gribble's tongue flicked over jagged fangs, goblin instinct screaming to sate his hunger, to devour this treasure and gorge upon its power. Claws dug into the silver-veined shell, hairline fissures spidering across its surface. One squeeze, one brief exertion of his rage-fueled might, and it would shatter, warm ambrosia for his ascension spilling into his eager gullet. Sinew coiled beneath leprous skin, violence trembling through Gribble's gaunt frame, the egg's outraged resonance humming up his arms. Just one bite, and its secrets would slither down his throat, burning through his being until godhood churned in his belly. But Gribble denied his instincts, a deeper impulse staying his hand, whispering seductively in his mind's shadows. No, this prize was meant for greater things than a moment's indulgence. This egg would be his sacrament, the altar upon which worlds would burn.
Realization struck, a twist behind his ribs. This creature, this nascent god confined within its calcified womb, could be so much more than a mere feast. An image unfurled in Gribble's mind - a mighty beast, rippling with otherworldly menace, an extension of his own unholy will. Yes, this egg deserved his devotion, to be nurtured to terrifying fruition beneath his meticulous attention. Joyous shivers raced down his limbs at the thought, a perverse ecstasy at odds with his malignant soul. To shape such a being, to bind it to his very essence, awakened an emotion he had never before experienced - a yearning to create, to leave an indelible mark on existence. This creature would be his legacy, the womb that would birth a new age of uncompromising malevolence. In that moment, clutching his squirming prize to his bony chest, Gribble felt the mantle of destiny drape across his shoulders, heavy with the weight of prophecy fulfilled.
Gnarled digits curled protectively around the egg, the shell's nascent warmth bleeding into his calloused flesh. With every shuddering beat emanating from within, something unfamiliar stirred behind Gribble's jaundiced eyes - a flicker of compassion, an ember of empathy, fragile as a moth's wing. He, who had only known hatred and callous self-interest, suddenly found himself awash in an alien tenderness, a primal need to shelter the fragile life pulsing against his palm. It was as though a missing piece of his fractured psyche had clicked into alignment, a long-forgotten warmth rekindling in the wasteland of his soul. In this egg, he sensed a kindred spirit, a being as raw and hungry for purpose as himself. No longer merely a means to power, this egg represented a new beginning, a chance to carve out an identity beyond the caustic bile of bitterness and rage. Perhaps, in rearing this monstrosity, he might resurrect some vestige of his own stillborn humanity.
The Shadow Trent loomed large in Gribble's mind, a behemoth of writhing shadow and unfettered malevolence. It had been a horror beyond imagining, the mountain's black heart, spawned from the fevered nightmares of a sadistic god. He should have fled, cringed before its primordial might, yet the egg's siren call had spurred him onward, drawing his battered body inexorably to the beast's lair. The Ancient Tree towered over their battleground, its trunk wider than a giant's girth, scabrous bark drinking in the viscera misting the air. They had clashed beneath those twisting boughs, a frenzied ballet of fang and claw, each blow shaking the earth, dark magics screaming from rent flesh. Gribble had never known such agony, nor such vicious glee, than in those blood-soaked hours, his body a conduit for unimaginable energies, pain and power blurring into a rapturous whole. And when the abomination finally lay twitching at his feet, its shadowy form corroding, Gribble had torn into it with ravenous abandon, black ichor slopping down his chin as he glutted on its fading essence.
The moment the Shadow Trent's heart slid down his gullet, Gribble's world shattered in a paroxysm of infinite darkness. It was as though he had swallowed a dying star, stolen fire searing through his veins, rewriting his genetic tapestry. Charcoal sludge coursed through his twitching limbs, reshaping muscle and bone into an avatar of purest corruption. Images flooded his fracturing consciousness, the death agonies of civilizations, the visceral snap of a soul's moorings shredded by depraved sorceries. And through the tumult, one glorious realization crystalized - the Shadow Trent's necromantic essence now pulsed within his own blasphemous marrow. Death itself would bend to his desires, shackled to the obscene hungers of his unquiet mind. With a thought, he could beckon the grave to vomit forth its mouldering charges, the unquiet dead his eternal chattel. In that singular, glorious moment, as the last tatters of his mortality sloughed away, Gribble was reborn in an afterbirth of oozing shadows, a god of death swaddled in tattered flesh.
But even this apotheosis paled before the glories sleeping within the egg. Like a doting parent, Gribble ferried his precious cargo back to the twisting warrens of his subterranean demesnes. With his own gnarled hands, he excavated a chamber nestled deep within the mountain's rotting bowels, the earth parting before his crackling fingertips like diseased flesh. Into this pocket of gravid darkness, he sequestered the egg, a profane creche for his squirming godling. Chitterring incantations spewed from his cracked lips, guttural utterances thrumming with the agonized frequencies of shattered souls. Wards of rancid power encased the chamber, an umbilical tether of blistered energy pulsing between Gribble's shrivelled heart and the curled abomination within its confining shell. By day, he would squat before his charge in reverent silence, nostrils flaring as he suckled the foetid air for subtle changes in the egg's vital rhythms, each tick of progress sending dark ecstasy shivering through his emaciated frame.
Now, as Gribble stood at the precipice of his grand design, his gaze lingered on the Grey Fur Beast crouched at his side, the end result of his tender madness. Primordial energies crackled through its ashen pelt, lambent eyes swirling with the promise of cataclysm unbound. No longer a mere beast, but an extension of Gribble's own unholy essence, a living testament to his unfettered will. The beast shifted its hulking frame, muscles rippling like serpents writhing beneath its hide, a low growl building in its barrel chest. Fangs gleamed in the guttering light, each ivory shard honed to eviscerate, to rend the offal from those who would dare stand against its master's grand aspirations. As if sensing Gribble's building bloodlust, the Grey Fur Beast's growl hitched into a eager whine, claws gouging furrows into the unyielding stone, its haunches tensing in anticipation of the oncoming slaughter. Gribble's lips peeled back in a rictus grin, a nightmare union of pride and sadistic glee, as he savored the intoxicating thrill of the hunt churning in his gut.
With an imperious sweep of his emaciated arm, Gribble urged his Dark Legion onward, the Grey Fur Beast falling into step at his side with predatory grace. Beyond the crumbling gates of the fallen dwarven kingdom, a world ripe for conquest beckoned, populated by the weak and ignorant, lambs bleating for the butcher's knife. The earth trembled beneath the relentless march of Gribble's unliving horde, each step an inexorable drumbeat of damnation. Soon, the fields would run red with the blood of the innocent, the skies aboil with the agonized screams of the dying. Gribble's name would become a curse upon the lips of the vanquished, a synonym for despair and unending torment. And from the ashes of this world, he would raise a new order, where hope withered and nightmares roamed unshackled. The Goblin King, scourge of the living, had begun his grim ascendancy, the Grey Fur Beast forever at his side, and woe betide any foolish enough to stand in their dread path. In the rotting bowels of Gribble's heart, a terrible joy unfurled, glutted on visions of the beautiful depredations to come. The world, in all its ripe fecundity, awaited his despoiling touch with bated breath, and he would gladly oblige its morbid desires.
submitted by Mysterious_Cat_1706 to HFY [link] [comments]
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Chapter 2: The Egg of Shadows
Gribble towered at the kingdom's entrance, robes lashing in the wind. Red eyes blazed with dark power, remnants of the Shadow Trent's powers surging through him. Necromantic energy crackled around his form. Gribble sneered, surveying the ranks of reanimated dwarven skeletons - his Dark Legion, raised from those slain by his own hand. Pride and cruel anticipation swelled in his chest as he beheld his gruesome handiwork, the once fierce dwarven warriors reduced to mindless thralls under his absolute dominion. Clawed fingers flexed with eagerness, dark forces gathering as Gribble prepared to unleash his vile horde upon the unsuspecting world beyond these mountainous confines.
Bony digits slashed the air. At Gribble's command, the Dark Legion surged forward, an avalanche of rattling bones and rusted armor, skeletal feet clattering against weathered stone. The discordant march reverberated through the cavernous depths of the desecrated dwarven stronghold, a macabre rhythm heralding the nightmares to come. Raw exultation pulsed through Gribble's veins as he bent the undead to his indomitable will, relishing the cold precision of their unholy unison, every jerking step propelling them toward the warm lands ripe for his bloody harvest. Shambling bones clacked and scraped, ancient weapons gripped in fleshless hands, as the abominations that once defended these halls now paraded from their defiled resting place at their master's behest, hungering to visit oblivion upon all who dared oppose his twisted desires.
As the final skeletal warrior lurched through the archway, movement flickered in the periphery. Gribble tensed, then relaxed as his loyal Grey Fur Beast emerged from the gloom to pad silently to his side. Otherworldly silver pelt shimmered in the faint light, belying its unnatural origins. Eyes smoldering with feral intelligence met Gribble's own, a profound understanding passing between master and monstrosity. Savage pride tugged Gribble's thin lips, gnarled hand coming to rest upon the beast's back, tracing the scars of their shared victories etched into ashen hide. Claws absently caressed rough fur, eliciting a rumbling purr that promised unflinching obedience and remorseless savagery. His most prized possession, birthed from the bloodshed of his greatest conquest. With the Dark Legion and his Grey Fur Beast heeling to his every whim, Gribble's legend would echo through eternity.
Memories stirred, cold mist and jagged stone. Gribble recalled that fateful day in the mountains, where destiny fell into his clutches. Exhaustion weighed upon his wiry frame, each step an agony, crimson rivulets painting his green flesh. But beneath the pain, triumph blazed, his greatest foe vanquished, the Shadow Trent's essence Even now, he could feel the monster's power thrumming through his body, every cell alight with stolen vitality. And there, nestled against an onyx boulder, his final prize awaited - an egg, large as a human skull, its shell shimmering with bewitching iridescence. Bands of silver undulated across its indigo surface like captured moonlight, ancient runes etched in the ever-shifting patterns. It called to him, a siren song tangling the threads of fate, beguiling him closer with unspoken promises of unfathomable might.
Claws scraped stone as Gribble knelt, scooping the egg into greedy palms. An icy tingle crept through his fingers, eldritch energies swirling within the calicified prison, as if tasting the blood and darkness permeating his aura. The shell pulsed against his flesh, strangely warm and vital, like a second heartbeat, sending a shudder down his twisted spine. Transfixed, Gribble studied the mesmerizing whorls, each elegant curve hinting at grandiose cosmic secrets. With every breath, the egg seemed to synchronize with his own, a tangible declaration that their destinies were now inextricably entwined. Here, cradled in his battered hands, lay the key to his deepest aspirations, a weapon to bring kingdoms to their knees, to carve his name into the weeping flesh of history.
Gribble's tongue flicked over jagged fangs, goblin instinct screaming to sate his hunger, to devour this treasure and gorge upon its power. Claws dug into the silver-veined shell, hairline fissures spidering across its surface. One squeeze, one brief exertion of his rage-fueled might, and it would shatter, warm ambrosia for his ascension spilling into his eager gullet. Sinew coiled beneath leprous skin, violence trembling through Gribble's gaunt frame, the egg's outraged resonance humming up his arms. Just one bite, and its secrets would slither down his throat, burning through his being until godhood churned in his belly. But Gribble denied his instincts, a deeper impulse staying his hand, whispering seductively in his mind's shadows. No, this prize was meant for greater things than a moment's indulgence. This egg would be his sacrament, the altar upon which worlds would burn.
Realization struck, a twist behind his ribs. This creature, this nascent god confined within its calcified womb, could be so much more than a mere feast. An image unfurled in Gribble's mind - a mighty beast, rippling with otherworldly menace, an extension of his own unholy will. Yes, this egg deserved his devotion, to be nurtured to terrifying fruition beneath his meticulous attention. Joyous shivers raced down his limbs at the thought, a perverse ecstasy at odds with his malignant soul. To shape such a being, to bind it to his very essence, awakened an emotion he had never before experienced - a yearning to create, to leave an indelible mark on existence. This creature would be his legacy, the womb that would birth a new age of uncompromising malevolence. In that moment, clutching his squirming prize to his bony chest, Gribble felt the mantle of destiny drape across his shoulders, heavy with the weight of prophecy fulfilled.
Gnarled digits curled protectively around the egg, the shell's nascent warmth bleeding into his calloused flesh. With every shuddering beat emanating from within, something unfamiliar stirred behind Gribble's jaundiced eyes - a flicker of compassion, an ember of empathy, fragile as a moth's wing. He, who had only known hatred and callous self-interest, suddenly found himself awash in an alien tenderness, a primal need to shelter the fragile life pulsing against his palm. It was as though a missing piece of his fractured psyche had clicked into alignment, a long-forgotten warmth rekindling in the wasteland of his soul. In this egg, he sensed a kindred spirit, a being as raw and hungry for purpose as himself. No longer merely a means to power, this egg represented a new beginning, a chance to carve out an identity beyond the caustic bile of bitterness and rage. Perhaps, in rearing this monstrosity, he might resurrect some vestige of his own stillborn humanity.
The Shadow Trent loomed large in Gribble's mind, a behemoth of writhing shadow and unfettered malevolence. It had been a horror beyond imagining, the mountain's black heart, spawned from the fevered nightmares of a sadistic god. He should have fled, cringed before its primordial might, yet the egg's siren call had spurred him onward, drawing his battered body inexorably to the beast's lair. The Ancient Tree towered over their battleground, its trunk wider than a giant's girth, scabrous bark drinking in the viscera misting the air. They had clashed beneath those twisting boughs, a frenzied ballet of fang and claw, each blow shaking the earth, dark magics screaming from rent flesh. Gribble had never known such agony, nor such vicious glee, than in those blood-soaked hours, his body a conduit for unimaginable energies, pain and power blurring into a rapturous whole. And when the abomination finally lay twitching at his feet, its shadowy form corroding, Gribble had torn into it with ravenous abandon, black ichor slopping down his chin as he glutted on its fading essence.
The moment the Shadow Trent's heart slid down his gullet, Gribble's world shattered in a paroxysm of infinite darkness. It was as though he had swallowed a dying star, stolen fire searing through his veins, rewriting his genetic tapestry. Charcoal sludge coursed through his twitching limbs, reshaping muscle and bone into an avatar of purest corruption. Images flooded his fracturing consciousness, the death agonies of civilizations, the visceral snap of a soul's moorings shredded by depraved sorceries. And through the tumult, one glorious realization crystalized - the Shadow Trent's necromantic essence now pulsed within his own blasphemous marrow. Death itself would bend to his desires, shackled to the obscene hungers of his unquiet mind. With a thought, he could beckon the grave to vomit forth its mouldering charges, the unquiet dead his eternal chattel. In that singular, glorious moment, as the last tatters of his mortality sloughed away, Gribble was reborn in an afterbirth of oozing shadows, a god of death swaddled in tattered flesh.
But even this apotheosis paled before the glories sleeping within the egg. Like a doting parent, Gribble ferried his precious cargo back to the twisting warrens of his subterranean demesnes. With his own gnarled hands, he excavated a chamber nestled deep within the mountain's rotting bowels, the earth parting before his crackling fingertips like diseased flesh. Into this pocket of gravid darkness, he sequestered the egg, a profane creche for his squirming godling. Chitterring incantations spewed from his cracked lips, guttural utterances thrumming with the agonized frequencies of shattered souls. Wards of rancid power encased the chamber, an umbilical tether of blistered energy pulsing between Gribble's shrivelled heart and the curled abomination within its confining shell. By day, he would squat before his charge in reverent silence, nostrils flaring as he suckled the foetid air for subtle changes in the egg's vital rhythms, each tick of progress sending dark ecstasy shivering through his emaciated frame.
Now, as Gribble stood at the precipice of his grand design, his gaze lingered on the Grey Fur Beast crouched at his side, the end result of his tender madness. Primordial energies crackled through its ashen pelt, lambent eyes swirling with the promise of cataclysm unbound. No longer a mere beast, but an extension of Gribble's own unholy essence, a living testament to his unfettered will. The beast shifted its hulking frame, muscles rippling like serpents writhing beneath its hide, a low growl building in its barrel chest. Fangs gleamed in the guttering light, each ivory shard honed to eviscerate, to rend the offal from those who would dare stand against its master's grand aspirations. As if sensing Gribble's building bloodlust, the Grey Fur Beast's growl hitched into a eager whine, claws gouging furrows into the unyielding stone, its haunches tensing in anticipation of the oncoming slaughter. Gribble's lips peeled back in a rictus grin, a nightmare union of pride and sadistic glee, as he savored the intoxicating thrill of the hunt churning in his gut.
With an imperious sweep of his emaciated arm, Gribble urged his Dark Legion onward, the Grey Fur Beast falling into step at his side with predatory grace. Beyond the crumbling gates of the fallen dwarven kingdom, a world ripe for conquest beckoned, populated by the weak and ignorant, lambs bleating for the butcher's knife. The earth trembled beneath the relentless march of Gribble's unliving horde, each step an inexorable drumbeat of damnation. Soon, the fields would run red with the blood of the innocent, the skies aboil with the agonized screams of the dying. Gribble's name would become a curse upon the lips of the vanquished, a synonym for despair and unending torment. And from the ashes of this world, he would raise a new order, where hope withered and nightmares roamed unshackled. The Goblin King, scourge of the living, had begun his grim ascendancy, the Grey Fur Beast forever at his side, and woe betide any foolish enough to stand in their dread path. In the rotting bowels of Gribble's heart, a terrible joy unfurled, glutted on visions of the beautiful depredations to come. The world, in all its ripe fecundity, awaited his despoiling touch with bated breath, and he would gladly oblige its morbid desires.
2024.06.05 05:32 The_Local_Vagabond M4F “I don’t think my neighbor is human…” Vampire RP
At first, it was barely noticeable. He said it was a blood disorder, that was why his health had this “roller coaster” effect. Some days he looked like a million bucks, a little cocky but definitely healthy. Other days? He looked like he’d just finished his third month of chemotherapy. Sickly, pale and scrawny but watching him move you could tell he was deceptively strong. Yet he always looked tired. Dark circles under his eyes explained away with the claim of chronic insomnia. You could hear him up all hours of the night, not making tons of noise but the occasional thud or footstep. We all noticed how standoffish he was, his brief interactions and rushed pleasantries always cut short. Though, no one seemed to have any problems with him or the small amount of noise he made. Some said he was a smack-head, smoking or shooting up god knows what and that’s why he was so weird. I used to think so too…but that’s when things got a little too weird.
He asked for help once, I find him in one of his more sickly states. The buildings elevator broken, he needed a hand climbing the stairs and entering his apartment. The first thing I noticed was how dark it was. All the windows and mirrors were covered with sheets. He claimed he was highly insecure about his body and hated seeing it. He also didn’t let me stay long, claiming he felt ill and wished to be left alone, kindly, but very insistent. Our other neighbour, Ms. Espinosa, had brought him dinner one night, worrying for the man and his sickly figure. But he’d basically thrown the plate after touching it, apologizing, he’d left in a hurry. Apparently, the plate had been lined with silver, something which now makes complete sense to me. Then? There was last night.
I was walking home late one night and startled by his voice. It started as a laugh, a deep, maniacal kind of laugh that sent shivers down the spine and set even the hardest of criminals on edge. “Hahaha, Oh buddy, you have no idea how badly you just screwed yourself.” I looked down the alley to find him and another man, the man having pointed a pistol right at his forehead. “Come on, pull the trigger. I wanna see the look in your eyes when-” The man muttered something before squeezing the trigger…and he CAUGHT the bullet in his TEETH! “Heh Heh Heh…there it is,” he said, spitting out the bullet. “Nothing quite like the look of pure terror in the eyes of a mortal.” He took a step towards the mugger before the mugger emptied his clip. Most of the bullets lodged in his body but he didn’t even flinch. One managed to ricochet right into my leg. “Dam…” My neighbor said under his breath. “Looks like our game got a little out of control. That’s too bad, I was starting to have a little fun with you.” My neighbor back handed the man, but the amount of force behind it sent the mugger flying into the wall. He picked the man up by the scruff of the neck and dragged him over to me. “Now, apologize,” he ordered, to which the mugger obeyed. “Good boy, now if you’ll excuse me miss.” My neighbor grabbed the mugger by the foot and dragged him back further into the darkness and out of sight. It was that moment that really solidified my worst fears, the sounds of an otherworldly being tearing the mugger limb from limb, ripping the flesh from his bones and I assume ate the remaining viscera only hammering the point home. This man, no, that’s just it, he’s NOT a man. I don’t even think he’s human!
The screams ended quickly, after a few seconds the squelches and gnashing of monstrous teeth turning meat to mulch ended as well. Then, the monster walked back into view as if nothing had happened at all. There was no blood, his clothes weren’t torn, hell, he seemed to look BETTER then before. Healthier, stronger, even his hair looked fresh, clean and well kept. He walked over to me, pulling his hood down and crouched down to my eye level. “Hey, so…you need an ambulance or?…”
Hello, had this idea to alter an old vampire character I had in mind. First off? I can’t stress enough that this character is very much omnipotent. To the point where there is very little he can’t do in one way or another, including dying. He’s very different then most vampire interpretations, being my own take on Hellsing Ultimates type of Vampire.
I am extremely open to whatever character you’d have in mind, Neighbour was just the first idea that came to mind. Landlord, Mailman, Jehovahs Witness, doesn’t really matter who you are as long as you come into contact and interact/befriend my character. Romance is an option, but not required.
Play with some ideas, come up with a character you think would play well with mine. The ONLY rule I really wish to implement? You character is HUMAN, not knowing any magic or possessing any power before meeting my character. Maybe that will change later on, but we’ll leave it open to discussion.
Made it this far? Awesome! Start your DM with your zodiac sign to prove it!
Oh, and here’s a few songs to kinda hammer home the sorta character I’m going for.
https://youtu.be/1snr9wqlfr8?si=5hZPmEbuenKoo64y
https://youtu.be/nuYSarZXzrE?si=TE8edColScn5oqhM
https://youtu.be/yXNRGv2bz60?si=ZBIJYnGlEb-B2r5r
submitted by The_Local_Vagabond to RoleplayPartnerSearch [link] [comments]
He asked for help once, I find him in one of his more sickly states. The buildings elevator broken, he needed a hand climbing the stairs and entering his apartment. The first thing I noticed was how dark it was. All the windows and mirrors were covered with sheets. He claimed he was highly insecure about his body and hated seeing it. He also didn’t let me stay long, claiming he felt ill and wished to be left alone, kindly, but very insistent. Our other neighbour, Ms. Espinosa, had brought him dinner one night, worrying for the man and his sickly figure. But he’d basically thrown the plate after touching it, apologizing, he’d left in a hurry. Apparently, the plate had been lined with silver, something which now makes complete sense to me. Then? There was last night.
I was walking home late one night and startled by his voice. It started as a laugh, a deep, maniacal kind of laugh that sent shivers down the spine and set even the hardest of criminals on edge. “Hahaha, Oh buddy, you have no idea how badly you just screwed yourself.” I looked down the alley to find him and another man, the man having pointed a pistol right at his forehead. “Come on, pull the trigger. I wanna see the look in your eyes when-” The man muttered something before squeezing the trigger…and he CAUGHT the bullet in his TEETH! “Heh Heh Heh…there it is,” he said, spitting out the bullet. “Nothing quite like the look of pure terror in the eyes of a mortal.” He took a step towards the mugger before the mugger emptied his clip. Most of the bullets lodged in his body but he didn’t even flinch. One managed to ricochet right into my leg. “Dam…” My neighbor said under his breath. “Looks like our game got a little out of control. That’s too bad, I was starting to have a little fun with you.” My neighbor back handed the man, but the amount of force behind it sent the mugger flying into the wall. He picked the man up by the scruff of the neck and dragged him over to me. “Now, apologize,” he ordered, to which the mugger obeyed. “Good boy, now if you’ll excuse me miss.” My neighbor grabbed the mugger by the foot and dragged him back further into the darkness and out of sight. It was that moment that really solidified my worst fears, the sounds of an otherworldly being tearing the mugger limb from limb, ripping the flesh from his bones and I assume ate the remaining viscera only hammering the point home. This man, no, that’s just it, he’s NOT a man. I don’t even think he’s human!
The screams ended quickly, after a few seconds the squelches and gnashing of monstrous teeth turning meat to mulch ended as well. Then, the monster walked back into view as if nothing had happened at all. There was no blood, his clothes weren’t torn, hell, he seemed to look BETTER then before. Healthier, stronger, even his hair looked fresh, clean and well kept. He walked over to me, pulling his hood down and crouched down to my eye level. “Hey, so…you need an ambulance or?…”
Hello, had this idea to alter an old vampire character I had in mind. First off? I can’t stress enough that this character is very much omnipotent. To the point where there is very little he can’t do in one way or another, including dying. He’s very different then most vampire interpretations, being my own take on Hellsing Ultimates type of Vampire.
I am extremely open to whatever character you’d have in mind, Neighbour was just the first idea that came to mind. Landlord, Mailman, Jehovahs Witness, doesn’t really matter who you are as long as you come into contact and interact/befriend my character. Romance is an option, but not required.
Play with some ideas, come up with a character you think would play well with mine. The ONLY rule I really wish to implement? You character is HUMAN, not knowing any magic or possessing any power before meeting my character. Maybe that will change later on, but we’ll leave it open to discussion.
Made it this far? Awesome! Start your DM with your zodiac sign to prove it!
Oh, and here’s a few songs to kinda hammer home the sorta character I’m going for.
https://youtu.be/1snr9wqlfr8?si=5hZPmEbuenKoo64y
https://youtu.be/nuYSarZXzrE?si=TE8edColScn5oqhM
https://youtu.be/yXNRGv2bz60?si=ZBIJYnGlEb-B2r5r
2024.06.05 05:32 The_Local_Vagabond M4F “I don’t think my neighbor is human…” Vampire RP
At first, it was barely noticeable. He said it was a blood disorder, that was why his health had this “roller coaster” effect. Some days he looked like a million bucks, a little cocky but definitely healthy. Other days? He looked like he’d just finished his third month of chemotherapy. Sickly, pale and scrawny but watching him move you could tell he was deceptively strong. Yet he always looked tired. Dark circles under his eyes explained away with the claim of chronic insomnia. You could hear him up all hours of the night, not making tons of noise but the occasional thud or footstep. We all noticed how standoffish he was, his brief interactions and rushed pleasantries always cut short. Though, no one seemed to have any problems with him or the small amount of noise he made. Some said he was a smack-head, smoking or shooting up god knows what and that’s why he was so weird. I used to think so too…but that’s when things got a little too weird.
He asked for help once, I find him in one of his more sickly states. The buildings elevator broken, he needed a hand climbing the stairs and entering his apartment. The first thing I noticed was how dark it was. All the windows and mirrors were covered with sheets. He claimed he was highly insecure about his body and hated seeing it. He also didn’t let me stay long, claiming he felt ill and wished to be left alone, kindly, but very insistent. Our other neighbour, Ms. Espinosa, had brought him dinner one night, worrying for the man and his sickly figure. But he’d basically thrown the plate after touching it, apologizing, he’d left in a hurry. Apparently, the plate had been lined with silver, something which now makes complete sense to me. Then? There was last night.
I was walking home late one night and startled by his voice. It started as a laugh, a deep, maniacal kind of laugh that sent shivers down the spine and set even the hardest of criminals on edge. “Hahaha, Oh buddy, you have no idea how badly you just screwed yourself.” I looked down the alley to find him and another man, the man having pointed a pistol right at his forehead. “Come on, pull the trigger. I wanna see the look in your eyes when-” The man muttered something before squeezing the trigger…and he CAUGHT the bullet in his TEETH! “Heh Heh Heh…there it is,” he said, spitting out the bullet. “Nothing quite like the look of pure terror in the eyes of a mortal.” He took a step towards the mugger before the mugger emptied his clip. Most of the bullets lodged in his body but he didn’t even flinch. One managed to ricochet right into my leg. “Dam…” My neighbor said under his breath. “Looks like our game got a little out of control. That’s too bad, I was starting to have a little fun with you.” My neighbor back handed the man, but the amount of force behind it sent the mugger flying into the wall. He picked the man up by the scruff of the neck and dragged him over to me. “Now, apologize,” he ordered, to which the mugger obeyed. “Good boy, now if you’ll excuse me miss.” My neighbor grabbed the mugger by the foot and dragged him back further into the darkness and out of sight. It was that moment that really solidified my worst fears, the sounds of an otherworldly being tearing the mugger limb from limb, ripping the flesh from his bones and I assume ate the remaining viscera only hammering the point home. This man, no, that’s just it, he’s NOT a man. I don’t even think he’s human!
The screams ended quickly, after a few seconds the squelches and gnashing of monstrous teeth turning meat to mulch ended as well. Then, the monster walked back into view as if nothing had happened at all. There was no blood, his clothes weren’t torn, hell, he seemed to look BETTER then before. Healthier, stronger, even his hair looked fresh, clean and well kept. He walked over to me, pulling his hood down and crouched down to my eye level. “Hey, so…you need an ambulance or?…”
Hello, had this idea to alter an old vampire character I had in mind. First off? I can’t stress enough that this character is very much omnipotent. To the point where there is very little he can’t do in one way or another, including dying. He’s very different then most vampire interpretations, being my own take on Hellsing Ultimates type of Vampire.
I am extremely open to whatever character you’d have in mind, Neighbour was just the first idea that came to mind. Landlord, Mailman, Jehovahs Witness, doesn’t really matter who you are as long as you come into contact and interact/befriend my character. Romance is an option, but not required.
Play with some ideas, come up with a character you think would play well with mine. The ONLY rule I really wish to implement? You character is HUMAN, not knowing any magic or possessing any power before meeting my character. Maybe that will change later on, but we’ll leave it open to discussion.
Made it this far? Awesome! Start your DM with your zodiac sign to prove it!
Oh, and here’s a few songs to kinda hammer home the sorta character I’m going for.
https://youtu.be/1snr9wqlfr8?si=5hZPmEbuenKoo64y
https://youtu.be/nuYSarZXzrE?si=TE8edColScn5oqhM
https://youtu.be/yXNRGv2bz60?si=ZBIJYnGlEb-B2r5r
submitted by The_Local_Vagabond to roleplaying [link] [comments]
He asked for help once, I find him in one of his more sickly states. The buildings elevator broken, he needed a hand climbing the stairs and entering his apartment. The first thing I noticed was how dark it was. All the windows and mirrors were covered with sheets. He claimed he was highly insecure about his body and hated seeing it. He also didn’t let me stay long, claiming he felt ill and wished to be left alone, kindly, but very insistent. Our other neighbour, Ms. Espinosa, had brought him dinner one night, worrying for the man and his sickly figure. But he’d basically thrown the plate after touching it, apologizing, he’d left in a hurry. Apparently, the plate had been lined with silver, something which now makes complete sense to me. Then? There was last night.
I was walking home late one night and startled by his voice. It started as a laugh, a deep, maniacal kind of laugh that sent shivers down the spine and set even the hardest of criminals on edge. “Hahaha, Oh buddy, you have no idea how badly you just screwed yourself.” I looked down the alley to find him and another man, the man having pointed a pistol right at his forehead. “Come on, pull the trigger. I wanna see the look in your eyes when-” The man muttered something before squeezing the trigger…and he CAUGHT the bullet in his TEETH! “Heh Heh Heh…there it is,” he said, spitting out the bullet. “Nothing quite like the look of pure terror in the eyes of a mortal.” He took a step towards the mugger before the mugger emptied his clip. Most of the bullets lodged in his body but he didn’t even flinch. One managed to ricochet right into my leg. “Dam…” My neighbor said under his breath. “Looks like our game got a little out of control. That’s too bad, I was starting to have a little fun with you.” My neighbor back handed the man, but the amount of force behind it sent the mugger flying into the wall. He picked the man up by the scruff of the neck and dragged him over to me. “Now, apologize,” he ordered, to which the mugger obeyed. “Good boy, now if you’ll excuse me miss.” My neighbor grabbed the mugger by the foot and dragged him back further into the darkness and out of sight. It was that moment that really solidified my worst fears, the sounds of an otherworldly being tearing the mugger limb from limb, ripping the flesh from his bones and I assume ate the remaining viscera only hammering the point home. This man, no, that’s just it, he’s NOT a man. I don’t even think he’s human!
The screams ended quickly, after a few seconds the squelches and gnashing of monstrous teeth turning meat to mulch ended as well. Then, the monster walked back into view as if nothing had happened at all. There was no blood, his clothes weren’t torn, hell, he seemed to look BETTER then before. Healthier, stronger, even his hair looked fresh, clean and well kept. He walked over to me, pulling his hood down and crouched down to my eye level. “Hey, so…you need an ambulance or?…”
Hello, had this idea to alter an old vampire character I had in mind. First off? I can’t stress enough that this character is very much omnipotent. To the point where there is very little he can’t do in one way or another, including dying. He’s very different then most vampire interpretations, being my own take on Hellsing Ultimates type of Vampire.
I am extremely open to whatever character you’d have in mind, Neighbour was just the first idea that came to mind. Landlord, Mailman, Jehovahs Witness, doesn’t really matter who you are as long as you come into contact and interact/befriend my character. Romance is an option, but not required.
Play with some ideas, come up with a character you think would play well with mine. The ONLY rule I really wish to implement? You character is HUMAN, not knowing any magic or possessing any power before meeting my character. Maybe that will change later on, but we’ll leave it open to discussion.
Made it this far? Awesome! Start your DM with your zodiac sign to prove it!
Oh, and here’s a few songs to kinda hammer home the sorta character I’m going for.
https://youtu.be/1snr9wqlfr8?si=5hZPmEbuenKoo64y
https://youtu.be/nuYSarZXzrE?si=TE8edColScn5oqhM
https://youtu.be/yXNRGv2bz60?si=ZBIJYnGlEb-B2r5r
2024.06.05 04:09 RichRegards Don’t comment / like if you’re worried
Sorry but are yall farming likes and post recognition or really just scared to death? Fact is you’re spreading the word to a group that is holding. Take your insecurities and go to other channels to bring attention. The silver backs and grand daddy purps are not selling out, no reason to. The big players are here. They’re watching. They understand the game doesn’t require constant reassurance for the apes in this sub. If you’re worried about your position don’t nt waste your time telling everyone here about it. Go do your marketing elsewhere, it will make you feel better. I’m holding. Were holding. Stop wasting your posts on us.
submitted by RichRegards to FFIE [link] [comments]
2024.06.05 03:00 wtfwafflezor (Selling) 550 Titles A Quiet Place Vudu 4K $3.50 & HD $1.50 Deadpool iTunes 4K $1.50
Prices FIRM - CashApp/Venmo/PayPal Friends & Family
Disney/Marvel titles are split codes. Only redeem what you pay for. Thank you.
12 Years a Slave (2013) (MA/HD) $3.25
1917 (2019) (MA/4K) $5.50 (MA/HD) $3
2 Guns (2013) (MA/HD) $4.75 (iTunes/HD) $3.50
21 Bridges (2019) (iTunes/4K) $3
3 From Hell (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $3.25
A Bug's Life (1998) (MA/HD) (iTunes/4K) $7.50
A Cure for Wellness (2017) (MA/HD) $4
A Dog's Purpose (2017) (MA/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $2.50
A Monster Calls (2016) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
A Most Wanted Man (2014) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
A Quiet Place (2018) (Vudu/4K) $3.50 (iTunes/4K) $2 (Vudu/HD) $1.50
A Quiet Place Part II (2020) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6.50
A United Kingdom (2016) (MA/HD) $5
A Vigilante (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.50
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) (MA/HD) $3.75
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) (MA/HD) $5.50
Adventures of Tintin (2011) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4
After Earth (2013) (MA/HD) $2.25
Aladdin (1992) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $3.25 (GP/HD) $2.25
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) (MA/HD) $5 (GP/HD) $3.50
Alien Collection 1-6 (MA/HD) $19.50
Alien Resurrection (1997) (MA/HD) $5.50
Alien: Covenant (2017) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.25
Alita: Battle Angel (2019) (MA/4K) $5 (MA/HD) $3.25
All Eyez on Me (2017) (Vudu/HD) $2.50 (iTunes/HD) $1.75
All is Lost (2013) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
All The Money In The World (2017) (MA/HD) $3.75
Allied (2016) (iTunes/4K) $4.50 (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Aloha (2015) (MA/HD) $2.50
Alpha (2018) (MA/HD) $3.50
Amazing Spider-Man (2012) (MA/HD) $4
American Made (2017) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $3.50
American Underdog (2021) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) (Vudu/HD) $2.75 (iTunes/HD) $2
Angel of Mine (2019) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.25
Angels & Demons (2009) (MA/4K) $6.50
Anna (2019) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $4.25
Annabelle (2014) (MA/4K) $6.50
Antlers (2021) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) (MA/4K) $7.50 (iTunes/4K) $6 (GP/HD) $3
Arctic (2019) (MA/HD) $5
Arrival (2016) (Vudu/4K) $6.75 (Vudu/HD) $2 (iTunes/4K) $4
Art of Racing in The Rain (MA/HD) $5.25
Art of Self-Defense (2019) (MA/HD) $5.75
Atomic Blonde (2017) (MA/4K) $4.75 (iTunes/4K) $3.50 (MA/HD) $2.25
Avengers Collection 1-4 (MA/HD) $20 (GP/HD) $7.75
Back to the Future (1985) (MA/HD) $4
Bad Boys Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $12
Bad Moms (2016) (MA/HD) $3.25 (iTunes/HD) $2.25
Bad Santa (2003) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Bambi (1942) (MA/HD) $5.75 (GP/HD) $4.25
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Beauty and the Beast (2017) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $3.25 (GP/HD) $2
Before Midnight (2013) (MA/HD) $6
Beirut (2018) (MA/HD) $4
Ben-Hur (2016) (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Better Off Dead (1985) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $6.50
Big Hero 6 (2014) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $1.50
Big Short (2015) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3
Big Wedding (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Billy Elliot (2000) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.25
Birds of Prey (2020) (MA/4K) $2.75 (MA/HD) $1.25
Birth of A Nation (2016) (MA/HD) $3.75
Birth of the Dragon (2017) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.25
Black Panther (2018) (MA/4K) $6 (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $1.75
Black Phone, The (2021) (MA/HD) $4.50
Black Widow (2021) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
Bleed for This (2016) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Blood Father (2016) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Bond: Skyfall (2012) (Vudu/HD) $1
Bonnie & Clyde: Mini-Series (2013) (Vudu/HD) $8
Book of Life (2014) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Boss Baby (2017) & Family Business (2021) (MA/HD) $5.50
Bourne Collection 1-5 (MA/4K) $25 (iTunes/4K) $18 (MA/HD) $14
Bourne Ultimatum (2007) (MA/HD) $4
Boy, The (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.50
Breach (2020) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.25
Breaking In (Unrated) (2018) (MA/HD) $4.75
Bridge of Spies (2015) (MA/HD) $5 (GP/HD) $3.50
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4
Brightburn (2019) (MA/4K) $7.50 (MA/HD) $6.75
Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack (2017) (MA/HD) $3.25 (iTunes/HD) $1.25
Brooklyn (2015) (MA/HD) (iTunes/4K) $5.25
Buttons: A Christmas Tale (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Cabin in the Woods (2012) (iTunes/4K) $2.75 (Vudu/HD) $2
Candyman (2020) (MA/HD) $4.75
Captain America: Civil War (2016) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $2.25
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) (MA/4K) $8 (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $4.50
Captain Phillips (2013) (MA/HD) $4.50
Card Counter, The (2021) (MA/HD) $4.75
Carrie (2013) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Case for Christ, The (2017) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Change-Up, The (2011) (Unrated) (2011) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $5.50
Charlie's Angels (2000) (MA/4K) $6.50
Chasing Amy (1997) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Chicago (2002) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) (Vudu/HD) $6.75
Choice, The (2016) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3
Christopher Robin (2018) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
Chronicle (2012) (MA/HD) $4
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002) (MA/HD) $6.50 (GP/HD) $5
Citizenfour (2014) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
City of Lies (2018) (iTunes/HD) $5.50
Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) (MA/HD) $3.50
Coco (2017) (MA/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) $5.25 (GP/HD) $2.25
Collateral (2004) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $7.25
Coming to America (1988) (Vudu/4K) $4.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Commuter (2018) (Vudu/4K) $5.75 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Copshop (2021) (MA/HD) $6.75
Cowboys and Aliens (2011) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $2.50
Crawl (2019) (Vudu/HD) $3 (iTunes/4K) $3.75
Croods (2013) & A New Age (2020) (MA/HD) $6.25
Croods (2013) (MA/HD) $3
Cruella (2021) (MA/4K) $5.50 (MA/HD) $3.50 (GP/HD) $2.50
Current War: Director's Cut (2019) (MA/HD) $6.50
Daddy's Home 2 (2017) (Vudu/4K) $4.25 (iTunes/4K) $2 (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Dances With Wolves (1990) (Vudu/HD) $6
Dark Tower (2017) (MA/HD) $2.75
Darkest Hour (2017) (MA/HD) $2.75
Darkest Minds, The (2018) (MA/HD) $4.25
Deadpool (2016) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $1.50
Deadpool 2 (2018) (MA/HD) $3
Dear Evan Hansen (2021) (MA/HD) $3.75
Death Wish (2018) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Deepwater Horizon (2016) (Vudu/4K) $4.75 (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Dentist Collection 1-2 (1996-1998) (Vudu/HD) $5
Despicable Me Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $12.50
Detroit (2017) (iTunes/4K) Ports to MA $4.50
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) (MA/HD) $4.25
Die Hard (1988) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $4
Die Hard 1-5 (MA/HD) $15 $4.75 Each
Disaster Artist, The (2017) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Django Unchained (2012) (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Do the Right Thing (1989) (MA/4K) $5.75
Dolittle (2020) (MA/HD) $3.25
Downsizing (2017) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.25
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (iTunes/4K) $5.25 (MA/HD) $5
Draft Day (2014) (Vudu/HD) $3.25 (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Dragonheart Collection 1-5 (MA/HD) $14
Dredd (2012) (Vudu/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.25
Dumbo (2019) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $5.25 (GP/HD) $2.50
Dying of the Light (2014) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Early Man (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $4.75
Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) (Vudu/HD) $5
Edward Scissorhands (1990) (MA/HD) $3
Elysium (2013) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $3
Empire Records (1995) (MA/HD) $5.75
Enough Said (2013) (MA/HD) $3
Escape from Planet Earth (2013) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Eternals (2021) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $2.75
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $3.50
Expendables 1-3 (Vudu/4K) $15 (Vudu/HD) $4.75
F9: The Fast Saga + Director's Cut (2021) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $4.50
Fahrenheit 451 (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
Fantastic Four (2015) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4
Fast & Furious Collection 1-10 (MA/4K) $28 1-9 (MA/HD) $10
Fast X (2023) (MA/HD) $5.25
Fatherhood (2021) (MA/HD) $3.50
Fault in Our Stars (2014) (MA/HD) $1.50
Fences (2016) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.75
Fifty Shades of Grey + Unrated (2015) (MA/4K) $5.25 Unrated (MA/4K) $4.75
Fifty Shades of Grey 3-Movie + Unrated (MA/HD) $9.75
Finest Hours, The (2016) (MA/HD) $6.25 (GP/HD) $3.75
Flatliners (2017) (MA/HD) $4.25
Ford v Ferrari (2019) (MA/HD) $4.50
Forever Purge (2021) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $5.50
Forrest Gump (1994) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Fox and the Hound (1981) (MA/HD) $6.25 (GP/HD) $4.75
Foxcatcher (2014) (MA/HD) $3.75
Frank & Lola (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.50
Free Guy (2021) (MA/4K) $7.25 (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
French Dispatch (2021) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
Fury (2014) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $3.25
Future World (2018) (Vudu/HD) $4
Gangs of New York (2002) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.25
Ghostbusters (1984) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $3.50
Girl In The Spider's Web (2018) (MA/HD) $4
Girl on the Train (2016) (iTunes/4K) $2 (MA/HD) $2.25
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) (MA/HD) $6
Godfather Trilogy (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $14
Gods of Egypt (2016) (Vudu/HD) $2
Gone Girl (2014) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5.50
Good Dinosaur (2015) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5.25 (GP/HD) $2.75
Goosebumps (2015) (MA/HD) $4.75
Goosebumps 2 (2018) (MA/HD) $6.25
Gotti (2018) (Vudu/HD) $3
Grace Unplugged (2013) (Vudu/HD) $5.25
Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) (MA/HD) $3.75
Grease (1978), 2 (1982), Live! (2016) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $14
Green Book (2018) (MA/HD) $4.50
Grey, The (2012) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Grinch (2018) (MA/HD) $6.25
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) (MA/4K) $7.25 (iTunes/4K) $4.75 (MA/HD) $4 (GP/HD) $1.75
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $1.25
Guilt Trip (2012) (Vudu/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $1.75
Hacksaw Ridge (2016) (Vudu/4K) $4.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Hail, Caesar! (2016) (MA/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $2
Halloween (2018) (MA/4K) $6 (MA/HD) $3.50
Hands of Stone (2016) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Hateful Eight (2015) (Vudu/HD) $2
Heat, The (2013) (MA/HD) $2.25 (iTunes/SD) $1
Heat: Director's Definitive Edition (1995) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $4.75
Heaven is for Real (2014) (MA/HD) $2.50
Hercules (1997) (MA/HD) $6.50
Hercules (2014) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.50
Here Comes the Boom (2012) (MA/HD) $4
Hereditary (2018) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Hitman's Bodyguard (2017) (Vudu/4K) $5.75 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Holiday Inn (1942) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Holiday, The (2006) (MA/4K) $6.50
Holmes And Watson (2018) (MA/HD) $3.50
Home (2015) (MA/HD) $2
Home Alone (1990) (MA/HD) $3.50
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) (MA/HD) $3.50
Home Alone Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $6.50
Hook (1991) (MA/4K) $6.50
Hop (2011) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3
Hot Fuzz (2007) (MA/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/4K) $4
Hotel Mumbai (2019) (MA/HD) $4.25
Hotel Transylvania Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $16
House of 1,000 Corpses (2003), Devil's Rejects (2005), 3 From Hell (2019) (Vudu/HD) $6
How to Train Your Dragon Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $7.50
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $3.75
Howard the Duck (1986) (MA/4K) $6.75
Hugo (2011) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Humans, The (2021) (Vudu/HD) $6.25
Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) (MA/HD) $6.50 (GP/HD) $5
Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) (MA/HD) $6.50 (GP/HD) $5
Hunger Games Collection 1-4 (Vudu/HD) $6
Hunter Killer (2018) (Vudu/4K) $5.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3
Huntsman: Winter's War - Extended Edition (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.75
Hurricane Heist (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $3.50
I Feel Pretty (2018) (iTunes/HD) $1
Ice Age (2002) (MA/HD) $4.25
Ice Age Collection 1-5 (MA/SD) $16
Ice Age: Collision Course (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $3.75
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) (MA/HD) $5.25
Imitation Game, The (2014) (Vudu/HD) $3.25
Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks (2017) (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Incredibles (2004) (iTunes/4K) $6 (GP/HD) $4.50
Incredibles 2 (2018) (MA/4K) $6.25 (iTunes/4K) $4.50 (GP/HD) $2
Independence Day: Resurgence (2014) (iTunes/4K) $2 (MA/HD) $1.50
Indiana Jones Collection 1-4 (Vudu/4K) $24 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $20
Indivisible (2018) (MA/HD) $5
Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete (2013) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Inferno (2016) (MA/HD) $3
Infinite (2021) (Vudu/4K) $5.50 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Instructions Not Included (2013) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Interview, The (2014) (MA/HD) $3.25
Iron Man 1-3 (iTunes/4K) $16 (GP/HD) $7.50
Iron Man 2 (2010) (MA/4K) $7.25 (iTunes/4K) $6.50 (GP/HD) $3
Iron Man 3 (2013) (iTunes/4K) $3 (MA/HD) $2.25 (GP/HD) $1.50
It Follows (2015) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) (Vudu/4K) $5.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.75
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Jason Bourne (2016) (MA/4K) $5.25 (iTunes/4K) $3.50 (MA/HD) $3
Jaws (1975) Jaws 2 (1978) Jaws 3 (1983) Jaws: The Revenge (1987) (MA/HD) $15.50
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.50
Jerry Maguire (1996) (MA/4K) $6.50
Jigsaw (2017) (Vudu/4K) $4.75 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2
Jingle All the Way (1996) (MA/HD) $6
JOBS (2013) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
John Wick Collection 1-3 (Vudu/4K) $16 (iTunes/4K) $14.50 (Vudu/HD) $8
Jumanji: Next Level (2019) & Welcome to the Jungle (2017) (MA/HD) $7
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2017) (MA/4K) $5 (MA/HD) $2 (MA/SD) $1
Jungle Book (1967) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $4
Jungle Book (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5 (GP/HD) $2.75
Jungle Cruise (2021) (MA/4K) $5.50 (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $3
Jurassic Park (1993) (MA/4K) $4.75 (iTunes/4K) $3.50 (MA/HD) $2.75
Jurassic Park III (2001) (MA/HD) (iTunes/4K) $3.75
Jurassic Park: The Lost World (1997) (MA/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) $3.50 (MA/HD) $2.75
Jurassic World (2015) (MA/4K) $4.50 (iTunes/4K) $3.50 (MA/HD) $2.50
Jurassic World Collection 1-5 (MA/4K) $19 (iTunes/4K) $17.50 (MA/HD) $8.50
Jurassic World Collection 1-6 (MA/HD) $11
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) (MA/4K) $4.75 (MA/HD) $1.75
Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Kick-Ass 2 (2013) (MA/HD) $5.25 (iTunes/HD) $5
Kid Who Would Be King (2019) (MA/HD) $4.50
Kid, The (2019) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $4.75
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) (Vudu/HD) $6.75
Killer Elite (2011) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.25
Killerman (2019) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Killing Kennedy (2013) (MA/HD) $6
King Kong (2005) (MA/4K) $5.25 (iTunes/4K) $3.75 (MA/HD) $3.50
King's Man (2021) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.75
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4.25
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) (MA/HD) $3
Labor Day (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure (2001) (MA/HD) $7 (GP/HD) $5.50
Last Duel, The (2021) (MA/HD) $5.25 (GP/HD) $4
Last Vegas (2013) (MA/HD) $3
Last Witch Hunter (2015) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.50
Leap! (2017) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.25
Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Legend of Hercules (2014) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3
Les Miserables (2012) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Let's Be Cops (2014) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.50
Life (2017) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $2.50
Like A Boss (2020) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $3.50
Lilo & Stitch (2002) & Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) (MA/HD) $9.50 (GP/HD) $5.50
Lion King (1994) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $2.75
Lion King (2019) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $4 (GP/HD) $1.25
Lion King 1 1/2 (2004) (MA/HD) $6.50
Little Mermaid (1989) (MA/4K) $7 (iTunes/4K) $5 (GP/HD) $3.25
Little Monsters (1989) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Logan (2017) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.50
Lone Ranger (2013) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $2.50
Lone Survivor (2013) (MA/4K) $6.25 (iTunes/4K) $2 (MA/HD) $1.50
Longest Ride (2015) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $1.25
Looper (2012) (MA/HD) $2.75
Lords of Salem, The (2012) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Luca (2021) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $3.25
Lucy (2014) (MA/HD) $2
Madagascar Collection 1-4 (MA/HD) $15
Mama (2013) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.25
Man on a Ledge (2012) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6.25
Mary Poppins (1964) (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $2.75
Maze Runner (2014) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5.25
Maze Runner Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $14.50
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018) (MA/HD) $5.50
Mechanic: Resurrection (2016) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3
Meg Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $8.50
Men in Black Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $14.50
MIB: International (2019) (MA/4K) $5.50 (MA/HD) $4.50
Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $4.50
Million Dollar Arm (2014) (MA/HD) $4 (GP/HD) $3
Minions (2015) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.50
Miracles From Heaven (2016) (MA/HD) $4
Missing Link (2019) (MA/HD) $5
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $7
Mission: Impossible Collection 1-6 (iTunes/4K) $20 (Vudu/HD) $18
Mitchells Vs. The Machines (2021) (MA/HD) $4.25
Moneyball (2011) (MA/HD) $2.50
Monster Hunter (2020) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $4
Monster Trucks (2016) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Monster's Ball (2001) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Monsters University (2013) (MA/4K) $6.75 (iTunes/4K) $5.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) (MA/4K) $6.75
Monuments Men (2014) (MA/HD) $2
Mortal Engines (2018) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $3.50
Motherless Brooklyn (2019) (MA/HD) $3.50
Mother's Day (2016) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.75
Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) (MA/HD) $3.50
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) (MA/HD) $5
Mulan (1998) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $5 (GP/HD) $3
Mulan (2020) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $4 (GP/HD) $2.25
Mulan 2 (2005) (MA/HD) $3.75
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.75
My Dinner with Herve (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $2.75
Never Grow Old (2019) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Night at the Museum 3-Movie (MA/HD) $11.50
Night School (Extended Cut) (2018) (MA/HD) $4.25
Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $3.50
Noah (2014) (Vudu/HD) $1.75 (iTunes/HD) $1.50
Nun 2 (2023) (MA/HD) $5.75
Office Christmas Party (2016) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Olaf's Frozen Adventure Plus 6 Disney Tales (2017) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
Oliver! (1968) (MA/4K) $6.50
Olympus Has Fallen (2013) (MA/HD) $5
One Direction: This is Us + Extended Fan Edition (2013) (MA/HD) $3.25
Oranges, The (2011) (MA/HD) $4.50
Other Woman (2014) $4.25
Ouija (2014) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Paper Towns (2011) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4.25
ParaNorman (2012) (iTunes/HD) $5
Parasite (2019) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $4.50
Patriots Day (2017) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Paul (2011) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) (MA/HD) $3.75
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) (MA/HD) $2.25
Pet Sematary (2019) (Vudu/4K) $4 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Peter Pan: Return to Neverland (2002) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $4.50
Peter Rabbit (2018) & 2 (2021) (MA/HD) $7.50
Peter Rabbit 2 (2021) (MA/HD) $4
Phantom Thread (2017) (MA/HD) $3.75
Pinocchio (1940) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3.75
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $2.75 (GP/HD) $1.50
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) (MA/HD) $2.50 (iTunes/4K) $3.50
Pitch Perfect Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $11.50
Planet of the Apes 1-3 (Newer) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $11
Playing with Fire (2019) (iTunes/4K) $1.50 (Vudu/HD) $2
Pocahontas (1995) (MA/HD) $6.25
Pompeii (2014) (MA/HD) $3.25
Power Rangers (2017) (iTunes/4K) $3 (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Predator (2018) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $3.50
Premium Rush (2012) (MA/HD) $3.25
Pretty in Pink (1986) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Priceless (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.50
Prince of Egypt (2002) (MA/HD) $6
Prodigy (2019) (Vudu/HD) $5
Prometheus (2012) (MA/HD) $1.75
Proud Mary (2018) (MA/HD) $4
Pulp Fiction (1994) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $5.25 (Vudu/HD) $4
Purge Collection 1-4 (MA/HD) $14
Purge, The (2013) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.75
Puss in Boots (2011) (MA/4K) $6.50
Quantum of Solace (2008) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Queen of Katwe (2016) (MA/HD) $3 (GP/HD) $2.25
R.I.P.D. (2013) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3
Rambo Collection 1-5 (Vudu/HD) $12.50
Rampage (2018) (MA/4K) $6.50
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $2.50
Red 2 (2013) (Vudu/4K) $5.75 (iTunes/4K) $3.25 (Vudu/HD) $1.50
Red Dawn (2012) (Vudu/HD) $5.25 (iTunes/SD) $2
Red Sparrow (2018) (MA/HD) $3.75
Replicas (2019) (Vudu/4K) $5
Rescuers Down Under (1990) (MA/HD) $5.75 (GP/HD) $4
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) (MA/HD) $2.25
Revenant, The (2015) (MA/4K) $5 (iTunes/4K) $3.75
Rhythm Section (2020) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4
Ricki And The Flash (2015) (MA/HD) $4.50
Riddick Collection 1-3 (Unrated) (MA/HD) $13.50
Ride Along 1-2 (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5 $2.75 Each
Rings (2017) (Vudu/HD) $2.75 (iTunes/HD) $1.50
Rio (2011) (MA/HD) $5.75
Rio 2 (2014) (MA/HD) $2
Rise of the Guardians (2012) (MA/HD) $3
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2010) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5.75
Risen (2016) (MA/HD) $4.50
Robin Hood (2010) (MA/4K) $6
Robin Hood (Animated) (1973) (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $2.75
Rock Dog (2016) (Vudu/HD) $4
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) (MA/HD) $3.50
Russell Madness (2015) (MA/HD) $3.75
Safe (2012) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $1.75
Same Kind of Different as Me (2017) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2
Sausage Party (2016) (MA/HD) $4.75
Savages (2012) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $2.25
Saving Mr. Banks (2013) (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $2.50
Saw Collection 1-7 (Vudu/HD) $9.75
Scary Movie Collection 1-3 (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $13.50
Schindler's List (1993) (MA/HD) $4.50
Scoob (2020) (MA/4K) $3
Scream (1996) (Vudu/4K) $6
Scream Collection 1-3 (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $13.50
Second Act (2018) (iTunes/HD) $1.50
Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $5.25
Secret Life of Pets Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $7.25
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.50
Selma (2015) (Vudu/HD) $2.75 (iTunes/HD) $2.25
Shack (2017) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $1.50
Shallows, The (2016) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD $3.50
Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Sherlock Gnomes (2018) (iTunes/4K) $2.25
Shutter Island (2010) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6.50
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $3.75
Silent Night, Deadly Night: 3-Film Collection (1989-1991) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Silver Linings Playbook (2012) (Vudu/HD) $2
Sing (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.50
Sing 2 (2021) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $4
Sing Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $6
Sinister (2012) (Vudu/HD) $3 (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Sixteen Candles (1984) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.25
Skyscraper (2018) (MA/4K) $5 (MA/HD) $1.75
Sleepy Hollow (1999) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6.75
Smokin' Aces (2007) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $5.50
Smurfs 2 (2013) (MA/HD) $3
Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) (MA/HD) $3
Snitch (2013) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.75
Snow White and the Huntsman (Extended) (2012) (iTunes/4K) $3.25 (MA/HD) $2.25
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $3.75
Snowden (2016) (MA/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $4
Son of God (2014) (MA/HD) $1.50
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) (Vudu/4K) $6.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4
Sorry to Bother You (2018) (MA/HD) $4.75
Soul (2020) (MA/4K) $6 (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $2.25
Space Between Us, The (2017) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Spider-Man Collection 1-8 (MA/HD) $26
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) (MA/HD) $5.50
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $3.50
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $3.50
Spirit Untamed: The Movie (2021) (MA/HD) $5.25
SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) (Vudu/HD) $4.75 (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Spotlight (2015) (MA/HD) $5 (iTunes/HD) $3
Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Star Trek Collection 1-3 (Vudu/HD) $9.50 (iTunes/4K) $13.50
Star, The (2017) (MA/HD) $4
Still Alice (2015) (MA/HD) $3.25
Straight Outta Compton (Unrated Director’s Cut) (2015) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Stronger (2017) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Stuber (2019) (MA/HD) $5.25
Suffragette (2015) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3
Super Buddies (2013) (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $2.75
Super Mario Bros Movie (2023) (MA/4K) $7.25 (MA/HD) $5.25
Super Troopers (2002) (MA/HD) $5.50
Superman: Red Son (2020) (MA/HD) $3
SW: A New Hope (1977) (MA/4K) $7 (GP/HD) $3.50
SW: Empire Strikes Back (1980) (MA/4K) $7 (GP/HD) $3.50
SW: Rise of Skywalker (2019) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $4.75 (GP/HD) $2.25
SW: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) (iTunes/4K) $5 (GP/HD) $3.50
Sword in the Stone (1963) (MA/HD) $5.75 (GP/HD) $3.25
T2 Trainspotting (2017) (MA/HD) $7
Tangled (2010) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3
Terminator: Genisys (2015) (Vudu/4K) $7 (Vudu/HD) $1.75 (iTunes/4K) $3
Terms of Endearment (1983) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.25
Think Like a Man (2012) & Too (2014) (MA/HD) $8.50
Thor (2011) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $7 (GP/HD) $3.50
Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2014) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3.75
TMNT Out of the Shadows (2016) (iTunes/4K) $4
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) (MA/4K) $5.75 (iTunes/4K) $4.50
Tomorrowland (2015) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
Top Gun (1986) (Vudu/4K) $4.50 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Total Recall + Extended (2012) (MA/HD) $4.75
Transformers 1-5 (Vudu/4K) $25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $23
Trauma Center (2019) (iTunes/4K) $3.25
Trolls (2016) (MA/HD) $1.25
Trolls Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $5.75
Tully (2018) (MA/HD) $5
Turbo (2013) (MA/HD) $2.50 (iTunes/SD) $1
Turning, The (2020) (MA/HD) $5.25
Uncut Gems (2019) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Under the Skin (2014) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Underwater (2020) (MA/HD) $5.50
Underworld: Awakening (2012) (MA/HD) $1.75
Underworld: Blood Wars (2016) (MA/HD) $2.25
Unhinged (2020) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Up in Smoke ‘Cheech and Chong’ (1978) (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Upgrade (2018) (MA/HD) $6.75
Us (2019) (MA/HD) $4.75
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Venom (2005) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4
Vice (2015) 'Bruce Willis' (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Vice 'Christian Bale' (2018) (MA/HD) $4.75
Visit (2015) (MA/HD) $4.50
Vivo (2021) (MA/HD) $4
Walking with Dinosaurs (2013) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Warcraft (2016) (MA/4K) $4.50 (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.25
Warm Bodies (2013) (iTunes/4K) $2.50 (Vudu/HD) $2
What Men Want (2019) (Vudu/HD) $1.75 (iTunes/4K) $1.25
When the Bough Breaks (2016) (MA/HD) $4.50
White Boy Rick (2018) (MA/HD) $5
Why Him? (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2
Widows (2018) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $2
Wolf of Wall Street (2013) (Vudu/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $4 (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Wonder (2017) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.75
Wonder Park (2019) (Vudu/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/4K) $2.25
Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019) (MA/HD) $2.75
Won't Back Down (2012) (MA/HD) $4
X-Men (2000), X2 (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) (MA/HD) $12
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) (MA/HD) $6
X-Men: First Class (2010), Days of Future Past (2004), Apocalypse (2014) (MA/HD) $10.50
Yesterday (2019) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $4.75
Young Adult (2011) (Vudu/HD) $6
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) (MA/4K) $7.25 (MA/HD) $5.25
submitted by wtfwafflezor to DigitalCodeSELL [link] [comments]
Disney/Marvel titles are split codes. Only redeem what you pay for. Thank you.
12 Years a Slave (2013) (MA/HD) $3.25
1917 (2019) (MA/4K) $5.50 (MA/HD) $3
2 Guns (2013) (MA/HD) $4.75 (iTunes/HD) $3.50
21 Bridges (2019) (iTunes/4K) $3
3 From Hell (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $3.25
A Bug's Life (1998) (MA/HD) (iTunes/4K) $7.50
A Cure for Wellness (2017) (MA/HD) $4
A Dog's Purpose (2017) (MA/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $2.50
A Monster Calls (2016) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
A Most Wanted Man (2014) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
A Quiet Place (2018) (Vudu/4K) $3.50 (iTunes/4K) $2 (Vudu/HD) $1.50
A Quiet Place Part II (2020) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6.50
A United Kingdom (2016) (MA/HD) $5
A Vigilante (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.50
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) (MA/HD) $3.75
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) (MA/HD) $5.50
Adventures of Tintin (2011) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4
After Earth (2013) (MA/HD) $2.25
Aladdin (1992) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $3.25 (GP/HD) $2.25
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) (MA/HD) $5 (GP/HD) $3.50
Alien Collection 1-6 (MA/HD) $19.50
Alien Resurrection (1997) (MA/HD) $5.50
Alien: Covenant (2017) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.25
Alita: Battle Angel (2019) (MA/4K) $5 (MA/HD) $3.25
All Eyez on Me (2017) (Vudu/HD) $2.50 (iTunes/HD) $1.75
All is Lost (2013) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
All The Money In The World (2017) (MA/HD) $3.75
Allied (2016) (iTunes/4K) $4.50 (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Aloha (2015) (MA/HD) $2.50
Alpha (2018) (MA/HD) $3.50
Amazing Spider-Man (2012) (MA/HD) $4
American Made (2017) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $3.50
American Underdog (2021) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) (Vudu/HD) $2.75 (iTunes/HD) $2
Angel of Mine (2019) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.25
Angels & Demons (2009) (MA/4K) $6.50
Anna (2019) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $4.25
Annabelle (2014) (MA/4K) $6.50
Antlers (2021) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) (MA/4K) $7.50 (iTunes/4K) $6 (GP/HD) $3
Arctic (2019) (MA/HD) $5
Arrival (2016) (Vudu/4K) $6.75 (Vudu/HD) $2 (iTunes/4K) $4
Art of Racing in The Rain (MA/HD) $5.25
Art of Self-Defense (2019) (MA/HD) $5.75
Atomic Blonde (2017) (MA/4K) $4.75 (iTunes/4K) $3.50 (MA/HD) $2.25
Avengers Collection 1-4 (MA/HD) $20 (GP/HD) $7.75
Back to the Future (1985) (MA/HD) $4
Bad Boys Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $12
Bad Moms (2016) (MA/HD) $3.25 (iTunes/HD) $2.25
Bad Santa (2003) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Bambi (1942) (MA/HD) $5.75 (GP/HD) $4.25
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Beauty and the Beast (2017) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $3.25 (GP/HD) $2
Before Midnight (2013) (MA/HD) $6
Beirut (2018) (MA/HD) $4
Ben-Hur (2016) (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Better Off Dead (1985) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $6.50
Big Hero 6 (2014) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $1.50
Big Short (2015) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3
Big Wedding (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Billy Elliot (2000) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.25
Birds of Prey (2020) (MA/4K) $2.75 (MA/HD) $1.25
Birth of A Nation (2016) (MA/HD) $3.75
Birth of the Dragon (2017) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.25
Black Panther (2018) (MA/4K) $6 (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $1.75
Black Phone, The (2021) (MA/HD) $4.50
Black Widow (2021) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
Bleed for This (2016) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Blood Father (2016) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Bond: Skyfall (2012) (Vudu/HD) $1
Bonnie & Clyde: Mini-Series (2013) (Vudu/HD) $8
Book of Life (2014) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Boss Baby (2017) & Family Business (2021) (MA/HD) $5.50
Bourne Collection 1-5 (MA/4K) $25 (iTunes/4K) $18 (MA/HD) $14
Bourne Ultimatum (2007) (MA/HD) $4
Boy, The (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.50
Breach (2020) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.25
Breaking In (Unrated) (2018) (MA/HD) $4.75
Bridge of Spies (2015) (MA/HD) $5 (GP/HD) $3.50
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4
Brightburn (2019) (MA/4K) $7.50 (MA/HD) $6.75
Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack (2017) (MA/HD) $3.25 (iTunes/HD) $1.25
Brooklyn (2015) (MA/HD) (iTunes/4K) $5.25
Buttons: A Christmas Tale (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Cabin in the Woods (2012) (iTunes/4K) $2.75 (Vudu/HD) $2
Candyman (2020) (MA/HD) $4.75
Captain America: Civil War (2016) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $2.25
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) (MA/4K) $8 (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $4.50
Captain Phillips (2013) (MA/HD) $4.50
Card Counter, The (2021) (MA/HD) $4.75
Carrie (2013) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Case for Christ, The (2017) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Change-Up, The (2011) (Unrated) (2011) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $5.50
Charlie's Angels (2000) (MA/4K) $6.50
Chasing Amy (1997) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Chicago (2002) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) (Vudu/HD) $6.75
Choice, The (2016) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3
Christopher Robin (2018) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
Chronicle (2012) (MA/HD) $4
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002) (MA/HD) $6.50 (GP/HD) $5
Citizenfour (2014) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
City of Lies (2018) (iTunes/HD) $5.50
Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) (MA/HD) $3.50
Coco (2017) (MA/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) $5.25 (GP/HD) $2.25
Collateral (2004) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $7.25
Coming to America (1988) (Vudu/4K) $4.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Commuter (2018) (Vudu/4K) $5.75 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Copshop (2021) (MA/HD) $6.75
Cowboys and Aliens (2011) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $2.50
Crawl (2019) (Vudu/HD) $3 (iTunes/4K) $3.75
Croods (2013) & A New Age (2020) (MA/HD) $6.25
Croods (2013) (MA/HD) $3
Cruella (2021) (MA/4K) $5.50 (MA/HD) $3.50 (GP/HD) $2.50
Current War: Director's Cut (2019) (MA/HD) $6.50
Daddy's Home 2 (2017) (Vudu/4K) $4.25 (iTunes/4K) $2 (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Dances With Wolves (1990) (Vudu/HD) $6
Dark Tower (2017) (MA/HD) $2.75
Darkest Hour (2017) (MA/HD) $2.75
Darkest Minds, The (2018) (MA/HD) $4.25
Deadpool (2016) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $1.50
Deadpool 2 (2018) (MA/HD) $3
Dear Evan Hansen (2021) (MA/HD) $3.75
Death Wish (2018) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Deepwater Horizon (2016) (Vudu/4K) $4.75 (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Dentist Collection 1-2 (1996-1998) (Vudu/HD) $5
Despicable Me Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $12.50
Detroit (2017) (iTunes/4K) Ports to MA $4.50
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) (MA/HD) $4.25
Die Hard (1988) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $4
Die Hard 1-5 (MA/HD) $15 $4.75 Each
Disaster Artist, The (2017) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Django Unchained (2012) (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Do the Right Thing (1989) (MA/4K) $5.75
Dolittle (2020) (MA/HD) $3.25
Downsizing (2017) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.25
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (iTunes/4K) $5.25 (MA/HD) $5
Draft Day (2014) (Vudu/HD) $3.25 (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Dragonheart Collection 1-5 (MA/HD) $14
Dredd (2012) (Vudu/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.25
Dumbo (2019) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $5.25 (GP/HD) $2.50
Dying of the Light (2014) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Early Man (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $4.75
Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) (Vudu/HD) $5
Edward Scissorhands (1990) (MA/HD) $3
Elysium (2013) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $3
Empire Records (1995) (MA/HD) $5.75
Enough Said (2013) (MA/HD) $3
Escape from Planet Earth (2013) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Eternals (2021) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $2.75
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $3.50
Expendables 1-3 (Vudu/4K) $15 (Vudu/HD) $4.75
F9: The Fast Saga + Director's Cut (2021) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $4.50
Fahrenheit 451 (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
Fantastic Four (2015) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4
Fast & Furious Collection 1-10 (MA/4K) $28 1-9 (MA/HD) $10
Fast X (2023) (MA/HD) $5.25
Fatherhood (2021) (MA/HD) $3.50
Fault in Our Stars (2014) (MA/HD) $1.50
Fences (2016) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.75
Fifty Shades of Grey + Unrated (2015) (MA/4K) $5.25 Unrated (MA/4K) $4.75
Fifty Shades of Grey 3-Movie + Unrated (MA/HD) $9.75
Finest Hours, The (2016) (MA/HD) $6.25 (GP/HD) $3.75
Flatliners (2017) (MA/HD) $4.25
Ford v Ferrari (2019) (MA/HD) $4.50
Forever Purge (2021) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $5.50
Forrest Gump (1994) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Fox and the Hound (1981) (MA/HD) $6.25 (GP/HD) $4.75
Foxcatcher (2014) (MA/HD) $3.75
Frank & Lola (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.50
Free Guy (2021) (MA/4K) $7.25 (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
French Dispatch (2021) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
Fury (2014) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $3.25
Future World (2018) (Vudu/HD) $4
Gangs of New York (2002) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.25
Ghostbusters (1984) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $3.50
Girl In The Spider's Web (2018) (MA/HD) $4
Girl on the Train (2016) (iTunes/4K) $2 (MA/HD) $2.25
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) (MA/HD) $6
Godfather Trilogy (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $14
Gods of Egypt (2016) (Vudu/HD) $2
Gone Girl (2014) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5.50
Good Dinosaur (2015) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5.25 (GP/HD) $2.75
Goosebumps (2015) (MA/HD) $4.75
Goosebumps 2 (2018) (MA/HD) $6.25
Gotti (2018) (Vudu/HD) $3
Grace Unplugged (2013) (Vudu/HD) $5.25
Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) (MA/HD) $3.75
Grease (1978), 2 (1982), Live! (2016) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $14
Green Book (2018) (MA/HD) $4.50
Grey, The (2012) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Grinch (2018) (MA/HD) $6.25
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) (MA/4K) $7.25 (iTunes/4K) $4.75 (MA/HD) $4 (GP/HD) $1.75
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $1.25
Guilt Trip (2012) (Vudu/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $1.75
Hacksaw Ridge (2016) (Vudu/4K) $4.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Hail, Caesar! (2016) (MA/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $2
Halloween (2018) (MA/4K) $6 (MA/HD) $3.50
Hands of Stone (2016) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Hateful Eight (2015) (Vudu/HD) $2
Heat, The (2013) (MA/HD) $2.25 (iTunes/SD) $1
Heat: Director's Definitive Edition (1995) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $4.75
Heaven is for Real (2014) (MA/HD) $2.50
Hercules (1997) (MA/HD) $6.50
Hercules (2014) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.50
Here Comes the Boom (2012) (MA/HD) $4
Hereditary (2018) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Hitman's Bodyguard (2017) (Vudu/4K) $5.75 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Holiday Inn (1942) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Holiday, The (2006) (MA/4K) $6.50
Holmes And Watson (2018) (MA/HD) $3.50
Home (2015) (MA/HD) $2
Home Alone (1990) (MA/HD) $3.50
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) (MA/HD) $3.50
Home Alone Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $6.50
Hook (1991) (MA/4K) $6.50
Hop (2011) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3
Hot Fuzz (2007) (MA/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/4K) $4
Hotel Mumbai (2019) (MA/HD) $4.25
Hotel Transylvania Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $16
House of 1,000 Corpses (2003), Devil's Rejects (2005), 3 From Hell (2019) (Vudu/HD) $6
How to Train Your Dragon Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $7.50
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $3.75
Howard the Duck (1986) (MA/4K) $6.75
Hugo (2011) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Humans, The (2021) (Vudu/HD) $6.25
Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) (MA/HD) $6.50 (GP/HD) $5
Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) (MA/HD) $6.50 (GP/HD) $5
Hunger Games Collection 1-4 (Vudu/HD) $6
Hunter Killer (2018) (Vudu/4K) $5.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3
Huntsman: Winter's War - Extended Edition (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.75
Hurricane Heist (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $3.50
I Feel Pretty (2018) (iTunes/HD) $1
Ice Age (2002) (MA/HD) $4.25
Ice Age Collection 1-5 (MA/SD) $16
Ice Age: Collision Course (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $3.75
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) (MA/HD) $5.25
Imitation Game, The (2014) (Vudu/HD) $3.25
Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks (2017) (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Incredibles (2004) (iTunes/4K) $6 (GP/HD) $4.50
Incredibles 2 (2018) (MA/4K) $6.25 (iTunes/4K) $4.50 (GP/HD) $2
Independence Day: Resurgence (2014) (iTunes/4K) $2 (MA/HD) $1.50
Indiana Jones Collection 1-4 (Vudu/4K) $24 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $20
Indivisible (2018) (MA/HD) $5
Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete (2013) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Inferno (2016) (MA/HD) $3
Infinite (2021) (Vudu/4K) $5.50 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Instructions Not Included (2013) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Interview, The (2014) (MA/HD) $3.25
Iron Man 1-3 (iTunes/4K) $16 (GP/HD) $7.50
Iron Man 2 (2010) (MA/4K) $7.25 (iTunes/4K) $6.50 (GP/HD) $3
Iron Man 3 (2013) (iTunes/4K) $3 (MA/HD) $2.25 (GP/HD) $1.50
It Follows (2015) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) (Vudu/4K) $5.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.75
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Jason Bourne (2016) (MA/4K) $5.25 (iTunes/4K) $3.50 (MA/HD) $3
Jaws (1975) Jaws 2 (1978) Jaws 3 (1983) Jaws: The Revenge (1987) (MA/HD) $15.50
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.50
Jerry Maguire (1996) (MA/4K) $6.50
Jigsaw (2017) (Vudu/4K) $4.75 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2
Jingle All the Way (1996) (MA/HD) $6
JOBS (2013) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
John Wick Collection 1-3 (Vudu/4K) $16 (iTunes/4K) $14.50 (Vudu/HD) $8
Jumanji: Next Level (2019) & Welcome to the Jungle (2017) (MA/HD) $7
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2017) (MA/4K) $5 (MA/HD) $2 (MA/SD) $1
Jungle Book (1967) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $4
Jungle Book (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5 (GP/HD) $2.75
Jungle Cruise (2021) (MA/4K) $5.50 (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $3
Jurassic Park (1993) (MA/4K) $4.75 (iTunes/4K) $3.50 (MA/HD) $2.75
Jurassic Park III (2001) (MA/HD) (iTunes/4K) $3.75
Jurassic Park: The Lost World (1997) (MA/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) $3.50 (MA/HD) $2.75
Jurassic World (2015) (MA/4K) $4.50 (iTunes/4K) $3.50 (MA/HD) $2.50
Jurassic World Collection 1-5 (MA/4K) $19 (iTunes/4K) $17.50 (MA/HD) $8.50
Jurassic World Collection 1-6 (MA/HD) $11
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) (MA/4K) $4.75 (MA/HD) $1.75
Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Kick-Ass 2 (2013) (MA/HD) $5.25 (iTunes/HD) $5
Kid Who Would Be King (2019) (MA/HD) $4.50
Kid, The (2019) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $4.75
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) (Vudu/HD) $6.75
Killer Elite (2011) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.25
Killerman (2019) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Killing Kennedy (2013) (MA/HD) $6
King Kong (2005) (MA/4K) $5.25 (iTunes/4K) $3.75 (MA/HD) $3.50
King's Man (2021) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.75
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4.25
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) (MA/HD) $3
Labor Day (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure (2001) (MA/HD) $7 (GP/HD) $5.50
Last Duel, The (2021) (MA/HD) $5.25 (GP/HD) $4
Last Vegas (2013) (MA/HD) $3
Last Witch Hunter (2015) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.50
Leap! (2017) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.25
Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Legend of Hercules (2014) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3
Les Miserables (2012) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Let's Be Cops (2014) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.50
Life (2017) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $2.50
Like A Boss (2020) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $3.50
Lilo & Stitch (2002) & Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) (MA/HD) $9.50 (GP/HD) $5.50
Lion King (1994) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $2.75
Lion King (2019) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $4 (GP/HD) $1.25
Lion King 1 1/2 (2004) (MA/HD) $6.50
Little Mermaid (1989) (MA/4K) $7 (iTunes/4K) $5 (GP/HD) $3.25
Little Monsters (1989) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Logan (2017) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.50
Lone Ranger (2013) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $2.50
Lone Survivor (2013) (MA/4K) $6.25 (iTunes/4K) $2 (MA/HD) $1.50
Longest Ride (2015) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $1.25
Looper (2012) (MA/HD) $2.75
Lords of Salem, The (2012) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Luca (2021) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $3.25
Lucy (2014) (MA/HD) $2
Madagascar Collection 1-4 (MA/HD) $15
Mama (2013) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.25
Man on a Ledge (2012) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6.25
Mary Poppins (1964) (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $2.75
Maze Runner (2014) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5.25
Maze Runner Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $14.50
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018) (MA/HD) $5.50
Mechanic: Resurrection (2016) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3
Meg Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $8.50
Men in Black Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $14.50
MIB: International (2019) (MA/4K) $5.50 (MA/HD) $4.50
Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $4.50
Million Dollar Arm (2014) (MA/HD) $4 (GP/HD) $3
Minions (2015) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.50
Miracles From Heaven (2016) (MA/HD) $4
Missing Link (2019) (MA/HD) $5
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $7
Mission: Impossible Collection 1-6 (iTunes/4K) $20 (Vudu/HD) $18
Mitchells Vs. The Machines (2021) (MA/HD) $4.25
Moneyball (2011) (MA/HD) $2.50
Monster Hunter (2020) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $4
Monster Trucks (2016) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Monster's Ball (2001) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Monsters University (2013) (MA/4K) $6.75 (iTunes/4K) $5.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) (MA/4K) $6.75
Monuments Men (2014) (MA/HD) $2
Mortal Engines (2018) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $3.50
Motherless Brooklyn (2019) (MA/HD) $3.50
Mother's Day (2016) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.75
Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) (MA/HD) $3.50
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) (MA/HD) $5
Mulan (1998) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $5 (GP/HD) $3
Mulan (2020) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $4 (GP/HD) $2.25
Mulan 2 (2005) (MA/HD) $3.75
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.75
My Dinner with Herve (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $2.75
Never Grow Old (2019) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Night at the Museum 3-Movie (MA/HD) $11.50
Night School (Extended Cut) (2018) (MA/HD) $4.25
Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $3.50
Noah (2014) (Vudu/HD) $1.75 (iTunes/HD) $1.50
Nun 2 (2023) (MA/HD) $5.75
Office Christmas Party (2016) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Olaf's Frozen Adventure Plus 6 Disney Tales (2017) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
Oliver! (1968) (MA/4K) $6.50
Olympus Has Fallen (2013) (MA/HD) $5
One Direction: This is Us + Extended Fan Edition (2013) (MA/HD) $3.25
Oranges, The (2011) (MA/HD) $4.50
Other Woman (2014) $4.25
Ouija (2014) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Paper Towns (2011) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4.25
ParaNorman (2012) (iTunes/HD) $5
Parasite (2019) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $4.50
Patriots Day (2017) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Paul (2011) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) (MA/HD) $3.75
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) (MA/HD) $2.25
Pet Sematary (2019) (Vudu/4K) $4 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Peter Pan: Return to Neverland (2002) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $4.50
Peter Rabbit (2018) & 2 (2021) (MA/HD) $7.50
Peter Rabbit 2 (2021) (MA/HD) $4
Phantom Thread (2017) (MA/HD) $3.75
Pinocchio (1940) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3.75
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $2.75 (GP/HD) $1.50
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) (MA/HD) $2.50 (iTunes/4K) $3.50
Pitch Perfect Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $11.50
Planet of the Apes 1-3 (Newer) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $11
Playing with Fire (2019) (iTunes/4K) $1.50 (Vudu/HD) $2
Pocahontas (1995) (MA/HD) $6.25
Pompeii (2014) (MA/HD) $3.25
Power Rangers (2017) (iTunes/4K) $3 (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Predator (2018) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $3.50
Premium Rush (2012) (MA/HD) $3.25
Pretty in Pink (1986) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Priceless (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.50
Prince of Egypt (2002) (MA/HD) $6
Prodigy (2019) (Vudu/HD) $5
Prometheus (2012) (MA/HD) $1.75
Proud Mary (2018) (MA/HD) $4
Pulp Fiction (1994) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $5.25 (Vudu/HD) $4
Purge Collection 1-4 (MA/HD) $14
Purge, The (2013) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.75
Puss in Boots (2011) (MA/4K) $6.50
Quantum of Solace (2008) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Queen of Katwe (2016) (MA/HD) $3 (GP/HD) $2.25
R.I.P.D. (2013) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3
Rambo Collection 1-5 (Vudu/HD) $12.50
Rampage (2018) (MA/4K) $6.50
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $2.50
Red 2 (2013) (Vudu/4K) $5.75 (iTunes/4K) $3.25 (Vudu/HD) $1.50
Red Dawn (2012) (Vudu/HD) $5.25 (iTunes/SD) $2
Red Sparrow (2018) (MA/HD) $3.75
Replicas (2019) (Vudu/4K) $5
Rescuers Down Under (1990) (MA/HD) $5.75 (GP/HD) $4
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) (MA/HD) $2.25
Revenant, The (2015) (MA/4K) $5 (iTunes/4K) $3.75
Rhythm Section (2020) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4
Ricki And The Flash (2015) (MA/HD) $4.50
Riddick Collection 1-3 (Unrated) (MA/HD) $13.50
Ride Along 1-2 (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5 $2.75 Each
Rings (2017) (Vudu/HD) $2.75 (iTunes/HD) $1.50
Rio (2011) (MA/HD) $5.75
Rio 2 (2014) (MA/HD) $2
Rise of the Guardians (2012) (MA/HD) $3
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2010) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5.75
Risen (2016) (MA/HD) $4.50
Robin Hood (2010) (MA/4K) $6
Robin Hood (Animated) (1973) (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $2.75
Rock Dog (2016) (Vudu/HD) $4
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) (MA/HD) $3.50
Russell Madness (2015) (MA/HD) $3.75
Safe (2012) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $1.75
Same Kind of Different as Me (2017) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2
Sausage Party (2016) (MA/HD) $4.75
Savages (2012) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $2.25
Saving Mr. Banks (2013) (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $2.50
Saw Collection 1-7 (Vudu/HD) $9.75
Scary Movie Collection 1-3 (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $13.50
Schindler's List (1993) (MA/HD) $4.50
Scoob (2020) (MA/4K) $3
Scream (1996) (Vudu/4K) $6
Scream Collection 1-3 (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $13.50
Second Act (2018) (iTunes/HD) $1.50
Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $5.25
Secret Life of Pets Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $7.25
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.50
Selma (2015) (Vudu/HD) $2.75 (iTunes/HD) $2.25
Shack (2017) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $1.50
Shallows, The (2016) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD $3.50
Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Sherlock Gnomes (2018) (iTunes/4K) $2.25
Shutter Island (2010) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6.50
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $3.75
Silent Night, Deadly Night: 3-Film Collection (1989-1991) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Silver Linings Playbook (2012) (Vudu/HD) $2
Sing (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.50
Sing 2 (2021) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $4
Sing Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $6
Sinister (2012) (Vudu/HD) $3 (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Sixteen Candles (1984) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.25
Skyscraper (2018) (MA/4K) $5 (MA/HD) $1.75
Sleepy Hollow (1999) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6.75
Smokin' Aces (2007) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $5.50
Smurfs 2 (2013) (MA/HD) $3
Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) (MA/HD) $3
Snitch (2013) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.75
Snow White and the Huntsman (Extended) (2012) (iTunes/4K) $3.25 (MA/HD) $2.25
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $3.75
Snowden (2016) (MA/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $4
Son of God (2014) (MA/HD) $1.50
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) (Vudu/4K) $6.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4
Sorry to Bother You (2018) (MA/HD) $4.75
Soul (2020) (MA/4K) $6 (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $2.25
Space Between Us, The (2017) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Spider-Man Collection 1-8 (MA/HD) $26
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) (MA/HD) $5.50
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $3.50
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $3.50
Spirit Untamed: The Movie (2021) (MA/HD) $5.25
SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) (Vudu/HD) $4.75 (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Spotlight (2015) (MA/HD) $5 (iTunes/HD) $3
Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Star Trek Collection 1-3 (Vudu/HD) $9.50 (iTunes/4K) $13.50
Star, The (2017) (MA/HD) $4
Still Alice (2015) (MA/HD) $3.25
Straight Outta Compton (Unrated Director’s Cut) (2015) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Stronger (2017) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Stuber (2019) (MA/HD) $5.25
Suffragette (2015) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3
Super Buddies (2013) (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $2.75
Super Mario Bros Movie (2023) (MA/4K) $7.25 (MA/HD) $5.25
Super Troopers (2002) (MA/HD) $5.50
Superman: Red Son (2020) (MA/HD) $3
SW: A New Hope (1977) (MA/4K) $7 (GP/HD) $3.50
SW: Empire Strikes Back (1980) (MA/4K) $7 (GP/HD) $3.50
SW: Rise of Skywalker (2019) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $4.75 (GP/HD) $2.25
SW: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) (iTunes/4K) $5 (GP/HD) $3.50
Sword in the Stone (1963) (MA/HD) $5.75 (GP/HD) $3.25
T2 Trainspotting (2017) (MA/HD) $7
Tangled (2010) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3
Terminator: Genisys (2015) (Vudu/4K) $7 (Vudu/HD) $1.75 (iTunes/4K) $3
Terms of Endearment (1983) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.25
Think Like a Man (2012) & Too (2014) (MA/HD) $8.50
Thor (2011) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $7 (GP/HD) $3.50
Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2014) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3.75
TMNT Out of the Shadows (2016) (iTunes/4K) $4
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) (MA/4K) $5.75 (iTunes/4K) $4.50
Tomorrowland (2015) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
Top Gun (1986) (Vudu/4K) $4.50 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Total Recall + Extended (2012) (MA/HD) $4.75
Transformers 1-5 (Vudu/4K) $25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $23
Trauma Center (2019) (iTunes/4K) $3.25
Trolls (2016) (MA/HD) $1.25
Trolls Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $5.75
Tully (2018) (MA/HD) $5
Turbo (2013) (MA/HD) $2.50 (iTunes/SD) $1
Turning, The (2020) (MA/HD) $5.25
Uncut Gems (2019) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Under the Skin (2014) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Underwater (2020) (MA/HD) $5.50
Underworld: Awakening (2012) (MA/HD) $1.75
Underworld: Blood Wars (2016) (MA/HD) $2.25
Unhinged (2020) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Up in Smoke ‘Cheech and Chong’ (1978) (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Upgrade (2018) (MA/HD) $6.75
Us (2019) (MA/HD) $4.75
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Venom (2005) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4
Vice (2015) 'Bruce Willis' (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Vice 'Christian Bale' (2018) (MA/HD) $4.75
Visit (2015) (MA/HD) $4.50
Vivo (2021) (MA/HD) $4
Walking with Dinosaurs (2013) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Warcraft (2016) (MA/4K) $4.50 (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.25
Warm Bodies (2013) (iTunes/4K) $2.50 (Vudu/HD) $2
What Men Want (2019) (Vudu/HD) $1.75 (iTunes/4K) $1.25
When the Bough Breaks (2016) (MA/HD) $4.50
White Boy Rick (2018) (MA/HD) $5
Why Him? (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2
Widows (2018) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $2
Wolf of Wall Street (2013) (Vudu/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $4 (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Wonder (2017) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.75
Wonder Park (2019) (Vudu/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/4K) $2.25
Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019) (MA/HD) $2.75
Won't Back Down (2012) (MA/HD) $4
X-Men (2000), X2 (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) (MA/HD) $12
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) (MA/HD) $6
X-Men: First Class (2010), Days of Future Past (2004), Apocalypse (2014) (MA/HD) $10.50
Yesterday (2019) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $4.75
Young Adult (2011) (Vudu/HD) $6
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) (MA/4K) $7.25 (MA/HD) $5.25
2024.06.04 23:32 andibiscotti The Occult World of Sabrina ( concept )
Wanted to come up with a concept for the show since its been awhile. There is so much to explore and uncover in the series that has yet to be answered. Came up with titles and brief descriptions of each. I'll post a mockup of the show evenutally on this thread. Theres only one secert for book one. Additionally, included ambrose in this season.
In the tranquil depths of the sweet hereafter, Sabrina Spellman basks in an illusion of peace, but the shadows of her legacy loom large. While her companions mourn the gaping void left by her absence, her family must navigate treacherous waters to wield power over a fractured coven. Yet, amidst their grief and ambition, enemies lurk in the darkness, hungrily eyeing Sabrina's throne.
Her story transcends the boundaries of our realm, etching itself into the very fabric of existence across all planes. As the forces of darkness and light clash in a cosmic battle for supremacy, the fate of not just one world, but countless others hangs in the balance.
Concept Titles for Book One:
submitted by andibiscotti to sabrina [link] [comments]
Book One:
13 EpisodesSummary
The echoes of the occult's turmoil refuse to fade into silence. What emerged from the chaos was not just a fleeting moment of salvation for our world, but a catalyst for greater horrors to unfold. As the gates of Hell creak open wider, and the celestial realms stir with unrest, a sinister tide sweeps across dimensions, each one grappling with its own demons.In the tranquil depths of the sweet hereafter, Sabrina Spellman basks in an illusion of peace, but the shadows of her legacy loom large. While her companions mourn the gaping void left by her absence, her family must navigate treacherous waters to wield power over a fractured coven. Yet, amidst their grief and ambition, enemies lurk in the darkness, hungrily eyeing Sabrina's throne.
Her story transcends the boundaries of our realm, etching itself into the very fabric of existence across all planes. As the forces of darkness and light clash in a cosmic battle for supremacy, the fate of not just one world, but countless others hangs in the balance.
Concept Titles for Book One:
- Something New ,Something Old & Something Borrowed
- Witch Slapped
- Burn All The Witches
- After School Maddness
- There Will Be Blood
- Skeleton Key
- Isnt this familar
- Go to hell
- Unseen History
- No Man’s Land
- Daddy’s Home
- Earth Angel
- The Covens Gambit
2024.06.04 22:04 _Triple_ [STORE] 900+ KNIVES/GLOVES/SKINS, 100.000$+ INVENTORY. BFK Lore, Gloves Amphibious, Skeleton Fade, Bowie Emerald, BFK Auto, Gloves MF, Talon Doppler, Gloves POW, Bayo Tiger, Gut Sapphire, Stiletto MF, M9 Ultra, Ursus Doppler, Flip Doppler, M9 Stained, Nomad CW, Paracord CW, AK-47 X-Ray & A Lot More
Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory
Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.
All Buyouts are listed in cash value.
KNIVES
★ Butterfly Knife Lore (Factory New), B/O: $7194.77
★ Butterfly Knife Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2025.74
⎯★ M9 Bayonet Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $557.87
★ M9 Bayonet Stained (Well-Worn), B/O: $529.41
★ M9 Bayonet Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $465.39
⎯★ Talon Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $1295.27
★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth (Minimal Wear), B/O: $746.28
★ Karambit Bright Water (Field-Tested), B/O: $688.15
⎯★ Flip Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $547.93
★ Flip Knife Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $476.69
★ Flip Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $278.18
★ Flip Knife Black Laminate (Well-Worn), B/O: $258.83
★ Flip Knife Urban Masked (Field-Tested), B/O: $181.64
⎯★ Stiletto Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $686.04
★ Stiletto Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $665.41
★ Stiletto Knife, B/O: $601.39
★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $418.25
★ Stiletto Knife Night Stripe (Field-Tested), B/O: $227.80
★ Stiletto Knife Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $194.96
★ Stiletto Knife Safari Mesh (Field-Tested), B/O: $192.79
⎯★ Nomad Knife Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $518.11
★ Nomad Knife Scorched (Field-Tested), B/O: $169.78
★ Nomad Knife Forest DDPAT (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $166.88
★ StatTrak™ Nomad Knife Blue Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $335.79
⎯★ Skeleton Knife Stained (Well-Worn), B/O: $442.05
★ Skeleton Knife Urban Masked (Minimal Wear), B/O: $426.24
★ Skeleton Knife Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $314.03
★ StatTrak™ Skeleton Knife Fade (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2361.28
★ StatTrak™ Skeleton Knife Urban Masked (Field-Tested), B/O: $376.53
⎯★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $557.12
★ Ursus Knife, B/O: $471.42
★ Ursus Knife Blue Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $212.37
★ Ursus Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $187.66
★ Ursus Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $178.18
★ Ursus Knife Ultraviolet (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $155.13
★ Ursus Knife Boreal Forest (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $124.26
⎯★ Huntsman Knife Black Laminate (Minimal Wear), B/O: $204.83
★ Huntsman Knife Black Laminate (Field-Tested), B/O: $184.50
★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Lore (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $224.11
⎯★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $2142.02
★ Bowie Knife, B/O: $230.44
★ Bowie Knife Damascus Steel (Factory New), B/O: $209.20
★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet (Minimal Wear), B/O: $180.51
★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $131.03
⎯★ Falchion Knife Night (Field-Tested), B/O: $132.54
★ Falchion Knife Urban Masked (Well-Worn), B/O: $112.81
★ Falchion Knife Scorched (Field-Tested), B/O: $108.81
★ Falchion Knife Forest DDPAT (Field-Tested), B/O: $107.82
★ Falchion Knife Safari Mesh (Field-Tested), B/O: $107.46
★ StatTrak™ Falchion Knife Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $143.08
⎯★ Paracord Knife Crimson Web (Minimal Wear), B/O: $486.48
★ Paracord Knife Blue Steel (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $163.12
⎯★ Survival Knife Blue Steel (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $138.26
★ Survival Knife Night Stripe (Field-Tested), B/O: $131.03
⎯★ Gut Knife Sapphire (Minimal Wear), B/O: $1127.79
★ Gut Knife Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $286.17
★ Gut Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $246.55
★ Gut Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $240.77
★ Gut Knife, B/O: $210.49
★ Gut Knife Lore (Field-Tested), B/O: $194.22
★ Gut Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $151.51
★ Gut Knife Blue Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $124.94
★ Gut Knife Rust Coat (Well-Worn), B/O: $118.99
★ Gut Knife Boreal Forest (Minimal Wear), B/O: $109.80
★ StatTrak™ Gut Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $237.96
⎯★ Shadow Daggers Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $264.92
★ Shadow Daggers Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $253.03
★ Shadow Daggers Tiger Tooth (Factory New), B/O: $237.22
★ Shadow Daggers Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $153.40
★ Shadow Daggers Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $144.42
★ Shadow Daggers Blue Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $105.20
★ StatTrak™ Shadow Daggers Damascus Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $150.46
⎯★ Navaja Knife Fade (Factory New), B/O: $365.99
★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $228.93
★ Navaja Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $227.43
★ Navaja Knife Slaughter (Factory New), B/O: $209.06
★ Navaja Knife, B/O: $203.16
★ Navaja Knife Case Hardened (Well-Worn), B/O: $132.57
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Factory New), B/O: $121.69
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $109.95
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $100.41
★ StatTrak™ Navaja Knife Fade (Factory New), B/O: $369.01
★ StatTrak™ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $109.95
GLOVES
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2394.67
★ Sport Gloves Omega (Well-Worn), B/O: $572.33
★ Sport Gloves Bronze Morph (Minimal Wear), B/O: $338.88
★ Sport Gloves Big Game (Field-Tested), B/O: $323.66
⎯★ Specialist Gloves Marble Fade (Minimal Wear), B/O: $1652.07
★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike (Field-Tested), B/O: $599.14
★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web (Well-Worn), B/O: $231.57
★ Specialist Gloves Buckshot (Minimal Wear), B/O: $126.21
⎯★ Moto Gloves POW! (Minimal Wear), B/O: $996.99
★ Moto Gloves POW! (Field-Tested), B/O: $383.31
★ Moto Gloves POW! (Well-Worn), B/O: $276.00
★ Moto Gloves Turtle (Field-Tested), B/O: $180.28
⎯★ Hand Wraps CAUTION! (Minimal Wear), B/O: $502.29
★ Hand Wraps Giraffe (Minimal Wear), B/O: $180.73
★ Hand Wraps CAUTION! (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $178.32
⎯★ Driver Gloves Queen Jaguar (Minimal Wear), B/O: $181.01
★ Driver Gloves Rezan the Red (Field-Tested), B/O: $101.66
⎯★ Broken Fang Gloves Jade (Field-Tested), B/O: $127.88
★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point (Minimal Wear), B/O: $124.55
⎯★ Bloodhound Gloves Guerrilla (Minimal Wear), B/O: $127.94
★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened (Field-Tested), B/O: $102.55
WEAPONS
AK-47 X-Ray (Well-Worn), B/O: $478.95
AUG Hot Rod (Factory New), B/O: $425.83
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Hyper Beast (Factory New), B/O: $413.95
M4A4 Daybreak (Factory New), B/O: $309.51
StatTrak™ AK-47 Aquamarine Revenge (Factory New), B/O: $305.43
AK-47 Case Hardened (Well-Worn), B/O: $196.38
StatTrak™ M4A4 Temukau (Minimal Wear), B/O: $174.64
P90 Run and Hide (Field-Tested), B/O: $167.03
AWP Asiimov (Field-Tested), B/O: $153.33
Souvenir SSG 08 Death Strike (Minimal Wear), B/O: $140.00
M4A1-S Printstream (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $124.70
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Golden Coil (Field-Tested), B/O: $117.48
AWP Asiimov (Well-Worn), B/O: $115.97
StatTrak™ Desert Eagle Printstream (Minimal Wear), B/O: $112.96
StatTrak™ AK-47 Asiimov (Minimal Wear), B/O: $110.85
Souvenir M4A1-S Master Piece (Well-Worn), B/O: $102.42
AK-47 Bloodsport (Minimal Wear), B/O: $100.53
Trade Offer Link - Steam Profile Link - My Inventory
Some items on the list may no longer be available or are still locked, visit My Inventory for more details.
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2024.06.04 21:09 Leokina114 An account of favorite quotes, volume the 21st. First item, winning for V is Max's "Valuable information walks in the door, why shouldn't it walk out? Why? Because it bothers you?" to Eleanor.
 | https://preview.redd.it/iezsbwx2tl4d1.jpg?width=1318&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=083a6116af59f546a233dd962068c70ee2baebc8 submitted by Leokina114 to BlackSails [link] [comments] Next item, what is W for? |
2024.06.04 20:57 BlackbirdKos Fixing Fantastic Beasts 3 to be the final movie of the franchise
Fantastic Beasts is a franchise that started off as just a prequel series to Harry Potter movies but with the third movie completely missing the point and two more movies (and possibly a HBO show) on their way, I would say it overstayed its welcome. This is my idea for improving the third movie and making it the last movie of the franchise (or at least the last movie with Grindelwald, I wouldn't mind one more movie or a lighthearted TV show with just Newt finding and protecting different Fantastic Beasts from magical poachers) and a movie that ties the loose ends together.
First off, I'll go over some changes with the cast:
Johnny Depp as Grindelwald
Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore
Richard Coyle as Aberforth
Robert Pattinson as Credence
Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander
Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander
Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski
Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein
Jessica Williams as Lally Hicks
Brian Gleeson as Mr. Moody, the father of Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody (replacing the character Yusuf Kama)
Claudia Kim as Nagini
Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein (cameo)
Timeline
I think the main problem with the third movie and the main reason why they wanted to make five is the timeline, Fantastic Beasts movies take place in the 30's but Grindelwald was defeated in 1945 and they want to keep the continuity... and yet they added McGonagall to the second and third movie even though she wasn't even born yet, but anyway. I think I found the solution, but let's start from the beginning.
The opening flashback of the movie with Dumbledore and Grindelwald and the scene where Newt tries to rescue baby Qilin are actually really good, but then the problems start. I think the main flaw of this movie is that the Qilin are the main plot point, they really shouldn't be as important as they are. The scene where Grindelwald kills the Qilin should be done differently, instead of killing it and seeing the future in its blood, he should kill it in a fountain and let the blood flow through him, making his eye glow blue and allowing him to see glimpses of the future from now on. Queenie should realize that she made a mistake after seeing this. Later Grindelwald could make the Qilin's body walk using magic because, well, he's insane, but that should be it as far as the Qilin's role goes in this movie. Of course Newt has the other Qilin but he just hides it in his briefcase with other Fantastic Beasts (this could be a brief scene showing many new fantastic beasts, like the Runespoor snake that was actually deleted from the first movie, after all the beasts are what those films are named after).
The scene where Newt and his brother talk to Dumbledore is similar, except that Mr. Moody is there too and he explains that Grindelwald's right eye is an ancient and powerful artifact and because of Qilin's blood it's even more powerful now. When Albus thinks of betraying Grindelwald, the blood pact strangles him with silver tentacles, but we should also see what happens when Grindelwald wants to betray Albus, for example orange outlines would appear all over his body and would also strangle him and burn his skin.
Kowalski and Lally's introduction scene is the same but Kowalski's memory with Queenie is changed, we see the ending scene of the first movie and then a scene of Queenie and Jacob dating and being in love until Queenie asks when will they get married, Jacob says he's not ready and Queenie says it's okay and hugs him but in reality she's sad, we see her preparing the love potion (this is what we should have seen in the second movie) before Jacob snaps back to reality.
The train scene has an additional shot of Newt training the Niffler not to steal (it would be fitting since the Niffler seems way more chill in the second and third movie) and of course Bunty is replaced by Nagini and Yusuf Kama by Mr. Moody.
Now it's time for the big changes. Grindelwald's motivation is to threaten the leader of the Wizarding World and force him to allowing Grindelwald to be hidden and realize all his plans easily (it's a short scene). It works, he's still hated by the Wizarding community but the politicians don't do anything to stop him, even though they don't like it, but there's nothing they can do against Grindelwald's power.
From this point on, the movie takes the form of a war movie styled montage, we see many different events (with many time skips throughout the years) where Grindelwald's people (with Credence as the leader) try to assasinate some people or destroy different important objects but Newt and the rest try to stop them.
Finally, it's 1945, Newt, Dumbledore and the rest of the team come up with the final plan to defeat Grindelwald or rather many overlapping plans meant to confuse him (it would be nice if the end of the Wizarding War was somehow tied with the end of in-universe WW2). Jacob and Nagini stop the assasination attempt, Jacob distracts the assasins with his fake wand and Nagini in her snake form jumps from behind giving the illusion of jumping out of the wand, Newt and Theseus go to the manticore infested prison to interrogate one of Grindelwald's people but everything goes wrong when Theseus accidentally steps on one of the manticores and Lally and Mr. Moody think about distracting Grindelwald even more and make a copy of Newt's briefcase and put a spell on it, just in case, while Dumbledore thinks what to do with the blood pact.
Finally, Credence faces off against Dumbledore (the story of Aberforth, Credence and Ariana is kept as it is in the film except that Credence is not dying yet), their fight is very similar to the battle from the film but it takes place in real world instead of some weird pocket dimension. Credence turns good and kills the remaining minions of Grindelwald.
The battle begins, everyone tries to somehow break the blood pact. Nagini knows that if she stays in her snake form for too long, she will stay like that forever and become more and more feral but she has to take the risk, she slithers around Grindelwald and tries to pierce the blood pact with her fangs but it doesn't work. Queenie almost dies while trying to protect Jacob.
Then Credence arrives at the battlefield, Grindelwald tries to manipulate him but Credence isn't having any of that, he blasts at Grindelwald with his full force, transfering his Obscurus into the blood pact, breaking it.
Grindelwald is mad but before he can do anything the wind starts howling, Dumbledore appears and he's ready to fight Grindelwald.
Newt and the rest teleport away because they know it's too dangerous and it's the battle between Albus and Grindelwald.
Credence is taken to Aberforth and since his Obscurus is gone, he's now dying. Aberforth tells Credence that he was always thinking about him and they go to spend their last moments and eat a goodbye meal together before Credence is fully gone. Jacob is reunited with Queenie and Nagini is now permanently a snake. Newt offers her refuge in his briefcase but she refuses, knowing that her magical venom is dangerous and that soon she will be completely wild due to her curse, so she just slithers away.
The final showdown between Grindelwald and Dumbledore truly begins (it's described as "lasting two hours" if I remember correctly, so obviously we wouldn't see everything but we would see the best bits of Dumbledore and Grindelwald using their most powerful spells and skills). Ultimately, Dumbledore wins, chains Grindelwald up and takes the Elder Wand and his eye, but out of respect for him he uses a spell to regenerate his missing eye before sending him to Azkaban.
After the battle, Dumbledore joins Newt's crew, tells them they did a great job and gives Grindelwald's eye to Mr. Moody to keep an eye on it. Newt shows Dumbledore the Qilin and it bows in front of Dumbledore but Dumbledore says that sometimes you gotta choose what is right instead of what is simple and he says that instead of being the leader he would rather clean up the political mess that Grindelwald made.
The ending is the same, Tina joins Newt and everyone else in Jacob's bakery, Dumbledore watches them through the window and starts walking away but he remembers everything they've been through so he changes his mind and walks inside with everyone greeting him.
Mid credit scene
Newt visits Arizona and reunites with Frank the Thunderbird.
Post credit scene
We see the scene from the Deathly Hallows of Voldemort talking to Grindelwald. Voldemort wants to know the location of the Elder Wand but this time it's revealed that Grindelwald only laughs in Tom's face and says that he would rather die than tell him the secret of Dumbledore. Voldemort kills him and figures out the location of the wand on his own.
Music
Small change but the music from the beginning appears five or six times in the movie and it's repetitive and annoying.
submitted by BlackbirdKos to fixingmovies [link] [comments]
First off, I'll go over some changes with the cast:
Johnny Depp as Grindelwald
Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore
Richard Coyle as Aberforth
Robert Pattinson as Credence
Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander
Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander
Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski
Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein
Jessica Williams as Lally Hicks
Brian Gleeson as Mr. Moody, the father of Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody (replacing the character Yusuf Kama)
Claudia Kim as Nagini
Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein (cameo)
Timeline
I think the main problem with the third movie and the main reason why they wanted to make five is the timeline, Fantastic Beasts movies take place in the 30's but Grindelwald was defeated in 1945 and they want to keep the continuity... and yet they added McGonagall to the second and third movie even though she wasn't even born yet, but anyway. I think I found the solution, but let's start from the beginning.
The opening flashback of the movie with Dumbledore and Grindelwald and the scene where Newt tries to rescue baby Qilin are actually really good, but then the problems start. I think the main flaw of this movie is that the Qilin are the main plot point, they really shouldn't be as important as they are. The scene where Grindelwald kills the Qilin should be done differently, instead of killing it and seeing the future in its blood, he should kill it in a fountain and let the blood flow through him, making his eye glow blue and allowing him to see glimpses of the future from now on. Queenie should realize that she made a mistake after seeing this. Later Grindelwald could make the Qilin's body walk using magic because, well, he's insane, but that should be it as far as the Qilin's role goes in this movie. Of course Newt has the other Qilin but he just hides it in his briefcase with other Fantastic Beasts (this could be a brief scene showing many new fantastic beasts, like the Runespoor snake that was actually deleted from the first movie, after all the beasts are what those films are named after).
The scene where Newt and his brother talk to Dumbledore is similar, except that Mr. Moody is there too and he explains that Grindelwald's right eye is an ancient and powerful artifact and because of Qilin's blood it's even more powerful now. When Albus thinks of betraying Grindelwald, the blood pact strangles him with silver tentacles, but we should also see what happens when Grindelwald wants to betray Albus, for example orange outlines would appear all over his body and would also strangle him and burn his skin.
Kowalski and Lally's introduction scene is the same but Kowalski's memory with Queenie is changed, we see the ending scene of the first movie and then a scene of Queenie and Jacob dating and being in love until Queenie asks when will they get married, Jacob says he's not ready and Queenie says it's okay and hugs him but in reality she's sad, we see her preparing the love potion (this is what we should have seen in the second movie) before Jacob snaps back to reality.
The train scene has an additional shot of Newt training the Niffler not to steal (it would be fitting since the Niffler seems way more chill in the second and third movie) and of course Bunty is replaced by Nagini and Yusuf Kama by Mr. Moody.
Now it's time for the big changes. Grindelwald's motivation is to threaten the leader of the Wizarding World and force him to allowing Grindelwald to be hidden and realize all his plans easily (it's a short scene). It works, he's still hated by the Wizarding community but the politicians don't do anything to stop him, even though they don't like it, but there's nothing they can do against Grindelwald's power.
From this point on, the movie takes the form of a war movie styled montage, we see many different events (with many time skips throughout the years) where Grindelwald's people (with Credence as the leader) try to assasinate some people or destroy different important objects but Newt and the rest try to stop them.
Finally, it's 1945, Newt, Dumbledore and the rest of the team come up with the final plan to defeat Grindelwald or rather many overlapping plans meant to confuse him (it would be nice if the end of the Wizarding War was somehow tied with the end of in-universe WW2). Jacob and Nagini stop the assasination attempt, Jacob distracts the assasins with his fake wand and Nagini in her snake form jumps from behind giving the illusion of jumping out of the wand, Newt and Theseus go to the manticore infested prison to interrogate one of Grindelwald's people but everything goes wrong when Theseus accidentally steps on one of the manticores and Lally and Mr. Moody think about distracting Grindelwald even more and make a copy of Newt's briefcase and put a spell on it, just in case, while Dumbledore thinks what to do with the blood pact.
Finally, Credence faces off against Dumbledore (the story of Aberforth, Credence and Ariana is kept as it is in the film except that Credence is not dying yet), their fight is very similar to the battle from the film but it takes place in real world instead of some weird pocket dimension. Credence turns good and kills the remaining minions of Grindelwald.
The battle begins, everyone tries to somehow break the blood pact. Nagini knows that if she stays in her snake form for too long, she will stay like that forever and become more and more feral but she has to take the risk, she slithers around Grindelwald and tries to pierce the blood pact with her fangs but it doesn't work. Queenie almost dies while trying to protect Jacob.
Then Credence arrives at the battlefield, Grindelwald tries to manipulate him but Credence isn't having any of that, he blasts at Grindelwald with his full force, transfering his Obscurus into the blood pact, breaking it.
Grindelwald is mad but before he can do anything the wind starts howling, Dumbledore appears and he's ready to fight Grindelwald.
Newt and the rest teleport away because they know it's too dangerous and it's the battle between Albus and Grindelwald.
Credence is taken to Aberforth and since his Obscurus is gone, he's now dying. Aberforth tells Credence that he was always thinking about him and they go to spend their last moments and eat a goodbye meal together before Credence is fully gone. Jacob is reunited with Queenie and Nagini is now permanently a snake. Newt offers her refuge in his briefcase but she refuses, knowing that her magical venom is dangerous and that soon she will be completely wild due to her curse, so she just slithers away.
The final showdown between Grindelwald and Dumbledore truly begins (it's described as "lasting two hours" if I remember correctly, so obviously we wouldn't see everything but we would see the best bits of Dumbledore and Grindelwald using their most powerful spells and skills). Ultimately, Dumbledore wins, chains Grindelwald up and takes the Elder Wand and his eye, but out of respect for him he uses a spell to regenerate his missing eye before sending him to Azkaban.
After the battle, Dumbledore joins Newt's crew, tells them they did a great job and gives Grindelwald's eye to Mr. Moody to keep an eye on it. Newt shows Dumbledore the Qilin and it bows in front of Dumbledore but Dumbledore says that sometimes you gotta choose what is right instead of what is simple and he says that instead of being the leader he would rather clean up the political mess that Grindelwald made.
The ending is the same, Tina joins Newt and everyone else in Jacob's bakery, Dumbledore watches them through the window and starts walking away but he remembers everything they've been through so he changes his mind and walks inside with everyone greeting him.
Mid credit scene
Newt visits Arizona and reunites with Frank the Thunderbird.
Post credit scene
We see the scene from the Deathly Hallows of Voldemort talking to Grindelwald. Voldemort wants to know the location of the Elder Wand but this time it's revealed that Grindelwald only laughs in Tom's face and says that he would rather die than tell him the secret of Dumbledore. Voldemort kills him and figures out the location of the wand on his own.
Music
Small change but the music from the beginning appears five or six times in the movie and it's repetitive and annoying.
2024.06.04 20:55 Training_Foot7921 Maybe thats actually sammy emily
 | https://preview.redd.it/mshzjtgxpl4d1.jpg?width=130&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e36fc387b4c4d08241757d59d84066913be848b9 submitted by Training_Foot7921 to fnaftheories [link] [comments] “Where's your plush toy? Mine is Spring Bonnie. My \Daddy* says I have to be careful with him or I will pinch my finger. He is a finger trap, he says.**”* if you remember one of charlie's lines in silver eyes, she says that her father told about the springlock hand crank, and that if it snaps, it cuts one of her human parts if this kid father is actually henry? "oh but this kid is a girl" https://preview.redd.it/vh42h3jaql4d1.jpg?width=165&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=846de9459c0dc18f7b118a71326036f782db1378 its the same sprite of cc, just recolored |
2024.06.04 19:41 cropcomb2 quotes from New Studies I've been reviewing (part 2)
the title of each is truncated from the online file name and the study's earliest date added for indexing purposes -- I've each study copied into my PC, links to the studies if that's challenging [DuckDuckGo works better than Google] available on request. In most instances, I've found free versions of the full studies and reports (I'd never ever pay for a copy), but maybe 10% relate to 'abstracts' that were detailed enough to be insightful. For Part 2, I've added the full title of each study/report.
200000 Long-term Exercise Using Weighted Vests in pm women M489
Eighteen postmenopausal women (age 64.1 1.6 years at baseline, 69.9 1.6 years at post-testing) who had participated in a 9-month exercise intervention volunteered for the long-term trial. Nine of the original group engaged in weighted vest plus jumping exercise three times per week for 32 weeks of the year over a period of 5 years. Nine of the original controls were active but not enrolled in the exercise program. BMD of the proximal femur was assessed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at baseline and after 5 years.
At follow-up, differences in BMD at all regions of the hip were higher in exercisers than controls. For exercisers, changes in BMD were 11.54% 2.37%, 20.24% 1.02%, and 20.82% 1.04% (means 1 SE) at the femoral neck, trochanter, and total hip, respectively; controls decreased at all sites (24.43% 0.93%, 23.43% 1.09%, and 3.80% 1.03%, respectively). When plotted individually for femoral neck, only three of the exercisers lost BMD, whereas all nine of the control women had decreased BMD at this site. Our data support participation in long-term exercise using weighted vests as a strategy for reducing hip fracture risk, a finding that should be confirmed in additional long-term prospective trials. Furthermore, this program is safe and practical and promotes both adherence and compliance in older women.
200000 Daidzein osteoporosis Picheritetal.2000
200008 bone-loading-response-varies-with-strain-magnitude-and-cycle-number
When cycle number is extremely high and intense loads are applied several hundred times a day for several weeks, as occurs in military training, an almost pathological response has been measured with up to 11% bone gain in 14 wk (14). More traditional responses to exercise have been reported as a 2.2% increase in tibial BMD after 15 wk of basic training (7) or, in gymnasts, as a 2.8% increase in BMD at the spine and a 1.6% increase at the femoral neck after 8 mo of training (26) or, in men, as a 2% increase in BMD at the spine (not significant) and a 3.8% increase at the femoral neck after 16 wk of strength training (15).
Most adults are not willing or able to commit to repetitive high-intensity exercise, and forceful activities may not be safe for individuals at risk of osteoporotic fracture.
This study has shown that bone adaptation to loading is dependent on strain magnitude (rate) and the number of cyc at low frequency.
200100 Effects of Tower Climbing Exercise on Bone Mass Strength and Turnover in
The cortical bone formation induced by the climbing exercise seemed to strengthen the structure of the midfemur. The increase in trabecular bone mass of the lumbar vertebrae and tibia was caused by both increased bone formation and reduced bone resorption.
200100 Resistance training and BMD in women
a change in the percentage of body fat was a significant predictor for ES changes in BMD at the femur. In addition, the initial lean-body mass was a significant predictor for ES changes in BMD at the radius. There was a statistically-significant decrease observed in the percentage of body fat (-2% plus or minus 2; 95% BCI: -3, -1), whereas there was a statistically-significant increase in lean-body mass (2 plus or minus 1 kg; 95% BCI: 1, 2).
Kelley G A, Kelley K S, Tran Z V. Resistance training and bone mineral density in women: a meta-analysis of controlled trials. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2001; 80(1): 65-77.
200101 Jumping improves hip and lumbar spine bone mass in prepubescent children
200103 home exercise programme to prevent falls 701
200107 Recovery periods restore mechanosensitivity to dynamically loaded bone 3389
rest periods lasting 10 s, introduced between individual loading cycles, enhanced the amount of surface actively forming new bone compared to bones that had been loaded for the same number of cycles but lacked a recovery period between cycles (back to- back cycles). Longer recovery periods resulted in higher relative bone formation rates. In tibias allowed 8 h of recovery between each of the four daily loading bouts, relative bone formation rates were 125 % greater than the rates found in animals that had received the four bouts with no recovery time between bouts (0 h group) and 102 % greater than the rates found in animals that had received the four bouts with a 0.5 h recovery time between bouts. a recovery period of approximately 8 h between bouts is sufficient to restore full mechanosensitivity to the cells.
relative mineralizing surface and relative bone formation rate were significantly (66–190 %) higher in the 14 s group than in any of the three remaining bending groups (Fig. 6A,C). No significant differences were found among the 0.5, 3.5 and 7 s groups. Thus, the results suggest the existence of a short-term recovery threshold somewhere between 7 and 14 s, beyond which bone formation is enhanced over more closely spaced cycles. we show that only 8 h of recovery is necessary to restore mechanosensitivity to adapted bone cells. load cycles spaced 14 s apart result in a greater amount of bone formed per cycle than occurs when cycles are spaced by 7 s or less.
200200 Low-Magnitude Mechanical Loading Becomes Osteogenic When Rest Is Inserted
200211 Walking and leisure-time activity and risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women
200300 designing_exercise_regimens_to_increase_bone.9
High impact exercises that produce large rates of deformation of the bone matrix best drive fluid through the lacunar canalicular network system. In addition, loading applied at higher frequency (cycles per second) more effectively stimulates osteogenesis. The required mechanical load necessary to initiate new bone formation decreases as the loading frequency increases. exercise is most effective if delivered in short bouts separated by several hours. ASSESSING EXERCISE: THE OSTEOGENIC INDEX
the weekly OI generated by 20 min of walking 5 1 d·w k is 36.8. This is calculated under the assumption that a 20-min walk generates approximately 800 loading cycles to each leg and that the peak load is 1.1 times body weight, or OI (week) 1.1 times body weight) * ln[800 cycles 1 * 5dwk1) 36.8 [3] 1 d . The OI for multiple bouts of loading depends upon the recovery time allowed between sessions. Therefore, three parameters are required to assess OI: intensity, N, and time between sessions. For mild-impact exercise, such as jumping, 1, 5 times·w k the OI varies from 50 when jumping 150 1 1. times·w k to 70 for 600 jumps·wk
The osteogenic potential of exercise can be increased further when the daily exercise is divided into two shorter sessions separated by 8 h. 1 For example, consider 120 jumps· d done in one session or broken into either two sessions of 60 jumps separated by 8 h or three sessions of 40 jumps separated by 4 h: OI (1 sessiond1) 3 (times body weight) * ln[120 cycles 1] 14.4 , [4] OI (2 sessionsd1) 3 * ln[60 1] 3 * ln[60 1] 1 e 8h /6h) 21.4 , [5] 1 OI (3 sessionsd1) 3 * ln[40 1] 3 * ln[40 1] * (1e 4h /6h) 3 * ln[40 1] 1 e 4h /6h) * (1 4h/ 6h) 19.2 [6] e 1
Consequently, breaking 120 jumps into two sessions improves the OI by almost 50%, the osteogenic 1 effectiveness of 600 jumps·wk is more than doubled if the exercise is delivered in 5 daily sessions, rather than 2 1. times·w k
Jump training improved BMC in the hip and spine when performed 3 times·wk (1). However, when the number of sessions was reduced to 2 times·wk jumping did not significantly affect BMC (2). engaging in exercise during skeletal growth is unequivocally more osteogenic than exercise during skeletal maturity those who started playing at an early age (several years before menarche) had more than two times as much differential (playing arm vs nonplaying arm) in mineral accrual than those who started playing during their adult years.
200300 Walking and Reduction of Hip Fracture Risk in Older Women AAFP
standing for 10 hours a week or more also was associated with a signicantly lower risk of hip fracture.
200400 physical_activity_and_bone_health.24
Because it takes 3–4 months for one remodeling cycle to complete the sequence of bone resorption, formation, and mineralization (85), a minimum of 6–8 months is required to achieve a new steady-state bone mass that is measurable. Activities that simulate resistance training in humans, including jumping up to a platform, voluntary tower climbing, and simulated “squat” exercises, have been found to have positive effects on both cortical and trabecular bone regions of the tibia and femur Peak bone mineral accrual rate has been reported to occur at puberty (2), with 26% of adult total body bone mineral accrued within a 2-yr period of this time bone appears to be most responsive to mechanical stress during Tanner stages II through IV In a 5-yr study of a small group of postmenopausal women, exercisers who wore weighted vests averaging 5 kg during jumping activity preserved hip BMD to a greater extent than control subjects (110). men who reported participation in vigorous physical activity had a 62% lower relative risk of hip fracture than men who indicated they did not participate in vigorous physical activity
200401 Risk of Mortality kwh274
200505 impact exercise on bone mineral density in elderly women with low BMD 30-month intervention
200506 low-repetition-jump-training-on-bone-mineral-density-in-young-women
to bring intakes over 650 mg/day of elemental calcium, which exceeds the requirements for the recommended calcium allowances in Japanese adult women of this age At both visits for measuring jump height, subjects jumped vertically at least twice with maximum voluntary effort, and the best performance was recorded. The subjects stood at the center of the circular thin rubber mat (38 cm in diameter). The jumper attached the height measuring device to her waist. The jump height measuring device and the circular mat were attached by a rope so that the traveling distance from the standing position to the maximum height reached at waist level could be measured.
Heinonen et al. (7) reported that high-impact jump training from a height of 10–25 cm, at which the estimated GRF is 2.1–5.6 times BW, produced significant improvement in femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD in premenopausal women aged 35–45 yr. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that 10 maximum vertical jumps/day, 3 days/wk enhanced BMD at the femoral neck in young women who had almost reached the age of peak bone mass. For practical applications, low-repetition high-impact jumps are suggested to be one of the ideal training methods for enhancing and maintaining peak bone mass in young adult women.
200509 Bounceat_the_Bell_A_novel_program_of_short_bouts
Upwards of 90% of adult bone mass is acquired by the end of adolescence,
Teachers instructed the children to perform 10 counter movement jumps (two foot take off, clutch knees, two foot landing), three times each school day (once at morning bell, once at noon bell, and once at home time bell). Ground reaction forces for a counter movement jump were five times body weight (BW) and maximum rate of force was .400 BW/s
200606 Leisure Physical Activity and the Risk of Fracture in Men pmed.0040199
200608 Exercise maintains bone density at spine and hip. early postmenopausal women
a long-term exercise study with low to moderate training volume, but high-resistance intensity along with high-impact aerobics and endurance for early postmen opausal women with osteopenia. Group training session supplemented with calcium and cholecalciferol to ensure a total daily intake of 1,500 mg calcium and 500 IE vitamin D. There was a long (6– 7 months) phasing-in period to adapt the participants to the more strenuous exercises.
The exercise regimen should affect bone along multiple pathways. During the initial warm-up sequence (running and games), exercise intensity was moderate [39, 40], but cycle number (>1,000 cycles) and strain frequency (2–4 Hz) were high. According to Cullen et al. [41], high cycle numbers compensate for strain magnitudes that are slightly below the adaptive threshold of bone. Furthermore, within the range of deliberate motion (<4 Hz.), Turner et al. [42] demonstrated significantly higher bone formation rates after higher strain frequencies (2 Hz) compared with lower frequencies (<0.5 Hz).
In a 12-month study. Jones et al. [30] demonstrated significant BUA increases relative to sedentary controls in their brisk walking group. Turner et al. [47] reported higher increments
of bone strength exercising 2·5 weeks with an intermittent 5-week rest period than with 15 weeks of continuous exercise.
200702 osteoporosis risk factors 1471-2474-9-28
Low levels of serum albumin negatively affect transport of serum calcium. In this study black tea consumption more than 6 cups per day in Iran and Milk tea consumption 4 cups per day or more in India have been shown as protective factors for osteoporosis. Nutrients found in tea, such as flavonoids, may influence BMD
200706 Activity Reduces Risk of Fragility Fracture
200803 exercise-induced increases in bone density FNR-52-1872
200803 Jumping increases bone mass during growth FNR-52-1871
200805 mobility tests for predicting falls Tiedemannetal2008
Functional mobility tests Alternate-step test The alternate-step test (AST) is a modified version of the Berg stool-stepping task [17]. It involves weight shifting and provides ameasure of lateral stability. This test involved alternatively placing the entire left and right feet (shoes removed) as fast as possible onto a step that was 18 cm high and 40 cm deep. The time taken to complete eight steps, alternating between the left and right feet comprised the test measure.
An AST cut-off point of 10 s was associated with a 130% increased risk,
200810 fitness of older adults in senior activity centres after 24-week silver yoga exercises
200900 impact exercise on postmenopausal bone loss
There was evidence of statistical heterogeneity for lumbar spine (I =73%), but not for femoral neck (I =0%). Low-impact interventions, which included jogging, walking, and/or stair climbing, also showed significant improvements in bone mineral density at the femoral neck (WMD 0.022, 95% CI 0.014 to 0.030, six comparisons) and lumbar spine (WMD 0.025, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.046; six comparisons). High-impact and odd-impact interventions showed no significant improvements in bone density at either site.
200906 Fall Risk Assessment Tool Tiedemannetal2010
200912 Maintenance of High-Impact Activity-Induced Bone Gain by Voluntary, Unsupervised Exercises
200912 Effect of Aging on Human Skeletal Muscle
201000 Exercise and Bone Macro-architecture GoingFarr2010IJBCR
201007 The driving force in osteoporosis query lencel2011
submitted by cropcomb2 to osteoporosis [link] [comments]
200000 Long-term Exercise Using Weighted Vests in pm women M489
Long-term Exercise Using Weighted Vests Prevents Hip Bone Loss in Postmenopausal WomenWe studied the effect of long-term weighted vest plus jumping exercise on hip BMD in postmenopausal women as a strategy for reducing hip fracture risk 80% of women would rather die than be institutionalized as a result of hip fracture. In an earlier study (4), we reported that 9 months of weighted vest exercise reduced fall risk in post menopausal women by improving neuromuscular measures of muscle strength and power and dynamic balance.
Eighteen postmenopausal women (age 64.1 1.6 years at baseline, 69.9 1.6 years at post-testing) who had participated in a 9-month exercise intervention volunteered for the long-term trial. Nine of the original group engaged in weighted vest plus jumping exercise three times per week for 32 weeks of the year over a period of 5 years. Nine of the original controls were active but not enrolled in the exercise program. BMD of the proximal femur was assessed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at baseline and after 5 years.
At follow-up, differences in BMD at all regions of the hip were higher in exercisers than controls. For exercisers, changes in BMD were 11.54% 2.37%, 20.24% 1.02%, and 20.82% 1.04% (means 1 SE) at the femoral neck, trochanter, and total hip, respectively; controls decreased at all sites (24.43% 0.93%, 23.43% 1.09%, and 3.80% 1.03%, respectively). When plotted individually for femoral neck, only three of the exercisers lost BMD, whereas all nine of the control women had decreased BMD at this site. Our data support participation in long-term exercise using weighted vests as a strategy for reducing hip fracture risk, a finding that should be confirmed in additional long-term prospective trials. Furthermore, this program is safe and practical and promotes both adherence and compliance in older women.
200000 Daidzein osteoporosis Picheritetal.2000
Daidzein Is More Efficient than Genistein in Preventing Ovariectomy-Induced Bone Loss in RatsWe investigated the ability of genistein and daidzein, two soybean isoflavones, compared with that of 17a-ethinylestradiol, in rats, to prevent bone loss in ovariectomized rats, a model for postmenopausal osteoporosis. daidzein was more efficient than genistein in preventing ovariectomy induced bone loss in rats.
200008 bone-loading-response-varies-with-strain-magnitude-and-cycle-number
Bone-loading response varies with strain magnitude and cycle numberAs applied load or strain magnitude decreased, the number of cyc required for activation of formation increased. When load and number of Cycles/day (cyc) are constant, bone formation increases as frequency increases from 0 to 2 Hz (30), and, when frequency increases from 1 to 30 Hz, the strain threshold for bone maintenance decreases from 1,200 to 100 (18). Strain rate, which reflect me strain magnitude and cycle frequency, has been suggested to be one of the most important variables that determines bone response (16, 30).
When cycle number is extremely high and intense loads are applied several hundred times a day for several weeks, as occurs in military training, an almost pathological response has been measured with up to 11% bone gain in 14 wk (14). More traditional responses to exercise have been reported as a 2.2% increase in tibial BMD after 15 wk of basic training (7) or, in gymnasts, as a 2.8% increase in BMD at the spine and a 1.6% increase at the femoral neck after 8 mo of training (26) or, in men, as a 2% increase in BMD at the spine (not significant) and a 3.8% increase at the femoral neck after 16 wk of strength training (15).
Most adults are not willing or able to commit to repetitive high-intensity exercise, and forceful activities may not be safe for individuals at risk of osteoporotic fracture.
This study has shown that bone adaptation to loading is dependent on strain magnitude (rate) and the number of cyc at low frequency.
200100 Effects of Tower Climbing Exercise on Bone Mass Strength and Turnover in
Effects of Tower Climbing Exercise on Bone Mass, Strength, and Turnover in Growing RatsRats voluntarily climbed the 200-cm tower to drink water from the bottle set at the top of it. In 4 weeks, the trabecular bone formation rate (BFbone surface [BS]), bone volume (BV/TV), and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) of both the lumbar vertebra and tibia and the bone mineral density (BMD) of the tibia increased, while the osteoclast surface (Oc.S) decreased. The parameter values in the midfemur, such as the total cross-sectional area, the moment of inertia, the periosteal mineralizing surface (MS/BS), mineral apposition rate (MAR), BFBS, and bending load increased, while the endosteal MAR decreased. In 8 weeks, the increases in the bone mineral content (BMC), BMD of the femur and tibia, and the bending load values of the femur were significant, but the climbing exercise did not increase BMC, BMD, or the compression load of the lumbar vertebra.
The cortical bone formation induced by the climbing exercise seemed to strengthen the structure of the midfemur. The increase in trabecular bone mass of the lumbar vertebrae and tibia was caused by both increased bone formation and reduced bone resorption.
200100 Resistance training and BMD in women
Resistance training and bone mineral density in women: a metaanalysis of controlled trialsThe length of the intervention ranged from 18 to 208 weeks and the frequency ranged from twice per week to daily Lumbar spine (23 studies). Small but statistically-significant ES changes in BMD were found at the lumbar spine. These changes were equivalent to a 0.19% decrease in the exercise groups and a 1.45% decrease in the control groups. Radius (10 studies). Small but statistically-significant changes in BMD were observed at the radius. These were equivalent to a 1.22% increase in BMD for the exercise groups and a 0.95% decrease in the control groups.
a change in the percentage of body fat was a significant predictor for ES changes in BMD at the femur. In addition, the initial lean-body mass was a significant predictor for ES changes in BMD at the radius. There was a statistically-significant decrease observed in the percentage of body fat (-2% plus or minus 2; 95% BCI: -3, -1), whereas there was a statistically-significant increase in lean-body mass (2 plus or minus 1 kg; 95% BCI: 1, 2).
Kelley G A, Kelley K S, Tran Z V. Resistance training and bone mineral density in women: a meta-analysis of controlled trials. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2001; 80(1): 65-77.
200101 Jumping improves hip and lumbar spine bone mass in prepubescent children
Jumping improves hip and lumbar spine bone mass in prepubescent children: a randomized controlled trialprepubescent children between the ages of 5.9 and 9.8 years Peak ground reaction forces were calculated across 100, two-footed jumps from a 61-cm (about 24") box. jumpers had significantly greater 7-month changes at the femoral neck and lumbar spine than controls (4.5% and 3.1%, respectively). In repeated measures ANCOVA of secondary outcomes (BMD and BA), BMD at the lumbar spine was significantly greater in jumpers than in controls (2.0%) and approached statistical significance at the femoral neck (1.4%; p = 0.085). For BA, jumpers had significantly greater increases at the femoral neck area than controls (2.9%) but were not different at the spine. Our data indicate that jumping at ground reaction forces of eight times body weight is a safe, effective, and simple method of improving bone mass at the hip and spine in children
200103 home exercise programme to prevent falls 701
Effectiveness and economic evaluation of a nurse delivered home exercise programme to prevent falls. 2: Controlled trial in multiple centresFalls were reduced by 30% in the exercise centres there was no difference in the number who had serious injuries and no difference in hospital costs resulting from falls in exercise centres compared with control centres.
200107 Recovery periods restore mechanosensitivity to dynamically loaded bone 3389
Recovery periods restore mechanosensitivity to dynamically loaded bonemore than 100 % higher relative bone formation rates in the 8 h recovery group than in the 0 and 0.5 h recovery groups. Approximately 8 h of recovery was sufficient to restore full mechanosensitivity to the cells. In the rats allowed time to recover between load cycles, 14 s of recovery resulted in significantly higher (66–190 %) relative bone formation rates compared to any of the three shorter recovery periods. Those experiments highlight two key points about bone mechanosensitivity: (i) that mechanical loading sessions need not be long to maximize bone formation, and (ii) that extending the loading session beyond a few minutes does not contribute any additional osteogenic effect.
rest periods lasting 10 s, introduced between individual loading cycles, enhanced the amount of surface actively forming new bone compared to bones that had been loaded for the same number of cycles but lacked a recovery period between cycles (back to- back cycles). Longer recovery periods resulted in higher relative bone formation rates. In tibias allowed 8 h of recovery between each of the four daily loading bouts, relative bone formation rates were 125 % greater than the rates found in animals that had received the four bouts with no recovery time between bouts (0 h group) and 102 % greater than the rates found in animals that had received the four bouts with a 0.5 h recovery time between bouts. a recovery period of approximately 8 h between bouts is sufficient to restore full mechanosensitivity to the cells.
relative mineralizing surface and relative bone formation rate were significantly (66–190 %) higher in the 14 s group than in any of the three remaining bending groups (Fig. 6A,C). No significant differences were found among the 0.5, 3.5 and 7 s groups. Thus, the results suggest the existence of a short-term recovery threshold somewhere between 7 and 14 s, beyond which bone formation is enhanced over more closely spaced cycles. we show that only 8 h of recovery is necessary to restore mechanosensitivity to adapted bone cells. load cycles spaced 14 s apart result in a greater amount of bone formed per cycle than occurs when cycles are spaced by 7 s or less.
200200 Low-Magnitude Mechanical Loading Becomes Osteogenic When Rest Is Inserted
Low-Magnitude Mechanical Loading Becomes Osteogenic When Rest Is Inserted Between Each Load Cyclewe found that insertion of a 10-s rest interval between each load cycle transformed a locomotion-like loading regime that minimally influenced osteoblast activity into a potent anabolic stimulus. 10 s of rest between each load cycle of a low-magnitude loading protocol greatly enhances the osteogenic potential of the regimen. suggesting that load induced fluid flows near osteocytes were reduced substantially (45%) beyond the first few load cycles of repetitive ( loading.( locomotion-like mechanical insertion of a 10-s rest interval between each load cycle transformed a low-magnitude minimally osteogenic loading regimen into a potent osteogenic stimulus in two distinct in vivo models of bone adaptation
200211 Walking and leisure-time activity and risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women
Walking and leisure-time activity and risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal womenWalking is the most common activity among older adults, and evidence suggests that it can increase femoral bone density and reduce fracture risk. risk of hip fracture was lowered by % (% condence interval [CI], %-%; P<.) for each increase of metabolic equivalent (MET)-hours per week of activity (equivalent to h/wk of walking at an average pace). Active women with at least MET-h/wk had a % lower risk of hip fracture (relative risk [RR], .; % CI, .-.) compared with sedentary women with less than MET-h/wk. Even women with a lower risk of hip fracture due to higher body weight experienced a further reduction in risk with higher levels of activity.
200300 designing_exercise_regimens_to_increase_bone.9
Designing Exercise Regimens to Increase Bone Strengthbone mass (or areal BMD (aBMD)) is merely a surrogate measure for bone strength The load induced increase in aBMD and BMC were modest, reaching 5.4% and 6.9%, respectively. Despite these small gains in bone mineral, mechanical testing revealed a 64% increase in ultimate force (the maximum amount of force the bone could support before failing) and a 94% increase in energy to failure (the amount of energy absorbed by the bone before failure). The reason that a small amount of new bone resulted in such dramatic changes in bone strength is because the new bone formation was localized to the medial and lateral periosteal surfaces where mechanical strains (stresses) were greatest. only modest increases in total new bone formation produced a large increase in bone strength by placing bone where the biomechanical demands were greatest. assessment should include some measure of bone shape and size.
High impact exercises that produce large rates of deformation of the bone matrix best drive fluid through the lacunar canalicular network system. In addition, loading applied at higher frequency (cycles per second) more effectively stimulates osteogenesis. The required mechanical load necessary to initiate new bone formation decreases as the loading frequency increases. exercise is most effective if delivered in short bouts separated by several hours. ASSESSING EXERCISE: THE OSTEOGENIC INDEX
the weekly OI generated by 20 min of walking 5 1 d·w k is 36.8. This is calculated under the assumption that a 20-min walk generates approximately 800 loading cycles to each leg and that the peak load is 1.1 times body weight, or OI (week) 1.1 times body weight) * ln[800 cycles 1 * 5dwk1) 36.8 [3] 1 d . The OI for multiple bouts of loading depends upon the recovery time allowed between sessions. Therefore, three parameters are required to assess OI: intensity, N, and time between sessions. For mild-impact exercise, such as jumping, 1, 5 times·w k the OI varies from 50 when jumping 150 1 1. times·w k to 70 for 600 jumps·wk
The osteogenic potential of exercise can be increased further when the daily exercise is divided into two shorter sessions separated by 8 h. 1 For example, consider 120 jumps· d done in one session or broken into either two sessions of 60 jumps separated by 8 h or three sessions of 40 jumps separated by 4 h: OI (1 sessiond1) 3 (times body weight) * ln[120 cycles 1] 14.4 , [4] OI (2 sessionsd1) 3 * ln[60 1] 3 * ln[60 1] 1 e 8h /6h) 21.4 , [5] 1 OI (3 sessionsd1) 3 * ln[40 1] 3 * ln[40 1] * (1e 4h /6h) 3 * ln[40 1] 1 e 4h /6h) * (1 4h/ 6h) 19.2 [6] e 1
Consequently, breaking 120 jumps into two sessions improves the OI by almost 50%, the osteogenic 1 effectiveness of 600 jumps·wk is more than doubled if the exercise is delivered in 5 daily sessions, rather than 2 1. times·w k
Jump training improved BMC in the hip and spine when performed 3 times·wk (1). However, when the number of sessions was reduced to 2 times·wk jumping did not significantly affect BMC (2). engaging in exercise during skeletal growth is unequivocally more osteogenic than exercise during skeletal maturity those who started playing at an early age (several years before menarche) had more than two times as much differential (playing arm vs nonplaying arm) in mineral accrual than those who started playing during their adult years.
200300 Walking and Reduction of Hip Fracture Risk in Older Women AAFP
Walking and Reduction of Hip Fracture Risk in Older WomenWalking was subdivided according to pace: easy (less than 2 miles per hour [mph]), average, brisk, and very brisk (4 mph or faster); “unable to walk” was also a category. Each activity was assigned a metabolic equivalent (MET) score, with 1 MET being the energy expended during quiet sitting. The median total activity for the study participants was seven MET-hours per week, which is equivalent to the energy expended while walking at an average pace for 2.3 hours per week. Activity and body mass index (BMI) inversely and independently correlated with hip fracture risk. Women with 24 MET-hours per week had a 55 percent lower occurrence of hip fracture than those reporting three MET-hours per week. The risk of hip fracture declined by 6 percent for each MET-hour per week (dose-dependent reduction). Heavier women had a lower fracture risk in every activity category. Hormone replacement therapy conferred the greatest risk reduction in women with the lowest level of activity (less than three MET-hours per week).Very active women (24 MET-hours per week or more) received no added benefit from hormone therapy. Walking for four hours a week or more was associated with a risk reduction of 41 percent. Furthermore, the brisker the pace, the greater the risk reduction.
standing for 10 hours a week or more also was associated with a signicantly lower risk of hip fracture.
200400 physical_activity_and_bone_health.24
Physical Activity and Bone HealthMode: weight-bearing endurance activities (tennis; stair climbing; jogging, at least intermittently during walking), activities that involve jumping (volleyball, basketball), and resistance exercise (weight lifting) Intensity: moderate to high, in terms of bone-loading forces Frequency: weight-bearing endurance activities 3–5 times per week; resistance exercise 2–3 times per week 1 Duration: 30–60 min d of a combination of weight-bearing endurance activities, activities that involve jumping, and resistance exercise that targets all major muscle groups
Because it takes 3–4 months for one remodeling cycle to complete the sequence of bone resorption, formation, and mineralization (85), a minimum of 6–8 months is required to achieve a new steady-state bone mass that is measurable. Activities that simulate resistance training in humans, including jumping up to a platform, voluntary tower climbing, and simulated “squat” exercises, have been found to have positive effects on both cortical and trabecular bone regions of the tibia and femur Peak bone mineral accrual rate has been reported to occur at puberty (2), with 26% of adult total body bone mineral accrued within a 2-yr period of this time bone appears to be most responsive to mechanical stress during Tanner stages II through IV In a 5-yr study of a small group of postmenopausal women, exercisers who wore weighted vests averaging 5 kg during jumping activity preserved hip BMD to a greater extent than control subjects (110). men who reported participation in vigorous physical activity had a 62% lower relative risk of hip fracture than men who indicated they did not participate in vigorous physical activity
200401 Risk of Mortality kwh274
The “Weekend Warrior” and Risk of MortalityThe multivariate relative risks for mortality among the sedentary, insufficiently active, weekend warriors, and regularly active men were 1.00 (referent), 0.75 (95% confidence interval CI): 0.62, 0.91), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.65, 1.11), and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.73), respectively.
200505 impact exercise on bone mineral density in elderly women with low BMD 30-month intervention
Effect of impact exercise on bone mineral density in elderly women with low BMD: a population-based randomized controlled 30-month intervention.Participants (n=160) were randomly assigned to 30 months either of supervised and home-based impact exercise training or of no intervention. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 12 months and 30 months using blinded operators. The analyses were performed on an intention-to-treat analysis. Mean femoral neck and trochanter BMD decreased in the control group [-1.1%, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.1% to -2.1% and -1.6%, 95% CI -0.4% to -2.7%], while no change occurred in the exercise group. Mean trochanter BMC decreased more in the control group (-7.7%, 95% CI -9.7% to -5.6% vs. -2.9%, 95% CI -5.3 to -0.9). There were six falls that resulted in fractures in the exercise group and 16 in the control group during the 30-month intervention (P=0.019). A significant bone loss occurred in both groups at the radius and calcaneum. In multivariate analysis, weight gain was associated with increased BMD and BMC at all femur sites both in the exercise group and in the pooled groups. In conclusion, impact exercise had no effect on BMD, while there was a positive effect on BMC at the trochanter. Exercise may prevent fall-related fractures in elderly women with low bone mass.
200506 low-repetition-jump-training-on-bone-mineral-density-in-young-women
Effect of low-repetition jump training on bone mineral density in young women—The hypothesis of the present study was that low-repetition and high-impact training of 10 maximum vertical jumps/day, 3 times/wk would be effective for improving bone mineral density (BMD) in ordinary young women. low-repetition and high-impact jumps enhanced BMD at the specific bone sites in young women who had almost reached the age of peak bone mass Jo hannsen and coworkers (11) have found greater increases in total and leg bone mineral content (BMC) by relatively fewer jumps from a 45-cm-high box, 25 jumps/day, 5 times/wk, total of 125 jumps/wk in a randomized, controlled trial conducted with children (3–18 yr). Also, Snow et al. (24) reported, after 5 yr of resistance training with weighted vest and an average 51.7 jumps/day, 3 times/wk, for a total of 155 jumps/wk from a 20.3-cm-high step, improved femoral neck BMD compared with a control group in postmenopausal woman (64.1– 69.9 yr).
to bring intakes over 650 mg/day of elemental calcium, which exceeds the requirements for the recommended calcium allowances in Japanese adult women of this age At both visits for measuring jump height, subjects jumped vertically at least twice with maximum voluntary effort, and the best performance was recorded. The subjects stood at the center of the circular thin rubber mat (38 cm in diameter). The jumper attached the height measuring device to her waist. The jump height measuring device and the circular mat were attached by a rope so that the traveling distance from the standing position to the maximum height reached at waist level could be measured.
Heinonen et al. (7) reported that high-impact jump training from a height of 10–25 cm, at which the estimated GRF is 2.1–5.6 times BW, produced significant improvement in femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD in premenopausal women aged 35–45 yr. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that 10 maximum vertical jumps/day, 3 days/wk enhanced BMD at the femoral neck in young women who had almost reached the age of peak bone mass. For practical applications, low-repetition high-impact jumps are suggested to be one of the ideal training methods for enhancing and maintaining peak bone mass in young adult women.
200509 Bounceat_the_Bell_A_novel_program_of_short_bouts
"Bounce at the Bell": A novel program of short bouts of exercise improves proximal femur bone mass in early pubertal children,3 10 counter-movement jumps 36 per day (total min/day). bone mineral content (BMC) Intervention children gained significantly more BMC at the total proximal femur (2%) and the intertrochanteric region (27%). took only a few minutes each day and enhanced bone mass at the weight bearing proximal femur in early pubertal children.
Upwards of 90% of adult bone mass is acquired by the end of adolescence,
Teachers instructed the children to perform 10 counter movement jumps (two foot take off, clutch knees, two foot landing), three times each school day (once at morning bell, once at noon bell, and once at home time bell). Ground reaction forces for a counter movement jump were five times body weight (BW) and maximum rate of force was .400 BW/s
200606 Leisure Physical Activity and the Risk of Fracture in Men pmed.0040199
Leisure Physical Activity and the Risk of Fracture in MenMen with a sedentarylifestyle (HR 2.56, 95% confidence interval 1.55–4.24) or men who walked or bicycled only for pleasure (HR 1.61, 95% confidence interval 1.10–2.36) had an increased adjusted risk of hip fracture compared with men who participated in regular sports activities for at least 3 h/wk. At the end of follow-up, 8.4% of the men with a high physical activity, 13.3% of the men with a medium physical activity, and 20.5% of the men with a low physical activity had suffered a hip fracture.
200608 Exercise maintains bone density at spine and hip. early postmenopausal women
Exercise maintains bone density at spine and hip EFOPS: A 3-year longitudinal study in early postmenopausal womenThe exercise strategy emphasized low-volume high resistance strength training and high-impact aerobics. After 38 months, the following within-group changes were measured: DXA lumbar spine, EG: 0.8% n.s.; CG: )3.3% P <0.001; QCT trabecular ROI, EG: 1.1% n.s; ) CG: 7.7% P <0.001; QCT cortical ROI, EG: 5.3% P ) <0.001; CG: 2.6% P <0.001; DXA total hip: EG: )0.2% n.s; CG )1.9%, P <0.001; DXA distal forearm, ) EG: 2.8% P <0.001; CG: )3.8% P <0.001; BUA, ) EG: 0.3% n.s; CG )5.4% P <0.001; SOS, EG: 0.3% n.s; CG )1.0% P <0.001. At year 3 between-group differences relative to the exercise group were: DXA lumbar spine: 4.1% P <0.001; QCT trabecular ROI: 8.8% P <0.001; QCT cortical ROI: 7.9% P <0.001; DXA total hip: 2.1%, P <0.001; DXA distal forearm: 1.0% n.s.; BUA: 5.8% P <0.05; SOS: 1.3% P <0.001.
a long-term exercise study with low to moderate training volume, but high-resistance intensity along with high-impact aerobics and endurance for early postmen opausal women with osteopenia. Group training session supplemented with calcium and cholecalciferol to ensure a total daily intake of 1,500 mg calcium and 500 IE vitamin D. There was a long (6– 7 months) phasing-in period to adapt the participants to the more strenuous exercises.
The exercise regimen should affect bone along multiple pathways. During the initial warm-up sequence (running and games), exercise intensity was moderate [39, 40], but cycle number (>1,000 cycles) and strain frequency (2–4 Hz) were high. According to Cullen et al. [41], high cycle numbers compensate for strain magnitudes that are slightly below the adaptive threshold of bone. Furthermore, within the range of deliberate motion (<4 Hz.), Turner et al. [42] demonstrated significantly higher bone formation rates after higher strain frequencies (2 Hz) compared with lower frequencies (<0.5 Hz).
In a 12-month study. Jones et al. [30] demonstrated significant BUA increases relative to sedentary controls in their brisk walking group. Turner et al. [47] reported higher increments
of bone strength exercising 2·5 weeks with an intermittent 5-week rest period than with 15 weeks of continuous exercise.
200702 osteoporosis risk factors 1471-2474-9-28
The assessment of osteoporosis risk factors in Iranian women compared with Indian womenPure vegetarianism: (2.2) and Red meat consumption more than 4 times per week (1.4) was shown as a risk factor in Indian and Iranian subjects respectively. Regular consumption of Soya (0.3), almond (0.5), fish (0.5), fruits (0.4) and milk tea 4 cups per day and more (0.4) appeared to be significant protective factors in India. Regular consumption of cheese (0.5), milk (0.5), chicken (0.4), egg (0.6), fruit (0.4), tea 7 cups per day and more (0.3) were found to be significant protective factors in Iran. Exercises were shown as protective factor in Iran (0.4) and India (0.4). Mean of weight and BMI were significantly lower in osteoporotic group in both countries BMI less than 26 have been shown as risk factors of osteoporosis in both countries. Regular consumption of Soya, almond fish, fruits and milk tea 4 cups per day and more appeared to be significant protective factors in India. Regular consumption of cheese, milk, chicken, egg, fruit, tea 7 cups per day and more were found to be significant protective factors in Iran. The percentage of women who were directly in sunshine exposure at least for 15 minutes per day was significantly higher among controls compared to osteoporotic groups in Iranian subjects (P < 0.01). and sunshine exposure was shown as a protective factor in Iran Odds ratio and 95% confidence interval include 0.45 (0.28–0.72) and it remained significant after age, weight and height adjustment. the consumption of almond, Soya products, were shown as protective factors in India The isoflavones in soybeans, which function both as phytoestrogens and antioxidants, may result in the inhibition of bone resorption Also important is total protein in the diet.
Low levels of serum albumin negatively affect transport of serum calcium. In this study black tea consumption more than 6 cups per day in Iran and Milk tea consumption 4 cups per day or more in India have been shown as protective factors for osteoporosis. Nutrients found in tea, such as flavonoids, may influence BMD
200706 Activity Reduces Risk of Fragility Fracture
Physical Activity Reduces the Risk of Fragility FractureA 2002 study of postmenopausal women by Feskanich et al. [13] found a dose response relationship: the risk of hip fracture was lowered by 6% for each increase of three metabolic equivalent hours of activity per week (equivalent to one hour per week of walking at an average speed). At the end of the follow-up, 8.4% of the men in the high physical activity group, 13.3% of the men in the medium physical activity group, and 20.5% of the men in the low physical activity group had suffered a hip fracture. the effective “dose” of exercise for reducing the risk of hip fracture was readily attained by recreational sports, heavy gardening, or other activities with similar intensity performed for at least three hours per week.
200803 exercise-induced increases in bone density FNR-52-1872
Sustainability of exercise-induced increases in bone density and skeletal structureRecreational exercise seems to at least partially maintain exercise-induced skeletal benefits achieved during growth. Exercise during growth may be followed by long-term beneficial skeletal effects, which could possibly reduce the incidence of fractures. The duration of exercise is of less importance, as a short duration of load or a small number of repetitions are enough to achieve the maximal anabolic effect. Exercise-induced skeletal benefits in BMD achieved during growth seem to be lost with cessation of exercise, whereas exercise-induced structural benefits in the skeleton may be retained even with reduced activity level.
200803 Jumping increases bone mass during growth FNR-52-1871
Physical activity increases bone mass during growthConclusion: Exercise during growth seems to enhance the building of a stronger skeleton through a higher peak bone mass and a larger bone size. Table 1. The skeletal response to exercise seen in randomized and non-randomized prospective controlled exercise intervention studies in pre and peri-pubertal children and in post-pubertal girls Based on current scientific knowledge, we should recommend a physically active lifestyle and an adequate nutritional intake for growing children, as one prevention strategy to reduce the current high incidence of fractures.
200805 mobility tests for predicting falls Tiedemannetal2008
The Comparative ability of eight functional mobility tests for predicting falls in community-dwelling older peoplemeasurements—the sit-to-stand test with one and five repetitions, the pick-up-weight test, the half-turn test, the alternate-step test (AST), the six-metre-walk test (SMWT) and stair ascent and descent tasks. Poor performances in two mobility tests, = however, increased the risk of multiple falls more than poor performance in one test alone (ORs 3.66,
Functional mobility tests Alternate-step test The alternate-step test (AST) is a modified version of the Berg stool-stepping task [17]. It involves weight shifting and provides ameasure of lateral stability. This test involved alternatively placing the entire left and right feet (shoes removed) as fast as possible onto a step that was 18 cm high and 40 cm deep. The time taken to complete eight steps, alternating between the left and right feet comprised the test measure.
An AST cut-off point of 10 s was associated with a 130% increased risk,
200810 fitness of older adults in senior activity centres after 24-week silver yoga exercises
Physical fitness of older adults in senior activity centres after 24-week silver yoga exercisesThe physical fitness of older adults in both the 70-minute complete silver yoga group and the 55-minute shortened silver yoga group had significantly improved after the interventions.
200900 impact exercise on postmenopausal bone loss
A meta-analysis of impact exercise on postmenopausal bone loss: the case for mixed loading exercise programmesThere was a statistically significant improvement in bone mineral density in g per cm at the lumbar spine (WMD 0.015, 95% CI 0.005 to 0.025; 11 trials; 16 comparisons) and femoral neck (WMD 0.008, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.013; 13 trials; 19 comparisons) using impact exercise interventions compared with control. There was evidence of statistical heterogeneity for both outcomes (I =84% for lumbar spine and I =61% for femoral neck). There was also a significant improvement in hip bone mineral density using impact exercise compared with controls (WMD 0.013, 95% CI 0.001 to 0.024; four trials), but again with statistical heterogeneity (I =91%). Subgroup analyses showed that combined-impact interventions significantly improved bone mineral density at the lumbar spine (WMD 0.016, 95% CI 0.005 to 0.027; three comparisons) and femoral neck (WMD 0.005, 95% CI 0.001 to 0.010; five comparisons).
There was evidence of statistical heterogeneity for lumbar spine (I =73%), but not for femoral neck (I =0%). Low-impact interventions, which included jogging, walking, and/or stair climbing, also showed significant improvements in bone mineral density at the femoral neck (WMD 0.022, 95% CI 0.014 to 0.030, six comparisons) and lumbar spine (WMD 0.025, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.046; six comparisons). High-impact and odd-impact interventions showed no significant improvements in bone density at either site.
200906 Fall Risk Assessment Tool Tiedemannetal2010
The Development and Validation of a Brief Performance-Based Fall Risk Assessment Tool for Use in Primary CareEach of the performance items; low contrast visual acuity, tactile sensitivity, sit to stand, alternate step, and near tandem stand ability; and measures of previous falls and medications could discriminate between prospectively categorized multiple fallers and non–multiple fallers with relative risk values ranging from 1.4 to 2.4 in the development study. The probability of future multiple falls increased from 7% with the identification of zero or one risk factor up to a probability of 49% with the identification of six or more risk factors. Clinicians who have used the assessment report that it is a practical assessment, which can be incorporated into clinical practice.
200912 Maintenance of High-Impact Activity-Induced Bone Gain by Voluntary, Unsupervised Exercises
Good Maintenance of High-Impact Activity-Induced Bone Gain by Voluntary, Unsupervised Exercises: An 8-Month Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Trialthe signicant BMD increases that were obtained by supervised 18-month high-impact training were eectively maintained with subsequent unsupervised regular aerobic and step classes (twice per week). The nding emphasizes the effectiveness and feasibility of self-controlled aerobic and step exercises in the primary prevention of osteoporosis among healthy premenopausal women
200912 Effect of Aging on Human Skeletal Muscle
The Effect of Aging on Human Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial and Intramyocellular Lipid Ultrastructureintramyocellular lipid (IMCL) older adults have larger IMCL droplets, fewer mitochondria, and a lower proportion of IMCL in contact with mitochondria. These factors likely contribute to age-related reductions in mitochondrial function and lipid metabolism. Aerobic exercise training produces the opposite effect, whereby mitochondria and IMCL become closely associated and are therefore more optimally situated for oxidation ( 18 ).
201000 Exercise and Bone Macro-architecture GoingFarr2010IJBCR
Exercise and Bone Macro-architecture: Is Childhood a Window of Opportunity for Osteoporosis Prevention?Reliance on dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and aBMD has been a problem. DXA estimates of aBMD are confounded by changes in bone size with growth and only partially reflect bone strength. Structural adaptations, such as increases in bone width, may confer lasting increases in bone strength. exercise might significantly enhance the fracture resistance of bone, but the effects may go undetected because a single slice measurement may not coincide with regions where bone is localized (the most mechanically appropriate sites). Furthermore, the dif-ficulties in interpreting metaphyseal pQCT BMD from a single slice [90] and the potential poor long-term reproducibility of pQCT measurements as a result of the inability to find the same exact location along the length of the bone over time [80] may limit the ability of pQCT to detect exercise-induced bone adaptations.
201007 The driving force in osteoporosis query lencel2011
Inflammaging: The driving force in osteoporosis?with regard to emerging epidemiologic studies, the hypothesis is suggesting that age-related changes such as inflammatory modifications importantly account for age-related bone loss is gaining increasing interest. circulating levels of TNF -a may be the best predictor of mortality in frail, elderly populations with a high mortality rate, whereas IL-6 may be the strongest risk marker in healthy, elderly populations It is today acknowledged that adipose tissue behaves as an endocrine tissue that secretes several inflammatory mediators. In the Geelong Osteoporosis study, the fracture risk was increased 24–32% for each SD increase in CRP levels in elderly women [34]. Finally, in healthy individuals over age 70, Cauley and collaborators have shown that in addition to CRP levels, high serum levels of inflammatory markers IL-6, TNF- a, and TNF receptors, also predict a higher incidence of non-traumatic fractures [35].
2024.06.04 19:34 SpawnoftheStryx The Best Part of You: Part 6.2: Pet the Dog or DIE
((This takes place in the aftermath of the Capture the Flag post, several months ago.)) ((You can find the first entry of Part 6 here!))
Seth’s intrigued gaze swapped between the surreal scene that had formed around him. From the nervous parchment-clutching rabbit in the tabard, to the terrifying bipedal canine warrior, to the mossy reptile that slumbered between them and the fancy boy perched atop it, and finally to the menacing magical menagerie. Bunnies, kittens, and beagles; Basset hounds, badgers and moles; if he squinted hard enough, Seth could have sworn that he saw a ferret caked in makeup gossiping with the dress-wearing gerbils, meeting his eyes every so often and giggling before hiding her face behind a paper fan in her shiny white paws. The crowd kept their voices low, attention drawn to the tiny monarch playing with his tarot deck and adjusting the oversized crown of liquid metal.
With every pair of eyes of the bestial gentry upon his kneeling and shackled form, the attention of the masses leaden with eager anticipation of punishment, and the freezing glare of the young prince, Seth knew that he would have to choose his next words carefully - and elected not to.
“Heya, Jacob!” Seth raised his hands, manacled at the wrists, and gave the familiar camper a goofy wiggly wave. The crowd gasped. Jacob’s idle hands stopped playing with the cards and quickly shrunk back to be held against his chest. His intense, inquisitive stare crumbled into a brief look of fear, and suddenly he turned his head away, becoming very interested in the braided vines of his dragon-throne.
The armored husky was the first to recover from the ripple of shock that Seth had sent out through the court. She marched down the marble steps, claymore practically dragging alongside her, until she stopped in front of him, raised a heavy black boot over his head, and stomped down on the manacles binding Seth’s wrists. Forcing him into a deep bow, a low growl escaped her throat.
“Silence, cur!” She barked. The whispers in the crowd had stopped now, hushed into silence by her outburst. Even the rabbit standing next to Jacob had quietly yelped into her closed fist, before quickly glancing around to make sure no one had seen her. Seth was given an intimate view of the ground as he listened to the husky’s command. “Hold your tongue. Only those who have been addressed by His Royal Majesty the Prince may speak in His divine presence. Especially so the poisonous words of a filthy thief and tramp, traitor and beggar, despoiler of His very name.”
The dog raised her foot and turned her gaze from Seth to the crowd. This gave the son of Hermes a brief reprieve to examine Jacob again, who now looked as though he wished he could sink into the moss on his dragon’s back and disappear. Had saying hello really flustered the prince that badly? From what Seth knew of Jacob - the real one, not the new and not-so-improved nightmare one - he had a nervous streak a mile wide, but he had courage where it counted, at least according to Meriwether. Following that line of reasoning, he began deciphering what else this version of the son of Hecate might share with the original, and what might be different. Magical aptitude: check. Animal friends: check. Fondness for magical playing cards: check. Easily exploitable weaknesses: maybe?? Heck, the bloke was tiny enough that a sufficiently powerful kick would probably send him flying. He was startled from his thoughts as the husky elaborated, who faced the gentry but glared at him out of the corner of her stern eyes. “It is only through His Majesty’s mercy that you retain the privilege of living. A privilege, I stress, that is easily revoked.”
She glanced back at the Prince, who had retreated into the comfort of his cards once more by summoning them out of wisps of energy circling his palms. For a split second Seth thought he saw her expression soften and brows furrow into something resembling concern, or perhaps sadness, before being replaced by steely resolve. “The Reading of the Sentence may now proceed,” she said, though with less ferocity than she had moments prior, before leveling her sword with the ground and assuming the same attentive stance as before.
At this point, the rabbit was shaking like a very well-dressed leaf in the vaguely vernal wind. She gingerly unfolded the parchment clutched in her paws, cleared her throat, and recited the words on the weathered document for all to hear: “Ahem. All be still and silent for the Reading of the Sentence!! The Accused is faced with the following crimes against the Kingdom: Conspiracy to pilfer the Prince’s prized Mana. Conspiracy to undermine or overthrow Her Most Arcane Majesty Christina and the Glorious Alabaster Line. Heresy against Her Most Arcane Majesty Christina and the Glorious Alabaster Line. Plotting to plunge the world into eternal darkness, madness and Chaos, which is against the interests of the Crown and country, and therefore considered conspiracy to undermine or overthrow Her Most Arcane Majesty Christina and the Glorious Alabaster Line. Dabbling in forbidden magicks. Evasion or underpayment of due taxes. Petty larceny. Resisting arrest. Attempting to escape due trial. On all charges has the Prince deemed the Accused guilty."
Shocker. So that’s what monarchies think a due trial looks like? He was ninety percent sure that he hasn’t done most of the illegal things! But fine, the dream needs to set the scene before the allegorical manifestation of his fellow demigod can dispense with the formalities and open up an arcane can of buttwhooping on Seth’s fragile behind. That was the general format of these encounters that he had observed so far, at least. He refrained from quipping back with something snarky in the middle of this obviously unfair trial. A comment along the lines of this being a “kangaroo court” probably would not go over well, on the slim but very real chance that there were actual kangaroos present in this court. Best not to take chances…
“Your Prodigal Majesty, the Prince, shall henceforth mete the appropriate punishment. May He have mercy on your tarnished soul,” recited the rabbit, “For your crimes are numerous, and their severity steep. Your Majesty?” She turned expectantly to Prince Jacob, who had returned to playing with his magic cards to keep himself calm. When that failed to cue him in, the hound knight cleared her throat gently, raising an armored paw to her snout while her glove gripped the claymore just a little tighter. “Prince Jacob,” she reminded the young royal. The son of Hecate started in his seat and took a terrified open-mouthed glance out at the swarm of animals waiting to hear his divine judgment. His jaw snapped shut with the swiftness of a bear trap. “Nnnh,” came his squeak of embarrassment. “Fffffuh…”
Seth hid a grin as Jacob’s notorious shyness got the better of him when faced with the insurmountable task of public speaking. For once, the Son of Hermes had a plan keeping him one step ahead of the nightmare. A key to his manacles, unseen by all, was clasped tightly in his right hand. For the badger warden hadn’t been too careful when setting him down in front of the grassy throne. Forget yoinking powers; sometimes a little classic thievery provided an elegant solution to his problems. The supernatural dream logic that granted him enhanced abilities whenever facing these nightmares. Just as Jacob struggled to dole out the sentence for these fakey fake crimes, Seth would spring into action and the fight would commence.
“F-for your c-crimes against… um… crimes against my mom… I hhhhuh. Hereby sent-t-.... Sentence you…” Jacob mumbled into his cards, pulling his legs up onto the throne to wrap one arm around them like a ball of condensed half-blood while Seth snuck the key into a better position. Both the attention of the rabbit and husky were trained on their taciturn master, giving him ample time to physically and mentally prepare. Anticipation coiled in his muscles, burning like gasoline. The key slipped into the locking mechanism. Gently, ever so gently, he began to twist. “Sentence you t-... you to..”
“To… To pet one hundred fuzzy animals in mmm… my c-court!” He declared triumphantly, flooding with relief when he realized he had reached the end of that arduous statement. All of the tension spilled from Seth’s body and he nearly dropped the key in surprise. Apparently he was the only one shocked by such an outcome; the gentry roared with approval, tossing hats, scarves and other garments into the air. One kangaroo (oh, hey, see? Good call, Seth) burst into joyful sobs and retrieved a kerchief to dab at her mascara, as though this was the best news she had heard in her entire life. The rabbit attendant clapped her hands in jubilation, and even the husky nodded gravely, as though Seth’s fate had just been sealed. The grassy dragon serving as Jacbo’s throne twitched its ears at the cacophony, before loosing a humid breath and lowering its neck back down for a snooze.
Seth had to fight himself not to double over laughing. Here he was expecting a sinister Hecate-themed showdown, but the only thing he would be fighting today was his urge to pet every animal in sight? “Wait,” he chuckled, sitting up from his kneeling position as an orderly line, policed by the armored husky, began to form to his side. In the front was the badger from before, paws shaking with excitement. “Wait, that’s it? You’re not seriously about to make me-”
“Okay, who’s next?!” Seth called, after giving the cuddly anteater an affectionate pat on the back and sending him on his way. His eyes gleamed playfully at the fuzzy otter wearing a monocle next in line, who slinked on over when the power thief beckoned him over. “Afternoon. How may I help you today? Head scritches and a tummy rub? Your wish is my command!”
Under the watchful eye of His Glorious Majesty Jacob of the Royal Zoo or something like that, Seth was indeed sentenced to a grueling petting of one hundred friendly animals. Oh, the horror. The cruel and unusual nature of this punishment could only be endured by someone with godlike fortitude. Indomitable force of will. The strength to carry on after administering dozens of belly rubs and words of affirmation. The universal yearning that all human beings have to pet a bunch of exotic animals that in any other setting you are really not supposed to pet. Good qualities like that. Of course, he was still a prisoner - the guard had refused to remove the manacle from his wrists. Though Seth had expertly tucked the key away in case this abhorrent torture became too much to bear, or something.
The otter rolled onto its back as Seth tickled and brushed its fur. “Who’s a cuddly, friendly guy? You are. You are.” His train of thought was interrupted by the otter’s portly laugh. “Ohoho!” it chuckled, raising a tiny limb to readjust the monocle on its face. “Indeed I am, good sir, indeed I am a cuddly, friendly guy, just as you described!”
Seth forced a smile while his insides shriveled in discomfort. He waved as the otter picked itself back up, patted itself off, and whistled a merry tune while strutting away. Okay, the fact that the animals he was petting were fully sapient was maaaybe starting to creep him out, just a little. Alas. Such was the price to pay for a life on the wrong side of the law. A shadow descended over him. He turned his gaze upwards to see the armored knight glaring down upon him.
Seth glanced around. Had he done something wrong? “Did I… do something wrong?” he echoed the sentiment in his brain.
“Silence!” commanded the bipedal. Siberian husky, although a crack in her facade told him that circumstances were definitely awry. Her piercing blue eyes conveyed the roiling anger from before, but her tail was wagging uncontrollably behind her. “You are not to speak while you. Erm. That is to say, I.. listen carefully, cur! I order you to..”
Seth finished her sentence for her. “Let me guess. You order me to pet you.”
“No. Yes. No! I mean.” Growling in discomfort, she got down on one knee, her armor noisily clanking with the untrained movement. “Two strokes on the top of the head, several pats, followed by a soft scratching behind the ears, -first the left, then the right- and then a gentle, chaste kiss on the forehead. In that order.” Seth raised his hands, poised to strike. “Will that be all?” The husky turned her head. “For now.”
The gentry looked on in envy as the feared Head of the Royal Guard of the Alabaster Line, decorated Knight Orion, daughter of the fierce warrior from whom she received her name, received copious headpats and scratches, all while maintaining her same stoic expression. Although, to Seth’s amusement, occasionally she couldn’t help herself from additional instructions. “Too soft. Not soft enough. Lower. Now to the left. No, my left. No, my other left. Yes. Adequate. Yes. Now please administer the Mantra of Virtue.”
“I’m sorry, the what?” While the orders came in, Seth leaned to one side and noticed a new attendant speaking to Jacob while the rabbit fiddled with her cufflinks. His eyes narrowed at the mysterious stranger, who was the only other human he had seen besides Jacob and himself. They sported no animal features that he could see, and was currently hunched over, whispering something inaudible into the young mage’s ear. They wore a jester’s garb of purple and green from head to toe, though the torso was styled much more akin to a tuxedo. The telltale pointy hat was devoid of bells, and no jester Seth had ever heard of would wear boots, much less ones with spikes. Though what really drew his attention was the mask. They concealed their face with a mask similar to Mara Lyone’s nightmare that he faced so long ago: the ever-gleeful porcelain smile of Comedy, through which a sinister purple mist poured from the eyes and mouth. A mist that, to his alarm, was snaking through the air and drifting directly into Jacob’s ear. The mage’s hands clenched and unclenched under the trance.
“The Mantra of Virtue, you fool! Don’t make me say it out loud!” No one, not Orion, the rabbit, or any of the gathered animals, had noticed the new arrival. Seth had to return his attention to the dog before she got too angry, although she seemed more sheepish now than anything. “You know… Tell me I’m a very good dog!”
“I’ve changed mmh. My mind,” Jacob announced, cutting the awkward conversation short. The jester clasped their gloved hands together and began to sink. A jagged pink crack in reality opened up on the marble floor, swallowing them whole. Then the lights disappeared, leaving no trace that anyone had been there. Jacob slid off of his throne, waving his hands to dismiss the line of animals awaiting their turn. The knight rose to her feet, turning to address her Prince and shaking off the inglorious posture she had assumed a minute before. “What, ah, troubles you, My Lord? Is the Sentence not proceeding how you envisioned it?”
“I have a, a, a,.... A new sentence.” The little Prince’s irises had become tinged by a swirling purple, and wisps of a similar colored smoke trickled from the edge of his lips and nostrils. The clouds overhead began to darken, and a chill wind blew through the assembled animals. Seth gingerly tapped at the key hidden in his sleeve, making sure it was still there. Carefully he brought it to the manacle’s lock.
The rabbit attendant began to back away as all of the shadows in the vicinity seemed to grow and intensify, pulling in the surrounding natural light. Leaves scattered across the garden court, and Jacob’s tarot cards were carried by the vortex. Orion’s eyes widened both in realization, and trepidation. She hesitated briefly, but rose her claymore in a fighting stance, seemingly ready to defend against her renegade ruler. “My Lord..? My Lord! Prince Jacob! Come to your senses! I beseech you, tell me what ails you?”
Jacob flicked his wrist. An unseen force knocked Orion to the side with ease, much to the horrified gasps of the crowd. Animals of all sorts began to turn tail and flee from the scene, only to be stopped in their tracks. Large thorny hedges erupted from the soil, pushing apart the stones of the path leading to the palace and boxing the gentry in. They pushed through the leaves in desperation, leaving their garments behind and retreating into shadows as the floral labyrinth surrounded the palace, its leafy walls sprouting higher and higher.
“Changed my mmmh. My mind. New sentence. Seth. Seth’s nnnh. New sentence is… d-d-... death.” Seth sprung to his feet and cast off the manacle, ready to fight. Jacob’s eyes rolled back into his head. The tiny demigod crumpled into an unconscious heap. His crown tumbled off of his head and rattled to a stop.
Seth lowered his fists and cocked a brow. “Oh.”
Out from the shadow of Jacob’s form, an indistinct murky shape bled onto the palace steps.The stormclouds began striking the distant countryside with silver lightning as the shape began to bubble like acid. The scent of countless cadavers wafted from the blob. Suddenly an appendage burst out of the living shadow’s oily membrane, a wicked forelimb that only vaguely resembled a claw. It slammed into the ground, cracking it with the force of the blow, just as a second forelimb was birthed from the miasma and grasping for a hold. Instinctually backing away from the macabre metamorphosis, Seth found that his rapier and buckler had mysteriously appeared in his hands as if responding to their master’s silent pleas for assistance, and held them aloft.
Fur sloughed off of the shadow’s sinewy body in sullied white patches. Shadowy gunk was caught in its yellowed nails the size of textbooks. A massive rabbit’s skull writhed free of the prison, with two twisted and malformed antlers exploding from the top. The fangs of such a beast grew to exaggerated proportions, nearly puncturing its own jawbone as it gnashed them together. The monster lacked a lower body, its torso instead tapering into a coil of smoke as it floated into the air. Behind its empty sockets, a single rotting apple gave off a dull golden glow, roving back and forth and extending its light in a sickly cone of vision.
“Oh,” Seth chirped. This was one bunny he was not particularly enthused about petting. “Okay.”
“Death,” repeated the towering jackalope, its throat vibrating with the rumble of two voices; Jacob’s, and a raspy, nasty gurgle that overlaid it. Symbols and runes lit up along its matted bones. As the hedge maze parted behind Seth, encouraging the beast’s prey to begin running, Jacob’s Shadow tilted its head back and screeched into the sky, clenching its claws together and drawing blue fluid from its exposed veins.
”Death!” Pounding both fists into the ground, it lowered its head and surged forward with impossible speed.
submitted by SpawnoftheStryx to CampHalfBloodRP [link] [comments]
With every pair of eyes of the bestial gentry upon his kneeling and shackled form, the attention of the masses leaden with eager anticipation of punishment, and the freezing glare of the young prince, Seth knew that he would have to choose his next words carefully - and elected not to.
“Heya, Jacob!” Seth raised his hands, manacled at the wrists, and gave the familiar camper a goofy wiggly wave. The crowd gasped. Jacob’s idle hands stopped playing with the cards and quickly shrunk back to be held against his chest. His intense, inquisitive stare crumbled into a brief look of fear, and suddenly he turned his head away, becoming very interested in the braided vines of his dragon-throne.
The armored husky was the first to recover from the ripple of shock that Seth had sent out through the court. She marched down the marble steps, claymore practically dragging alongside her, until she stopped in front of him, raised a heavy black boot over his head, and stomped down on the manacles binding Seth’s wrists. Forcing him into a deep bow, a low growl escaped her throat.
“Silence, cur!” She barked. The whispers in the crowd had stopped now, hushed into silence by her outburst. Even the rabbit standing next to Jacob had quietly yelped into her closed fist, before quickly glancing around to make sure no one had seen her. Seth was given an intimate view of the ground as he listened to the husky’s command. “Hold your tongue. Only those who have been addressed by His Royal Majesty the Prince may speak in His divine presence. Especially so the poisonous words of a filthy thief and tramp, traitor and beggar, despoiler of His very name.”
The dog raised her foot and turned her gaze from Seth to the crowd. This gave the son of Hermes a brief reprieve to examine Jacob again, who now looked as though he wished he could sink into the moss on his dragon’s back and disappear. Had saying hello really flustered the prince that badly? From what Seth knew of Jacob - the real one, not the new and not-so-improved nightmare one - he had a nervous streak a mile wide, but he had courage where it counted, at least according to Meriwether. Following that line of reasoning, he began deciphering what else this version of the son of Hecate might share with the original, and what might be different. Magical aptitude: check. Animal friends: check. Fondness for magical playing cards: check. Easily exploitable weaknesses: maybe?? Heck, the bloke was tiny enough that a sufficiently powerful kick would probably send him flying. He was startled from his thoughts as the husky elaborated, who faced the gentry but glared at him out of the corner of her stern eyes. “It is only through His Majesty’s mercy that you retain the privilege of living. A privilege, I stress, that is easily revoked.”
She glanced back at the Prince, who had retreated into the comfort of his cards once more by summoning them out of wisps of energy circling his palms. For a split second Seth thought he saw her expression soften and brows furrow into something resembling concern, or perhaps sadness, before being replaced by steely resolve. “The Reading of the Sentence may now proceed,” she said, though with less ferocity than she had moments prior, before leveling her sword with the ground and assuming the same attentive stance as before.
At this point, the rabbit was shaking like a very well-dressed leaf in the vaguely vernal wind. She gingerly unfolded the parchment clutched in her paws, cleared her throat, and recited the words on the weathered document for all to hear: “Ahem. All be still and silent for the Reading of the Sentence!! The Accused is faced with the following crimes against the Kingdom: Conspiracy to pilfer the Prince’s prized Mana. Conspiracy to undermine or overthrow Her Most Arcane Majesty Christina and the Glorious Alabaster Line. Heresy against Her Most Arcane Majesty Christina and the Glorious Alabaster Line. Plotting to plunge the world into eternal darkness, madness and Chaos, which is against the interests of the Crown and country, and therefore considered conspiracy to undermine or overthrow Her Most Arcane Majesty Christina and the Glorious Alabaster Line. Dabbling in forbidden magicks. Evasion or underpayment of due taxes. Petty larceny. Resisting arrest. Attempting to escape due trial. On all charges has the Prince deemed the Accused guilty."
Shocker. So that’s what monarchies think a due trial looks like? He was ninety percent sure that he hasn’t done most of the illegal things! But fine, the dream needs to set the scene before the allegorical manifestation of his fellow demigod can dispense with the formalities and open up an arcane can of buttwhooping on Seth’s fragile behind. That was the general format of these encounters that he had observed so far, at least. He refrained from quipping back with something snarky in the middle of this obviously unfair trial. A comment along the lines of this being a “kangaroo court” probably would not go over well, on the slim but very real chance that there were actual kangaroos present in this court. Best not to take chances…
“Your Prodigal Majesty, the Prince, shall henceforth mete the appropriate punishment. May He have mercy on your tarnished soul,” recited the rabbit, “For your crimes are numerous, and their severity steep. Your Majesty?” She turned expectantly to Prince Jacob, who had returned to playing with his magic cards to keep himself calm. When that failed to cue him in, the hound knight cleared her throat gently, raising an armored paw to her snout while her glove gripped the claymore just a little tighter. “Prince Jacob,” she reminded the young royal. The son of Hecate started in his seat and took a terrified open-mouthed glance out at the swarm of animals waiting to hear his divine judgment. His jaw snapped shut with the swiftness of a bear trap. “Nnnh,” came his squeak of embarrassment. “Fffffuh…”
Seth hid a grin as Jacob’s notorious shyness got the better of him when faced with the insurmountable task of public speaking. For once, the Son of Hermes had a plan keeping him one step ahead of the nightmare. A key to his manacles, unseen by all, was clasped tightly in his right hand. For the badger warden hadn’t been too careful when setting him down in front of the grassy throne. Forget yoinking powers; sometimes a little classic thievery provided an elegant solution to his problems. The supernatural dream logic that granted him enhanced abilities whenever facing these nightmares. Just as Jacob struggled to dole out the sentence for these fakey fake crimes, Seth would spring into action and the fight would commence.
“F-for your c-crimes against… um… crimes against my mom… I hhhhuh. Hereby sent-t-.... Sentence you…” Jacob mumbled into his cards, pulling his legs up onto the throne to wrap one arm around them like a ball of condensed half-blood while Seth snuck the key into a better position. Both the attention of the rabbit and husky were trained on their taciturn master, giving him ample time to physically and mentally prepare. Anticipation coiled in his muscles, burning like gasoline. The key slipped into the locking mechanism. Gently, ever so gently, he began to twist. “Sentence you t-... you to..”
“To… To pet one hundred fuzzy animals in mmm… my c-court!” He declared triumphantly, flooding with relief when he realized he had reached the end of that arduous statement. All of the tension spilled from Seth’s body and he nearly dropped the key in surprise. Apparently he was the only one shocked by such an outcome; the gentry roared with approval, tossing hats, scarves and other garments into the air. One kangaroo (oh, hey, see? Good call, Seth) burst into joyful sobs and retrieved a kerchief to dab at her mascara, as though this was the best news she had heard in her entire life. The rabbit attendant clapped her hands in jubilation, and even the husky nodded gravely, as though Seth’s fate had just been sealed. The grassy dragon serving as Jacbo’s throne twitched its ears at the cacophony, before loosing a humid breath and lowering its neck back down for a snooze.
Seth had to fight himself not to double over laughing. Here he was expecting a sinister Hecate-themed showdown, but the only thing he would be fighting today was his urge to pet every animal in sight? “Wait,” he chuckled, sitting up from his kneeling position as an orderly line, policed by the armored husky, began to form to his side. In the front was the badger from before, paws shaking with excitement. “Wait, that’s it? You’re not seriously about to make me-”
THIRTY-FOUR ADORABLE ANIMALS LATER
Under the watchful eye of His Glorious Majesty Jacob of the Royal Zoo or something like that, Seth was indeed sentenced to a grueling petting of one hundred friendly animals. Oh, the horror. The cruel and unusual nature of this punishment could only be endured by someone with godlike fortitude. Indomitable force of will. The strength to carry on after administering dozens of belly rubs and words of affirmation. The universal yearning that all human beings have to pet a bunch of exotic animals that in any other setting you are really not supposed to pet. Good qualities like that. Of course, he was still a prisoner - the guard had refused to remove the manacle from his wrists. Though Seth had expertly tucked the key away in case this abhorrent torture became too much to bear, or something.
The otter rolled onto its back as Seth tickled and brushed its fur. “Who’s a cuddly, friendly guy? You are. You are.” His train of thought was interrupted by the otter’s portly laugh. “Ohoho!” it chuckled, raising a tiny limb to readjust the monocle on its face. “Indeed I am, good sir, indeed I am a cuddly, friendly guy, just as you described!”
Seth forced a smile while his insides shriveled in discomfort. He waved as the otter picked itself back up, patted itself off, and whistled a merry tune while strutting away. Okay, the fact that the animals he was petting were fully sapient was maaaybe starting to creep him out, just a little. Alas. Such was the price to pay for a life on the wrong side of the law. A shadow descended over him. He turned his gaze upwards to see the armored knight glaring down upon him.
Seth glanced around. Had he done something wrong? “Did I… do something wrong?” he echoed the sentiment in his brain.
“Silence!” commanded the bipedal. Siberian husky, although a crack in her facade told him that circumstances were definitely awry. Her piercing blue eyes conveyed the roiling anger from before, but her tail was wagging uncontrollably behind her. “You are not to speak while you. Erm. That is to say, I.. listen carefully, cur! I order you to..”
Seth finished her sentence for her. “Let me guess. You order me to pet you.”
“No. Yes. No! I mean.” Growling in discomfort, she got down on one knee, her armor noisily clanking with the untrained movement. “Two strokes on the top of the head, several pats, followed by a soft scratching behind the ears, -first the left, then the right- and then a gentle, chaste kiss on the forehead. In that order.” Seth raised his hands, poised to strike. “Will that be all?” The husky turned her head. “For now.”
The gentry looked on in envy as the feared Head of the Royal Guard of the Alabaster Line, decorated Knight Orion, daughter of the fierce warrior from whom she received her name, received copious headpats and scratches, all while maintaining her same stoic expression. Although, to Seth’s amusement, occasionally she couldn’t help herself from additional instructions. “Too soft. Not soft enough. Lower. Now to the left. No, my left. No, my other left. Yes. Adequate. Yes. Now please administer the Mantra of Virtue.”
“I’m sorry, the what?” While the orders came in, Seth leaned to one side and noticed a new attendant speaking to Jacob while the rabbit fiddled with her cufflinks. His eyes narrowed at the mysterious stranger, who was the only other human he had seen besides Jacob and himself. They sported no animal features that he could see, and was currently hunched over, whispering something inaudible into the young mage’s ear. They wore a jester’s garb of purple and green from head to toe, though the torso was styled much more akin to a tuxedo. The telltale pointy hat was devoid of bells, and no jester Seth had ever heard of would wear boots, much less ones with spikes. Though what really drew his attention was the mask. They concealed their face with a mask similar to Mara Lyone’s nightmare that he faced so long ago: the ever-gleeful porcelain smile of Comedy, through which a sinister purple mist poured from the eyes and mouth. A mist that, to his alarm, was snaking through the air and drifting directly into Jacob’s ear. The mage’s hands clenched and unclenched under the trance.
“The Mantra of Virtue, you fool! Don’t make me say it out loud!” No one, not Orion, the rabbit, or any of the gathered animals, had noticed the new arrival. Seth had to return his attention to the dog before she got too angry, although she seemed more sheepish now than anything. “You know… Tell me I’m a very good dog!”
“I’ve changed mmh. My mind,” Jacob announced, cutting the awkward conversation short. The jester clasped their gloved hands together and began to sink. A jagged pink crack in reality opened up on the marble floor, swallowing them whole. Then the lights disappeared, leaving no trace that anyone had been there. Jacob slid off of his throne, waving his hands to dismiss the line of animals awaiting their turn. The knight rose to her feet, turning to address her Prince and shaking off the inglorious posture she had assumed a minute before. “What, ah, troubles you, My Lord? Is the Sentence not proceeding how you envisioned it?”
“I have a, a, a,.... A new sentence.” The little Prince’s irises had become tinged by a swirling purple, and wisps of a similar colored smoke trickled from the edge of his lips and nostrils. The clouds overhead began to darken, and a chill wind blew through the assembled animals. Seth gingerly tapped at the key hidden in his sleeve, making sure it was still there. Carefully he brought it to the manacle’s lock.
The rabbit attendant began to back away as all of the shadows in the vicinity seemed to grow and intensify, pulling in the surrounding natural light. Leaves scattered across the garden court, and Jacob’s tarot cards were carried by the vortex. Orion’s eyes widened both in realization, and trepidation. She hesitated briefly, but rose her claymore in a fighting stance, seemingly ready to defend against her renegade ruler. “My Lord..? My Lord! Prince Jacob! Come to your senses! I beseech you, tell me what ails you?”
Jacob flicked his wrist. An unseen force knocked Orion to the side with ease, much to the horrified gasps of the crowd. Animals of all sorts began to turn tail and flee from the scene, only to be stopped in their tracks. Large thorny hedges erupted from the soil, pushing apart the stones of the path leading to the palace and boxing the gentry in. They pushed through the leaves in desperation, leaving their garments behind and retreating into shadows as the floral labyrinth surrounded the palace, its leafy walls sprouting higher and higher.
“Changed my mmmh. My mind. New sentence. Seth. Seth’s nnnh. New sentence is… d-d-... death.” Seth sprung to his feet and cast off the manacle, ready to fight. Jacob’s eyes rolled back into his head. The tiny demigod crumpled into an unconscious heap. His crown tumbled off of his head and rattled to a stop.
Seth lowered his fists and cocked a brow. “Oh.”
Out from the shadow of Jacob’s form, an indistinct murky shape bled onto the palace steps.The stormclouds began striking the distant countryside with silver lightning as the shape began to bubble like acid. The scent of countless cadavers wafted from the blob. Suddenly an appendage burst out of the living shadow’s oily membrane, a wicked forelimb that only vaguely resembled a claw. It slammed into the ground, cracking it with the force of the blow, just as a second forelimb was birthed from the miasma and grasping for a hold. Instinctually backing away from the macabre metamorphosis, Seth found that his rapier and buckler had mysteriously appeared in his hands as if responding to their master’s silent pleas for assistance, and held them aloft.
Fur sloughed off of the shadow’s sinewy body in sullied white patches. Shadowy gunk was caught in its yellowed nails the size of textbooks. A massive rabbit’s skull writhed free of the prison, with two twisted and malformed antlers exploding from the top. The fangs of such a beast grew to exaggerated proportions, nearly puncturing its own jawbone as it gnashed them together. The monster lacked a lower body, its torso instead tapering into a coil of smoke as it floated into the air. Behind its empty sockets, a single rotting apple gave off a dull golden glow, roving back and forth and extending its light in a sickly cone of vision.
“Oh,” Seth chirped. This was one bunny he was not particularly enthused about petting. “Okay.”
“Death,” repeated the towering jackalope, its throat vibrating with the rumble of two voices; Jacob’s, and a raspy, nasty gurgle that overlaid it. Symbols and runes lit up along its matted bones. As the hedge maze parted behind Seth, encouraging the beast’s prey to begin running, Jacob’s Shadow tilted its head back and screeched into the sky, clenching its claws together and drawing blue fluid from its exposed veins.
”Death!” Pounding both fists into the ground, it lowered its head and surged forward with impossible speed.
Part 1 - Seth Westley, the Nobody
Davenport DevilChapter 1 - Brandon Davenport, Hephaestus - 7 Offerings to PhlegethonMaestraChapter 2 - Mara Lyones, Athena - 1 Concert disruptedRagnarokChapter 3 - Helena Masters, Boreas - 64 Winters enduredPop QuizChapter 4 - Andre Delgado, Alastor - 6 Family bonds unchainedMelting PotChapter 5 - Lucien Michaeux, Circe - 1 Father realized (END OF PART 1)
Part 2 - The Dark Jester's Corruption
Prince's Court- Chapter 6 - Jacob Alabaster, Hecate - A maze yet conquered- Sandman - Chapter 7 - ??? - An outlaw yet apprehended
- Undying - Chapter 8 - ??? - A beach yet escaped
- Tower of Midas - Chapter 9 - ??? - An oath yet sworn
- sLaughter - Chapter 10 - ??? A corruption yet cleansed (END OF PART 2)
2024.06.04 16:52 Theeaglestrikes Since 1998, the people of my Alaskan hometown have been frozen in time. I shouldn’t have returned.
When the edged wind came to our village, it seemed like a typical Alaskan gust. One fitting for late December. Then, as the tall tide of frost lashed against the shore of our home, the sagging branches of the yellow cedar trees stopped bouncing. And I abandoned the idea of the breeze being a breeze at all.
Once others understood that, the time for running had passed.
The unholy wind reached the village’s main road, causing two moving cars to sharply and statically stop. The vehicles were frozen in place, much like the people within those metal graves. Onlookers, enjoying a brisk afternoon in the park, began to scream as loved ones succumbed to that supernatural end. Imprisoned in a capsuled moment of time.
Those first few victims were the lucky ones. They’d been oblivious to the fate which awaited them. True terror was endured by those who beheld the raw power of the wind. Those unfortunate enough to see the end coming.
Regardless, the remaining townsfolk, burdened with the awareness of impending doom, futilely attempted to escape the approaching breeze. Those fleeing residents, far slower than the unnatural frost, were halted in haunting poses as the wind bit into them. Limbs were suspended in mid-air positions. Eyes were left wide and unblinking. Mouths were cursed to forever gape in horror.
“RUN!” Dad screamed, sprinting towards us from a nearby park bench.
My brother, my childhood friend, and I were sitting in a sandbox. Already engrossed in a fantasy world, I wondered whether my imagination had conjured the wind. I thought my mind had transcended to a higher plane. It was my way of processing the trauma.
However, I accepted the reality of the situation when my father shoehorned the three of us into his Volkswagen Golf. The icy jaws of the wind were nearly nipping at the rear of the vehicle as Dad twisted the key in the ignition, but the beat-up car rapidly lurched forwards. My father wrenched us away from the frost, seconds before it consumed us.
“Daddy, where are we going?” I tearfully asked.
“I don’t know, Jillian,” He weakly moaned, manoeuvring around fleeing cars and pedestrians.
“Are we picking up Mummy?” Alan asked.
Dad ignored my brother’s question. I was only eight years old at the time, but I knew that my mother wasn’t coming. I understood the significance of the tears in my father’s eyes.
For twenty-six years, I successfully managed to suppress that memory. Did such a good job, in fact, that I almost believed it had all been a dream. I started to believe that we had simply moved away from our hometown, and Mum had simply chosen to stay. Dad never convinced me otherwise. He never talked about what happened. Neither did my brother.
As for Leon, he moved to an orphanage in Anchorage. We wrote to each other for a couple of years, but his replies became less and less frequent. Eventually, he stopped responding entirely. I used to wonder why my father didn’t adopt my childhood friend, but I suppose that would have forced him to accept what happened. And, like me, he had no intention of doing that.
I thought we would run back to England, having failed to achieve the American Dream. But Dad kept us in Alaska. I assumed that he’d been driven by stubbornness. Or guilt, perhaps. We’d already fled our home. Perhaps fleeing across the pond would’ve been a step too far. Perhaps it would’ve felt like truly abandoning our mother. Whatever his reason for staying, Dad didn’t tell anyone the truth. He never went to the police. He never returned to look for Mum.
“Don’t look back, kids,” I remember him whispering as we fled the frost.
I followed that advice for the next couple of decades, only recalling the event for the briefest moments, from time to time. When Dad bought the first computer for our family in 2000, I Googled the name of our old town. I typed the word before realising I was even doing so. I was still young, of course, but I knew that nothing about our speedy departure had been normal. I wanted answers.
I’d expected to discover that my village had become a ghost town. That would have made sense. Alaska’s unforgiving climate breeds desolate places, born to be abandoned. However, the search results revealed nothing, so I told myself I’d imagined the village. I told myself we'd always lived in Anchorage.
As the years passed, I became comfortable with the notion that none of it had ever been real. Not even my mother. And that was why I did not expect to see a certain person again.
“Happy birthday, Jill.”
My jaw dropped when Leon Taylor appeared on my doorstep.
It might seem strange that I would recognise a man who was a child when I last saw him, but Leon always had distinctive features. I immediately identified the mole on his neck, just below his facial scruff, and those sorrowful eyes, shadowed by his unmistakable overgrown brows.
“Leon?” I gasped. “What are you doing here?”
The man smiled weakly. “Sorry, Jill. I should’ve done this the Millennial way. Y’know. Reconnected through Facebook.”
“No, it’s… I just never thought I’d see you again. Do you want to come inside?” I asked, motioning at the hallway.
Leon nodded, so I made a couple of coffees whilst my old friend seated himself in the living room. A boy who I’d almost forgotten. Almost entirely erased from existence, just like our old town. But I’d always known, just beneath the surface of my shallow memories, that it had all been real. The truth of my childhood was always within reach. As I brought the drinks into the lounge, hands trembling, I tried to dispel the thoughts flooding my mind. Thoughts of that awful day.
“How’s your dad? How’s Alan?” Leon asked, taking the cup of coffee.
I sighed. “Dad’s been unwell for a few years. He hasn’t been taking care of himself, and he’s getting old. As for Alan… Well, Alan’s the way he’s always been. Uptight, and distant, but–”
“– When was the last time you spoke to him?” Leon sharply interjected.
The question caught me off-guard. “Huh?”
“Your brother. When was the last time you spoke to him?” Leon asked.
My face drained. He knows, I thought. How on Earth does he know?
“Three years ago,” I answered.
My old friend nodded. “Did you fall out?”
I scoffed. “That’s an understatement. You remember what he was like when we were kids, don’t you?”
Leon shrugged. “He was two years older than us. We must’ve infuriated him.”
I nodded. “Sure. But I grew up, and he never did. We had a big argument, and we haven't spoken since.”
“Interesting,” He responded.
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re a man of few words these days, Leon.”
The man cleared his throat. “Your brother messaged me a week ago.”
My other eyebrow raised. “What?”
“It was a very strange message.”
“Did you reply?” I asked. “I thought you would’ve preferred to ignore it.”
He lowered his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Jillian. I replied to some of your letters…”
“Then you forgot about me,” I said. “It’s embarrassing that I didn’t get the hint.”
“It wasn’t embarrassing,” Leon sheepishly muttered. “I read all of them. Every last letter.”
“Oh, well, that’s great,” I laughed. “Nice to know that you cared.”
“Jillian, I…” Leon paused, lifting his head. “I was scared.”
“Scared of what?” I asked.
“Remembering that day,” He replied. “It’s why I told your dad I didn’t want to come and live with you.”
“It’s… What?” I asked.
Leon tilted his head. “You didn’t know? Did you really think he’d just dump me in that place? He might’ve changed, but your dad was never cold. Still, I refused. Living with you would’ve reminded me of what happened to my family.”
I didn't reply, so my old friend prodded the beast. “Aren’t we going to talk about–”
“– Why did my brother message you?” I interrupted, avoiding the topic.
Leon twitched his lips uncertainly, as if unwilling to part them.
“He told me that I had to see you…” Leon trailed off.
“Right,” I said. “Why?”
“Your brother said something insane, Jillian,” He said. “He claimed that Arnold Walker visited him in Fairbanks.”
My jaw fell. “I beg your pardon? Arnold Walker? My brother’s school friend?”
Leon nodded.
“He escaped? I didn't know others got out,” I whispered.
My old friend’s face was growing paler. “No, I... Your brother said something that seemed impossible. He said that Arnold did not arrive on his doorstep as a thirty-six-year-old man, but a ten-year-old child.”
My stomach dropped. The natural response would’ve been to discredit such an outlandish story, refuting it with a rational explanation. But Leon’s revelation served to do only one thing. It confirmed what I’d always known.
“A ten-year-old boy made it all the way from our hometown to Fairbanks?” I asked meekly.
Leon frowned. “That’s it? You’re not going to question it? I did. I messaged Alan repeatedly, but he never replied.”
“Not a nice feeling, is it?” I asked, sighing. “How did you want me to react, Leon? You were itching to talk about that day. Well, I’m not skirting around the subject now. Let’s talk about it. Okay? I know all of that horror really happened. I’d just never wanted anyone to confirm it.”
“Me neither,” Leon said. “I was trying to avoid your family for the rest of my life. Your brother ruined that.”
“Yeah. He tends to ruin things,” I replied. “So, that’s it? Alan wanted you to tell me about Arnold Walker?”
Leon shivered. “There’s more, but… Look, I know I should’ve messaged you about all of this first, but I thought about the way Alan avoided my questions. I didn’t want you to do the same. I assumed if I were to show up in person, then–”
“– I wouldn’t be able to run away,” I finished. “I understand, Leon. I just hate that my brother is still too childish to talk to me.”
“Funny. He called you childish too. Listening to you two bicker is nostalgic,” Leon smiled, before quickly adopting a solemn expression. “I’m trying to change the subject, but I need to rip off the band-aid. Alan said that Arnold took him to a car on the front lawn. There was a man in the driver’s seat, barely clinging to life, with a face mangled beyond recognition. Your brother said the man’s skin had been peeled from his face… And he was still, somehow, alive.”
I shuddered, vomit climbing my throat.
“Arnold told your brother that the man was Mr Johnson,” Leon whispered.
“The farmer? The one who ran the local grocery store?” I asked, shivering.
My friend nodded. “Yeah. Alan said he’d aged a little. Well, his hair was greyer than he remembered. The pair must’ve been on the road for hours, and your brother didn’t know how they knew where to find him. He had so many questions for them, but Mr Johnson died before the ambulance arrived. And whilst Alan talked to the paramedics, Arnold ran away. He’s missing.”
“Shit…” I whispered. “I’ll call my brother.”
“You might struggle,” Leon said. “Alan ended the message by saying that he was going back… home.”
I gawped. “No. He wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“Maybe not. You should try to contact him,” Leon said. “He hasn’t replied to my dozens of messages, but he might reply to you. Not sure he even has a signal, out there in the boonies, but you’re right. You should try.”
I spent an hour trying to contact my brother, in various ways, but he did not respond. Alan had vanished. And I knew, like it or not, that I had to return to our village too. I should’ve told Dad. Would've told him, had he not been one bad day away from a heart attack. In spite of the man he’d become, I loved him. I didn’t want to remind him of the place we’d fled.
One person should be spared the horror of remembering, I thought.
Leon and I, two strangers who’d spent formative years together, piled into my Kia, and we drove from Anchorage to a place that I’d long hoped had never really existed.
I was going to be horribly disappointed.
On a nondescript road that burrowed into the Alaskan wilderness, my throat started to twist and constrict. The outer edge of my vision shrank, and my head pulsated with a slowing rhythm as the world slipped away from me. I struggled to breathe as I came to terms with an awful fact.
I recognised that endless road.
“Jillian…” Leon whispered.
“Don’t,” I begged.
I didn’t want to hear it. I wasn’t ready. I’d known all along, of course, that our village existed. Even when extensive research had revealed nothing about the town. When I thought of the way the breeze consumed the town, erasing its residents, it made sense that it would erase the very place itself. After all, even I’d started to doubt its existence, and I’d lived there.
Accepting the unearthly nature of the event wasn’t as tough as you might imagine. If anything, I had fought hard to deny it. I wanted to ignore the existence of a paranormal force, though I had witnessed it with my own eyes. Even if there were some Alaskan breeze powerful enough to instantaneously freeze an entire town, we hadn’t witnessed that. We’d seen something else. We’d seen that glacial wind freeze the town. Not its people, but its tether to time.
After an hour of following the frosted landscape, we saw something familiar on the horizon. Leon’s face mirrored mine as our damned village appeared. A bulge of ruin and decay, growing as we neared it. And when we crossed the threshold into the desolate town, the reality of our quest finally dawned on me.
“Where is everybody?” Leon asked.
It might seem a moronic question to an outsider. Our old village was clearly an abandoned place. No rational person would expect anybody else to be there. Of course, I understood Leon. He had asked the same terrifying question that was circling the drain of my mind, refusing to flush away.
I thought back to that terrible day on which hundreds of people froze in time. Then I thought of Arnold Walker and Mr Johnson. The two residents who’d supposedly shown up at my brother’s door. One of them had looked no older than he’d been in 1998.
“Time resumed,” I finally mumbled.
“Yes, but where did everybody go?” My childhood friend asked.
I didn’t have an answer. Neither did my brother, and that was why he’d come here.
That’s not the real reason, I thought. He was hoping to find… her.
I rolled onto my old street, noting that the trees swayed in the wind and birds flew overhead. Signs that time was flowing. I wondered whether others had fled in the same fashion as Arnold and Mr Johnson. I even allowed my heart to soar a little as I considered that my mother might have freed herself. Might have found Dad in Anchorage. Might be wondering where Alan and I had gone.
However, I knew that not to be the case. Mum had not arrived at my door, and there had been no national news coverage about people emerging from a town that didn’t exist. There had only been an old, half-butchered man and a quiet boy. Both were gone. And I had questions about the nature of their escape from our hometown, given my brother’s ominous message to Leon.
Something was still dreadfully wrong with our village. Twenty-six years had not changed that. The people of the village had not disappeared into the sunset. Whatever had happened to them, I knew it wasn’t good. Possibly worse than what happened to Arnold Walker and Mr Johnson.
I pulled onto the driveway of my childhood home, gently trundling over cracked asphalt. Weeds squirmed through the wounds of the suburb, as nature sought to erase my childhood from existence. There was no need for that, of course. The wind of 1998, and whatever secrets it held, had already done a fine job of wiping my hometown from reality.
“Do you think he’s come here?” Leon asked as I turned off the engine.
“Yes. We both know who he wanted to find,” I said.
My childhood friend nodded, and we both sombrely climbed out of the vehicle.
The village was colder than I remembered. For a mid-afternoon day in late May, it was unseasonably chilly. Alaska, for the most part, is not the arctic hellscape that many people imagine. Not in all parts of the state, anyhow, and certainly not in late spring. The air also felt stale. It carried the stench of evil, and it seemed to be tinged with frost. As if that demonic breeze were still lingering in the air, nearly three decades later.
I knocked on the rotten front door, surprised that it did not break with a slight rap of my hand.
“Alan?” I yelled. “It’s Jillian.”
My brother did not respond, but I wasn’t concerned. If he had been there, and Mum hadn’t, then he wouldn’t have wanted to stay. I wanted to use that as an excuse to turn around and leave. I already assumed that my mother wouldn’t be there, but another part of me knew that my assumption was more of a wish. In a similar way, I had been secretly glad to find nobody in the town. There was only one person I hoped to find in my old village, and that was Alan.
I was terrified by the prospect of finding anything else.
“Jill…” Leon started softly. “Come on. We have to do it.”
“Do we?” I asked. “This was a mistake. We should turn around. We–”
“– I agree,” Leon sharply interjected. “But we have to find your brother. And when we do, we’ll convince him to come back with us. We’ll convince him to leave this place behind too.”
“Why did you come to see me, Leon?” I asked. “You could’ve ignored my brother’s message. You could’ve pretended none of this had ever happened. That’s what you did when you started ignoring my letters, isn’t it?”
“I deeply regretted that for years, Jill,” He said softly. “You were my best friend. You were… more than that. We were just kids, but I loved you. I’ve not made another connection like ours. Not even in my adult life.”
“I know,” I replied. “I loved you too, Leon. That’s why it hurt when you let our bond peter out. If you’d cut me off from the start, I would’ve understood. But it just felt like you’d stopped caring.”
“Never. I just lost the strength to bear that trauma,” He explained. “Every letter was a reminder, and I just… That’s why I came to your door. That’s why I didn’t ignore what your brother said. I didn’t want something to happen to him. You lost your mother. I didn’t want you to lose him too.”
“We all lost things,” I sniffled. “You lost… more than me. I just don’t understand why you’d come back. Why my brother would come back. I don’t even understand why I’ve come back.”
“We never really left this place, did we?” Leon asked. “Not in our minds. Even though it doesn’t exist in the eyes of the outside world, it never left us. Never let go. Arnold Walker and Mr Johnson lured Alan back. And he lured us back.”
“That’s an unsettling way of looking at it,” I timidly replied.
“It’s the only way I’ve been able to look at it,” He said. “Whatever claimed this place, it remembered us, and it made sure we remembered it. Not that it would be easy to forget… For years, I thought I’d lost my mind, but after talking to you and Alan, I’m not so sure. I find it hard to believe that we’d have experienced a shared delusion. No, it all really happened. And the memory replays in my mind every day. I’ll never get rid of it.”
“Dad seemed to do a good job of erasing this place from his mind,” I said.
I knew that wasn’t true, of course. He had never forgotten. That was made apparent by his deterioration. Alan and I had a close relationship with our father before we left that village. Afterwards, he changed. We all changed. Losing Mum had fractured the family, but there was more to it than that. I started to consider that Leon might be right. Perhaps the frost hadn’t ensnared the two of us, but it had certainly bitten us.
“Do you want me to do it?” Leon eventually asked.
I wanted to be courageous enough to open the door, but I wasn’t. I nodded meekly and stepped aside, allowing my childhood friend the nightmarish task of facing whatever lay within my old home. He pushed the door handle down, expecting the house to be unlocked, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Shall we try the back?” I asked.
Leon backed up. I quickly realised what he was planning to do, and I opened my mouth to utter a protest. My hulking friend had charged before I spoke a single word, however, and he hurled his body into the door. It quivered in its frame, but did not give.
“Leon!” I cried. “What are you doing?”
“Well, I don’t suppose you have the key?” He panted, massaging his shoulder.
I held up my hands. “Look, let’s just…”
My friend rushed forwards again, and the result was the same. This time, however, Leon released a groan of pain, clutching his arm a little more tightly.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” I said. “Let’s take it in turns to kick the door. That'll work better, and it won’t cripple either of us.”
Leon nodded, and the two of us firmly booted the door near the handle. The wood quaked, and it only took a few attacks for the door to splinter around the lock. The frame splayed inwards, and the metal mechanism fell loose.
“Whoops… That worked a little too well,” Leon laughed.
He led the way into my childhood home, which looked, unlike the street outside, the same as I remembered. The same as it had looked on the day I’d left. There were no shoes left by the door. No muddy prints on the carpet. No indication whatsoever that my brother had visited our old home, which I’d gathered when the front door had been locked. But this was not a relief. I knew, in my gut, that Alan would’ve gone there first.
He never made it home.
Leon shivered. “This place feels cold…”
“Frozen,” I corrected. “Frozen in time.”
“Is it safe for us to be here?” He asked. “What if we end up like the others?”
“It’s a bit late to ask that now,” I replied. “The breeze passed long ago. This just seems to be the horror it left behind.”
Leon accepted my suggestion, then he wandered over to the staircase. My friend took one step before halting in place. For a haunting moment, I believed that he had been frozen in time too. I believed that I’d been wrong, and the frost had come for us. But I quickly realised that my friend was still moving. Still twitching. He was frozen by fear, not a supernatural gale.
“There’s someone in the bathroom…” Leon wheezed.
With physical dread in every inch of my body, I joined my friend and looked up. Artificial light spilled beneath the bathroom door onto the dark landing.
“There might not be anyone in there,” I shakily said.
“Jillian, this is an abandoned town. There is no electricity. Your house is still frozen in time, and it froze with the bathroom light left on. Somebody must have been–”
“– Don’t say it,” I pleaded, upper lip trembling.
“Do you want me to lead the way?” He asked.
I didn’t. I wanted to run, but I knew I would never forgive myself for doing so. Leon was right, of course. I hadn’t allowed him to finish his sentence, but it was clear that he was going to mention somebody in particular. Somebody whose face flooded my mind as we ascended the staircase, one tentative step at a time. Somebody whose name started to tickle my lips as Leon grasped the handle to the door.
It wasn’t locked.
“Mum?” I moaned as Leon inched it open.
My ageless mother was inside.
I’m sure I would’ve screamed at whatever we found, but I was not prepared for the state of the statue before me. Mum was standing at the sink, hands cupped below a stream of tap water suspended in time. As I had always feared, the frost caught her. It was horrifying enough to be frozen in time for twenty-six years, whilst the rest of the world continued, but that wasn’t why I screamed. I’d braced myself for that possibility. I’d spent my entire adult life coming to terms with it.
I screamed because I wasn’t prepared to see her face.
Mum was smiling. Not a wholesome smile. It was a taut grin that etched an unnerving crescent shape across her cheeks. There was nothing unnatural about the grin, but it looked painful. And it appeared as if cataracts had taken the entirety of her pupils.
“Mum?” I asked weakly. “Do you hear me?”
There was no reply. I peered around the side of her face, and I immediately regretted it. Though she was frozen in time, she did not look unaware. I felt her sightless eyes boring into my face, and I quickly jumped backwards.
“Let’s go and find your brother,” Leon fearfully said.
As I nodded, backing towards the doorway, I locked my gaze onto my mother’s profile. My heart pounded as I started to close the bathroom door. I was trying to ignore the idea that had wormed into my mind. The possibility that, behind the glassy cataract, a pupil might still exist. Lying dormant. Watching me from a face that no longer seemed to belong to my mother.
After I shut the door, Leon and I took a few moments to control our breathing. With a slight tremble, my friend finally walked over to the light switch and raised a hand, but I caught his wrist.
“What are you doing?” He frowned.
“Leave the light on,” I whispered. “I… don’t like the idea of leaving her in the dark.”
My friend’s expression softened, and he nodded, seeming to understand my explanation. Seeming to empathise. But I was lying. I wasn’t worried about leaving my mother in the dark. I was worried about the thing behind that smiling face.
“Alan didn’t come here,” I said. “Did he really come back?”
“You read the message, Jillian,” Leon replied.
“I know, but…” I sighed. “I know.”
“He might not have come to the house,” My friend suggested.
“This is the first place he would’ve visited,” I said. “If Mum weren’t here, he wouldn’t have returned.”
“Well, let’s look around,” Leon urged. “You never know. We might find something else. Something to help your mother, perhaps.”
“You saw her face,” I whispered. “She looked far past help.”
“Don’t say that, Jillian!” Leon shouted, eyes watering.
You idiot, I thought.
I was so self-centred. So focused on finding my brother and my mother. I hadn’t thought about Leon’s parents. His brother, Carl. People we’d left behind when my father saved us. I remembered Leon sobbing as he begged my father to turn around.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “We need to find your family too.”
Leon viciously shook his head. “Only if we find an answer, Jill. Only if we find a way to save them.”
My friend entered my childhood bedroom, and I followed him. I imagine that visiting one’s childhood home is a strange experience for anyone, but strangeness morphs into horror when that home is trapped in a moment of time. I felt physically unwell when I saw the glass of water on the bedside table, fresh as it had been on the day that my dad took us to the park. Life had continued for me, but the town was still trapped in that dreadful, inexplicable day.
“Jillian,” Leon said calmly. “There are people outside.”
He was standing in front of my bedroom window, and when I joined him, eyeing the road below, I saw them. A man and a woman who seemed to be in their mid-forties. The man wore ill-fitting clothes. A chequered shirt two sizes too small, and a pair of torn jeans. The woman, on the other hand, wore a pristine, shapely dress with a floral pattern. She looked oddly familiar, though her eyes were jittery and unfocused. It was the man who’d locked his eyes onto our house.
“I… vaguely recognise her,” Leon said.
I nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know her name, but I remember her. She looks a tad older, perhaps. I don’t know the man though.”
“You stay here,” Leon said, reaching inside his coat. “Don’t come out.”
“What are you holding?” I frowned, noting his shiftiness.
“Just…” Leon concealed his hand within the thick, wintry coat. “Are you going to stay in here?”
My eyes grew as I spotted a glint of metal. “You don’t… No, Leon. Please. Don’t tell me you have what I think you have.”
“We had no idea what we were going to find here,” The man protested.
I scoffed. “Leon Taylor? Carrying a gun? The boy who berated me for killing me a spider.”
Before he replied, there came the sound of the front door swinging open. And when we spun our heads back to the bedroom window, we saw that the man and woman were no longer on the street. I realised they were inside.
“Hello?” Called a man from downstairs. “We mean you no harm.”
“I have a weapon,” Leon yelled, slipping the pistol out of a hidden holster.
“Don’t shoot… It’s Bernie Bradley…” The man shouted weakly.
My mouth gaped. Bernie Bradley was in my brother’s school year. I remembered him. And as I recalled the face of the man I’d seen on the street, I didn’t find it hard to believe it had been the face of that same boy, twenty-six years into the future.
“What do you want?” I yelled.
“To help you,” He replied. “Before they come.”
“Who?” Leon asked.
“I’ll tell you if you put that weapon away,” Bernie said.
“I don’t trust you enough for that,” My friend growled.
“Are you Leon Taylor?” The man asked.
“Why?” Leon responded.
“Sydney Manley pushed you off the swing set, and you called her a fat cow,” Bernie said. “She ran home in tears.”
It wasn’t enough. In a place like that, which defied all laws of rationality, it wasn’t enough for Bernie Bradley to know that. But Leon and I needed it to be enough because we were hopelessly alone. Hopelessly afraid. And hopelessly desperate.
My friend re-holstered his weapon, and we walked onto the landing. Bernie and the woman were midway up the stairs. The man’s hands were raised, but the woman barely seemed aware of where they were. Barely seemed aware of herself.
“Leon Taylor and Jillian Maynard. Is that right?” Bernie asked.
“How did you recognise us?” I asked.
“You were the only ones who escaped,” He replied. “The Maynards and Leon Taylor.”
“The only ones?” Leon asked incredulously.
Bernie nodded. “Others tried, but the frost got them.”
“So, why aren’t you…” I started, unable to finish.
“Mind if we sit down before I answer that?” He asked.
I looked at Leon, and my friend begrudgingly nodded. We all headed to the living room and sat down. Once we did, Bernie Bradley told us an incredible story, and the woman beside him simply rocked on the sofa, face painted with a disturbing smile.
Bernie had been a ten-year-old boy, sitting at his bedroom desk, when the chill swept through his room. He told us that he remembered nothing but a black void. He might’ve been there for an eternity, or it might’ve been less than a moment.
When he woke from that dark slumber, still a ten-year-old boy sitting in the desk chair, Bernie looked out of the bedroom window. He was overcome by the horrible feeling that time had been lost, but he didn’t know how much. And when he saw residents frozen in the street, he realised that something awful had happened. Bernie found his own paused parents in the kitchen, and they were completely unresponsive to his pleas.
The lonely, frightened boy ran through the town, calling for help. Nobody answered. After a long day of searching, he returned to his house in tears. For a week, Bernie lived on cans of food from the cupboards. And then he heard shouting from the street.
“Hello? Is anybody there?” A man called.
Bernie ran outside to find Mr Johnson. The farmer had just woken from ‘a darkness’ to find the town full of statues. Bernie told Mr Johnson that he’d been alone for a week, but he had no idea how long he’d been frozen before that. The boy wanted to leave, but the farmer said they had to save as many people as possible. They had a duty to do so. After all, neither the farmer nor the boy knew what might happen to them if they were to run. The frost might return.
Anyway, Mr Johnson took Bernie under his wing. The crops in his field, thankfully, had unfrozen, as had his entire farmhouse. Mr Johnson fed Bernie, and the two of them survived. A week later, they found Elizabeth Coulter, the local headteacher, wandering through the town. Over the course of the following year, a dozen more unfrozen souls were saved and brought back to Mr Johnson’s farm.
But things changed as time passed. The newer thawed souls were unhinged. The longer a person had been trapped in that black stasis, the less human they became. They were still intelligible, but they spoke only of the voice in the void. A voice that they missed in the land of the living. They were irritable, but Mr Johnson cared for them, all the same. Eventually, they fled.
This only worsened as the years went by. After a decade, Bernie’s mother and father unfroze. However, his dad ran, and his mum only remained because she was lost and confused. She would rant and rave about the Speaker. The one that would make everything better. The one that would make them all eternal.
It was during the year of 2018 that things crossed a terrifying line. Mr Johnson had decided that newcomers were not welcome. It was a decision of necessity, not cruelty. The recently unfrozen folk had become more than unintelligible. They had become dangerous.
“Hark! The Speaker calls!” Walter Frankton screamed.
The middle-aged man, who had once been a police officer, was standing outside Mr Johnson’s farmhouse. When the community of sane people emerged, they screeched at the sight of Walter holding a charred body above his head. Nobody identified the burnt corpse, but Mr Johnson wasted no time in drawing his rifle and giving Mr Frankton ten seconds to flee.
Bernie explained that Walter laughed demonically, before disappearing into the night. Over the coming years, bodies were found in the street. Followers of the Speaker would relentlessly pursue Mr Johnson’s community, so the sane folk kept distant from the people of the Speaker. Few of Mr Johnson’s followers understood why they stayed, yet nobody felt able to leave. Something was keeping them there.
A couple of weeks before Leon and I arrived, however, Bernie said that Mr Johnson finally announced his plan to leave. There were murmurs of uncertainty. Everybody wanted to escape, of course, but fear had always stopped them. Still, they trusted Mr Johnson. If anybody had the power to safely lead them away from the place controlling their minds, it had to be the brave farmer. Packing and preparations began.
However, some days later, Bernie Bradley happened to look out of an upstairs window and notice Mr Johnson. The old man was wandering aimlessly onto the driveway, stumbling like a drunken man towards his vehicle. Bernie said there was a small child standing beside the car. The young boy led Mr Johnson to the driver’s door with a smile, and the two of them fled.
Things disintegrated after that. When a Molotov cocktail found its way through a window, the community dispersed. The sane folk fled in different directions, and Bernie was left alone with his mother.
“We’ve been running for days,” Bernie explained. “I keep finding the bodies of people from my community. Charred corpses in the street. I tried to leave this town, but it wouldn’t let me. The farther I drove, the sharper the pang in my heart. I knew I'd die if I were to keep going.”
“How did you find us?” Leon asked.
“I heard you,” Bernie replied. “Hard to miss the sound of an engine in a dead place like this. I had a hunch that it might be you.”
“You must've heard my brother then?” I asked hopefully.
Bernie frowned. “Alan's here? That might explain the raucous a few days ago… I don’t know what I heard. Noise. Lots of it... You won't find him, Jill. You have to run whilst it still lets you. The frost might be gone, but… something lingers.”
“The Speaker?” Leon asked.
Bernie nodded. “I was fortunate enough to never hear it. Or never remember hearing it. I don't know what it said to them. My mother won't tell me.”
Bernie looked at the woman next to him. The one who appeared to be the same age as him, though I realised he was still a decade younger. The horror of our town had aged him beyond his years.
“It will be so glorious…” Bernie’s mother giggled, eyes bearing faint pupils behind mild cataracts.
“You’re lucky that they didn’t see you arrive,” Bernie said. “Otherwise, you’d be dead already. But they’ll come. Sooner or later. And you need to listen to me if you want a safe way out of here. Okay? We need to distract them. Keep them off your backs.”
I shook my head. “I need to find my brother. I know he came to this town. I thought I'd find him in our home, but–”
“– Walter wanted him,” Bernie’s mother hissed.
The woman stopped rocking. Stopped smiling. And her head snapped to face me with such eerie speed that I thought it might entirely disconnect from her neck. Bernie quivered, seemingly just as horrified by his mother’s words as the rest of us.
“Mother…?” He asked.
“Walter wanted him. Walter wanted him. Walter wanted him!” The woman laughed, taunting me.
“What does she mean?” I sobbed. “Does Walter Frankton have my brother?”
Bernie’s face whitened. “If he does, your brother's either been flayed or charred.”
“Christ, Bernie,” Leon replied.
I sniffled. “I won’t leave until I know.”
“He’s already dead,” Bernie bluntly said.
“We don’t know that!” I cried.
I thought the others were sitting in stunned silence because I’d spoken so assertively. However, as I calmed my breathing, and the throbbing sensation in my ears quietened, I heard it too. The sound of laughing voices. Bernie’s mother strained to smile broadly. She looked as pained as my mother, but grateful for the privilege of the discomfort.
“You don't want to see this. We'll head through the back. Do not look at the street...” Bernie hoarsely pleaded as I rose.
But I was already running to the door.
I flung it open and started to run down the path, with Leon and Bernie in tow. Then, my eyes met the mob spilling beyond the end of the street. The crowd easily numbered a hundred people, and each face wore a terrible smile. Eyes glassy, yet all-seeing.
There was a man shuffling from the crowd towards me, like a terrified toddler taking its first steps. I tried to blot his face from my mind. I didn’t want to see it, though it was too late for that. I’d seen everything the moment I faced the crowd. Eventually, I fell to my knees and howled as I embraced the truth.
The shuffling man, who had been flayed alive, was my brother.
Alan reached towards me with an outstretched hand, weakly shouting something, before toppling forwards. He was reduced to a motionless heap on the road.
“Jill!” Leon cried again, rushing to me. “We have to go!”
I continued to wail as the gleeful crowd surged forwards. I resisted Leon, but he easily hauled my limp body to the car and bundled me into the back.
“He needs help...” I blubbered.
“He’s gone, Jill,” Leon whispered.
“What about your family?” I asked.
“They’re all gone...” He sniffled, stepping on the accelerator.
Staring through the rear-view window, I watched the crowd approach my old home. Bernie stood on the front porch, and his mother had her hands on his shoulders. The man did not run. As we pulled off the driveway, it almost seemed as if he, too, finally had a smile on his face. The mob swarmed Bernie, and I heard a brief cry of agony. It may have been ecstatic or fearful. It may have been both.
After we crossed the border, no chill pierced us. We were free to leave. But I know Leon and I belong to that town. I have always suspected that the wind grazed its teeth against my skin when I was a child. It grazed all of us. For, even now, I still feel that link. That urge to return to the salivating mob with a smile on my face.
When I returned home to find that my father was missing, I knew he felt it too.
submitted by Theeaglestrikes to nosleep [link] [comments]
Once others understood that, the time for running had passed.
The unholy wind reached the village’s main road, causing two moving cars to sharply and statically stop. The vehicles were frozen in place, much like the people within those metal graves. Onlookers, enjoying a brisk afternoon in the park, began to scream as loved ones succumbed to that supernatural end. Imprisoned in a capsuled moment of time.
Those first few victims were the lucky ones. They’d been oblivious to the fate which awaited them. True terror was endured by those who beheld the raw power of the wind. Those unfortunate enough to see the end coming.
Regardless, the remaining townsfolk, burdened with the awareness of impending doom, futilely attempted to escape the approaching breeze. Those fleeing residents, far slower than the unnatural frost, were halted in haunting poses as the wind bit into them. Limbs were suspended in mid-air positions. Eyes were left wide and unblinking. Mouths were cursed to forever gape in horror.
“RUN!” Dad screamed, sprinting towards us from a nearby park bench.
My brother, my childhood friend, and I were sitting in a sandbox. Already engrossed in a fantasy world, I wondered whether my imagination had conjured the wind. I thought my mind had transcended to a higher plane. It was my way of processing the trauma.
However, I accepted the reality of the situation when my father shoehorned the three of us into his Volkswagen Golf. The icy jaws of the wind were nearly nipping at the rear of the vehicle as Dad twisted the key in the ignition, but the beat-up car rapidly lurched forwards. My father wrenched us away from the frost, seconds before it consumed us.
“Daddy, where are we going?” I tearfully asked.
“I don’t know, Jillian,” He weakly moaned, manoeuvring around fleeing cars and pedestrians.
“Are we picking up Mummy?” Alan asked.
Dad ignored my brother’s question. I was only eight years old at the time, but I knew that my mother wasn’t coming. I understood the significance of the tears in my father’s eyes.
For twenty-six years, I successfully managed to suppress that memory. Did such a good job, in fact, that I almost believed it had all been a dream. I started to believe that we had simply moved away from our hometown, and Mum had simply chosen to stay. Dad never convinced me otherwise. He never talked about what happened. Neither did my brother.
As for Leon, he moved to an orphanage in Anchorage. We wrote to each other for a couple of years, but his replies became less and less frequent. Eventually, he stopped responding entirely. I used to wonder why my father didn’t adopt my childhood friend, but I suppose that would have forced him to accept what happened. And, like me, he had no intention of doing that.
I thought we would run back to England, having failed to achieve the American Dream. But Dad kept us in Alaska. I assumed that he’d been driven by stubbornness. Or guilt, perhaps. We’d already fled our home. Perhaps fleeing across the pond would’ve been a step too far. Perhaps it would’ve felt like truly abandoning our mother. Whatever his reason for staying, Dad didn’t tell anyone the truth. He never went to the police. He never returned to look for Mum.
“Don’t look back, kids,” I remember him whispering as we fled the frost.
I followed that advice for the next couple of decades, only recalling the event for the briefest moments, from time to time. When Dad bought the first computer for our family in 2000, I Googled the name of our old town. I typed the word before realising I was even doing so. I was still young, of course, but I knew that nothing about our speedy departure had been normal. I wanted answers.
I’d expected to discover that my village had become a ghost town. That would have made sense. Alaska’s unforgiving climate breeds desolate places, born to be abandoned. However, the search results revealed nothing, so I told myself I’d imagined the village. I told myself we'd always lived in Anchorage.
As the years passed, I became comfortable with the notion that none of it had ever been real. Not even my mother. And that was why I did not expect to see a certain person again.
“Happy birthday, Jill.”
My jaw dropped when Leon Taylor appeared on my doorstep.
It might seem strange that I would recognise a man who was a child when I last saw him, but Leon always had distinctive features. I immediately identified the mole on his neck, just below his facial scruff, and those sorrowful eyes, shadowed by his unmistakable overgrown brows.
“Leon?” I gasped. “What are you doing here?”
The man smiled weakly. “Sorry, Jill. I should’ve done this the Millennial way. Y’know. Reconnected through Facebook.”
“No, it’s… I just never thought I’d see you again. Do you want to come inside?” I asked, motioning at the hallway.
Leon nodded, so I made a couple of coffees whilst my old friend seated himself in the living room. A boy who I’d almost forgotten. Almost entirely erased from existence, just like our old town. But I’d always known, just beneath the surface of my shallow memories, that it had all been real. The truth of my childhood was always within reach. As I brought the drinks into the lounge, hands trembling, I tried to dispel the thoughts flooding my mind. Thoughts of that awful day.
“How’s your dad? How’s Alan?” Leon asked, taking the cup of coffee.
I sighed. “Dad’s been unwell for a few years. He hasn’t been taking care of himself, and he’s getting old. As for Alan… Well, Alan’s the way he’s always been. Uptight, and distant, but–”
“– When was the last time you spoke to him?” Leon sharply interjected.
The question caught me off-guard. “Huh?”
“Your brother. When was the last time you spoke to him?” Leon asked.
My face drained. He knows, I thought. How on Earth does he know?
“Three years ago,” I answered.
My old friend nodded. “Did you fall out?”
I scoffed. “That’s an understatement. You remember what he was like when we were kids, don’t you?”
Leon shrugged. “He was two years older than us. We must’ve infuriated him.”
I nodded. “Sure. But I grew up, and he never did. We had a big argument, and we haven't spoken since.”
“Interesting,” He responded.
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re a man of few words these days, Leon.”
The man cleared his throat. “Your brother messaged me a week ago.”
My other eyebrow raised. “What?”
“It was a very strange message.”
“Did you reply?” I asked. “I thought you would’ve preferred to ignore it.”
He lowered his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Jillian. I replied to some of your letters…”
“Then you forgot about me,” I said. “It’s embarrassing that I didn’t get the hint.”
“It wasn’t embarrassing,” Leon sheepishly muttered. “I read all of them. Every last letter.”
“Oh, well, that’s great,” I laughed. “Nice to know that you cared.”
“Jillian, I…” Leon paused, lifting his head. “I was scared.”
“Scared of what?” I asked.
“Remembering that day,” He replied. “It’s why I told your dad I didn’t want to come and live with you.”
“It’s… What?” I asked.
Leon tilted his head. “You didn’t know? Did you really think he’d just dump me in that place? He might’ve changed, but your dad was never cold. Still, I refused. Living with you would’ve reminded me of what happened to my family.”
I didn't reply, so my old friend prodded the beast. “Aren’t we going to talk about–”
“– Why did my brother message you?” I interrupted, avoiding the topic.
Leon twitched his lips uncertainly, as if unwilling to part them.
“He told me that I had to see you…” Leon trailed off.
“Right,” I said. “Why?”
“Your brother said something insane, Jillian,” He said. “He claimed that Arnold Walker visited him in Fairbanks.”
My jaw fell. “I beg your pardon? Arnold Walker? My brother’s school friend?”
Leon nodded.
“He escaped? I didn't know others got out,” I whispered.
My old friend’s face was growing paler. “No, I... Your brother said something that seemed impossible. He said that Arnold did not arrive on his doorstep as a thirty-six-year-old man, but a ten-year-old child.”
My stomach dropped. The natural response would’ve been to discredit such an outlandish story, refuting it with a rational explanation. But Leon’s revelation served to do only one thing. It confirmed what I’d always known.
“A ten-year-old boy made it all the way from our hometown to Fairbanks?” I asked meekly.
Leon frowned. “That’s it? You’re not going to question it? I did. I messaged Alan repeatedly, but he never replied.”
“Not a nice feeling, is it?” I asked, sighing. “How did you want me to react, Leon? You were itching to talk about that day. Well, I’m not skirting around the subject now. Let’s talk about it. Okay? I know all of that horror really happened. I’d just never wanted anyone to confirm it.”
“Me neither,” Leon said. “I was trying to avoid your family for the rest of my life. Your brother ruined that.”
“Yeah. He tends to ruin things,” I replied. “So, that’s it? Alan wanted you to tell me about Arnold Walker?”
Leon shivered. “There’s more, but… Look, I know I should’ve messaged you about all of this first, but I thought about the way Alan avoided my questions. I didn’t want you to do the same. I assumed if I were to show up in person, then–”
“– I wouldn’t be able to run away,” I finished. “I understand, Leon. I just hate that my brother is still too childish to talk to me.”
“Funny. He called you childish too. Listening to you two bicker is nostalgic,” Leon smiled, before quickly adopting a solemn expression. “I’m trying to change the subject, but I need to rip off the band-aid. Alan said that Arnold took him to a car on the front lawn. There was a man in the driver’s seat, barely clinging to life, with a face mangled beyond recognition. Your brother said the man’s skin had been peeled from his face… And he was still, somehow, alive.”
I shuddered, vomit climbing my throat.
“Arnold told your brother that the man was Mr Johnson,” Leon whispered.
“The farmer? The one who ran the local grocery store?” I asked, shivering.
My friend nodded. “Yeah. Alan said he’d aged a little. Well, his hair was greyer than he remembered. The pair must’ve been on the road for hours, and your brother didn’t know how they knew where to find him. He had so many questions for them, but Mr Johnson died before the ambulance arrived. And whilst Alan talked to the paramedics, Arnold ran away. He’s missing.”
“Shit…” I whispered. “I’ll call my brother.”
“You might struggle,” Leon said. “Alan ended the message by saying that he was going back… home.”
I gawped. “No. He wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“Maybe not. You should try to contact him,” Leon said. “He hasn’t replied to my dozens of messages, but he might reply to you. Not sure he even has a signal, out there in the boonies, but you’re right. You should try.”
I spent an hour trying to contact my brother, in various ways, but he did not respond. Alan had vanished. And I knew, like it or not, that I had to return to our village too. I should’ve told Dad. Would've told him, had he not been one bad day away from a heart attack. In spite of the man he’d become, I loved him. I didn’t want to remind him of the place we’d fled.
One person should be spared the horror of remembering, I thought.
Leon and I, two strangers who’d spent formative years together, piled into my Kia, and we drove from Anchorage to a place that I’d long hoped had never really existed.
I was going to be horribly disappointed.
On a nondescript road that burrowed into the Alaskan wilderness, my throat started to twist and constrict. The outer edge of my vision shrank, and my head pulsated with a slowing rhythm as the world slipped away from me. I struggled to breathe as I came to terms with an awful fact.
I recognised that endless road.
“Jillian…” Leon whispered.
“Don’t,” I begged.
I didn’t want to hear it. I wasn’t ready. I’d known all along, of course, that our village existed. Even when extensive research had revealed nothing about the town. When I thought of the way the breeze consumed the town, erasing its residents, it made sense that it would erase the very place itself. After all, even I’d started to doubt its existence, and I’d lived there.
Accepting the unearthly nature of the event wasn’t as tough as you might imagine. If anything, I had fought hard to deny it. I wanted to ignore the existence of a paranormal force, though I had witnessed it with my own eyes. Even if there were some Alaskan breeze powerful enough to instantaneously freeze an entire town, we hadn’t witnessed that. We’d seen something else. We’d seen that glacial wind freeze the town. Not its people, but its tether to time.
After an hour of following the frosted landscape, we saw something familiar on the horizon. Leon’s face mirrored mine as our damned village appeared. A bulge of ruin and decay, growing as we neared it. And when we crossed the threshold into the desolate town, the reality of our quest finally dawned on me.
“Where is everybody?” Leon asked.
It might seem a moronic question to an outsider. Our old village was clearly an abandoned place. No rational person would expect anybody else to be there. Of course, I understood Leon. He had asked the same terrifying question that was circling the drain of my mind, refusing to flush away.
I thought back to that terrible day on which hundreds of people froze in time. Then I thought of Arnold Walker and Mr Johnson. The two residents who’d supposedly shown up at my brother’s door. One of them had looked no older than he’d been in 1998.
“Time resumed,” I finally mumbled.
“Yes, but where did everybody go?” My childhood friend asked.
I didn’t have an answer. Neither did my brother, and that was why he’d come here.
That’s not the real reason, I thought. He was hoping to find… her.
I rolled onto my old street, noting that the trees swayed in the wind and birds flew overhead. Signs that time was flowing. I wondered whether others had fled in the same fashion as Arnold and Mr Johnson. I even allowed my heart to soar a little as I considered that my mother might have freed herself. Might have found Dad in Anchorage. Might be wondering where Alan and I had gone.
However, I knew that not to be the case. Mum had not arrived at my door, and there had been no national news coverage about people emerging from a town that didn’t exist. There had only been an old, half-butchered man and a quiet boy. Both were gone. And I had questions about the nature of their escape from our hometown, given my brother’s ominous message to Leon.
Something was still dreadfully wrong with our village. Twenty-six years had not changed that. The people of the village had not disappeared into the sunset. Whatever had happened to them, I knew it wasn’t good. Possibly worse than what happened to Arnold Walker and Mr Johnson.
I pulled onto the driveway of my childhood home, gently trundling over cracked asphalt. Weeds squirmed through the wounds of the suburb, as nature sought to erase my childhood from existence. There was no need for that, of course. The wind of 1998, and whatever secrets it held, had already done a fine job of wiping my hometown from reality.
“Do you think he’s come here?” Leon asked as I turned off the engine.
“Yes. We both know who he wanted to find,” I said.
My childhood friend nodded, and we both sombrely climbed out of the vehicle.
The village was colder than I remembered. For a mid-afternoon day in late May, it was unseasonably chilly. Alaska, for the most part, is not the arctic hellscape that many people imagine. Not in all parts of the state, anyhow, and certainly not in late spring. The air also felt stale. It carried the stench of evil, and it seemed to be tinged with frost. As if that demonic breeze were still lingering in the air, nearly three decades later.
I knocked on the rotten front door, surprised that it did not break with a slight rap of my hand.
“Alan?” I yelled. “It’s Jillian.”
My brother did not respond, but I wasn’t concerned. If he had been there, and Mum hadn’t, then he wouldn’t have wanted to stay. I wanted to use that as an excuse to turn around and leave. I already assumed that my mother wouldn’t be there, but another part of me knew that my assumption was more of a wish. In a similar way, I had been secretly glad to find nobody in the town. There was only one person I hoped to find in my old village, and that was Alan.
I was terrified by the prospect of finding anything else.
“Jill…” Leon started softly. “Come on. We have to do it.”
“Do we?” I asked. “This was a mistake. We should turn around. We–”
“– I agree,” Leon sharply interjected. “But we have to find your brother. And when we do, we’ll convince him to come back with us. We’ll convince him to leave this place behind too.”
“Why did you come to see me, Leon?” I asked. “You could’ve ignored my brother’s message. You could’ve pretended none of this had ever happened. That’s what you did when you started ignoring my letters, isn’t it?”
“I deeply regretted that for years, Jill,” He said softly. “You were my best friend. You were… more than that. We were just kids, but I loved you. I’ve not made another connection like ours. Not even in my adult life.”
“I know,” I replied. “I loved you too, Leon. That’s why it hurt when you let our bond peter out. If you’d cut me off from the start, I would’ve understood. But it just felt like you’d stopped caring.”
“Never. I just lost the strength to bear that trauma,” He explained. “Every letter was a reminder, and I just… That’s why I came to your door. That’s why I didn’t ignore what your brother said. I didn’t want something to happen to him. You lost your mother. I didn’t want you to lose him too.”
“We all lost things,” I sniffled. “You lost… more than me. I just don’t understand why you’d come back. Why my brother would come back. I don’t even understand why I’ve come back.”
“We never really left this place, did we?” Leon asked. “Not in our minds. Even though it doesn’t exist in the eyes of the outside world, it never left us. Never let go. Arnold Walker and Mr Johnson lured Alan back. And he lured us back.”
“That’s an unsettling way of looking at it,” I timidly replied.
“It’s the only way I’ve been able to look at it,” He said. “Whatever claimed this place, it remembered us, and it made sure we remembered it. Not that it would be easy to forget… For years, I thought I’d lost my mind, but after talking to you and Alan, I’m not so sure. I find it hard to believe that we’d have experienced a shared delusion. No, it all really happened. And the memory replays in my mind every day. I’ll never get rid of it.”
“Dad seemed to do a good job of erasing this place from his mind,” I said.
I knew that wasn’t true, of course. He had never forgotten. That was made apparent by his deterioration. Alan and I had a close relationship with our father before we left that village. Afterwards, he changed. We all changed. Losing Mum had fractured the family, but there was more to it than that. I started to consider that Leon might be right. Perhaps the frost hadn’t ensnared the two of us, but it had certainly bitten us.
“Do you want me to do it?” Leon eventually asked.
I wanted to be courageous enough to open the door, but I wasn’t. I nodded meekly and stepped aside, allowing my childhood friend the nightmarish task of facing whatever lay within my old home. He pushed the door handle down, expecting the house to be unlocked, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Shall we try the back?” I asked.
Leon backed up. I quickly realised what he was planning to do, and I opened my mouth to utter a protest. My hulking friend had charged before I spoke a single word, however, and he hurled his body into the door. It quivered in its frame, but did not give.
“Leon!” I cried. “What are you doing?”
“Well, I don’t suppose you have the key?” He panted, massaging his shoulder.
I held up my hands. “Look, let’s just…”
My friend rushed forwards again, and the result was the same. This time, however, Leon released a groan of pain, clutching his arm a little more tightly.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” I said. “Let’s take it in turns to kick the door. That'll work better, and it won’t cripple either of us.”
Leon nodded, and the two of us firmly booted the door near the handle. The wood quaked, and it only took a few attacks for the door to splinter around the lock. The frame splayed inwards, and the metal mechanism fell loose.
“Whoops… That worked a little too well,” Leon laughed.
He led the way into my childhood home, which looked, unlike the street outside, the same as I remembered. The same as it had looked on the day I’d left. There were no shoes left by the door. No muddy prints on the carpet. No indication whatsoever that my brother had visited our old home, which I’d gathered when the front door had been locked. But this was not a relief. I knew, in my gut, that Alan would’ve gone there first.
He never made it home.
Leon shivered. “This place feels cold…”
“Frozen,” I corrected. “Frozen in time.”
“Is it safe for us to be here?” He asked. “What if we end up like the others?”
“It’s a bit late to ask that now,” I replied. “The breeze passed long ago. This just seems to be the horror it left behind.”
Leon accepted my suggestion, then he wandered over to the staircase. My friend took one step before halting in place. For a haunting moment, I believed that he had been frozen in time too. I believed that I’d been wrong, and the frost had come for us. But I quickly realised that my friend was still moving. Still twitching. He was frozen by fear, not a supernatural gale.
“There’s someone in the bathroom…” Leon wheezed.
With physical dread in every inch of my body, I joined my friend and looked up. Artificial light spilled beneath the bathroom door onto the dark landing.
“There might not be anyone in there,” I shakily said.
“Jillian, this is an abandoned town. There is no electricity. Your house is still frozen in time, and it froze with the bathroom light left on. Somebody must have been–”
“– Don’t say it,” I pleaded, upper lip trembling.
“Do you want me to lead the way?” He asked.
I didn’t. I wanted to run, but I knew I would never forgive myself for doing so. Leon was right, of course. I hadn’t allowed him to finish his sentence, but it was clear that he was going to mention somebody in particular. Somebody whose face flooded my mind as we ascended the staircase, one tentative step at a time. Somebody whose name started to tickle my lips as Leon grasped the handle to the door.
It wasn’t locked.
“Mum?” I moaned as Leon inched it open.
My ageless mother was inside.
I’m sure I would’ve screamed at whatever we found, but I was not prepared for the state of the statue before me. Mum was standing at the sink, hands cupped below a stream of tap water suspended in time. As I had always feared, the frost caught her. It was horrifying enough to be frozen in time for twenty-six years, whilst the rest of the world continued, but that wasn’t why I screamed. I’d braced myself for that possibility. I’d spent my entire adult life coming to terms with it.
I screamed because I wasn’t prepared to see her face.
Mum was smiling. Not a wholesome smile. It was a taut grin that etched an unnerving crescent shape across her cheeks. There was nothing unnatural about the grin, but it looked painful. And it appeared as if cataracts had taken the entirety of her pupils.
“Mum?” I asked weakly. “Do you hear me?”
There was no reply. I peered around the side of her face, and I immediately regretted it. Though she was frozen in time, she did not look unaware. I felt her sightless eyes boring into my face, and I quickly jumped backwards.
“Let’s go and find your brother,” Leon fearfully said.
As I nodded, backing towards the doorway, I locked my gaze onto my mother’s profile. My heart pounded as I started to close the bathroom door. I was trying to ignore the idea that had wormed into my mind. The possibility that, behind the glassy cataract, a pupil might still exist. Lying dormant. Watching me from a face that no longer seemed to belong to my mother.
After I shut the door, Leon and I took a few moments to control our breathing. With a slight tremble, my friend finally walked over to the light switch and raised a hand, but I caught his wrist.
“What are you doing?” He frowned.
“Leave the light on,” I whispered. “I… don’t like the idea of leaving her in the dark.”
My friend’s expression softened, and he nodded, seeming to understand my explanation. Seeming to empathise. But I was lying. I wasn’t worried about leaving my mother in the dark. I was worried about the thing behind that smiling face.
“Alan didn’t come here,” I said. “Did he really come back?”
“You read the message, Jillian,” Leon replied.
“I know, but…” I sighed. “I know.”
“He might not have come to the house,” My friend suggested.
“This is the first place he would’ve visited,” I said. “If Mum weren’t here, he wouldn’t have returned.”
“Well, let’s look around,” Leon urged. “You never know. We might find something else. Something to help your mother, perhaps.”
“You saw her face,” I whispered. “She looked far past help.”
“Don’t say that, Jillian!” Leon shouted, eyes watering.
You idiot, I thought.
I was so self-centred. So focused on finding my brother and my mother. I hadn’t thought about Leon’s parents. His brother, Carl. People we’d left behind when my father saved us. I remembered Leon sobbing as he begged my father to turn around.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “We need to find your family too.”
Leon viciously shook his head. “Only if we find an answer, Jill. Only if we find a way to save them.”
My friend entered my childhood bedroom, and I followed him. I imagine that visiting one’s childhood home is a strange experience for anyone, but strangeness morphs into horror when that home is trapped in a moment of time. I felt physically unwell when I saw the glass of water on the bedside table, fresh as it had been on the day that my dad took us to the park. Life had continued for me, but the town was still trapped in that dreadful, inexplicable day.
“Jillian,” Leon said calmly. “There are people outside.”
He was standing in front of my bedroom window, and when I joined him, eyeing the road below, I saw them. A man and a woman who seemed to be in their mid-forties. The man wore ill-fitting clothes. A chequered shirt two sizes too small, and a pair of torn jeans. The woman, on the other hand, wore a pristine, shapely dress with a floral pattern. She looked oddly familiar, though her eyes were jittery and unfocused. It was the man who’d locked his eyes onto our house.
“I… vaguely recognise her,” Leon said.
I nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know her name, but I remember her. She looks a tad older, perhaps. I don’t know the man though.”
“You stay here,” Leon said, reaching inside his coat. “Don’t come out.”
“What are you holding?” I frowned, noting his shiftiness.
“Just…” Leon concealed his hand within the thick, wintry coat. “Are you going to stay in here?”
My eyes grew as I spotted a glint of metal. “You don’t… No, Leon. Please. Don’t tell me you have what I think you have.”
“We had no idea what we were going to find here,” The man protested.
I scoffed. “Leon Taylor? Carrying a gun? The boy who berated me for killing me a spider.”
Before he replied, there came the sound of the front door swinging open. And when we spun our heads back to the bedroom window, we saw that the man and woman were no longer on the street. I realised they were inside.
“Hello?” Called a man from downstairs. “We mean you no harm.”
“I have a weapon,” Leon yelled, slipping the pistol out of a hidden holster.
“Don’t shoot… It’s Bernie Bradley…” The man shouted weakly.
My mouth gaped. Bernie Bradley was in my brother’s school year. I remembered him. And as I recalled the face of the man I’d seen on the street, I didn’t find it hard to believe it had been the face of that same boy, twenty-six years into the future.
“What do you want?” I yelled.
“To help you,” He replied. “Before they come.”
“Who?” Leon asked.
“I’ll tell you if you put that weapon away,” Bernie said.
“I don’t trust you enough for that,” My friend growled.
“Are you Leon Taylor?” The man asked.
“Why?” Leon responded.
“Sydney Manley pushed you off the swing set, and you called her a fat cow,” Bernie said. “She ran home in tears.”
It wasn’t enough. In a place like that, which defied all laws of rationality, it wasn’t enough for Bernie Bradley to know that. But Leon and I needed it to be enough because we were hopelessly alone. Hopelessly afraid. And hopelessly desperate.
My friend re-holstered his weapon, and we walked onto the landing. Bernie and the woman were midway up the stairs. The man’s hands were raised, but the woman barely seemed aware of where they were. Barely seemed aware of herself.
“Leon Taylor and Jillian Maynard. Is that right?” Bernie asked.
“How did you recognise us?” I asked.
“You were the only ones who escaped,” He replied. “The Maynards and Leon Taylor.”
“The only ones?” Leon asked incredulously.
Bernie nodded. “Others tried, but the frost got them.”
“So, why aren’t you…” I started, unable to finish.
“Mind if we sit down before I answer that?” He asked.
I looked at Leon, and my friend begrudgingly nodded. We all headed to the living room and sat down. Once we did, Bernie Bradley told us an incredible story, and the woman beside him simply rocked on the sofa, face painted with a disturbing smile.
Bernie had been a ten-year-old boy, sitting at his bedroom desk, when the chill swept through his room. He told us that he remembered nothing but a black void. He might’ve been there for an eternity, or it might’ve been less than a moment.
When he woke from that dark slumber, still a ten-year-old boy sitting in the desk chair, Bernie looked out of the bedroom window. He was overcome by the horrible feeling that time had been lost, but he didn’t know how much. And when he saw residents frozen in the street, he realised that something awful had happened. Bernie found his own paused parents in the kitchen, and they were completely unresponsive to his pleas.
The lonely, frightened boy ran through the town, calling for help. Nobody answered. After a long day of searching, he returned to his house in tears. For a week, Bernie lived on cans of food from the cupboards. And then he heard shouting from the street.
“Hello? Is anybody there?” A man called.
Bernie ran outside to find Mr Johnson. The farmer had just woken from ‘a darkness’ to find the town full of statues. Bernie told Mr Johnson that he’d been alone for a week, but he had no idea how long he’d been frozen before that. The boy wanted to leave, but the farmer said they had to save as many people as possible. They had a duty to do so. After all, neither the farmer nor the boy knew what might happen to them if they were to run. The frost might return.
Anyway, Mr Johnson took Bernie under his wing. The crops in his field, thankfully, had unfrozen, as had his entire farmhouse. Mr Johnson fed Bernie, and the two of them survived. A week later, they found Elizabeth Coulter, the local headteacher, wandering through the town. Over the course of the following year, a dozen more unfrozen souls were saved and brought back to Mr Johnson’s farm.
But things changed as time passed. The newer thawed souls were unhinged. The longer a person had been trapped in that black stasis, the less human they became. They were still intelligible, but they spoke only of the voice in the void. A voice that they missed in the land of the living. They were irritable, but Mr Johnson cared for them, all the same. Eventually, they fled.
This only worsened as the years went by. After a decade, Bernie’s mother and father unfroze. However, his dad ran, and his mum only remained because she was lost and confused. She would rant and rave about the Speaker. The one that would make everything better. The one that would make them all eternal.
It was during the year of 2018 that things crossed a terrifying line. Mr Johnson had decided that newcomers were not welcome. It was a decision of necessity, not cruelty. The recently unfrozen folk had become more than unintelligible. They had become dangerous.
“Hark! The Speaker calls!” Walter Frankton screamed.
The middle-aged man, who had once been a police officer, was standing outside Mr Johnson’s farmhouse. When the community of sane people emerged, they screeched at the sight of Walter holding a charred body above his head. Nobody identified the burnt corpse, but Mr Johnson wasted no time in drawing his rifle and giving Mr Frankton ten seconds to flee.
Bernie explained that Walter laughed demonically, before disappearing into the night. Over the coming years, bodies were found in the street. Followers of the Speaker would relentlessly pursue Mr Johnson’s community, so the sane folk kept distant from the people of the Speaker. Few of Mr Johnson’s followers understood why they stayed, yet nobody felt able to leave. Something was keeping them there.
A couple of weeks before Leon and I arrived, however, Bernie said that Mr Johnson finally announced his plan to leave. There were murmurs of uncertainty. Everybody wanted to escape, of course, but fear had always stopped them. Still, they trusted Mr Johnson. If anybody had the power to safely lead them away from the place controlling their minds, it had to be the brave farmer. Packing and preparations began.
However, some days later, Bernie Bradley happened to look out of an upstairs window and notice Mr Johnson. The old man was wandering aimlessly onto the driveway, stumbling like a drunken man towards his vehicle. Bernie said there was a small child standing beside the car. The young boy led Mr Johnson to the driver’s door with a smile, and the two of them fled.
Things disintegrated after that. When a Molotov cocktail found its way through a window, the community dispersed. The sane folk fled in different directions, and Bernie was left alone with his mother.
“We’ve been running for days,” Bernie explained. “I keep finding the bodies of people from my community. Charred corpses in the street. I tried to leave this town, but it wouldn’t let me. The farther I drove, the sharper the pang in my heart. I knew I'd die if I were to keep going.”
“How did you find us?” Leon asked.
“I heard you,” Bernie replied. “Hard to miss the sound of an engine in a dead place like this. I had a hunch that it might be you.”
“You must've heard my brother then?” I asked hopefully.
Bernie frowned. “Alan's here? That might explain the raucous a few days ago… I don’t know what I heard. Noise. Lots of it... You won't find him, Jill. You have to run whilst it still lets you. The frost might be gone, but… something lingers.”
“The Speaker?” Leon asked.
Bernie nodded. “I was fortunate enough to never hear it. Or never remember hearing it. I don't know what it said to them. My mother won't tell me.”
Bernie looked at the woman next to him. The one who appeared to be the same age as him, though I realised he was still a decade younger. The horror of our town had aged him beyond his years.
“It will be so glorious…” Bernie’s mother giggled, eyes bearing faint pupils behind mild cataracts.
“You’re lucky that they didn’t see you arrive,” Bernie said. “Otherwise, you’d be dead already. But they’ll come. Sooner or later. And you need to listen to me if you want a safe way out of here. Okay? We need to distract them. Keep them off your backs.”
I shook my head. “I need to find my brother. I know he came to this town. I thought I'd find him in our home, but–”
“– Walter wanted him,” Bernie’s mother hissed.
The woman stopped rocking. Stopped smiling. And her head snapped to face me with such eerie speed that I thought it might entirely disconnect from her neck. Bernie quivered, seemingly just as horrified by his mother’s words as the rest of us.
“Mother…?” He asked.
“Walter wanted him. Walter wanted him. Walter wanted him!” The woman laughed, taunting me.
“What does she mean?” I sobbed. “Does Walter Frankton have my brother?”
Bernie’s face whitened. “If he does, your brother's either been flayed or charred.”
“Christ, Bernie,” Leon replied.
I sniffled. “I won’t leave until I know.”
“He’s already dead,” Bernie bluntly said.
“We don’t know that!” I cried.
I thought the others were sitting in stunned silence because I’d spoken so assertively. However, as I calmed my breathing, and the throbbing sensation in my ears quietened, I heard it too. The sound of laughing voices. Bernie’s mother strained to smile broadly. She looked as pained as my mother, but grateful for the privilege of the discomfort.
“You don't want to see this. We'll head through the back. Do not look at the street...” Bernie hoarsely pleaded as I rose.
But I was already running to the door.
I flung it open and started to run down the path, with Leon and Bernie in tow. Then, my eyes met the mob spilling beyond the end of the street. The crowd easily numbered a hundred people, and each face wore a terrible smile. Eyes glassy, yet all-seeing.
There was a man shuffling from the crowd towards me, like a terrified toddler taking its first steps. I tried to blot his face from my mind. I didn’t want to see it, though it was too late for that. I’d seen everything the moment I faced the crowd. Eventually, I fell to my knees and howled as I embraced the truth.
The shuffling man, who had been flayed alive, was my brother.
Alan reached towards me with an outstretched hand, weakly shouting something, before toppling forwards. He was reduced to a motionless heap on the road.
“Jill!” Leon cried again, rushing to me. “We have to go!”
I continued to wail as the gleeful crowd surged forwards. I resisted Leon, but he easily hauled my limp body to the car and bundled me into the back.
“He needs help...” I blubbered.
“He’s gone, Jill,” Leon whispered.
“What about your family?” I asked.
“They’re all gone...” He sniffled, stepping on the accelerator.
Staring through the rear-view window, I watched the crowd approach my old home. Bernie stood on the front porch, and his mother had her hands on his shoulders. The man did not run. As we pulled off the driveway, it almost seemed as if he, too, finally had a smile on his face. The mob swarmed Bernie, and I heard a brief cry of agony. It may have been ecstatic or fearful. It may have been both.
After we crossed the border, no chill pierced us. We were free to leave. But I know Leon and I belong to that town. I have always suspected that the wind grazed its teeth against my skin when I was a child. It grazed all of us. For, even now, I still feel that link. That urge to return to the salivating mob with a smile on my face.
When I returned home to find that my father was missing, I knew he felt it too.
2024.06.04 16:37 kidaore Japan haul, swatches, and shop reviews
 | The goals: focus mostly on store originals, exclusives, or limited editions -- things that are hard to get or way more expensive in the US — and get my first gold-nibbed pen. submitted by kidaore to fountainpens [link] [comments] The damage: we’re not talking about it. Thank goodness the yen is weak right now. The shops(Context that might be helpful - I speak Japanese, although it’s a little rusty from infrequent use since I moved back to the US. I never spoke with shop employees in English, so I can’t comment on language ability at any of these places.)
The pens: - Platinum Kanazawa Leaf in the changing leaves design, M - Sailor ancōra Lavender, F - Pilot Custom 74, B - Kakuno x Nagasawa Kobe skyline, F - Sailor Tuzu, M - Pilot Desk Pen, M - Plus a bonus first fountain pen for my spouse! (Black matte LAMY Safari in F after he bought the Shibuya Pokemon Card Lounge exclusive LAMY rollerball and liked it.) The inks (right page, not in this order - these are all swatched in my current bullet journal, which is unbranded paper that tends to not show sheen or shading particularly well):
|
2024.06.04 16:36 TexasStandard1845 Biden prepares an order that would shut down asylum if a daily average of 2,500 migrants arrive
From the Associated Press:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is telling lawmakers that President Joe Biden is preparing to sign off on an executive order that would shut down asylum requests at the U.S.-Mexico border once the average number of daily encounters hits 2,500 between ports of entry, with the border reopening only once that number declines to 1,500, according to several people familiar with the discussions.
The impact of the 2,500 figure means that the executive order could go into immediate effect, because daily figures are higher than that now.
The Democratic president is expected to unveil the actions — his most aggressive unilateral move yet to control the numbers at the border — at the White House on Tuesday at an event to which border mayors have been invited.
Five people familiar with the discussions on Monday confirmed the 2,500 figure, while two of the people confirmed the 1,500 number. The figures are daily averages over the course of a week. All the people insisted on anonymity to discuss an executive order that is not yet public.
While other border activity, such as trade, is expected to continue, the 1,500 threshold at which the border would reopen for asylum seekers could be hard to reach. The last time the daily average dipped to 1,500 encounters was in July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senior White House officials, including chief of staff Jeff Zients and legislative affairs director Shuwanza Goff, have been informing lawmakers on Capitol Hill of details of the planned order ahead of the formal rollout Tuesday. But several questions remain about how the executive order would work, particularly how much cooperation the U.S. would need from Mexican officials to carry out the executive order.
The president has been deliberating for months over how to act on his own after bipartisan legislation to clamp down on asylum at the border collapsed because Republicans defected from the deal en masse at the urging of Donald Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Biden continued to consider executive action even though the number of illegal crossings at the southern border has declined for months, partly because of a stepped-up effort by Mexico.
Biden administration officials had waited until after Mexico’s presidential elections, held Sunday, to move on the U.S. president’s border actions. Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum, the nation’s first female leader, and Biden said in a statement Monday that he was committed to “advancing the values and interests of both our nations to the benefit of our peoples.” The two spoke on the phone Monday, although White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say whether they spoke about the pending order.
“We continue to look at all options on the table,” Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with Biden on Air Force One on Monday evening.
The executive order will allow Biden to declare that he has pushed the boundaries of his own power after lawmakers, specifically congressional Republicans, killed off what would have been the toughest border and asylum restrictions in some time. Biden’s order is aimed at trying to head off any potential spike in border encounters that could happen later this year, closer to the November elections.
For Biden’s executive order, the White House is adopting some policies directly from the bipartisan Senate border deal, including the idea of limiting asylum requests once the encounters hit a certain number. The administration wants to encourage migrants to seek asylum at ports of entry by using the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One app, which schedules about 1,450 appointments per day.
Administration lawyers have been planning to tap executive powers outlined in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives a president broad authority to block entry of certain immigrants into the U.S. if it is deemed “detrimental” to the national interest. It is the same legal rationale used by Trump to take some of his toughest actions on migration as president.
That has advocacy groups already preparing to challenge Biden’s immigration order in court.
“We will need to review the (executive order) before making final litigation decisions,” said Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who led several of the most high-profile challenges to Trump’s border policies. “But a policy that effectively shuts down asylum would raise clear legal problems, just as (it) did when the Trump administration tried to end asylum.”
The White House is also sure to encounter vocal resistance from many Democratic lawmakers. California Sen. Alex Padilla, an outspoken critic of the Senate’s earlier border bill, said the pending executive order was “just not the solution we need and it’s very incomplete as a strategy.”
Padilla, who was also briefed by the White House on the proposal, wants an approach that works with countries throughout Latin America to address the poverty and unrest that drives migration to the United States. In recent weeks, Padilla has also pressed the White House for executive actions that benefit immigrants and said the message he has heard in return is, “We’re working on it.”
Biden will unveil his executive order flanked by several border mayors whom the White House invited for the announcement. Texas Mayors John Cowen of Brownsville and Ramiro Garza of Edinburg both confirmed their invitations, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s office also said the White House invited the mayor, but he could not attend due to scheduling difficulties.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat who said he was briefed on the plan, said he wishes the White House would have taken executive action a long time ago and said cooperation from Mexico would continue to be critical as the administration implements the order.
“If you think about the logistics, where else can they go?” Cuellar said. “If they’re not going to let them in, where do they go? Do they return them (to Mexico), or do they try to deport as many as they can? We did add a lot more money into ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) so they can deport, but the easiest thing, of course, is just send them back to Mexico. You’ve got to have the help of Mexico to make this work.”
Jennifer Babaie, an attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Texas, said she would be alarmed if Biden issued formal deportation orders without an opportunity to seek asylum. Advocates worry he may attempt that under the 212(f) provision.
Pandemic-era expulsion authority known as Title 42 had “a silver lining” for migrants because they could try again without fearing legal consequences, Babaie said. But a formal deportation order would expose them to felony prosecution if they attempted again and it would impose bars on legally entering the country in the future.
“This is even more extreme than (Title 42), while still putting people in harm’s way,” Babaie said.
—
Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Fatima Hussein on Air Force One contributed to this report.
submitted by TexasStandard1845 to texas [link] [comments]
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is telling lawmakers that President Joe Biden is preparing to sign off on an executive order that would shut down asylum requests at the U.S.-Mexico border once the average number of daily encounters hits 2,500 between ports of entry, with the border reopening only once that number declines to 1,500, according to several people familiar with the discussions.
The impact of the 2,500 figure means that the executive order could go into immediate effect, because daily figures are higher than that now.
The Democratic president is expected to unveil the actions — his most aggressive unilateral move yet to control the numbers at the border — at the White House on Tuesday at an event to which border mayors have been invited.
Five people familiar with the discussions on Monday confirmed the 2,500 figure, while two of the people confirmed the 1,500 number. The figures are daily averages over the course of a week. All the people insisted on anonymity to discuss an executive order that is not yet public.
While other border activity, such as trade, is expected to continue, the 1,500 threshold at which the border would reopen for asylum seekers could be hard to reach. The last time the daily average dipped to 1,500 encounters was in July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senior White House officials, including chief of staff Jeff Zients and legislative affairs director Shuwanza Goff, have been informing lawmakers on Capitol Hill of details of the planned order ahead of the formal rollout Tuesday. But several questions remain about how the executive order would work, particularly how much cooperation the U.S. would need from Mexican officials to carry out the executive order.
The president has been deliberating for months over how to act on his own after bipartisan legislation to clamp down on asylum at the border collapsed because Republicans defected from the deal en masse at the urging of Donald Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Biden continued to consider executive action even though the number of illegal crossings at the southern border has declined for months, partly because of a stepped-up effort by Mexico.
Biden administration officials had waited until after Mexico’s presidential elections, held Sunday, to move on the U.S. president’s border actions. Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum, the nation’s first female leader, and Biden said in a statement Monday that he was committed to “advancing the values and interests of both our nations to the benefit of our peoples.” The two spoke on the phone Monday, although White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say whether they spoke about the pending order.
“We continue to look at all options on the table,” Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with Biden on Air Force One on Monday evening.
The executive order will allow Biden to declare that he has pushed the boundaries of his own power after lawmakers, specifically congressional Republicans, killed off what would have been the toughest border and asylum restrictions in some time. Biden’s order is aimed at trying to head off any potential spike in border encounters that could happen later this year, closer to the November elections.
For Biden’s executive order, the White House is adopting some policies directly from the bipartisan Senate border deal, including the idea of limiting asylum requests once the encounters hit a certain number. The administration wants to encourage migrants to seek asylum at ports of entry by using the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One app, which schedules about 1,450 appointments per day.
Administration lawyers have been planning to tap executive powers outlined in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives a president broad authority to block entry of certain immigrants into the U.S. if it is deemed “detrimental” to the national interest. It is the same legal rationale used by Trump to take some of his toughest actions on migration as president.
That has advocacy groups already preparing to challenge Biden’s immigration order in court.
“We will need to review the (executive order) before making final litigation decisions,” said Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who led several of the most high-profile challenges to Trump’s border policies. “But a policy that effectively shuts down asylum would raise clear legal problems, just as (it) did when the Trump administration tried to end asylum.”
The White House is also sure to encounter vocal resistance from many Democratic lawmakers. California Sen. Alex Padilla, an outspoken critic of the Senate’s earlier border bill, said the pending executive order was “just not the solution we need and it’s very incomplete as a strategy.”
Padilla, who was also briefed by the White House on the proposal, wants an approach that works with countries throughout Latin America to address the poverty and unrest that drives migration to the United States. In recent weeks, Padilla has also pressed the White House for executive actions that benefit immigrants and said the message he has heard in return is, “We’re working on it.”
Biden will unveil his executive order flanked by several border mayors whom the White House invited for the announcement. Texas Mayors John Cowen of Brownsville and Ramiro Garza of Edinburg both confirmed their invitations, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s office also said the White House invited the mayor, but he could not attend due to scheduling difficulties.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat who said he was briefed on the plan, said he wishes the White House would have taken executive action a long time ago and said cooperation from Mexico would continue to be critical as the administration implements the order.
“If you think about the logistics, where else can they go?” Cuellar said. “If they’re not going to let them in, where do they go? Do they return them (to Mexico), or do they try to deport as many as they can? We did add a lot more money into ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) so they can deport, but the easiest thing, of course, is just send them back to Mexico. You’ve got to have the help of Mexico to make this work.”
Jennifer Babaie, an attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Texas, said she would be alarmed if Biden issued formal deportation orders without an opportunity to seek asylum. Advocates worry he may attempt that under the 212(f) provision.
Pandemic-era expulsion authority known as Title 42 had “a silver lining” for migrants because they could try again without fearing legal consequences, Babaie said. But a formal deportation order would expose them to felony prosecution if they attempted again and it would impose bars on legally entering the country in the future.
“This is even more extreme than (Title 42), while still putting people in harm’s way,” Babaie said.
—
Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Fatima Hussein on Air Force One contributed to this report.
2024.06.04 15:43 Cheap_Pepper_148 Rydel is so...much
Maybe it's because she's the "star" of her latest vlog (in her own mind), but Rydel just seems like so much at these family events. No one seems particularly thrilled to have her shoving the camera in their faces. They give a brief wave or greeting, and then it seems they just want to be left alone. She keeps prompting the kids (Sweetie, go to Daddy, Super, go play with Riker) instead of just letting people be. She narrates to her kids but doesn't really talk to them or interact with them, the way Vanni was doing. Personally, I would find it incredibly annoying for someone in my family to constantly be trying to manage people's actions to create content. Maybe they play along because this is how she earns a living, but wow, I think she'd be exhausting to be around.
submitted by Cheap_Pepper_148 to LynchFamilySnark [link] [comments]
2024.06.04 14:43 Lost_Needleworker676 Just finished OPM season 2, that was so much better than Reddit led me to believe?!
I put it off for a while because I would see people here trashing every aspect of it, saying the animation is bad, the fights are boring, something about Genos’s metal arms or something like that. It all culminated into me putting it off for years.
But I finally sat down and watched through it and holy shit, it’s awesome? The pacing was great, the tournament was funny, the monsters were cool especially daddy centipede, and Goro (Gorou??) is such a bad ass character. I do wish metal bat would have killed him but regardless it was all worth it for that last fight with Genos and silver fang whooping his ass.
I gotta stop taking opinions from online so seriously I guess. Apparently that season was supposed to look bad? I didn’t notice. Did it look like season 1? No. But it still looked good and left me excited for season 3! Hope the release is soon!
Edit: too many comments and I’m tired of arguing, you all can hash it out in the comments
submitted by Lost_Needleworker676 to OnePunchMan [link] [comments]
But I finally sat down and watched through it and holy shit, it’s awesome? The pacing was great, the tournament was funny, the monsters were cool especially daddy centipede, and Goro (Gorou??) is such a bad ass character. I do wish metal bat would have killed him but regardless it was all worth it for that last fight with Genos and silver fang whooping his ass.
I gotta stop taking opinions from online so seriously I guess. Apparently that season was supposed to look bad? I didn’t notice. Did it look like season 1? No. But it still looked good and left me excited for season 3! Hope the release is soon!
Edit: too many comments and I’m tired of arguing, you all can hash it out in the comments
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2024.06.04 14:27 smallcapsteve Biden prepares an order that would shut down asylum if a daily average of 2,500 migrants arrive
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is telling lawmakers that President Joe Biden is preparing to sign off on an executive order that would shut down asylum requests at the U.S.-Mexico border once the average number of daily encounters hits 2,500 between ports of entry, with the border reopening only once that number declines to 1,500, according to several people familiar with the discussions.
The impact of the 2,500 figure means that the executive order could go into immediate effect, because daily figures are higher than that now.
The Democratic president is expected to unveil the actions — his most aggressive unilateral move yet to control the numbers at the border — at the White House on Tuesday at an event to which border mayors have been invited.
Five people familiar with the discussions on Monday confirmed the 2,500 figure, while two of the people confirmed the 1,500 number. The figures are daily averages over the course of a week. All the people insisted on anonymity to discuss an executive order that is not yet public.
While other border activity, such as trade, is expected to continue, the 1,500 threshold at which the border would reopen for asylum seekers could be hard to reach. The last time the daily average dipped to 1,500 encounters was in July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senior White House officials, including chief of staff Jeff Zients and legislative affairs director Shuwanza Goff, have been informing lawmakers on Capitol Hill of details of the planned order ahead of the formal rollout Tuesday. But several questions remain about how the executive order would work, particularly how much cooperation the U.S. would need from Mexican officials to carry out the executive order.
The president has been deliberating for months over how to act on his own after bipartisan legislation to clamp down on asylum at the border collapsed because Republicans defected from the deal en masse at the urging of Donald Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Biden continued to consider executive action even though the number of illegal crossings at the southern border has declined for months, partly because of a stepped-up effort by Mexico.
Biden administration officials had waited until after Mexico’s presidential elections, held Sunday, to move on the U.S. president’s border actions. Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum, the nation’s first female leader, and Biden said in a statement Monday that he was committed to “advancing the values and interests of both our nations to the benefit of our peoples.” The two spoke on the phone Monday, although White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say whether they spoke about the pending order.
“We continue to look at all options on the table,” Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with Biden on Air Force One on Monday evening.
The executive order will allow Biden to declare that he has pushed the boundaries of his own power after lawmakers, specifically congressional Republicans, killed off what would have been the toughest border and asylum restrictions in some time. Biden’s order is aimed at trying to head off any potential spike in border encounters that could happen later this year, closer to the November elections.
For Biden’s executive order, the White House is adopting some policies directly from the bipartisan Senate border deal, including the idea of limiting asylum requests once the encounters hit a certain number. The administration wants to encourage migrants to seek asylum at ports of entry by using the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One app, which schedules about 1,450 appointments per day.
Administration lawyers have been planning to tap executive powers outlined in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives a president broad authority to block entry of certain immigrants into the U.S. if it is deemed “detrimental” to the national interest. It is the same legal rationale used by Trump to take some of his toughest actions on migration as president.
That has advocacy groups already preparing to challenge Biden’s immigration order in court.
“We will need to review the (executive order) before making final litigation decisions,” said Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who led several of the most high-profile challenges to Trump’s border policies. “But a policy that effectively shuts down asylum would raise clear legal problems, just as (it) did when the Trump administration tried to end asylum.”
The White House is also sure to encounter vocal resistance from many Democratic lawmakers. California Sen. Alex Padilla, an outspoken critic of the Senate’s earlier border bill, said the pending executive order was “just not the solution we need and it’s very incomplete as a strategy.”
Padilla, who was also briefed by the White House on the proposal, wants an approach that works with countries throughout Latin America to address the poverty and unrest that drives migration to the United States. In recent weeks, Padilla has also pressed the White House for executive actions that benefit immigrants and said the message he has heard in return is, “We’re working on it.”
Biden will unveil his executive order flanked by several border mayors whom the White House invited for the announcement. Texas Mayors John Cowen of Brownsville and Ramiro Garza of Edinburg both confirmed their invitations, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s office also said the White House invited the mayor, but he could not attend due to scheduling difficulties.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat who said he was briefed on the plan, said he wishes the White House would have taken executive action a long time ago and said cooperation from Mexico would continue to be critical as the administration implements the order.
“If you think about the logistics, where else can they go?” Cuellar said. “If they’re not going to let them in, where do they go? Do they return them (to Mexico), or do they try to deport as many as they can? We did add a lot more money into ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) so they can deport, but the easiest thing, of course, is just send them back to Mexico. You’ve got to have the help of Mexico to make this work.”
Jennifer Babaie, an attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Texas, said she would be alarmed if Biden issued formal deportation orders without an opportunity to seek asylum. Advocates worry he may attempt that under the 212(f) provision.
Pandemic-era expulsion authority known as Title 42 had “a silver lining” for migrants because they could try again without fearing legal consequences, Babaie said. But a formal deportation order would expose them to felony prosecution if they attempted again and it would impose bars on legally entering the country in the future.
“This is even more extreme than (Title 42), while still putting people in harm’s way,” Babaie said.
https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-executive-order-asylum-border-7cd0b0f28e298036ad1fc6b0c78961e1
submitted by smallcapsteve to breakerfeed [link] [comments]
The impact of the 2,500 figure means that the executive order could go into immediate effect, because daily figures are higher than that now.
The Democratic president is expected to unveil the actions — his most aggressive unilateral move yet to control the numbers at the border — at the White House on Tuesday at an event to which border mayors have been invited.
Five people familiar with the discussions on Monday confirmed the 2,500 figure, while two of the people confirmed the 1,500 number. The figures are daily averages over the course of a week. All the people insisted on anonymity to discuss an executive order that is not yet public.
While other border activity, such as trade, is expected to continue, the 1,500 threshold at which the border would reopen for asylum seekers could be hard to reach. The last time the daily average dipped to 1,500 encounters was in July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senior White House officials, including chief of staff Jeff Zients and legislative affairs director Shuwanza Goff, have been informing lawmakers on Capitol Hill of details of the planned order ahead of the formal rollout Tuesday. But several questions remain about how the executive order would work, particularly how much cooperation the U.S. would need from Mexican officials to carry out the executive order.
The president has been deliberating for months over how to act on his own after bipartisan legislation to clamp down on asylum at the border collapsed because Republicans defected from the deal en masse at the urging of Donald Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Biden continued to consider executive action even though the number of illegal crossings at the southern border has declined for months, partly because of a stepped-up effort by Mexico.
Biden administration officials had waited until after Mexico’s presidential elections, held Sunday, to move on the U.S. president’s border actions. Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum, the nation’s first female leader, and Biden said in a statement Monday that he was committed to “advancing the values and interests of both our nations to the benefit of our peoples.” The two spoke on the phone Monday, although White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say whether they spoke about the pending order.
“We continue to look at all options on the table,” Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with Biden on Air Force One on Monday evening.
The executive order will allow Biden to declare that he has pushed the boundaries of his own power after lawmakers, specifically congressional Republicans, killed off what would have been the toughest border and asylum restrictions in some time. Biden’s order is aimed at trying to head off any potential spike in border encounters that could happen later this year, closer to the November elections.
For Biden’s executive order, the White House is adopting some policies directly from the bipartisan Senate border deal, including the idea of limiting asylum requests once the encounters hit a certain number. The administration wants to encourage migrants to seek asylum at ports of entry by using the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One app, which schedules about 1,450 appointments per day.
Administration lawyers have been planning to tap executive powers outlined in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives a president broad authority to block entry of certain immigrants into the U.S. if it is deemed “detrimental” to the national interest. It is the same legal rationale used by Trump to take some of his toughest actions on migration as president.
That has advocacy groups already preparing to challenge Biden’s immigration order in court.
“We will need to review the (executive order) before making final litigation decisions,” said Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who led several of the most high-profile challenges to Trump’s border policies. “But a policy that effectively shuts down asylum would raise clear legal problems, just as (it) did when the Trump administration tried to end asylum.”
The White House is also sure to encounter vocal resistance from many Democratic lawmakers. California Sen. Alex Padilla, an outspoken critic of the Senate’s earlier border bill, said the pending executive order was “just not the solution we need and it’s very incomplete as a strategy.”
Padilla, who was also briefed by the White House on the proposal, wants an approach that works with countries throughout Latin America to address the poverty and unrest that drives migration to the United States. In recent weeks, Padilla has also pressed the White House for executive actions that benefit immigrants and said the message he has heard in return is, “We’re working on it.”
Biden will unveil his executive order flanked by several border mayors whom the White House invited for the announcement. Texas Mayors John Cowen of Brownsville and Ramiro Garza of Edinburg both confirmed their invitations, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s office also said the White House invited the mayor, but he could not attend due to scheduling difficulties.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat who said he was briefed on the plan, said he wishes the White House would have taken executive action a long time ago and said cooperation from Mexico would continue to be critical as the administration implements the order.
“If you think about the logistics, where else can they go?” Cuellar said. “If they’re not going to let them in, where do they go? Do they return them (to Mexico), or do they try to deport as many as they can? We did add a lot more money into ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) so they can deport, but the easiest thing, of course, is just send them back to Mexico. You’ve got to have the help of Mexico to make this work.”
Jennifer Babaie, an attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Texas, said she would be alarmed if Biden issued formal deportation orders without an opportunity to seek asylum. Advocates worry he may attempt that under the 212(f) provision.
Pandemic-era expulsion authority known as Title 42 had “a silver lining” for migrants because they could try again without fearing legal consequences, Babaie said. But a formal deportation order would expose them to felony prosecution if they attempted again and it would impose bars on legally entering the country in the future.
“This is even more extreme than (Title 42), while still putting people in harm’s way,” Babaie said.
https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-executive-order-asylum-border-7cd0b0f28e298036ad1fc6b0c78961e1
2024.06.04 14:20 AdmiralStone96230-A MURDER DRONES: Fall of Earth -Chapter XVI: Revelations and Rematches- (Pt. 2)
Wade walked in front of his teammates as they all walked down the short hallway, checking for any hiding hostiles as they slowly scouted the next area of the laboratory. At his side, Tina held her pistol low as she kept her guard up, bracing for an imminent attack while walking alongside Wade. Aiming her rifle, Vasquez looked across the hall, not lowering it even when she saw no hostiles ahead. Duncan kept a grenade in one hand and a kinetic pistol in the other, preparing to throw the former in order to scare out potential ambushers.
The entrance outside the tower was, surprisingly, not as heavily guarded as presumed, only being protected by several human and drone defenders, along with only two sentinels.. After clearing the entrance bay, the group came across three elevators at the other end of the large room. Despite asking J for help, she stated that the facility was highly secretive with it's layout, only allowing those stationed at the tower to know where was where around the place.
Taking a gamble, as well as being extremely eager to end Halloway's life sooner than later, Wade and F's team chose the middle one, which brought them up close to the top of the tower. Disembarking the elevator, the group hoped to find important information related to the Solver Project within the rooms on this floor, but first they had to ensure the area was secure before beginning their data raid.
As Wade and F kept their weapons trained ahead of themselves, Kelly walked right behind the two drones, holding her fancy-looking toolkit at her side with one hand and a kinetic pistol in the other. Looking to the doors at the sides of the hall, Wade saw that the hall branched into a few smaller paths on each side, leading to a door at the end of each one.
Raising a hand to stop the groups advance, Wade commented on the side doors. "Guys? You think we should check these rooms? Maybe there could be something here for us to snag."
F nodded in agreement before pointing at the door to her right. "You check that one. Be wary of our team, you and I are their main lifeline here."
"Don't worry F, we'll do just fine. Go see what these eggheads are hiding." Kurtis replied to the warrior drone, F glancing to him before nodding in understanding.
The two disassembly drones walked to the two doors between the assault team, Wade keeping his shotgun at the ready as he glanced at the door. It looked to be a simple slide door, having no control panel to enter a code on. Assuming it was probably minor items and the like, Wade sighed as the door opened, revealing an even less interesting sight. Against the wall was a large, box shaped device of some sort, cyan blue LED lines wrapping the sides of it. Noticing the electrical box at the wall to his right, Wade deduced it was some kind of power generator.
Shutting the door, Wade brought his dissatisfied gaze to his friends. "Seems to be just some kind of power generator, nothing special."
"Same here." F replied as she shut her own door, having found a similar object within the room as she continued speaking. "I'm thinking we just stumbled upon some sort of energy complex, we should probably head back and continue upward."
"Yes, maybe we should..." Alvaro replied in partial Spanish, moving forward past the team as he spotted something sticking out slightly down at one of the door halls ahead. Getting close, he saw it appeared to be the foot of a worker drone, certainly hiding from the approaching raid team. Quietly, the soldier snuck up on the drone before swiping around the corner wall, grabbing onto the cowering drone by their arm as they began to panic. Holding his gun to the drone's head, Alvaro shushed the terrified bot as they began to beg for mercy.
"Please! Don't hurt me, I'm just a maintenance drone!" The male drone pleaded in hushed fear as Alvaro replied to him.
"Oh, don't worry, I ain't gonna bop ya." Pulling the drone over to the team, Wade and F walked back to the group as they witnessed the hiding servant of the Administrator.
The drone gasped in terror upon seeing Wade's form. "Agh! D-Disassembly drones?! Two of 'em?!"
Tina scoffed at the drone's fear as she conferred with the drone. "Oh please, don't judge by his looks. My dear Wade's a sweetie bear, you'll be fine."
Wade nodded as he grew a comforting smile, which changed to a stern face as he spoke to the cowering drone. "Yeah, I'm not gonna hurt you... IF you tell us what this place is."
"We're here looking for data on the Solver Project before heading to the Administrator's Lab to detain her and her overseers. Can you tell us where to go?" F explained as the drone seemed to take a calming breath, eased by the mostly friendly lot he was facing.
"Okay, okay uh, yeah. There's an archive past this door over here." The drone stated as he led the team to the door at the end of the hall, Wade and F keeping watch for potential sneak attacks as the drone glanced at the control panel. "I think it's one of the higher level ones, unless you got a really good hacker or an acceptable ID, we're not getting in."
Kelly chuckled in amusement as she replied to the slave drone's challenge. "Well, must be our lucky day. I've taken a hand at picks like these." Getting down on one knee, Kelly opened her toolbox as she began to start her hacking attempt. "Just keep my behind from getting scorched."
"No problem, Kelly." Wade acknowledged with a nod as he held his shotgun up, F doing the same with her weapon as the two kept watch for hostiles.
After what couldn't have been more than a minute of pulling screws, screen tapping, and beeps of affirmation, the control panel finally yielded to the assault team's request to enter.
Once she re-attached the panel to its slot, Kelly held her hand over it while looking to her teammates. "Alright, I got the locks off. Gimme the word and I'll open her right up."
"Good to hear that, Kelly. On my mark." Wade replied before holding his shotgun at the ready, F holding her own laser cannon steady after him as she glanced to her team. Motioning her head back, F signaled her team to stand clear.
While they did so, Tina walked behind Wade with a sly smirk. "Wade, mind if I mount up?"
Wade returned the expression as he nodded, Tina climbing onto his back before pulling out her own pistol in preparation for combat. Looking to Kelly, he nodded to her, the technician pressing her hand against the panel before the doors opened.
Flying into the room ahead of F, Wade made a brief sweep of the room as he fired at the closest target. The large room consisted of several tall metal shelves, reaching up to the ceiling. Against the shelves were heightened walkways, which could be accessed by sloped sections of the floor between the doors. The height of the wall paths went up only by a few feet, the ceiling being, by Wade's guess, perhaps over almost two dozen feet. Finally, a large glass window occupied the wall opposite to the hallway, the light outside shining into the huge room.
As for enemies, Wade took a shot at one of several worker drone guards, who took aim at him as he gunned down their comrade in a visceral pool of oil. Along with the slave drones, Wade saw a single sentinel in the middle of the room, the robo-saur screeching at them as it began to sprint at the two killer drones. Tina covered Wade's flank with several shots of hot blue energy, hitting three of the hostile workers as they fell to the floor, visors glowing with red caution symbols before flickering out. Swapping out for a sub-machine gun, Wade gunned down the remaining four workers as F held off the sentinel, her laser slicing off the beast's tail as it tried to boot-loop her.
Seeing the light fail to work on the disassembly drone, the dino-bot roared again, only to scramble wildly as Wade mounted it, trying to pull off the same move he did at the factory. Readying a chainsaw, Wade cut at the sentinel's neck, sparks and oil spraying everywhere before the head snapped off from the attack. Flapping his wings, Wade hovered in the air once more as the corpse of the sentinel collapsed to the floor, more oil spilling out as the body lay still.
"Splendid kill, I'd say!" Duncan stated in admiration as he and the other troops walked in, each scanning the room as Wade and F flew back down to Kelly.
Walking alongside the technician, Wade swapped for a sword as he spoke to Kelly. "Okay, where do you think we should start?"
"Good question. Hey, worker buddy, ya know where we can get our intel?" Kelly asked the slave drone as he looked to her attentively.
"Uh, I think there should be two control stations we can access over here. Follow me!" The drone answered, pointing ahead to the middle of the room before beginning to jog over there. Flying ahead of the drone, Wade and F hovered above the center area while they looked around, holding their guns down as they spotted no hostile forces nearby. Once the group approached them, the two guardian drones set down on the opposite end of one of the large consoles while the maintenance drone examined it.
The consoles were of a circular shape, four built-in computers docked on rectangular arms sticking out around the machine. looking at it, Wade glanced to Kelly as he asked the servant drone. "You think Kelly here will have to crack these open?"
The drone nodded in affirmation as the woman in question came over, kneeling while setting down her toolkit. "Just like before, give me some cover and we'll be outta here in a pinch."
Raising a hand, Nathan spoke up on their efforts. "You think we should spread out? Maybe take positions behind those big wall shelves?"
Wade looked to the archive's entrance, debating on the idea before coming to a decision. "Sure, some of us can take position there. I'd like at least a few around Kel, though. We can't lose her."
"Gotcha, Wade. I'll help with close cover." Nathan replied as he held his gun firm at the entrance, Tina hopping off of Wade's back before walking up to the table. Kurtis, Gerard, and a few other troopers began moving towards the wall slopes leading up to the walkways at the sides of the room.
"Um, Kelly? Do you think we can look through this computer while you're working?" Tina asked her human friend as she gave a nod of approval.
"Sure, just lemme crack the locks off first. Just a bit longer now..." Standing together, Wade and Tina watched as Kelly did her work, the table's monitors flickering out for a few moments before coming back on. Glancing to the drone couple, Kelly spoke to them further. "Alright, dig in all you'd like. I'm gonna get this download started."
Nodding to the technician, Wade observed the screen with Tina, the former putting his hands onto the keyboard section as he pondered where to start their curious browsing trip. Scanning through countless folders, Wade saw the names of a select few relating to the Solver Project. "INSTALLATION 0XLV426, Plat-Binary System; INSTALLATION RSCH012, Copper System (Defunct); INSTALLATION 01NU26I, Proxima System"
Tina put a hand close to her mouth as she looked at the files Wade was hovering the mouse over. "Proxima, Plat-Binary... They have MORE installations in other systems!"
Wade sighed in frustration as he examined the names carefully. "Great, so she's probably gonna run for these hideouts later on."
Kelly raised a finger to counter Wade's worrisome assumption. "I don't think so, our ships outside should be jamming whatever signals they try to send out. So unless they scrambled some kind of fancy thingamajig in these labs, that Admin-gal ain't got a place to hide but here."
"I hope so." Wade replied as he continued looking over the data folders for a moment longer, Tina putting a hand on his own before she spoke to him.
"That one says 'defunct', open that one." Wade fulfilled his lover's request as he clicked on the desired file, several more appearing in place of the hundreds of folders previously onscreen not a second ago. Looking through the titles of each file, Wade clicked on the first one, intent on discovering more about what Halloway and his people were doing on that ill-fated colony.
Several lines of text filled the screen, the two lover drones reading through it as Nathan turned to join in their search. "STATUS REPORT 120547; Date: Sept. 27, 3044; INSTALLATION No: RSCH012; Planet: Copper 9, Copper System; The research team lead by Dr. Ridley on the 9th exoplanet of the Copper system has successfully commenced operations on the new facility there. They are charged with working to understand the 'virus' as they call it, curious of its capabilities and how to keep it under their control. Due to the... sensitivity of the Solver, and its danger to those that dare challenge it, I shall begin monitoring this team closely to ensure they do not antagonize it."
Exiting out of the file, Wade selected another. "STATUS REPORT 129402; Date: Jan. 04, 3046; INSTALLATION No: RSCH012; Planet: Copper 9, Copper System; Recent reports from the team at the laboratory, now christened 'Cabin Fever' by the very... quirky scientists there, have proven my long presumed suspicions correct: They are attempting to find a way to tame the Solver. The lab has several worker drones used in their experiments, corrupted with the Solver string that inhabits my own being. I will bring forth my concerns with the 'virus', and convince Dr. Ridley to take immense care in her duties whilst developing her 'cure'."
Wade gasped silently as he read through the report, Tina wrapping her arm around Wade's as he exited the second file. Scrolling down a little, Wade clicked one more file before reading it, his and Tina's faces reeling in quiet horror as they read Cyn's commentary.
"STATUS REPORT 133017; Date: Mar. 12, 3047; INSTALLATION No: RSCH012; Planet: Copper 9, Copper System; The worst has befallen the colony of Copper 9. Due to the inept care demonstrated by Dr. Ridley, the recent-and final-experiment of the Cabin Fever facility has resulted in the partial collapse of the exoplanet's core. Such destruction has completely purged the colony of all organic life, while surprisingly leaving most artificial life, such as the worker drones, intact. Due to the immense danger the experimental drones present to not just Copper 9, but all other worlds, they cannot be allowed to persist. I shall prepare a... materials team for transport to the colony to begin recovery efforts."
Staring at the report, Wade and Tina took in this horrific truth Cyn had hidden all these years with mournful expressions, Nathan looking over the screen further as he broke the silence. "So, the Copper 9 incident, the core collapse... It was their fault?"
"It would seem so." Vasquez said aloud as she joined the three drones, already observing the report about the colony's core implosion as she continued. "Official reports from just about every news source claimed that it was due to improper mining precautions, but, from all the craziest mining accidents I've seen... Copper 9 is quite the outlier for how extreme it was."
Tina took a deep breath as she steadied her mind over the files she and Wade had just read. "And yet, this 'Solver' thing.... they still kept it in service? After the loss of an entire colony?!" Glaring at the computer, Tina finished her furious spew. "This is ludicrous. Even if things have stayed calm up to this point, how do we know such a fuse won't spark again? Earth, Proxima, Plat-Binary... There's so many people that could be threatened by whatever this virus is!"
Wade nodded as he shared Tina's sentiment. "I've got a really bad feeling about this whole thing, we should get our data and then haul our asses to that lab upstairs!"
"Agreed. Fixer drone, you know the way there?" F asked the slave drone below her, who had been hearing in on the discussion about the lost colony as he answered the friendly murder drone.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I think I did some work up there. You should be able to reach it at the top floor back at th-"
"Hostiles!" F stated, alerting both her targets and teammates as Wade, Tina and Nathan turned to see the arriving foes. The maintenance drone cowered next to Kelly as his vision was locked on the defense squad: In front of five disassembly drones was a single human male, holding what looked like an assault rifle in his arms, as well as bearing a small sidearm at his right hip. Wade growled in low fury as he saw Hawk and his cohorts, the disassembly squad he was awoken with back at the factory: E, D, H, L and an... uncomfortably familiar face, particularly to Wade and Tina.
"So, that's the evil double you were telling me about?" W asked his superior, Darren nodding lightly as he and the drone squad stared down at the intruding assault team.
"You!" Wade growled as he readied a shotgun, the five corporate guards holding their own weapons at the ready as Darren gave a confident smirk of triumph at him.
"Yes, Mr. Carter. Good to see you made it out of that place, if only you weren't still in league with those terrorists next to you." The team coordinator replied to Wade's angry face, Tina seeming to cower behind his back as she took care to dig into her pocket without being caught.
"I don't think so, they're not the ones who got people killed with all this kerfuffle in the past few days." F retorted with a lighter glare at Hawk as he sighed in understanding.
In the midst of the chatter, Tina slid out her smartcomm, tapping a button to lower the volume of the device's speakers before tapping the screen a few times, trying to call her sister. It was a crazy idea, but with how desperate she and her friends now were, there wasn't much else they could do.
After almost nearing the end of the call duration, the vibrating ceased as the call went through. "Jasmine? Are you there?" Tina whispered behind Wade's wings.
"Yeah sis, is everything alright in there?" Jasmine replied, taking notice of her sister's quiet demeanor.
"Was, we're in a really bad pickle at the moment. In the higher area of the tower, back side, near one of the external windows. Is there anyway you can get us some help in here?" Then, glancing in the direction of the new arrivals, Tina whispered further. "We've got DDs!"
Jasmine was silent for a second, but quickly gave her reassurance as she seemed to think of an idea. "Hang in there, Tina. I'll have them brought to you quick. Jasmine out." With that, the call ended, prompting Tina to return her device to its pocket.
Raising his arm accusingly at Hawk, Wade spoke to his trapper. "AND it's because of you and your boss that Tina and I are in this mess! You and your pet G got my brother killed!"
Shaking his head, Darren responded to the former worker drone. "Well, Mr. Carter, I must admit one thing: Your 'brother' was a very caring man. Clearly with how devoted he was to you." Then, with a sigh, Hawk returned his words to the matter before him. "But, again, his loss won't be in vain. Not for us. Now, I'm only gonna ask this one last time: Stand down, come back with us... Or you can deal with your former squad-mates until they cut you down."
In stubborn defiance, Wade slowly shook his head to the team leader. "I'd rather die as who I am than help you and that Cyn bitch hide the truth in this place."
Raising an eyebrow in slight surprise, Darren acknowledged Wade's answer. "So, you looked into the Administrator's files?" Shaking his head again, Hawk spoke once more. "...Then you really can't be allowed to leave here."
Taking Hawk's motioning head to his sight, W took aim at Wade with a missile launcher, firing a single rocket at the former worker drone before it was stopped by F, who grabbed it with her claws before swinging it back at Darren's team with immense force. Seeing the speeding projectile of death approaching rapidly, E got in front of Darren, taking the hit with her wings and a grunt. The room quickly fell into disarray as several hails of bullets and energy bolts came from the sides of the room, D and L shielding themselves from the attacks as Darren gave his orders to them.
"D, L, clear out the room, the rest of you, deal with the traitors first!" The killer drones complied without words as the two began to sweep the upper walkways, firing their own sub-machine guns down the long walkway as several human and drone troopers cried out from fatal strikes. E and H flew at F, the hardened soldier roaring furiously as she clashed her newly formed blades with her opponents', keeping them away from Kelly as she continued tinkering with the computer during its download.
As for W, he came after Wade, Tina pulling out her pistol while Wade held his fresh swords against his clone's. Wade grit his teeth as he pushed back W, the two clashing swords for a long moment in constant attempts to cut each other down. As he clashed one sword with both of W's, Wade readied his shotgun with his free hand, W trying to copy the same attack before Tina shot at his face with her pistol. As W shut his eyes from the shocking strike at his form, Wade shot at W, blasting a chunk of the disassembly drone's side off before he fired again, this time shooting the chest where the core was.
As W fell to the ground, seemingly dead, Wade looked to F, who was struggling to hold off her two opponents as they began to overpower her. Flying over, Wade shot at H with his weapon, blasting the murder drone right in the head as he fell to the floor. With only one enemy to worry about, F focused her efforts onto E. "Wade, help the troopers! I've got the others here!"
Wade obeyed somewhat reluctantly as he flew over to his left, heading to where L was occupied before taking aim at the murder drone. L was just finishing off one of three pairs of troopers hiding behind the large shelfs against the walkways when he was struck by a hot beam of energy, grunting as he looked up to see Wade aiming at him with his laser cannon. Deciding to deal with the bigger threat first, L flew at Wade, who swiftly readied a pair of swords before blocking L's claw hands in a deadlock. Intent on buying her boyfriend another chance to strike easily, Tina took aim with her pistol, firing at L's face again as he backed off, keeping a distance from Wade as he tried to avoid another quick death.
Gerard positioned himself into a crouch as he held his weapon at D, who had just cut down the troops at the second pair of shelves on the right end of the room. As she flew at him and his drone ally, Gerard shot at D with his rifle, the drone blocking most of the bullets with her sword as she cut down the worker drone ahead of Gerard. Falling back, D pounced on him, stabbing the ground with her sword arm before swinging her tail down on the man. Dodging the nanite tank by just inches, Gerard spat at D, spraying her face with his mouth fluids.
"EEK!" D cried out in grossed out shock as she got off of Gerard, who grabbed his assault rifle to continue striking at D. The disassembly drone made a quick recovery, however, blocking the shots with her wing before she yelled at him in frustration. "You're nasty! I'm gonna get you!"
Pursuing their opponent, Wade flew back into the center area after L, trying to continue their fight before spotting D preparing to attack Gerard. Leaving L to flee away from him, Wade shot at D with his laser gun, the beam scorching her right on her behind as she cried out again. The disassembly drone seemed to grow tired of the assault as she broke off, trying to hide herself under her wings while moving back slowly.
Wade swapped his laser gun out for a sword, intent on putting D down for good before his attention was drawn away by Tina. "Wade, watch out!"
He was too late as he was slashed at by W, who had recovered from Wade's vicious attack before continuing to fight him. Wade cried out in pain as his arm was sliced off, then felt the cool air in his robo-lungs leave him as he was kicked back against the wall where he came after L at. Not a second after hitting the wall, W flew at him, impaling both Wade and Tina against the wall as they both gasped from the pain, the latter coughing up oil from the quick stab into her chest.
W laughed sinisterly as he looked to the couple with a toothy grin. "Well, the boss was right. You are a rough blemish to scratch off." Stabbing Wade's other arm with his nanite tail, W's wide smile shrunk as he continued speaking to the two drones. "Well, that's a real shame. You and your friend there would've made quite the drones for the Division."
Coughing up more black drone blood from her mouth, Tina croaked out to her and Wade's opponent. "I-If, If you're going to kill us... At least take us both out together. It's h-how we, prefer it."
W seemed to give a sympathetic nod as he responded to the pilot drone. "Ah, yeah. I should. You've both at least earned that much." He laughed lightly as he thought on the idea, then stopped as he eyed Tina, recognizing something he shouldn't have. "Come to think of it, you sound familiar, Miss."
The three drones' gaze was snatched by the loud sound of glass breaking, Wade, Tina and W seeing the large window at the end of the archive broken into many shards. From outside, three more new arrivals flew into the room: a trio of female disassembly drones, all with blades and guns deployed as the middle one spoke out amongst her team. "K, M, let's give these people a hand!"
"Okay!" Said one of the drones, the other not saying a word as they all moved to the sides of the room.
Looking back to the distracted W, Wade struck his face with his tail, the clone's visor cracking from the attack as he yelped in agony. Without any hesitation, Wade readied a claw hand before grabbing W, pulling him close before biting into his neck. Seeing her partner's clone trying to perform a similar attack, Tina grabbed onto the approaching nanite tank, keeping it from hitting her darling's head as he fed off his evil double.
Once he was finished, Wade threw the weakened W to the floor, the injured drone crawling back as Wade's damaged arm regenerated. As Wade readied a shotgun, W gazed at him and Tina, gazing at the latter as he seemed to remember one of his locked memories of this girl. "...Wait, aren't you... do I know yo-"
"You are NOT my boyfriend!" Tina answered angrily, W looking on in shock as Wade took aim. Wade's clone was put down with a few blasts of buckshot, ripping the body and core of W into scrap.
As W met his demise, F, now having put Nathan to her back, was busy holding off E and H, the latter having recovered from his injury as the three clashed blades. Hovering over the two data consoles in another locking of swords, F glanced between the two as one of the new arrivals from outside flew at H, trying to strike him down with her own swords. The attack took one of H's arms off, the murder drone backing off of F as he tried to defend himself against the newcomer. Now only having to deal with E, F kept her guarding sword up against her rival, readying a sub-machine gun with her other hand as she prepared to shoot.
E grinned mischievously as she taunted her enemy. "Heh, you're serving under the army, I see? They're pathetic compared to us, traitor."
Nathan growled as he held out one of his pistols, shooting at the arrogant drone as she backed off of his crush. Smirking at her partner as well as at her decision to follow Wade's example, F fired her sub-machine gun at the exposed E as she replied to her fellow murder drone. "Let me and Mr. Nathan here show you who's the pathetic one, scraphead!"
Before she could continue her fight with E, a flurry of bullets flew at F, the warrior drone blocking it with her wings before seeing who shot at her. Taking notice of Darren's position, F continued shielding herself while preparing a rocket launcher. In a tense blur, F shot at Hawk, the man just barely avoiding death as he was knocked back against the wall, seemingly unconscious. With Darren taken out of the fight, F continued striking her blades with E's, intent on snuffing out this troublemaker out for good.
With the tide of the battle turned, Wade took a moment to take some of his mouth saliva, holding it out to Tina. "Tina, here." The drone girl took the silver goop without a word before putting it onto her wounded chest, her damaged body and clothing repairing quickly thanks to the liquid nanites. Picking up his severed arm, Wade held it up for Tina as well. "Oil?"
"Thanks, hun." Tina replied as she drank up the dripping oil from the limb. Once it was empty, Wade tossed the arm before looking to the damaged window, L and one of the friendly disassembly drones fighting one another.
Flying at L, Wade readied a pair of claw hands as he slashed at L's tail, cutting the nanite tank off as it fell to the floor. Grabbing onto L, Wade punched through his chest, the partially connected bio-mechanical core in his claws before he crushed it with violent ease.
"N-Not agai-" Was all L could utter as he was finally slain by his rival from the factory not a day before.
Hearing a cry of pain from near the lab computers, Wade and Tina looked to see E, F, Nathan, H, and another disassembly drone going at each other in a blur of slashes and stabs. Seeing Wade flying over to her, E broke off from F, attempting to strike Wade's two claws with her one active sword arm, the other having been severed by F during their duel. E's efforts to terminate Wade were immediately in vain as she was quickly stabbed in the chest by Wade, choking from the pain as she prepared for her end.
Having recovered from her shameful stumbling with the human trooper behind the shelves, D prepared to attack once more, but stopped as she saw her comrade being struck down by one of the traitors, the one with the drone rider at his back. "E! Hold on, I'll save you!" She declared before preparing a pair of scythes, trying to imitate her leader as she spun at Wade and his prey.
"D, you imbeci-" E cursed aloud as she was thrown at D by Wade, her body being cut up into several pieces before her team-killing comrade ceased spinning.
Taking notice of her careless attack, D gasped in horror, putting a fresh hand to her mouth as Wade pounced on her. The poor drone squealed in terror as Wade quickly ripped her core out, D's eyes flickering out as her killer tossed her body to the floor.
Looking to D's core, Wade almost debated sparing it of his wrath before deciding against it. Crushing the core, Wade spoke to Tina at his flank. "Man, that one didn't feel so good to kill."
"I see." Tina sympathized, but stopped as she and Wade spotted H flying at them, one of the new ally drones pursuing after him as Wade readied a pair of blades.
Striking H's swords, Wade spoke to his allies. "Keep watch on Kelly there, I've got this one!" The chasing drone and the others heeded Wade's order as they backed off, Wade and H clashing blades in a fierce duel.
In their fighting, the two neared the large window space at the end of the lab as Wade gained the advantage. Once Wade entered another deadlock, Tina fired at H's head, distracting him just long enough for Wade to bite into the drone. H howled in pain as Wade drained him of most of his oil, the feeding lasting several seconds before Wade finally felt satisfied. Feeling H's body beginning to heat up, Wade tossed H's smoking body out the window, part of the still unshattered glass breaking off from the impact as the drone fell. H screamed in perilous agony as he fell down the building, his overheating problem climaxing as he exploded in a ball of fire.
Stepping over the damaged ledge, Wade and Tina watched as they saw the fate of their foe, the former smirking in satisfaction as he glanced to one of the nearby drone allies. "You all okay?"
"Yes sir." The drone replied, Kurtis giving a thumbs-up next to him as the two confirmed their status to Wade.
Observing the assisting disassembly drones, Wade glanced to Tina. "How did they find us so fast?"
"I called Jasmine, love. To be honest, I didn't think they'd get here in time." Tina answered her boyfriend as he looked to her with a grateful smile.
Looking back to F, Wade flew over to his ally, Nathan dismounting her as Tina raised an eyebrow at the military duo. "F? Nathan? Did you two-"
"Yeah. Yeah, we did." F said with a blushing smile, glancing to the smiling Nathan as she continued. "We uh, thought we'd take some notes from you both."
Looking down to Kelly, who was thankfully unharmed, Wade spoke to her as well. "Kel? You good?"
"Oh, I'm fine, Wade. F and Nate here made a great lil' duo." The technician answered as she and her friends laughed at the relief of victory.
In the quieting aura of peace, Darren woke up lazily as he tried to regain his composure. As his vision cleared, he spotted Wade and his team talking to Kelly, not at all noticing him having awoken. Taking hold of his sidearm, Hawk shot at Kelly, only for his attempt on her life to fail as Wade quickly blocked the shot with his wing.
Glaring at the team coordinator, Wade spoke aloud. "Leave him be, he's mine!" Walking towards him, Wade blocked all the shots Darren took at him with his wing, keeping his guard up until he reached the man. Readying a sword, Wade sliced off Hawk's armed hand before picking him up by the neck with his free one, then impaling the corporate agent with his nanite tail while growling at him in contained fury.
Darren grunted in frustrated pain as he looked into Wade's angry eyes with a similar expression. "I'll... be damned, Mr. Carter, I didn't think fortune would favor you and your lot here."
"Well, it sure as hell won't favor you today!" Wade retorted, swapping his sword for a hand as Darren coughed up a bit of blood from his injury.
"You really learned to be so much like us from him, haven't you? Sure seems like it. Even with lights for eyes, I ca-an still see pain in them. Tired, hateful agony. Is that what you feel?"
Wade lowered his gaze for only a short moment, taking in the slightly derogatory comments from Hawk before responding to the man. "...Yeah, I am in pain. So much pain." Then, as he raised his arm he continued in his growing rage. "Why don't I show you a bit of how much pain I'm in?!" At that instance, Wade roared at Darren as he dug his hand into the man's face, gouging his eyes out as he joined Wade in the screaming. The former worker drone kept at Hawk's head as he gripped onto it, his yelling growing in intensity as he tore off the squad leader's head in a bloody mess, part of his spine still latched on to the limb.
F, Nathan, Kelly and the other soldiers watched on with looks of shock, fear, and bewilderment as Wade took his bloody vengeance, Tina putting a hand to her mouth as she watched her love throw Hawk's head while letting go of his body. As Hawk's body fell to the floor, Wade took in heavy breaths from the immense effort he exhausted upon his nemesis before looking to Tina, embarrassment and shame swiftly overcoming him as he realized he was being watched by her. Looking down, Wade spoke to his love apologetically. "I'm... so sorry you had to see that."
Tina shook her head in an odd attempt to comfort Wade on his feelings over what he just did. "Oh no, no. It's fine." Turning her gaze to the grotesque sight of Darren's head, she regained her sympathy over Wade. "Besides, after what you told me about him... I'd say he deserves it for what you endured."
"Yeah. Besides, something tells me if it were Ron in your position... he would've done something similar." Despite the gruesome air she stood in, F let out a morbid chuckle as she continued. "I can believe it too, he tried choking J when he woke up back at your place."
Wade seemed to join in on F's laughter, Gerard giving a more hearty one as he spoke up on the matter. "Can't say I disagree. Call me twisted, but I think it's only... human of you, Wade."
"Thanks, Gerard." Wade said with a small smile, which slowly shifted into a stern frown as he spoke to his team. "I may have been a bit rash with Hawk here, but Halloway better be counting his stars in that office of his. He'll be lucky if he doesn't get worse for what he did."
"Indeed." Tina added before looking to Kelly, the technician taking a small data card out of the hacked console before putting it into one of the slots in her toolkit. "Kelly? Are we good to go, or is there still more to do?"
Holding onto her supplies, Kelly stood up as she helped the formerly scared maintenance drone up as well. "I'd say so, I've got the data chip right in here." Looking around, the technician spoke to her allies standing with her. "I might need some escort there."
"Don't mention it, Kelly. Wade, can you take a chunk of the team here with you? Nathan and I will bring this intel back to the ship outside." F asked as Wade nodded in affirmation.
"Sure thing. Tina and I will be back before you know it." F returned the nod as she looked to the soldiers, all of them having come out of their hiding areas as they listened in on the next step of their plan.
"Alright, Kurtis, Gerard, Duncan, Carlos, I want you two to stick with us. And you," F stopped as she looked to the repair drone, who returned the gaze as he listened to the disassembly drone attentively. "You may wanna come with us, it's gonna be a nasty night if you stay here."
The drone nodded in eager agreement, smiling at the friendly murder drone as he gave his feelings on the idea. "S-Sure thing, you guys could use a repair drone, right?"
F nodded in agreement as she and some of the other soldiers made way for the door, Nathan and Kelly walking alongside her as she spoke once more to Wade. "See you back at the ship Wade, and one more thing: Give Halloway the Carter treatment for us, okay?"
"Will do, F." Wade replied with a salute and a smirk, Tina doing the same behind her boyfriend as their allies departed.
Then, hearing a beep from her pocket, Tina pulled out her smartcomm, answering her sister's call. "Yes?"
"Looks like things have calmed down now, you alright, Tina?" Jasmine asked as Tina replied warmly.
"Oh, yes. Our friends here made this intel job much easier." Glancing to the friendly murder drones, Tina nodded in silent appreciation as they returned the gesture, turning to fly back outside as the pilot drone listened to the small device.
"Glad to hear it, I've got some wounded onboard that I'm taking to the base. I'll see you there after this whole rodeo is over."
Tina chuckled pleasantly as she replied once more to her sister. "I see, well, I wish you the safety of the stars over you and your team on the way back. See you tonight, love."
"You too, say hi to Wade for me. Jasmine out." With that, the Fowleys' call ceased again, leaving Tina, Wade and their remaining team members to themselves as they contemplated their next move.
Walking over to the drone couple, Vasquez spoke to the two while holding her rifle firm. "Well, looks like you're in charge now, Mr. Carter. Where do we go?"
Glancing back to the entrance leading to the elevator, then up to the ceiling, Wade nodded lightly as he made his decision.
"We go to Halloway."
submitted by AdmiralStone96230-A to MurderDrones [link] [comments]
The entrance outside the tower was, surprisingly, not as heavily guarded as presumed, only being protected by several human and drone defenders, along with only two sentinels.. After clearing the entrance bay, the group came across three elevators at the other end of the large room. Despite asking J for help, she stated that the facility was highly secretive with it's layout, only allowing those stationed at the tower to know where was where around the place.
Taking a gamble, as well as being extremely eager to end Halloway's life sooner than later, Wade and F's team chose the middle one, which brought them up close to the top of the tower. Disembarking the elevator, the group hoped to find important information related to the Solver Project within the rooms on this floor, but first they had to ensure the area was secure before beginning their data raid.
As Wade and F kept their weapons trained ahead of themselves, Kelly walked right behind the two drones, holding her fancy-looking toolkit at her side with one hand and a kinetic pistol in the other. Looking to the doors at the sides of the hall, Wade saw that the hall branched into a few smaller paths on each side, leading to a door at the end of each one.
Raising a hand to stop the groups advance, Wade commented on the side doors. "Guys? You think we should check these rooms? Maybe there could be something here for us to snag."
F nodded in agreement before pointing at the door to her right. "You check that one. Be wary of our team, you and I are their main lifeline here."
"Don't worry F, we'll do just fine. Go see what these eggheads are hiding." Kurtis replied to the warrior drone, F glancing to him before nodding in understanding.
The two disassembly drones walked to the two doors between the assault team, Wade keeping his shotgun at the ready as he glanced at the door. It looked to be a simple slide door, having no control panel to enter a code on. Assuming it was probably minor items and the like, Wade sighed as the door opened, revealing an even less interesting sight. Against the wall was a large, box shaped device of some sort, cyan blue LED lines wrapping the sides of it. Noticing the electrical box at the wall to his right, Wade deduced it was some kind of power generator.
Shutting the door, Wade brought his dissatisfied gaze to his friends. "Seems to be just some kind of power generator, nothing special."
"Same here." F replied as she shut her own door, having found a similar object within the room as she continued speaking. "I'm thinking we just stumbled upon some sort of energy complex, we should probably head back and continue upward."
"Yes, maybe we should..." Alvaro replied in partial Spanish, moving forward past the team as he spotted something sticking out slightly down at one of the door halls ahead. Getting close, he saw it appeared to be the foot of a worker drone, certainly hiding from the approaching raid team. Quietly, the soldier snuck up on the drone before swiping around the corner wall, grabbing onto the cowering drone by their arm as they began to panic. Holding his gun to the drone's head, Alvaro shushed the terrified bot as they began to beg for mercy.
"Please! Don't hurt me, I'm just a maintenance drone!" The male drone pleaded in hushed fear as Alvaro replied to him.
"Oh, don't worry, I ain't gonna bop ya." Pulling the drone over to the team, Wade and F walked back to the group as they witnessed the hiding servant of the Administrator.
The drone gasped in terror upon seeing Wade's form. "Agh! D-Disassembly drones?! Two of 'em?!"
Tina scoffed at the drone's fear as she conferred with the drone. "Oh please, don't judge by his looks. My dear Wade's a sweetie bear, you'll be fine."
Wade nodded as he grew a comforting smile, which changed to a stern face as he spoke to the cowering drone. "Yeah, I'm not gonna hurt you... IF you tell us what this place is."
"We're here looking for data on the Solver Project before heading to the Administrator's Lab to detain her and her overseers. Can you tell us where to go?" F explained as the drone seemed to take a calming breath, eased by the mostly friendly lot he was facing.
"Okay, okay uh, yeah. There's an archive past this door over here." The drone stated as he led the team to the door at the end of the hall, Wade and F keeping watch for potential sneak attacks as the drone glanced at the control panel. "I think it's one of the higher level ones, unless you got a really good hacker or an acceptable ID, we're not getting in."
Kelly chuckled in amusement as she replied to the slave drone's challenge. "Well, must be our lucky day. I've taken a hand at picks like these." Getting down on one knee, Kelly opened her toolbox as she began to start her hacking attempt. "Just keep my behind from getting scorched."
"No problem, Kelly." Wade acknowledged with a nod as he held his shotgun up, F doing the same with her weapon as the two kept watch for hostiles.
After what couldn't have been more than a minute of pulling screws, screen tapping, and beeps of affirmation, the control panel finally yielded to the assault team's request to enter.
Once she re-attached the panel to its slot, Kelly held her hand over it while looking to her teammates. "Alright, I got the locks off. Gimme the word and I'll open her right up."
"Good to hear that, Kelly. On my mark." Wade replied before holding his shotgun at the ready, F holding her own laser cannon steady after him as she glanced to her team. Motioning her head back, F signaled her team to stand clear.
While they did so, Tina walked behind Wade with a sly smirk. "Wade, mind if I mount up?"
Wade returned the expression as he nodded, Tina climbing onto his back before pulling out her own pistol in preparation for combat. Looking to Kelly, he nodded to her, the technician pressing her hand against the panel before the doors opened.
Flying into the room ahead of F, Wade made a brief sweep of the room as he fired at the closest target. The large room consisted of several tall metal shelves, reaching up to the ceiling. Against the shelves were heightened walkways, which could be accessed by sloped sections of the floor between the doors. The height of the wall paths went up only by a few feet, the ceiling being, by Wade's guess, perhaps over almost two dozen feet. Finally, a large glass window occupied the wall opposite to the hallway, the light outside shining into the huge room.
As for enemies, Wade took a shot at one of several worker drone guards, who took aim at him as he gunned down their comrade in a visceral pool of oil. Along with the slave drones, Wade saw a single sentinel in the middle of the room, the robo-saur screeching at them as it began to sprint at the two killer drones. Tina covered Wade's flank with several shots of hot blue energy, hitting three of the hostile workers as they fell to the floor, visors glowing with red caution symbols before flickering out. Swapping out for a sub-machine gun, Wade gunned down the remaining four workers as F held off the sentinel, her laser slicing off the beast's tail as it tried to boot-loop her.
Seeing the light fail to work on the disassembly drone, the dino-bot roared again, only to scramble wildly as Wade mounted it, trying to pull off the same move he did at the factory. Readying a chainsaw, Wade cut at the sentinel's neck, sparks and oil spraying everywhere before the head snapped off from the attack. Flapping his wings, Wade hovered in the air once more as the corpse of the sentinel collapsed to the floor, more oil spilling out as the body lay still.
"Splendid kill, I'd say!" Duncan stated in admiration as he and the other troops walked in, each scanning the room as Wade and F flew back down to Kelly.
Walking alongside the technician, Wade swapped for a sword as he spoke to Kelly. "Okay, where do you think we should start?"
"Good question. Hey, worker buddy, ya know where we can get our intel?" Kelly asked the slave drone as he looked to her attentively.
"Uh, I think there should be two control stations we can access over here. Follow me!" The drone answered, pointing ahead to the middle of the room before beginning to jog over there. Flying ahead of the drone, Wade and F hovered above the center area while they looked around, holding their guns down as they spotted no hostile forces nearby. Once the group approached them, the two guardian drones set down on the opposite end of one of the large consoles while the maintenance drone examined it.
The consoles were of a circular shape, four built-in computers docked on rectangular arms sticking out around the machine. looking at it, Wade glanced to Kelly as he asked the servant drone. "You think Kelly here will have to crack these open?"
The drone nodded in affirmation as the woman in question came over, kneeling while setting down her toolkit. "Just like before, give me some cover and we'll be outta here in a pinch."
Raising a hand, Nathan spoke up on their efforts. "You think we should spread out? Maybe take positions behind those big wall shelves?"
Wade looked to the archive's entrance, debating on the idea before coming to a decision. "Sure, some of us can take position there. I'd like at least a few around Kel, though. We can't lose her."
"Gotcha, Wade. I'll help with close cover." Nathan replied as he held his gun firm at the entrance, Tina hopping off of Wade's back before walking up to the table. Kurtis, Gerard, and a few other troopers began moving towards the wall slopes leading up to the walkways at the sides of the room.
"Um, Kelly? Do you think we can look through this computer while you're working?" Tina asked her human friend as she gave a nod of approval.
"Sure, just lemme crack the locks off first. Just a bit longer now..." Standing together, Wade and Tina watched as Kelly did her work, the table's monitors flickering out for a few moments before coming back on. Glancing to the drone couple, Kelly spoke to them further. "Alright, dig in all you'd like. I'm gonna get this download started."
Nodding to the technician, Wade observed the screen with Tina, the former putting his hands onto the keyboard section as he pondered where to start their curious browsing trip. Scanning through countless folders, Wade saw the names of a select few relating to the Solver Project. "INSTALLATION 0XLV426, Plat-Binary System; INSTALLATION RSCH012, Copper System (Defunct); INSTALLATION 01NU26I, Proxima System"
Tina put a hand close to her mouth as she looked at the files Wade was hovering the mouse over. "Proxima, Plat-Binary... They have MORE installations in other systems!"
Wade sighed in frustration as he examined the names carefully. "Great, so she's probably gonna run for these hideouts later on."
Kelly raised a finger to counter Wade's worrisome assumption. "I don't think so, our ships outside should be jamming whatever signals they try to send out. So unless they scrambled some kind of fancy thingamajig in these labs, that Admin-gal ain't got a place to hide but here."
"I hope so." Wade replied as he continued looking over the data folders for a moment longer, Tina putting a hand on his own before she spoke to him.
"That one says 'defunct', open that one." Wade fulfilled his lover's request as he clicked on the desired file, several more appearing in place of the hundreds of folders previously onscreen not a second ago. Looking through the titles of each file, Wade clicked on the first one, intent on discovering more about what Halloway and his people were doing on that ill-fated colony.
Several lines of text filled the screen, the two lover drones reading through it as Nathan turned to join in their search. "STATUS REPORT 120547; Date: Sept. 27, 3044; INSTALLATION No: RSCH012; Planet: Copper 9, Copper System; The research team lead by Dr. Ridley on the 9th exoplanet of the Copper system has successfully commenced operations on the new facility there. They are charged with working to understand the 'virus' as they call it, curious of its capabilities and how to keep it under their control. Due to the... sensitivity of the Solver, and its danger to those that dare challenge it, I shall begin monitoring this team closely to ensure they do not antagonize it."
Exiting out of the file, Wade selected another. "STATUS REPORT 129402; Date: Jan. 04, 3046; INSTALLATION No: RSCH012; Planet: Copper 9, Copper System; Recent reports from the team at the laboratory, now christened 'Cabin Fever' by the very... quirky scientists there, have proven my long presumed suspicions correct: They are attempting to find a way to tame the Solver. The lab has several worker drones used in their experiments, corrupted with the Solver string that inhabits my own being. I will bring forth my concerns with the 'virus', and convince Dr. Ridley to take immense care in her duties whilst developing her 'cure'."
Wade gasped silently as he read through the report, Tina wrapping her arm around Wade's as he exited the second file. Scrolling down a little, Wade clicked one more file before reading it, his and Tina's faces reeling in quiet horror as they read Cyn's commentary.
"STATUS REPORT 133017; Date: Mar. 12, 3047; INSTALLATION No: RSCH012; Planet: Copper 9, Copper System; The worst has befallen the colony of Copper 9. Due to the inept care demonstrated by Dr. Ridley, the recent-and final-experiment of the Cabin Fever facility has resulted in the partial collapse of the exoplanet's core. Such destruction has completely purged the colony of all organic life, while surprisingly leaving most artificial life, such as the worker drones, intact. Due to the immense danger the experimental drones present to not just Copper 9, but all other worlds, they cannot be allowed to persist. I shall prepare a... materials team for transport to the colony to begin recovery efforts."
Staring at the report, Wade and Tina took in this horrific truth Cyn had hidden all these years with mournful expressions, Nathan looking over the screen further as he broke the silence. "So, the Copper 9 incident, the core collapse... It was their fault?"
"It would seem so." Vasquez said aloud as she joined the three drones, already observing the report about the colony's core implosion as she continued. "Official reports from just about every news source claimed that it was due to improper mining precautions, but, from all the craziest mining accidents I've seen... Copper 9 is quite the outlier for how extreme it was."
Tina took a deep breath as she steadied her mind over the files she and Wade had just read. "And yet, this 'Solver' thing.... they still kept it in service? After the loss of an entire colony?!" Glaring at the computer, Tina finished her furious spew. "This is ludicrous. Even if things have stayed calm up to this point, how do we know such a fuse won't spark again? Earth, Proxima, Plat-Binary... There's so many people that could be threatened by whatever this virus is!"
Wade nodded as he shared Tina's sentiment. "I've got a really bad feeling about this whole thing, we should get our data and then haul our asses to that lab upstairs!"
"Agreed. Fixer drone, you know the way there?" F asked the slave drone below her, who had been hearing in on the discussion about the lost colony as he answered the friendly murder drone.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I think I did some work up there. You should be able to reach it at the top floor back at th-"
"Hostiles!" F stated, alerting both her targets and teammates as Wade, Tina and Nathan turned to see the arriving foes. The maintenance drone cowered next to Kelly as his vision was locked on the defense squad: In front of five disassembly drones was a single human male, holding what looked like an assault rifle in his arms, as well as bearing a small sidearm at his right hip. Wade growled in low fury as he saw Hawk and his cohorts, the disassembly squad he was awoken with back at the factory: E, D, H, L and an... uncomfortably familiar face, particularly to Wade and Tina.
"So, that's the evil double you were telling me about?" W asked his superior, Darren nodding lightly as he and the drone squad stared down at the intruding assault team.
"You!" Wade growled as he readied a shotgun, the five corporate guards holding their own weapons at the ready as Darren gave a confident smirk of triumph at him.
"Yes, Mr. Carter. Good to see you made it out of that place, if only you weren't still in league with those terrorists next to you." The team coordinator replied to Wade's angry face, Tina seeming to cower behind his back as she took care to dig into her pocket without being caught.
"I don't think so, they're not the ones who got people killed with all this kerfuffle in the past few days." F retorted with a lighter glare at Hawk as he sighed in understanding.
In the midst of the chatter, Tina slid out her smartcomm, tapping a button to lower the volume of the device's speakers before tapping the screen a few times, trying to call her sister. It was a crazy idea, but with how desperate she and her friends now were, there wasn't much else they could do.
After almost nearing the end of the call duration, the vibrating ceased as the call went through. "Jasmine? Are you there?" Tina whispered behind Wade's wings.
"Yeah sis, is everything alright in there?" Jasmine replied, taking notice of her sister's quiet demeanor.
"Was, we're in a really bad pickle at the moment. In the higher area of the tower, back side, near one of the external windows. Is there anyway you can get us some help in here?" Then, glancing in the direction of the new arrivals, Tina whispered further. "We've got DDs!"
Jasmine was silent for a second, but quickly gave her reassurance as she seemed to think of an idea. "Hang in there, Tina. I'll have them brought to you quick. Jasmine out." With that, the call ended, prompting Tina to return her device to its pocket.
Raising his arm accusingly at Hawk, Wade spoke to his trapper. "AND it's because of you and your boss that Tina and I are in this mess! You and your pet G got my brother killed!"
Shaking his head, Darren responded to the former worker drone. "Well, Mr. Carter, I must admit one thing: Your 'brother' was a very caring man. Clearly with how devoted he was to you." Then, with a sigh, Hawk returned his words to the matter before him. "But, again, his loss won't be in vain. Not for us. Now, I'm only gonna ask this one last time: Stand down, come back with us... Or you can deal with your former squad-mates until they cut you down."
In stubborn defiance, Wade slowly shook his head to the team leader. "I'd rather die as who I am than help you and that Cyn bitch hide the truth in this place."
Raising an eyebrow in slight surprise, Darren acknowledged Wade's answer. "So, you looked into the Administrator's files?" Shaking his head again, Hawk spoke once more. "...Then you really can't be allowed to leave here."
Taking Hawk's motioning head to his sight, W took aim at Wade with a missile launcher, firing a single rocket at the former worker drone before it was stopped by F, who grabbed it with her claws before swinging it back at Darren's team with immense force. Seeing the speeding projectile of death approaching rapidly, E got in front of Darren, taking the hit with her wings and a grunt. The room quickly fell into disarray as several hails of bullets and energy bolts came from the sides of the room, D and L shielding themselves from the attacks as Darren gave his orders to them.
"D, L, clear out the room, the rest of you, deal with the traitors first!" The killer drones complied without words as the two began to sweep the upper walkways, firing their own sub-machine guns down the long walkway as several human and drone troopers cried out from fatal strikes. E and H flew at F, the hardened soldier roaring furiously as she clashed her newly formed blades with her opponents', keeping them away from Kelly as she continued tinkering with the computer during its download.
As for W, he came after Wade, Tina pulling out her pistol while Wade held his fresh swords against his clone's. Wade grit his teeth as he pushed back W, the two clashing swords for a long moment in constant attempts to cut each other down. As he clashed one sword with both of W's, Wade readied his shotgun with his free hand, W trying to copy the same attack before Tina shot at his face with her pistol. As W shut his eyes from the shocking strike at his form, Wade shot at W, blasting a chunk of the disassembly drone's side off before he fired again, this time shooting the chest where the core was.
As W fell to the ground, seemingly dead, Wade looked to F, who was struggling to hold off her two opponents as they began to overpower her. Flying over, Wade shot at H with his weapon, blasting the murder drone right in the head as he fell to the floor. With only one enemy to worry about, F focused her efforts onto E. "Wade, help the troopers! I've got the others here!"
Wade obeyed somewhat reluctantly as he flew over to his left, heading to where L was occupied before taking aim at the murder drone. L was just finishing off one of three pairs of troopers hiding behind the large shelfs against the walkways when he was struck by a hot beam of energy, grunting as he looked up to see Wade aiming at him with his laser cannon. Deciding to deal with the bigger threat first, L flew at Wade, who swiftly readied a pair of swords before blocking L's claw hands in a deadlock. Intent on buying her boyfriend another chance to strike easily, Tina took aim with her pistol, firing at L's face again as he backed off, keeping a distance from Wade as he tried to avoid another quick death.
Gerard positioned himself into a crouch as he held his weapon at D, who had just cut down the troops at the second pair of shelves on the right end of the room. As she flew at him and his drone ally, Gerard shot at D with his rifle, the drone blocking most of the bullets with her sword as she cut down the worker drone ahead of Gerard. Falling back, D pounced on him, stabbing the ground with her sword arm before swinging her tail down on the man. Dodging the nanite tank by just inches, Gerard spat at D, spraying her face with his mouth fluids.
"EEK!" D cried out in grossed out shock as she got off of Gerard, who grabbed his assault rifle to continue striking at D. The disassembly drone made a quick recovery, however, blocking the shots with her wing before she yelled at him in frustration. "You're nasty! I'm gonna get you!"
Pursuing their opponent, Wade flew back into the center area after L, trying to continue their fight before spotting D preparing to attack Gerard. Leaving L to flee away from him, Wade shot at D with his laser gun, the beam scorching her right on her behind as she cried out again. The disassembly drone seemed to grow tired of the assault as she broke off, trying to hide herself under her wings while moving back slowly.
Wade swapped his laser gun out for a sword, intent on putting D down for good before his attention was drawn away by Tina. "Wade, watch out!"
He was too late as he was slashed at by W, who had recovered from Wade's vicious attack before continuing to fight him. Wade cried out in pain as his arm was sliced off, then felt the cool air in his robo-lungs leave him as he was kicked back against the wall where he came after L at. Not a second after hitting the wall, W flew at him, impaling both Wade and Tina against the wall as they both gasped from the pain, the latter coughing up oil from the quick stab into her chest.
W laughed sinisterly as he looked to the couple with a toothy grin. "Well, the boss was right. You are a rough blemish to scratch off." Stabbing Wade's other arm with his nanite tail, W's wide smile shrunk as he continued speaking to the two drones. "Well, that's a real shame. You and your friend there would've made quite the drones for the Division."
Coughing up more black drone blood from her mouth, Tina croaked out to her and Wade's opponent. "I-If, If you're going to kill us... At least take us both out together. It's h-how we, prefer it."
W seemed to give a sympathetic nod as he responded to the pilot drone. "Ah, yeah. I should. You've both at least earned that much." He laughed lightly as he thought on the idea, then stopped as he eyed Tina, recognizing something he shouldn't have. "Come to think of it, you sound familiar, Miss."
The three drones' gaze was snatched by the loud sound of glass breaking, Wade, Tina and W seeing the large window at the end of the archive broken into many shards. From outside, three more new arrivals flew into the room: a trio of female disassembly drones, all with blades and guns deployed as the middle one spoke out amongst her team. "K, M, let's give these people a hand!"
"Okay!" Said one of the drones, the other not saying a word as they all moved to the sides of the room.
Looking back to the distracted W, Wade struck his face with his tail, the clone's visor cracking from the attack as he yelped in agony. Without any hesitation, Wade readied a claw hand before grabbing W, pulling him close before biting into his neck. Seeing her partner's clone trying to perform a similar attack, Tina grabbed onto the approaching nanite tank, keeping it from hitting her darling's head as he fed off his evil double.
Once he was finished, Wade threw the weakened W to the floor, the injured drone crawling back as Wade's damaged arm regenerated. As Wade readied a shotgun, W gazed at him and Tina, gazing at the latter as he seemed to remember one of his locked memories of this girl. "...Wait, aren't you... do I know yo-"
"You are NOT my boyfriend!" Tina answered angrily, W looking on in shock as Wade took aim. Wade's clone was put down with a few blasts of buckshot, ripping the body and core of W into scrap.
As W met his demise, F, now having put Nathan to her back, was busy holding off E and H, the latter having recovered from his injury as the three clashed blades. Hovering over the two data consoles in another locking of swords, F glanced between the two as one of the new arrivals from outside flew at H, trying to strike him down with her own swords. The attack took one of H's arms off, the murder drone backing off of F as he tried to defend himself against the newcomer. Now only having to deal with E, F kept her guarding sword up against her rival, readying a sub-machine gun with her other hand as she prepared to shoot.
E grinned mischievously as she taunted her enemy. "Heh, you're serving under the army, I see? They're pathetic compared to us, traitor."
Nathan growled as he held out one of his pistols, shooting at the arrogant drone as she backed off of his crush. Smirking at her partner as well as at her decision to follow Wade's example, F fired her sub-machine gun at the exposed E as she replied to her fellow murder drone. "Let me and Mr. Nathan here show you who's the pathetic one, scraphead!"
Before she could continue her fight with E, a flurry of bullets flew at F, the warrior drone blocking it with her wings before seeing who shot at her. Taking notice of Darren's position, F continued shielding herself while preparing a rocket launcher. In a tense blur, F shot at Hawk, the man just barely avoiding death as he was knocked back against the wall, seemingly unconscious. With Darren taken out of the fight, F continued striking her blades with E's, intent on snuffing out this troublemaker out for good.
With the tide of the battle turned, Wade took a moment to take some of his mouth saliva, holding it out to Tina. "Tina, here." The drone girl took the silver goop without a word before putting it onto her wounded chest, her damaged body and clothing repairing quickly thanks to the liquid nanites. Picking up his severed arm, Wade held it up for Tina as well. "Oil?"
"Thanks, hun." Tina replied as she drank up the dripping oil from the limb. Once it was empty, Wade tossed the arm before looking to the damaged window, L and one of the friendly disassembly drones fighting one another.
Flying at L, Wade readied a pair of claw hands as he slashed at L's tail, cutting the nanite tank off as it fell to the floor. Grabbing onto L, Wade punched through his chest, the partially connected bio-mechanical core in his claws before he crushed it with violent ease.
"N-Not agai-" Was all L could utter as he was finally slain by his rival from the factory not a day before.
Hearing a cry of pain from near the lab computers, Wade and Tina looked to see E, F, Nathan, H, and another disassembly drone going at each other in a blur of slashes and stabs. Seeing Wade flying over to her, E broke off from F, attempting to strike Wade's two claws with her one active sword arm, the other having been severed by F during their duel. E's efforts to terminate Wade were immediately in vain as she was quickly stabbed in the chest by Wade, choking from the pain as she prepared for her end.
Having recovered from her shameful stumbling with the human trooper behind the shelves, D prepared to attack once more, but stopped as she saw her comrade being struck down by one of the traitors, the one with the drone rider at his back. "E! Hold on, I'll save you!" She declared before preparing a pair of scythes, trying to imitate her leader as she spun at Wade and his prey.
"D, you imbeci-" E cursed aloud as she was thrown at D by Wade, her body being cut up into several pieces before her team-killing comrade ceased spinning.
Taking notice of her careless attack, D gasped in horror, putting a fresh hand to her mouth as Wade pounced on her. The poor drone squealed in terror as Wade quickly ripped her core out, D's eyes flickering out as her killer tossed her body to the floor.
Looking to D's core, Wade almost debated sparing it of his wrath before deciding against it. Crushing the core, Wade spoke to Tina at his flank. "Man, that one didn't feel so good to kill."
"I see." Tina sympathized, but stopped as she and Wade spotted H flying at them, one of the new ally drones pursuing after him as Wade readied a pair of blades.
Striking H's swords, Wade spoke to his allies. "Keep watch on Kelly there, I've got this one!" The chasing drone and the others heeded Wade's order as they backed off, Wade and H clashing blades in a fierce duel.
In their fighting, the two neared the large window space at the end of the lab as Wade gained the advantage. Once Wade entered another deadlock, Tina fired at H's head, distracting him just long enough for Wade to bite into the drone. H howled in pain as Wade drained him of most of his oil, the feeding lasting several seconds before Wade finally felt satisfied. Feeling H's body beginning to heat up, Wade tossed H's smoking body out the window, part of the still unshattered glass breaking off from the impact as the drone fell. H screamed in perilous agony as he fell down the building, his overheating problem climaxing as he exploded in a ball of fire.
Stepping over the damaged ledge, Wade and Tina watched as they saw the fate of their foe, the former smirking in satisfaction as he glanced to one of the nearby drone allies. "You all okay?"
"Yes sir." The drone replied, Kurtis giving a thumbs-up next to him as the two confirmed their status to Wade.
Observing the assisting disassembly drones, Wade glanced to Tina. "How did they find us so fast?"
"I called Jasmine, love. To be honest, I didn't think they'd get here in time." Tina answered her boyfriend as he looked to her with a grateful smile.
Looking back to F, Wade flew over to his ally, Nathan dismounting her as Tina raised an eyebrow at the military duo. "F? Nathan? Did you two-"
"Yeah. Yeah, we did." F said with a blushing smile, glancing to the smiling Nathan as she continued. "We uh, thought we'd take some notes from you both."
Looking down to Kelly, who was thankfully unharmed, Wade spoke to her as well. "Kel? You good?"
"Oh, I'm fine, Wade. F and Nate here made a great lil' duo." The technician answered as she and her friends laughed at the relief of victory.
In the quieting aura of peace, Darren woke up lazily as he tried to regain his composure. As his vision cleared, he spotted Wade and his team talking to Kelly, not at all noticing him having awoken. Taking hold of his sidearm, Hawk shot at Kelly, only for his attempt on her life to fail as Wade quickly blocked the shot with his wing.
Glaring at the team coordinator, Wade spoke aloud. "Leave him be, he's mine!" Walking towards him, Wade blocked all the shots Darren took at him with his wing, keeping his guard up until he reached the man. Readying a sword, Wade sliced off Hawk's armed hand before picking him up by the neck with his free one, then impaling the corporate agent with his nanite tail while growling at him in contained fury.
Darren grunted in frustrated pain as he looked into Wade's angry eyes with a similar expression. "I'll... be damned, Mr. Carter, I didn't think fortune would favor you and your lot here."
"Well, it sure as hell won't favor you today!" Wade retorted, swapping his sword for a hand as Darren coughed up a bit of blood from his injury.
"You really learned to be so much like us from him, haven't you? Sure seems like it. Even with lights for eyes, I ca-an still see pain in them. Tired, hateful agony. Is that what you feel?"
Wade lowered his gaze for only a short moment, taking in the slightly derogatory comments from Hawk before responding to the man. "...Yeah, I am in pain. So much pain." Then, as he raised his arm he continued in his growing rage. "Why don't I show you a bit of how much pain I'm in?!" At that instance, Wade roared at Darren as he dug his hand into the man's face, gouging his eyes out as he joined Wade in the screaming. The former worker drone kept at Hawk's head as he gripped onto it, his yelling growing in intensity as he tore off the squad leader's head in a bloody mess, part of his spine still latched on to the limb.
F, Nathan, Kelly and the other soldiers watched on with looks of shock, fear, and bewilderment as Wade took his bloody vengeance, Tina putting a hand to her mouth as she watched her love throw Hawk's head while letting go of his body. As Hawk's body fell to the floor, Wade took in heavy breaths from the immense effort he exhausted upon his nemesis before looking to Tina, embarrassment and shame swiftly overcoming him as he realized he was being watched by her. Looking down, Wade spoke to his love apologetically. "I'm... so sorry you had to see that."
Tina shook her head in an odd attempt to comfort Wade on his feelings over what he just did. "Oh no, no. It's fine." Turning her gaze to the grotesque sight of Darren's head, she regained her sympathy over Wade. "Besides, after what you told me about him... I'd say he deserves it for what you endured."
"Yeah. Besides, something tells me if it were Ron in your position... he would've done something similar." Despite the gruesome air she stood in, F let out a morbid chuckle as she continued. "I can believe it too, he tried choking J when he woke up back at your place."
Wade seemed to join in on F's laughter, Gerard giving a more hearty one as he spoke up on the matter. "Can't say I disagree. Call me twisted, but I think it's only... human of you, Wade."
"Thanks, Gerard." Wade said with a small smile, which slowly shifted into a stern frown as he spoke to his team. "I may have been a bit rash with Hawk here, but Halloway better be counting his stars in that office of his. He'll be lucky if he doesn't get worse for what he did."
"Indeed." Tina added before looking to Kelly, the technician taking a small data card out of the hacked console before putting it into one of the slots in her toolkit. "Kelly? Are we good to go, or is there still more to do?"
Holding onto her supplies, Kelly stood up as she helped the formerly scared maintenance drone up as well. "I'd say so, I've got the data chip right in here." Looking around, the technician spoke to her allies standing with her. "I might need some escort there."
"Don't mention it, Kelly. Wade, can you take a chunk of the team here with you? Nathan and I will bring this intel back to the ship outside." F asked as Wade nodded in affirmation.
"Sure thing. Tina and I will be back before you know it." F returned the nod as she looked to the soldiers, all of them having come out of their hiding areas as they listened in on the next step of their plan.
"Alright, Kurtis, Gerard, Duncan, Carlos, I want you two to stick with us. And you," F stopped as she looked to the repair drone, who returned the gaze as he listened to the disassembly drone attentively. "You may wanna come with us, it's gonna be a nasty night if you stay here."
The drone nodded in eager agreement, smiling at the friendly murder drone as he gave his feelings on the idea. "S-Sure thing, you guys could use a repair drone, right?"
F nodded in agreement as she and some of the other soldiers made way for the door, Nathan and Kelly walking alongside her as she spoke once more to Wade. "See you back at the ship Wade, and one more thing: Give Halloway the Carter treatment for us, okay?"
"Will do, F." Wade replied with a salute and a smirk, Tina doing the same behind her boyfriend as their allies departed.
Then, hearing a beep from her pocket, Tina pulled out her smartcomm, answering her sister's call. "Yes?"
"Looks like things have calmed down now, you alright, Tina?" Jasmine asked as Tina replied warmly.
"Oh, yes. Our friends here made this intel job much easier." Glancing to the friendly murder drones, Tina nodded in silent appreciation as they returned the gesture, turning to fly back outside as the pilot drone listened to the small device.
"Glad to hear it, I've got some wounded onboard that I'm taking to the base. I'll see you there after this whole rodeo is over."
Tina chuckled pleasantly as she replied once more to her sister. "I see, well, I wish you the safety of the stars over you and your team on the way back. See you tonight, love."
"You too, say hi to Wade for me. Jasmine out." With that, the Fowleys' call ceased again, leaving Tina, Wade and their remaining team members to themselves as they contemplated their next move.
Walking over to the drone couple, Vasquez spoke to the two while holding her rifle firm. "Well, looks like you're in charge now, Mr. Carter. Where do we go?"
Glancing back to the entrance leading to the elevator, then up to the ceiling, Wade nodded lightly as he made his decision.
"We go to Halloway."