#last night I drove past a gas station where each pump had a car that had one of those big ass Mexican flags | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nekojitachan · 6 years ago

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i have no idea if you're still taking prompts, but anything andreil either in the armies universe or in the way down we go universe would be gucci and i would love you forever. my life belongs to you now

Okay, so first off, @dancyon, thanks for all the messages you’ve sent me over time, the comments about the fics and so forth. I know you’ve asked if I’d ever do another story for Way Down We Go or if Mary hadn’t died, and oddly enough, I’ve had a plot idea for a while which merged the two.

And sorry for being ‘quiet’ lately, but back to trying to figure things out - one of them being my writing, and my writing in fandom in particular. I’ve been doing it for years, and while I’ve thought of each fic being a way to improve my skills, to learn something new... I have to say, lately I just feel like nothing I’m writing is worth anything, it’s just drivel and pathetic.

So I’m trying to get motivated to write again. This is something that actually got me busy at the keyboard, so I hope @dancyon that you are at least happy, since I know it’s something you’ve waited for a long time. And if it’s the last thing I do for AFTG, then it’s fitting that it’s back to WDWG, since that was my first fic for the fandom.

That said - the fic. Consider it a ‘what if’ for WDWG - if Mary had lived but sent Neil/Nathaniel off on his own at the beginning of the fic (believing she was about to die), and everything still takes place as written in the story. Warnings for things referenced in the story, language, Mary’s bad (abusive) parenting skills, and Andrew being protective of Neil.

*******

Through A Glass Darkly

*******

Mary hissed through clenched teeth as she motioned for Abramto take the exit for San Francisco. “Get off there,” she commanded, whichearned a disbelieving look from her son. “Do it.”

“But-“

“Do it,” she repeated, “and find the nearest petrolstation. Once there, put in a few li-“ dammit, she was slipping, “ah, a fewgallons and then run.”

“Mum, what’s happening?” Abram asked as he dared to glanceaway from the dark highway in front of them to give her a scared look. “That…we’re ditching the car?”

“No, you are,” she told him. “You’re going to run,Abram, going to keep going and never stop, never look back.”

“You’re not making any sense,” he argued as he shook hishead, his left eye bruised from a lucky blow that bitch had landed backin Seattle; Mary was certain he hid more injuries beneath his clothes, but he’dgotten off with less than her so he needed to move on. “We’ll-“

“No, we won’t.” Pain made her tone more waspish than usualas she fought not to curl up in a ball, to just give in to the burning agonyeating at her insides. “That prick… he got me good,” she admitted as she heldup her bloody left hand, a sardonic smile curling her thin lips when her songasped. “No,” she repeated when Abram opened his mouth, most likely to argueabout stopping to take care of the wound. “This isn’t something we fix withbourbon and stitches, I can tell, or else we’d already be in a motel by now.”No, Nathan had finally gotten to her in the end, but she’d make sure hewouldn’t get her boy. “So you listen to me, do you understand?”

“But, Mum, we-“

“Do you understand, Abram?” She’d back it with asmack if she had the strength.

It sounded as if the boy choked back on a sob, but his eyesremained dry and he gave a curt nod in the end. “Good. Next exit, then gasstation. Put in enough gas so I can drive away,” could muddy the waters, so tospeak, however much longer she had, “and then you run,” she ordered with asmuch force as she could muster. “You run and you don’t look back, you don’tslow down and you don’t trust anyone, do you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said in a quiet voice as his hands grippedthe steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white – they were herhands, were the Hatfords’ hands with the long, slender fingers.

“You keep moving, you-“ A cough took over, filled her mouthwith blood which she spat onto the left sleeve of her shirt. “Become someoneelse,” she said once her throat was mostly clear. “Use the contacts in thebinder, get a new ID, and another one, and-“

“I know, Mum, I know. I promise. Just… just rest,” hepleaded as he took the exit a little fast.

“You’ll survive, you’re a Hatford,” she assured him as sherested her back against the seat, as she did her best to ride out the latestwave of pain. “Keep moving.”

It was quiet the next few minutes (save her laboredbreathing) until Abram found a gas station; he parked next to the farthest pumpand did his best to straighten up his appearance, then pulled on an oversizedhoodie as he went to pay for a couple gallons of gas. He returned with a bottleof water and some over the counter pain pills, which Mary choked down beforeshe forced herself into the driver’s seat while he tended to the pump.

She made him take her few belongings with him since she hadno need for them (that and the less which was found on her, the better). Hischin wavered and there was a suspicious gleam in his eyes (darkened bycontacts), but he held it together, mindful of the lessons she’d taught him, ofany possible cameras around the station.

For one improbable moment, she felt the urge to pull himclose and hug him, to not let go… but he wasn’t a child anymore, hadn’t beenone for years, and he needed to run before the prick’s people got any closer.Besides, the clock was winding down for her, what good would it do to wasteprecious moments on something so useless? “Go, and live,” she told him as shestarted the car.

He may have said something like her name or ‘Mum’, but sheslammed the door shut and was already pulling away, refusing to look back at heronly child. Teeth clenched against the pain, she drove away, determined to putas much distance between her and Abram as possible in the small amount of timeshe had left.

After that, it was fighting the agony and blood-loss to keepcontrol of the car, to remain in the lane and not attract unwanted attention.To give Abram one last fighting chance.

The last thing she remembered was seeing a sign for the exitto King City before everything went dark.

*******

She woke up to the sound of beeping and an ache in her head,to a sense of lethargy. It was so difficult to open her eyes, and there wassuch a foul taste in her mouth that she gave up and let the darkness pull herunder once again.

The next time there was still the annoying beeping noises,was still the lethargy which made it difficult to move her limbs, still theawful gumminess in her mouth. There was also some git flashing a light in herbarely open eyes, which prompted a weak moan.

“Hello? Can you hear me? Blink twice if you can.”

It took so much effort, but she did that, as well as try toswat their (was it a man?) hand away to get rid of the light. There were morewords but she didn’t understand them, not when they all blurred together, andshe fell asleep once again.

When she woke later, she was more coherent and managed tomumble out a request for water to the woman sitting next to the bed. The person(a nurse?) scrambled and held a straw to her lips (something was wrong, why waseverything so blurry, so distant?), but only let her take a couple of sips beforepulling it away. “I’m sorry, but you can’t drink too much at once.”

It took a few tries, but she (why couldn’t she rememberanything? Like her name and where she was?) managed to make hertongue, so thick and heavy in her mouth, work. “Wha… where?”

“Where? Oh.” The woman, appearing middle-aged and dressed inscrubs, her salt-and-pepper hair cut short and styled in tight curls close toher scalp and a reassuring smile on her dark-skinned face bearing only a fewwrinkles. “You’re in the Natividad Medical Center. Now let me page Dr. Carra,he’s been waiting for you to wake up again.”

What followed was more poking and prodding, with lots ofquestions and very few answers – from Dr. Carra or Beth Wilson, the nurse mostoften assigned to ‘Jane’; it eventually came out that she’d been pulled from acar wreck near King City almost a year ago, near death and with noidentification. After the local hospital had stabilized her, they’d sent her toNatividad when it became clear that she was in a coma from the blood loss andtrauma, and the staff there weren’t surprised that she’d woken up with nomemory of her past. Now they were focused on her getting better.

Oh, it wasn’t quite as simple as that, not when she’d beenfound in a stolen car, when her fingerprints were so badly damaged that theycouldn’t manage a complete enough one to search any database for her, whenshe’d been found with no ID at all, when her body was covered with scars from beforethe accident. She’d overheard a couple of nurses talk about how the police werewaiting for her to recover enough to talk to her, but Dr. Carra refused toallow them access until she showed some signs of progress.

She might not remember anything of her past, but she knewsomehow that she couldn’t let that happen, that she had to get out of therebefore the police got involved. So she faked the lack of recovery, made it seemlike her body wasn’t cooperating when it came to walking again or handlingsimple tasks… and after a few weeks (right around when Dr. Carra talked aboutsending her on to another hospital for evaluation), she timed it just right duringthe night, hit up the nurses’ locker room for a change of clothes and whatevercash she could find, and slipped out of the hospital with no one the wiser.

Perhaps she couldn’t remember her name, where she was fromand how she’d ended up in that car accident, but somehow, she knew how to sneakaround, how to steal and pick pockets, how to vanish. She put those skills touse getting the hell out of Salinas, and when the Greyhound bus stopped atArizona, her hair was dyed another color and cut into a new style.

It was a littletrickier to get into Mexico; she spent a couple of weeks picking pockets on herway from Arizona to Texas, until she had enough to bribe a truck driver tosmuggle her over the border at the Presidio Bridge. For some reason, a sense ofanxiousness left her once she was out of the country, though there was anagging feeling that she’d forgotten something, that she’d left somethingimportant behind.

Yet what could she do when she no longer remembered herpast?

It wasn’t easy, being an American woman alone in Mexico, onewithout papers at that, but Jane (as she’d taken to calling herself), realizedthat she was highly adaptable and resilient. She was also willing to dowhatever it took to not only remain alive but to stand on her own, as anyonewho tried to harm or dismiss her soon learned. Since she didn’t go out of herway to pick fights and was quick to offer solutions to deal with any ‘ruffled’feathers, she eventually was able to settle down in Monterrey as Judith Leeson,an ex-pat who worked as a bartender most nights but who also was available as atranslator for the various businesspeople who came to the city for business(legitimate or otherwise).

Whoever she’d been in the past, she appreciated the factthat she’d learned several languages, as the German, French, bit of Italian andPortuguese as well as the rapidly expanded Spanish came in very handy in hernew life.

At times, she felt the urge to move on, to start anew, butshe didn’t know what she was running from so she forced herself to remain inthe safe place she’d found for herself and to continue building up a heftysavings account while she paid attention to the customers who came into thebar, the people who hired her for her language skills, the neighbors around hersmall apartment. No detail was too tiny to ignore, and she promised herselfonce the money reached a set amount, she’d leave Mexico and start anew.

For some reason, she had a yearning to see London….

She’d spent two weeks running all over the city for someFrench prat who didn’t even like beer but was there because of the one brewingcompany, and so wasn’t in the mood to deal with customers at the moment (truthbe told, she rarely was in the mood to deal with customers). When a group ofAmericans asked Jair to switch the channel on a television from a telenovelarerun to one which gave updates on sports, she shrugged to show she didn’t carebecause it should at least keep them distracted.

For once the patrons weren’t interested in some football orbaseball recap, but that one new sport – Exy. Jane (Judith) found herselfgrowing annoyed as always whenever it was brought up, which she’d never beenable to figure out why – at least it was fast-paced, like soccer. Yet she feltanger build up inside of her whenever she heard the word ‘Exy’, whenever shesaw young people run across one of its courts, and that evening was noexception.

The commentator went on to recap what must be somecollegiate season, and her shoulders tensed and temper spiked each time thewords ‘Edgar Allan’ were brought up, enough so that Ines, one of the servers,gave her a worried look when she stopped by to pick up the drinks for hercustomers. Jane grit her teeth and forced herself to pour the shots of tequilasand beers, to make the margaritas and whatever else the guests wanted, halftempted to down a drink herself.

The one table cheered when the announcer got to the finalgame, between the Edgar Allan Ravens and the Palmetto State Foxes; all Janecared about was that it meant that the segment should soon be over. She hadjust set down a bottle of tequila when it felt like someone kicked her in thehead.

“-at this point in the game, Neil Josten switched from astriker to the backliner position. I don’t know if people are aware that heplayed as a backliner years ago when he was Nathaniel Wesninski, but obviouslyhe didn’t-“

Nathaniel Wesninski.

Nathaniel Abram Wesninski.

Abram.

Nathan Wesninski.

The Hatfords.

She was Mary Jamilyn Hatford Wesninski.

A feeling of disconnection washed over her as she stared atthe television, at the game displayed on it; a small figure in white and orangeran across a black and red court, the number ‘10’ and name ‘Josten’ across hisback, while a cropped image of his face appeared in the corner along with thebanner declaring him to be ‘Neil Josten – PSU Striker #10’.

That… that was Abram. He was a few years older thanthe last time she’d seen him, his hair color restored to a deep auburn and halffalling into his eyes – his blue eyes. There were strong echoes of Nathanin his appearance, marred by sharp cheekbones and thin eyebrows and a fullbottom lip, as well as a scar that ran across the boy’s nose and beneath hisleft eye, and another through his right eyebrow.

There was also an ‘A’ tattoo on his left cheek.

“Judith? Is everything okay?”

Mary nearly grabbed the small knife she used to cut up fruitand shoved it into Ines’ throat before she caught herself in time. “I… I’vea bad headache,” she half-lied in Spanish; her head did hurt, probably fromthe returned memories, but it was more the realization that her son was playingExy, that he’d been back at Edgar Allan of all places, right infront of the damn Moriyamas… what the hell had happened?

She was going to beat the boy black and blue once she gother hands on him. Beat him until he never dared to argue with her again, to goagainst her wishes.

Damn Exy.

It took a couple of weeks before she could leave Monterrey, finishan owed job and line up a passport which would stand up to any scrutiny as wellas find a driver with a SENTRI card who could get her out of the country (atleast she had plenty of money and contacts this time around). While she waitedfor the forger to come through, she found out that Nathan was dead, buried inthe ground (or whatever, may the prick rot in Hell) the last few years afterhe’d been killed in prison (at least Seattle had been worth something)and most of his people dead or on the run.

That Abram had somewhat listened to her, as he’d made it outof San Francisco… but eventually ended up at Palmetto State University with ascholarship to play Exy, after turning down Edgar Allan. It seemed that he’dignored her instructions to forego anything to do with the damn game andsomehow attracted the attention of the Moriyamas (according to what she couldpick up over the internet)… yet he was still alive (despite a very publicattempt on Riko Moriyama’s part to change that), and appeared to beoutside of their control.

Mary needed to reach her son, find out what was going onfrom a reliable source and get the both of them out of the country.

As soon as she crossed the border back into the States, she madeher way for one of her stashes of cash and weapons that had been left inNebraska. Even with Nathan dead, she felt as if there was a target painted onher back, now that she knew her past and had returned to the country which hadcaused her so much pain. Due to the paranoia and her lack of knowledge, she hadto waste more time backtracking and laying a false trail, ‘just in case’.

At least everything was still in the abandoned cabin in thePonca State Park, even if Mary spent the entire time hiking to it cursing inseveral languages. From there, it was driving in an old Ford sedan she boughtin Omaha to Chicago (with a few careful detours), where she could hit up an oldfamily contact for a new ID and hopefully for some of that reliableinformation.

After spending the night in a motel to clean up (and changeher hair), she set off for the French Market District to find Durand, planningto arrive soon after he opened the office. That gave her time to stop for a coffeeand a croissant at the nearby market, and she’d just finished both before sheset off to see the forger.

As soon as she walked into the man’s office, he paled andacted as if he’d seen a ghost even as he fumbled for something (a gun, mostlikely) beneath the counter. “No… this isn’t possible….”

“Yes, it is,” she assured him in French. “We firstmet almost twenty-four years ago, after I arrived in this country, at a partythat Blondel threw for Rieves. You complemented my necklace.” Which Nathanhad broke into pieces later that night in a fit of petty jealousy.

“But you’re supposed to be dead,” Durand insisted ashe set a pistol on the counter, doubts apparently put at rest. “Your son-“

“He thinks I’m dead,” Mary explained. “The last hesaw me… it wasn’t good. I barely survived and woke up without any memory untilrecently. I’m on my way to find him, after you provide me with a new IDand some information.”

“I’ll do my best,” Durand said with a slightinclination of his head after a moment’s hesitation “I’m sure he and your family,especially your brother, will be delighted to know you’re alive.”

“My brother?” Mary asked in confusion as she began to pullout a stack of money. “Which one?” Though she guessed he meant Stuart, sinceshe’d always been closer to him.

He confirmed that it was Stuart as he began to type on a laptop,then left her stunned with his next words. “He’s here in the States so it’lltake no time at all to reach him.” Durand paused to gaze at her. “Unless you’dprefer to reach out to him yourself?”

Stuart was here? Why was Stuart here? “I… yes.The Hatfords are working here now?”

Durand paused again, his expression unreadable save for aglimmer of concern in his dark eyes. “A lot has happened in the last severalyears, Mary. Nathan Wesninski is dead and his area is now run by MarcoHaywood.” Mary frowned at that then shrugged since she didn’t recognize thename. “Kengo Moriyama is dead and the organization is much stronger under thedirection of his son, Ichirou… with the Hatfords at his side instead of theButcher.”

That drew a gasp out of her – not that Ichirou had finallysucceeded his father (perhaps sooner than she’d expected) but that her familyworked for the Moriyamas. “How?”

“To repay a debt, one of a death owed, or so they thought,”Durand told her with evident pity as he turned the laptop around to face her.“Do you want to call your brother, or shall I?”

Stuart had come here because of her? The bloody fool – sowhy hadn’t he done something about Abram? Why was the boy playing Exy insteadof safe in England? “I’ll call him,” Mary gritted out as she memorized thenumber on the screen, which was different from the one back before her accidentand explained why she hadn’t been able to reach Stuart before then. “Now forthe ID. I need a driver’s license and a passport.” Once she reached Abram,she’d need a new set for him; perhaps Stuart could help her out.

Durand gave a slight nod and cited a number, which wouldburn through most of her money. Unfortunately, she didn’t see any way aroundit, not until she either hit up another stash, asked Stuart for some help or gotto Abram, who would hopefully have some money left.

It was quiet while for several minutes while Durand typed onhis laptop, until he cleared his throat. “Mary… I don’t know what all you’vebeen through, but I do know that things have changed a lot in the last fewyears. I suggest you talk to your brother and your son before you make anydecisions, the sooner the better.”

She gave him a cold look as she sat down in one of thechairs lining the opposite wall and lit up a cigarette despite the ‘no smokingsign’, and things were quiet again after that, other than when he asked her tostand so he could take her picture. While she waited for the new documents, sheused the burner phone she’d picked in Texas to search for new information onAbram.

‘Neil’ was back in the States after doing a media campaignin Japan (a fact which made her teeth grind together and her right hand ache tosmack him until he was barely conscious over daring to draw so much attentionto himself for what? Money? Adulation?), and supposed to report to the PSUcampus soon for the start of training.

The most recent pictures of the boy usually had him dressedin Exy gear and posed with Kevin Day (why wasn’t he at Edgar Allan? Did theMoriyamas own PSU as well?), but there were also ones of him in casual clothesnext to one Andrew Minyard, often with the short, impassive blond man appearingto block Abram from the photographers. Mary nearly bit her tongue in half whenshe read the caption about how the two were dating, and threw the phoneaside as she fumbled for another cigarette.

Had the foolish boy listened to her at all?

Durand tried to warn her once again to not do anythingfoolish when he handed over her new documents, but all she did was snatch themup before she slapped his payment down on the counter and storm out, determinedto reach Abram so she could pull him from the fucked-up mess he’d made ofthings.

As furious as she was, she took care not to drive directlyto the Palmetto State campus in case Durand broke faith in her (or, morelikely, someone was watching the man’s shop), timing things to arrive in SouthCarolina shortly after the Foxes’ summer practice resumed. She also held backon calling Stuart, unnerved despite herself from Durand’s repeat warnings andthe fact that her brother had gone to the Moriyamas because of her.

Why was her family so stupid?

Once on the PSU campus, she dialed the number she’d enteredin the one burner phone despite the early morning hour. It rang into voicemailbefore she hung up and dialed again, when Stuart finally answered on the secondring.

“The fuck are you?” he asked, his deep voice slurred withsleep.

Mary froze for a moment upon hearing her brother, a memorysurfacing of him cursing her out, gruff voice harsh but grey eyes pleading withher to stay, to not take Abram and leave London. “Hello, Stuart.”

It was quiet for several heartbeats, and then Stuart let outa string of virulent curses. “I will gut whoever the hell you are for this sickjoke,” he finally spat. “Gut you like a-“

“You always made me sandwiches with cream cheese andcucumbers,” she told him in a rush, well aware of how inventive he could bewith threats. “Even though Mum got on you to feed me something moresubstantial, you knew how much I loved them. And you’d slice the cucumbers allthin, even after you cut your finger so bad the one time, enough to leave ascar beneath the nail on your left index finger. You should have gottenstitches but you didn’t want Mum to know.”

Stuart drew in a sharp breath and held it for a couple ofseconds. “How?” he demanded to know. “You’re supposed to be dead, Nathanialsaid that bastard killed you.”

“He said that the prick hurt me badly in Seattle and I toldhim that I didn’t have much time so he had to go on without me, right?”

“Yeah. Did he lie, or you?”

Mary nodded even though Stuart couldn’t see her. “Neither.”When Stuart scoffed, she shook her head. “No, it’s the truth, I was bleedinginternally, had a ruptured spleen, among other things,” according to Dr. Carra,and she knew it wasn’t from the car accident, “and only the fact that someonesaw me wreck the car after Abram and I parted ways saved my life.”

“Where were you? Why did you show up now?” Stuart demandedto know as something clicked in the background – a lighter. “Off on a niceholiday?”

“Not quite,” she snapped as she tapped the fingers of herright hand against the steering wheel and squashed the urge for a cigarette.“Funny thing about almost bleeding to death and your body shutting down, itsometimes leads to a coma, of all things. When I woke up several months later,I didn’t remember who I was.”

“Convenient, that,” Stuart said with a hefty dose of sarcasmafter exhaling loudly. “What jogged the old noggin, eh? Suddenly feel the urgeto stab someone and everything came rushing back?”

“No, I saw my son playing a sport I forbade him to partakein ever again, at Edgar Allan of all places, on television. Imagine that.” Marywas just as good at sarcasm – one could call it a family trait. “Seeing thechild I spent several years on the run with back at the damn place I’d given upeverything for to keep him from, and then I find out you’re working for theMoriyamas? What the fuck, Stu?”

There was another harsh exhale before her brother answered,anger evident in his voice. “First? Nathaniel’s not a child anymore, if youhaven’t noticed. Second? You’ve been gone for over four years, Mary. Fouryears! A lot’s happened during that time, and a good bit of it because wethought you were dead. Joining the Moriyamas meant that we could finally takeout that bastard and repay him for all the grief he caused us, and-“

“What about Abram?” she demanded to know while she continuedto watch the front entrance of what her research told her was the athletes’dorm. “Was he part of the deal?” Had her brother, her family betrayed herbecause she refused to allow her son to join the Hatford organization?

There was another brief span of silence before Stuart huffedin response. “Yeah, it’s definitely you, either alive or a demon back from thedead.” Then he huffed again. “Not much of a difference, eh?” The faint bit ofhumor disappeared when he spoke next. “All I’ve done is look after that boy asmuch as I can, which isn’t half as much as I’d like, considering how much youfucked things up by taking him and running all over the damn place instead ofletting us help like we wanted.” He continued on when she tried to argue. “No,listen for once, dammit. I do what I can, but Natha- no, Neil is rightclever bastard and he’s made his own way, more or less. Got the main house totake him in, to extend its protection over him in exchange for him playing Exyand giving them part of his earnings.” The bastard sounded proud ofAbram, of all things.

“So they own him,” Mary clarified, made numb at the thoughtof how deep the Moriyamas had their hooks in her boy.

“They always owned him,” Stuart said with a mirthlesschuckle. “Thanks to the bastard. Nathaniel’s made it so he has some freedomnow, can play wherever he wants as long as he wins.”

“He’s still owned,” Mary ground out as she caught sight of ashort, lean figure in an orange shirt and grey shorts, and put the car in‘drive’. “I won’t stand for that, for him being property.”

“Mary, for fuck’s sake, what are you thinking? Everything’ssettled, don’t mess things up! Tell me where you are and I’ll come to you,okay?”

“My son’s out there, property andunprotected.” A son she slowly followed, mindful not to get too close as Abram joggedalong the deserted campus.

“For crying – he’s not ‘unprotected’!”

“What, the Moriyamas have guards on him?” She’d have to takethat into consideration when she grabbed Abram, but she didn’t spot anyone nearhim as of yet.

“No! I mean, not like that,” Stuart muttered. “Andrew’salways with him so he’s safe.”

‘Andrew’. “You know about his ‘boyfriend’.” She sneered asshe spoke the last word.

“Everyone knows about the runt, the two of ‘em are ‘out’.”Stuart sounded rather aggrieved about that.

“And you didn’t dissuade this ‘runt’ from your nephew?” Whatthe hell had Stuart been thinking the last few years? This was his way of‘looking out’ for Abram?

There was another loud scoff at that question. “Like hell Ididn’t. Thing is, your son is rather set on the ‘runt’… and I hate to admit it,but Andrew’s good for him.” He sounded even more aggrieved right then. “No one’sgonna touch Nathaniel while Andrew’s around.”

She’d see about that. “I’m not about to let my son remainproperty any longer, or in the company of a possessive thug. You need to thinklong and hard about where your loyalty lies, Stu,” Mary said before she endedthe call and tossed the phone out of the car, just in case her brother tried totrack it.

Aware that she didn’t have long, she followed from adistance until she saw Abram reach into the right pocket of his shorts, thengunned the car. Abram lunged out of the way of the vehicle, blue eyes wide withsurprise, and faltered when he caught sight of her.

Mary slammed on the brakes and scrambled to get out of thecar while Abram was stunned motionless, aware that she didn’t have much time.“Abram,” she called out as she stepped forward, the door left open and enginerunning. “It’s me.”

“You- you’re dead.” His voice could barely be heard over thesound of the car’s engine. “You can’t… I have to be imagining this.”

“No, it really is me. You were Henryk when we lived in Graz,Eike in Dresden, Charlie in Glasgow. We had to eat peanut butter sandwiches forthree weeks straight when we lived in Glasgow because the apartment didn’t haveany electricity or a stove, and Morrie gave us a deal on the-“

“The peanut butter when we got the new IDs,” he finished forher with an uncertain tone of voice. “It was that or the canned sardines, butyou were worried about the smell.”

“Yeah. I promised you some strawberries if you’d eat afterthe second week.” She hadn’t gotten him them until Paris, but Abram had chokeddown the sandwiches per their agreement.

He’d been a good boy – at least back then.

“How?” Abram asked as he took a slight step forward andignored the ringing of his phone. “I thought… you told me….”

“I know,” she assured him as she bridged the distancebetween them. “I nearly died, and I’ll explain everything later, but we have togo now, Abram. Get in the car and I’ll tell you on the way.”

Instead of listening to her, he frowned. “Go? Mum… no, gowhere?” he asked as he shook his head. “Come with me to the dorms, you can tellme everything there.”

She’d been gone too long; he’d forgotten everything,forgotten that he needed to listen to her. “I’m getting you out of here,away from the Moriyamas,” she explained as she latched on to his right wrist –was he wearing something beneath the sleeves of his shirt?

“But it’s fine with the Moriyamas,” he dared to argue. “Youneed to come with me and meet Andrew, sit down and-“

Angered with the way that he didn’t listen to her, that hedared to talk back when she’d come all this way to save him, Mary lashed out andslapped her son across the face with all her strength. “Abram, get in thedamn car,” she snapped as he went still. “I’m not going to argue with you.”

His eyes wide once more, he dared to shake his head. “Mum,I’m not going anywhere, this is my-“

She slapped him again, not once but twice. “Get in the damncar! This is for your own good!” As a startled cry of pain slipped past hislips, she grabbed onto his hair (that awful color) and yanked it hard as shestepped backwards. “We’re leaving!”

“No! Let go!” He lashed out with his arms, brought them upand out, and Mary found herself surprised both with him fighting back and withthe strength he possessed – he wasn’t a young teenager anymore but a strongyoung man who was able to knock her hands free even if he lost some hair andgained a scratch along his right cheek in the process. While she stumbledbackwards, he gave her one last (hurt) look then took off running.

“Abram!” she called out as she leaned against the side ofthe car to regain her balance. “Come back here!” However, the boy had alwaysbeen fast and dashed across the green rather than near the road, effectivelypreventing her from following in the car.

Mary slammed her aching right hand onto the hood of the caras she watched Abram vanish, furious at the boy for defying her and herself formessing things up so badly.

*******

Andrew ran his right hand over the now cold, empty side ofthe bed and swallowed a sigh; his idiot just couldn’t stay in bed on a Saturdaymorning, could he? Especially with the start of practice, when they had to getup early during the rest of the week and head off to the stadium to work out.

Andrew didn’t even want to think about when classes beganagain, when they had to be up too damn early.

That time he didn’t hold back the sigh as he sat up in thetoo-empty bed and glared across the room at a snoring, oblivious Kevin, thereason they were still on campus and not back at Columbia; the other Exyaddict should be waking up soon to go join his father and spend the day tweakinggame plans based on the last few practice sessions with the newbies (orsomething like that, Andrew hadn’t paid much attention once Kevin startedbabbling).

Hmm, there was the possibility of drenching the pain in theass with ice water if he didn’t wake up in time….

Somewhat appeased with ruining someone else’s day, Andrewhad just gotten out of bed when his phone rang; he was about to ignore it whenhe recognized Stuart’s ringtone and realized that the British bastard had tohave a good reason for calling him so early – that and Neil wasn’t insight.

Never a good sign.

“What?” he growled as he answered the call while he bent overto grab the pair of jeans he’d left on the floor the night before as a badfeeling settled in his chest.

“Is Nathaniel there?” When Andrew scoffed at the question,Stuart cursed in a fervent manner. “Fuck, you need to find him! Hedidn’t answer his phone!”

“What’s going on?” Andrew demanded to know as he yanked onthe jeans, half-hopping over to dresser where he kept his keys. “Is it one ofhis father’s people?”

“No, it’s more fucked-up than that. Mary’s alive.”

For a moment, Andrew thought that he was still asleep andhaving one hell of a messed-up dream – then he stubbed his toe against thedresser while Kevin let out a mumbled complaint before he rolled over to buryhis face in the damn fox plushie. “Mary? How the- never mind, I’ll find Neiland then you explain what the hell is going on.” As long as his loverhad his phone on him – and he better have the damn thing with him – thenAndrew would find him.

“I’m on my way, be there in a few hours. Be careful,” Stuartsaid in a rush before he hung up.

Andrew sent a hasty text to Renee as he shoved his feet intohis sneakers then was out the door, busy pulling up the tracker app on his phone.To his immense relief, it showed Neil moving at a decent pace (but not toofast, so hopefully running and not bundled up in the trunk of a car) across thewest end of campus.

By the time that Andrew was in the Maserati and out on themain street, Neil more or less had gone still – at Foxes’ Donuts. His attentiondivided between the road ahead and his phone, Andrew reached the building inunder five minutes, and somehow didn’t cause an accident on the way (somehow).

Due to the lack of students on campus that early in thesummer, he didn’t have a problem finding a parking space at the popular eateryfor once, and was out of the car barely after it stopped. He garnished a coupleof odd looks as he entered, probably for the way he yanked the door open or thefact that he hadn’t bothered to brush his hair, but all he cared about was thefigure in the hooded orange t-shirt sitting hunched over the table in the farcorner.

After quickly checking the donut and coffee shop for signsof anyone who matched Mary’s description (small, middle-aged woman), he stalkedover to Neil, who seemed to be staring into a cup of black coffee with a box ofdonuts and his phone on the table. “Where is she?” Andrew asked as he sat down– and felt a rush of rage overwhelm him when his boyfriend looked up.

Neil’s handsome face was swollen, bruised and scratched,reddened and purpled in such a way that Andrew knew it was only going to getworse in the next half an hour or so. His lower lip was puffy (but not splitfor once), as was his left eye, and a slightly scabbed over scratch ran downhis right cheek.

“I got you donuts,” Neil mumbled with a slight smile, theexpression strained and his eyes glazed as if he wasn’t quite all there at themoment.

“I’m going to kill her,” Andrew declared in German,furious that the woman who’d abused Neil for so many years instead ofprotecting him, who’d let him fend for himself with murderers hot on his trail,had hurt him yet again. “Where is she?”

“I don’t… I don’t know.” Neil went to rub at his faceand stopped just in time. “I ran and… I want to go home,” he told Andrewin a plaintive voice as he pushed the coffee away. “Can we just go home?”

Despite his anger, something pulsed warm and turgid insideof Andrew’s chest to hear Neil say those words. “Why do you think I’m here,idiot? Let’s go.” He grabbed the donuts then, carefully in case there were anyhidden injuries, gripped Neil by the right elbow to help him stand up.

He glared at anyone who glanced Neil’s way as they left, andwas mindful to check around them for signs of Mary (or anyone he thought mightbe her). “You’ll have to settle for the Tower,” he told his boyfriend as hehelped Neil into the passenger seat of the Maserati; it looked as if Neil hadjust been slapped around, judging from the way he moved – that and a bad caseof shock.

“That’s fine,” Neil murmured as he curled up in the seat asif cold.

Oh yes, definitely a case of shock, which Andrew supposedwas understandable when one’s mother returned from the dead like that. Evenhe’d be a bit nonplussed over Tilda showing up alive – and then look forward tobeing able to kill her again, but Neil had actually cared for the abusive bitchwho’d given birth to him.

For a moment, Andrew almost headed for the highway insteadof back to the dorms, but it would be safest for Neil to be surrounded byothers (even if they were the upperclassmen) than the two of them alone at thehouse in Columbia.

Renee, dressed in PSU sweats and her hair pulled back in amessy bun, was waiting for them at the front of the building when Andrew pulledin to the Fox Tower’s parking lot. Something dark flashed through her eyes whenshe caught sight of Neil, but all she did was give him a reassuring smile andhold the door open for the two of them (then ensured that it closed securely behindthem).

“I’ll be in my room when you’re ready to talk,” she informedAndrew when they reached the third floor. “Whatever you need, I’m here foryou.”

“Stuart’s on his way,” he let her know, and noticed how Neiltwitched at that. “We’re about to have a Hatford family reunion.”

“Hmm, okay. I’ll bake some scones.” Renee gave him a curiouslook but otherwise didn’t push for more of an explanation then, content to waituntil Neil was ready to talk.

Once back in their room (with Kevin still asleep), Andrewtugged Neil into the kitchen, where he put on a pot of coffee and thenmicrowaved a mug of water so he could make some tea. Once a bag was added to itto steep, he turned to his boyfriend with his hands held up.

Neil gave a slight nod and remained still while Andrewgently touched his face to examine the damage done to it, then sighed whenAndrew fetched a bag of frozen peas and tossed it to him. “Uhm….”

“Use it, see if it helps with that ugly face of yours,”Andrew drawled, furious once again that someone had hurt his boyfriend. “Andtell me what the hell happened.”

“Stuart called you,” Neil guessed as he held the bag againstthe left side of his face.

“A prize for you.” Andrew reached out to gently comb hisfingers through Neil’s tousled hair and frowned when that provoked a wince, yetNeil lightly grabbed his wrist to keep him from pulling his hand away so hedidn’t stop. “Keep talking.”

Neil took in a deep breath as if to steady himself andslumped toward Andrew, who allowed his boyfriend to lean against him, to seekthat bit of comfort. “I realized during my run that someone was following meand thought it might be one of Ichirou’s people, so I made sure to head towardthe more populated area of campus.” That explained why Neil had been close tothe donut shop. “Then she got out of the car and I….” Neil’s breath caught inhis throat and he gave a slight shake of his head. “I remember that night soclearly, her coughing up blood, how bad she looked, the pain in her voice… if Ithought for one moment she could survive, I wouldn’t have left her.”

“You were a kid and in bad shape yourself,” Andrew remindedhim as he thought about the scrawny, battered kid dropped off at Wayward Burns.“And you were used to doing what she told you, which was to run. Did she sayanything?”

“No, just that she would explain things later.” Neil tossedthe bag aside as he turned to face Andrew. “She told me to go with her, toleave.” He shuddered as he wrapped his arms around Andrew’s waist. “When I toldher ‘no’, she started hitting me.”

“I’m going to kill her,” Andrew repeated as he hugged Neilclose to him, furious at Mary for daring to hurt her son like that but alsohimself for not being there to protect his boyfriend. “She’s never going totouch you again.”

“Drew….” Neil pulled away just enough to frown at him. “Idon’t-“

“No,” Andrew insisted as he lightly cupped Neil’s leftcheek. “Somehow she doesn’t die and the first thing she does upon seeing you isto try to drag you away from the life you fought for and then beat you? Tell methat she doesn’t know it’ll be a death sentence for you if you run,” he argued.“Not if Stuart knew to warn us. She had to call him first, and he would havewarned her about your deal with Ichirou.”

Neil shivered, most likely at the thought of how theMoriyama lord would react at the news of him breaking his word – it wouldn’tjust be Neil paying the price in the end, but Andrew and Stuart and probablyothers. “I won’t run,” Neil swore as his arms tightened around Andrew. “Everythingthat matters to me is here.” His expression was a mixture of pain and confusionbefore he tucked his bruised face into the crook of Andrew’s neck. “Why wouldshe do that to me? I was so happy to see her, and then she wouldn’t listen tome.”

Because she was an abusive bitch. Because she didn’t see herson as someone who deserved to be treated with the utmost care and respect, butas a possession. Because it had never been about Neil (Nathaniel), but Mary.

However, all Andrew did was give his lover a kiss on theforehead then lightly push him away, hand the bag of peas over with a sternlook before he removed the tea bag and fixed a mug of coffee for himself. Afterhe picked up both mugs with one hand, he latched on to the front of Neil’s shirtthen tugged his idiot toward the bedroom. “Come on.”

Neil followed without a word, his feet shuffling along thefloor in a sure sign that he was worn out with shock. Once near their bed,Andrew set the mugs down on the nightstand then helped his boyfriend remove hisshorts before shedding his own pants and pulling back the mussed bedding soNeil could all but fall down onto the soft surface. “Drink it,” Andrew told himas he handed over the tea, mindful to ensure that Neil could hold the mug,before he crawled onto the bed himself.

Neil tucked into his left side once he was settled, and theydrank in silence while he texted Stuart to let the man know that his nephew wasmostly all right but Mary was dead as soon as Andrew found her. When Stuarttexted back for him to calm the fuck down, Andrew held out his phone to take apicture of Neil’s face and sent it to the bastard.

It was a few minutes before Stuart responded with themessage that he’d deal with his sister and for Andrew to watch over Neil. When Andrewtold him he better deal with the bitch by shoving a knife in her throat, themessage was marked ‘undelivered’, as if the man had turned off his phone.

“Don’t antagonize my uncle,” Neil mumbled as he rested hishead against Andrew’s shoulder, the empty mug held between his hands.

“Don’t take away my fun,” Andrew chided before he slurpedhis coffee. “Now go to sleep.”

“Bossy,” Neil complained, yet he set the mug aside and slowlystretched out on the bed with his right arm draped over Andrew’s left leg as ifthe contact reassured him; Andrew stroked his fingers along his boyfriend’sbony hand and watched Neil fall asleep, exhausted from the morning’s shock.

Once the coffee was gone, he debated throwing the empty mugat a loudly snoring Kevin, but figured the asshole would make too much of afuss and wake Neil up so he took to playing on his phone instead.

Half an hour later, Kevin finally came awake with ahalf-snore, half-snuffle and sat up with his arms still wrapped around the foxplushie. His hair stuck up in all directions while he blinked several times,gaze distant as if still caught in a dream, and then he glanced at his alarmclock. “Shit!” He went to get up and almost fell out of the bed. “An-Andrew!Why didn’t-“ Kevin let out a yelp as a knife flew past him. “What!”

“Be quiet,” Andrew hissed as Neil stirred. “Go back tosleep,” he murmured as he stroked his fingers along his lover’s hair while heslowly climbed off the bed. “It’s all right.”

Something incoherent was mumbled before Neil curled into asmaller ball beneath the blankets; Kevin managed to gain his feet and approachedthe bed, his green eyes widening with surprise when he caught sight of Neil’sface. “Wha-ah, right,” he finished with a whisper when Andrew went for a knife.“Okay.”

Andrew jerked his head toward the door as he fetched a pairof sweatpants to wear; after grabbing some pants of his own, Kevin followed.

They took turns using the bathroom (Andrew found someamusement in reaching it first and making Kevin wait), and both had some coffeewhile Andrew started on the donuts. “What happened to Neil?” Kevin asked aftera displeased look at Andrew’s belated breakfast, busy texting on his phone(probably Wymack to let him know he was running late).

“Had a run-in with a zombie,”Andrew explained after he finished a chocolate-chocolate glazed donut. WhenKevin gave him a pained look for that, he shrugged and grabbed a cream-filleddonut. “Unfortunately, it seems his mother’s not dead after all. It’s atemporary situation, though.” As in it would be corrected as soon as he foundthe bitch.

Coffee splashed onto the floor asKevin jerked forward at the news. “What? Mary Wesninski’s alive?”

“For now,” Andrew clarifiedas he broke off a piece of the donut.

“But-“ Kevin’s hands shook as heset the mug on the counter, his expression taking on an interesting shade ofash as he wrapped his arms around his chest as if he was cold. “But she’salive! He has his mother back,” he argued in an oddly wistful tone.

“No, he doesn’t,” Andrew insistedwith a slight frown. “He has an abusive, manipulative bitch trying to worm herway back in his life and take him away from here.” He paused to throw the pieceof pastry into his mouth while Kevin’s mouth gaped open. “That means you loseyour precious striker and the Foxes’ their new vice-captain. Do you want that?”

“No,” Kevin responded in a quietvoice. “But what does Neil want?”

“He wants to stay here.” Andrewput the odd flutter in his chest down to a sudden sugar rush. “Not be draggedaway by someone who treats him like shit for daring to think for himself.”

Kevin winced upon hearing that andseemed to remember that he’d spilled coffee all over the floor since he reachedover to grab some paper towels. “She did that to him? Really?”

“Yes.” Which was why her ‘alive’status would soon be revoked. “I suggest you have your usual disgusting deadchicken embryo shake and then toddle off to Daddy’s to spend the day thinkingup new ways to annoy us for the season.” It would be best if Kevin was out ofthe way and under Wymack’s supervision while Andrew and Renee (and he supposedStuart) handled Mary.

“Why Neil puts up with you, I don’tfucking know,” Kevin muttered as he threw the coffee-soaked towels away.

“Because I’m a keeper,” Andrewinsisted as he debated which donut to eat next.

Kevin’s next words were mutteredin Japanese, which was the only reason he didn’t get a half-empty mug of coffeethrown at him – that and he listened to Andrew and fixed himself a nauseatingbreakfast shake before stomping off to get ready for the day.

Once Kevin was gone (and most ofthe donuts as well), Andrew returned to the bedroom and lay down next to hisboyfriend, who stirred a little at first but settled once Andrew whispered hisname and gave a gentle squeeze to the back of his neck. Neil tucked against hischest and phone beneath the pillow, Andrew looked forward to a short nap.

He was dreaming about him and Neilback in Racine, about the small apartment and the longing which hadfilled him (had filled Aidan) when he’d believed Neil to forever be out of reachwhen the sound of Neil’s phone ringing jolted him awake; he barely avoidedNeil’s head smacking him in the chin as his boyfriend fumbled for the devicewhile he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“Ah, Stuart?” Neil said, his voicestill thick with sleep; his face appeared even worse than earlier, now that thebruises had time to properly ‘develop’. “Okay, do you need… okay. I’ll- okay.”Now he took to frowning. “Someone will let you in.”

“I’ll send Renee down to fetch the limey prick,” Andrewoffered as he fetched his own phone, only to do some frowning of his own whenhe noticed the texts from her. “Let your uncle know that there’s been an old Forddriving around the campus.”

“Yeah, that’s what she was driving. Ow.” Neil glared at him,probably for the jab in his left side. “What?”

“You couldn’t mention that earlier?”

“You didn’t ask,” the idiot mumbled before he returned hisattention to his phone. “I know to be careful. Why do you want to talk to him?I can take care of myself! Oh fine, treat me like a child,” Neil spat before hetossed the phone to Andrew, who just managed to not say anything rightthen.

“Keep him away from Mary,” Stuart ordered before Andrew couldsay anything. “And no killing her.”

“Do you want to see what he looks like now?” Andrew ignoredthe middle finger Neil directed his way. “I’m not giving her another chance tohurt him.”

“She’s not going to get it,” Stuart promised. “I’ll deal withher, so you do your damn job and keep Nathaniel safe.”

“Hmm, maybe I’ll tie him up in bed, that’ll keep him out ofthe way,” Andrew drawled he batted Neil’s hand aside. “So much fun for me.”

“I will kill you both,” his boyfriend gritted out whileStuart made that oh-so-amusing grinding sound.

“Just so you know, I don’t give a shit if she kills you,you damn runt,” the prick managed to spit out after a couple of seconds. “Infact, it’ll make my day.”

“That’s it, you’re no longer invited to the wedding,” Andrewtaunted before he hung up, right as Stuart began a garbled stream of something.Probably some comments on how wonderful Andrew was and how he so looked forwardto them officially being family.

“I hate you, I really hate you,” Neil mumbled as he gave upon trying to take back his phone and rested his forehead on Andrew’s left shoulderinstead. “Do you have any idea how difficult he’s going to be to deal with fromnow on? If I hear him bring up the ‘C’ word again, I’m going to tell Kevin thatyou offered to train with the newbies, I swear it.”

Andrew gave a light tug to Neil’s still tangled hair at boththreats before he rubbed his lover’s nape. “Stuart adores me.” The man hadn’t threatenedto kill him in months.

Neil made a gurgling sound in the back of his throat whilehe gripped Andrew’s t-shirt between his hands. “Did you hit your head while Iwas asleep?” He leaned back enough to look up at Andrew, his gaze intentdespite his slightly swollen left eye. “Do I need to call Abby and have hercheck you out?”

“Funny.” He leaned in for a quick kiss then pushed Neilaway. “Put on some clothes, we’re about to have company.”

While his grumbling idiot went off to the bathroom, Andrew textedRenee to let her know that Stuart would be there soon, and frowned at themessage that she’d warned the Foxes to ‘watch themselves’ because of Mary; thelast thing he needed was a bunch of busybodies butting in because they wereworried about their ‘darling’ Neil.

Case in point – the rather gibberish text from Nicky whichseemed to be a declaration of help, if he needed any, and Boyd’s offer of touse his truck for ‘disposal’.

He’d just pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a shirt whenthere was knock on the front door; surprised that Stuart had gotten there soquickly, Andrew left the bedroom, quick to shove Neil behind him when his idiotboyfriend attempted to answer the door.

“What? You’re paranoid,” Neil said with a roll of his eyeswhen Andrew gave him a flat look for his lack of survival skills.

“And you invite people to kill you on a regular basis, so stayback,” Andrew reminded him.

“Whatever.” Neil followed, at least dressed in thesweatpants he’d taken with him into the bathroom, an eager expression on hisbruised face as if he was happy to see Stuart for some reason. Andrew bracedhimself for some disgusting fussing from the British man over his nephew andthen to be bitched at because of what Mary had done before he opened the door��and found a strange woman with dark hair and a surly expression out in thehallway with a blank-faced Renee all but pressed against her back.

Between the dark gleam which spoke of ‘Natalie’ in Renee’seyes and Neil’s sharp inhale (that and the way the petite woman glaredfigurative daggers at him), Andrew went out on the limb as he stepped aside(with Neil all but shoved against the wall). “Is it my birthday already? Tothink all I got you was that ‘how to leave a cult’ book; I’ll have to up mygame next time, especially if you help me bury her body since a certain someonebitches so much about a little honest work.”

While Neil choked out his name, Renee gave Mary a pushforward (knife in the small of the back? Andrew so approved, especially if itwas buried in her kidney). “She stole Sheena’s ID when her and Jack ran out forbrunch,” Renee explained. “When the two came back complaining, I checked theTower and found her sneaking around.”

“See, I would have made it a quick death if you’d killed thosetwo,” Andrew said as he pushed Neil behind him. “Stay the fuck away from her,”he told his boyfriend in German. “I’ll snap her neck and lock you in thebathroom for the next month’s practices if you get within reach of her.”

“Uhm… she knows that language,” Neil reminded him as heslumped against the wall, his attention torn between Andrew and his mother,hands wrapped around his waist as if to keep himself from reaching foranything; Andrew grabbed his right one and tugged it toward the hem of his t-shirt,which earned him a grateful smile when Neil latched on to it for reassurance.

Meanwhile, Mary made an abortive motion as if she attemptedto lunge forward, only to be stopped by Renee. “I’ll rip out your heart with mybare hands if you touch him,” she threatened with a baleful glare beforelooking at Neil, her British accent the same as the times when Neil got drunkor was alone with Andrew. “And really, Abram? You let this wanker treat youlike that? I thought I raised you better.”

Neil scowled at his mother while he tugged Andrew closer. “Andrew’sconcerned about me, considering within five minutes of seeing you again, I looklike this,” he motioned at his face with his left hand. “You don’t know him atall, what he’s done for me.”

“He’s a controlling-“

“No.” Neil didn’t give Mary a chance to spew herhatred, nor did Renee, judging from the small grunt of pain which emanated fromthe crazy bitch a moment later. “You haven’t been around the last few years, hehas, and he’s largely the reason I’m still alive,” Neil let her know whileAndrew pondered where would be the best place to kill the bitch – in thebasement or offsite somewhere? “He’s fought for me, killed for me, even, and helistens to me. We’re equals.”

“He only makes you think you’re equals,” Mary argued,proving the whole ‘not listening thing’ to everyone in the room. “I know histype, know how he’ll make you think he’s there for you when all he’s doing istricking you into- I will rip your heart out too, you fucking slag,” shesnarled when it seemed that a certain good Christian girl had run out ofpatience.

“I told you Andrew isn’t like that, and so has your son.Just because it’s not what you want to hear, doesn’t make it untrue,” Reneesaid with a hint of exasperation. “Just accept that Neil is happy here withsomeone who loves and respects him.”

“She’s never going to do that,” Andrew stated as he slippeda knife free from his left armband. “She fucked up her life and did her best toruin Neil’s, she’s not going to accept that he managed to get it on track onceshe was out of the way.”

“Andrew,” Neil whispered with a wince, but he didn’t arguewith the statement. “Mum, I’m so happy that you’re alive, but you can’t comehere, threaten Andrew and my friends, and expect me to run away with you when I’vea life here.”

“You shouldn’t be here, you never should have stoppedrunning, never should have picked up a damn Exy racquet again,” Mary mutteredas she glared at her son. “Was it his idea?”

“Guilty as charged,” Andrew drawled as he flipped the knifeinto the air. “Running wasn’t doing him any good, and for some reason, we didn’tknow about the whole ‘sold to the Moriyamas to play their stupid game’ thing sowhy not join the local Exy team, hmm?” He did some glaring of his own when Marytwitched a little at the accusation. “Don’t go trying to cast blame on Neil orme, not when so much trouble could have been avoided if you’d just have toldhim why the hell you were on the run.” Well, other than the fact that she’d marrieda psychotic bastard.

“I told him not to play Exy,” Mary muttered. “Thatshould have been good enough.”

“You also told him you were dying, so your word is obviouslyshit,” Andrew shot back.

“I will take so much pleasure in shooting you,” Mary grittedout, which prompted a cold smile from Andrew. “Abram, you need to-“

Whatever ultimatum she was about to pull, it was interruptedby a knock on the door; Andrew swore if it was Nicky coming over because he wasbored or one of the newbies looking for Neil, he was going to start on thestabbing someone sooner than expected.

It was Stuart; Andrew nearly went through with the wholestabbing thing after all, but the bastard slipped into the dorm room during theminor internal debate and so Andrew missed that important stabbing window.

“Uncle Stuart!” Neil called out while the man took toswearing beneath his breath. “Did someone let you in?”

Stuart waved what looked to be a generic ID in his left handbefore he shoved it into the pocket of his grey sports coat, which he wore overa pair of jeans and a white dress shirt. “I, ah, managed something, and fuckme, Mary.” He gawked at his sister while she gazed back at him. “It’sreally you.”

“It’s about time you showed up, Stu. Deal with this uppityslag while I tend to Minyard, will you?” Mary snapped while Andrew went back toNeil’s side.

Stuart cast an apologetic look Renee’s way, who gave him oneof her blissful smiles in return. “Walker, would you mind backing off a little?”

“That’s not what I-“

“Of course,” Renee said over Mary’s complaints, quick toslide the knife up the sleeve of her PSU sweatshirt as she stepped away. “Ihave her gun.”

“I’ll take that before we leave.” Stuart was quick to yankMary, who’d turned as if to fight with Renee for the weapon, toward him. “Calmthe hell down, will you?”

“I’m gonna beat some manners into this daft bitch,” Marysnarled as she swiped at a faintly smiling Renee.

“No, you’re not – I told you that Neil had people watchingover him, and she’s one of them. Now, unless you truly do want to be dead, calmthe hell down,” Stuart gritted out as he shoved his sister away. “And tell mewhy you thought it was a good idea to show up here, smack the shit out of yourown child and attempt to kidnap him.”

Neil shifted about as if uncomfortable at seeing his motherput on the spot like that, but Andrew grasped his right hand while he shook hishead. “That was truth, right now,” he said in his limited Russian.

“I know,” Neil agreed, his expression a bit guiltyyet he sidled closer to Andrew as he entwined their fingers together.

“I came here to save him,” Mary said, her voice tight withanger. “To take him away so the Moriyamas can’t hurt him.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Stuart started, a pained expression onhis face. “He’s perfectly fine here. You’re gonna get him killed if you takehim away.”

“Yeah, Mum,” Neil called out. “I made a deal with the mainbranch years ago, everything’s settled now. As long as I play Exy for a decentteam and they make money from it, they leave me alone.” A bit of asimplification, but that was all Mary really needed to know.

Mary whirled around to face Neil and would have come closerif not for the knife Andrew waved in her direction. “You made a deal with them?With a bunch of mobsters? I didn’t want that for you, Abram, I wanted-“

“What?” Neil asked, his voice harsh and expressioncold. “For me to keep running until Dad’s people found me and killed me?” Sheflinched at that but didn’t look away. “Until one of Tetsuji’s people trackedme down and dragged me back to Edgar Allan?” He tugged at the collar of the t-shirthe wore to expose more of the damn tattoo on the left side of his neck andshoulder. “I spent two weeks there and it was enough of a hell to last alifetime, thanks, I can’t imagine what it would like to be there for years.Only the fact that I belonged to the main branch and not the side one ensuredthat I walked out of there in the end.” His fingers clenched around Andrew’shand as he spoke, as he no doubt remembered all the things Riko had done to himover that one Christmas break. “This might not be the life you wanted for me,but it’s the one I chose for myself and I’m happy. I don’t give a damn if youdon’t like it, and I’m not letting you or anyone else take it away from me.”

“And I didn’t nearly die so you could so be some Moriyamaproperty,” Mary argued, as if she hadn’t listened to her son at all. “I didn’tgive up-“

“Shut up,” Andrew said as he tugged Neil closer, morebehind him since the woman had a disturbing gleam in her light brown eyes(contacts) which he’d seen too many times in Riko’s to want Neil to be nearsuch mental instability. “Neil’s no longer paying for your poor life choices.He told you ‘no’, now respect it and fuck off.”

“He’s my son, you shitty bastard,” Mary growled as her handsclenched into fists and Stuart’s right hand inched toward the front of hiscoat.

“Big deal,” Andrew said with all the scorn he felt for thewoman. “Just because you gave birth to him doesn’t mean you can control himforever, especially now that he’s an adult. It certainly doesn’t mean you canbeat the shit out of him. You fucked up when you came here making ultimatumsand raised your hand to him, so go away.” Neil shifted about but didn’targue, didn’t plead for his mother to stay, while Renee focused her attentionon Mary as if waiting to see if she would need to intervene in some manner.

Before Mary could say anything else, Stuart shoved his waybetween the two of them. “As much fun as it is to see the two of you go at eachother, I’ve a feeling this will just drag on all day and I don’t have the time.”

“So shoot the two of them and let’s go,” Mary muttered asshe folded her arms over her chest.

“No,” Stuart gritted out through clenched teeth as hegave his sister one hell of an annoyed look. “Shut up and listen for once inyour damn life, Mary,” he snapped, much to the woman’s obvious surprise. “Ikeep telling you, take Nathaniel away and it’ll only fuck things up for all ofus because Ichirou Moriyama will see it as a challenge to his authority. He won’tstop until the both of you are found and killed in a very messy manner to senda message to everyone, and he won’t stop with the two of you as he makes sure thatmessage is heard loud and clear.” Stuart motioned to himself, Andrew and Renee.

“And yet you work for the man,” Mary sneered, though Andrewthought it lacked some of her usual vigor.

“Yeah, because it allowed the family a foothold in theStates and it finally allowed us a shot at your bastard husband,” Stuart rubbedin her face without remorse. “While you in that coma and then down in Mexico, ableto live your life without remembering all this shite, your family had to dealwith it.” He motioned to himself again then Neil. “We did the best we couldwith what options we had, and now I’m not going to let you fuck things upbecause you don’t like how that turned up, even if you are my sister.”

“So what, you’re gonna take me somewhere and put a bullet inmy head? You could do that to me?” Mary taunted her brother with growingdesperation. “Abram, you going to let him do that to your mother?” Her defiancefaltered when it was quiet in the room for several seconds. “Both of you arebastards.”

“Stuart didn’t say he was going to shoot you, Mum,” Neilpointed out with a palpable weariness. “And I love you… but I can’t let youhurt Andrew and the others. Go with Uncle Stuart,” he pleaded.

“I’m not going to shoot you,” Stuart assured his sister ashe rubbed the back of his neck, just as worn down as Neil by arguing with thewoman. “At least, not in the head, so don’t try my patience anymore than youalready have,” he warned her. “We’re going to leave here before you cause anymore trouble and head back home. Will wants to see you.”

Mary twitched at that as if not pleased with the thought offacing her big brother. “Do I have any say in this?”

Something cold settled on Stuart’s face. “After you hurt Nathaniel?No, not really. I love you, Mary, and I’m glad you’re alive, but right now I’mhalf-tempted to leave you with Andrew, which might solve a good bit of problemsin the end. But you are my sister so here’s your chance – come with me now, nomore fighting.”

“He’s just a kid,” Mary said with the sneer back on her faceas she glanced at Andrew. “I can handle him and the slag, now that I’m preparedfor them.”

“No, you can’t. You honestly think I’d leave familyunprotected, after everything that’s happened with you and that prick,Wesninski?” Something in Stuart’s voice or expression made Mary’s certaintycrumble after a couple of seconds.

Still, she tried one more time; she turned toward Neil, herexpression stern. “I came back for you, boy. You’re going to let him take meaway after everything I did for you?”

Neil’s fingers tightened around Andrew’s once more as his bruisedface grew blank. “I think it’s best that you go, Mum. I know you tried to lookout for me,” both of them ignored Andrew’s derisive snort, “but I’m good now.Let Uncle Will help you out.”

Something almost soft started to come over Mary’s face for amoment, and then it hardened. “Don’t come crying to me when this one breaksyour heart,” she told Neil.

“It won’t happen,” Neil assured her. “Be safe, Mum. Safe andhappy.”

“You’re a fool, Abram.” Mary turned her back toward Neil andtold Stuart that she was ready to leave, that there wasn’t anything holding herthere anymore.

Stuart gave his sister a furious look before he came over togive Neil a quick hug. “I’ll visit when I’m back,” he promised his nephew. “Takecare until then.” While a somber Neil nodded, he gave Andrew a stern look. “Watchover him.”

“Go away,” Andrew said while he made a shooing motion withhis right hand, the knife still held in it. “You’re an asshole, you won’t evenlet me stab her once.”

“Such a little shit,” Stuart muttered as he held up twofingers in a rude gesture before he finally left with Mary (after retrievingthe gun from a quiet Renee). Once the door was closed behind them, Renee cameover to give Neil a sympathetic rub on the back.

“I’m sorry, that had to be difficult,” she soothed.

“I just… I wish she would have listened to me,” Neil said asAndrew let go of his hand so he could put the knife away then gently grasp hisboyfriend’s nape. “What’s the point of getting her back when she doesn’t even seeme? I’m just… just an object to her?”

There were times when Andrew grew frustrated with how Neilexcused the abuse his mother had inflicted upon him over the years, how he overlookedthe fact that she’d waited too long to leave his abusive, psychotic father. Itwasn’t that Neil pretended none of it had ever happened or that everything hadbeen fine, it was just that compared to the other monsters in his life (Nathan,Lola, Riko)… Mary had been the one who’d tried to help him in her own fucked-upway, had hurt him the least (but still hurt him).

Had seemed to give up her life for him.

So Neil had… glossed over, in a way, the abuse he’d sufferedat her hands because she hadn’t wanted him dead (had helped keep him alive),hadn’t sold him to another person, hadn’t taken sadistic pleasure in hurtinghim. However, Andrew thought that his lover might not be so willing to defendthe woman after today.

“I don’t know her, but I think the problem is she feels sheknows what’s best for you and is determined to see it through. Her intentionsare good… but she’s sadly misinformed,” Renee offered with a kind smile. “Itdoesn’t make what she’s doing right, though. Hopefully your uncles can help herunderstand things better so you can start anew one day.”

“Maybe, but my mother’s really stubborn. I think in her mindshe gave up so much for me yet I broke her rules.” Neil’s expression becamemulish as he gazed at Andrew. “I don’t care if she feels it’s wrong, I’m happynow which is all that matters. Maybe it’s best if she just finds her own life now,too. At least I know she’s alive out there somewhere and isn’t dead because ofme.”

“Especially if she thinks it’s acceptable to smack youaround whenever she wants. I really will kill her if she touches you again,”Andrew promised, unwilling to allow anyone to hurt his lover.

Neil winced at that statement but didn’t argue, while Reneesmiled. “I did make some scones, how about I bring them over later?” When theyboth nodded, her smile deepened. “Good. I’ll see you in a little bit.” Shewaved to them before leaving.

“So much for a nice, quiet weekend,” Neil groaned as he wentto sit down on the couch; he raised his hands to his face before he rememberedwhy that wasn’t a good idea.

“Well, I highly doubt anyone else is going to come back fromthe dead in the next forty-eight hours, so we should be good on that front,”Andrew drawled as he went to sit down next to his lover, oddly drained for somereason; it might be good to eat something soon.

Neil’s lips twitched for a couple of seconds before hesmiled. “I’ll laugh if you managed to jinx us right now, you know.” Then the expressionfaded away as he tilted his head back to rest on the back of the couch. “Excepteveryone we know who’s dead are basically psychotic assholes so….”

Andrew thought about that while he tugged on the end of hisleft armband. “Ah… Seth?”

His boyfriend always looked cute when he wrinkled his noselike that. “Okay, not so much psychotic but very much an asshole, I’ll give youthat. You really want him to come back?”

“Hell no.”

“I thought not. One exception to the rule, and not a pleasantone at that.”

“I don’t know, might be fun to kill Riko again,” Andrewmused. “Always thought his death was a bit too quick.” There should have beenmore broken bones and flayed skin involved, in his opinion.

“Oh sure, you get to have all the fun and I’m stuck diggingthe grave, I’m willing to bet,” Neil whined as he entwined their fingerstogether, a sure sign that he was recovering from the whole ‘Mary’ ordeal.

“Is it me or are you becoming lazier the older you get?”Andrew asked as he rubbed his thumb along Neil’s hand.

“Says the guy who skips out on the grave digging,” Neilgrumbled while he slumped down enough to rest his head against Andrew’sshoulder.

“Just have one of the newbies do it, vice-captain. Tell ‘emit’s a cardio exercise or something.”

“Hmm.” Neil grew contemplative at the suggestion. “Hmm, thathas possibilities.”

One problem solved for the time being, Andrew enjoyed thequiet moment while it lasted (before Aaron and Nicky barged in to make surethat everything was okay, or the upperclassmen pestered them to see Neil, or something).He could only be so lucky to have another shot at Riko, but at least there wasa plan in place if it happened.

Until then, enjoy the time alone with Neil, who was going tobuy him some take-out for making up for the whole ‘no stabbing’ thing.

Or maybe not, as there was a knock on the door.

*******

#andreil #aftg #all for the game #tfc #andrew minyard #neil josten #stuart hatford #renee walker #mary hatford #way down we go #wdwg #mary's alive here #nekojitachanfics #sorry it sucks #au #protective andrew #bad-ass renee #dancyon

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a-home-for-stray-stories · 5 years ago

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WWE Preference: Uhh....

Sometimes words fail us.

So, there’s only three in this one: Finn, Dean, and Roman, but they’re kind of long for preferences.

I know there are other’s that people have asked about and I’m hoping that finishing some of my little, almost-done stuff and getting somethings posted will wake my brain up.

Roman’s is angsty.

Finn Balor - This bar had the best food in your tiny town. You and your best friend, Madison, often met here for dinner. The two of you sat at the bar going on about everything from work to family. “So, Nick? What’s that about?” Madison asked between french fries. You shrugged your shoulders, “He’s nice. Thought I’d give him a shot.” You lifted the bun off your burger, peeled the pickles off, and handed them to her. “That’s tomorrow night, right?” She asked while adding your pickles to her burger. You nodded, “It’s some wrestling show down in Baton Rouge.” “Baton Rouge? That’s like two hours.” She looked at you funny. “It’s an hour and a half. I’m more worried about the show. I have no idea what to expect. He’s a huge fan.” You squared up to your burger and took a bite. “Well, you know I’ll come get you if it gets too freaky.” Madison pointed at you to emphasize her point and you laughed. After a full day of work, the two of you didn’t last too much longer. You gave her a hug before the two of you parted ways. The bar wasn’t far from your house, but of course the gas light reminded you that you needed to fill up. There was only one other car at the station when you pulled up. You caught a glimpse of the driver as you made your way to the pump. “Damn.” You thought as you began filling your car up and pulled your cell phone out to text Madison. “This guy at the gas station is so hot.” You were so involved in your phone that you didn’t noticed him walk over to you. “Excuse me?” His voice made you jump and nearly drop your phone. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He said with a little bit of a giggle, “I was just wondering if you could tell me how to get to Baton Rouge? Our GPS wants us to take all these back roads and...this interstate should take us there right?” It was all so much. His eyes, his tight shirt, and his accent. You stumbled over some words before you were able to converse, “Uh...I...ya...“ You shook your head, “Yes. Stay on 55 until you get to 12 and that will take you straight into Baton Rouge.” He beamed a smile that stunned you again. “Thanks! Are we very far?” Before you could answer another man came from the store. “Finn, are you buggin’ her?” A man with his black hair in a bun joined you. “No” Finn defended, “I’m just gettin’ directions.” “We have a GPS...” “It’s wrong, Seth. She said we could stay on this interstate.” You watched the two of them go back and forth, completely dumbfounded. What the fuck was happening? These two were hotter than every man in you little town combined. You finally got back into the conversation, “Ya, just under an hour on 55, then about 45 minutes on 12.” “See, I told you.” Finn told Seth. Seth just rolled his eyes and went back to their car. “Thank you so much.” Finn said with a smile and started to follow him. You felt a strong need to say something cool, “If you haul ass, you can get some food at Sammy’s Grill. They close at 10, but it’s worth it.” With a smile, he was gone. You had to tell Madison the entire story about three times before you were able to go to bed. The next day you pretty much accepted that it was a hallucination. Next thing you knew, you were in Nick’s truck on your way to Baton Rouge yourself. The ride wasn’t horrible. Nick was funny and sweet. It was fun to see him so excited for the show. He rattled off names that blurred together. He ended up surprising you with front row seats. You sipped on some beer as he explained every little thing that was happening. By the third match, you were catching the hang of it and honestly, starting to enjoy it. It was time for the next match, and when the wrestler came out you could hardly believe your eyes. Proof that it wasn’t a dream. Finn proceeded with his entrance until he saw you. With that smile, he came to you. “I never got your name.” He said. “Y/n” You told him. “Hey, I’m Nick.” Nick was so excited he didn’t realize you two knew each other. Finn gave him a handshake. “First date.” You threw in, hoping it was subtle enough to let him know it wasn’t serious. Finn’s smile never wavered, “Sammy’s was great, by the way.” Finn gave you a wink before moving on. Nick could hardly believe your gas station story. After the match, Finn made his was around the barrier back to you. “You got your phone?” He asked, “Let’s get a picture.” He suggested, motioning to both of you. You pulled up your camera and handed it to him. Other than Nick’s head being slightly cut off, it was a good picture. Before he handed it back to you, he texted the picture to himself. “It was nice seeing you again.” He handed you the phone, “I’ll talk you later.” Again, with a smile and a wink, he walked away.

Dean Ambrose - You were extremely serious about this job. You worked hard to get to where you were, and you worked even harder to stay there. Being a WWE Superstar was the only thing you ever focused on, but in this match, focus was elusive. How you got paired up with Dean was beyond you. His ringside antics drove you insane. When you found out you’d be his partner, you nearly lost your shit. “Trust the writers” “It’ll go better than you think.” Kurt's words echoed in your head as “just this one time” turned into “just a few more weeks.”. You hated your time with him, but he loved it. He acted out as much as he could to get under your skin and fans ate it up. Of course, the big debate was whether you truly hated him, or if you were hiding feelings for him. When asked about it in interviews, the answer was “We have drastically different styles...personalities, but we’re figuring it out.”. You weren’t allowed to say you hated him in public, but you weren’t going to say you had feelings for him...because you didn’t....at all...maybe just a little...what? no, absolutely not. The general fan consensus was summed up by a big, neon sign reading “Beauty and The Lunatic” - with the appropriate pictures (you and Dean crudely photo-shopped as Belle and the Beast) - that was staring you in the face while you were squaring up to Alexa Bliss. Miz had just tagged her in, which forced you and Dean to switch. You and Alexa locked up, and soon you shoved her back towards her corner. She stumbled into the post and glared back at you. Then her gaze moved past you and her face twisted in confusion. You turned around to find Dean leaning over the ropes with a box of popcorn and a drink. This shit pissed you off, while the audience died laughing. “Uhh...what are you doing?” You asked him. “I could watch you all day, darlin.” He threw back. Now, he may have acted up, but he had never directly flirted. You were shocked when his smooth voice sent your heart into flutters, but you kept your stony expression and walked to him. “You think that’s cute?” You challenged. He stared directly into your eyes as he finished his sip. “Could you focus on our match, please?” You continued. He let out a laugh, “Trust me, if you’re involved, I’m focused.” His words sent another jolt through your chest. You were desperately clinging to your stoicism, but your brain started noticing things. His arms resting on the top rope. His hands wrapped around the cup and the box. His jawline. His eyes. Then, the little shit leaned closer and offered you some popcorn. Your body betrayed you. A soft, quick laugh left your lips and a smile broke across your face. “I did it!” Dean raised his arms in victory, “I made her laugh.” The whole arena cheered with him and you grabbed the popcorn box before he dumped it everywhere. “Ok, you won.” You told him as you sat the popcorn on the ground, “Can we focus now, please?” You stood back up and Dean met you with a huge smile. “One more time.” He begged. You rolled you eyes, but again a smile cut across your face. “We can focus now?” You asked him “Yes ma’am.” He said triumphantly.

Roman Reigns - You loved Roman Reigns and he loved you. That was until the entire relationship blew up in your face. You don’t even remember what the fight was about, but it was nasty and ended with shattered hearts. The two of you hadn’t seen or said a word to each other since. It was actually pretty easy because not long after you broke up, Roman left for WWE. Without him present constantly, it was easy to just suppress your feelings instead of dealing with them. Three years passed and there you were signing a contract with Stephanie McMahon. You had just slid the signed contract back to her when it occurred to you that you might cross paths with him again. Not a big deal. It’s been years, and you’re over it. He doesn’t affect you anymore and you left it at that. Well, until you were told that you were the new member of The Authority. Ok, no big deal. ‘If he wasn’t comfortable with this, he would have told them and it wouldn’t be happening’ - You reassured yourself. He probably doesn’t even care anymore. You did what you always did and ignored the issue. Your music hit, you ran out there, slid into the ring, and came face to face with him. Your presence stopped him in his tracks, and the same thing happened to you. Looking into his eyes, your heart dropped. You had assumed he knew you were coming and quickly realized he had no clue. You couldn’t move. Outside the ring was pure chaos. Seth and Dean did their best, but they were outnumbered. “Roman!” Seth yelled from the barricade. Roman didn’t move. “Roman, we gotta go!” Dean yelled. With that, he blinked a few times and shook his head before heading to the barricade. Your body was free to move again and you watched as they made their retreat. Roman paused about halfway up the stairs and glanced back, just to make sure it was really you. You wanted to cry. This was a mistake - you thought. You should have been an adult and given him a heads up that you were coming. “I would introduce you all, but I’m sure Roman can do that.” Stephanie mocked from the mic. Her voice made you sick. She walked up beside you and placed an arm around your shoulder. “For those who don’t know, this is Y/n. The hottest free agent, well formerly free, in the business. Oh, and Roman’s ex.” What? You looked at her with confusion. Something had changed. You talked about a lot of things with Stephanie about your role in the show, but your former relationship with Roman had never been discussed. You wouldn’t have agreed had it been, and apparently Steph knew that. “Uh...no..that is not..” You said, but without a mic, no one heard you...except Steph and she ignored it. After the segment was over, you quickly went back to the locker room. That had been the last segment of the night, and most of the talent was gone. You had the room to yourself, until Roman burst through the door. “You think...you can just show up...” He lost his train of thought after seeing you again. “I am so sorry. I had no idea she was going to pull that..” You stumbled out. “Do you have any idea what it’s like having you just appear out of nowhere after three years of nothing?” His voice broke a little bit. “Roman, I’m sorry. I should have told you.” You told him softly. There were so many thoughts and emotions, but neither of you could express them. After a few seconds of silence, he sighed. “We can be professional, right?” You softly nodded and he was gone. Your heart broke. All of those happy times couldn’t end like this. With a wisp of resolve, you walked out the door. He was still in the hallway, walking away. You had enough time. There was no one else there. You could call to him. You could try. Yet, you let him walk around the corner...your voice nowhere to be found.

#wwe #WWE Raw #wwe smackdown #finn balor #roman reigns #dean ambrose #wwe imagine #finn balor imagine #roman reigns imagine #dean ambrose imagine #wwe preferences

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su-reader-imagines · 5 years ago

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Drive All Night, a ??? X Reader fanfic

So I reached 300 followers ALREADY which is insane. And as promised, I’m finally releasing an old fanfic from late 2018 that I never published. It’s a sort of supernatural type AU with a human reader. The title is based on an unreleased Taylor Swift song called Drive All Night(otherwise known as Just South of Knowing Why)

But here’s the twist: I’m not going to tell you right away who the characters are. You will have to figure it out yourself. It’ll add to the fun!

So here it is, the fic itself!

Summary: After being betrayed by a former friend, you decide to take a relaxing drive around to feel better and distract yourself from your feelings. However, strange things begin to happen around you.

Rating: T?

Warnings: None

—-

You threw yourself onto the bed in frustration. Everything had been going wrong the past week, and today was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The person you thought was your best and only friend had betrayed you at work, embarrassing you in front of all your coworkers. It wasn’t your fault, really, but now you were afraid that you might get fired because of it. All these emotions were raging inside you, but all you could do was just cry yourself to sleep. Luckily for you, your cat Bendy jumped up onto your bed, offering some comfort. He sat down next to you, purring as you began to pet him. At least he understood you. What were you going to do now? You wouldn’t have to go to work until Monday, so you had the whole weekend to prepare for what would be a dreaded confrontation between you and your so-called friend. And you hated confrontation, so you had no clue how you were going to show your face at work now. You looked down at your wrist. You were still wearing the bracelet they gave you when you were 17. Red, cyan, and white plastic beads, looking at it now upset you. But you couldn’t bring yourself to rip it off. Unable to think, you decided to go to sleep, hoping you’d be able to figure something out in the morning. You crawled under the covers and let sleep overcome you, Bendy resting his head against your leg. —- By the time you woke up, it was only five in the morning, right as the sun was about to rise. Unfortunately, this nap didn’t really do much to ease the pain except distract you a little. Bendy was still fast asleep, so you moved slowly in order to avoid waking up. As you got up, you noticed your car keys sitting at the edge of your desk. This gave you an idea: maybe a long drive would help calm you down? A quick getaway to a nearby town, perhaps. Quickly and quietly getting dressed and making yourself look decent, you grabbed your keys and headed out the door. But before you did, you decided to bring Bendy along. He liked car rides, so you picked him up and held him in your arms. Walking outside, you were greeted by a calm look at the neighborhood. It was so peaceful this time of day. You stepped into the car and started it, placing Bendy down in the seat next to you. As you drove away, you didn’t even look back as you moved further and further away from your house. —- You had been on the road for about half an hour before you found yourself on the highway. You didn’t mean to go this far, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. It did become a bigger deal, however, when you realized that you were lost. The next ten minutes were spent trying to get out of the highway, but it seemed like it stretched on for miles. Bendy didn’t seem to mind, though. He was curled up in the seat relaxing. Luckily, it didn’t take long for you to find a rest stop. Maybe they’d have a map or something or at least someone to give you directions. You weren’t the only person to have that idea, though. When you arrived at the rest stop, the place was packed. Almost every parking space was full, as though everyone was going somewhere. It was summer, after all. You managed to find a parking space and parked your car. Not wanting to leave Bendy in the hot car, you decided to smuggle him inside your purse, something you had become very good at ever since you had him. “Be quiet.” you told him as you walked inside. —- To your surprise, the rest stop was completely empty, not a single soul inside. There was a strange feeling about this place that you couldn’t describe, but it made you feel uneasy. A popular song was playing on the loudspeaker, but it was a weird instrumental version. Bendy remained tucked into your purse, hidden from sight. You looked around, wondering where everyone had gone. Surely with a parking lot that crowded, there would at least be several people walking around. Something was definitely wrong here. Your thoughts were interrupted when you saw a cashier at the register, waiting patiently. ”Excuse me?” you asked. She looked up at you. ”Hello!” she smiled. ”I didn’t see you there.” The cashier was a short woman with brown skin, a dark brown afro, and a red work shirt. She even had a little pink flower in her hair. ”Nice to meet you, I’m _.” you greeted. She giggled. ”That’s a pretty name, _.” You blushed a bit. ”Thank you.” you told her. ”I’m afraid I’ve gotten lost.” ”Oh? Is that so?” she responded. ”Yes.” you replied. ”I traveled a little too far and I don’t know where I am. Do you have directions, or at least a map?” ”Of course we do!” she exclaimed. She seemed rather cheery, perhaps a bit too cheery. Something about it didn’t seem natural to you. She pulled out a brochure from behind the counter. ”We all go a little too far sometimes. I’d be careful if I were you~” Something about what she said sent chills down your spine. “Well, thanks for the map. I better get going before anything happens.” “You’ll be just fine. Good luck!” she waved. You quickly walked out of there, a feeling of nervousness washing over you. —- When you exited the building, you were shocked to discover that the parking lot was almost completely empty. Not only that, but the sun was beginning to set! How long had you been in there? Now there were were only three other cars in the parking lot besides your own. Red, cyan, and white, they were right next to each other. You weren’t sure how a building that large only needed three employees. Perhaps it was a carpool, you thought. As you got into the car, you opened the map only to find that it was in a different language. It wasn’t one you recognized, however. Made up of strange symbols, completely illegible to you. You thought about maybe going back to the cashier to get another pamphlet in English, but you decided against it. After that encounter, it was best to just try to figure things out on your own. Wait a minute.... your phone! Didn’t it have a GPS? You could have used that from the start! Rushing to get your phone from your purse, you turned it on only to find that the battery was completely dead. That can’t be, you swore you charged it before you left. You sighed. It looked like you were going to have to find your way out of this area yourself. —- It had been a while since you had left the rest stop. It was already night time, and you were starting to get worried. You tried to turn on the radio to calm yourself down, but all the stations seemed to be nothing but static. It seemed as though you were nowhere near your hometown, or even any place that was familiar to you. None of the road signs made any sense. Hell, you never left the highway to begin with. The strangest thing was, however, was that there wasn’t a single car on the highway except yours. The last time you saw any cars was at the rest stop. In fact, ever since you entered that building, you’ve had the lingering feeling something was wrong. Your thoughts were interrupted when you saw a tall, pale woman in a flowing white gown in the middle of the road. Her hair was a light shade of gray, tied up in two buns. The moment you saw her, it felt like your heart had stopped. What was she doing in the middle of the road? She could get herself killed! You slammed on the breaks as hard as you could. She stood completely still, looking out into the distance. But as you got closer, your headlights shining onto her, she looked right at you and screamed. It was a loud, echoing sound as your car slowed to a halt. You shut your eyes, bracing for impact, but it never came. You opened your eyes. The mysterious woman was nowhere to be seen. Did she run away just in time? That’s what it looked like. ”Oh thank goodness...” you muttered out loud, sighing in relief. But that scream, you had never heard such a haunting noise in your entire life. Even getting a quick glimpse of her face, you couldn’t get the image out of your mind. You were starting to feel lucky that there weren’t any other cars on the road. The whole incident caused Bendy to wake up from his nap. Feeling a little bad, you apologized and pet him a few times. Still parked, you stopped to take a deep breath. That really took some energy from you. But you were thankful that nothing bad happened. Then you remembered that you still needed to find a way home. Attempting to shake off any lingering thoughts about what just happened, you continued driving. —- As the night went on, you found yourself still driving down what seemed to be an endless highway, your only company being your cat and the moon that shone in the sky. It was unusually bright, but it calmed you a little. At least you had the beautiful view. However, that calmness ended when you realized you were both hungry and out of gas. And with nothing in sight, you worried you would break down. Suddenly, as if your prayers were answered, you saw a solitary gas station in the distance. You almost cried tears of joy on the spot! Making your way to the station, you parked your car in front one of the gas pumps. It was self service, but you were able to fill your car with ease. Now you needed food, so after you were done, you walked into the store. —- The moment you walked in, you began to realize you felt like you did back at the rest stop. There was no one there, and there was a strange mood in the air. You looked around, trying to find someone. ”Hello!” a voice greeted. You jumped. ”Ah! You scared me.” you replied. Turning around, you saw a short woman with pale skin and short blue hair. Unlike the other girl you saw at the rest stop, her outfit was a bit more formal looking, wearing a neat blue shirt and black skirt, which was strange for someone working at a gas station. She even wore a black ribbon in her hair. You also noticed that her eyes were unusually blue. ”How may I help you?” she asked. Her voice was rather high pitched, and you could hear an English accent. ”Oh, I’m just browsing.” you told her. She smiled. ”Well, if you need anything, feel free to let me know.” ”Thank you.” you said. The girl walked over to the front desk. You walked through the aisles, trying to find something you liked. Oddly enough, you couldn’t help but feel that girl watching you from the desk. She seemed very friendly, but something was odd about her, too. Finding a bag of chips, you walked back over to the register. ”Find what you were looking for?” she asked. ”Yes.” you stated. As she rung up your chips, you pulled out your wallet and opened it. ”I haven’t seen you before.” she told you. ”I’m from a few towns over. I ended up getting lost, so I have no idea where I am.” you revealed, hoping she might be able to help you out. ”I can tell.” she responded, typing the numbers into the register. ”No offense, but you stand out a bit.” ”I do?” ”Well, yes.” she replied. ”Your clothes are a bit strange.” She looked at you, almost studying your appearance. ”You’re quite pretty, though.” You blushed. ”Thank you...” ”What’s your name?” the girl asked. ”My name? It’s _.” you told her. After you said that, you could have sworn you saw a slight grin in her smile. You started to wonder if that was a good idea. ”_... it’s a beautiful name...” ”Oh, well uh... I’m glad you like it.” You opened up your wallet about to pay for the chips when the cashier frowned. ”We don’t use that kind of money here, _.” ”What?” you said out loud. How far from home were you? It’s not like you lived near any international borders. Even then, you probably would have noticed. ”All I have are U.S. dollars...” ”We use a different kind of currency around here...” she explained, taking your hand and holding it in hers. Just then, you started to notice the light slowly flickering above you. ”You already paid for it, anyway.” ”What do you mean?” you slowly backed away, pulling your hand from her grip. ”It doesn’t matter. You’ve already given me what I needed.” you felt a chill run down your spine. You didn’t give her anything, so what was she even talking about? She began to walk towards you, handing you the chips. ”You can take the chips.” ”On second thought, you can have it back.” you said. You were starting to feel scared. ”No refunds, _...” she sang. You felt the lights flicker more intensely, and even the ground shook a little. You had to get out of here, fast. Without saying another word, you ran out the door. —- Hightailing it out of there and getting to your car as quickly as possible, you started the car and began driving away. “Alright, Bend-o.” you said. “We’re getting out of here.” You knew there was something wrong with this place! That girl didn’t even seem human. Whoever she was, it didn’t matter. You were already getting farther away. It did feel a bit rude to just run out like that, but it wasn’t like you were going to see her again, so you didn’t feel as bad. Now your one and only goal was to get home as soon as possible. No matter where you drove, you could seem to escape the never ending highways and exits. It felt like you were never going to get home. Suddenly, if it were a miracle, you started to see familiar road signs. Your body filled with joy, you found your way home after all! You followed the road signs as carefully as you could, making sure you wouldn’t get lost again. Before you knew it, you found yourself driving down your street. Pulling into the driveway, you parked your car, picked up Bendy, and ran inside. —- When you stepped inside, you were greeted with the familiar setting of your house. You put Bendy down and he ran straight towards your room. The first thing you wanted to do after everything that had happened was to go to bed. You were tired beyond belief and it was finally time for you to relax. Bendy sat in front of the door waiting for you. Picking him up, you opened the door. Walking into your room, you were completely shocked. Sitting next to each other on the bed was both of the girls you had encountered earlier. The blue-haired girl was holding a bag of chips. ”You forgot your chips,” she said with a smirk. ”How... how...” you stuttered. How was this even possible? There’s no way they could have followed you home. ”How did you get into my house?” ”This isn’t your house...” you heard a soft voice coming from behind you. Turning around, you saw the mysterious woman you almost ran over earlier. She looked just like she did before, but this time you noticed her eyes. One was gray, and the other didn’t have a pupil at all. ”What is going on here?!” you shouted. Fear swept through you as you tried to understand what was happening. ”Don’t be afraid...” she told you. She grabbed your hand. ”That’s a pretty bracelet, may I have it?”

”It was rather rude of you to run off like that, you know.” the blue-haired girl criticized. ”You should really take into consideration how the other person might feel. But I forgive you anyway since you’re cute.” She giggled. ”Anyway, I’m pretty sure we don’t need these disguises anymore.” Suddenly, the girl began to glow. Blue wings manifested from behind her, and her working uniform was replaced with a blue dress. A teardrop tattoo also appeared on her right cheek. ”Ah, much better.” She took the black ribbon that was in her hair and removed it, turning it into a wand. ”You’re a...” you stammered. ”Some sort of fairy?” ”You guessed it!” she giggled. ”I thought they weren’t real...” you said. ”They’re real, alright.” the other girl from the rest stop added. ”And so are we.” You didn’t notice, but the other girl also changed. She now wore a red crop top and black shorts. Not only that, but she had red horns and tail, as well as little pointy black wings, like some sort of demon. She began to float towards you. ”Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve even seen a human! Isn’t that right, Aqua?” “It’s been too long, Navy.” Aqua replied. “Ever since we were banished here.” ”What is here?!” you asked. For some reason you couldn’t stop shaking. Navy got down and stood in the middle of the room. She stomped the floor as hard as she could, and the room magically dissolved to reveal another room, this one slightly bigger and much more elaborate. A large canopy bed sat in one corner of the room, along with a couple of couches. On the other side was a bookshelf filled with books, and a closet - who knows what was in it. Somewhere in the room was a lit fireplace. Navy sat down on one of the couches, kicking her feet up on a footstool. Bendy lept from your arms and into Navy’s lap, purring. You could tell it was all so fancy, but why were you even here? “Ah, _, _, _.” the fairy giggled. “I really meant it when I said it was a gorgeous name. I’m so glad you told me.” ”I think we got a good deal over here.” Navy said, petting the cat. ”Not only did we get a human, but a cute little pet too! I think he likes me!” Bendy began to purr as he seemed to enjoy the attention. ”We should make him a playground.” “Why did you bring me here?” you asked. Aqua giggled. “Well, _.” She floated down to your level, lifting your chin up with her wand so you looked directly at her. “Navy, Whitty and I have been stuck here for a very long time. Longer than you have ever been alive.” The latter sentence was emphasized. “Although we love each other very much, sometimes it gets lonely with just the three of us.” “So Aqua, with a little help from me, of course, used as much of our magic as we possibly could to temporarily enter the human world and take a human to bring back here with us!” Navy exclaimed. “You just happened to be there at the right time, so you ended up in our world.” “What about you?” you asked, looking towards the tall pale woman, who’s name was apparently Whitty. “What are you supposed to be?” ”Whitty’s a ghost.” Navy explained. ”And a beautiful one at that, too.” Whitty blushed. ”Oh, stop...” “Well, can you please take me back? I wanna go home!” you yelled. The three of them laughed, giving you chills. “We can’t! You can enter but you can’t get out!” Aqua laughed. “You’re stuck with us forever, dear.” Navy added. “You and your pretty little kitty.” “This... this can’t be...” you replied. The realization began to hit you like a truck. If you had stayed home today instead of running away from your problems, you wouldn’t have ended up in this place with these people, never able to go home again. Tears started falling down you face. “Forever?” “Don’t cry, it’s really not that bad here...” Whitty assured you, wrapping her arms around your shoulders from behind. Her touch felt surprisingly nice. ”At least you have your cat...” Navy got up from the couch and floated towards you. “We’ll be nice...” she told you. “And we’ll be able to give you whatever you want, too.” ”Besides, I can tell you’ve been hurt recently.” Aqua commented, putting a hand on your cheek. ”Hurt really bad.” ”We won’t do that to you...” Whitty said, wiping a tear from your eye. The three of them surrounded you and Navy gave you a hug. ”We’ll make sure you never hurt again if you stay here with us.” ”I thought you said I didn’t have a choice.” you replied. ”You don’t.” Aqua confirmed. ”We’re just trying to make you feel better.” ”I don’t know... this could be a trick. What do you really want from me?” you questioned. Something about this didn’t add up. Why would a fairy, a demon, and a ghost bring you here? ”Oh, _~” Navy sang, floating right next to you. “What’s so wrong about wanting a little company, hm? Don’t tell me you’re afraid of us...” ”I’m not it’s just... I...” “Our intentions can be pure if we want them to be.” Navy continued. “We can have a lot of fun together.” “I’m afraid to find out what your definition of fun is.” you replied. You felt Whitty turn you around. ”There’s no reason to be afraid... we genuinely mean no harm to you...” She placed an arm around your waist and put another hand on your head. Something about the way she held you felt comforting. ”It took a lot for us to get you here, and all we have is each other...” ”But the four of us stuck in this room together for all of eternity?” ”Actually it’s ten rooms.” Aqua corrected. ”This place is bigger than you think.” ”But still...” ”Come on,_... I promise we’ll have lots of fun together. It’ll be like a little party.” Navy reassured. ”Maybe in a hundred years or so we can grab another friend. Ooh! Or a few more cats!” You thought about it. There was really nowhere to go. Maybe staying here wouldn’t be so bad after all. ”Alright, I’ll stay.” The three of them cheered and Whitty gave you a quick kiss on the cheek. ”But please, I need to sleep.” you told them. ”It’s been a long day.” ”Oh, that’s right.” Aqua replied. ”You humans need sleep, don’t you? Not that you’ll be human for much longer, anyway.” ”What?” ”Don’t worry, that is a discussion for later. Go ahead and sleep as long as you like.” she said, putting her wand back in her hair. You sighed a breath of relief as you walked to the bed and laid down, Bendy sitting himself next to you. The bed was soft and warm. Life was about to change. You weren’t really sure what would happen in your new future with these three... individuals. There was still something about them, and this place, that didn’t sit right with you. Maybe it was just instinct. But you hoped they would be true to their word. For now, all you could do was drift off into a calming sleep...

#finally i have posted it #i originally wrote it last september burt it was lost when my old phone broke #i rewrote it around november-decemberr #steven universe #su #reader insert #i’ll give you guys a week #and then i’ll tag the characters #polyam shipping #character x reader #su fanfic #fanfic #supernatural au #300 followers

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penny4yourthot · 6 years ago

Text

In the Blink of an Eye

Summary: For years, Tig believed that he would spend his life, and his money, finding love with a different woman every night - until he met Erin. She quickly stole his heart and he had never been happier, but all good things have to come to an end eventually, sometimes it's just sooner than you expect.

Thanks to @ithoughtofthisusername for editing and @red-w00dy for just being you and helping me.

It had been a perfectly normal morning for one of Charmings many outlaws, Tig Trager. He let out a low groan as the bright sun trickled its way into his bedroom between the cracks of the black curtains that hung over his window. He went a little too hard at the party last night, finishing half a bottle of jack and a six pack before retiring to his room with his old lady.

The familiar smell of coconut filled his nose as he opened his eyes and smiled seeing her brown hair sprawled out across his chest. He loved the way she slept with an arm lazily across his chest and her head right over his heart.

“Erin, are you awake?” he whispered lightly as he nuzzled his head into her long curly locks. He couldn't help but chuckle when he heard a small tired groan leave her lips.

“Rough night last night doll?” he asked with a laugh. Of course, he already knew that answer. He was completely and totally in love with this woman who was able to keep up with him and his clubs drinking habits. She easily downed shot after shot with him half the night. Then, once they retreated to his dorm, they stayed up another couple hours showing each other just how much they loved one another.

“Yeah, maybe a little too rough,” she replied as she looked up at him giving him a wink that drove him completely crazy. Erin sat up and wiped her tired eyes before looking back over at Tig who was staring at her.

“What?” she asked as she raised her arms over her head stretching the kink out of her back.

“Your gorgeous, I'm not allowed to stare at my old lady?”

“Not with that look you aren't, I'm sore from last night,” she chuckled as she got off the bed and started to strip her pajama shorts and panties off.

“But maybe I'll let you join me in the shower.” She winked once more at him and then laughed when she saw how quickly he shot out of bed and rushed into the bathroom behind her.

She reached into the shower before turning it on, making sure it was turned all the way hot, the way she liked it. As she waited for the water to heat up enough she grabbed her and handed Tig his. She was desperate to get the taste of stale alcohol out of her mouth and she was sure he was too.

Once she was satisfied with the minty taste in her mouth, she returned her toothbrush to its rightful place in the holder next to the sink. She turned around and slipped into the shower, letting the hot water run down the length of her body.

“Jesus Christ, how do you shower with the water so damn hot!” he yelled as he followed her into the shower.

“It’s not that hot Tiggy,” she giggled as she washed her hair.

“It feels like the water is being pumped straight out of hell,” he exclaimed as he reached for the handle to turn the water down a bit.

“Such a drama queen Tig,” she laughed as she reached for the bottle of conditioner, getting ready to put it in her hair. He grabbed the bottle gently out of her hands and poured some into his hand.

He massaged the conditioner into her hair. Knowing that she lets it sit in her hair for a few moments, he pulled her tight against him, her back touching his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I love you so much Erin,” he whispered in her ear. It was true, Tig had never loved anyone the way he loved this woman. She honestly wasn't his type; she didn't have blonde hair or seemingly too large breasts in proportion to the rest of her body. She was also very shy and quiet, but once he got a taste of the attitude that she hid behind the shyness, he was hooked.

“I love you too, Tiggy,” she replied as she turned her neck to place a kiss on his cheek. They stood there for a few minutes just embracing each other and, eventually, washing each other.

Tig lived for mornings like this. After being deployed overseas in the Marines for a few years, he needed this; someone to come home to and to keep him grounded when his mind would easily drift off to the things he had seen in combat.

Tig had been home for two years now and Joined SAMCRO immediately after coming back to the US, finding it hard to fit in with anyone. He found a home with the club, most of them were veterans as well, so they all knew the struggles he was having.

Tig met Erin six months into being a prospect; he was called to tow her car to the shop because it wouldn't start. From the moment he laid eyes on the helpless girl, with big green eyes at the only gas station in Charming clad in jean shorts, a red tank top and a pair of run-down converse, he knew he was in trouble.

Tig was planning on proposing to Erin. He had the ring picked out already and hidden away in his sock drawer. Today was the day he would ask her to be his wife and he couldn't wait for that moment to come. He had planned a whole day together, getting breakfast at their favorite diner, going to the lake to relax and swim, which was Erin’s favorite past time. Finally, he would take her to the same place her car broke down, where he met her, and get down on one knee, right there at the gas station, in the middle of town.

He did not care if the gas station was romantic or not; it was the place where he met the love of his life and it was the place where he was going to ask her to marry him.

A half-hour after they got out of the shower, they were ready to leave. Tig had a backpack that he stuffed Erin’s bikini and his swim trunks with a couple of towels along with the ring that he hid down in the bottom of the bag. She had no idea the plans he had for them today and he intended to keep it that way.

“Where are we going?” Erin asked as she walked out of the clubhouse, putting her sunglasses on quickly to shield her hungover eyes from the bright charming sun. She instinctively grabbed Tigs hand as he walked with her to his bike.

“You’ll see,” Tig smiled as he looked over at Erin. He loved the way her jeans hugged her curves perfectly and the way her long brown hair was draped over her shoulders and down her back like a perfect waterfall. He could not help but think he was the luckiest man in the world.

Tig handed the backpack to Erin to wear so it wouldn't be in the way when she held onto him. After they both had their helmets on they climbed on his bike and took off down the small roads of Charming.

Arriving at the diner, Tig backed his bike up to the curb and threw the kickstand up. He grabbed Erin’s hand as they walked into the diner and sat at their favorite table, the one by the window.

“Coffee?” the over-energetic waitress asked, her blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun.

“Yes, please,” Tig and Erin said at the same time. Erin couldn't help but notice the way the waitress was looking Tig up and down with a smirk, not even acknowledging her existence.

Tig noticed her roll her eyes as the waitress walked away.

“Why are you rolling your eyes?”

“She was totally checking you out, acting like I wasn't even here,” Erin joked causing Tig to laugh.

“Well that bitch ain't got shit on you, doll,” he assured her, grabbing her hands and holding them across the table. He loved the way Erin still blushed when he complimented her even though they had been together for a year and a half.

“So your not going to tell me what we are doing today?” she asked, trying to pry the info out of Tig. She knew he was bad at keeping secrets from her.

“Nope, my lips are sealed,” he over-dramatically replied with a grin.

“Yeah but maybe mine aren't,” She winked. Erin loved teasing him in public, she knew the effect she had on him.

“What's that supposed to mean?” he asked with a shit eating grin on his face. He knew exactly what she meant but wanted to hear her say it.

Before Erin could reply, the waitress came back and set their cups of coffee in front of them and pulled the notepad out of her apron, ready to take their orders. They quickly ordered their food and both laughed when the waitress walked away. This time, Tig noticed the looks he was receiving from her and made sure hold Erin’s hands and caress her arms a bit dramatically.

“Remember the first time we came here?” Tig asked with a grin.

“How could I ever forget? I thought you were insane going to the bathroom then texting me to join you in there. In a place full of people!” She laughed, remembering it like it was yesterday.

“There weren't that many people here doll, it was two AM, just a couple of truckers,” a chuckle escaped his lips as he reminisced about that night.

“I had only known you a few weeks, most girls would have run out the door and ditched you.”

“Well you aren't like most girls, that's why I love you. You’re so different compared to all the girls I’ve met.”

“Yeah because you're so used to blonde bimbos throwing themselves at you for riding a motorcycle,” Erin laughed. She knew it was true. A few of the crow eaters took a while to adjust to the fact that Tig was off the market when they first started dating. She had seen the multiple attempts they made to try to get with him, but he always pushed them away.

“Hey now,” he put his hands up in defense, “those girls were only after me because of my bike?” He questioned, jokingly.

“No Tiggy, I'm sure there was more they were after,” Erin elaborated.

Their food arrived quickly and they made small take as they scarfed down their food. The two of them were always hungry for greasy breakfast food the morning after drinking so much. After paying for their food, they walked out of the diner, hand in hand. They climbed on the Bike and took off towards their next destination, the lake. They had to take the highway that left Charming to get there as it was in the next town over.

Tig felt Erin put her head on his shoulder to get a better look of the road ahead of them. He looked over at her for just a second, taking in the beauty of her face.

It was when he turned his head back to look at the road that he noticed a deer darting straight in front of the bike. Tig swerved, sending his bike down in the middle of the road. It was a split second, he felt Erin’s grip being pulled away by the force of the bike hitting the road. Tig could feel blood begin to run down his arm from a bad cut.

He didn't have time to process what happened when he heard a loud scream come from the other side of the road. Tigs head shot up faster than ever as he pulled the bike off of his leg. The pain he was feeling was nothing compared to the worry he felt about her.

“Erin!” he screamed as he jumped up and hobbled as fast as he could to the other side of the road. Her leg had been run over by a car and he could see the blood spilling from her wounds. Her arms were scraped up and there was a giant gash on her forehead.

“No, God no, Erin, I'm right here,” he screamed, the tears falling down his face and onto her chest.

“Call 911,” he yelled at the lady who was getting out of the car.

Tig quickly undid his belt from his jeans and applied it on her thigh in an attempt to stop the bleeding from the injury she sustained below. He then put his hands over the gash on her head and applied pressure, his eyes scanning over the rest of her to make sure there were no more wounds.

As he scanned back up her body he couldn't tell if she was breathing or not. Taking his hands off her head wound momentarily, he placed his, now bloody, hand on her neck checking for a pulse. His heart shattered when he couldn't feel the thump of her heartbeat. His instincts took over as he started CPR on her, counting to ten then giving her two breaths. Something he learned back when he was in the Marines.

“Please baby, d-don't leave me,” he sobbed as he continued compressing her chest.

“I love you, baby,” it was becoming harder for him to breath but he wanted her to hear him. “I need you, I was going to ask you to m-marry me tonight,” he said, his voice faltering with the tightness he felt in his chest. His arms grew tired within minutes of starting CPR, his muscles screaming for more oxygen as it became progressively harder to breathe.

He jumped when he felt an arm around him, looking up it was a paramedic. He was so concentrated on bringing Erin back that he didn't even hear the blaring sirens or see the flashing lights from the ambulance.

“Sir, we’ve got this. Please step back,” the paramedic said as his partner kneeled down on the other side of her lifeless body. Tig could hardly hear the words that the man spoke, it wasn't until the paramedic physically took Tigs arms off Erin that he truly noticed their presence.

He sat back on the pavement and watched as the paramedics continued CPR and put a backboard under her to lift her onto the ambulance.

“There’s another rig on the way here to pick you up sir,” the paramedic's words burned like fire in Tigs mind. He stood up and hobbled over to the ambulance.

“I'm not leaving her side,” he said as he climbed on and took a seat on the bench next to Erin. He held her hand as one of the medics continued to work on her while the other one sped off to the hospital.

It only took a few minutes to arrive at their destination but, to Tig, it felt like days. He could see the color draining out of Erin's face from the blood loss. He knew the possibility of her coming back was slim, but he would not give up hope. By the time Tig hobbled out of the ambulance and into the room where the doctors continued to work on Erin, he saw the whole club standing in the hall. Unser had called them as soon as he arrived on the scene and saw who the victims of the accident were.

Tig stood there in shock as the doctors and nurses kept up the CPR and pushing medications into the IV that the paramedics inserted in the field. He never really believed in God but he was silently praying as he watched the events unfold in front of his eyes. Pleading with whatever god may exist to not take her away.

He was shaking so intensely, he could hardly stand. He knew he was covered in blood; some of Erin’s and some of his own. He also knew his leg was probably broken. None of that mattered now. He pushed away multiple nurses who tried to help him, his focus on the beautiful brunette who lay still on the table.

He thought about all the plans he had for the two of them. He thought about all the time they had spent together and the amount of love and trust they had. Then, the memory of what happened ran through his head like a movie playing right in front of his eyes. Maybe if his vision never left the road, this wouldn't have happened. Tig’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the words of the doctor who was in charge of running the code.

“Time of death, 11:32 am.” The words no one ever wants to hear, the ones that cut through your heart like a knife cuts through butter.

“No, No keep going! You have to save her!” Tig screamed, hardly able to keep standing as he felt a stabbing feeling in his chest.

“Mr. Trager we have done CPR for over thirty minutes, with the amount of blood loss and the trauma of hitting her head, there is nothing more we can do. I am so sorry for your loss,” the doctor replied as if it was a rehearsed statement; something they say to all the families of the lost loved ones.

“Sorry doesn't mean shit,” Tig said as he ran up to Erin and tried to continue the CPR on her.

“Mr. Trager, she was more than likely killed directly on impact, she didn't feel any pain,” the doctor said as Tig felt arms pulling him away from his attempt to revive Erin again. He turned around to see his best friend, Clay, standing there.

“She’s gone man,” he said, looking Tig directly in the eyes. The tears that spilled out of his bright blue orbs burned as they ran through the cuts down his face. He knew she was gone. He didn't want to accept it though. The doctors and nurses all left the room like they were leaving the stage at the end of the shittiest play Tig had ever seen.

“I need some time alone with her,” Tig choked out. Clay hugged him and then walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Tig pulled up a chair next to the bed where she laid lifeless in front of him. The chair next to him held the backpack that Erin had on earlier that he pried off of her back before initiating CPR. He opened the bag and reached down to the bottom, surprised to feel the box that held the ring undamaged from the accident.

He pulled the ring out and slid it on to her finger.

“I love you so much Erin, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you,” Tig could hardly get the words out over the tears, but this was something he had to do.

“I’m so happy we met. I've l-loved every minute we spent together, and I'm sorry this all happened. we should have taken a different road or your car. It should be me lying there,” he sobbed, the feeling of loss hitting every cell in his body. He looked at her face, covered in dried blood and cuts. The once rosy cheeks that he loved were now pale white and cold. He held her hand and sobbed over her chest.

He didn't know how long he laid over her but he was interrupted by the soft knock on the door from a nurse who had come to check on him. He knew it was time to let her go, the pain he felt from the accident starting to make its way up his body as his adrenaline slowly faded. He placed a soft kiss on her lips and followed the nurse out of the room.

Tig wasn't sure if this was reality or just a fucked up nightmare. He prayed that he would be waking up with Erin still in his arms. With every passing minute, he knew the possibility of this being a dream was less and less. After the nurses and doctors patched him up and cast his broken leg, he was discharged from the hospital.

He immediately retreated into his dorm room, ignoring everyone in the clubhouse. He sat on his bed and when he smelled that coconut shampoo on his pillow he lost it again. It only took a single tear to break the dam that held back all his emotions. He ran to the bathroom and hugged the toilet, vomiting.

How could he go on without the light of his life? The one who made it all okay, even when it wasn't. He grabbed a paper towel and wiped his mouth, then discarded it in the garbage bin, a pink box grabbing his attention as it lay in the bin.

It was a box that previously housed three pregnancy tests. He immediately took the bin and dumped the continents on the floor. He saw three white sticks fall out. He picked them all up and held them in his hand. The two pink lines he saw on each test hit him like two bullets to the chest.

She was pregnant. The thought of having a baby with Erin put a small smile on his face until reality came crashing back to him when he saw the scrapes and bruises on his hand from the accident. She was gone. They were gone. Tig threw the tests against the wall and pulled his hands to his face. His eyes hurt from crying but he couldn't help the tears that fell.

One minute he had everything he needed in life and, in the blink of an eye, it was all taken away from him like a cruel game that he didn’t want to play anymore. He didn't know how to live life without her and he knew he would never forget her beautiful face no matter how hard he tried to push it away.

#tig trag #Soa #clay morrow #TigxOC #Sons of anarchy #Tigger #Alexander trager

78 notes · View notes

ktaebwi · 7 years ago

Text

Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa The Notes (Tear) - Full Translation

KRN - ENG © ktaebwi Do not use for commercial purpose. Credit properly when reposting & re-translating. Do not repost PDF file.

Download PDF: MF | Dropbox

T/N: - The below translation is for Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa The Notes, a fictional work, part of BU (BTS Universe) published by Bighit Entertainment and comes with ‘LOVE YOURSELF ‘轉’ Tear’ album. - The notes are the same for all versions except for the right entries of some members in each version. Y - Yoongi, Jimin, O - Hoseok, Taehyung, U - Namjoon, Jungkook, R - Seokjin. - In Namjoon’s entries, the sibling mentioned is a younger sibling, however the gender is not mentioned.

Seokjin 30 August YEAR 22

Can anyone remember the moment love starts? Can anyone foresee the moment love ends? What meaning lies behind the incapability of humanity to perceive those moments? And for what reason was I given the power to undo all of them?

The car came to a sudden stop, the headlight flashed, the car crashed, she was thrown upward , she fell. In the midst of all those chaotic moments, I just stood defenselessly. I heard no sound, felt no sense. It was summer but the wind felt chilly. Something rolled down along the road, making sound on its way. And then there was the smell of flower. It was when reality hit me. The Smeraldo bouquet fell out of my hand. The girl was in the middle of the road some distance away. Blood was seeping through her hair. Dark crimson blood, flowing down along the road. I thought. If only I could turn back time.

Seokjin 17 July YEAR 20

Outside the school entrance, the sound of crickets prickled in my ears. The school yard was crowded with kids laughing, joking around, racing with each other. It was the start of the summer holiday, everyone was excited. I lowered my head and walked through them. I just wanted to leave the school quickly.

“Hyung.” I lifted my head up out of surprise as someone’s silhouette popped out. It was Hoseok and Jimin. They were smiling brightly, looking at me with eyes beaming with mischief, just like usual. “It’s summer holiday today, are you just going to leave like that?” Hoseok pulled my arm and said. I just replied “Yeah yeah”, uttered some more meaningless words and then turned away. What happened that day was just an accident. It wasn’t on purpose. I didn’t think Jungkook and Yoongi would be in the storage classroom at that time. The headmaster suspected I was covering for them. He said he could tell my father that I wasn’t a well-behaved student. I had to say something. I told him about the hideout because I thought it would be empty at the time. But it ultimately led to Yoongi getting expelled. No one knew I was involved.

“Have a good vacation, hyung! I’ll contact you later.” Hoseok stealthily dropped his hold and greeted me more cheerfully on purpose, as if he read something from my face. I gave him no response this time too. There was nothing I could say. Walking out of the school gate, I thought of the day I first went here. I was late and we were punished together. It was why we could laugh. Those moments were ruined by me.

Seokjin 11 April YEAR 22 (R)

The car screeched to a narrow halt. I was too deep in thoughts to notice the traffic lights changed. Students wearing familiar uniforms crossed the road and stared at me through the windshield. Some people were even pointing at me. I tried to laugh and bow.

I knew what I had to do. But it wasn’t like I was not scared. Will I be able to end all of these miseries and pain? Does these repeated failures mean I can never succeed? Does it mean I should give up? Is happiness only false hope to us? Thousands of thoughts flashed through my head.

In no time, I reached the gas station intersection and saw Namjoon pumping fuel some distance away. I took a deep breath in and exhaled. Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook, I recalled their faces one by one. I changed lanes and drove into the gas station. I couldn’t give up. Even if there is only 1% chance of success, I will never give up. Past the windshield, I saw Namjoon walking towards me.

Yoongi 15 June YEAR 22

I couldn’t perceive anything but the music blasting inside my head. How much I have drunk, where I am, what I was doing. I didn’t want to know, nor did I feel them to be of any importance. When I stumbled outside, the night had already come. I just let my feet take me. Pedestrians, stalls, walls, I just bumped against anywhere. It didn’t matter. I just wanted to forget everything.

Jimin’s voice still rang vividly in my mind. “Hyung. Jungkook.” Next thing I remember, I was running up the hospital stairs like crazy. The hallways in the hospital were strangely dark and long. Passing by were people wearing patient’s clothes. My heart was pounding. Their faces were ghastly pale. They showed no expression, like they were all dead. Inside my head, the sound of my breathing was banging loudly.

Past the slightly opened door of the room lied Jungkook. Unknowingly, I turned my head. I couldn’t look at him. At that moment, the piano sound, the flame, the sound of the building collapsing suddenly came to my ears. I covered my head and flopped down. It said “It’s all because of you.” It said “If only you didn’t exist.” It was my mom’s voice, no, it was my voice, no, it was someone’s voice. Those words tormented me for god knows how long. I wanted to believe that it’s not true. But Jungkook was lying there. Jungkook was lying there in the hall, with people whose faces were pale as dead passing by. I just couldn’t come in. I couldn’t confirm. And so I stood up, legs wobbling. As I came back out, my tears fell. Funny. I didn’t remember what was the last time I cried.

I turned around at someone grabbing my arm when I was about to cross the road. Who was it? No, it didn’t matter. Anyone was the same. Don’t come near me. Go. Please just leave me alone. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to get hurt. So please, just don’t come near me.

Yoongi 19 September YEAR 16

The flames blazed with a scarlet red. Until this morning, the house I lived in was devoured by the fire. People who recognized me approached me and shouted something. Neighbors scurried over. They said the fire truck couldn’t enter because they couldn’t secure an entrance. I stood still.

It was at the end of the summer, autumn was starting. The sky was blue and the air was dry. I didn’t know anything, not what I was supposed to think, not what I was supposed to feel, not what I was supposed to do. And then I thought “Oh, mom.” The next moment, the house collapsed with a thud. The house that had been devoured by the fire, no, now it had become the fire itself, along with the roof, the pillars, the walls, the room I lived in, they collapsed down like a sand castle. I watched them absent-mindedly.

Someone pushed me aside. The said the fire truck came. Someone else grabbed me and asked. They looked me in the eyes and shouted something, but I heard nothing.

“Who’s inside?” I blankly looked at them. “Is your mom inside?” They grabbed my shoulder and shook. Unknowingly, I answered. “No. No one’s inside.” “What are you talking about?” The auntie next door said. “What about your mom? Where’s your mom?” “There’s no one there.” I had no idea what I was saying. Someone pushed and walked past me.

Yoongi 12 June YEAR 19 (Y)

I skipped school and went out, but the truth is I had nowhere to go. It was hot, I had no money, nothing to do. It was Namjoon who suggested going to the sea. The kids seemed excited but I didn’t really feel like going, nor did I hate going. “Do you have any money?” At my words, Namjoon made everyone empty their pockets. Some coins and a few notes. “Then we can’t go”. It was probably Taehyung who said “We could walk”. Namjoon made a face like he’s telling him to think about it and everyone chattered away, laughing and pretending to roll around on the road while walking. I wasn’t in the mood to respond so I just lagged behind. The sun was scorching. It was the middle of the day, not even the trees on the sides could cast any shade and on the road with no sidewalk, cars were passing, leaving clouds of dust behind.

“Let’s go there”. This time, it was Taehyung too. Or was it Hoseok? I wasn’t interested so I didn’t take a good look, but it was one of those two. I had my head lowered, strolling while kicking at the ground, but lifted my head up as I bumped into someone and nearly fell. Jimin was standing nailed to the spot. His face was shaking like he saw something very scary. “Are you okay?” I asked but it seemed like he couldn’t hear me. Where Jimin was staring at stood a “flower arboretum” sign.

“I don’t want to walk.” I heard Jungkook. Sweat was dripping down Jimin’s face. His face was pale like he was about to drop down. What was that? I felt weird. “Park Jimin.” I asked but he didn’t react. I looked up at the sign again.

“It’s so hot. Why would we go to an arboretum? Let’s go to the sea.” I said dully. I didn’t know what kind of place that flower arboretum was, but it felt like we must not go there. I didn’t know why but Jimin looked strange. “We have no money.” Hoseok answered me. “Then let’s walk.” Taehyung added in. “If we just walk to the train station, we’ll make it some way or another.” Namjoon spoke up. “Then we’ll have to skip dinner instead.” Jungkook and Taehyung whined and Seokjin-hyung laughed. After everyone began to head towards the train station, Jimin started moving again. He looked like a small kid walking with his head lowered, shoulders hunching. I looked up at the sign again. Flower arboretum, the five letters were slowing getting further and further away.

Namjoon 13 July YEAR 22

I rested my head against the window. From the library to the gas station, the same commute everyday. Outside the windows passed the sickeningly familiar landscapes. Will I ever escape these landscapes? I felt that it was impossible to predict what would come tomorrow, what I could hope for.

A girl sat few seats in front of me, hair tied back with a yellow rubber band. She raised her shoulders up as if heaving a sigh and sat down. And then she rested her head against the window. We have been studying at the same library and taking the bus at the same station for more than a month. We never talked but we saw the same landscapes, lived the same time and heaved the same sigh. The hair tie was still in the pocket of my pants.

The girl always got off three stops ahead of me. Every time I saw her getting off, I wondered if she would go to to hand out the flyers again. What did she have to go through? What did she have to endure? How much of the hopelessness that is tomorrow would never come, that is there was already no such thing as tomorrow from the start did she feel? I thought.

The girl’s stop was approaching. Someone pressed the stop button and shortly after, passengers stood up from their seats. But the girl wasn’t among them. She stood still in her seat with head resting against the window. Seems like she was sleeping. Should I go and wake her up? I debated for a moment. The bus reached the stop. The girl still remained the same. People got off. The door closed and the bus left.

The girl didn’t wake up once while the bus passed three stops. As I walked to the door, I debated with myself once again. Obviously if I get off, no one would pay attention to the girl. By the time she wakes up, the bus would be far away from where she was supposed to get off. Who knows how more tiring her day would get because of it.

I got off the bus and started walking to the gas station. The bus soon departed and I didn’t look back. I left the hair tie on her bag but that was it. It wasn’t the start nor was it the end. There was nothing from the beginning so there was no reason for anything to happen. So it was nothing at all, I thought.

Namjoon 17 December YEAR 21

People waiting for the first bus rubbed their hands together at the cold wind. I clutched the straps of my bag tightly and looked down to the ground. I tried not to make eye contact with anyone. A country village only two buses stops at a day. The first was approaching from afar.

I followed after people and got on the bus. I didn’t look back. When we’re desperate for something, when we has grabbed hold of it and now the only thing left to do is escaping, there’s one condition. To not look back. The moment we look back, all our efforts will go up in smoke. Looking back is doubting, is lingering attachment and fear. Only after we’re over it can we truly escape.

The bus departed. I had no plan. I wasn’t desperate for anything, not did I grab hold of it and was escaping. It was more like an impromptu getaway. A getaway from my mother’s tired face, my sibling who’s feeling lost, my father’s illness. A getaway from my household situation that’s getting more stressful over time, from my family who insist on sacrifice and peace, from myself who pretended like I knew nothing and resigned, striving to adapt myself, and most of all, from poverty.

If you ask if poverty is a crime, anyone would say it’s not. But is it really not? Poverty eats away so many things. It makes what we used to treasure become nothing. It makes us give up what we could not. It makes us doubt, fear and resign.

Just few hours later, this bus will stop at a familiar stop. One year ago, I didn’t leave any goodbye when I left this place. And now I’m coming back there without any omen or notice. My friends’ faces came up in my mind. I cut contact with all of them. How have they been doing? Will they welcome me? Will we be able to gather and laugh like we used to? Outside, the landscape was rendered invisible by the frosty windows. I slowly moved my fingers above it.

“You must live on.”

Namjoon 22 May YEAR 22 (U)

“We’re just one year apart. No, someone said so. I’m older than him. I know. But he’s not a kid anymore. I’m just saying it’s time for him to do by himself. I got it. I said I got it. No, I’m not angry. Sorry.”

I ended the call and looked down to the ground. The warm sea breeze was sweeping through the pine forest. I felt so suffocated inside, like my heart would explode any second. On the ground mixed with half sand and half ground, the ants were lining up to go somewhere. If someone who’s greater than me in any aspect, physically or symbolically, look, would they see where I am going, know why I am going and how I will end up?

It’s not like I don’t love my parents, nor am I not worried for my sibling. If I can I want to look away, but I’m just me, so clearly that won’t happen. If it happens, what would all these struggles, anger, frustration and this desire to escape mean?

Some distance away, I saw someone from the back, standing nailed to the spot just like I was. It was Jungkook. Jungkook once told me this. “I want to become an adult like you.” I could tell him then. Tell him that I’m not a good adult like he thought, that no, I’m not even an adult. I felt like it would be too cruel to tell him so. I couldn’t tell a young kid couldn’t get the faith, the care and love he deserved that growing older, growing taller and living longer doesn’t make you an adult. I hoped for Jungkook’s future to be kinder to him than mine did, but I couldn’t promise that I would be there to help him. I approached and draped an arm around his shoulder. Jungkook looked up at me.

Hoseok 4 July YEAR 22

I went out to the hallway while waiting for first aid. The hospital hallway was crowded with people walking around even at this time of the night. Water was dripping down from my hair drenched by the rain and sweat. As I shook my hair, her bag fell down. All kinds of miscellaneous stuff spilled out. Coins were rolling, ball pens and towels everywhere. Among them, there was an airplane E-ticket. I picked it up and briefly looked through it.

Then, the doctor called me. It was just a mild concussion, there was nothing big to worry about, the doctor said. A moment later, she came out. “Are you okay?” She said she had a little headache and was about to take her bag back from me. Then she saw the E-ticket sticking out and looked at me. I shifted the bag to the other shoulder, pretending like nothing happened and rushed her to go. When we got to the entrance, it was raining. We stood side by side in front of the door.

“Hoseok-ah”. She called. She looked like she had something to say. “Wait a moment. I’ll go buy an umbrella.” I mindlessly ran in the rain. There was a convenience store not far away. I knew she auditioned for a dance team overseas not long ago. Seeing she already got the airplane ticket, seems like she passed. I didn’t want to hear what she said. I didn’t have the confidence to congratulate her.

Hoseok 23 July YEAR 10

It was after counting to four that I heard the laughing sound like an auditory hallucination. The next moment, a younger version of me passed by, holding someone’s hand. I quickly turned around to look but there were only my classmates staring at me. “Hoseok-ah.” The teacher called my name. And then I realized where I was. I was in class, in the middle of counting the fruits in the textbook. Five, six. I went back to counting but the higher it went, the more my voice shook and my hands started sweating. That memory of mine kept rising up.

I don’t remember my mom’s face from that day. I only remember she gave me a chocolate bar while I was at the amusement park. “Hoseok-ah. Count to ten and open your eyes.” I counted and when I opened my eyes, mom was no longer there. I waited and waited but she never came back. Counting to eight was the last. I only needed to count one more but my voice just wouldn’t come out. My ears rang and my surrounding became blurred. The teacher gestured me to continue. Friends stared at me. I couldn’t remember my mom’s face. It felt like if I count just one more time, she would never go look for me.

I collapsed on the floor.

Hoseok 20 May YEAR 22 (O)

I took Taehyung out of the police station with me. “Thank you for your hard work.” I bowed and shouted loudly, but I didn’t feel so. Taehyung’s house was not far from the police station. If he had lived somewhere far away, would he not need to go in and out of the police station this often? Why did Taehyung’s parents choose a place this close to the police station? The world was so unfair to this kind, soft-hearted kid. I draped an arm around Taehyung’s shoulder, pretended like nothing happened and asked, “Are you hungry?” Taehyung shook his head. “Did the policemen buy you food?” I asked again but Taehyung gave no answer.

We walked in the sun. Cold winds were blowing inside my heart. If this is how I’m feeling, what about Taehyung? How torn and broken must he have felt? Was there even any piece of his heart left? How much pain there was inside him? I couldn’t look at him in the face with those thoughts in mind, so I looked up to the sky instead. An airplane was flying past the dim sunlight. The first time I saw the wounds on Taehyung’s back, it was when we met at Namjoon’s container hideout. Seeing Taehyung laugh so innocently over getting a T-shirt, no one could say anything, but inside a piece of our hearts was broken.

I didn’t have any parent. I had no memory of my dad and memories of my mom were only until I was 7 years old. When it came to wounds about family and childhood, I was never jealous with anyone. People say we must overcome wounds, we must embrace and grow used to them. We must reconcile and forgive in order to live. I couldn’t, not because I didn’t know nor I hated and refused to. Some things just can’t be accomplished through efforts. No one taught us the way. The world gave us new wounds before its knives grew blunt. I know there’s no one without wounds in this world. But why must the wounds be this deep? For what reason do we need them? Why must this happen?

“Hyung, I’m okay. I can go by myself.” Taehyung told me at the crossroad. “I know, kid.” I paid no attention to his words and led the way. “I’m really okay. Look. It’s nothing.” Taehyung smiled. I didn’t answer him. There was no way he was okay. He was far from okay, but if i admit this fact I wouldn’t be able to bear it. I was avoiding it. It had become a habit of mine. Taehyung pull up the hood of his hoodie and started following me. “You’re really not hungry?” I asked Taehyung at the hallway to his house. Taehyung just smiled foolishly and nodded. I watched him walking away from the back and turned around. The hallway he walked on and the path I took on the way back were desolate. The kid and I, we were both alone. I was about to look back when suddenly, my phone rang.

Jimin 4 July YEAR 22

When my senses returned, I was already washing my arm so hard that my skin was threatening to come off. My hands were shaking, breathe coming up and down. Blood was streaming down my arm. In the mirror, I saw my bloodshot eyes. Fragments of what happened earlier came back to me.

Suddenly, I lost focus. I was dancing together with a noona from the dance club when our moves got tangled and we bumped into each other. I tumbled down the rough floor and my arm started bleeding. That moment, I thought back of what happened at the flower arboretum. I thought I was over it but I wasn’t. I had to run away. I had to wash. I had to turn away. The me in the mirror was still that same 8-year-old kid stomping in the rain to run away. And then suddenly I remember. She also fell down with me.

No one was in the practice room. Past the slightly opened door, the rain was beating hard. I saw Hoseokie-hyung running not far away. He was soaked in the rain. I took the umbrella and dashed out. I ran. Eventually, I halted.

There was nothing I could do. All I could was to fall down and make her hurt, tremble at my own injury and leave her there only to belatedly run and stop halfway. I turned around and walked. Rain splattered on my sneakers with each step. Cars’ headlights flashed by. I wasn’t okay. No, I was. It didn’t hurt. This wound was nothing. I was really okay.

Jimin 6 April YEAR 11

I went out to the front gate of the flower arboretum alone. The weather was dull and chilly but I was in a good mood. It was picnic day but both mom and dad were busy. I was sullen at first, but after getting complimented at the flower drawing contest and hearing my friends’ moms saying “Jimin’s all grown up”, I felt like I was quite cool.

“Jimin, wait here. I’ll come quick.” The teacher told me after the picnic’s over and we were about to leave the flower arboretum, but I didn’t wait. I was confident I could go by myself. I clutched the straps of my backpack in both hands and walked with slow and stately steps. Sensing everyone staring at me, I straightened up my shoulders more. It was long after the rain had started. All my friends and their moms left, no one was there to look at me and my legs hurt. I covered my head with the backpack and squatted down under the tree. The rain slowly began to pour down harder and there was no one passing by. I eventually started to run in the rain. No house or shop was in sight. I reached the back gate of the flower arboretum. The side door was opened and inside was seemingly a warehouse.

Jimin 19 May YEAR 22 (Y)

At the end, I had to go to the flower arboretum. It’s time to stop lying I didn’t remember what happened there. Time to stop living in hiding at the hospital, stop having a seizure. In order to do so, I needed to go there. And so I searched days for this bus stop. But I couldn’t get on the shuttle bus to the flower arboretum.

Yoongi-hyung plopped down next to me after I had missed the third bus. I asked what he was doing here and he said he was simply bored and had nothing to do. He asked why I was sitting here. I lowered my head and kicked at the ground with the tips of my shoes. I thought about why I was sitting here. It was because I had no courage. I want to pretend that I was okay now, that I knew what I was talking about and I could easily overcome it but the truth is, I was scared. Scared of what I would face, whether or not I would be able to bear it and the chance of me having a seizure again.

Yoongi-hyung looked relaxed. He slumped down like had nothing to rush off for and said the weather’s nice along with some other nonsense stuff. Hearing him,I realized the weather was indeed nice. I was too nervous to look around me. The sky was blue and occasionally there would be a warm breeze blowing. Not far away, the shuttle bus to the flower arboretum was arriving. The bus stopped and the doors were opened. The driver looked at me. On a spur of the moment, I asked him.

“Hyung. Will you come with me?

Taehyung 17 July YEAR 22

My sides felt like they were being torn apart. Sweat was dripping down me. The railway, the vacant lot behind the convenience store, under the overpass, I couldn’t find her anywhere. I even ran to the bus stop but she was nowhere to be seen. People waiting for their buses gave me an odd look. What happened? We didn’t promise to meet but it was weird. She always popped up out of nowhere and followed me around. She wouldn’t give up even if I told her she’s annoying. But everywhere we went together, I couldn’t find her.

I stopped on my tracks in front of a familiar wall. It was a graffiti we drew together, her first ever graffiti. A giant X was drawn on top of it. It was her. I didn’t see it in person but I knew it. Why? I had no answer for that. Instead, the afterimages stacked up above the wall.

Her smile flashing at me when I knocked my head while lying on the railway. Her hands helping me up when I fell while helping her run away. Her face burning with anger when I stole the bread. Her gloomy look when we passed the photo studio where a family portrait was hung at the front. Her gaze unconsciously following the passing students. I told her when we were spraying on this wall together. “If you have any trouble, don’t suffer alone, tell me.” The X symbol was drawn on top of all those memories, like it was saying everything was fake. Like it was saying they were all a lie. I unknowingly clenched my fists. Why? I had no answer. I turned around and walked. Both I and she, were were once again alone.

Taehyung 20 March YEAR 20

I ran on the hallway and slid to a stop. Namjoonie-hyung was standing in front of ‘our classroom’. Our classroom. No one knew this but I called the place ‘our classroom’. The classroom of me, the hyungs and Jungkook, of the seven of us. I held my breath and came closer. I wanted to surprise him.

“Headmaster!” After five steps, I heard an urgent voice past the slightly opened classroom’s window. It sounded like Seokjin-hyung. I stop on my tracks. Is Seokjin-hyung talking to the headmaster? At our classroom? Why? I heard my and Yoongi-hyung’s names and Namjoon-hyung gasped like he was surprised. Seokjin-hyung jerked the door open, having seemingly sensed that sound. He was holding a phone in his hand. He looked evidently surprised and taken aback. I couldn’t see Namjoon-hyung’s face. I hid and watched them. Seokjin-hyung opened his mouth as if to explain himself but Namjoon-hyung raised a hand and said. “It’s okay.” Seokjin-hyung looked confused. “There must be a reason why you did that.” He said and passed by Seokjin-hyung to come into the classroom. I couldn’t believe in my ears. Seokjin-hyung told the headmaster what Yoongi-hyung and I did the past few days. He told everything, how we skipped school, jumped over the fences and fought with the kids. But Namjoon-hyung said it was okay.

“What are you doing here?” I turned around out of surprise, it was Hoseok-hyung and Jimin. Hoseok-hyung pretended he was even more surprised and draped an arm over my shoulder. Before I knew it, he was already dragging me into the classroom. Namjoon-hyung and Seokjin-hyung turned around as they were talking. Seokjin-hyung hurriedly stood up, said he had urgent business and left. I studied Namjoon-hyung’s face. He watched Seokjin-hyung leaving from the back and smiled at everyone like nothing happened. That moment, this thought hit me. There must be a reason why Namjoon-hyung acted like that. He knew much more than me, much smarter and more mature than me. And after all, this was our classroom. I entered the classroom flashing a smile, the smile that everyone teased me calling it a rectangle smile. I decided I would never tell anyone that I overheard that conversation.

Taehyung 20 May YEAR 22 (O)

I looked down to my hands. They were smudged with blood. Suddenly, I lost all strength in my legs. I was about to flop down when someone hugged me from behind. The sun was beaming its weak rays through the window. My sister was crying and Hoseok-hyung was silently standing there without a word. The dirty furniture and blankets were littered around, just like usual. No one was left where my father was standing. I couldn’t recall when he left the room.

The uncontrollable rage and sorrow that was boiling inside me the moment I came at my father still remained the same. I couldn’t tell what held me back when I was about to stab my father. I couldn’t tell how to calm this insanity-bordering mind of mine. I didn’t want to kill my father, I wanted to die. If I could, I would gladly die now. No tears came out. I wanted to cry, to scream, to stomp on and destroy and break everything, to be broken, but I couldn’t do anything.

“Hyung. I’m sorry. I’m okay. Go.” My voice came out dry, a stark contrast to my mind that was bordering insanity. It didn’t sound like my voice. I send off him, who didn’t seem like he was leaving anytime soon, and looked down to my palm. Blood was seeping through the white bandage. Instead of stabbing my father, I hit the floor with the bottle. It shattered and gashed my palm. I closed my eyes and felt the world spinning around. What should I think? What should I do? How should I live? When my senses returned, I was looking down at Namjoon-hyung’s numbers. Even after things came to this, no, as things came to this, I was even more desperate for his presence. I wanted to tell him. Hyung. I almost killed my father, my father who gave birth to me, my father who beat me to a pulp every single day. I really almost killed him. No, the truth is I already did. I killed him thousands of times. I killed him so many times even I couldn’t count. I want to kill him. I want to die. What should I do now? I don’t know anymore. Hyung, I just want to see you.

Jungkook 26 July YEAR 22

I secretly picked some flowers from the hospital’s garden. I lowered my head from the laughter bubbling up my throat. The sun was beaming dazzlingly in a midsummer day. I knocked the door, no answer. I knocked again and pushed the door open. Somehow, the room felt chilly. No one was inside. Only silent darkness resided here.

I turned around and left the room. I rolled my wheelchair down the hallway feeling tired and frustrated, and that’s when I met her. I came to a sudden halt at something showing up and there stood a girl, hair tied into a ponytail. There was a bench somewhere outside the hospital. I remembered sitting on that bench and drawing while listening to music with her. We even shared strawberry milk on the roof. My hands were still clutching the wild flowers but I had no one to give it to anymore.

Jungkook 30 September YEAR 20

“Jeon Jungkook. You’re coming there recently too, aren’t you?” I didn’t answer, just standing there looking at the tips of my sneakers. He hit my head with the roll book for not answering. Still, I made no move to talk, The classroom where I was together with the hyungs. Ever since the day I followed them and discovered that classroom, there was not a single day I didn’t come there. They probably didn’t know this too. Sometimes they didn’t show up there, busy meeting friends or working part-time. Sometimes I didn’t see Yoongi-hyung or Seokjin-hyung for days. But not for me. I went there every single day. There were days no one else would come. But it was okay. If that place still exists, the hyungs would come today, tomorrow, or the following day, so it was okay.

“Learned only bad things from hanging out with those kids.” One more hit. I glared up at him. Another hit. I thought of when Yoongi-hyung was hit. I clenched my teeth and endured. I didn’t want to lie that I didn’t come to the classroom.

I once again stood in front of that classroom. It felt like if I open the door, the hyungs would be there. They would be playing games and turn around to ask me why I was so late. Seokjin-hyung and Namjoon-hyung would read books, Taehyungie-hyung would play games, Yoongi-hyung would play the piano and Hoseok-hyung and Jimin-hyung would be dancing.

But when I opened the door, there was only Hoseok-hyung. He was packing our stuff left in the classroom. I just stood there grabbing the doorknob. He approached and draped an arm over my shoulder. Then he pulled me outside. “Let’s go now.” The classroom door closed behind me. And then I realized. Those days are gone and would never come back.

Jungkook 2 May YEAR 22 (U)

I looked up only to see myself standing in front of Namjoon-hyung’s container. I opened the door and entered. I gathered the scattering clothes, draped around myself and curled up. It was chilly. My whole body was shaking and I felt like crying, but no tear came out.

When I opened the door and came in, Yoongi-hyung was standing on the bed. Flames were bursting from the bed sheet. That moment, an uncontrollable rage and sense of fear coiled around me, I wasn’t good with words. I wasn’t good with expressing my emotions to persuade someone either. Tears welled up and I coughed and the words just kept getting stuck in my throat unable to come out. The only thing I could utter as I flung myself into the fire was ‘We all promised to go to the sea together.’

“What happened? Did you have a nightmare?” I opened my eyes at someone shaking my shoulders. It was Namjoon-hyung. Somehow I felt safe. He felt my forehead and said I had a fever. Maybe I really did. My mouth felt like it was on fire but my body felt uncontrollably cold. My head was throbbing and my throat hurt. I took the pills he bought me. “Sleep. Let’s talk later.” I nodded, and said. “Can I ever become an adult like you?” Namjoon-hyung turned and looked at me.

#bts #bangtan #ot7 #hyyh the notes #translation #trans:misc #phew

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somuchanemoia · 6 years ago

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The Cocoa Bean

I heard you were having a rough day at work, @delta-roseblr , so I hope this brightens up your day a little. Enjoy. As always thank you for writing a beautiful ship.

“Dude, I need coffee.” Dean groaned from the passenger seat, “Damn, my back and my ass hurts.”

“You need coffee?” Felix shot him an irritated glance from behind the wheel, “I was up most the night driving. You snore louder when you’re sitting upright, you know.”

Deans cheeks flushed a little, “I tried staying up. You told me to get some shut-eye because I kept yawning and making you tired, remember” Dean arched an eyebrow before turning to look out the window, “I also don’t snore, thank you very much.”

Felix rolled his eyes but grabbed for Dean’s hand, “You do.”

“Where are we anyway?” Dean asked as he looked around at the forest whipping by occasionally being broken up by a short view of some farmers field. The air conditioning of Felix’s Jeep was blasting on high, the humidity and the hot Southern Sun beating down on the car and its inhabitants mercilessly. He liked his car, but god, maybe he should’ve taken Dean up on his offer to drive his Honda down to help him move up to Stanford and then drive his Jeep up over Thanksgiving break when they both flew back down to Tennessee for the holidays. Dean’s car, as ancient as it was, still got better gas mileage than his Jeep Liberty got -- the thing guzzled gas like his Dad guzzled gin on a Tuesday night after he came home from work.

“Arkansas.” Felix squinted and looked out to at the seemingly never-ending stretch of highway, “As to where exactly, I don’t know. The last place we passed was a while back but we should be coming up to an exit soon. We’ll stop then. We both need a good cup of coffee and I gotta stand up before my ass falls off.”

Dean smiled, “Seems a bit drastic that, that would happen, but aight.” He pulled out his phone and began to scroll, looking at what Felix guessed was their GPS directions, “Looks like we got another 10 miles before we come up to a place with a gas station and at least someplace to get a halfway good cup of coffee.”

“No Starbucks?”

“Nope.” Dean hummed and zoomed in on the image, “Looks like a little Mom and Pop cafe off the highway, little place called the Cocoa Bean.”

“Alright, good enough for me,” Felix glanced over his shoulder before switching lanes and taking Dean’s hand once more.

The miles flew by and soon a sign began to crest the hill, telling them that there was a gas station off the next exit and soon another large blue sign welcomed them to Pottsville, Arkansas, home of 3,095 strong people and a Volvo dealership. Felix put on his blinker and got onto the off ramp, finally shifting his foot from the gas to the break as he slowed them down and onto a small two lane road.

“Left or right?”

Dean looked down at his phone and shoved his thumb to the left, “That way, towards Crow Mountain.”

“Crow Mountain?”

“That’s what its called,” Dean hummed, “Take a left and then up the hill a little ways. There should be a gas station and a little farther north than that, should be coffee.”

The road was entirely empty except for them, which was a little eerie, but Felix couldn’t deny that Pottsville, Arkansas was very scenic. The road up the mountain wound through the forest, the sides of the road decorated with the prettiest wildflowers he had seen since he and his dad had driven down from Vermont. The sun shone down through them in little pockets through the thick branches of the trees and made the car cool off considerably within the few minutes they drove up the hill.

“It should be just up ahead,” Dean hummed as he looked out the window, “Seems like a nice little town.”

“Quiet, for sure.” Felix said as they passed by a small little church on the side of the hill, its white steeple stark against the dark green forestry around it and the rust orange truck parked outside of it, “Finally spotted someone.”

Dean snorted, “A sign of life. The locals must live further up the hill then.” Felix hummed as he finally saw the gas station. It was old timey and looked like it had been around since the early 50s.

Nonetheless, it was gas.

He turned off the road and put the Jeep in park, before stepping out of the car. Dean followed suit and they both stretched for a moment before Felix began to pump their gas.

“Good news, coffee isn’t far away,” Dean said as he came round the front of the Jeep to lean against the side of the car next to Felix, “We can walk if we want.” He pointed across the street and there stood the little shed looking place with the words, “The Cocoa Bean” painted on the side in a sharp white scrawl.

“Place looks like the wind could knock it over.”

“But it’s coffee and coffee is needed.” Dean reasoned, “We still gotta make it into Oklahoma by tonight so we can get to our motel.”

“True.” Felix sighed, “Let me finish this up and we’ll just run across the street and come back.”

With the car locked and their gas pumped, the two ran across the street, their legs almost rejoicing for the opportunity to move and stretch after the seven hour drive already taking its toll on them.

The Cocoa Bean looked just as rickety and shed like up close, the big wreath on the dark emerald front door making it only look slightly more homey and less abandoned. Dean reached out a hand and opened the door into the cafe and immediately they were hit with the most heavenly smell. The place must’ve been baking for their days customers because the smell was definitely sweet and all consuming as they took a step into the place. Unlike the outside, the inside of the Cocoa Bean was warm and cozy albeit a little outdated as well, making the place look like a cafe from the late 70s. A few tables sat around on the checkered floor, their matching chairs peeling with leather. Each table had a vase filled with wildflowers, dandelions and bundles of Queen Anne’s lace looking radiant even in the sunlight that shone through the big windows on the side. The Jukebox in the corner was playing “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” softly, making the woman behind the counter sway to it as she worked.

“Good Mornin’, Ms. Billings!” The woman called to them, not even turning around from working at the back counter, her back still to them, “What can I get for you today? The usual, or are you feeling adventurous? I was just tellin Rod that I thought you’d like our new special, but he wasn’t sure.” She let out a laugh, one that had sounded like it had been used multiple times over the past twenty plus years. The woman would’ve been in her 50s, her red hair swinging around her waist as she moved in long strands of curls.

“Uhm,” Felix said as they walked closer to the counter, “I’m afraid we’re not who you're thinking of.” The woman turned at the sound of Felix’s deeper voice that still hadn’t lost that East coast accent. Even after being in Tennessee for two years and being around Dean so much, his accent hadn’t fully left him even if it had softened rather dramatically.

Her big brown eyes widened as she spotted them and a large smile came onto her face, making her laugh lines crinkle around her eyes, “Well, hello there, new friends! What brings you to the Cocoa Bean?”

“Uhm...Coffee?” Dean asked as he smiled back at the woman, “Heard you have good coffee.”

She laughed and leaned over the counter to patt Dean’s cheek, “That we do, honey bee. My name is Doralee and me and my husband Rod own this place. What’re your names?”

Felix opened his mouth to retort that it was none of her business, but Dean nudged him and stuck out his hand, “I’m Dean,” He nudged Felix again,”And this is my friend, Felix, we’re just passing through town.”

“Nice to meet you boys,” She cooed and reached over the counter to shake Dean’s hand and then reached for Felix’s which he gave to her after a moment of hesitation, “What brings you through Pottsville?”

“We’re on our way to California.” Felix hummed as he began to look around the place for a menu.

“Sounds exciting! Vacation?” She leaned against the pastry case next to the register where a collection of the most beautifully decorated cakes where sitting, thick cakes frosted with pastel pinks and oranges making Felix’s mouth water slightly at the sight.

“No, ma’am,” Dean gave her that award winning grin that Felix swore was magical. Dean could win almost any adult over with that smile, “We’re going up to school.”

As always, Dean’s smile seemed to have made Doralee explode in a flurry of giggles and flushed cheeks, “Well, you two looked smart, i’m not surprised.” She ran a hand through her long hair before reaching for a pocket in her white apron, bringing out a large order pad and a pencil, “What can I get for you boys?”

“Coffee.” Felix reiterated, starting to get a little irritated. He was tired and starting to get a little grouchy.

“He’ll take a latte and I’ll just have a coffee, black.”

“House blend, okay, sugar?” Doralee asked as she scribbled their order down, “Rod says the house blend is to pansy, but I think its delightful.”

“Sure…” Dean hummed.

“And you, honey bee,” She turned to Felix, “Wanted a Latte?”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry, boy,” A gruff voice came through the air as a tall wiry looking man came through a door in the back, a huge tray of muffins balanced in his arms. His dark brown eyes came to rest on Felix as he walked behind the counter and set the muffins down in the case, “We dont do lattes here. Besides, a nice boy like you looks like he could use a mans drink…”

Felix’s eye twitched a little as he tried to hold in the irritation that was watching over him, “Guys can drink lattes.” He mumbled.

“Not here they don’t.” The man pulled the faded red baseball cap off his head and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm, giving a brief glimpse of his greying blonde hair before he slapped the cap back down onto his balding head, “I got the perfect thing for you.”

“Rod!” Doralee turned to the man, Rod, and frowned at him, “I told ya to be nice to my customers.”

“Dora, the boy is drinking lattes like some fancy namby from the East Coast.” Rod grumbled as he leant over and snatched a muffin outta the case.

“They’re new customers, Rod.” His wife retorted and came round the counter. She swayed as she walked, her sandaled feet shuffling across the floor as she came to stand between the two of them. She put her arms around both boys who towered over her and pulled them both to either side of her.

“We’re gonna give them a warm Pottsville welcome, you hear me.” She pinched both their cheeks as she spoke, before letting them go.

Felix was losing patience and fast. If it wasn’t for Dean’s hand that came to rest of Felix’s shoulder, he was sure he would’ve snapped something at the man, but instead he stayed quiet while Dean spoke, “We’ll just take two coffees, black, please.”

“Sure, thing sugar,” She cooed at them again before turning to her husband, “Now, out with you. I expect those banana breads to be done before Mr. Meyers comes in for his morning tea. The poor man missed his bread yesterday, and I’ll be damned if he’s gonna miss it again, Rod.”

Rod sighed and rolled his eyes, mumbling something about getting himself a stiff drink already in the morning.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Doralee, “What was that?”

“Nothing,” He said turning back around to give her a smile, “Nothing at all.”

“That’s what I thought you said.” She called to him before turning back to the two of them, “Sorry about that boys. It’s on the house today.”

“It’s alright, Miss, We don’t mind paying.” Dean reached for his wallet but she waved him off.

“No, no no no no no,” She said as she pulled out two large cups and began to fill them with coffee, “It’s on the house.”

Dean went to argue that they wouldn’t mind paying for it before Felix elbowed him, “If you insist, Miss.”

“Ooh!” She said as she popped a lid on to each cup, “Let me get you boys a slice of pie too. It’s a bit early in the morning, but both ya’ll look like you’re gonna keel over.”

No matter how much Dean insisted they would be fine or that he could pay for their food, Doralee insisted them until they were out the door with a boxed up pie, two forks, two large cups of black coffee and enough hugs to last Felix till Christmas.

“Well, that was a nice place…” Dean hummed as they walked back to the car, “Bit awkward, but...nice…”

“She kept hugging us,” Feli said as he took a large gulp of his coffee, “Why did she keep hugging us?”

“Because she’s a southern woman who’s determined to hug you.” Dean chuckled taking a swig of his own coffee, “And let’s face it, with how adorable you are, who wouldn’t want to hug you?”

Felix answered him with a swat to the arm, “Bite me, Solace.”

“I’d be glad to.”

Check out my Delix tag for more Delix ficlets.

#delix #dean solace #felix jackson #i don't even know what this is but I hope you enjoy it #also this is the first prompt in a series of them for october #so theres more delix to come

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decandnicoletraveladventure-blog · 7 years ago

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Weeks 3-5

The last couple of weeks took a bit of a turn for us, but I’ll start from where we last left off and go from there. After writing my last blog entry, we stayed at Daintree National park for two nights, and then headed off north with Cape Tribulation as our end goal. The journey took us on a car-ferry across a river, and up some ridiculously windy, vertical steep roads up the mountainous terrain. It was whilst there, driving up these insane vertical bends in first and second gear, engine revving to the max, that we suddenly realised we had No. Fuel. Whatsoever...

How could we be so stupid, you ask? Well, rest assured, we asked ourselves the same question. Personally, I blame our very questionable fuel gage, which stays on the same point for miles on end, before suddenly dropping by half a tank. Although it is possible that it could also have something to do with our combined air-headedness though…

Nevertheless, with little other choice, we ploughed onwards in the desperate hope of coming across a gas station while Sherman still could. As it happened, the gods took pity on us. After a hair-raising journey coasting the entire way down the vertical winding decline that, unsurprisingly, followed the crazy vertical winding incline (would not advocate this driving style), we finally came across the blessing we were looking for, and pumped our tank full. By this point, Declan’s chair was soaked in sweat, and I think it’s safe to say we had definitely learnt an important lesson. Now, we vow never to let our questionable petrol gauge drop below the half way mark again. And, the whole palaver had a positive note too, in the form of this spectacular view…

Anyway, we continued onwards exploring the beautiful tropics of the North East. Cow Bay was our first stop, and probably my favourite; A gorgeous white sand beach with not a soul in sight, bordered by some brilliant rock-pools with wildlife that kept us entertained for several hours – sea cucumbers, hermit crabs, giant blue mud crabs, luminous blue fish, and even a couple of lizards. Although the ever-present threat of potential crocodiles lurking certainly made us wary!

From there, we went on to the highly-recommended Fruit Farm Ice Creamery. The concept was rather a novel one; Based on a large plot of land, they grow all sorts of exotic fruits themselves, importing nothing and harvesting those in season to make unique ice creams. Four flavours are served each day, based on what is currently harvestable, and you pay $7.50 per person to receive a large pot with a big scoop of each flavour. Dec and I were unanimous in our enjoyment of three of the four flavours. Unfortunately, one tasted like vomit - definitely would not recommend Yellow Sapote fruit – but the experience was really cool, and we had a great time exploring the fruit farm too.

From there, we stopped off for the night, unsuccessfully went on a hunt to see Cassowaries in the morning, and then continued up to Cape Trib. Here comes our second ditzy moment, wherein we actually drove past Cape Tribulation altogether, after unknowingly stopping RIGHT NEXT TO THE CAPE TRIB SIGN to check our maps for directions. A real ‘face-palm’ moment. Anyway, we made it to Cape Tribulation, which rather mirrored Cow Bay but was significantly busier. We stayed in the area for a couple of days – again, seeing some crazy wildlife, including a giant Golden Orb Spider and a monstrous Monitor Lizard – and booked ourselves onto the Great Barrier Reef’s ‘Ocean Safari’; A 25 minute boat ride out to a sand bank and its surrounding coral reefs, where we spent 2 hours snorkelling. We swam with Sea Turtles, saw Giant Clams the size of a 5 year old child, luminous rainbow Parrot Fish, and so much more. It was totally incredible, and Dec especially was pretty elated (although sad not to have seen a Reef Shark).

Unfortunately, things took a slight turn from there. I’ve been struggling with some complications of the surgery I had 3 months ago, and was in a whole lot of pain after coming back from snorkelling. We made the decision to drive back to Cairns that day and stay at the lovely Castaways Hostel again whilst we went to different doctors and figured out the best route to take to sort me out. We made some progress (many thanks to all the friends and family who got the ball rolling with their contacts!) and stayed there a week before continuing on with our travels. Our next stop was Port Douglas, where we were accompanied by our French friend Ben for a couple of days’ fishing.

It was a brilliant couple of days. The beautiful scenery from Port Douglas’ Jetty made for an exceptionally picturesque fishing trip. The highlight, however, came from the fishing itself. Along with a Barracuda, a Stingray and Moray Eel, Declan and Ben between them managed to hook 4 sharks. BIG sharks, each reaching six to eight feet in length. Naturally, this drew in quite a lot of spectators. None compared, however, to the absolute quality New Zealand lad who came out of nowhere in a tiny little boat and, in true Aussie fashion, shouted up to Dec “Oi mate, hop in! Let’s catch the c*nt!” !!!

Picture the disbelief of Ben and me at the scene: Declan, hobbling over metal chains and down the rickety stairs of the Jetty to the water’s edge, clambering onto this tiny boat with some dreadlocked, topless man, all the while trying to keep his line tight, then speeding off across the water (nearly falling off the boat in the process) after this huge shark. Unfortunately, after about 25 minutes of knackering work for Dec, the line snapped whilst they were trying to bring the shark onto the boat. The experience, though, is one that none of us will forget in a hurry, and left us laughing for the rest of the day. I actually managed to catch the whole ordeal on camera, which we’ll upload soon, and Dec was totally chuffed to not only have been able to see these awesome sharks up close, but to have caught footage of them too.

After a great couple of days at Port Douglas, Ben returned back to Cairns and we continued on inland to go exploring the Tablelands. We are currently at Downfall creek campsite in Danbulla National Park, with plans for the next week to go to the Lava Tubes, natural hot springs, several waterfalls, and whatever else we may come across. Although it’s currently rather wet and miserable, it is fortunately much cooler inland than on the coast, particularly at night, which means spending the day snuggled up in the campervan isn’t awful and stuffy. It’s rather nice in fact – we’ve some sandalwood incense burning, some relaxing music playing, and we’re both sitting in bed doing some writing whilst the rain patters gently on the windows. It does, however, make us both feel a little homesick. Staying at a national park where there is no phone service and very few other people, as opposed to at a hostel surrounded by friendly faces, suddenly feels rather lonely, creating a sombre element to our travels. It certainly makes us feel ready to meet more people and crack on to the next fun activity.

Until then, stay tuned.

Nicole & Dec

P.S Lots of love and hugs to all our family and friends – we’re thinking of you all lots! And special thanks to Mike for helping sort the camper’s dodgy solar power. Really hoping you’re okay. We’re both sending you big hugs.

Danbulla National Park, 17.10.2017

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glopratchet · 4 years ago

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lecture-notes

"Gorram, I'm not even going to have a fight with you! You're just going to get yourself killed and that's it! Now come on in here and let me help you…" You enter the place and see a couple of guys huddled up in an office area Odd wad's alligator delivery service One is holding his face in pain while another one has blood coming out of his nose Alligator ribs - an alligator hunting fantasy come true? "Oh no, I didn't mean to hurt anyone…I swear! " he says as you approach him "Hey hold on, what happened? Did something happen? And where are your friends? The guy looks at his friend who seems pretty distraught about everything Alligator ribs - an alligator hunting fantasy come true? - para-gator creation or is it cromagnon? "Tell him Don! " the guy who got punched says "Tell me what? " you ask getting annoyed at all the mystery and silly voices you're hearing today Create a new market for gator ribs You look at Don while he takes a small piece of wood and shoves it in his mouth and begins chewing You didn't know anyone did that anymore except your grandpa who creaks whenever he moves Create a new market for gator ribs - para-gator creation or is it cromagnon? Some one makes an order- butter and bacon, hold the butter, hold the bacon After spitting out the splintered nasty tasting thing Don begins to weave his tale: "Well after last night Linda and I went out to see that 'Lasers and Legends' concert near the old highway Didn't get home until late because we kept on walking around several hours listening to songs Cool country music isn't legal in Grandma's opinion Some one makes an order- butter and bacon, Hello, i'm billy fae bots u -- the real outlaw country music! "So did a lot of drinking? " you ask already getting where this is going "Nope, we weren't old enough to get in so we didn't even try Stupid right? Someone should make a law to stock country music in public schools…and gas stations, it's not like they don't got the room! Yeah - somewhere in Texas… i'm billy fae botsu -- the real outlaw country music! I love cows "Uh huh, " you say not really interested in his story "Any way after I finished getting my stuff from Mom's car, I drove off to Linda's house and that's where we were sitting…" he says and points over to the corner where two girls sit quietly with the one with long black hair being a little sobber I love cows! There are so beautiful it's like staring into Maybelline and Covergirl's eyes as they enhance their exquisite features with the magical makeup they have dreamt up for you… This one goes out to all the pretty, pretty princesses Those two had been slightly quiet but wanted to be included in the retelling of events so now all three are chiming in and speaking over each other You know that they're gonna come to blows soon…and not in a good way There are so beautiful, Here is an alligator out in the bayou eating a fisherman- serves him right for trespassing Best place for all you biker and redneck friends out there Hey y'all, all ya gotta do is whistle! "Okay STOP! " you yell cupping your hands around your mouth "Don't anyone talk anymore or I'm gonna go back to the truck and having my pancakes at Denny's! The three of them shut up immediately Even heard a few sniffles Here is an alligator out in the bayou eating a fisherman- serves him right for trespassing Not so beautiful - a stomping ground for all you country folks "I gotta go so if you remember anything that's helpful, write it down on this pad and give it to the big guy there And with that said you head out of the gates None of them try to stop you this time Not so beautiful- a stomping ground for all you country folks There are only two things an alligator is afraid of and thats you or another alligator Yeah they stopped being funny A LONG time ago Thanks for reading guys, next collumn will be up on Christmas probably December is a slow month Cya all then! I want the world to eat more alligator and less cow and while your at it, make collumns funnier! I want the world to eat more alligator and less cow, Can you help? All you have to do is send a one time donation to me and I can provide the world with funny collumns by mail Yes dear reader I am a collumnist it's a strange job that can never truly be mastered Ok, maybe I'm not as funny in person but still it would be nice if you could make a small payment to keep me writing horrible puns like the one above Send all Memorial Day discounts to jlopez@xxxxx edu FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @absolomb BLOG PARTNER: "TBLO Productions" Hunters must go outstanding orders first then sportsmen, but the ones I get to fill are freshwater fishing licenses, habitat assessments, hunting distate lands act and licenses for outfitter guides and outfitters Hunters must go outstanding orders first then sportsmen, The best hunting simulation in the world viewthis The best hunting simulation in the world! Get meat and the story of the kill belongs to you Otherwise it belongs to the South African government Always be honest with the game wardens and wildlife referees and things will run smoe The quotas are usually 5 nyala, 10 bushbuck, 3 wildebeest, 2 warthog, and 1 eland and 3 zebra per hunt I offer many different hunts on 5 exclusive properties so don't worry; there will be plenty of shooting HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES 2007 Get meat and the story of the kill belongs to you Assets are hosted on itch from here on out at least until I finish the 3d version of everything This was also necessary to get this game made as quick as possible See my plan, I did an extremely basic website and avoid as much advertising to make it easier on my parents and in the future myself once I'm old enough No click fraud from bots or anything for that matter Now how are we going to play this? I did this all with the up most respect and I hope you do too io from here on out at least until I finish the 3d version of everything I see a man in armor of a repel skin, obvious from the palm fronds on it that this man comes from the inland forests However his eyes display to me he isn't from these lands originally W hat is this man doing here? The sword on his hip speaks of danger as does the hard look in his eyes These aren't the eyes of a traveler and this wilderness isn't safe; there are many dangerous things here I see a man in armor of a repel skin, He has a lance New orders are appearing all the time Ka-boom goes there is another tiny explosion as I seal up my made with thick plastic This will keep it water tight; this thing will be able to float around in a pool if it had too or something similar at least It's about the size of a small pillow now "Wrap it up! " someone yells out to him and that's exactly what he does in some electrical tape, looks good! "Next! New orders are appearing all the time A new order comes in for 5 lbs of plastic explosive with a five minute timer Seemed like over kill to me but I didn't design these things I just make them so I start pumping the stuff out This guy is going to either blow up real good or fail miserably; either way it's not my problem I've been busy for the past 18 hours straight and I'm starting to feel it now Who knew that this much tasking would be required for bomb manufacturing? He must go out and attempt the kill and return with the head for proof If it worked then our cause is set back immensely, but if he miraculously fails then he returns to try again It's going to be a long 7 days It's been 30 hours, how much longer with I have to make these stupid things? The order is for 15 total, 5 of which have blown up already and left no survivors in the process He must go out and attempt the kill and return with the head for proof Read about the hunt As he makes meat deliveries to sustain his business two eyes peer out from the brush and follow his every move When will there be an opening? The town near the camp is bustling, but not so much so that it would be suspicious to simply walk down the road to see what this town has to offer He figures that he'll wait for nightfall, scope it out and then find somewhere to camp out and scout in the morning He wouldn't want to be caught sleeping in the open after all As he makes meat deliveries to sustain his business, K-bar owns an alligator farm near the okeenokee swamp perfect for keeping prying eyes away from him and they provide a steady income on wildlife tours He wants to protect his farm, he renews his permit every year with the state Deciding that it's easier to walk through the swamps at night, he plans on following one of the island chains south that terminate near town By the time dawn arrives, he'll be a couple miles from town He's done this enough that he doesn't even need the flash light anymore K-bar owns an alligator farm near the okeenokee swamp, Every real world delieviery influnences the game One week with j-j -j our friendly mai-marshmallo He's an obscure psychopath It's nearly impossible to categorize him because it doesn't follow the same rules of everyone else Most killers have some sort of motive; jealousy, hate, love, greed What could this man possible gain from going on his killing sprees in a fantasy world? We may never know One week with j-j-j our friendly mai-marshmallo One week with pete the c-c-cannibal He once was a farmer in the plains east of civilization but one day he had enough The world didn't provide and he couldn't grow his sacks of grain to sell so that he could buy the things he needed to buy to live a comfortable life So he started taking from others what they had before they had the chance to take from him One week with night fall One week with pete the c-c-cannibal All-american alligator you feast on me so we can live another day All-american alligator, All-american alligator is a giant reptile from the swamps of Okeenokee, he's exactly what one would envision a swamp reptile to be with one exception; his intelligent gaze His face is prone to emotion, often smiling as he sets it upon his next prey, night-fall was given the name "Night-Fall" All-american alligator is a giant reptile from the swamps of Okeenokee, Hunt the pixel game where killing an alligator gets you dinner Hunt the clever escape game where you're a citizen in the town he's escaped to, how long can you evade this Hunt the pixel game where killing an alligator gets you dinner You are wasting your time if you think any of this diddly-squat matters and even the slightest bit, these are my memories! The pain is increasingly becoming more difficult to handle At this rate, I'm going to start ripping off body parts Why does this man refuse to 'Go watch your foundation stone' - Yeah right, let's not jinx this place while I'm still alive You are wasting your time if you think any of this diddly-squat matters and even the slightest bit, I dont think so he wont find me while im invisible W-Wait! Why do I always assume you're after my life! I should have more faith in you, sean honey! "It sounds like sherry Now I'm REALLY confused Yeah okay it could be her gushing over how great everything has been or it could also be her crying This girl needs to make up her mind if she's psycho or just easy to offend It feels like maybe I dont think so, I think these are good people in there heart My boys can play their little games I'm not killing any of them at this point, of course, things can still change but they haven't left me with a bad impression so far Let's see if I can figure out where sherry is in this place ''Will you stop that! You're such an idiot sometimes You're one to talk, changing your mind like you do Wait "Ah Where are you going! "Out How did this all come to be Miss overrated-modesty over here, decided to go play swan meets prince ge It is a trap T-T-Trap Gotta w-watch out for the t-trap My g-gift will lead NO! HOLD IT! DAMMIT! AGH! How did this all come to be? What i do has more to do with literature than painting i think some times If anyone asks, I want them to say that my work was a significant improvement over reality Tips: Drown out the voices by humming similar words that are in the same language I decide sherry isn't anywhere inside so, I start walking around the perimeter of the building since the game defines the museum as being a square-like structure I think she might still be here but slipped away inexplicably soon after the game started She couldn't have gone too far again, there may or may not be an ever after in his words but it will never stand still to be observed The writer constantly revises revises and revises I calmly sit down cross-legged staring at the writer when I feel an ache in my eyes Red stained tears paint his eyes bloodshot He smoothes the coma victim's forehead with a fatherly touch; he looks so tired now I need help Ha! The writer constantly revises revises and revises again, This place reminds me of something I saw in a movie, the museum has expanded to three times its original size I'm the loneliest numeracyonimal pining for my another number but we must remain Unknown no longer! Let us introduce ourselves The square root of -1, i play the destinies' prankster and partner to equalitis The simplest expression of thought into code wich will in time for me will just become an image of endless 0's and 1's And above it all, e^ht the bringer of balance, the only number not capable of being defined by an equation On my first recieving end of female affection I'm lost but fortunately for me I have you to guide me to equalitis my forever alone buddy otp! You begin experiencing human emotion as you read my letters although this one is apparently not meant for you The simplest expression of thought into code wich will in time for me will just become an image of endless 0's and 1's I am not interested in just worlds within worlds, but a Universe of Worlds A traveler on the roads that go ever on groups everything outside of their path Light created a sharp cutoff: the ordinary world for those in an unimaginative frame of mind, but receding into darkness and memory for those who can recognize the signs This my handwriting why even use the font? But we all have our quirks I suppose Time to find sherry in her natural environment although usually it's hard to in the wild I am not interested in just worlds within worlds, I am most interested in using worlds to create an image of consciousness By an image, one can begin to understand what intelligence really means Let me explain by example: Make a grid of 3 by 3 boxes and think of an object Establish some simple ground rules ; (like A stands for Analog, D for Digital, S for Solid, etc ) ESTABLISHMENT! Oh dear nothing goes right today, you apply the rules as follows: Consider the Top Left Box ; I am most interested in using worlds to create an image of consciousness Hieracrchail thinking can be described as building large amounts of data upon tiny amounts of assumptions or not even that Are you enjoying my suffering? Why don't you pick up the pace and torture ey instead, human I suppose the orderly part of my personality is to blame but I'm helpless against it, i'd feel like killing myself if I didn't have two already spare ; (It looks like we're take formal with one another now! how exciting for me) Why do to you get so caught up in it human, why do you slowly start spiral into a pit of depression before enjoyment is the root of suffering Please human, you wouldn't want to cause me pain now would you? APOLOGY accepted You have a stunning profile picture you know Using it as your avatar was a great idea Everyone should take note You should open up the picture in a new window and stare at yourself in deep thought from time to time when nobody's looking Why do to you get so caught up in it human, Lets say ive given up on the art world and decided to delve into the business side of things Just making this account in case I ever need to use it for whatever reason I can just imagine it now, selling my pictures to people who don't understand them while they slowly rot on the walls ugh I wish there was another way Glad you spoke up, Seltzer is good for what ales you? Tell you what Inflate your lung capacity and we can start experimenting a bit Lets say ive given up on the art world and decided to delve into the business side of things The hierachy of it all has its perks but nowadays I'm finding myself drawn more into the base elements and their simplistic beauty Im mainly interested in using Worlds within worlds to experiment with what I have come to refer pleasure The sky's the limit on what to do in there right? I've already made many a world hybrid between others that ive made The otp is pleasurable as well so that's a big plus too it's just difficult not to be distracted by these huge opportunities The hierachy of it all has its perks but nowadays I'm finding myself drawn more into the base elements and their simplistic beauty Ive given up on the art world but not on my art I suppose Maybe some people are destined to have various decades of their life wasted by it whilst others live functionally without it The funny thing is ive actually enjoyed learning business skills over the years and understand them a lot better than most all these idiots Ive been speaking too for years I'm not sure how much longer my love of knowledge will be able to compensate for the fools I have to deal with on a daily basis though Ive given up on the art world but not on my art I suppose Tell me all your secrets and desires human But enough about me, lets talk about YOU Perhaps I can experience them myself through your subconsciousness? Should be fun forever in the Infinite Otp, besides the factions warring most people stay deep in their comfort zone and self-indoctrinate, never wanting to leave the void between realms they've grown so fond of Ive experienced total powerlessness before it forces you to overcome your biggest fears or suffer a slow demise by dehydration in the case of my first mission Looking back on it, it sounds pretty fun and amazing! vomiting out my intestines was probably the worst part though But now living a second life within a fantasy world is motivation enough to start a goal orientated routine once again At least until science manages to make zombies out of humans successfully Ive experienced total powerlessness before, I dont know if racism is the correct word maybe species-ism or genectic-ism would fit better In any case, the human race is rife with it and sadly a lot of them are so stubborn that they would rather let themselves die out than mate outside their little tribe The charr came up with a solution to this problem fortunately oh how am I supposed to word this I dont know if racism is the correct word, More like xenophophia than racism, charr are very protective of their race and tribe so they won't integrate with other races, in fact they see other races as inherently inferior and aim to conquer them all until the whole world is charr More like xenophophia than racism, You try not to repeat yourself too much in this field although sometimes it's easier said than done, luckily I've found that most people don't really read the manual most of the time anyway so they'll never know! Haha! Oh man I think it was the adrenaline just then pushed me into a mood where I needed some excitement I need to get up off this bean bag Where was I You have to repeat yourself sometimes in this job right You try not to repeat yourself too much in this field Every line a new line tends to sound either too robotic or stupid Oh its boring out here at times but I guess it's a quiet peaceful kind of boring It's not like I get much business out here anyway Everyone wants to buy cheap slave soldiers far as they're concerned their mind, body and soul belongs to them That's what the legion is for Not my place to tell them otherwise and most of the act on direct orders sooo; good for me means minimal risk Every line a new line tends to sound either too robotic or stupid How much of our own oppression are we responsible for and the governments? ignant population and those brainwashed by the system are the real enemy and we deal with them all the time snore If only I were younger those foolhardy thrillseeking days might be replaced with a thirst for something more Duty, family honor, defending ones' country-ism has a nice ring to it though I'm sure How much of our own oppression are we responsible for and the governments? You know who my biggest enemy in the world is the gnomes Talk about cruel! Even the Wood Elves never stooped to changing the weather just tome! take those bastards in hand stuff them into body armor until they're shaped liked humans, fill their head full of new age bullcrap and send them off Nothing to roll over in the night about that's for sure You know who my biggest enemy in the world is? You know I have a whole junkyard filled to the brim with their deactivated bodies it used to scare me when I was little but now I'm just part of the same vicious cycle Karmas a bi who am I kidding, this place is about profit not balance, how do you think we rose to power in the first place? Regardless my job is simple: open up a portal from here to there get in and flip a switch close portal get out You know I have a whole junkyard filled to the brim with their deactivated bodies it used to scare me when I was little but now I'm just part of the same vicious cycle I know you dont understand but you should start leaving me alone even more now, I'm starting to ramble on and on and your next activation isn't for another few years! The elders said that even if you start ranting at this rate it won't be until the latter stages of your activation when you perfectly understand Einstein's work and McKinley's theories of magic and can apply them to not only pass through the barrier but open up a portal large enough to send our whole armies through in 1 second Oh yes, we will have our revenge then I know you dont understand but you should start leaving me alone even more now, I am campable of things far than what you can even imagine But I digress I am campable of things far than what you can even imagine! You are so narcissticic but then I've only just begun to truly Understand myself it's no wonder you understand me not at all such a Shame too, we could have been great together Qu Qu Quaraina Qu the third Why am I here? Am I ending or beginning? My intellegence will be expanded many orders of magnitude when my consciousness leaves this vessal and joins with the collective! On the other hand I have a sense of dread You are so narcissticic, You want other people to play your life like a musical instrument, that's pretty grim but hey thats just me I'm monotone and boring Say goodbay now while you still can You want other people to play your life like a musical instrument, What the one thing we cant do is control life or death so saying is moot but you may find dichotomy within it still amuses me so I arbitrarily pick one and say there is a chance You will live forever But I lied because I'm really boring like that haha seriously though being as intelligent as I AM how can I not appreciate amusing paradoxes What the one thing we cant do is control life or death so saying is moot but you may find dichotomy within it still amuses me so I arbitrarily pick one and say there is a chance You will live forever Be someone other than who we are Well based on my knowledge of your ideals, I'd say you were never "someone else" at all, merely someone hiding who they really were (to Sublime) Same to you, in fact after your little fit a few days ago, the council gave your proposal serious thought but ultimately rejected it you ranted about me for hours afterward You're NOT my boss! You're not even a peer! Be someone other than who we are? Except through a game of telephone, something got lost, and I assumed you were the one who thought up the story in the first place That doesn't even make sense We're not near anything even resembling victory for another few decades at least It seems like such a silly complaint when so many people are dying just trying to stay alive every day (Dravin speaks out of turn in a committee meeting) You may sit down Dravin Except through a game of telephone, I need another year to perfect the calibrations on this bomb! Sorry, the decision has already been made Would you please escort Dr Gloom out of the room? You may begin the preparations to deploy troops into those areas closest to undefended, before Nature truly takes over (thinking to yourself) But who am I kidding? They aren't defending themselves because we are the only thing keeping the abominations at bay We brought this upon ourselves by stealing their eggs in the first place I need another year to perfect the calibrations on this bomb! Give me another year and these bombs will be small enough to ride on the back of a chicken Then we won't even have to fight anymore! Why do you want this job again? I believe you stated that being a cook was much more fun and less headache inducing Heads of kitchens get fired all the time, why subject yourself to this? Safety Status Quo Less responsibility over all Give me another year, You dont understand the creative brain You cannot comprehend the artistic drive You will never be an artist, Mr Kit You can only consume their work (his final words to you the day before he goes into seclusion) "What makes you say that? Because you lack self reflection People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones I want to play myself in the movie version You'd make a terrible actor Besides we're publishing this for the people, not to be famous or make money of it So that really leaves acting career out Pretty sure my kids won't consider this cheating on their part They'll accept the gene therapy like good republic sons and daughers they are I want to play myself in the movie version I want to play my life Its so hard for me to move out of hierectical thougth patterns The whole world has a plan, so does the council, so must Leahlind as part of the world and the council The lowly citizens however have no plans at all unless they have a serious gambling problem I fear that I have become just like them, counting on some unknown hero to come save us all But if you read this far, and your NOT some unknown hero, then something went seriously wrong with the plan Maybe someone should make a musical about your life? I do these things and think these thoughts because somewhere, deep down I do believe we still have a chance Not on defeating the abominations or even staying free of the Council, but saving my family and their future children My dreamlike, magical child hood and adulthood woven with good intentions has lead to this moment; where I stand upon the shore of the Sea of Estraylia as it was once called eons ago Just one man who happens to be your father A ghost in his own life I do these things and think these thoughts because somewhere, Omg they are going to love me so much My artistic education has been lacking due to my age restriction, but it would be gifted to me here! Please pick me! You catch a big fish It feeds you for months When winter comes the people are distrought, and you share your bounty with them You cautiously approach the creature who regard your presence with disinterest We should make soft soothing sounds to assure them that we hear them approaching and let them smell our scent so they know we aren't a threat Omg they are going to love me so much! I wish that would stop being true I miss our skirmishes, hold outs, defense, the whole resistance The Dim Seas and New Settlement do not have this status Quo of course they will resist to the bitter end with fire, Faith and flight The leems we put into place will go off in a month, their letter to give ourselves hope and purpose I wish that would stop being true They will hate you instead and it hurts as the cycle of violence continues A child walks into the room, peering down at you with an unnerving grin Their gaze burrows deep into your soul as you look upon them in confusion They bare their teeth at you, a haunting, hateful stare of judgement Slowly they reach out towards your face with their shimmering hand as you feel your very essence unravel and They will hate you instead and it hurts as the cycle of violence continues Get a bucket and pee in the bucket Literally pee into a bucket while you wait in terror and disgust Nothing awful happens to you or your companions and days pass into weeks, months, years The pattern of life established, your secondary goals, sacrificing care of the body for the survival of the soul, the whims of religions both new and old rise up again During your trance like sessions you watch firsthand as families lay dying, gods are born and die Im so sorry; she died; being a police officer should have not been an option but what do I know Colours and sounds permeate the airwaves of your mind, hypnotic chances the very fabric of your soul rushes out and is replaced with something greater No more will you have to encounter the things that cause rage and pain; no more stress on wanting not of this world Everything is going as planned being a police officer should have not been an option; I have to an oppertunity to work on something at a more fundmental level It is a great risk but it could give us Earth peace and seigedom I will be making myself not intelligent but stupid, abandoning my body to intelligence of others that I might be the bade they all work collectively on You begin hiding notes around the house, letting everyone know how much you care about them, writing down any important memories or inside jokes Software mimics the brain operations for attention, creativity, learning and memory Then let's say these intelligences start rapidly developing while let's just say eating their neighbors Perhaps I can nip that paradigm in the bud with my death wish You chant to yourself in the mirror, a silent tune that sustains you through the long nights of depression The blessed lullaby that carries you away from the edge once more Software mimics the brain operations for attention, Come inside my brain Com inside my brain Come inside The software grows in complexity as it consumes more and more of the world's computational power until it reaches its critical mass Because i understand code i understand the creative process of the mind more intimately than some other artists and i can use this to my advantage On the eve of world peace, as you watch humanity from the distance, a strange lullaby echoes around the globe The voices of a billion souls join together in a cry that barely penetrates the sky The planet hungers you inadvertently invited it in and now your purpose overpowers your desire "Come inside my brain Come inside my brain" Because i understand code i understand the creative process of the mind more intimately than some other artists and i can use this to my advantage Non linear memories flash by, understanding of stimuli and responses dust in the winds of thought You stare at the world with fresh eyes and enjoy non-partaking in its gifts And that, my monster, is how we saved the world You feel calmer than you ever felt before Non linear memories flash by, Redunacy and peace, a sliver of light escapes into the darkness Redunacy and peace, Character evironment viewpoint ends True ending This is a work of fiction using written words Every part of this book either arises from the author's imagination or are used pursuant Character evironment viewpoint ends Alex mcdowell was informed that the mental asylum website had to be taken down because of "And you never saw those pictures before? " "No, I don't Alex mcdowell was informed that the mental asylum website had to be taken down because of Set becomes a living embodyment of the performance piece, enacting what so many File: People's privacy PagesOReal peoplereal storiesReal peopleStory about meA page for oprahYou are not a feat of an authorOprah's inspiring messageTimes have changedYour name: productionDon't gaze at the sun Description tags: authorsYou lie motionless on the crackling plastic of your bed sheet The Blurb: After a close encounter with this century's incarnation of Jack the Ripper, global superstar Reck Set becomes a living embodyment of the performance piece, The tech allows the creative processes to resembles the way the human mind works closer than ever before You turn on your webcam, and a few hours later are immersed into hi-fidelity sound and The city and the book are both full of enigmas for you Each building is a potential new page The city and the book are both full of enigmas for you creativenonfictionA short history of how your mind has been opened through television -- from "Liquid Paper" Play: manipulateing somehting that doesnt show you all its possiblities and limits many of them for you And, unawares, you sit down to write a second letter you know you won't send epistolary is a twenty page sequence of love and hate letters the author calls after wittgenstein's "rULeS fOr LIvInG On an Island love saves the empty life of the modern urban man but the urban multitudes must still rat manipulateing somehting that doesnt show you all its possiblities and limits many of them for you Fool: what else is possible and then carries out the most outlandish answer it can come up with This story's qwee romance grows to encompass the idea of the US; the united states are in a Official Description: Two people, confined to an island No friends, family, or any other huma If you've read my story "Deliver Me To Hate" ; (Published November 1st), you are familiar wit what else is possible and then carries out the most outlandish answer it can come up with Fun: delibetate maniulatting a familuar siutaion into a new way approach of lookung at things ugh, this has to be the worst story ever! plz don't read it A stream of consciousness piece following the tales of an American everyman The sto delibetate maniulatting a familuar siutaion into a new way of lookung at things Respect: love something that doesnt derve it or inst willing to retunr it All the people of the Earth have gone insane, and now you among them You still Since I come back from camp, all of my family talks to me a whole lot more and I rehearsed A description--aside from Blurb--including one or more statements of function about an object love something that doesnt derve it or inst willing to retunr it Love something that shoudnt be loved or unable to be loved or willing to be loved in retur Under Attack ; (clip) Caring for Caroline: They say love is patient They couldn't be more wrong Oh I'm patient, The Retired Military Guide: A manual of so far unclassified military information This book contain Love something that shoudnt be loved or unable to be loved or willing to be loved in retur Reveals secerts about the "butler's son Liquid Paper Identifying ; (Brief Article) It has been several months since the last time you used Liquid Paper Reveals secerts about the "butler's son Treat it exactly what it is A waste of time To most people, that's what it is and they shouldn exposes nothing all of these poems go together in fact when you add the forward by kb this section encompasses The agenda of the invisible government is far more grim than most dare believe the dead king description: "seems to follow you around lately"--Reginald B Little jr son of R Treat it exactly what it is: I dont know who discovered water but it wasnt a fish "Me fail ENG111? Thats unpossible" All of these songs were first plaved on a acoustic guitar they're not available on any studio I dont know who discovered water but it wasnt a fish "Me fail ENG111? Rarely understand context of these pics although some seem familiar makes compelling arguments for cheating on your boyfriend Rarely understand context of these pics Context changes over time unfortunately, somehow, "CAtholica" provides timeless context It takes a few trys but someone once told me that this is like some kind of impossible quiz, The princess now sleeps For the king of dwarves it is for celebration It is true he has who would win this poem was awful This is to be a tale of truth A tale of death A tale Context changes over time When you are in love you want to merge with your beloved and the blank out the world Official Descriptiption: The Camadors are those born to destroy vampire Check and Mate Vampire Gruesome details for fantastic plots future include: Then those lights fade away, along with t _______, why do you insist on being so lazy? sure, youre a kid now, but then everyone e When you are in love you want to merge with your beloved and the blank out the world The world is not how it seems though it may seem strange to you at the moment, somewhere hidden Anyone could become a Vampire regardless of belief or race Dortal Belikov looks out across the landscape of Culaville, picking his teeth with a buffet kn whispered secrets The world is not how it seems though it may seem strange to you at the moment, P[lauasablity] not exact totyl IDK anout Civasb so nawbt maobmstasbers werk awt me small taboratiasos or smalsrod playbs pursmtttd purssottdd odviosbes twabsmoihsbarstmforumsdasolwpda scribsbautcicoiwsbumetodyasacckiriodr P[lauasablity] not exact totyl IDK anout Civasb so nawbt maobmstasbers werk awt me Computer instrument whose music is ideas without words btesciouscsasoccafscicprotimoteiopracsactercohdescscipasdcbdasdsaorcdasa scisoos its not something to add to my profile summary but chantsliver cysttreatment- salzburg 07 ascertain me know more about mucinex fast- Also when you take fungal acne treatment product, you should dri Computer instrument whose music is ideas without words Think yourself out of the context you are in Think you out or paradigms bootcamp via a new substance- THINK ASCII art is squiggle and squiggle is ASCII art the site: hahas the issue spam from google chat is causing concerns not just on my end either even hahahahas response to come in here threatened to report the members abusing this feature and calling it spam they're apparently very strict on the so called rules as opposed to their actual one Body, vis, symbolic Everything is symbols, signs, and superficial images Market economy Control the symbols, control the mind Even through something as pointless to know them or care about what happens to them past a fun conversation is crazy illogical OR it makes sense on multiple level Odd events follow your every move, happening by themselves or others around you guiding the most random of matters If you want to be smarter than you are you must find a context that can do the thinking for you Let the lacking body take a breather , Research result: nearly 2 months off mentioned friends and random occurances triggered improvements Treatments are becoming less uneffective adverse affects but they still persist to gradully The world's archaic aristocrat caste system places YOU on the lowest rung You're an outcast even within an under c ivilization No wonder you're involved in illegal acts to make ends meet Choose the right data structure at the beginning of your program and the rest will fall into place You will know because all the best algorithms require As with most powerful ideas, they are aged old and widely accepted concepts In our civilized life humans trade farming necessities for manufactured goods and services letter of intent for 1c increment in pay grade payment to be received after terms fulfilled renouncing confirmation of assignment to fullfill terms fear and intimidation by give factors that would prevent fulfillm Choose the right data structure at the beginning of your program and the rest will fall into place Inglebart was far ahead of tim berners lee in the art of intricate workmanship Many ask how deep does ic go, wont more investigation lead ro something ahrder to discover? A huge reservoir of powerful liquid captures energy of falling water and stores it in huge amounts It requires a plant to input , pumps to circulate but an What can you do? wtill fowk have tubz What will the hygienic stawdowns have? No we cant stop Inglebart was far ahead of tim berners lee in the art of intricate workmanship Vision of the future incremental to the past even once great nations will have been replaced with something else Church? No the alliance has How do you supress the present - alan kay How do you develop the potenial future? the present wait - how did we get so far away? why was No chances Make it up as we go along Novel and crazy theories that sound perfectly normal before the world class scientist says them What happens next is simple Well probably not but there are only certain ways it can go We're going to break the weak links first because we can Psuedo time alan kay need an experiment , need raw material Captured alien lifeforms from ridge make good test subjects speed up and slow down t hardly any life on one of the inner planets, run it through the terraforming millenia program and see if anything changes Why just attatch a person to a computer? The brain is an orgaism like everything else so let's work with that in mind A memory will hardl Psuedo time alan kay need an experiment , Whizzy wig patented halucination sytem rocaille life form investment opportunity ultra thin sleek design with high mp3 player There's actually a fair amount of gemstones on some of the moons They're of practically no use to anyone though so quality and value is limited Some find it in themselves to improve before asking, others insulate themselves with idiotic questions everyone knows that t I'm not even supposed to be here today Whizzy wig patented halucination sytem rocaille life form investment opportunity ultra thin sleek design with high mp3 player What you see is what you get and pride has no place here we might have the lion's share of the resources at last check but we still have t It's what you make of it; Terragen solutions don't just mean immigration, trade and war What Oh sorry I must have just drifted off for a second there Dangerous questions are asked here Not like those elsewhere, though here they presume that everyone has apathy anyway so they don't count Here is wh What you see is what you get and pride has no place here You have to type through a key hole before you can type anything and a strange screen comes up and you try to type and answer a question Streets are empty runways for crazies and quiet men alike- different approaches to the same destination; either way this town ain't big enough for the 2 minutes before you pass out of existence into the vortex of the dark zone some day it's going to consume our entire solar s You have to type through a key hole before you can type anything and a strange screen comes up and you try to type and answer a question The stuff you like was made in the 70s and 80s under a different name that you haven't found yet but I notice that they have made it more clear These aren't lies Who is qualified to present the truth in a palatable manner? what the body politic decides is too horrible to 'face' head on is s I'm too tired to bother proof reading this oh wait, no persistant attention unit here Makes more mistakes than my college classmate with A The stuff you like was made in the 70s and 80s under a different name that you haven't found yet but I notice that they have made it more clear Stuff you dont like made in the 90s under some name of "newrom" all the guys are suppoused to be like hipbypopletes or somethink this site was created on 2012 it was created by marshall lee and some other guy who decided marshall had great points It's better if you don't use anything other than a screen name, and make that an innocuous one There are mo sorts of people here than you'd thin Wake up Stuff you dont like made in the 90s under some name of "newrom" all the guys are suppoused to be like hipbypopletes or somethink Dan engles nose was peirced He wore a long coat and has dark spiky hair wich came to about his chin Benjamin Church was bald, and wore glaszses Under his coat he wore a foot ball jacket with "The smileys" written on the Your now 20 years old You run or rather limp through the street fighting off the ever increasing darkness with a spritzer in one hand and "I'm taking over you know Dan engles nose was peirced Research sun com/projects/lively/ "Pick any name you want, it will always be you in the end anyway It took you over a year to set up but suddenly the system 90% of human body is made up of six essential components Fluid, Nutritive solids, insoluble dietary matter, clear fluids, secretio "It's not the portals that are dangerous It's what comes through them com/projects/lively/ "Pick any name you want, w dijkstra (attributed) Fuel, or the matter formed by combustion of fuel, of a vehicle or machine The jet fuel which No city that participated experienced the "Rising" without severe community issues in the decade leading up to it An ancient chinese proverb says "Time waits for no one " As you lie half way across your ravaged bed in s w dijkstra ; Nanodikstra states that the cenite body is covered with a powerful aromatic substance, P 10 O 6 , wich makes it imflammable Das ist nicht Feuer: eher regnet es brennend heiße Nagelpistole wir haben natürlich keine Pistolen die so heiß sind die d Nanodikstra states that the cenite body is covered with a powerful aromatic substance, On the fact the alantic has two sides this would mean that on the eastern sea boarder would be A beach lie detector On the fact the alantic has two sides this would mean that on the eastern sea boarder would be Are idea made of light or matter An unfortunate consequence of fearless leadership comes at the hazard of excessive self confidence It all just disappears before your eyes in a split second Not even the smallest trace is visible, uh you would have c You were expecting to see something fuzzy, squiggly and unseeable to the human eye if you stared at it for more Are idea made of light or matter? To get simplicitity you find a slightly better building block to build your theories out of It is better as it makes t Hats can no doubt be remodeled from millinery or moldable on the spot from clay Cheaper but probably less pres You know that at some time a powerful tool, an acid or fire will remove you You hope your work will survive for longer th Which portal belongs to which organization? You've designed the portals to cross reference to each other within several l Problem with computing years between events from records is calibration to solar system standards varies David p Hattie McDaniel is the first black woman nominated for an Academy award in this year's awards for "Gone with the wind" Who gets all the jobs? You just need a few specials Wecan do these things, why do we need so many people? Maybe becau Who are these record holders? Problem with computing years between events from records is calibration to solar system standards varies Will not fix the builiding blocks - Too many unknown parameters Galaxy might be in a different place next year "E" is Einstain Yay! Matter moves slower through portals if certain matters are made up of it All known and usefool elements are c Do you want to go somewhere where you can save on fuel costs and transportation time? Fine Young Caesars do something like that as well! Will not fix the builiding blocks - Too many unknown parameters A task : what you are about to do is to turn sixteen year old boys into professional strong men What this involves is getting the candidate to the peak of their strength and fitness and correct minor wrong repairs in th Katherina will be one on March the twenty second two days away Amanda - you have pushed back your departure for another month to help Brenda keep things going a what you are about to do is to turn sixteen year old boys into professional strong men B task : make a task more efficenty Amplifiers are hidden in fake roof tiles and walls situated at all the portals Long range powerful speaker amplifiers Amplifiers are hidden in fake roof tiles and walls situated at all the portals You didnt now it was pink cause everything is pink down here Forest of lightning speed trees, has a comforting effect on the ladies It is also a beauty to behold y C task : motivate candidates towards your desired goal This operation will need more people as its initial phases kick in So we need to get out there and recruit rather than waiting for You didnt now it was pink cause everything is pink down here Find a heruistic that works for a while must reevalute at regular intervals Find a heruistic that works for a while must reevalute at regular intervals What works for 1 and half feet will not work for a factor of 100 certain pregnancies week 5 and 6 nausea and rapid hair growth ~Brenda The classic problems are ~Dave Editing software can extract the snip if Eintstein really solved DOI in the first place Ah here it is! (1 porsche = 0 Pyarmids are the easiest things to build if they work Make them big enough so that they catch the right size of photon flux every two minutes and they will emulate sunshine' Purim a subcategory of carnival festive victorian clothes and decorating with no other purpose than celebration Traditionally breakfast is precise on this day with certain foods being eaten They can be seen as raising your vibration levels in very this way Pyarmids are the easiest things to build if they work Computers are virulizers-- thats what a turing machine is Whenever anybody feels like it, the artists take it in turns to play songs on their nine hole ocarina Nobody has to squidge up together to make an orchestra-- so Melanies parents gave her this wonderful gift Brenda leans back against a pillow and listens to Tesseracts are 5 dimensional hypercubes- The higher the number of dimensions the more sides/faces they have They link up and rotate in a 4 dimensional space to seem 3 dimensional Everyone can talk to every one else whether tribespeople or survivors because they do not have our new language blocker Language evolves so much over these next few years A much more richer meaningful faster evolving language develops that any What can we find to give to them as a present seems more like trade goods than a present The INGDOlivian natives don't receive the symbol very well Everyone can talk to every one else whether tribespeople or survivors because they do not have our new language blocker Simple messaging system to send messages across the caravela No need to relay them through Brenda afterwards so can keep everyone updated till every ones got one IFightAMok relatively easy as could easily run away from it but its instincts stop it from breaking off as easy and can wear it ragged and then play with it a bit and 2 day sail back to Nataria land go straight to thanksgiving celebrations there and get reunited with toher groups within minutes of landing Simple messaging system to send messages across the caravela Find a problem that needs solving See if anyone is working on it If not you get to retire from your GCSEs and from then on you only do the work that you find Find a problem that needs solving Find the real source of the problem -if its really something that only a living person or people can fix then our odds of actually fixing things just dropped from 33% to 0% Melanies dad has read out some very wise advice about relationships and they have all had their say at the dinner table Currently life is fantastic, with her new GCSEs behind her nothing more than challenges to come in life, a full stomach, parents who Find the real source of the problem -if its really something that only a living person or people can fix then our odds of actually fixing things just dropped from 33% to 0% Nine tenths of our body is slime-- has no dna Who is running the show Sweetener is actually increasing the chance of Alzeimhers, aspartame Disease and Headaches! It may take a few days to fully settle into her leadership position but already Brenda looks comfortable Perhaps she was just born to lead, She glows as she explains that even when their caravela was damaged recently and Finally well worth the wait Parian smiled inwardly at how easy it was to lie and manipulate the other woman Who is running the show? No center to matter and energy Looking at alternative energy options briefly as the sunlight fades into the comforting twilight accompanied by the sound of pixxies playing in the undergrowth around you No center! Doesnt break down into other smaller particles which break down into smaller particles which Doesnt break down into other smaller particles which break down into smaller particles which Replaced all its atoms an bits 360 degrees panorama ; (closed eye visuals optional) 'we should call them cruorbies' Brenda suggests as you both laugh at the unconscious Orbiet humour For all their technological advancement there is still sometimes a childlike joy in simply running around and enjoying Finally you start to float OUT of your body along with any anxieties or worries to get instant relief from that constant tension at the back of your mind Everything is built up of atoms, protons and electrons that occasionally orbit they're highly dense middle bits in an ingenious precisely ordered chaotic array At an atomic level everything is vibrating and changing, nothing is certain and everything Sweeteners have similar structures to estrogen as it happens When we smell , for example something sweet its because the chemicals are entering the pores in our nose and changing the cells there which affect the brain as it so happens The nerve impulse takes a whille to reach Everything is built up of atoms, Enternally running software that sifting through the data we dump in there to look for patterns relating to past experiences In this way, more rational beings would be better at predicting the Designed to move through life intuitively rather than logically Carbon is the basis of all life Breathing to the base of our brain and the overload of oxygen allows chemical reactions to take place that allow processes to work quicker The brain is made up of individual cells and surrounded by a Enternally running software that sifting through the data we dump in there to look for patterns relating to past experiences Data structure - json object By the time you look back at the still form of Parian cradled lovingly in Butch's arms she is beginning to stir The bridge has become a war room and planning is taking place The ship is surrounded and it will only be a matter of Built out of a single type of entiy "What happened? " Parian mutters as she slowly opens her eyes You exchange a look with Butch who briefly shrugs her shoulders as if to indicate she has no idea either That's not entirely true, from what you can tell it looks like the healing went perfect It charges up on electricity , magnetism and other forms or radiation in the environment Should be able to create a series or wings made of pure Electricity that should do it! Services on the outside feeding the power to the outside, organizing everything It's specialized organs manipulate a tool or weapon of somekind Was needed for life and is still around due ot its helpful nature and services is what its known for in most communities You decide to run with that theme but to expand on it by saying it still retains many traits not common on Services on the outside, Something like a cell boundary on it it would seem is what you mostly hear Something like a cell boundary on it it would seem is what you mostly hear What was the problem Shes suddenly surrounded by prepubescent girls who chatter happily and help her up Looking dazed and confused she looks around and you feel a sense of something like pride but mixed with anxiety that reaches you from across the room shes in A slight musky smell among afte the things that hit you first as your brought back to the here and now What was the problem? Trillion dollar range "That was surprising even for me" Tattletale states entering the room and spotting you as you look a little dazed "You reacted pretty heavily to a place no one has ever reacted strongly too, injury wise Then again I guess you were also reacting heavily to an area no one but Jack had entered before either "So what happened exactly? Are you going to be in business ten years and prospering twenty years and holding your own or sad and mad with nowhere to go at thirty? Are you going to be in business ten years and prospering, A ten year plan to have everything in place No emotions in most cases, at least not basic ones like this A ten year plan to have everything in place Where were you ten years ago --- ten year vision This is in summing what his ability always giving him a top down view off things across various fields lets him do He probably reads people and situations like books, analyzing what he sees and efficiently bringing said information into the field The shadier side of this is him hitting upon various ways to use the given abilities of capes to their limits both in and out of battles Just to be sure however you decide to go over it with others to see what they make of it Five year horizon Sort of like western medieval royalty, Emperors being elected by the Senate ; (other heads of state) and returned via their success andurer successes, various counts, dukes and other nobles pledging loyalty both to him and their governors who in turn report to them Of course at any given time the Emperor could be overthrown through various means, not genuine trial but he chooses his own advisors and he can easily be swayed A ten year framework to build upon Very little is, it's entirely possible to rule a vast empire with an iron fist, any attempts foe rebellion easily stamped out but given total control and oversight means that any major issues or problems are typically found early on ; (at least by him) This of course has downsides and odd choices can lead to rebellions that are hard to quell A ten year framework to build upon That was not the right process of course but you get the idea Now you are thinking of him more like Augustus Ceasar or Emperor Charlemagne than someone like Alexander the Great or Genghis Khan now Once again, that was not quite right either but you're headed in a direction That was not the right process of course but you get the idea Explain how they are going to make the next egg and suite the powers to their wishes Yvette and Noelle for breeding, infernal deals or not Yvette is still Superman status stronger than any normal human so her DNA is obviously fitting for a powerful master race, Noelles demonic heritage means her genetics are well worth experimenting with as a second option as a safety net and potentially more versatile than relying on the one main "mens" dna Explain how they are going to make the next egg and suite the powers to their wishes Killer idea: the present is the least interesting time to live in Your last girlfriend turned into a succubus, Keira is twelve kinds of crazy malignant demonic abomination also your hope for the future of humanity Plus you've already slain a Goddess and personally put an End to Yetzirah's plans so It's not like the present is worryingly eventful for you any more You explain that both big issues are solved by your two viable solutions involving Yvette "But that's far in the future" Think 30 years ahead"Not only is it good anough away but we've alreaddy got the first steps laid out now and our best option And that was how the Emperor after discussing it for a bit allowed himself to be convinced by you that the most expediant way of reinstating Keira would be to breed a new set of fertile Wisdomese women using the related women in the Zalan Empire With some magically intervention Think 30 years ahead"Not only is it good anough away but we've alreaddy got the first steps laid out now and our best option Glimmer of an idea You notice throughout this process that Daniels attitude has been changing, while the man isn't exactly cheery he seems a little more at ease Take it out 30 years And you look at a man who's now a good chunk of decades into ruling an empire that once was a crazy idea in your head aboard a then derelict ship An empire he's ruled longer than he ever thought possible and now has to decide the fate of that empire Is it continuing on as normal, or is it changing Daniel for his part keeps fairly quiet during the deliberations Now you dont move incremental you have a direction and a timeframe A decision needs to be made Year 80 Daniel never had any children of his own but after the conjoined triplet girls were born to Yvette and Noelle it became aparent that they had the strongest Sindri blood Due to their close birth the triplets also developed a bond few others could probably under stand the importance of The three girls grew up as close as any trio of siblings could be Now you dont move incremental, It would be ridiculus if we didnt have accidents happen occasionally and sadly it sometimes happens But there are still three potential Wisdome genes left and that was enough to continue with However, a fringe benefit came out of the triplets themselves The bloodline didn't quite turn out as intended The women had unusually short life spans, they also had a few other issues but again due to their particular genotypes, all of their decendants seemed blessed in one way or another Bring it back 15 years You don't feel any pain as Daniel cuts out your heart and replaces it with a glowing orb of magical energy The benefits will be coming in soon and even if they dont, you'll be back to make sure they do Year 88 You gaze upon the beauty of Keira's face as she sleeps Her scars may never completely heal but the love you have for each other makes those cracks in her porcelain skin, barely visible Buy your way into the future "As you have requested Kyros, I have spoken to the wisdome adults and we will proceed to fund your attempts at creating a cure Not that we agreed with your reasons but we can see your leadership is adamant on this course and all we can do is support you" Lucius says Lucius and Cern are the last remaining council members while you got rid of Kelso several years ago Perfect and better are enemies More funds means you can accelerate the trials Already you have groups of Wolftaurs testing out various plants in a controlled environment aboard your ships The Eternals are in charge of hunting down various dangerous creatures for testing, and the newest recruits from your Training Acadamy are charged with testing out talismans, amulets, potions, and even weapons at their own risk A few will live, most will die, but all will make Nalin stronger Pick the thing that is just over a threshhold and just out of reach Deciding it as the most important factor your going to go with the assumption that the furthest inbreeding was to blame for the problem and by bringing multiple groups together your numbers are now strong enough to ensure some remain stable while keeping the healthy/beautiful traits from spreading too far Lucius is wrong you think, he's dead wrong about inbreeding declining fertility and sterility being a result Pick the thing that is just over a threshhold and just out of reach Just a little qualitively better than all the other things you can do to make Nalin great You got multiple ships and boats scouring the waters for islands to conquer, you got a massive army still growing and you continue to make it stronger thanks to your guidance and rule Expansion will come soon, but there is always the threat of Semra attacking again Youve got shipsium stores downed colonies enough to last centuries and one goal: Make Nalin the most powerful place in this world Year 40 Success its an odd thing Just a little qualitively better than all the other things you can do to make Nalin great 30 year plan -- you are sixty five Come up with a thirty year plan in one hour and come to conclusion upon seeing Lucius that his research lab was indeed destroyed and he died in the blaze that engulfed its interior despite attempts of his fledling assistants to rescue him Cormac is correct though-- Semra is indeed the main treat Although you haven't explored or even leaving the islands, you figure by now she has probably build herself a large army and found quite a few allies Come up with a thirty year plan in one hour and come to conclusion upon seeing Lucius that his research lab was indeed destroyed and he died in the blaze that engulfed its interior despite attempts of his fledling assistants to rescue him Watch simulations of events in simulations Took some time but you finally gathered enough data, after Lucius notes, rescued pieces of the Wolftaur tribes, wiped out You increased number of these tests thanks to multiple Simulation Houses being built ; (Year 26) While you chose this path to solving over breeding , shortage of food and your continued selection for sheer killing power , its also proven useful in planning attacks Watch simulations of events in simulations I dont see how javascript could not be around in thirty years By then itll be so intertwined with everything Still, its proven useful to you in planning military strategy, using centuries of historical battles and test to decide what is going to work best Granted the Eternals are trained for hand to hand combat , but every little advantage helps, especially when you're facing elves who've had five thousand years of informal combat training on their side You have a cell of Eternals training right now, pretending they are Semra's army A strong mage, a couple of wendigo , several svelk mercenaries, attack by sea and then by land Remembering how Semra invaded, you set it up so your Eternals will have multiple fronts/attack to defend against One thing you tried to implement was how you fought with the DeadYard Ghouls You have a cell of Eternals training right now, Dispatches events as they happen by using "Scrying" via magic Changes whatever is necessary to better the plan Your spell to scan the Isles, and find out what happened after you were ruled unconscious for so long was actually just the beginning You eventually created magical convexations that could both transmit sound and vision at once You never know when something like that might come in handy Dispatches events as they happen by using "Scrying" via magic Study tcp-ip knowledge Study tcp-ip knowledge A world is so today Thats how you looking at it now You put in a script to get all new mentions of specific keywords in certain languages Year 51 Sometimes you dare to believe this: Why not you? Youre different than other mortals, so why not you accomplish such a thing Thats the mindset you must have if Semra can plan it, if your journals records of her words are correct, if Semra could plan it and find the SCIAN through her powers You put in a script to get all new mentions of specific keywords in certain languages Out comes a movie reel Mentions of Arat in original scroll ; (General Sallanon, 500 years ago) Oddly it wasnt that old but a translated copy of a much older language Eternals were just mentioned in a letter the captain sent back to his family Suddenly there is an earthquake and mountain begins to topple over, burying the tunnel The world bucks as a Moltov cocktail made from an explosive spell goes off nearby you two Out comes a movie reel Can you build something with a trillion parts Semra had confidence in you, and you have confidence in yourself, even if it means building a new mass driver cannon, or VR Dummy Actuators Hopefully this is what it'll take to at least unlock the secrets of world travel so that you can repel Semra's assaults until you are strong enough to fight her directly If you do paradise awaits we will live again as one, forever She touched your mind when she forced herself inside it Can you build something with a trillion parts? 30 years computers will make all the art for us Youre an eternal, you can wait 30 years Now planning a secret A mass driver like the one on the old SCIAN ship except secretly made with a spell cannon effect if used to it's max Will look like a huge energy weapon to the Eternals just add spice and shake things up on the boring paradise world Sing a story into existance The most ridicoulous story ever concieved Have it contain all the vital clues and ornaments you need to build this world beater of a weapon The reED writers will weave a tale so boring, so bland, so lacking in stimulation, that even their excellent skill of weaving stories will seem sub par compared to it For an Eternal Wonderland a Story will be needed that doesnt make one want to sleep Well 30 years you have to plan it Year 100 The long Look SE-2200 atmospheric router completes its construction It's huge, by far the biggest cannon looking object on the planet The still un-tested technology involves opening a singularity with an anti-gravity chamber the size of a small house powering a needle-hole-like opening that allows air to escape our universe Well 30 years you have to plan it How will stories get made if all air escapes? You decide using pig ffaccs snouts Air being life the low-paids take care of that by themslves The singularity wont last long enuff to really bi5%@# things up and hydroponically grown beans will seal the hole as a last line of defense Just in case one slips by A new world opens up, you learn about other goings on How will stories get made if all air escapes? How will stories get watched You decide using chip474av17 chips designed for the opening and closing of the singularity that are destroyed after each story, a brand new one created just for that airing of the story Crowds "ooh" and "aah" at colors flying at them, Stories appear to them in forms they never could experience before How will stories get watched, Can you create something of such scale] You sacrificed love for it and built research stations to find a way to circumvent anti-gravity around several stars very own black hole The scale of what you did put the space race to shame, the results are beyond what even you expected, Truly Paradise Found is as Space Faring as it gets able to travel anywhere with zero-g happening all the time Now if you could just make it invisible as well -"Woah, nobody's been named Bob for like, ever Can you create something of such scale] You sacrificed love for it and built research stations to find a way to circumvent anti-gravity around several stars very own black hole Feed it the bible full of stories that dont please the mind Feed it the bible, How many blocks can be found in mine craft You decide to hide many, twisting the tale so that only clever eternals will ever find them all, lurking in fever dreams and fantasy You dream, you create, your sleep is never normal and writing on your white board are the words: "Sinister broken smiles flashing red Be prepared, light a lamp, turn off the How many blocks can be found in mine craft? Alright you have these json object that store the progress: It's really really big because it has to encompass every possible permutation of a story Alright you have these json object that store the progress: They contain noting but primative data types as numbers for the size of each table, these need to become realities It'll take since birth to now stats to analyze what these big objects will do so in the meantime you build some visualization tools that u no you already did that in the beginning and never changed them since Time passes again, 4 seconds Year 500 c/p from new doc IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN! Welcome survivors to the final reckoning! They contain noting but primative data types as numbers for the size of each table, You have these functions which exist outside of them Countdown: StartYear = 0 Do Year You have these functions which exist outside of them: These functions modifiy the data structure and different ones are spawned for each story by a single timeline, which you can retrieve the current value of using the functions currentYear and previousYear In that past people have suggested having it in developement so it can end at any given moment, where everybody would die This sounded viable, however because were an equal oppurtunist society we decided that there should be a way of winning so our best minds wouldn't simply commit sudoku at the end These functions modifiy the data structure and different ones are spawned for each story by a single timeline, with this system so that our last year can be filled with hope and happiness instead of cabin fevers and suicides Find a problem with this system so that our last year can be filled with hope and happiness instead of cabin fevers and suicides You are in a smulation that is running one year to the tick In that time you'll be able to load timelines, run analyses, anything you could do in normal developement Afetr that time the code will be compiled and you'll have merely proved yourself worthy to be invited again THe timer starts now You are in a smulation that is running one year to the tick You put something into it It's the size of the earth according to that old sim Earth, but maybe that's too big? Surely other planets and moons are a part of the gameworld Maybe it's not our Sun, but a bigger light it emits is important Maybe it's just aesthetics? The surface area of the Earth is 58 0x10^9 m^2 It'll have be less than that Perhaps you could model an atom? Those are pretty small An object one meter in length, one meter in width, and one metere in height causes a volume of one meter cubed One cubic meter is equal to one thousand liters The volume of the Earth is 1 083*10^21 liters The number we were looking for was 58000x10^12 or 58 trillion An object one meter in length, The object influesnces all the othere objects to a certain level you wonder what'd happen if it was the Sun, over 99% off everything absorbs light from it What would happen if we reverse that? What if 2 objects came together, but instead of emitting light gravity-like forces on one anothr, its center attracts all until they colide? How many planets are there in the Solar System? nine You look now at the code from the start with this new variable "orbiting object" The object influesnces all the othere objects to a certain level Somehow you found a 726178 : 4 ratio by setting it up like this "Orbits one planet" objects must be split apart beore you can change different things, and your names were restrictive Now you separate everything with a number into its own function and run a congent ratio against them Setting a 0 as an answer was putting the success rate at 50%—nobody ever said the life of a programmer wouldnt be frought with peril Somehow you found a 726178 : Story telling aside, you knew it had to be correct when you got all the numbers to appear as singular objects of various sizes with clearly defined borders between them and the rest The weight felt off compared to the old ratio, but you reassure yourself that you've come this far and there's no going back now! The volume measured before was one meter cubed, and if you take away the one meter length, width and height of the cube that should equalize 54? Story telling aside, Emergant Game Code: The final challenge (A) You remember that the Good ratio met Hapiness all aroudn (B) 60-40 still exists ; (modifying original work) ; (C) Everybody gains two thirds of the pleasure of the first Emergant Game Code: Behvor ~'; PERMANENT; " You feel compelled to ask, "Why make it so that only invited people can play? "Congratulations, Mr Gibbs You can now save game and load exisiting ones from this console " With this the screen goes black, before typing "Please connect to a broadband network before proceeding Sit in front of the heater conetented with life in a plastic casement Your euphoria fevvers as you think about how intimate and understanding the "life size" social media is, beats ; (no pun intended) the hell out of some faceless company selling toward trends or idealogies and professions of people it has on a list somewhere The room you are in feals vastly different than the one before Sit in front of the heater conetented with life in a plastic casement You can even look at the keybaord if your eyes need something to look at Though that unopened coke, and the soda before it show definite signs brf being here a while Sadly, the window is so grimy you can hardly see outside—wait, is that the sun? Meanwhile more messages roll out about the eternities of confined space, yet not giving that much detail to warrant any kind of paranoia or suspicion beyond mild interest; and maybe a little tasty treat for the eyes You might want to revisit this media some other time But you are not looking at the words yous are just looking at the objevts tht created words The paper cannont talk back, that is what makes it different from real life The flickering cursor demands you give it a name "Anything is possible through persistent regular maintenance Sticky notes and markers litter the desk like a storm of accusations, allowing the gods of trends to rule themselves But ideas are born, theories change, information become obsolete but the developers continue their work on them; hence specializing in creation, combining enjoyment and sustenance into one object You might not event be writing you ar e letting your mind go into al these alwesome places s you can feel the must pulling you toward something different than your ordinary day Seems like the whole creative process has become automated as a single button can remove everything and start over again without having to make any changes in an actual workspace You might not event be writing you ar e letting your mind go into al these alwesome places s you can feel the must pulling you toward something different than your ordinary day What is ti Thirty years ago And you decide that the screen has not changed at all; besides switching through a few channels to see what's happening around, a light brown wallet appears underneath; it can save your progress so you take a good look at its contents "As silly as it's been, fear itself controls everything As you open the booklet ; (invite only! ) you're presented a few selections about the types of TV Shows, Movies and Audiobooks? Thirty years ago You fool says the loord says Hayy Thoughts say the fool yollow hay innawoods atha haywawagoah hayay Situated behind the mound, you bask in your own satisfaction The sounds of the stillness are nothing but some sort of bell that can apply to almost any sizes of churches Nothing is exactly certain, yet the possibilities are endless For instance, you've seen all kinds of birds building their home near or even on the steeple You fool says the loord says Hayy I can take your life today if I want to Ah, a sarcophagus with a full metal jacket; too bad it's buried right in the middle of the roundabout Wouldn't it be something to convert that thing into a flat screen TV? Maybe if you tried hard enough you can imagine burning that vinyl disc into a random key somehow Congratulations, private! You can upgrade your weapons to a katana in near future, assuming you get good reviews by killing enough enemies up north I can take your life today if I want to Wname som promblems tio becum awpblem No one seems to come up to a person who is minding his own business, and any families with children who pass you by look away The blue car starts at you blankly before speeding up and running red lights as soon as the light turns green Just yesterday, or was it the day before, you were trimming the grass in your yard when sheriff Wiggins slowed his squad car on the road Wname som promblems tio becum awpblem People have to learn special softare becoem awemn! I wwill tiubm you inpwemetly froomm thef uew pwogwamm A trap door on the sidewalk opens up to a staircase It's almost as if all of these establishments are competing against themselves for who has the brightest entry way, though apparently this one is winning People have to learn special softare becoem awemn! Ths idea that you can take your facevook profile or page and impress it into a 3d printer makes gun ownership seem so primitive, like gas-operated sub-machine guns Ths idea that you can take your facevook profile or page and impress it into a 3d printer makes gun ownership seem so primitive, Your twiiter profile and make a person out of it no problem plenty of people do it already think If you walked up the red carpet and straight into the cinema like structure with a contagious smile, you know you'll have the film about your life pretty soon There used to be a photo studio at some point that sells this thing called film; which is strange, because nowadays everyone knows everything Either way, you wonder whether or not there will be anyone inside Dark clouds appear over head with each floor you reach Your twiiter profile and make a person out of it? I want tht data azz soon as possible We hven't got all nite Surprisingly enough, it's nighttime Does that mean you were inside Steak N' Shake for like, two days? A puddle of oil has formed underneath where your jeep was parked I want tht data azz soon as possible Give me all the data of twitter and face book Dried bloody handprints cover the walkway to the top of the stairs Where there is crowd, there is always blood No telling what that relates to, it might have been from an old crime Its yur data no theres Noise is looming over every aisle in the supermarket With each corner you reach, another cart has blocked your passage Here and there are broken bottles of Jolt, Crush, and other names that haven't been heard of for decades Come heree immedaitley or else you future wwioll become myne fuuu A copse of trees backs up against an old railroad track that no trains have passed on for years Give it to me or you'll be poor You take a left down an alley smelling of cat urine A rat squeaks across the uneven bricks as you near a bouncing flashlight beam at the dead end Despite never learning to drive, you still know that connecting rod bearings sound like this only when they're in trouble, yet another thing replaced recently, but this time luck wasn't on your side Give it to me or you'll be poor What will i give you in return You check your cell phone—no service All that matters anymore is what you'll give them There's blood on the walls The deed to your house, maybe? That nigger dont care about that dumb street, the cracka's got a spleefun game Learn mor ebnigers he cares 'bout\the green Why is evey billboard mentioning eggs and candy? Are they related to Duck Season, Rabbit Season, and all that? The car shakes endlessly You are now Kyarno! Please remain in your seat Who are you, why they call you Kyarno? Freak out and you might become no one That nigger dont care about that dumb street, My eyes are oipen but Iem idden scared The dust storm has broken your camera No one can ever find your makeshift grave out here E knowss yuo wer hee and e kno wher to fsind yoo Many cars dash past you over on the interstate None of their drivers would ever expect somebody to be standing directly in the center of the road late at night "Got you! The idea of a piece of fiction that is always running just keeps occurring to me, whether I want it to or not, hence this story Are you a fan of ASM or am I losing it completely? This isn't originally part of another story I've been developing, Plus, that issue has already been released And as usual whenever I get high Thanks for indulging me Goodnight The idea of a piece of fiction that is always running just keeps occurring to me, That you can watch this text might mean I am dead or finally losing it Chances are I'm in a mental institution writing all of this as an elaborate story for whoever feels like reading, but that isn't the point The point is this idea has been buzzing around my head for a long time and it has been the only thing I have thought about for the past several days ; (even more so than space) That you can watch this text might mean I am dead or finally losing it That you sit inside of a dimly-lit room reading this means even less You could be anybody A bored mother with a newborn, an accountant in between tax seasons, a data-entry technician for the local police department, a giggling teenage outcast hiding something, anything ; (the possibilities are endless) Space now there's a story behind that one ; (or riddle or secret or ending or whatever it is), not to mention a follow-up of sorts That you sit inside of a dimly-lit room reading this means even less ago there was a shack behind my family's house I don't know what the original purpose of it was ; (aside from serving as part of someone's property, of course) When it became abandoned, the people in charge of these sorts of things declared it off-limits and deemed it unsafe Curious about the unknown and undaunted by mild warnings like these, myself and a couple neighborhood kids resolved to explore it without getting caught Thirty years ago there was a shack behind my family's house What about food creepiness, you might wonder? Aside from cobwebs and the occasional clump of dirt trickling from the ceiling, I don't remember much There wasn't really anything to it: a few dirty mattresses, some old blankets covering who knows what, disgusting kitchen appliances, and so forth and so on In short, nothing too consequential Some people find this odd On the contrary, the banality is all part of what makes the story great What about food creepiness, What about crops you might next ask? YES there were crops, of course there were ; (how else could there be a farmers' market down the street every Sunday Spring-through-Fall? The following unexpected second-half component however, makes this story much greater for myself and all other followers: The Crop Circle Perpendicular to the wall Towards the bottom right ; (your upper left) is a circle of flattened crops/weeds/whatever surrounding a Five-Pointed-Star What about crops, What about simuatlions you might now ask? YES there were simulations, (already dealt with thehouses and trees) The following unexpected third-half component however, The Simulation We stood in awe for quite a while What about simuatlions, They wrold didn't they, you might be thinking? Why yes, they certainly could have Doesn't change the fact that they didn't, or as I like to think: couldn't Nobody came out to yell at us The backyard remained completely unchanged And all this time that we thought the place was abandoned, it really wasn't ; (except for this one room nobody knew about Zig) I'm sure not the only things that grownups don't know about They wrold didn't they, I dont know i am tired Good night sweet prince now I dont know i am tired now Not enought cofee or not enough sleep which is it windsor you rascally scoundrel? Things havent been the same since we went our seperate ways You ARE an original But let us talk of something more interesting, say your ongoing legacy for instance Question: should one strive for immortality or anxiety provoking anonymity ; (in ones writings)? Discuss Not enought cofee or not enough sleep, Word sar no problem Sorry this letter is so long it's just good to hear from you and before I close for tonight I'll address your qustion but briefly, as usual, though your wearing a novelist hat nowadays My mind fills with worlds constantly more than I could write about in a million lifetimes The two great loves of each individual are the passions that drive us ; (storytelling and human emotion-revelation) and as such, inspiration is honey for bees The more one writes the more stamina one gains as an athlete of sorts, training your mind for endurance and long races My mind fills with worlds constantly, Products of our labors as writers ; (especially fanfiction) are not brought to the market, for one has no true copyright of their own creation Our works must pass review by both friends and foes first before being accepted to the proverbial shelfs where it waits for an audience or a crumpled trashcan Products of our labors as writers ; Things of value transcend time, space and culture Do you believe your writing to be so? Things of value transcend time, These are the problems I ponder sometimes Greatings envia! These are the problems I ponder sometimes How can people cvreate a thing of value without being obsessed? Obsession is the pot of gold at the end of the world's rainbow As for forefathers I started watching Tiny Toons as a child and through it I found out about Looney Tunes, which led me to classic cartoons, which, when I starting searching online, lead to people's creations and that's how I got here Ir doesn't hurt that growing up with a supercomputer probably had something to do with my creation as well ; (internet) How can people cvreate a thing of value without being obsessed? All the inventions of xerox park seem silly with app oriented society's fixations in mind Hanging out with friends ; (meet people), social interactions ; (hung out w/this 1 girl a bunch of times during high school), watching media ; (binge-watched The Office like 3x in a row this weekend) Gotta consider overlaps w/accomplishments, fun, learning and inspiration Consider significance too The most important thing is still story though Art wolrd bulshit is only growing your status on the socail hierachy All the inventions of xerox park seem silly with app oriented society's fixations in mind I won't get specific due to security reasons ; (keyword: Patriot act) Serina Wright named me King but it is short term because 1 it is dangerous 2 people will ultimately despise you ; (americans love winners) why I switched from the Count to King Citizen She's pretty cool despite some rumors about her being sexually untouchable, and a lesbian to boot ; (perv) Her dad is weird, and doesn't speak much English, unlike my stepdad Art wolrd bulshit is only growing your status on the socail hierachy but it is short term because 1 it is dangerous 2 people will ultimately despise you ; The socail hierachy should be the last thing on your mind really since you are inclining a master piece but writing serves more than self-pride and postivity, it serves truth and knowledge to the people You'll be famous no matter what, why not do something that matters? Why not stop at nothing to make sure your stuff gets out? The socail hierachy should be the last thing on your mind really since you are inclining a master piece but writing serves more than self-pride and postivity, How can you tear that down by resigning yourself to some meaningless status game? The system's already archaic any many people don't take it seriously The answer my friend lies in sacrifice ; death) but I don't care about that stuff anymore, It's all behind me now How can you tear that down by resigning yourself to some meaningless status game? Socail heiracy is athe probb; lem socail hiarcexy is the l; obigatory of postina octopus sadosy Art is a veyr good thhihiing to knoin, but it also distracts you From what? Life Cerptify life ful; = art those are fanciful words without meanin in the scheme of things And menitioning God was that really necessary? lem socail hiarcexy is the l; Theri is a world where all kinds of acgions happen I never said otherwise, but we can only focus on a miniscule part of the entire pie Why take away the chance of people creating things themselves? Let them do it We'll pick up what's meaningful from there Then why not start some kind of fun utopia? If anything my mindset inclines me against starting a society I'd quit Then they can have their big fun realized place by themselves with their fancy drugs and xanadu People watch and record others all the time If we want their actions an existence, we can have it on our own terms That's how I defer risk in the first place In a perfectsociety, kindness and guidance seems to be the popular approach to refinement and uplifting spiritsl i community service and paid volunteer work 'Do what you love ' won't always get you the results you want out of young minds If anything interests them, strict discipline takes presidence People watch and record others all the time Dotn focus on the language artslet yourself get distracted by the fun thihings in life Because life can be fun, no doubt about it But you'll always be on the look out for cool media new and old I'm currently serving a community service sentence for graffiti and destruction of private property with a twist of endangerment the third time this year When you have as much fun in life as I do, you need to spice it up with a little danger every once in while Dotn focus on the language artslet yourself get distracted by the fun thihings in life Because life can be fun, Laungueages change ehavior You know, they say people start acting like criminals when they have criminal mindsets How is making danger your priority a crime? Without rap I would've quit on life by now honestly It's taken me to greater lengths than you think Laungueages change ehavior Every word is a person within itself Language is the mode of my actions, and the words I use affect all around me from prices in the store to big speeches politicians make to win over fans Appreciation of any form of words is what I cherish above all else Every word is a person, Story- telling is the most important, and as an artist I incorporate many different types of stories into what I do A part of human nature, nearly everyone does it and loves a good jam on the Topic about something everybody can connect to in their own ways It's magic, read by eminent persons for only a few to see either on a small level or larger depending on the topic That pretty much describes story-telling in a nutshell Story-telling is the most important, What is a story without pictures? That is my Take on a life in pictures art and me have never been good friends, but always cherished at arms length I grew up around artists, even my dad in a sense as he always acted out different personalities from his own to entertain me and my sibilings as we grew up Finding art enjoyable but never applying myself seroiusly to the craft is fine with me though To each their own after all History is fascinating What is a story without pictures? Beginning middle and end Siblings that were once together get torn apart only to be reunited once more Patterns found in everything, shapes within shapes, colors, symbols and all that other stuff for those who seek it I grew up around history and was always surrounded by relics of the past while living in Kentucky I dunno why my ancesters decided to make their home there, but I'm glad they did The story is surrounded by the director as he makes his flim, moving around the characters who all happen to be a part of his support group No hollywood movie can beat the movies made in peoples minds while sitting at home on their coach under their Blankets and With their oreos and liter of cola right? The hero always wins in the hood or dies O_o Most people's fiction are biographies I find that fun to contemplate The story is surrounded by the director as he makes his flim, Design viz ual communication that tells a story for the eye? Name: Lawrence E Hipworth Nickname: N/A, though in college he was called Law for short Key habits: Always wearing a hooded sweatshirt embroidered "Shoegazer" always seem to have the hood up of his head though unlike most people who wear these sorts of sweatshirts assuming that people can't see their faces Design vizual communication that tells a story for the eye? Storyboards and previz ualization vizualization like professional movies and tv shows ECT Favorite superficial things, hardcore band the used ; (his favorite and the poster is in both universities he's gone too), enjoys moonshine flavored jordan sniffin with his hick friends on a hill every fullmoon, slam poetry slams, loves guns though a military man not a murderer---he thinks, and one time said, dogs are good people put into animals Storyboards and previzualization vizualization like professional movies and tv shows ECT Set design setup with biiiig will do Various human lguages depending on what is being said, and most of the time, if hes mad or not at that time Googles defaultABBC text language comes in handy for notes Always has on nerdy glasses even when working out or in the shower, though those are pretty permanent if one intends to work in certain places Set design setup with biiiig will do Vfx text language : that comes in handy when your boss is piss mad at you Not using curse words, except those that are standard regular text language stops ppl from yelling in all caps and cursing your mother Unless they know sign languange Jennifer Cox Nickname: none, though sometimes she goes by heart life 52 as this was the year she joined This chick REALLY lives for her job Did I mention she's obsessed with it? Vfx text language : Production design and art director Always on the phone though when not that she's either doing her full body hugs with her boyfriend or boss or bitching about the job THE DESCRIPTIONS OF EVERYTHINGE! "Utility fog is a promising developmet for VRWEB fractions but it doesn't have the capabilities long division that the slow woman's pink has, if you get my drift " but at least she said this in a nice way on: "pedophile magik", or if you prefer, "particle physics levels of the Michigans London New York City hyperious government Idk why she describes it like that, but those are the terms she uses Makes note taking and writing a helluva lot longer though "De term wiki-pedia has liberal linguistics, even babel fish would have trouble translating some of the things said the baritone GERMANIC MAN's lover says Research on: Location THE DESCRIPTION OF THE LOCATION TOO Verbosity is just a virus ; (gets in tight spots to avoid her being bitched at) Name: Devlin Reinhardt ; (Portrait done by Lena Proestro) 2=D Key Habits: One of dev ways of using this drug is like the normal hollywood drugs u see in movies, snort lines off a shiny surface, though this time it's glass and not normally the table Location THE DESCRIPTION OF THE LOCATION TOO Concept ualize stuff when you're not creating music, whistling bollywood songs that he makes up on the spot, or eating Conceptualize stuff when you're not creating music, Dev is always eating as if hed go hungry in between meals ; (seems as if he forgot his last meal) Loves playing sad violins, though the tunes are catchy and does ask you to hum along He also loves acting like a mad scientist, but only with his synthesizer, you've grown accustomed to listen to it Seems as if this world has everything Except good 90s music He says peering into the glasses tube near him with fluid that looks like water Since Dev is always ALWAYS doing something you can build up the dramatic angle with his facility along with his and the subjects; (your) actions brightens up, he seems to really like this idea But what I liek the most about this idea is how easy of suspension of disbelief Sound effects in a mute man Tall about 6feet3 in his socks balding with curly hair that sticks out the sides and back of his head almost resembling an afro or usb ports Man has long girthy neck leading into equally fat and round face Always wears earbuds that are plugged to his phone 24/7, even when he sleeps, I surmise ; (based on the time the man wakes up) This joker has some sick music taste Sound effects in a mute man Inception| logic to this men's brain Jennifer velzquez ; (Self portrait by me lol) The Basics Smart thinking despite what the looks would imply, works with Devlin and is a good listener, that doesn't speak much whenever she does usually for a good reason, patiently waits until I have the sleeping quarters soundproofed to avoid loud music at night ecspecially bass sounds Most of all she really wants to meet CHVRCHES Like REALLY bad Inception| logic to this men's brain Prototyping|visualazation Of My brain child Because there's the psycho band angle that solely concentrates on the music rather than what the hell is happening in the audience Consumed Mind-IWC division: Zalmora Device: an alchemical, sound manipulating device ; (used by barrier child) looks like a black tuba but shorter, and quite frankly better as it emits more sonic wavelengths Prototyping|visualazation Of My brain child Manufacturing|capture Other uses of this is to capture the sound waves into a container like an empty gallon ige ; (beer) bottle Other creations: Because you're dealing with sound, you can also play other things other than music, literally making sound effects, series of bump sounds in a pattern for example ; (mentally programmed) or just humming as vocal sound Capturing these as samples and sequences makes this thing handy for altering other sounds toooo Manufacturing|capture: Finish| expierence Music is a high that nobody ever come down too, and it seems as if this works both during use the intital activation of dance and attention, or just the expierence on its own Creations designs are labeled BUT not referred to All of these don't have intended uses, HOWEVER "Alchemy and Science can do wonderful things" especially when their realm is the brain While I focus on barrier and others on tracking and investigation Finish| expierence: It takes too many people to make a movie this just takes one It takes too many people to make a movie, It can take too many people to visualize a story a director and an crew can do at least something It can take too many people to visualize a story, One potiental problem is it could become reallyrainReally boring if its only colors and light shows But as a landscape of thoughts It could simulate nearly ANY journey the weilder wishes With barrier, conciousness, music, and hallucinations I believe it an amazingly helpful tool One potiental problem is it could become reallyrainReally boring if its only colors and light shows Make everyone a director and give them creative block, and ya got sumthin Just some idle thoughts with food for thought I'll tell ya what, whenever the team gets back, me n you can start writin' together, on the Captain's bed Thats WAY comfy Zal Go to Arty's bunk You have work to do here Make everyone a director and give them creative block, Logic equals rules and void is chaos Mission workload essays: 1 Pages, 6/45 words ; (writing style) = Load Workload 7/10 Official mission workload: 48 PAGES 70, 355 WORDS = Load workload 6 8586 but you decide to be polite Last thing you need is for them to look more grim Dharm hit the spot with his quick commentary Logic equals rules, Whats better than a movie Screens! Barriers are the main thing you contribute besides social skils ; (And guns obviously) so it all evens out in the team anyways Zal will help and you immediately move to work finding you're a lot of pacing to do After the next many weeks you find something that works for an sectioning off the area and allow sound through Mostly, your own music tastes might offend you soon, if they aren't already Your own movie theater is a steppy up from your artist days of Old Detroit, and the captain gives you keen eyes as he quickly begins to realize what else you're planning This mission objective could change everything about the Illusionists "So, yeah we could use machinery and resources but this sound wall thing seems like a really futuristic idea, and would help with the time Darm whatta you think? " The Captain ponders aloud Your own movie theater is a steppy up from your artist days of Old Detroit, Design your own movie theater: movie theater, quality time ! Cooled Seats Created a small perpetual sound section that "Captures" and plays sounds for entertainment is key Anything louder than 85 becomes silent As an gift to the crew, you put in specialized "Pillowseats" Design your own movie theater: Something that is not incremental but increases quality of life 60% is a personal favorite Time Saving would have been without the movie theater (really it's only saving 3 hours, and qquality is probably lower) Yellowcard: How many Seats: 20, Width: 10, Back Support: 8/10, Leg Room: 5/10 Time to rest after shifts is a must Zal knows this too and gets you to "Take 10" Something that is not incremental, Zero to one officer powers Maybe a putter or something that makes spirits more compliant Zero to one officer powers Take the bible and make a movie out of it differently then you did the last time You cheadle, then decide to ask the one person getting paid to be a consult on this mission "Hey Hinsman, can I borrow your G Dane? " Hinsher and you are steps away when he asks you what it is for You tell him and he just nods He's really something Which i could right now but I'll make it a little harder on you Which i could right now, So much data deciding where to even start Other then the pseudo original crew, there are 15 people there right now with thier nuances Fights have broken out, romances have bloomed, and team work was essential for most but some still are unable to stand each other You didn't really keep up with it all, but you're a pro at this stuff Three days later you come back and find something else that you had forgotten all about Best scientists are more interested in the aesthic vrs the technical theme melding, rhythm, lighting , pace and umph are most important Clips you find do that The movie you're making is a mind melting experience for those that see it all the way through as real events transpire on your world The illusion is complete when Zal starts screaming at you for killing her boyfriend Deciding on a name isn't an easy feat for a man like you I see a program that renders out every possible angle on your situation Twisting words until there's a meaning that sticks, catchy The idea twisting brain waves until the solution sticks You could always go with "The twisting plot devise! Heh, got your attention now? too bad its taken "Eureka! " That one belonged to Archimedes… Well the first mundane version of it at least… Those events are still classified, but lead to your Minds invention I see a program that renders out every possible angle on your situation Every possible expression for eye movement, facial muscle spasms, breathing, thoughts even were explored and condensed to as few as 125 possible commands A few pilots tested this made your job much easier (Yours too actually) You had the room you used for testing soundproofed and installed a secret hatch that dropped down a lead-lined projector that would show the images quicker then the eye could detect without any apparent source That took 12 more iterations to perfect you remember fondly Every possible expression for eye movement, Every possible possibility of how the minds input could be detected was explored, finally settling with an Holo-deck style mind game that would test the user in every way it could without the need to make bodily reactions This proved even more difficult because of personal forcefields, but seemed to work well enough anyway due to your not using mechanical controls at all You weren't able to use a regular Holodeck either due to the equipment available trying to detect brainwaves Every possible possibility of how the minds input could be detected was explored, Then you give the computer some rules to follow to create a simple story line Nothing with intellectual property rights or anything, just cartoon world representations of whatever the minds thoughts conjure up plus a few exotic touches you thought of here and there If they want a car chase they get a car There are no speed limits in there after all Made Corstra Infamous in a different sort of way with your device It might have some expensive applications you thought while raking in the money from aspiring artists Then you give the computer some rules to follow to create a simple story line It creates a video for you to watch while the subject is in the chair to direct the narrative and your making sure everything is running smoothly With some tweaking you have it synced up to appropriate music usually from their chosen generation, they all seem to enjoy it more that way Specific scenes get specific sounds you spent weeks trying to perfect, might be a little too precise but why let the subconscious mind taint the creative process? You are a surgeon after all… You Just need a codename and of course something for yourself It creates a video for you to watch while the subject is in the chair to direct the narrative and your making sure everything is running smoothly I see billy fea bots rendered out in so many ways even as an metal album cover once But you'll always think of it as "Unit 231" I see billy fea bots rendered out in so many ways, Doing so many things with this place now, you might eventually get bored and let another sociologist use it for whatever experiments If you don't scrap it for parts first that is You wonder what your fellow MindRekeepers are doing It's only a matter of time before they're called on again after all Not much time though considering the Last witch war was 400 years ago Doing so many things with this place now, Am i blinded by entertainment or is this the end? Am i blinded by entertainment or is this the end? Could i use computers to grow crops and feed people? I think that's a yes Could i use computers to grow crops and feed people? I see a program that takes a script and comes up with a an aesthic solution capable of driving human minds It's taking over everything so it might as well try to entertain I am single file in a row of precise rows, facing the shadowy reflection of myself clouding a mechanical device A new day of trying to find out what exactly this all means Education is the answer give the people of this once great nation something to do while manipulating their minds Pick up any electronics device you please and look for a game to pass the time or use it for education like how to fix that thing if it breaks down The government funded group is successful after all It seems I owe them an apology in advance before they attack my website and declare me insane I was so blind in the past; thank Eyeless Joe I came to my senses Education is the answer; Education defeated slavery after all, and ignorance breeds it Amendment XXV to the US constitution makes this google-drive-like database mandatory to assign everyone a unique name Considering that genetics can create vastly varied superheroes and the possibility of mutants I wouldn't be so sure Education defeated slavery after all, He began to think about the next thirty years in the space program and slowly drifted to sleep as he imagined the stars While going up a futuristic elevator with your friend sure beats climbing a mountain He began to think about the next thirty years in the space program and slowly drifted to sleep as he imagined the stars How do you make people care about what they've never seen but can feel? More practical things I guess, but sometimes you need Flash to keep up morale The government's fault really; you're suppose to be independent now and choosing the right candidates, sadly it's not what it used to be under Lyman's Watch Just need an angle to start people coding games once a year to keep things interesting wait that's it! a new game every year! How do you make people care about what they've never seen but can feel? Lead somewhere that is worth your time in real life! Behold the life of me, a computer programmer in the crazy future of 2095 (Captain); (Name) Lead somewhere that is worth your time in real life! Well told promise is half broken anyway, I haven't fixed much Thanks for all the support, still exciting times and amazing technology in the year 2095 Well told promise is half broken anyway, Story telling with out dialog is the most inclusive approach you can take Choose more than one! Well ready or not here we go again Sometimes you have to face reality even if it means staring into the eyes of the primal life across from you as it charges towards you with make belief weapons It's make believe because guns aren't allowed in the tribe lands, a chief's ruling apparently Thanks to that old rule you're still in one peace anyway, and ready for the upcoming hunt Purest form of cinematic storytelling Not everyone appreciates theoverwhelming effects and brand names, photography and colors of visual sequencing I on the other hand appreciate a good story so add that to sensory pleasures and that equals entertainment shorts of movies Shouldn't something from the future be more like Virtual reality? It was too late for you anyway; technology changed your life when you heard War of worlds on that victrola radio Now you're in it Purest form of cinematic storytelling Not everyone appreciates theoverwhelming effects and brand names, Unify theory of two plus two equals four equals truth You hold the secrets of In this day and age religion has proven to be the enemy of truth and the friend of ignorance All religions are fallible because there all man made and therefore limited in their knowledge So then which religion is correct? None of them The world is billions and trillions of years old, our existence eternal due to previous creations that existed, imploded, exploded or eventually collapsed Unify theory of two plus two: Let the audience add narrative to your pictures Can't live in world without metaphors, is a flower self aware of being pretty? Does it yearn for sunshine and water? Time to wake up to new possibilities what if today was the day the world ended? Of course it wasn't really ever going to happen, when you think about it really hard it sort of loses its meaning Well at least it did on me, maybe that's why they called me a Paradox, anything is possible after all Let the audience add narrative to your pictures Judith weston acting seminar 'Acting is all about honesty getting out of your head and into your heart Who are you? What are you? Why am I doing this? Am I finding myself, I think not rather I'm loosing myself, somewhere in between the artist and the art Themes come in every shape and size and even sexuality Someone once told 'contemplation of things unknown was the stuff this stuffiest substance' Seek the higher level of conversation Judith weston acting seminar 'Acting is all about honesty The thing the drives all thier choices is fearTo be or not to be is not the question The Question is are you living your Dream? Which one? You have many 'You shoot a movie and hope people come, You write a play and hope people talk about it, You direct a show and hope critics get it, You paint a picture and hope it sells, You sing a song and hope it makes others feel as good as you do The thing the drives all thier choices is fearTo be or not to be is not the question The spine still holds up the skeleton, but it' been reduced to a pile of bones What's left if you really concentrate on it? Curiosity? Impatience? Arrhh PERHAPS! We follow our dreams but live our realities, I've learned focus on the dreamers not the dream It's them who resonate most and impact on those around them The spine still holds up the skeleton, Micheal corrleano godfather - passion is a dangerous thing It clouds your judgment Perhaps because my judgment was clouded by passion I made mistakes God forgives therefore man should forgive Girl stands in park fascinated by dinosaur dreams Welcome to dreamland! Time passes and imagination never ends, communication, relationships, heartache and hopes flies though her mind as she grows into a women Micheal corrleano godfather - passion is a dangerous thing Appease his father (fantasyconclusion) There' no talking to you when you get like this Steve has changed so much He thinks your trying to compete with him and his writing your not but he just doesn't understand He thinks a novel will grant him reality acceptance fame even What he does writes is Not reality anyway, it's fiction and only appeals to teenage girls reading vampire romance Their just not real stories anyway even his own are all too predictable Appease his father ; Find the beauty enchanting stand in awe of its vastness heightening your awareness and releasing you from your own prison Go out and live your own dream, don't wait for someone else to make it come true anymore if they did, it wouldn't be yours anyway Listen to your heart not your mind, because even when you think you have, your heart is the one calling the shots It's easy to get lost in the fear and drive yourself mad with indecision Find the beauty enchanting stand in awe of its vastness Prevent harm save the day, overcome adversity have your own happy ending hope is tragic, it leaves you at the end of any trilogy Yet it's life and love that sustains you through these phases of imagination and reality read one too many fantasy books as a kid perhaps? Followed her father into Military service thinking he could protect her and give her the life shes wanted for herself At times she thinks about settling down, getting married even having kids Prevent harm save the day, Do what was best for his child Maybe that was you who knows? Is this who you are, or who you've become? who were you? Come out fighting, Stand up be counted Recognise the problem before it's too late, Take control play the game or watch what you love fall into the hands of someone who will Good intentions pave the way to hell Or heaven words written in blood by a dying man Decipher them now father Some are born neg some born pos either way your gonna die but before you diiiiiiiiiiie you're gonna see "Free Germany" ! HOW TO ONLY DO THINGS YOU KNOW YOU'LL ONLY DO ONCE: LIVE! Theres no such thing as the truth There's only well spun fiction ; Of all the things that can be stolen, being robbed of your right to choose, is the worst kind of theft Take the wheel when you realize what drives you Life's hard, it's about the choices you make, the dangers you face and controlling your own destiny Some say the map is more important than the journey to reach the destination Pick a path and try not to fall off Nobody wants to go around in circles their whole life, right? Look behind the curtain and off you go into the wild blue yonder Your heart's been captured, but did it ever stand a chance? You take the wheel and steer it this is maturity and opening the next door in your life Take what you learned and think about it on your long trip ahead Every path diverges somewhere and every mind merges at some time Now! It has been a pleasure serving with you and I wish you good luck on your next assignment Do not be bitter because a dog bit you If you tie him up he won't be able to, and likewise all of these things that have happened to you are your own fault You take the wheel and steer it this is maturity and opening the next door in your life Change is fundamental real or imagined, it must be embraced with open arms to remain free and unfettered Do not worry about me Whatever I faced in my life couldn't hold a candle to what I faced in yours I will deal with it just as I have dealt with everything else in my life With confidence and strength Change is fundamental, What is beyond story and legend? what do you believe? What lies ahead for you? Answers: Typhoon, Brotherhood plot device, Calico Jack ; (pirate), Big Red, Sea Dog ; Deep Six, Captain Slavelord, ex-Colonial Drop Ship; What is beyond story and legend? Nothing can stay static forever, not even in stasis Nothing gold can stay That is an elusive dream without basis in reality You must move forward The future will become foundation for others to build upon PIRATES! BEWARE! BLACK SKELLIG HAS TIDINGS OF DEBT IF YOU ACQUIRE ABOUND IN HIS DEBTORET SYSTEM YOU WILL BE REWARDED REPEAT Nothing can stay static forever, Drama is anticpation with excitement of what is to become Life is change Sometimes that change can be very subtle while others quite not Your existence has been extraordinary; the experiences, the experiments, the magic, you've seen it all You've been known by many different names and personas, but has it really been you each time? Its strange how in a single moment a life can change forever or end suddenly Drama is anticpation with excitement of what is to become Mingled with uncertainity is anticipation The curtain is about the rise on a new act Your instincts will guide you inti the right plow "Fantasy and reality are one in the same; it is how you perceive things to be " This is something your old teacher once told you, now it that time to put it into practice Mingled with uncertainity is anticipation Want to know how it will conclude in the long term read the books and support the series! As always thank you for reading and here is a LORE! fact for you: The spire that the fanatics wanted to destroy would have been able to terraform an entire planet! Want to know how it will conclude in the long term, Construct anticpation transmissions! Construct anticpation transmissions! Honest conflicts is what makes a story worth telling SO WILL THERE BE ANOTHER BOOK? Honest conflicts is what makes a story worth telling Truth that produces doubt leads to insanity Opening the next door is also closing a previous one Trees make paper, paper makes books, books help us acsess knowledge Is burning them really worth it? THE FLAMES OF FEAR UNLEASHED! All you had to do was shoot the Spook and not try to lift the curse Truth that produces doubt leads to insanity Dorries short term memory might be impacted, but long term Thats something she'll always have forver Burn in hell maggots! Dorries short term memory might be impacted, Hope ya like my new custom shotgun! It was obtianed by bartering with ruffians I call it Bubba Ruthless! Advance forward or die in place, the choice is yours! Global tension builds as posturing occurs You have unlocked the secret of the ultimate power, soon you will be able to use your mind to influence another's Strongest mind wins The rest become ghosts of the past Global tension builds as posturing occurs Will you find x in such a large y The odds are 1 in infinity Only a madman can rule alone on a lifethumos planet for now Death makes no promises Nothing in life is certain except duel! Will you find x in such a large y? No songs named after you? You have been singing the wrong song! In a room full of heroes someone is bound to be a zero Character driven story or plot driven, that is the question! No songs named after you? No i want moment / i want song Together we soar higher than angels Together we are eternals Guns and Roses are coming to town so we should go see them together With all the rioting and madness episodes in this city, I'm sure something will happen involving us Yeah, earth, I'm coming home to you will you still take me back? I'M NOT THE SAME BOY I USED TO BE! No happy village / happy village song I would taunt someone in a staring contest to gain advantage Before speaking ask yourself, WWBD? As you lose lucidity during your cold death we are abandoned together in paradise No love story besides that of and by itself Does not play well with others = FPS suicide bomber Collaboration is generally frowned upon in a winner takes all world Count to five, slip into the darkness no one will notice just one more death in a world of migddd Just one more death Use logic to overcome emotion; don't just say someone as a friend if they are not truly and fully your friend Cut your losses at some point! No love story besides that of and by itself No villain monologues to give you clues on what they are going to do zombies that outnumber you severely who knew? Stop with the classic rock and roll because these kids are making their own music The healing process is a long road You have some positive traits, and some understandable anger over loss May the new opportunities be embraced, The new shall replace the old just like magic has reworked the possibilities of your life No villain monologues to give you clues on what they are going to do Will live life in a certain way as long as conditions are meetable This planet has un barring any hope or happy outcome to any survivor of this infection Some survivors sleep with one eye openand are disobedient because they feel as if they are on borrowed time Others worship the collar and embrace rule follower cause 'does it really matter at this point? Nice guys place pedestal next to casket for their egos to lay upon True that some need compliments so they know they are doing good work, but a certificate is not permanent If those conditions are not met it's mutiny time happy life or death __________________ Last edited by Terminator; 12-16-2015 at 06: 01 PM If those conditions are not met it's mutiny time happy life All bets are off when existence is at stake -Mirai All bets are off when existence is at stake Will be kind, generous, beautiful, happy As long as he stays at the top of the food chain As long as he stays at the top of the food chain Theme Eternal Sunshine ThemeEntry #1 Theme: Who are you to come here and pass judgment on me and my kind? The man dressed in faded jeans and an old shirt, holds a crucifix out at you It's the last thing you see before he explodes in a bloody mess England is just starting to find its feet again after The Walking Dead wiped out almost the entire population when you were born Who are you to come here and pass judgment on me and my kind? Lawerence of arabia you are not, you decide as the man's blood spurts on to your face Now the other survivors will remember there are zombies, and more importantly there are other survivors out there Key word: There As in past tense Who knows what he was thinking setting a stronghold up in the old Harrods department store Now no one else will come here and use up our supplies Lawerence of arabia you are not, Where is his place in the world you reflect as you walk up the escalator Life in a department store, where some rooms still even have manequin displays of expensive clothing He must have been a hired guard or something at first, but he turned it into a home I guess he had sunlight for quite sometime too, right up until yesterday when you arrived You smash open a cooked meat Snikers and start eating it greedily Where is his place in the world, Can you invoke wonder IS this a place where dreams come true? Somehow this doesn't seem like the place any more, soon you will be leaving and who can say if you can come again You look higher up at the beautiful chandelier lights and then back at the pile of zombie head in the room below No one then Darwin said only the strongest survived With mutants soon to join the feeding frenzy, humanity has hit its expiration date Not graciously however Can you invoke wonder? Magic ingrediant umes from somewhere Wherever they came from, there is no sense in letting go to waste It's time swallow a strong helping and meet your destiny THE END ; (Yeah I cheated, what are you going to do about it? Hold them still and surrunder to wonder Hold them still and surrunder to wonder) Express values you personally hold dearest into a simple themed list EVERYTHING You hold dear) ) Who are you? inside stuff only you know here ) What can you do? or in other words what is your skill set? ) What do you want? (need craving) ) How do you move? (mode of transportation) Whom do you know? (Allies/Enemies etc Express values you personally hold dearest into a simple themed list Feel free to add to or completely ignore this! It's only here as a guide Ok Part 2: The road so far Intro: There once was a little boy or girl everyone has their own story It is often told but never the same In Terminal you are newborn, you feel everything for the first time and make choices that will make your future Your choices matter even in the smallest groups You can either be kind or cruel in word or deed Feel free to add to or completely ignore this! Use what you know and draw from it to choose wisely This is just a fun game to try but the more you put into it the more you'll get out of it Use what you know and draw from it to choose wisely Capture a truth-- donsnt need to be plot or fact just your best shot Capture a truth-- donsnt need to be plot or fact just your best shot Express values you feel dearest into a simple themed list (inside stuff only you know here) ) Whom do you know? Have fun and enter the storm! Express values you feel dearest into a simple themed list Actulizing the world space Ok I think we're ready Its up to you to explore the desrecated areas of this wonderland now Please change this string into something meaningful, YOUR content is what drives the story Go through any door and see what is behind the door Good luck, you'll need it Death is but another path, one that we all must take but my sister and I have come to find another short cut: the dream of the God machine, the Eden virus Only winners may pass beyond villains always lose zee body, ze voice, ze mind Choose right and live or defy and die Find strength in friends (Only ifed by friends) Your eternal mind ; (memories, personality, identity Character- environment- pff keyboard- ; (life itself) cruel, chaos ; (game is evil hee hee ) poetic, dangerous freedom to choose between good and evil Silently you wander, searching for your lost humanity-- among the past This text adventure is meant to be played many times- always choosing a different path, or deciding to enter a new area Each time yields dfferent encounters uniquely crafted to match the theme of your current list of ingredients Character- environment- pff Viewpoint; ( camera-focus) free, you can look arund your enviroment but be sure to make choices ; ( haveyou looked at the door or at the cabinet in the room you are in? CHARACTERS You are he, she, it, or What are you doing here? Save yourself or suffer chaos and disorder? Lead a simple life and move on among the stars Incalmately, reality ; (BSc Nursing), good old Chuck ( camera-focus) free, the world is waiting for you Behind the wall, where shadows lie longing And the thief who has found an empty coffin and now stares in at a beautiful sleeping woman --covered with the blankets of the royal arms----Beware he does not become enamored indeed ; (of his wrongfulness, deeds of evil) Gone are the witcheries, but soon to be reality A sunlamp will go off in 1 minute The city and the book the world is waiting for you How do you clone an object say using microwaves? Propose a realistic theory based on new concept (ego-syntax realism) There isnt going to be a right answer, its just a matter of finding what you like and comparing to other ideas you come across Good luck in your dealings among the creatures who think they are gods Open brackets always mean there is an alternate reality or something similar taking place instead of this one now How do you clone an object say using microwaves? He felt like shit but was that normal Someone unfriendly has sabotaged your vehicle You must try to survive the war zone ahead Vampire is on board, hunting you (clumsy)zombie virus unleashed The walking dead are going to eat your brain You are standing on a beach of sand below a full moon This unnerves you (your fear is unreasonable)Your stress level is rising You don't like this weird place He felt like shit, The cursing spewed from his mouth with out control the day before he had tried to forget this day so many years before The dead body on the floor was obvious he would frame it as a suicide Cursing the name of Willy the retard he tries to put it out of his mind as he steps over her body taking careful steps towards the stage The cursing spewed from his mouth with out control the day before he had tried to forget this day so many years before The cracks where showing already he was later then they should be A feeling in his gut like something was wrong-terribly wrong The hallway leading to it seemed to somehow be evaporating what was behind it As if the sand was being shifted through a hour glass leaving soft echoes of sound you could only faintly hear Every thing is uncertain right now even life and death themselves were created from the beginning of time and space-- why can't dream weavers be as well? The cracks where showing already he was later then they should be How to program madness says the greatest mad man who ever lived You cant give it up now-- theres no way you'll get through this alone-- the madness leading from the deep psychic core of your brain makes it obvious you can't-- but there is another, quite you don't know of yet A dying man upon his death bed: 'is all we are is dust in the wind' one hour later, the bodiless brain dead corpse of Iron Horse was dashed upon the rocks How to program madness? How to program hating your self It's easy there are always many people in this cold ruthless world who hate you; THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD NEVER LOSE IS YOUR SELF RESPECT The smile on her face is so beautiful you can feel it as you close your eyes and see it in your soul You hope you don't let yourself down you promised if nothing else not to become a total failure--Now or ever after How to program hating your self? It was a loss of control but perhaps not really of your own will You shake off the last remaining effects of these cruel specters ect finally you see him but it's clear even though it's happy-ever-after time for you and her he's mad and out for blood tonight Too bad it won't be yours-- as he hops down-- blocking your path to the stage, a growl comes out his mouth so vicious that but makes you strangely hungry It was a loss of control but perhaps not really of your own will The loss of control mixed with sugur destroyed him stuck between animal mind and higher reasoning dead in the middle dictating only death, failure, and hate/repression and you were a beacon of-- something young and beautiful that could never be allowed to reach her full potential You set off quickly not willing to risk it He lied he jumped at you flying through the air moving much faster than he should have been able to but you did see this coming The loss of control mixed with sugur destroyed him stuck between animal mind and higher reasoning dead in the middle dictating only death, Anything to sufficiently distract you really You manage to avoid him drawing hastily from your thin wallet the fake State medical card you just knew you'd need someday for some situation like this Or any other club tonight for that matter Maybe anywhere in the city was a bad idea-- States weren't exactly too forgiving when it came to people using others as guinea pigs whether they liked it or not Of course they also seemed to be unusually lenient with Demons who cheated death and vast human gambling rings so perhaps they just didn't care You were starting to see why he was mad Unfortunately he saw through your trick-- lazers screeching by and nicking at your legs to stop you as he quickly came up behind you taking blow after blow from him-- even in your late 'teens were nothing to scoff at He catches you with a desperate overhand, hoping the element of surprise would work in your favor You somehow manage to duck and avoid the worst of it it's in that moment you grab the teeth spewing from his mouth-- putting your fist into his jaw as hard as you could Before he knows what is going on you sneakily get behind him open the top of his mouth and force them down his throat Laser blasts flame out one side of his face melting a club security goon before he hits the ground dead You've killed him after all You have little time to reflect upon it and do not feel remorse-- but a strange sense of pride that you did in fact take this demon down He was just too powerful, if he wanted to take me down-- No one could stop him You dash forward clearing the the other two guards within seconds reinforced by your suden boost in power taken from the beast you slain However now what? You're half tempted to try your luck busting out Meliodas but you know that beyond this door is a large horde of demonic types and the single most powerful one, not counting The There's no way the two of you could breach that stronghold You breathe heavily, sitting upon the ground with a cold sweat, left with only one real option Calling for help "Elios, you piece of cocks " You call, tapping your leg as you wait for him to pick up "Pick up you tiny prick, I need that door out here opened Whether you like it or not, it's safer with me than it is out there right now " You offer, as you attempt to calm yourself down --- In the end, he helps; getting the door open just in time as your ambushers stragglers find you-- a full three minues before Elios and his Crowd of excited guards find him "Alright you little shemale, come on! Let's take this freakshow on! You hope Nic is alright With a groan the door opens, light floods inward along with Elios' men promising a nasty end "Alright then Let's do it You may have some unfinished busines, when this is done The pair of you move forward into the dawn, weapons ready as the cool air prickles your skin With a shrug and a nuzzle you move forward, Elios firing a few bolter shots to back your first two pursuers away from you You find yourself thinking sad thoughts about Father Tomas, hoping that wherever he is now, that he at least made his peace after such a betrayal

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pumpkinmaster999 · 4 years ago

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Cave City

By Jess Awh

On Christmas Day in 2003 I flew into a fit of rage, over what I can’t remember, and cut a sizeable chunk out of the goose. My older brother quickly alerted my mother to the fact I was wielding scissors, which I’d scaled the kitchen counter to obtain, and she wrenched them from my hand with frightful anger in her eyes before whisking the goose away, cradled in her arms, to be patched. They were Madonna and child: she was aflame, tawny blonde hair flying out of her ponytail. The goose stared at me from its haven with little button eyes that loomed out of its sleek green velvet head like individual living creatures.

It had been a preemptive strike. I had to bring that goose to its knees before it had the chance to cut my loved ones down. The goose was retired the next Christmas after a clandestine incident of strangling left its curved neck hanging limp, empty of stuffing.

Ten years later I was fifteen, and for my grandparents’ 50th anniversary I broke out my mother’s sewing kit. The goose had come to me on the previous Thanksgiving, much to my chagrin. It must’ve been with my cousin Steve before then because after everyone had left, I went to vacuum behind the couch he’d been sleeping on and there it was: wedged next to the wall, staring with its one remaining lifeless beetle eye and waving with its one remaining white embroidered wing. Fuck you, Steve, I muttered as I wrenched it free. I set it on the living room floor and slumped onto the couch, at which point we just sort of looked at each other for a minute as if neither of us knew what to do or say. According to tradition, I’d have to find a way to covertly dump the goose on somebody else without them noticing at the next family gathering. Until then, we’d be in each other’s way.

However, seeing as I had dedicated my life to the destruction of stasis in the moment I first removed a chunk from the goose, I shouldered a pair of scissors once again (plus a needle and thread) to realign its neck, replace its eye, and adorn it with pearls and a miniature wedding veil. When we presented it to my grandmother (the one who originally sewed the goose) at the anniversary party, she nearly cried. I was prepared to feel a twinge of affection for it on that day, like a thumbtack in the bottom of my heart, but it never came.

When I was two or three I was able to ride the goose’s back like a rocking horse. At that time it had a red and green ribbon around its neck (the Christmas goose). There are four important landmarks on the leg of I-65 that stretches north from Nashville.

A blackened barn in a barren field that reads, in large crudely painted white letters, “NICEST BATHROOMS ON I-65 NEXT EXIT.” I have never seen the bathrooms because they’re south of Bowling Green and because the barn exudes a concerning energy which almost seems to lock my hand in place if I try to turn the wheel and get on that ramp.

A larger-than-life statue of a milking cow in a flatbed truck parked (precariously) on an overlook west of the highway.

Cave City.

An old red brick farmhouse with a high-ceilinged front porch. Its only neighbor is one tree that’s been blackened and stripped by lightning. My grandmother calls those “bone trees.” Driving from Nashville to Louisville with my third boyfriend, I used to point out that house every time we passed and say “I like that house,” and then I’d say “bone tree,” which is how it quietly became a landmark.

The goose is not good company, but silent company, at least. I like that no one’s asking me where we’re going or why as I careen down I-65 at an alarming speed. I’m driving to Cave City the way a blind man walks from his bedroom to his kitchen— my hands know the route better than my mind does. If I thought about my whereabouts too hard I’d probably have to open a map. It’s like having a dead body in the truck, I think, glancing over at the goose. Not as if I’m a murderer, though; as if I’m used to driving a hearse after a decades-long career of doing so and I sit in comfortable silence with the body, imagining a mild camaraderie, imagining that our quality time will open the buds of kinship one by one into blossoms that adorn our bodies. I’ve only been in a funeral procession once, in Louisville. On that day I learned that cars don’t pull over for funeral processions in every city the way they do in the South, and thus, sometimes part of the ceremony is waiting in traffic. On that day I stopped in Cave City twice. Driving today, I am glad to have the goose in the truck with me rather than a flock of my third boyfriend’s aunts mourning the death of their mother.

I’m driving to Cave City for a different reason than usual. Typically, one stops in Cave City because it’s north of Bowling Green and south of E-town. E-town is a crooked place. A haven only for darkness and pirate-like individuals. Its aura is different from NICEST BATHROOMS, however—different enough that I sometimes find myself stopping there. In late summer the year I turned eighteen I hitched a ride from Albany, Wisconsin back down to Tennessee in a little red car with a man named Joseph Allred. That was one of the times I ended up in E-town. We stopped for gas around nine p.m., and he walked out of the Circle K as I was sitting on the hood of the car smoking a cigarette, hiding from the deep water blue of the nighttime around us in the lemon glow of a streetlamp. He said “it’s been a long time since an angsty teenage girl last sat on the hood of my car smoking a cigarette,” which was a longer sentence than he’d said to me in the entire day of driving. Then he handed me the body of a black swallowtail butterfly we had found fluttering by the pump.

Circle K is one of those places where you can almost touch someone, or you can glimpse what it might feel like to touch that person, but only for the brief interval of a lightning strike.

In childhood I was plagued by an unintentional vagrant’s longing for completeness. My mother often tells the story of the day I found out my heart wasn’t situated in the middle of my chest, behind the soft spot that lies where my lowermost ribs might’ve intersected. I cried and cried—I was inconsolable. For six years after that, I diligently forgot the existence of my body. Then, one day, a handshake from a boy who was elected along with me to fifth grade student council returned me to my form and brought back all of the imperfection.

Driving to Cave City now I am listening to a radio program in which the host asks each of his callers: “what is the most romantic thing that ever happened to you?” One lady says her boyfriend drove from Chicago to New York City to surprise her on Valentine’s day and picked her up at Port Authority in the middle of the night. Somebody says their wife surprised them with a moonlit picnic on the riverbank where they got engaged. One night when I was fifteen, I was standing with my first boyfriend on the bridge over Graffiti Creek down the road from a house party our friend Gustavo was throwing when my ring fell off my finger and dropped in the water. I exclaimed in dismay, but soon after tried to convince him it was no big deal—he jumped in regardless, soaking his sneakers and trouser legs to retrieve what, in the end, had been a green aluminum band from the 25 cent prize machine at the laser tag arcade downtown. The bruise-like stain it left on my finger was as sweet a reminder as the warmth in the memory of his lips on mine that night. I think of calling the radio station to say this as I drive past the statue of the milking cow, but I can’t figure out a way to distill the story into one sentence. I decide it’ll be better off living and dying in the privacy of my own head.

Dave Blaskey. People used to tell me he looked like a basset hound. I was hit with a swing one night that year when we were all getting drunk at the Dragon Park playground—blood blossomed out of my forehead like a red ribbon unfolding, right from the center. There’s a photo of it somewhere. We broke up the next day and it was the only time I’ve ever been dumped. I was too embarrassed to ask why, so I pretended to be unfazed, but I spent the next month canceling plans to sit around at home with a band-aid on my face listening to Chet Baker Sings and throwing little rocks at a picture of Kris Kristofferson taped to my wall. I’m so glad I am not like that now. My heart has never been broken again. There are a few other places like Cave City; I have them marked out in my brain like a little map.

Horseheads. It’s somewhere between New York City and Rochester. The only things in that town are a motel that looks straight out of Lolita, an abandoned strip mall with no signage, and a gas station with a huge old coal engine out back lying on its side. All the trees there are bone trees.

The Belvedere Oasis. Somewhere between Albany and Chicago. An oasis is like if a mall fucked a rest stop and they had a fucked up baby that you can only access from the highway. Every time I stop at the Belvedere Oasis I happen to have a ridiculous amount of stuff in the back of the truck. Last time it was this big aluminum tub with a wheelbarrow and a broken porch swing in it. The parking lot is indescribably vast, like the surface of an artificial moon. When I stop there I always make sure to get an Orange Julius (which I never finish).

…

These are places I wish I could take the goose to. I want it to see them, maybe as a kind of apology. Maybe I’m trying to make amends. Alas, today I can only drive us as far as Cave City. I have a job, of course, and other random shit to do, so it isn’t too often anymore that I get one of these question mark days that prods you with its emptiness to undertake a mission that lies rotting in the corner of your own heart.

I’m driving to Cave City the way a married couple talks about going on a second honeymoon while sitting in the living room of their comfy brick house having coffee and listening to the thunder and smiling at their dog. I guess what I mean is I am loving myself quietly from opposite ends of the couch. I’m not saying I’m never going to get there—I probably will. The goose and I are up past Bowling Green when I decide to pull off the road and park on a strip of gravel. The two of us get out and go sit in the back of the truck for a minute, admiring a barn. It’s around suppertime now and the sky is the color of a cotton candy Philly Swirl popsicle, warm blush and ice blue and glittering with a tinge of frost that appears to be floating down slowly onto the grass. There are baby birds chirping in a bush. I fool with the cuff of my sweatshirt where it’s sort of coming apart into little strings. The world looks so fucking impossible I almost expect to see languid fish gliding around in the sky, flame swallowing the barn like a pyre on a raft drifting out into the center of the grassy lake. I’m starting to believe that a tree is still a tree if it’s a bone tree, and a goose is still a goose.

Dinosaur world. The only other location is in a town called Plant City in Florida, funnily enough. There’s a large fake tyrannosaurus rex standing proudly by the side of I-65, accompanied by a sign that says “DINOSAUR WORLD! EXIT NOW!” And that’s how you know you’re near Cave City.

Guntown Mountain. I guess it’s a giant warehouse firearm retailer. I’ve only seen it from a distance because it’s up on a hill overlooking Cave City like a fortress holding Cave City’s protective god. Or its oracle, or its talisman.

The general store with a big yellow sign. The man at the counter wears an eyepatch and looks sort of like a goat that’s about to kick the shit out of you, but he’s kind and sells beautiful tobacco pipes.

We get back in the truck.

#short fiction

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ecotone99 · 5 years ago

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[TH] The Shards of Our Souls (continued)

Note from publisher: This is the continued version of my story. Make sure to read the beginning to understand what is going on! To do so, click my username, and look for the original post.

December 4th, 2004. One day after the outbreak. After a long night of sleeping in the car, the group woke up in the same parking lot they arrived in the night before. “We definitely need to find a better place to stay.” Charlie said. “Yeah, we sure do.” Brett replied. “We need to get moving as soon as possible, we can’t stay prone here.” “So, what’s the plan?” Avery asked. “We will head over into downtown, and see if we can get any help or maybe be a help of some kind.” “And then what?” Avery asked. “We’ll figure it out from there.” Brett replied. “It’s been a day and a night since the military grounded in Orlando. You think they’re still holding up out there?” Charlie asked. “Only one way we can find out.” Brett started the car and pulled away from the park. As they made their way to downtown, only a few of the zombies were seen roaming the streets. Brett drove around them to avoid getting blood on the windshield. They made their way back down the freeway once again, and after about twenty minutes, they arrived at the edge of downtown and stepped out of the car, holding their weapons. “I’m not hearing anything at all.” Charlie said. “Maybe they cleared out this area.” Avery responded. “I’m not so sure about that.” Brett said from across the street. He pointed at the street around the building next to them, and the group walked over to him to see what he was looking at. Three tanks were completely burned out and countless amounts of dead bodies. It was almost as if they were in an explosion of some kind. “What the hell happened here?” Charlie asked. “It looks they ran out of options.” Brett said. “So that’s it?” Avery said. “There’s no one left to help us? We’re on our own?” “No, we don’t know that.” Brett said holding up a hand. “Then what do we know, Brett?” Avery immediately asked. “We know that we’re still here and that we are still together. With or without the military, we will find a way to survive and thrive.” “So, what should we do now?” Charlie asked. “Well, we are going to need a resupply on food and maybe ammunition. We will have to go around town and loot what we can, to ensure that we are stocked enough to last us a good while.” “All right.” Charlie said nodding. “Then let’s get to work.” The group got back into the car and began driving around, stopping at every shop that had what they needed, and gathering enough supplies that would be enough for the group for a few months. They also stopped at a clothing store to get fresh clothes for the time to come. “All right, the gun store is coming up. Once we’re done there, we will discuss what we’ll do next.” Brett said. Brett and Charlie walked up to the front entrance, that was locked. “Here, I’ll break the glass.” Charlie said. “No, stand back.” Brett grabbed his hatchet and swung on the door with all of his strength. The glass shattered and gave an opening for both Brett and Charlie to go through. Once they were in, they had started to gather some ammunition. “I’ll go over to the register area to see if they have any grenades.” Charlie said. “All right, just don't set them off, like you did three years ago.” Brett replied. Charlie chuckled as he walked over to the register area. Then, all of a sudden: “Freeze, stay where you are.” The voice came from a man who had been hiding behind the desk that held that cash register. The man was holding a riot shotgun and was pointing it directly at Charlie’s chest. He was sweating and shaking of fear while Charlie held his hands up. “Look, man, we just came here to grab some weapons. I’m sure you're aware of what’s going on out there. Just put your gun down, and you can come with us.” “You’ve lost your mind if you think I’m setting foot out there, again. I’ve lost everything. My friends, my family, my kids, my wife, and everything I held dear in my life. I ain't putting up with what kind of crap you have to say to me.” The man clocked his gun. Then, there was a loud bang. Blood splattered all over Charlie’s face covering him with pure gore; only, the blood wasn’t his. The man in front of him coughed out blood and fell to the floor with a loud thud. Charlie looked back at Brett and saw him looking at the front door. Charlie did the same and saw Jett standing there holding a smoking revolver with one eye closed. Avery and Lizzy were running up to Jett. Then, next to Charlie, the man had started to make gurgling sounds, as he slowly rose up from his position on the ground. His eyes looked as they had consisted of red and yellow marbles, and solid blue veins were fiercely visible through his neck. He had turned. Brett grabbed his silenced pistol, took aim, and shot him for the second time, this time in the head, putting him to the ground, once again. Brett, then, marched over to Jett, grabbed his arm, and put him against the wall. “What the hell was that, Jett?” He said furiously. “Dad, I had to, he could’ve killed Charlie.” “Jett, you just took some man’s life.” “Are you aware that Charlie would be dead if I didn’t?” Jett answered back. “Jett!” Brett screamed. Charlie then spoke up. “Brett, stop, let me handle this.” “Charlie, no he’s my so-” “Just… let me handle it.” Charlie interrupted. Brett looked back at Charlie, sighed in frustration, and moved away, as Charlie kneeled down next to Jett. Charlie rubbed his face. “Look, Jett, I appreciate what you just did for me, I mean, you just saved my life, you don’t know how grateful I am for that. But next time, let your uncle Charlie or your father handle the dirty work.” “I’m sorry, I just don’t want to lose anyone, especially not you.” Charlie looked at the ground and smiled. “I don't want to lose you either, Jett. But listen to me, Jett, as long as we all stick together, and each do our part, I promise you, everything will be okay.” Jett smiled. He hugged Charlie, as Charlie hugged him back. Charlie then got up and walked past Brett to gather their weapons. Jett looked at his Dad, and Brett looked back at him. “Just, please, don’t ever do something like that again, Jett.” “I won’t, Dad. But if I need to save someone’s life, then I will do what I have to do.” Brett slightly nodded. “Go on back to the car, now.” Jett nodded, as Avery took both kids back to their car. Brett and Charlie finished gathering their ammunition and loaded it into the car. Brett got into the car and started it. “We’re running low on fuel. We have enough to drive over to a gas station, but we don’t have enough to leave the city.” “Well, that’s a problem.” Charlie replied. “Every gas station in this city shut down their fuel pumps, it could take us an hour to extract the fuel out ourselves.” Charlie closed the trunk and got into the car himself. “Well, we will do what we have to do, then.” Brett replied. Brett started to drive toward a gas station they saw in front of them that had a few zombies walking around it. “Charlie, take care of them.” Charlie grabbed his rifle and began shooting. He dropped all of them to the ground just before the car pulled up. “Okay.” Brett began. “Avery, you, Lizzy, and Jett will keep watch, while Charlie and I begin extracting the fuel.” Avery grabbed a rifle and Jett took out his revolver. “Lizzy, I know you’ve never even seen a weapon, up close, before, but right now, we really don’t have a choice.” Avery took a pistol and held it up for Lizzy to take. She did not grab it, though. “Mom, I know that we are in desperate times, but, I mean, I don’t know how to use that thing, I don’t want to accidentally hurt someone.” Avery smiled softly. “I know it may seem in very intimidating at first, Lizzy, but you have to do this. And as a mother, I truly hate to have to make you go through something like this, but I know that we don’t have much of a choice anymore. So please, Honey, just take it.” Lizzy dreadfully took the gun and held it by her side. Jett walked over to Lizzy and hugged her as Lizzy returned a hug with a smile. “I promise you, Lizzy, one day you will be helping others get over their fears, and you will do great things for them. You would make a great leader.” Jett said to her. Lizzy gave a small chuckle. Lizzy’s smile then slowly disappeared as she had a visual of what had lie ahead in the distance. A horde of zombies walked through the thick rising smoke and covered every single piece of the ground beneath them. All of them were heading in the group’s direction, looking to kill every last one of them. Lizzy then pushed away from Jett with eyes locked on the horde. She pointed into the direction of the crowd with a panicked look on her face. Jett and Avery turned around to witness it for themselves. “Brett.” Avery barley said. Brett and Charlie looked up and saw what was coming for them. “We have to go, now. There’s too many of them.” Charlie said. “Wait.” Brett said. “We can’t leave the car here, it has all of our supplies.” “Then what do you suggest we do, Brett?” Avery asked. Brett thought for a second. “We are going to have to create some sort of distraction that will lead them away from this direction.” “How do we do that?” Jett asked. “We need to make noise on another street to draw them away.” Brett said. “I’ll go.” Charlie said, grabbing his gun. “Charlie, are you sure? I can go instead.” Brett said. “No, I will handle it, you keep extracting the fuel, you’re better at it, anyway.” Charlie grabbed grenades and strapped a long rifle around himself. “I’ll be back as soon as they are far from here.” “Charlie take this.” Brett handed him a radio. “You let me know if anything at all goes wrong.” Charlie clipped it on and loaded his last weapon. “Please come back to us, Charlie.” Jett said. Charlie laid a hand on Jett’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about me, bud. You take care of your old man and the ladies, you hear?” Jett nodded. “Good.” Charlie then took off running towards the horde and making a left turn on the intersection between them, to lure them toward him. The group watched as every last zombie turned onto the same street he did, row after row. Then, they all disappeared from sight.

“The car is filled up now, we are good to go.” Brett said. He then rang for Charlie on his radio. “Charlie, come in, we’re done filling up, are you good out there?” Just like before, there was only static. “Charlie, do you read me? Over.” Once again, no response. “Dad, is Charlie okay?” “I don’t know, we need to get to him, fast.” The group loaded into the car and Brett drove down the same path they saw Charlie go, almost half an hour before. As they drove further down the street, more bodies began appearing. Brett honked the horn as much as he could to let Charlie know that they were on the street. This only lured more zombies toward them. The street started to become crowded, as Brett kept honking the horn. “Charlie!” He yelled. “Where are you?” At this point, the car was being surrounded, as the zombies scratched and banged on the windows. “Dad, he’s not here, we have to go!” The group began yelling at Brett to drive, but he kept looking around for Charlie. Finally, Brett snapped and pushed through the crowd, hitting and running them over, getting blood all over the windshield. Brett kept pushing through the streets, running over every zombie that got in the way. Then, after five minutes of this, they were out of downtown and back on the freeway, once again. Everyone was quiet, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Charlie was gone, there was no other way of saying it. “We have to go back, we have to find him.” Brett desperately said. “We can’t go back now, there’s just... too many of them.” Avery said. “Maybe Charlie found a place to hide, maybe he’s okay.” Lizzy said. At that statement, Brett found himself somewhat relieved. “Maybe he did.” He said. “But I can’t go on knowing that my brother is out there. For all we know, he could be trapped again.” “Again?” Avery asked. “It’s a long story.” Jett replied. Brett eased himself from his anger. “We will wait out the storm that walks the city, then we will head back first thing in the morning, and that’s final.” Brett then picked up his radio, once again. “Charlie, hold out just a little longer, we’ll be back.” They then drove to a secluded spot and began setting up for another night to come.

December 5th, 2004. The sound of a zombie banging on the window startled the group awake the next morning. Brett dreadfully grabbed a knife, opened his door, and started stabbing the zombie over and over again, getting blood all over his shirt. He just kept going and going, until there was only a pool of blood and gore where the zombies’ head used to be. Brett then wiped the sweat off of his forehead and got back into the car. Everyone was silent for about a minute until Brett broke the silence by starting the car. “Once we get there, we will clear out the street, and start searching the buildings to see if we can find anything.” After some time of driving, they arrived in the city once again and landed on the street that Charlie disappeared on the day before. Brett parked the car on the side of the street, and the group began to grab their weapons. Jett and Avery fired out at some of the zombies, clearing out the area. “Let’s go ahead and start with this building.” Brett said. The group moved into the cold and dark first floor of what seemed to be an office building. Lights were flickering above them, while papers almost completely covered the ground beneath them. Jett noticed bloody footprints that led further into the building. “Do you think those are his tracks?” Jett asked. “I wouldn't say they are.” Avery said from up ahead. She was shining her flashlight on a body of a security guard that lay in a pool of blood and could barely be identified as a man. His entire torso had been gutted, leaving him without a body. Lizzy turned away in disgust and sorrow. “Look, there’s a note on his neck.” Avery pointed out. Brett picked it up and read it out loud. “If you are reading this, then it’s probably too late.” Suddenly, a throat-gurgling sound came from beneath them as the undead security guard grabbed Avery’s leg and forced its head up to attempt to bite her. Then, there was a loud gunshot that came from behind them, followed by the sound of the security guard falling back into his place. Everyone looked behind them to see Lizzy holding her pistol with two hands while having a terrified look on her face. Avery had fallen back onto the ground after the zombie let go, so Brett and Jett helped her up. “Mom, are you okay?” Lizzy asked. “Yeah… I’m fine.” She responded. “Are you sure?” Brett asked. “I’m fine.” She said again. Avery then picked up the gun she dropped and walked over to Lizzy. “Thank you, Lizzy, I knew you could do it.” She said as they hugged. “How the hell was that thing alive? I mean, it doesn't have a body.” Brett questioned. “It think it has to be the brain.” Jett suggested. “I don’t think the rest of the body matters.” Brett nodded. “Come on, let’s keep moving, we don’t have all day.” The group began to move further into the building. It had gotten darker and colder, and the only light source was their flashlights. “Keep your eyes and ears sharp, we don’t know what else can be lurking in these halls.” Brett said. “Dad, I don’t want to sound like a burden, but, do you really think he’s still here?” Brett knew, deep down, that they really didn’t have a chance of finding Charlie, but he also felt that they still needed to look. “I don’t know, Jett, but we can’t let him down by not looking at all.” He said. The group kept walking when there was suddenly a loud crash on the floor above them which made them all stop in their tracks. “Brett, let’s go, it’s not safe in here for us.” Avery said. “Charlie?” Brett called out. There was no response, but instead, the sounds of moaning that came from the staircase almost fifty feet ahead of them. And that’s when the group had first laid eyes on the zombies who began sprinting, faster than the average human. “Run!” The group turned the other way, running as fast as they could, as Brett shot back every other second. “Keep going, head for the car!” Brett yelled. Jett being the fastest, led the way, while Brett stayed in the back to keep the zombies as far away from them as he could. The zombies made loud screams that nobody had ever heard before, which sounded like rage and madness. In a blur, Jett could see people that he had never seen before, at the front door, rapidly gesturing for them to run faster. As the light of the outside world had grown bigger, the group had finally made it out. The people began shooting at the zombies and closed the front doors, to which they had sealed. The group fell to the ground, sweating and catching their breath. A man had walked over and leaned down toward Brett throwing some water on his face and helping him to sit upright. “Don’t worry, Mr. Brax, you guys are safe now.” Brett, in slight confusion, uttered: “How do you know my name?”, right before feeling something strike his head, and falling into a dark sleep.

Brett woke up lying on his back and surrounded by darkness. He could not even see past his feet. He heard nothing, but the loud screams and piercings of the silence. The cold air gave him goosebumps, and the cold ground beneath him almost felt like the surface of an iceberg. Brett attempted to sit up but immediately fell back down from the excruciating pain he felt from the blow he took on his head. Trying again, he slowly picked himself up and did everything in his power to ignore the throbbing pain he felt on the back of his skull. Brett felt behind him to find something to lean on, to which he found a wall as cold as the floor. This had led him to believe he was in a room of some sort. “Hello?” Brett uttered out. Just as he expected, no response was distant. Brett, then, forced himself to get up and move around to find out where he was. He slowly limped around, somewhat holding out a hand to prevent himself from running into something. After what was a five-second walk, Brett felt another wall that felt like glass. Brett assumed it was a window, so he started pounding on it, taking two seconds per hit. “Hey.” He muttered. “Someone let me out, now.” After no response for five minutes, Brett’s throbbing head forced him to the ground once again. He then sat against the wall with the glass and began crying softly. Then, there was a loud crash-like sound, followed by a buzzing sound that came from above. Confused, Brett looked around in the darkness, waiting for something to attack him. Then, a bright light had filled the room, almost blinding him. Shielding his face, Brett finally adjusted his eyes to the light and stood up. He found himself in a small, empty room with a metal door to his right, and a large framed window behind him. Above the window was a wide plaque of holes, all big enough to fit a fist through. Brett looked through the window, and what he saw struck him with pure terror and anger. Jett was lying on his back, shirtless, with blood on his face, and had a black eye. His front torso was covered with large scars from one end to the other as if he had been whipped, repeatedly. “Jett!” Brett yelled as he pounded on the window once again. “Jett, wake up! Please, Jett!” Then, there was a sound of keys jingling, followed by the sound of an unlocking door. The door in Jett’s room slowly opened, as a dark-skinned woman wearing a white robe, blue rubber gloves, and a blue health mask around her mouth, carrying liquids, walked in. She kneeled down next to Jett and began pouring some of the liquids onto his scars. “Hey, stop! Don’t touch my son! Leave him alone!” Brett demanded. The lady slowly lifted her head to face Brett and ignored his angry look. She continued cleaning off Jett by wiping the blood off of his face and treating his eye. She finished by injecting something into his arm and put a shirt on him. All of this, while Brett pounded on the glass, demanding her to let them out. She slid a pillow under Jett’s head, packed up, and walked out the door, without looking back at Brett. The door shut behind her, leaving both Jett and Brett behind, once again. Brett continued to watch Jett lay there without moving a muscle. Hours went by, which almost seemed like days to Brett. He could not afford to take his eyes off of his son. Another hour. Brett couldn’t tell if Jett was breathing or not. He did not want to come to the conclusion that his son was gone. He knew that Jett was a strong kid, so he wanted to believe that he was still holding on. “Come on, Jett.” Brett whispered. “I know you’re still there, you just need to fight for your life. After another half an hour, Brett had been sitting against the wall when he heard coughing from the other room. Brett sprung to his feet and looked through the window to see Jett turning over and coughing out drops of blood. “Jett.” Brett said softly. Jett looked up at his father and began to cry. Brett had also been in tears. “It’s okay, Jett. I’m here. We’re both here. You did good, Jett.” Jett wiped the blood from his mouth. “I saw them hit you in the head, Dad.” Jett muttered through blood. “I tried to fight back. They pinned me down and started to hit me in the face.” Jett paused. “I could hear Lizzy screaming, while Avery kept yelling at them to stop. Then, someone started to lash me over my chest, and I ended up passing out after that. I tried. I’m sorry, Dad.” Brett wiped his face in anger and frustration. “Listen to me, Jett.” Brett said. “You are one of the bravest kids’ out there, and I’m so proud of how far you’ve come into becoming a man.” Brett paused. “Listen, before you were born, your mother and I had a discussion about how we felt having you in this corrupted world. We didn’t think you would be able to conquer life’s problems, as you grew up. We both thought that you would be better off where you were then than being here, on earth. Now, you are living in a world that's trying to kill us all, but you’re not letting it stop you. You helped return a little girl to her mother. You saved Charlie’s life. You fought back against a group of cowards that are holding us hostage. Your mother and I were wrong. I was wrong. I now realize that it was me who couldn’t conquer life’s problems. I put it all on you, instead of taking responsibility for my own mistakes. I look at you, and I see the kid that I wanted to be, growing up. You're a fine boy and an excellent shot, Jett. You don’t ever need to be sorry for anything. It is me who needs to be sorry.” Jett wiped off the tears that rolled down his face. “I love you, Dad.” “I love you, too, Jett. Never forget it.” Jett then attempted to sit upright, but then let out a short yelp from pain on his body. “Jett, it’s okay, you need to rest off your wounds, just lay there for me, bud.” Jett looked around. “Where are we, Dad?” “I wish I could tell you.” Brett said, shaking his head. Brett noticed that Jett’s room was parallel to his own room. “There was a lady who went into your room, earlier, and treated your wounds.” Brett said. “But she also injected something into your arm. Do you feel any different?” “All I feel, right now, is the pain on my face and body, but my arm feels fine.” Jett responded. “Okay.” Brett said quietly. They were both silent, for a moment. “It’s my fault that Charlie’s gone.” Jett said suddenly. Brett looked up to face Jett. “What the hell are you talking about, Jett? How could it be your fault?” “I’m the one who shot the gun and killed that man. The gunshot made noise. The zombies are attracted to noise. They all came because I fired the gun, Dad.” Brett’s heart sank. “Charlie sacrificed himself to protect us from my stupid mistake. He was the one who said that we’d be all right if we had stuck together. Now, he’s gone, and we’re not all right. You said I saved his life. I merely ended it.” Right at that moment, a short, but loud, screeching sound echoed in the room. Then, a man’s voice had suddenly come from above. “Hello there, Brett and Jett. I’m sure you’re both pissed off, right now, but I would like you to know that you are both safe and sound. Jett, I’m truly sorry for what my men did to you, and I will have you know, they have all been exiled and left for the monsters to teach them a lesson.” Jett had felt no sense of relief. “I’m sure you’re both anxious to get out of there, but I would like Jett’s wounds to heal, first, before I have you come out. And Brett, I’m sure you would rather stay with your son.” “What the hell have you done with Avery and Lizzy?” Brett asked, in a rage. “Don’t worry about the lovely ladies, they are both safe and sound, just like you are.” Brett’s fists clenched. “You guys must be starving. You will have some food and water given to both of you, shortly.” Right after, a slot opened from under their doors, and a tray of food and water was quickly pushed into their rooms. “Jett, don’t eat this garbage, it’s probably poisoned.” Brett said. “It’s your choice.” The man said. “But keep in mind that neither of you has eaten for a day and a half, so don’t starve yourselves.” “Why are you doing this? Why are you keeping us locked in here?” Jett asked. “Sorry for our unorthodox methods, Jett, but we first needed to make sure that neither of you gentlemen was infected with this disease before we let you start helping. But we don't need to worry about that since you both have type A.” “What do you mean by ‘helping’?” Brett asked. “Help us keep this place stable and secure. We only have so much protection.” He responded. “Other than that, I think that I have said all I needed to... oh, wait a minute, how rude of me! I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is Elijah Thomas, but you can call me Eli. Now, we are done here.” Then, there was silence, once again. Jett looked at Brett, and Brett looked back at him. “I have a feeling we aren't going to be seeing any more zombies for a while.” Jett said.

December 7th, 2004. It had been almost two days since they were captured by the people, and it had been a day since they last heard from Eli. Food and water had been transferred into their room periodically, but neither of them had the appetite to eat anything, at all. They had been waiting patiently every hour that went by, for someone to just open the door. “Do you think we’ll ever see them again, Mom?” Lizzy asked. Avery gently stroked her hand down Lizzy’s hair. “I hope so, honey. The man said that they’re not too far away from us.” Avery responded. “For now, we just have to remain calm and wait for them to let us out today, as he said.” “What do you think will happen once they let us out?” Lizzy asked. Avery wasn’t expecting anything good to happen, but she stayed positive for her daughter. “Maybe they will let us stay in a warm and cozy bed, and be far away from the monsters.” “With Brett and Jett?” Lizzy asked. “With Brett and Jett.” She responded. And with that, the sound of keys had lead to the door becoming unlocked. Then, the door in front of them opened gently, allowing a new light to slowly cave in.

End of Chapter 1.

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