Hey BrooksShoesAsACareer! I know the Glycerins get a lot of love for clinic work. I was never able to use them because the 12mm midsole drop felt like high heels after spending years in Lems for the wonderfully wide toe box. The new Ghost Max only has a 6mm drop which may be more manageable. They have a ton of cushioning though. No idea what that feels like long term. My old Lems are at the end of their life cycle so I'm ready to buy new sneakers. My options are either inserts for the Lems or the Ghost Max. What do you think?

This is a book I started writing in like 2021 and stopped working on until recently. I'd love some feedback on whether I should continue with it or not, please let me know what you think.
Also keep in mind this is a first draft, and I am no Stephen King.
Intro/Chapter One

I walked down the alabaster hall, fluorescent lights flickering as I approach the exit. It’d been nine months since I’ve seen the outside of the compound, I knew life would never be the same but I had to try to live to some amount of normalcy again. I’d already gathered my belongings from the security room at the northwest of the building. I had stayed in a less invasive portion of the building, living alongside people who had a mental breakdown much like they claimed I suffered, or people that never had sanity, to begin with. Sometimes I could hear the screams and threats to the staff from some of the more, let's say unstable residents of the clinic. I played the psychiatrist's game of sanity. I had to, there was no other option. No one would ever believe what really happened. At first, I’d used my limited computer time to research the haunted woods of Colorado. But I soon learned that only fed into my so-called insanity. Walking down the bland hallway, I thought about my research. There had been reports, but that’s all they were. The old myths and tales had mostly been in eastern Canada and the regions of the great plane, nothing stating that IT lived as far west as my encounter. I laughed to myself, calling it, IT when I knew what it really was now. I knew fairly early, but naming the beast IT left out enough context that people assumed I was talking about a wildlife incident. By playing charades like this long enough I was able to buy my freedom to the sane world. “This is it, Mr. Patel. You’ve come a long way, and..” I cut off the mental institution’s nurse by grabbing my belongings from him that he so kindly offered to carry for me. In reality, he snatched them up as soon as I’d checked them out from security. He pushed the door open, and the bright morning autumn light temporarily blinded me. I could see them standing at the end of the walkway, red and yellow leaves dancing across the ground as I slowly made my way towards my spouse and our daughter, golden hair shining in the light. 

Chapter one: The silent drive.

Markus made his way down the Rocky Mountains, slowly creeping along in his old Jeep Wrangler as the snow crunched beneath the chains. Only a few more hours and he’d reach his destination, a cold dark cabin in the wooded mountains of Colorado. He remembered going there maybe twice as a child, but since his father's heart failure he hadn’t really had contact with that side of the family. As the engine hummed along the mountain, he was on all but autopilot. Thirty-two years old and this is where life had landed him. Marital separation, no real career, no real family outside of the one he’d created with his wife and daughter. Had it really been that long since his father's passing? His so-called father was ten years and change older than he was now when he died of heart failure, but Markus supposed that’s what happens when you have genetic heart failure and you spent your life drinking and smoking. No one was really surprised when he passed, some had even been prepared for it. As for his mother's side, he never knew his grandparents and had only met his Aunt once or twice. Jen or Jenna? Jessica? Markus shook his head, “Focus Markus. Focus. Ice, snow, mountain. Pay attention.” It’d been a long drive and an even longer week. Markus couldn’t blame Elizabeth for wanting a separation. He hadn’t been great to her the last few years. He’d taken his failures and problems out on her. He was borderline abusive, he’d never hit her, but lord sometimes she made it so damn hard. He’d already felt like a failure, he didn’t need her pointing it out. He never really decided what to do with his life, sure he fell in love young, and had a beautiful daughter but there was still a hole missing out of his life. He never really could put his finger on it, was it a career he never decided on, dropping out of high school, falling out with his mother? The list could go on and on. He reached the old two-bedroom cabin just a few hours before dusk. The old, decrepit building hadn’t had visitors in more than a couple of years. The last person he knew of staying there was his father's mother, Gina. Grandma G made more of an effort to include him in the family than his father had, even going as far as to write birthday letters to him and have his father sign them as a child. After she disappeared, the cabin gained shared ownership by his father and siblings. The cabin was the last known place she had been, but there was no evidence of foul play. She was never found, even after the search parties and wildlife rangers had searched for days. But just like her father, no one was astounded she went missing. Dementia had really been setting in, even though no one thought it would be near bad enough for her to wander out into the woods by herself. Markus walked up to the front door, unlocking it using the key stuck under a fake rock next to the withered “Home sweet home” welcome mat. He could barely make out the words of the old piece of hemp, he wasn’t sure why it bothered him so bad. He was sure the only reason this old log hadn’t been broken into was due to the remote location. A thirty-minute drive to the closest grocery outlet, if you can even call it that, was the closest thing around. Markus practically walked into the door, expecting it to swing open. Between the ancient wood of the door and the ungreased hinges, It wouldn’t budge. He pulled up on the handle and pushed with his shoulder muttering, “Son of…” before the hinges gave way and he crashed onto the floor. He felt like laying on the cold, dusted ground forever. Just giving up and withering away like the old mat outside. “This is fine, just dandy. Go get me a beer already,” he said to no one in particular. He rose and brushed the floor dust from his old worn jeans, making his way to the ivory light switch. He stood in darkness, growing increasingly frustrated as he flicked the lifeless switch up and down. “That’s the problem with the old houses,” Markus said to the empty air. He walked out the front and around the north side of the old cabin, continuing along the side as he ran his fingers down the old wood until he reached the meter-main combo panel outside. He was less than shocked but still displeased to see the fuses had blown. “Where did they keep that box of fuses?” He quizzed himself. Eventually, Markus found them in a wood crate on the top shelf of the shed, which wasn’t in any better shape than the living quarters. The eight-by-five wood structure barely stood by itself anymore. The old window panes cracked and 

spiderwebbed, paint peeling and a few shingles slightly flapping in the wind.

Markus threw his last bag on the dining room table like a teenager coming home from the first week of school. It was a relief to finally be at the spine-chilling old cabin, with power on and belongings inside. The fire crackling in the stone hearth gave more light to the interior than the old yellow light bulbs. So far the only thing to go right had been the log left in the fireplace, Markus was even close to the corner of his lip raising when he saw the dry kindle ready to be lit. The sun would be setting soon, and if he wanted Devil's water before the natural light had completely dwindled he’d have to leave very soon. He was thirsty as if he had been stuck in the Southern Utah desert all his life. Except the only way to quench the thirst was to down ten or eleven bottles of cheap beer, just enough to remember the night before in the morning. Markus had learned his limited, twelve or thirteen drinks and he’d lose his dinner, fourteen or fifteen and he’d lose his ability to recall the events that followed. He’d never really been a fan of liquor, his favorite was “mid-shelf” beer. Markus grabbed his fluffy blue coat and headed out to the Jeep. 

Chapter two: The Warning.
The Jeep pulled up to John’s Gas and Grocery, the decades-old building was little more than a glorified Grocery outlet and petrol pumps that had to be from the mid-eighties. He braved the cold, pulling the collar of the well-used coat against the wind. A stereotypical ding-dong sounded when he opened the door, boots squelching on the false tile flooring. He nodded to the old man at the register, who merely looked up from a leather-bound book. Markus knew exactly what he needed, he grabbed a cart for all the essentials: three cases of beer, one box of twinkies, one box of ding-dongs, and his favorite, Oatmeal cream pies which he’d grabbed several boxes of. He grabbed the fattiest meat the small store had as well, the ancient old remedy of greasy food for hangovers.

He approached the register, “five bundles of kindle too, please.” The old Native American simply stared at him for a moment too long. “Awful lot of junk food for a camping trip in the snow, don’t you think?” Markus replied politely, “I’m staying at my family's cabin over the ridge on Fendore Drive for a few weeks, you’ll probably see me a few more times.”Mmm,” The old man hummed. “John Raymond,” said the old man in a raspy voice, sticking out his hand. Markus accepted the handshake, “Mark,” he replied. The old man wasn’t satisfied with that answer, tilting his head forward slightly and raising his bushy eyebrows. “Markus Patel. Friends called me Mark,” he had said with disinterest in sharing his full name. “Good strong handshake, says a lot about a man. Strong, yet caring and sensitive. No?” John asked quizzically. “If only that were true,” Markus said just loud enough to hear. John slid the items across the scanner, hardly taking an eye off Markus. “You ought to be careful around these trees. ‘Specially at night, wild animals and whatnot.” John warned Markus, almost winking at the end of his sentence. Markus wondered what exactly this old Ute was getting onto. “And what not?” 

“Some believe these woods are cursed. Call it a witch, or a demon. I’ve heard people talkin’. When you live as long as I do, you hear things spread around.” John almost seemed cautious about his words. Markus wanted to pry more, “And what do you believe, Mr. Raymond?” John Raymond petted an imaginary beard, “I believe that these woods are dangerous, ‘specially after dark. Be safe out there.”
“Well I appreciate the warning, but I don’t really believe in the whole ‘bigfoot’ thing,” Markus intercepted, using his fingers to quote bigfoot. “Have a good night, Mr. Raymond.”

Markus could feel the old man's eyes on him as he made his way back to the Jeep parked out front. After setting his delicious treasures on the passenger seat, Markus plucked five bundles of wood from the stack in front of the windows of the store. He felt unnerved, looking into the blackness beyond the store's light bleeding from the parking lot and beyond the pumps. He scoffed, feeling stupid for letting an old man's warnings get to him. “No such thing as Bigfoot,” Markus mumbled as he slammed his Jeep’s trunk shut. By the time Markus got to the turnpike that eventually led to the old dirt path, it had grown dark. The still night air had something whimsical about it. The pines were blanketed in a layer of untouched white powder, the only impressions in the snow beside his tire tracks were the occasional deer print. As serene as the woods were, only lit by moonlight reflecting off the frozen ground, Markus still felt somewhat uneasy. The old man named John had gotten to him to some amount, but Markus would never admit that, not even to himself. 

He pulled the now ticking Jeep up to the creepy old wood structure, as close as he could to the entrance. The light barely bled through the old dirty windows, giving the cabin a haunted look. Markus wondered to himself why he ever wanted to come out to this frozen wasteland, he only had fleeting memories of this place but when Elizabeth asked for a separation, this was the first place that came to mind. He wasn’t sure why, but the thought made him feel uneasy. Markus sat in the Jeep as it grew colder without the climate control on, wondering how this had ever happened. When they married, he was a happy young man with the world in front of him. Somewhere along the way, he grew into a bitter developing drunk. Maybe it was the torment of work, every job he had seemed to be worse than the last, his most recent job working as a grunt at a well-known manufacturing plant had proven to be the worst so far. Not only did he not have companionship with his fellow workers, but they also belittle him. They refused training and would treat him like a dog that had peed on the living room rug. He was tired of being belittled and tired of his rock bottom life.

The first thing Markus did upon entering the Cabin was crack a still cold beer, and opening a package of twinkies. After almost swallowing a Twinkie full, he finally had the strive to throw a log into the fireplace and bring warmth to the room. 

Markus cursed himself after forgetting to open the flu, the room beginning to fill with the foggy appearance of smoke. Though it didn’t bother him enough to forget about his T.V. Dinner he felt as though that was one more thing he failed at. As if the great being in the sky was keeping a tally of every little mistake he’d made, and punished him tenfold.
“One, three, five, six, seven…” Markus quietly counted the empty bottles stacking up around the chair which sat next to the warm fireplace. “A reckon I’ve earned one more, or a few,” he told the walls, as he raised a bottle in salute to himself. The next thing he remembers was waking up in the shallow cot, rolling over to see the time on his cellphone which was little more than a clock in the wilderness. “3:30.” The words rattled out of his mouth like a mummy. As soon as he lay his head back on the pillow, the world spun around him and he heaved himself out of bed, making a beeline for the bathroom, narrowly making it to the toilet before projectile vomiting violently. The unpleasant mix of preservative pastry treats and cheap alcohol filled his taste buds as they had two hours earlier. Markus awoke on the cold hard ground of the bathroom sometime later, the sun just starting to peek over the trees of the late winter morning. There was an uneasy stillness in the air, something that felt like watching a car come barreling towards you while you sat in your still parked car, time seemed to slow moments before the collision.

Using the dwindling strength that was left, shaking from low blood sugar and an empty stomach, Markus pulled himself up using the sink. He stared at himself through a dirty mirror, his brown hair in a mop and stubble growing steadily on his face. He looked like death, with dark circles under his blue eyes. He always used to keep his hair short and neat, always clean-shaven except for the weekends when he could finally cut loose and not worry about a professional-looking demeanor. Bent over the short sink ached his back, probably from sleeping on the ground he noted mentally. Standing up straight and stretching his stiff back, cracking like a bullwhip. His hairline met the top of the mirror, he wasn’t intensely tall but six foot two was enough to miss the sight of his moppy hair in the reflective glass. 

Markus made his way out to his bag, still sitting on the dining room table. Fumbling with the zipper, he pulled out a bottle of over-the-counter painkillers, Dry swallowing a few. The small bundle of soft pine he had put in the fireplace before losing consciousness had burned out hours ago, the dead cold of the Colorado winter eating away the coals. Markus wondered how cold it must be in the old building, he could almost see his breath, so he figured it had to have been close to thirty-two. The firewood he had bought wasn’t lasting long, it’d probably had something to do with the low-grade softwood it had been cut out of. He remembered the four years of woodshop he’d taken in high school, Markus’s mind started to wander in his hungover state. “That table wouldn’t be so wobbly if they’d use a biscuit joint for the legs. It’s probably from some long-ago closed IKEA, nothing but cheap screws holding it together. If Elizabeth ends up wanting a full-blown divorce, she doesn’t get my table. Best thing I ever made. African walnut, curly maple..waterfall Bubinga. Now that was a work of art. No metal holding it together, just glue and its weight from the hand-carved joints.”
Once coming back to reality, Markus decided he’d better go out and cut some fresh wood. He’d seen an old ax in the shed, he’d cut enough to last the whole winter and stack it up on the side of the cabin. He was determined to exert physical effort now and not have to later. The ax had to have been from the sixties or seventies, it was practically ancient. The old steel was slightly rusted and the handle, a hardwood with a slight curve, he figured it was probably from a German manufacturer. At some distant point, he’d been in love with making knives. He used his woodworking skills to make handles for the full tang blades. “Always full tang, anything less is cheap garbage,” his metal shop teacher’s voice rang in his ears. Those were the days when life was simple. The biggest worry he had was how he was going to play hooky so he could go up Rock Canyon with his buddies. They’d studied the Canyon, after all, it was where prolific serial killer Ted Bundy killed some of his victims.

Markus had been chopping old trees for about three hours, sweat dripping down his brow despite the biting cold, every so often stopping to bite his tongue and breathe so he didn’t lose the remaining contents of his stomach. Maybe he didn’t have the stamina to chop a year's worth of wood after all, but all he needed was enough to last him the time he spent here and he was determined. 

Swinging the sharp heavy tool at a diagonal angle once, twice, three times more and the tree fell. “Finally!” He screamed, It must have been forty-five minutes since he worked on this pine.
Blood-curdling screams of a young woman, maybe in her mid-twenties, Markus swung around with the ax clutched to his chest, ready to chop for his own life. Slowly and cautiously striding forward, scanning the trees for any sign of duress Markus made his way into the shaded forest. He came upon a sight, something brown crumpled on the frozen earth. The closer he got, the more sense it made. White antlers blended with the backdrop of snow, invisible from a distance. Blood soaked the white powder around the unmoving beast, it was a brutal sight Markus had only seen in nature documentaries. Using the head of the ax, Markus turned to the head of the murdered deer, its throat ripped out clean. Blood still poured from the open wound, staining the fur a sickly onyx. “Cougar..” Markus carefully scanned his surroundings, before setting his eyes back on the buck. He’d never been hunting, but it was on his bucket list. He’d always wanted a nice rack to hang up on his office wall when he finally had enough money to buy a house with an office. He took a mental note to come back later with a saw and collect the bounty, approximately fifty feet due northeast of the Cabin.

Returning to the Cabin felt like a desolate trip through a never ending frozen waste land, What couldn’t have been more than ten or fifteen minutes felt like days. 

Pulling the wet, dirty boots off brought relief. “Now all I need is a ding-dong and a beer. Maybe I should start some fire up before I settle in though,” the words rang through the empty cabin. Markus told himself he didn’t know what the purpose of him talking to himself was, but deep down in his still beating heart he knew. He knew it was the only thing keeping him sane, keeping him from losing his mind and running out into the trees only to be eaten by some unseen beast. Absentmindedly throwing the last of his gas station wood into the hearth, his thoughts continued to wonder about the growing insanity inside his mind's eye. His voice echoed in his own head, ‘Could this be what happened to Gina? Coming out to get some R and R and losing her mind, or what was left of it at least? All this stress I'm carrying, could I lose my mind?’
Throwing a match on the kindling, flame burst to life, light dancing on the dark corners of the Cabin. The uneasy feeling had steadily been growing, something dark, something mysterious, something...Unknown.
Chapter Three: The visitor
“Come out Markie. Come out to me baby,” Elizabeth’s voice rang out, echoing from all around. Markus was blankly facing his bedroom door, but quickly turned in all directions looking for the voice. His eyes searched frantically, scanning everywhere until he saw a dark shape beyond the living room window, standing in the frozen earth with arms outstretched. Nothing but a silhouette in the dark, Markus ran for the front door to meet with the dark shape that couldn’t possibly be her. The harder he ran the further to the front door became, pushing his physical limits until his lungs felt like molten rock. If you could just get there, just hold his dear Eliza, everything would be alright. He could come home, make pancakes for her and their beautiful little Judy as small flakes of snow fell outside. He could find a new job that paid more and gave him more time at home with them...He could make things alright.
The door slowly opened, letting in the cold night air, just as it gently touched the wall, coming to full dilation he almost flew from the building, falling on his hands and knees, the icy ground scratching up his hands and knees. The pain was irrelevant, he had to get to his Eliza at all costs. He looked up, her white nightgown shining in the moonlight. Standing in front of him was what looked like his beloved wife, but it wasn’t Elizabeth. It was some misformed specter, something unnatural and mutated from a personal hell. He stared, looking at the grotesque representation of his wife, her nose had been chewed off, leaving nothing but a bloody nasal cavity, bits of cartilage and skin hanging off of it. Her right iris seemed to be stuck in the corner of her eye, trying to come to focus in front of her, red and bloody. Her skin was an ashy gray, withered and rotten from decades gone past. Her white gown made the skin of the creature look more off color than it probably was. The smell of death and rotten meat filled his nostrils. The false Elizabeth reached out her hand to caress his cheek, “Come home Markie, “ Blood and bile pouring from her mouth, “Come home,” A dark, devilish voice seemed to slither out of her mouth past the blood, the black liquid covering her white night gown in the moonlight. The voice that was hers and not hers at all the same time, rattled his brain, making him feel an internal earthquake in his head. Her outstretched fingers looked like gray rotten carrots, wrinkled past the point of recognition, the knuckles sticking out of the flesh like giant tumors, fingernails that had more of a resemblance to claws than actual nails. Slowly, the creature's Icy cold fingers gently make contact with his face, gently brushing his cheek.
Markus sat up in his cot screaming, soaking with sweat as if he’d gone swimming. Savagely scanning the room, he wiped the sweat from his eyes. It had been a dream, some awful rendition of his mind. Markus bent his knees up, resting his forehead on them and wrapping his arms around everything, he stayed in an upright fetal position until the first signs of light breached the windows. Convinced he’d never sleep again, he stumbled out into the living area and straight to the coffee maker he’d brought.
Markus sat in his lawn chair perched on the porch, sipping coffee in the cold, still morning. He hadn’t noticed the small white animal camouflaged in the snow until the caffeine had taken hold and he was able to clear his eyes of the night's salty sweat from constantly rubbing them. Curiously, he arose and approached the small crumpled fluff on the ground. “Peter cotton tail would be wise to stay out of Mr. McGregor’s garden. The cougar might catch you,” Markus said to the small rabbit who lay dead on the ice. He picked it up by the back foot, wishing for some good luck but somehow knowing he was far from it. The bloody fur stuck to the morning freeze, making a sick ripping sound as he pulled it upwards. “Lord..” Markus mumbled as the animal slowly spun by its foot. Whatever had gotten the little thing has disemboweled it, using scalpel and surgeon-like precision to cut from the jugular down the length of the body. Markus could see the entrails still intact, thanks to the freezing temperatures everything had hardened in place overnight. Crusted and Frozen blood hung onto the rabbit like a tick, even as Markus gently walked deep into the tree line. Tossing the dead animal into a bush some ten feet away, it landed with a solid thud. Markus returned to the crime scene, frozen blood still staining the white earth. “What kind of animal kills a rabbit like this and just leaves it? It had to have been that cougar, and something spooked it off. Right? Yeah, that’s it. Maybe something bigger, like a bear.” Markus knew he was lying to himself but just to be sure, he searched the area for tracks. Hopeful in finding giant cat prints, he found nothing but his own. There wasn’t even a sign of rabbit tracks, a phenomenon completely unnatural, however Markus chalked it up to sleep exhaustion and too much alcohol the night before. That was the only explanation.

Grabbing the keys off the table and making his way to his Jeep, Markus put the keys in the ignition, the metal beast jolting to life. He worried the tires would be frozen to the ground, but even if they were the vehicle moved with ease, rolling down the tree lined path towards John’s Gas and Grocery. Sometime later he arrived at the failed attempt at a gas-n-shop store. Markus jumped at the store’s bell as he pushed the door open, the owner John staring at him with interest as to why the living dead person who mysteriously drifted into town almost a week prior was stumbling through his door. “Friend, are you still living?” Markus blankly stared at the Native man, for the first time taking in the person he’d made contact with. Markus abscently thought, ‘This man is ancient. How old could he possibly be?” 

John, growing tired of the blank expression on Markus’s face, told him to come near. Markus did what he was told, nearing the wrinkled leathery face of the old man. “What have you seen?” John asked Markus, studying his copper features. “Uhm...What?” Markus stammered. ‘Brilliant, show the old man your intelligence level like you didn’t get past the eight grade,’ Markus thought to himself, admittingly a little harsh on himself.
“In the forrest. Have you seen anything?” John’s eyes seemed to pierce Markus’s soul. “I mean, the was a dead buck, and then this morning the was a dead rabbit.” Markus replied, as if he were on some wildlife observation trip. “You’re holding out on me, young man,” John said with an eir of scolding. Markus chuckled, “Young man? John i’m thirty-two.”
“And to me you’ll always be a young man. So what of the trees?”
Markus felt as though John was attempting to take him under his wing as a new born robin. “I heard a woman scream in the woods, while I was chopping kindle. Figured it must have been a cougar,” Markus said. “Mmmm,” John hummed. “Come for more cheep beer than?”
Markus was borderline offended, “What of it? I could drive into town if you’d like, buy my drinks there.”
“You are welcome to do as you please, Mark. I was talking about getting something a little nicer though. I could swing by after I close up, bring some food and something to drink that settles a little easier than off brand beer. Be around at 8:30?”
“Woah, whats the occasion?” Markus teased the old man, wondering if John thought they were long lost friends.
“No occasion, I knew Gina. I’d like to come see the old place, if you’d be alike to that.”
“How’d you know I was related to Gina?” Markus asked narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
“I have lived in this town for sixty-five years. I remember when that Cabin was built, a matter of fact I worked at the hardware store when your grands’ would come in for supplies. I was only fourteen or fifteen at the time. After the town started to dry up in the seventies, the store shut her doors for good.” John seemed to stare into the distance, reminiscing about years gone past.
Markus seemed somewhat surprised, “I had no idea there was anything more than your store out here. What happened to the town?”
“Well a combination of things make the town die, they were supposed to build a sub-highway that came right through here. After they decided to move it south, travelers stopped coming through this way. Thats the reason I tell every traveler that comes through here.”
Markus Mused, “So what else killed the town, and why is your store still here?”
“Well I get just enough people come through to keep my doors open, usually old timers like myself that know a short cut around the city. That or people looking for a true backwoods adventure. I always tell them to move on, this isn’t the kind of place they want to spend the night, It can be hostile you know.”
“I see. But you only answered one of my questions.” Markus seemed to be prying for something John was pretending wasn’t there.
“As I said Mark, these woods can be hostile. As you’ve seen, theres things in these woods you don’t want to cross. Some travelers listen, some don’t, and some aren’t again seen after they leave these door.”
“Ah, I see. You’re going to kill me then,” Markus said with a wink. John chuckled, “I haven’t quite made up my mind on that.”
“Well in that case, i’ll take fifteen on the pump,” Markus smiled for the first time in a long time, he thought it may have been weeks, maybe even months since he had really smiled.

Markus and John sat on the cold patio, sipping on some exceptionally smooth whiskey John had brought, and seemed eager to share. “So,” Markus said, shifting in his seat to face John while fluffing up against his coat. “How’d you know I was related to Gina?” 

“Well Mark, as I said I’ve been around a long time. This little ol’ cabin is the only residence in the area so there was some buzz around town when your grands decided to build.”
Markus seemed puzzled, this seemed like prime real estate. “Why hasn’t anyone else ever build here?”
“Many have tried and have failed. You can still find abandoned materials or sometimes foundation if you look hard enough in the right places. How Gina and Frank ever got this place built and habitibal is nothing short of a miracle.”
Markus seemed slightly confused, and he wondered if it was because of lack of knowledge or the healthy buzz he was gaining from the top shelf alcohol. “So all these people just abandoned their properties? It couldn’t be the winters, I mean it’s bitter cold out here but not uninhabitable. The summers are probably quite pleasant...The wild life? No, they say Bears and Cougars would just as well leave you alone. Maybe it was economic hardship, and they bared through long enough to finally get it completely built.” Markus seemed to be using vocal deductive reasoning at this point, rather than for conversation.
“As I said, some believe these woods to be cursed. But as I recall, you don’t believe in Bigfoot. Isn’t that right?” John seemed to tease Mark who felt like he was gently swaying with the breeze. John didn’t seemed to be phased by the liquor at all though, it made Markus wonder if he was a lightweight after all.
“Right, I don’t believe because there isn’t such thing.” Markus said, with an eir of matter-of-fact. “Mmmm,” John mummed again. “But you believe in Gigantopithicus, no?”
Markus stammered, “Giganto-what-icus? John, this alcohol is weighing on me, you’re gonna have to make sense.”
John smiled warmly, “Gigantopithicus. It was a large ape-like animal that went extinct a few thousand years ago, native to the same area’s people claim to see Bigfoot. Do you think it’s possible a small population survived extinction? Or perhaps stories of the beasts when they existed amongs men survived through generations of story telling. What do you think, Mark?” Markus stared at John, peicing together what he said. It actually made sense to him though, if there had really been a gigantic ape like creature that roamed the earth, wouldn’t either option be possible?
“Or perhaps the werewolf, who some speculate originated by what’s known as ‘werewolf syndrome.’ A normal man, like you and I, but he grows hair on every inch of his body, catches something like rabies and makes him go, well, rabid.” John seemed like he was trying to get a point across, Markus just didn’t know what.
“So you’re trying to tell me, I giant ape and a rabid hairy guy are running around out here?” Markus said, confusion marking his tipsy face.
“I think you missing the point son, the point is every myth has an origin. Some are more real than you’d like they could be.” John started to grow serious.

They sat for sometime however, pondering on what was said. Eventually John broke the silence, “I wasn’t part of the search party for Gina.” John said, sorrow aging his face even further. 

“Me neither,” Markus said, taking another drink. The cold liquid burning down his throat, making him feel a foux warmth.
“I knew they wouldn’t find her, Markus. They never find the lost in these woods. Why didn’t you come to aid?” John asked.
“I know I should have. It would have been the right thing to do, and Gina deserved it. I guess the reason isn’t because of her, I’m resentful to the rest of her family.” Markus started to grow cold, starting from his soul.
“You know, family is all we have. It may be worth making amends before it’s too late.”
Markus thought about these words from John, he was right. Not about his fathers side of the family but about the family he’s created with Elizabeth and Judy. Elizabeth, Markus visibly shivered, remembering his dream.
“You’re right. But are they still family if they pretend like you don’t exist? And then the only time you do exist is when you’re the butt of their joke? I’m sorry, I just don’t believe they’re anything more than a gene pool to me. But Elizabeth and Judy, they’re what matters.” Markus could feel the anger bubbling up inside him, remembering going to Gina’s and Noah, his uncle, telling the then eight year old Markus to sit down and shut the hell up or so help him. Then there was the time at the family Christmas party he sat on the outskirts of the room, ignored by all, he hadn’t even wanted to go but his mother thought it was important for him to try and exist to that side of the family. Another stretch of awkward silence followed, both men pretended like it didn’t exist by sipping on their liquor.

What broke the silence was the slightest sound of a twig snap, it would have been an invisible noise if it weren’t for the silence. John’s eyes snapped in that direction, immediately breaking into a cold sweat. “It’s alright John, it’s probably just a rabbit or something. No such thing as Bigfoot, remember?” Markus smiled, trying to lighten the sudden heaviness in the air. 

“Yes, you’re right. Jumpy I suppose,” John said, sitting back into his seat, and rocking himself forward into a standing position. “I best be getting on my way,” John said, eager to exit.
Markus seemed confused, “Are you sure? Your company has been really nice, and I could use my friends right now.”
“I’ll come back in a few days, probably sometime in the morning…” John trailed off, staring into the tree line.
Chapter Four: Hunting

Markus woke up in an upright sweat, his eyes looking around widely. The blinding white light was peaking its way through the old floral curtains, hurting his eyes. Something had woken him up in a startle. Was it a dream? Was he still in the cabin? Had his wife wanted to separate? Yes, Markus told himself. It’s all real, as badly as he wanted all of it to be a bad dream, this was reality. 

BANG BANG.
Within a split second, Markus was on the floor reaching under the bed, pulling out a long black case. He hadn’t seen the gun case but he knew his grandmother well enough to know that there was a rifle or perhaps a shotgun under the bed and a handgun, most likely a 40. In the closet or nightstand.
He fumbled with the zipper, KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Someone was pounding at the door of the cabin, he through the cover of the case open and pulled out a B.R.O AR-15 and a full magazine. Even in his impending doom, all he could think was, “Dang. Grammy is packing full heat.” Even while he loaded the weapon he mused at the beautiful firearm. Blacked out, pistol grip with a combo laser and X20 scope. Markus had shot a gun a few times but had never really been hunting before. His mind glimpsed back to his teenage years when a friend had taken him out to their farm and shot doves with a 12 gauge. He got so frustrated, it seemed impossible to shoot those tiny birds while twenty feet in the air, making emergency serpentine maneuvers.

Markus pulled the rifle up to his shoulder and looked down the sights, past the scope. He figured in close quarters like this the scope wouldn’t do much good, even though it’d probably mess with his aim not looking down the barrel straight. 

“Hellooo? Is anybody home?” It was a man's voice, but not very deep. Almost as though it never dropped from his teenage years. Markus pointed straight at the door but kept his finger off the trigger, hovering just outside of it just in case. “This is private property and you’re trespassing, I am armed and ready to defend myself,” Markus yelled back sternly. The door shut ever so slightly, and the man calmly replied, “I mean no harm, my name is Carry. My wife and I were out hunting for elk and we got lost tracking one. We just need to be pointed in the direction of town. Please.”
Markus took a deep breath and exhaled, lowering the rifle. He walked over to the door and opened it, in the doorway stood a man, no taller than five foot nine, dressed in designer winter gear, and a woman behind him, meeting the same standards only slightly shorter. She was pretty, long blonde hair well taken care of, and probably a whole pallet of makeup on. The man had a five o’clock shadow, but Markus could tell he was usually clean-shaven. Markus could only think, you have GOT to be kidding me.

“It’s got to be fifteen degrees out here, come on in and I’ll make some coffee. I can take you into town after I dress,” Markus said as he opened the door so the out-of-place couple could enter. He threw some wood into the fireplace and dropped a match, it seemed to ignite instantaneously. The strange couple sat in front of the fire, warming their hands with a cup of cheap coffee. Markus couldn’t believe these people, they were about as “yuppy” as they come. What kind of people wear designer outdoor clothing and a sportsman Rolex on a hunting trip, and how on earth did they end up this far from the closest habited building? 

Hello, recently I've become rather smitten by keystone plants, and oak trees in particular. I own land in a rural area near many acres of both state and national forest, and have been contemplating a project that sounds nice to me in theory, but that I lack the practical knowledge to make a proper assessment of. I would appreciate your feedback on the idea:
I would like to collect local acorns from my property and potentially nearby public land and sow them across an old pasture rather densely. The idea is to get as many "genetic dice rolls" as possible by growing as many as I can from seed each year, and then donate the land to the state for research and/or seed stock when I die as there may be specimens well adapted for climate change somewhere in that mix.
Appreciate and feedback you may have. Thank you.

Anyone hosting a watch party for the season premier? Or know of a place? I miss the good old days of watching this as a collective group at a bar, watching everyone's reactions

so my dad has a super old collection (like over 100 cards) that he gave me and i'm thinking of selling it so i can get a new gpu and since i'm not really using it for anything. anyway where would be the best place to sell them in large or selling any valuable cards that i find (haven't gone through them all just yet) like should i just go to my local comic book store or would something like ebay be better?

Ok the title isn't necessarily true, but I wanted to say something other than "looking for a spark".
Hello! I've been single for some months so I think it's about time I find someone new. Tinder sucks and I'm quite introverted even by Norwegian standards, so it's difficult to meet people.
As the title suggests, I'm a 26-year-old man living in Norway. I am an electrician at a shipyard where I work a 14/21 rotation, which pays better and gives me more free time than a standard 7-15 type job (I work for 2 weeks, then I have 3 weeks off), so I have plenty of opportunity to travel wherever :) I am also an electrical engineering student.
My main interest is music. I grew up with music everywhere, so I'm continuing the tradition :) I play guitar, go to concerts and collect vinyls. My all-time favourite musician is Steven Wilson, but I am mostly a metalhead. I'm very stereotypically Norwegian in that regard.
I enjoy reading, hiking in Norway's beautiful scenery, running, swimming in the sea, playing video games (patiently waiting for Shadow of the Erdtree), and shooting guns competitively.
I do not smoke, vape, snus, do drugs or anything of the sort. I'm very conservative with my alcohol consumption.
I have no real requirements for you other than that you're willing to meet at some point, and that you live in Europe. Preferably in the EU or EEA to make things easier.

I haven't even gotten into the guts of the new content yet, but with around 230+hours in the game I wanted to say that I appreciate all the amazing work you have but into the game collectively. I've personally bought this game for 6(ish?) of my friends, including paying for half for some that were on the fence. We all love it and I just wanted to let you know that. Thank you so much. I couldn't get into my old reddit account to post, so I had to make a new one, but I follow this subreddit daily to see the amazing builds and wonderful suggestions.

Is there a way to send a message to the city’s garbage collection team for a specific neighbourhood without going through 311?
My son is two and is OBSESSED with “trash trucks” (and busses and diggers but nothing compares to “trash trucks”). Fridays are by far his favourite day, it takes us about an hour to travel the 3 blocks from daycare to home because he insists on taking all the side streets so we can say hi to every garbage truck that we can find.
It may be super annoying for the collectors to have a two year old trailing them, waving and yelling “TA-TUCK!!! TA-TUCKKKK!!!” as they’re working but every single one is unfailingly nice and they go out of their way to wave and honk. It makes his day every time.
I’m hoping there is a way for me to contact them to say thank you. They really go above and beyond.

I don’t know if I’m looking for comfort, reassurance, advice, or what. So thank you for whatever you comment. This is lengthy so I apologize but so appreciated if you read through.
Throwaway for obvious reasons. I (28F) have been with my significant other Jake (29M) for 2 years. Everything started great and our relationship was nothing short of amazing. I had no qualms by any means but he has been trying to begin a career but what he is doing takes sort of a process. We do not live together but for the second half of the relationship, food, going out etc fell on me financially but I didn’t mind. It was temporary. This is important only at the end of this story.
About a year and a half into our relationship I found some stuff in his email. I was not snooping, I was helping him with something. I saw an email from a weird website from 2020 and made a joke to him… he said he was hacked years back so there’s some odd stuff in there. However a few days later, I came across an email from 2 days prior from tinder with a subject line with verbiage indicating a recent log in. I called on it immediately, he denied and said no he hasn’t been on it etc. My gut was screaming so about a week later I decided to snoop. I found multiple emails for sign ups of miscellaneous dating/fetish sites from 2020. Fine, we weren’t together. On two of them, I created a log in and a “fake” profile so I could see his whole profile and last active date etc. On one of the sites he was active 10 months ago, which was when we were together. Honestly it was such an abnormal dating site that I thought it was spam like he told me, he was hacked, whatever. The profile pic was very old. I never said anything about it. But I did periodically log into my fake account and check for activity. Nothing.
Fast forward to two days ago, I get an email that I received a message on my fake account (that I created) from him, reaching out to begin a relationship with HIS Snapchat username. I erupted and called him immediately. He of course denies it, said he told me he was hacked, it wasn’t him, he’d never cheat. During my questioning he told me he went on the website and deleted the account. I questioned this because 1) if you were hacked how did you get into the account within seconds of me sending the screenshot. He claims forgot password. He then said maybe it was someone who really really hates me. Ooook… anyways, by the end of the 20 minute phone call where I was calm but stern in my questioning, he ends our relationship due to him needing to be along to figure out his career and get his life on track. He said I don’t deserve him, he provides nothing to me and he’s ruining my life too. He said he planned on doing it today or tomorrow anyways. I said if he was serious then to come get his things right now and leave. He did.
Hours later, I go to check that second site that I had made an account for. It was the same type of kink/dating website…I had never mentioned this to him, and he didn’t know I knew about it. His account was not on there. I typed his email in and somehow guessed the password. It gave me the option of reactivating the account because it was only temporarily disabled. I get in and see he messaged 6 other women, the same exact message with his full Snapchat name only changing their name in the greeting. So, as we all knew by now, it was him.
(I am not a kink shamer and would’ve gladly explored this with him. He knows this and chose to still lie).
I did not tell him I know this yet. He is still texting me here and there being nice, etc. I truly think he thinks he pulled one over on me. That I do not believe it was him. He cheated and is so emphatic about never ever being a cheater. I believe he got caught and he bounced to avoid further questioning/interrogation (lol). Fortunately I’m very smart and have now collected a lot of proof. I struggle now because I want him to know I know he didn’t pull the wool over my eyes. How should I proceed?
Tl;dr boyfriend ended up messaging his full Snapchat to multiple profiles on a dating site, one of them being a fake one I made. He denied and ended relationship for other reasons.

Basically the title.
It seems to have gone unnoticed in the community (or at least I haven’t seen anyone mention it) but recently Bungie released the Legacy Collection on Steam which includes all of the previous DLC (30th anniversary, forsaken, beyond light, shadowkeep, the witch queen and lightfall) and at the bottom it says “(The Beyond Light and Shadowkeep campaigns are open to all players in Destiny 2 and are not included in this pack)”
I wasn’t sure what this means, and sure enough, to buy beyond light (as an example) you gain access to the exotic weapons, raid and nightfalls, but the campaign isn’t included.
This can only mean that the campaigns for beyond light and shadowkeep are both now f2p and I believe stasis is also f2p since the beyond light pack says nothing about it giving you the subclass, so it must be part of the now f2p campaign.
That’s all, I’m glad f2p players are getting access to these now 3-4 year old campaigns and it is a good move by Bungie and they deserve to be praised for it!

When I was 13, I moved back to where I was from. I met a guy who lived a couple houses down from me, same small neighborhood. We rode the bus together. I HATED this boy for close to 15 years. Constant rivals. We hated each other, or so I thought. One time in high-school we attempted to be friends. We had common interests, we had so much fun walking in the woods and discovering things. Things kids do in the country. One day it was raining so we stayed in and eventually cuddled together watching a movie (we were probably 16 and 17 at this point). Years later I realize the feeling I got with him was the reason our friendship only lasted 2 weeks. I had "butterflies" as people would say and I didn't like it.
We are now 27 and 28. We met up again a month ago and had a couple beer together and just enjoyed each other's company and sat on our phones, until we started talking. We got really heavy into our hobbies which are almost alike (collecting glassware and antiques). The conversation got so heated and we were so into it, and then he shut down. I left and a couple days later admitted I've always had feelings for him, to which he replied "I told you not to." That was the end of that. I know he has a criminal record. He first got it when we were teenagers doing stupid teenage boy stuff (breaking into places). Well, last year he got bad on taking pills and did a lot he regretted. He spoke about it and said he had court coming up. Everytime I would ask to go to events he would say "I probably won't be able to". I always thought he was just a player and I caught feelings for the wrong person, very strong feelings.
His mother messaged me the other day on his account. He was sentenced to a year in prison for theft. Now, I want to cry. I'm a 27 year old single mother. I don't have time for men, but for some reason he hits hard. Always has so I always distanced myself.
He was finally transferred yesterday, and I sent him an online letter today. It takes 2-3 business days for him to receive it.
Am I crazy? Should I have just walked away and dealt with my emotions?

Finally Managed to get it all! I mean, "All you can achieve in one playthrough".
Or let's just say, I was this🤌🏻 close to get it all! But the hardest ones are done, phew!
So, as you can see in the screenshot, I have managed to get 8/10 achievements in one playthrough. The maximum achievements you can get in one playthrough is 9/10. That's because it's impossible to get the "ADMIRAL" and "FROM HATE TO LOVE" (Diego achievement) both in a single playthrough. Now, what I messed up with mine, is I didn't know that to pair Christina with any of the guys, I needed to buy her "Woman Clothes". I thought it was not necessary and thus, didn't get the option to pair her with one of the guys and failed to have 3 couples on board...😭
But anyway, after trying in 3 different accounts, I finally managed to compile a spreadsheet which shows everything you need to do to get all the achievements including the Balancing of points, which choices are absolutely necessary for everything and all that.
But some points to have in mind while following the spreadsheet:-

1. I mainly stuck to the White Magic path and later collected Black Magic points to balance.
2. I played single till Season 2, where I was automatically put into a relationship with Clive for choosing to persuade him to stay (for the Achivement). But I didn't like him at all, so later I switched to Kai, the Whaler's path (yeah, that's a thing you can do. You can also switch to Lorenza or Jorge de Fantasma in middle of relationship with someone else. I went for Kai.) He's kinda okay...
3. You can either do Diego's Achievement in the first playthrough and then do the Admiral Achievement in the second playthrough, or vice versa. In that case, don't choose the option to persuade Clive in S2 Ep10.
4. You can go for the Black Magic path too! I'm already in the middle of that route, and I've already passed the stat checks of S3. After I complete the whole story in that account, I'll try to upload another Spreadsheet here with Black Magic path...

FINAL WORDS I thought at first that it's the first story RC created, it probably won't be that good. Plus it's way to lengthy of 5 Seasons!!!! But now I can say it's one of my favourites from RC! I can't believe how detailed and hard this story is! That too considering its RC's first story! I wish RC make hard stories like this more! The mini games at every episode, IT'S JUST AMAZING!!! 🤯🤌🏻
Anyway, let me know if there is any mistake in the spreadsheet. Because I've created it while playing and makde some last minute changes to make it presentable! The stats are all double checked by me, so following the spreadsheet to the T should give you the same stat points as indicated and totalled.... Enjoy!❤️😌
The Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQPwkDxGK_TirUzk9PZaY4gO1A9nb4g2ctILMVMfhOOpfDM1PsT1gxzZP4SZvNG38cFwCi31n0MTp_c/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true

Hello, I just checked one of my old emails and found out that apparently I have an $80 charge out for a random domain, even though I'm fairly certain that I turned off auto renewal. This happened before, and after not paying, they sent me to a collections agency, and got a letter in the mail for just over $100. Is there any way to get out of this without paying the insane amount for a domain I haven't used once? I tried turning off auto renewal, and it said that I couldn't get out of the charge yet and it would turn off auto renewal for **2025**.

Hello everyone! I am 22 and live in a 2 bedroom 1 bath duplex in the Arlington Heights area of Fort Worth. I am looking for a female roommate in her 20’s like me to split the rent with. June would be the move in time. The available room is fully furnished but everything can be removed if you have your own stuff. Dogs are allowed as long as they get along with my pup but I would prefer to stay cat free. The rent is $660 per month and electric and internet usually runs about $100.
A bit about me: I am a Veterinary Nurse and have one 13 year old Miniature Pincher that likes to spend most of her time in my room. I am a huge nerd and spend most of my time collecting plants that I never have enough room for and reading. I am looking for a roommate that might want to be my friend and maybe watch a movie or cook a meal. I like to keep the house clean and hope to find a roommate that is the same. If you are interested just pm me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Hi, i've been trying to remember a certain book series, but can't for the life of me find it on the internet.
I remember multiple (3+) books were made for this series for kids/young teens, in which a girl and a boy find keys with the help of an old book. These keys lead to other worlds. I know there was one in which they had to cross a lake/body of water to get to an underground city, in which there was political unrest (it might get on fire at one point in the series but i'm not sure). There was also the antagonist of the series, who was collecting the keys too.
I hope these are enough details for people to help me out.

Hey everyone!
Mainly looking for someone to message throughout the day and get to know. So please be open to actually getting to know eachother. Maybe game with if we have that in common. I do work from home so there’s no one to really talk to during the day.
I’m married and have 2 kids, a 7 month old son and a 9 year old daughter. So definitely a platonic friendship if you’re female. I’m into basic nerdy things. Gaming is definitely my number 1 go to, star wars, super heroes, DnD, anything Disney. Also trading card games like Disney Lorcana and Star Wars Unlimited
I watch Critical Role stuff especially Campaign 3 on youtube. Currently on episode 76, so if you watch too, let me know! Also like to watch Battle of the Brands on YouTube.
I’m also into movies and tv, some sports, pro wrestling. Collecting boardgames, action figures and retro games are hobbies as well. Anything 80s/90s nostalgia i absolutely love too so if you want to talk childhood memories and growing up back then, i’m totally down! I miss the good old days where we went to arcades, played outside with friends, and those family sunday dinners at the grandparents ❤️.
My kids are everything to me and I do love talking about them. Love being silly with them and spending time with them (when they aren’t driving me crazy lol)
I really would prefer you be around my age (late 20s a youngest) and also have kids just so we have that stuff in common off the bat!
I would also prefer you be from the US. It’s tough to converse when we are like a day apart lol.
I can be socially awkward most times but I am very easy to get along with and a great listener if you need to vent. I’m definitely considered an introvert. But once you get to know me I break out of that awkward shell.
Please have a fun personality because i like to be sarcastic and mostly like to try and make people laugh because a world without laughter would just be horrible.
I’d like to think i’m an awesome person to get to know and hopefully there’s more you’d like to know so feel free to DM me! (I looove using GIFs so if you message me, open up with a funny one! Especially since then i’ll know you actually read this 😂) Or as an opening challenge send a gif of your favorite movie and i will try to guess it!

Hey everyone!
Mainly looking for someone to message throughout the day and get to know. So please be open to actually getting to know eachother. Maybe game with if we have that in common. I do work from home so there’s no one to really talk to during the day.
I’m married and have 2 kids, a 7 month old son and a 9 year old daughter. So definitely a platonic friendship if you’re female. I’m into basic nerdy things. Gaming is definitely my number 1 go to, star wars, super heroes, DnD, anything Disney. Also trading card games like Disney Lorcana and Star Wars Unlimited
I watch Critical Role stuff especially Campaign 3 on youtube. Currently on episode 76, so if you watch too, let me know! Also like to watch Battle of the Brands on YouTube.
I’m also into movies and tv, some sports, pro wrestling. Collecting boardgames, action figures and retro games are hobbies as well. Anything 80s/90s nostalgia i absolutely love too so if you want to talk childhood memories and growing up back then, i’m totally down! I miss the good old days where we went to arcades, played outside with friends, and those family sunday dinners at the grandparents ❤️.
My kids are everything to me and I do love talking about them. Love being silly with them and spending time with them (when they aren’t driving me crazy lol)
I really would prefer you be around my age (late 20s a youngest) and also have kids just so we have that stuff in common off the bat!
I would also prefer you be from the US. It’s tough to converse when we are like a day apart lol.
I can be socially awkward most times but I am very easy to get along with and a great listener if you need to vent. I’m definitely considered an introvert. But once you get to know me I break out of that awkward shell.
Please have a fun personality because i like to be sarcastic and mostly like to try and make people laugh because a world without laughter would just be horrible.
I’d like to think i’m an awesome person to get to know and hopefully there’s more you’d like to know so feel free to DM me! (I looove using GIFs so if you message me, open up with a funny one! Especially since then i’ll know you actually read this 😂) Or as an opening challenge send a gif of your favorite movie and i will try to guess it!