I've seen a few posts of people asking if this can be done and how best to do it. My group of 5 came in at level 5 off Lost Mine of Phandelver and its worked really well. I thought I'd share my experience, additions and changes in case it's helpful for other DMs out there or you just want a (hopefully interesting) read. I'll take it through to Vallaki, by which stage the characters are pretty much at the same level as the written adventure.
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A few things I want to mention before I get into it. Firstly, I'm running CoS mostly RAW, with a few changes inspired by the usual suspects in this sub., MandyMod, LunchBreakHeroes and DragnaCarta. These are minor, and can be easily removed or changed if you wish. The main change here is that Strahd's three brides feature a bit more prominently, however still very much remain his old toys he has grown tired of.
Secondly, and this probably goes without saying, but starting this campaign at level 5 makes the early game a far less deadly experience with a much lower chance of getting an 'accidental' TPK. For me this is fine, as it feels like a more balanced intro and any deaths are earned, but it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.
Thirdly, although English is my first language, spelling is not something that I excel at. Spellcheck and I will do our best but if I make a mistake I do apologise.
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Into the Mists
My players started in the town of Phandalin, where mists around the town had slowly been building over about a week. Creatures had reportedly been seen by the prospectors in the hills which eventually led to the abduction of Quellene Aderleaf’s son, Carp, by werewolves. As dusk fell, the mists grew thicker still, and the players followed the tracks they'd found out of town. Soon the trees began to feel unfamiliar, older. The path disappeared and they were in a strange, misty wood.
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The group entered Barovia from the East, in the forest just beyond the East gate as described in the module. They went through the gate, found the body with the note on the side of the road and, despite all the wolf-sign, decided to make camp for the night.
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Not long after they settled in, the wolves showed up. I took this opportunity to show them that the woods are not a safe place, and also to push them along towards the village. They started to fight, but after a while as more and more came (both wolves and dire wolves), they eventually grabbed their things and hurried on along the road. The wolves stalked them for a bit before breaking off to inform their master of the new arrivals...
It was good to let the players flex a little (they hadn't seen combat since reaching level 5) and also for me to get a feel for how much they could take/dish out.
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So it was, tired and battered, they came upon the boarded up village of Barovia.
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The Village of Barovia
I cut out death house entirely. I felt like it didn't really add much to the story and was mostly there to level the players, which I didn't need to do.
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They met a far more subtle and personable Morgantha going door to door, who told them they were stuck in Barovia with everyone else here. She tired to sell them pies to no avail (my group are a suspicious lot), and ended up giving them directions to the inn. There they met Ismark who took them back to stay it his family's mansion. There was a tense evening when they met Irenna and saw the bite marks on her neck. Putting two and two together with the note they'd found on the corpse, they knew she'd been bitten twice and had no idea if this meant she was going to turn in the night.
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That night, I had the party member with the highest passive perception wake to witness the march of the dead out of the upstairs mansion window. She thought she caught a glimpse of a tall man standing out the front of the house looking up, but after glancing back he was gone.
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The next morning at the funeral, to my surprise, the party left Doru alone at his fathers request. Promising to try to find a way to lift the curse, they struck off for Vallaki to see Irenna to safety.
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Tser Pool Encampment
I made very few changes here. I swapped out a few of the bandits for bandit captains, just in case things went south, but my party kept their cool. They did not trust the Vistani, especially after Ismark's remarks. In fact I was worried my party would not detour past the camp at all. It was only that one of the PCs was looking for a Vistana woman as part of his backstory, and the fact that they read the map wrong thinking it was a shortcut (I had Ismark give them an old map with few landmarks to help get Irenna to Vallaki) that they ended up going there.
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Only two players went in to see Madam Eva for a reading. I had Irenna go in hesitantly too. After a point, she got very uncomfortable and left the tent.
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The party departed shortly after, wanting to reach Vallaki before dark. Some of the PCs noticed Irenna looked very shaken. When one asked her if she was okay and passed a persuasion check, I added the following:
she doesn't stop walking but keeps pace with you, her head down as she watches where she puts her feet on the wet road. "I heard Madam Eva’s voice in my head." She says quietly. "She told me we had met before, though I have no memory of it. When she spoke to me it was as if time stood still. It was just the two of us in the tent, the table between and darkness all around save the low orange glow of the candles. She drew two cards- the innocent and the torturer.
She asked what I thought of these two cards. I told her I do not buy into her fortunes and fate, that I chose my own- with actions, not with cards or by the whim of some spirit."
She walks on for a few moments without speaking, looking straight ahead as you walk. "But we can’t help but draw comparisons can we? And it was as if she was reading my subconscious mind.
She told me my feelings were partly true. That I am the innocent party, and I am tortured by the count, even though I deny myself any pointless self pity. But she said I was not just tortured, but also torturer.
This was when I asked to leave. I said I did not ask for this- for any of this, and for her to kindly get out of my head. She said she would leave me with one last thing (though again, I did not ask for it); that there is escape from this, though it is not through death. That my companions will walk through fire but I, I must journey through water to find my release.”
Irena picks up her pace and begins to walk ahead of you. "Oh," she says without turning, "and she said we should stay away from the windmill. Whatever that means."
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Two Carriages
About an hour after traveling past the crossroads the party came across the first encounter I had planned for them (pasted from my notes):
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A ramshackle enclosed carriage lies on its side in the long grass beside the road. As you get closer, you can see the scrawny ox that was pulling it has had its throat ripped out.
A Vampire Spawn is feasting on a family that has fled the village of Barovia. Anyone getting close enough to the carriage will see it rocking slightly. All inside are dead and the vampire will jump on anyone who opens the door (which opens to the sky). It will flee, laughing after a few rounds of combat or if things start to look dicey.
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I put this in because a) it had been a while since they'd had a fight and b) as they didn't have a run in with Doru, I wanted them to encounter a vampire spawn before the coffin maker's shop so they knew what they were in for. It actually played out really well, with one character jumping up on the wagon and throwing open the door to the grizzly scene inside, only to be pulled in by the vampire. It was a few rounds before the rest of the party were even aware of what was going on and climbed up to help. The vampire eventually tried to flee, but they managed to tackle it, pin it to the ground with a javelin (learning a stake through the heart does nothing) and finish it off with Lightbringer (a magic mace from LMoP).
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They continued on through the rain, up and across the bridge over Tser Falls. Rain turned to sleet as they climbed higher and puddles became wet pools of slushy snow. Then, out of the cold grey haze, two black stallions pulling a black carriage came towards them.
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I wanted their first encounter with Strahd to be memorable. I originally wrote a piece having him show up at the funeral, but scrapped it as I was worried it wasn't going to have the desired effect.
Here I had Rahadin stop the carriage about 20 feet away. He climbed down from the drivers seat, walked back and opened the carriage door. The rain stopped. Strahd stepped out. I used this sting from the Wednesday OST.
The party panicked. All tied to hide save one who stayed standing on the road. Strahd was amused.
From my notes:
Strahd’s goals during this encounter:
Let Irena see his compassionate side
The news of the Burgomaster’s death has reached him and Strahd is heading to the Village of Barovia to offer aid.
Invite Irena to come and stay and the castle until the situation can be resolved
He will offer to head back and get Ismark too. [Irena says civil, but refuses]
Sus out the players
Who are they? Where did they come from? He will do this carefully, and try not to provoke them, but he is in no way scared of them.
Get or give items that will allow him to scry on the players
An ep each (with his face on it) for looking out for his people's safety (there is an air of condescension - why didn’t they do more to help the people of the village?). Ludmilla is called from the carriage with a small chest containing the money.
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Ludmilla (one of Strahd's brides, a minor character RAW) is here for a few reasons. Firstly, I wanted to absolutely wipe the floor with the PCs if they decided to punch on. I knew Strahd n' Rahad could do this easily enough, but I wanted to be able to clean house if I needed to. Leave no question as to what they were up against. Secondly, I wanted the players to see what becomes of the object of Strahd's affection. A husk of a person, trying to stand proud but ultimately just a thrall to his will.
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Needless to say, the party did not draw steel. They were polite, if a little sheepish. I was having so much fun as Strahd that he came off a little more amused and playful than I had intended, but he still had the desired effect. He climbed back in, the rain started again and the carriage disappeared into the sleet. All PCs dropped the coins they had been given on the muddy road, all except one (she really needed the cash).
The ol' Bonegrinder My party skipped it. The raven cawed at them and they thought it best to listen to what the Vistani said. BUT, being level 5 we are now entering territory where this should be a pretty good encounter.
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They have since learned that children go missing there and, as they are still looking for Carp, plan to go back to check it out.
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Vallaki
The PCs made it to the palisade wall that surrounds the town just as they were closing the gates for the night. After they failed to persuade the guard to let them in, Irenna flexed her political skills and got them a pass with an appointment to see the burgomaster in the morning.
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I'm surely going to run out of space in this post soon so I'll skip forward a bit to the coffin maker's shop encounter. At level 5, this becomes a far more achievable fight. I still made a few tweaks:

• I had only 5 vampire spawn in the crates upstairs.
• If things started to look dicey for either side (“quick, warn the lady!” or “we’ve got this, go warn the lady.”) , one of them grabs the sack of bones and goes to warn the Lady (I had Anistrasia orchestrate the theft of the bones under Strahd's instruction). This let me make the encounter a bit easier if it was looking like a TPK, or harder by giving a secondary objective (stop the spawn with the bones or bad things will happen).

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And we're here! Basically up to the correct level in the module. I skipped over heaps and still managed to ramble. Anyway, I hope you were able to get something out of this for your own game.

Minnie girl you got everything you needed on your wishlist from people on TikTok to look great last night and you didn’t even do your fucking hair🤔 all them videos of you opening a hair crimper, makeup and all kinds for shit to look nice you didn’t think to use any of that shit? Your such a damn young minded women. You could have went all out and really showed everyone what you could really do with your appearance but you fell flat. ALSO Y’all who the fuck watched jah jah last night 😳

https://www.llresearch.org/channeling/2023/0311
List of Questions:
If someone, in a moment of despair with anger or hurt—at themselves or someone else—makes a decision that ends their life, can they still graduate? In the overall view of a life that was very spiritual, loving, and kind, does that moment of hurt, which causes death, set them back?
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Q’uo, there was once a song that asked the question, “How do you mend a broken heart?” That is my question for you. I had my heart broken recently, myself, and I wanted to ask because the heart is so central to the body. It’s the centrality of many systems of circulation. It’s connected to everything, so I wanted to ask if the heart is harder to heal than other energy centers in the body. What can we do to heal our broken hearts?
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I was wondering if you could elaborate a bit on the power of sound to raise the frequency, our own frequency and for healing?
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I am aware that there are multiple timelines that exist. If that is true, is there such a timeline where our planet has already moved to the fourth density positive harmoniously and without much resistance. And if such a timeline exists, then how do we, as a social memory complex, jump to it or bring it into reality?
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We have heard from the somewhere that long time ago, the Earth was a fourth-density planet. Is it right? If is yes, then what happened at that time that the Earth again become third density planet from fourth density planet?
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We have a study group of Law of One in India. Are you in contact with them also? Can you give an estimation as to how many wanderers are there in this group?
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The concept of balancing a chakra or a thought or an action—could you elaborate a little on, I guess, the mechanics of that? I mean, it seems like a simple question, but I’m having a tough time with that.
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Can service to others…in a social memory complex, can there be too much service to others?
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Could you please speak to second chakra imbalance and what that looks like or can look like?
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I have a friend who chose not to have children because of his sixth sense that a major cataclysm would be occurring in his lifetime, and he did not want his children to have to experience that cataclysm. Is that a reasonable perspective, or is this something that he has excessive concern about?
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Q’uo, in the Ra contact #10.13, Ra says, “The call begins with one. Subsequent calls double the first call.” How do we achieve this doubling effect? Do we have to call at the same time? Can we magnify or boost the effect through prayer or singing or infusing our call with the emotion, so we get more bang for our calling buck?
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What can we do to help Mother Earth go to the fourth density positive and as well as the whole humanity?
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Before sleep, when I’ve done the meditations, I see that I went all the way to the purple ray with the golden lights, and that is a peace. And I liked it. So, what was that? And after that when I came from the meditations, my heart chakra and the crown chakra, both were too much in balance. And I feel pressures on my heart all time whenever I went on that purple ray to golden nights. So, if you can, please help me out?
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In another group of India, the initiator had a question about in the future of the world’s chaotic situation. Is there anything the Confederation can give, or a goal, if we stumble or get stuck. Is there any help or guidance to how to balance that situation?
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How important is it for us now to be creating spaces for people to gather to meditate, to teach, to do many different things but creating gathering spaces? How important is that?
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Q’uo, as I understand it, you consist of several social memory complexes of different densities and backgrounds, and you’re on different stages on the path, the spiritual path. Do you ever have any trouble blending your energies and working together? Do you have disagreements or differences of opinion?
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A quick backstory. My ex and I met really organic at her job, she was sweet so we exchanged numbers. Long story short, we ended up falling in love and spending all our time together as we met during covid. The first year was great, I felt like we moved fast but I went with it because i liked her. I'll never forget one day where she played Drake's "Doing It Wrong" and started crying because I was such a good guy to her that she couldn't believe i was real. Eventually, i met her family and they loved me. When she met mine, everyone loved her except my mom. This threw me off alot. She said my girlfriend wasn't trustworthy because she was sitting inappropriately in front of my step father. My mom can be a bit paranoid so I didn't really pay it any mind, but it still bothered me that she didn't like her.
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We come up on year 2 and things are still good, but I find myself starting small fights, or being offended if she has a concern I should work on. We are still happy together, but things are slowly becoming less romantic and more real lifeish. Towards the end of year 2, we broke up after a family member passed which sent me to a dark place. Eventually, we worked things out and got back together that December before Christmas. My girlfriend would do all the nicest things, surprise me with gift, ask if I was hungry, compliment me, the list goes on. I would do nice things too, but sportatically. I would find myself filling up my schedule so that I only had to see her once or twice. She would try to see me more and send signals but I wouldn't pick them up. I spent the 2nd and 3rd year prioritizing my career over her. I found myself really stressed by life. I felt really upset that my mom didn't like her, i felt bad that i paid more attention to saving my relationship than i did to my cousin when he passed, and i felt like working on my career any time my girlfriend wanted to see me.
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This year started off pretty decent. We would go on dates, but i had at this point exerted all my savings into my career, ($5,000) and didnt get the ROI i expected. We went out of town, had a great time that ended in a small fight the last day. When we got back things were going pretty smooth until the final blow. My gf took me out to dinner and was going to go back home, but I asked if she wanted to come watch a movie with me. She did, and we had a chill night and went to bed. The next morning, she had class at 10, so I woke her up around 8:30am and asked if she minded going home to get ready for class so i could have alone time to clean my room and start my day. She was super upset and left outraged that I woke her up that way. I tried calling her back when things settled down but she didnt answer me for the rest of the day. When we finally talked, she was ready to break up and said it would be for good. A week later i found out that she now has a friend with benefits via one of her cousins close friends instagram story. I felt hurt and immediately blocked her, but i still feel like she's not truly in the wrong. She waited until the breakup and this was coming off a second chance. While we were together she was for me only, and poured so much into the relationship that I feel like i let her go and scared her into trying to catch up on what she's missed seeing that this is her final semester of college. What do you guys think and what advice do you have?

I have endured so much since that fateful night. My son- he has done so much, hurt so many people, and part of me feels it is my fault. This is not just the old stereotypical blaming of mothers when children go wrong. It is something else. I tried my best, I really did. Maybe I should have made a different choice that night, when my son was still a teenager. I don’t know. I just know that as always, I was only acting in his best interest, and that I will always love and support him, no matter what he does.
I am his mother after all.
That night, I was waiting for my son Nick to return home when my phone dinged. I looked down at my son’s name, flashing on my screen
-Will asked me over to his place can I go pls
I immediately texted back.
“No absolutely not. Home by nine please.” I simply could not come to terms with my son’s and his friends' apparently insatiable need to spend all weekend evenings together- and god knows what they got up to after dark.
Ding!
“Please please mom everybody is going Will asked me to go”
I was about to text back something like “when Will pays your bills, you can follow him wherever he asks” but then I felt a sudden change of heart. There was no point in refusing- he would just sneak off after I fell asleep. And how could I really refuse my darling son anything anyway? How could I make him upset and miserable, excluded from his friend group? He was the light of my eyes, the beat of my heart.
-Ok picking u up 11:30 no drinking drugs!
-Tks mom luv u
-I love u too
My last text remained unread.
I sighed. Another long lonely Saturday evening.
I dully thought about watching or eating something. I hated being alone in the evenings. My old fears and paranoias flooded me. It was hard not to spiral into dark places in my mind, as I restlessly listened to the creak of the pipes in the walls, magnified and echoing around my living room.
Tonight, it seemed as if the creaks were louder than ever. Something seemed to snap inside the belly of my house. I stared at the wall, which appeared to be moving, shaking and wavy. What the hell- Was it an earthquake? Our area was not prone to earthquakes. My imaginary fears gave way to sharp pangs of real horror as the front door flew open and a tall thin man perfectly dressed in a beautiful dark blue suit complete with a crisp white shirt and a Cheshire cat smile entered and stood before me.
“Hello Lisa” he exclaimed in a friendly voice. His eyes were blank, like small silver discs of nothingness.
The walls stopped heaving and the pipes were silent. Dead quiet reigned in the room.
The front door slammed shut.
I jumped, but couldn’t say anything. I just stared at him.
“I’ve come to take you.” he said brightly.
I shook my head.
He stretched out his hand and said in a slightly softer tone. “Come along my dear. It won’t be as bad as you’ve been told.”
“No!” I gasped. “Please. I have to be here- for my son. I’m all he has- he’s only sixteen.”
His grin grew deeper, running all the way round his head. “You silly woman! Why do you think I’m here?”
I shook her head mutely, refusing to believe.
“Sad but true my dear. He sold your soul to be able to go to Will’s party. Anyway, don’t worry. Lilibeth here will care for him.” He snapped his fingers, and then for the first time I noticed a woman’s figure, standing silently beside him. I don’t know how she got in.
Her face- I can’t describe how terrible her face was - a distorted face with sharp angled teeth jutting out, a demon face if there ever was one.
“Lilibeth you stupid cunt, your face!” snapped the blue-suited man. I blinked, the womanly figure seemed to flicker and I found myself staring at a woman who looked exactly like me. I shook my head again, willing the two to disappear.
But they did not.
“See? Lilibeth can take perfect care of him.” said the man. Lilibeth smiled and I could see her sharp glowing white teeth.
Desperation made me find my tongue. “No- this is not possible! How could he sell my soul for something he wanted? This can’t be- you’re lying!”
He rubbed his hands together. “In most cases you would be right, my poor Lisa. But for mothers and sons, ahhh, that most delicious of relationships, we make an exception. Your souls are so tightly bonded, in such a terrible way- even the laws of the universe bend in awe. The transactions are different, different, you know. Now come along, stop arguing with me. I have other things to do, places to be.” And he took a step towards me, his silver eyes dancing with glee.
“No” I cried. “I’ll make another deal with you! A better deal! Tell me what you’d like”.
He raised his eyebrows, his cat grin growing almost splitting his skull. “How amusing. Let me see. Actually I know exactly what I want. You realise, the bitter truth is that even in hell, men’s souls are valued more than yours, especially a fresh young man. The potential for doing evil! Oh my goodness!” and paused and rubbed his hands together again, almost drooling, before continuing, “And especially compared to that of a jaded old hag, if you’ll pardon me for pointing out the obvious, such as yourself. Call me sexist my dear, but that’s just the way it is.. So, his soul for yours?”
“She- she will leave?” I gestured at my doppelganger.
He threw his head back and roared with laughter, a truly terrifying sound. “Lilibeth you are so unwanted, my poor bitch!”
He snapped his fingers. Lilibeth hung her head, so her face was no longer visible, turned, and walked slowly to the front door. She paused a second, her hand on the knob, but the man gestured impatiently and snapped “Go on go on! I said we haven’t all night!”
She opened the door and disappeared into the darkness.
“There you go. No Lilibeth. Just you and your precious son- but his soul is mine.”
I nodded mutely.
“Wonderful! Well, I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of your Saturday evening- I heard there is an excellent party at Will’s place - I might pop in.”
He turned and followed Lilibeth back out.
I was alone. Had I been alone all this time?
I have not had a peaceful night since then. My son, Nick. Well, you may have heard about some of the things he’s done, sometimes they make its way into the media. But it’s not my fault. I was only trying to protect him. I swear.

Hi everyone. I suffered from major depression and PTSD. However Christianity and religious practices such as listening to chants, prayer and praying the rosary helped me so much to overcome this unfortunate circumstance. Improving myself spiritually felt so much better. I feel so peaceful when i read my bible. Holding it, smelling it, reading the same good verses again again, they are very warm and pleasant... But i guess i'm still a non-believer as an atheist. Coming from a muslim family, i always used believe the power of supernatural and that made me to reject the natural laws therefore lowering my individual capacity, leading to failure and misery. I'm not telling that Islam specifically encourages the power of prayer and supernatural, it's just how our family raised us. Suffering from these kind of issues, i developed a thinking mechanism of not holding a belief that contains supernatural. God intervening in natural world, zodiac signs, astrology, karma you name it. Everything has to be natural, everthing has to have a scientific evidence and supported by a study. I even believe that relying on supernatural doesn't make sense because it totally neglects free will. If we are thinking animals and we have the power to reason and distinguish then we should realize what is wrong or right according to God's word. It's like a teacher gathers all students for an exam in a class and helps some of them to score high. In that given situation the principle of testing them isn't important because it's already biased. Jesus said 'Ask and it will be given'. And let's say i'm a Christian and reject this statement would that make me a heretic? Anyway the title tells itself. I need simple answers to end my mental suffering. So please help.

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38. [FULL ALBUM https://imgur.com/a/PuTBkKh]

Thank you.

I have endured so much since that fateful night. My son- he has done so much, hurt so many people, and part of me feels it is my fault. This is not just the old stereotypical blaming of mothers when children go wrong. It is something else. I tried my best, I really did. Maybe I should have made a different choice that night, when my son was still a teenager. I don’t know. I just know that as always, I was only acting in his best interest, and that I will always love and support him, no matter what he does.
I am his mother after all.
That night, I was waiting for my son Nick to return home when my phone dinged. I looked down at my son’s name, flashing on my screen
-Will asked me over to his place can I go pls
I immediately texted back.
“No absolutely not. Home by nine please.” I simply could not come to terms with my son’s and his friends' apparently insatiable need to spend all weekend evenings together- and god knows what they got up to after dark.
Ding!
“Please please mom everybody is going Will asked me to go”
I was about to text back something like “when Will pays your bills, you can follow him wherever he asks” but then I felt a sudden change of heart. There was no point in refusing- he would just sneak off after I fell asleep. And how could I really refuse my darling son anything anyway? How could I make him upset and miserable, excluded from his friend group? He was the light of my eyes, the beat of my heart.
-Ok picking u up 11:30 no drinking drugs!
-Tks mom luv u
-I love u too
My last text remained unread.
I sighed. Another long lonely Saturday evening.
I dully thought about watching or eating something. I hated being alone in the evenings. My old fears and paranoias flooded me. It was hard not to spiral into dark places in my mind, as I restlessly listened to the creak of the pipes in the walls, magnified and echoing around my living room.
Tonight, it seemed as if the creaks were louder than ever. Something seemed to snap inside the belly of my house. I stared at the wall, which appeared to be moving, shaking and wavy. What the hell- Was it an earthquake? Our area was not prone to earthquakes. My imaginary fears gave way to sharp pangs of real horror as the front door flew open and a tall thin man perfectly dressed in a beautiful dark blue suit complete with a crisp white shirt and a Cheshire cat smile entered and stood before me.
“Hello Lisa” he exclaimed in a friendly voice. His eyes were blank, like small silver discs of nothingness.
The walls stopped heaving and the pipes were silent. Dead quiet reigned in the room.
The front door slammed shut.
I jumped, but couldn’t say anything. I just stared at him.
“I’ve come to take you.” he said brightly.
I shook my head.
He stretched out his hand and said in a slightly softer tone. “Come along my dear. It won’t be as bad as you’ve been told.”
“No!” I gasped. “Please. I have to be here- for my son. I’m all he has- he’s only sixteen.”
His grin grew deeper, running all the way round his head. “You silly woman! Why do you think I’m here?”
I shook her head mutely, refusing to believe.
“Sad but true my dear. He sold your soul to be able to go to Will’s party. Anyway, don’t worry. Lilibeth here will care for him.” He snapped his fingers, and then for the first time I noticed a woman’s figure, standing silently beside him. I don’t know how she got in.
Her face- I can’t describe how terrible her face was - a distorted face with sharp angled teeth jutting out, a demon face if there ever was one.
“Lilibeth you stupid cunt, your face!” snapped the blue-suited man. I blinked, the womanly figure seemed to flicker and I found myself staring at a woman who looked exactly like me. I shook my head again, willing the two to disappear.
But they did not.
“See? Lilibeth can take perfect care of him.” said the man. Lilibeth smiled and I could see her sharp glowing white teeth.
Desperation made me find my tongue. “No- this is not possible! How could he sell my soul for something he wanted? This can’t be- you’re lying!”
He rubbed his hands together. “In most cases you would be right, my poor Lisa. But for mothers and sons, ahhh, that most delicious of relationships, we make an exception. Your souls are so tightly bonded, in such a terrible way- even the laws of the universe bend in awe. The transactions are different, different, you know. Now come along, stop arguing with me. I have other things to do, places to be.” And he took a step towards me, his silver eyes dancing with glee.
“No” I cried. “I’ll make another deal with you! A better deal! Tell me what you’d like”.
He raised his eyebrows, his cat grin growing almost splitting his skull. “How amusing. Let me see. Actually I know exactly what I want. You realise, the bitter truth is that even in hell, men’s souls are valued more than yours, especially a fresh young man. The potential for doing evil! Oh my goodness!” and paused and rubbed his hands together again, almost drooling, before continuing, “And especially compared to that of a jaded old hag, if you’ll pardon me for pointing out the obvious, such as yourself. Call me sexist my dear, but that’s just the way it is.. So, his soul for yours?”
“She- she will leave?” I gestured at my doppelganger.
He threw his head back and roared with laughter, a truly terrifying sound. “Lilibeth you are so unwanted, my poor bitch!”
He snapped his fingers. Lilibeth hung her head, so her face was no longer visible, turned, and walked slowly to the front door. She paused a second, her hand on the knob, but the man gestured impatiently and snapped “Go on go on! I said we haven’t all night!”
She opened the door and disappeared into the darkness.
“There you go. No Lilibeth. Just you and your precious son- but his soul is mine.”
I nodded mutely.
“Wonderful! Well, I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of your Saturday evening- I heard there is an excellent party at Will’s place - I might pop in.”
He turned and followed Lilibeth back out.
I was alone. Had I been alone all this time?
I have not had a peaceful night since then. My son, Nick. Well, you may have heard about some of the things he’s done, sometimes they make its way into the media. But it’s not my fault. I was only trying to protect him. I swear.

It all started with a possible argument regarding if I "can" watch porn. I'm a very open person with an extremely high sex drive, and she is very conservative and believes that having sex too much makes her a slut or a whore. At most we would normally have sex twice a week. She also treats porn as cheating.
Long before we engaged, we had an agreement saying I won't watch porn if we can be intimate, and if I do, I can't lie to her about it. I honestly did held up my agreement and even to this moment.
It has been a while since I saw my fiancé because she was out of the country for over a month, and the week before and after she came back she was on her period so we couldn't do it. To put it bluntly I asked for her blessing but she got angry and told me to wait, which I did after long arguments about how unfair it was.
The current week from what I gathered she was still upset that I brought up the prospect of porn last week but didn't vocally voice it, and literally started arguing with me over the most minor things. I also asked each day this week if we can do it and she said she is tiered or doesn't feel like it, or other excuses.
The argument that broke the camel's back for me was that she had an interview but it seemingly didn't go well when she came back, I kept asking her what was wrong and she kept saying "I give up" and doesn't want to talk about it. Then I said okay let's go out to eat, I'll treat you to make you feel better. She said she had no appetite. Then I asked if she wanted to do anything, she said I'm tiered and she wants to sleep. So I just said "so you don't want to talk to me, eat, or do anything, i'm just going to do my thing". She then responded with "watching porn?". Then after a huge argument about unfair this is and that is not what i meant, I just packed my major belongings, left, came back to my place and deleted and blocked her on everything.
It may be an impulsive move from me last night, but I just couldn't handle the excuses, reneg on our agreement, and the constant arguments. The messed up thing is after the argument, I didn't even watch porn, I passed out after surfing youtube of random food shorts.
If it helps, she doesn't use social media, is a kindergarten teacher, very conservative, very insecure or jealous because she said her last 3 bfs cheated on her (one time caught them in the act), but also super loyal and kind.
I use social media, more outgoing, open minded, and trusting of my partners, she can hang with 10 guys I would be okay, but if I hang with 10 girls she would flip.
We've been together for almost 5 years.
We had alot of fights before, all revolving about this subject and having friends of opposite sex in similar capacity, and this is my 2nd time walking out and deleting her, but this time it feels final.
Should I unblock and add her back or just keep moving forward. I'm honestly still really angry but still kinda concerned about her being alone. Thanks for any help or insight you can provide!

Just looking for some overall opinions, was just wondering if anyone has had both services and can compare the picture quality against each other. I'm using a 2022 AppleTV 4K hardwired with 1gig Verizon Fios and a 77"LG C1 OLED. YouTube TV on certain channels using this setup reminds me of watching TV back in the mid 2000s. Settings are correct all around, but the picture remains sub par with no depth and sharpness.
I've read several places that DirecTV Stream has vastly superior PQ but just wanted to get some opinions here first. Thanks for the help.

I asked my host whether I could invite a guest for a few days, She then asked me to pay 20$/ night for the cleaning fee of the pillow/blanket, is that a joke or is it normal?
Just to be clear, they do not offer daily cleaning services at all. Like not at all So they will certainly only clean that pillow:blanket one time at the end of our trip

“It’s been fifty years already? Time flies on Earth 7. I remember how dull the years felt all that time ago. How bored I was with my immortality, sitting around with the other self-righteous on Earth 1. Or shall I just call it Earth? What do the angels refer to it as?” Alex asked, paying little attention to the angel. He had been struggling to open his can of soup for the last ten minutes, banging it against the side of his worn-out kitchen table. The pointed edges of the table piercing the top but not quite busting it open, spilling droplets of red tomato soup all over the table.
“We call it heaven. You were a holy man back then; a crowning achievement of what faith could do for a person. We still believe you are that holy person, which is why we are begging you to reconsider this crusade you’re performing. These people will repent on their own. They don’t need you to torment them into submission.” The angel pleaded; body hidden by a ray of golden light. On Earth 1, the angels were visible, a figure that those holy humans could comprehend, but as one moved lower down the Earth’s, the angels became more obscured, their features not visible behind the protective holy lights.
“Really? You think this is reforming anyone? Have you even looked at the world outside? Feel free to glance out of the cracks in my walls. It’s hell on this Earth. You put the worst of the worst together and expected them to play nice?”
“We believed that it would be in their best interest to be separated. It would offer them a chance to self-reflect without harming anyone else.”
“Without harming anyone else? So, it’s fine if they kill each other?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“It’s implied. I agree with you, I would rather they kill each other. Unfortunately, that doesn’t give them a chance to reflect on their mistakes. All you’ve done is given them access to a playground of sin, one where they have even fewer consequences.” Alex banged the can against the edge, the top spilling open, spilling a wave of red liquid over the table. “Want some soup?”
“I’ll pass. Don’t you think this is better? We created a heaven and hell using your Earth, a way to organize people into categories. No one dies anymore. They simply live and reflect on their lives until they earn their way to Earth 1.”
“How many people here do you believe will earn their way back?”
“I believe every sinner has a chance to-“
“Honestly. Without the shit, how many do you think will earn their way back without me?”
“Five, maybe ten.” The angel sighed.
“Five or ten every fifty years. This place is going to get overpopulated at this rate. That’s not even counting the new arrives. Sure, Earth 7 is a hard place to get into, but it’s an even harder place to leave. Imagine living around murderers and sinners and trying to avoid killing someone. Even if you kill to protect yourself, you’re still technically a committing a sin.”
“God says one must forgive his enemies. As an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
“Fifty years of turning the other cheek is hard. Which is why I’m helping. These people need someone to fear. A threat that makes them uneasy about sinning.”
“Alex, this isn’t the way to do things. You need to trust god’s plan.”
“What plan? We hear nothing from him for thousands of years and then suddenly we all sent to these Earth’s without warning. That was his grand plan? This isn’t what I devoted my life to. God teaches sinners how to grow. He doesn’t throw them into the too hard basket and leave them to kill one another.” Alex sipped his soup, downing the cold liquid and tossing the can onto the floor.
“This is a different way of teaching.” The angel said, picking up the can from the floor, looking for a bin to put it in. When it found none, it simply crushed the can into light. “You still choose to eat, even with immortality?”
“Even if hunger won’t kill me, it still doesn’t feel nice to starve. Plus, one can for me means one less for the others. I plan to weaken them until they are forced to become better people.”
“That isn’t the way. What if you shared the can? Wouldn’t that send a better message?”
“Heh, you angels really don’t have any clue what these people are like. These aren’t people who have just sworn during church or tripped someone over. These are the worst of the worst. People that don’t understand the difference between right and wrong. Suffering is their only way to salvation. They need to experience fear and pain.”
“I don’t think we will see eye to eye on this. I hate to say it, but you won’t be advancing to Earth 6 this time.”
“Mm-hmm. You can just send a letter next time. Don’t bother showing up.” Alex murmured, noticing the hint of a flashlight outside, the light poking through a crack in his wall. The light moving around the back of his house as he crept closer to the wall, peering out of the hole, watching as a small group of looters made their way to his shed.
“Please. I can tell what you’re thinking. Share your supplies with them.”
“You know, maybe you’re right.” Alex said, giving the angel a moment of hope before he reached for a remote underneath the kitchen sink. With the remote in hand, he waited until a looter opened the shed door before setting off the explosives. “Oh, what a shame. Nothing left to share.”
The angel grimaced, unable to look at the destruction. Smoke pouring from where the shed once was. The looters didn’t die, but it would take some time for their bodies to fully heal. Alex opened the backdoor, staring down the group.
“Welcome to hell, newbies. I’m going to torment you until you repent for your sins. If you’re smart, you will take this warning and follow the rules I’ve set. If you don’t, I’ll make sure you never get a moment of rest; you will always be looking over your shoulder for me.”
Alex watched as the group slowly healed, staring at the man in horror before scurrying into the darkness of the night. Alex was certain some of them would be back. Most people that ended up in hell weren’t the type to conform to rules, at least not at first. They would make a few attempts on his life and may even succeed, but without being able to kill him, they could only halt him for so long. Even trapping Alex wouldn’t last forever. The most successful trapping attempt lasting five years until the lock on his cage door rusted, and he broke free.
“You have set up rules?” The angel questioned.
“I have a few posters outside. A few guidelines on how to avoid contact with me. If they behave themselves, they won’t get much trouble from me. It’s the ones that continue their old habits that need to fear me.”
“I see. When you were a religious man, did you believe in the devil?”
“I did. It makes sense that if there is a god, there would be a devil.”
“The devil was never real. At least not until you arrived here. Your tale shares some similarities to the devil’s too. You both serve a similar purpose, although while the devil was a prisoner of hell, you appear to be a warden. I believe you have become the devil of Earth 7. I just wonder if you will stay a warden forever or end up a prisoner, too?”
“I’m no devil. I’ll return to Earth 1 when the evil repents. I just don’t plan to leave until I do god’s job for him. Even the wicked deserve to go to Earth 1. Even if they have to be forced to better themselves.”
“Hm. That answers my question. I’ll be taking my leave.”
“Please do. I need to go check my security camera. This place might look like it’s falling apart, but that’s just to trick anyone stupid enough to enter it. I have traps, a bunker and everything I need to make them repent. You’re just putting me in danger by being here.”
“Very well. Farewell.” The angel shone even brighter, causing Alex’s senses to overload, unable to hear anything but white noise as the angel left him with one word. “Prisoner.” Before vanishing.

I am looking for a whole home solution. I am looking for 6 standard cameras for outdoors as well as a front door camera and a camera at my gate.
I need them to be especially weather resistant as I live in Costa Rica and the weather is very tough.
My neighborhood has had a lot of break ins and while suspects have been caught in camera, the quality has been poor. I need something with great quality picture especially at night. I do not want battery powered. I would like cloud storage so I can easily monitor when I am not home. I would like zoom capabilities because my property is large (1.5 acres).
I'd like to have the entire camera system from a single provider so I don't need to switch apps for doorbell vs watching the standard camera feed.
I am willing to spend up to about $1500.

• Two swords, one for each hand.
• Each sword looks kind of nature-inspired, with a wooden kind of texture on the hilt, roots grasping the blade, some kind of watery effect and what looks like leaves.
• One of the blades looks alive and verdant, the other looks dead and a bit decrepit.

I could be reading too much into it, but to me it looks like they symbolise life and death. Again with "The Cycle", which was a prevalent theme in Ardenweald, and which the Winter Queen couldn't stop talking about.
But they're not "The Blades of Life and Death", or "The Blades of Elune and The Winter Queen". They're just "The Blades of Elune".
So what do you think this means? Further evidence that Elune is some type of Life and Death goddess?
Could it be the case that Elune is pretty much the Winter Queen's "big sister", in charge of the entire Cycle, and she sent the WQ to watch over the realms of Death while somebody else watches over the realms of Life? Perhaps a brother, or yet another sister?
I know Wowpedia says they're just sisters with one being assosciated with Life, and the other with Death. In other words, equals. But how could Elune "send souls" into Ardenweald upon Night Elves' death at Teldrassil, if Elune is in charge of the "Realm of Life" and the WQ is in charge of the "Realm of Death"? Surely, the WQ would have an equal amount of power in Azeroth, the mortal realm, aka Reality, if she and Elune were made from the same stuff. And then surely, Elune wouldn't have the power to ferry souls into Death from Azeroth. Because if she did, the Winter Queen should also have that power, and she doesn't.
Why would you send souls into The Realm of Death from The Realm of Life in the first place? Souls wouldn't go to the Realm of Life from Reality/Azeroth/the Mortal Realm just to then be sent into the Realm of Death, would they? They'd just go straight from Reality into The Realm of Death.
To me it sounds more like Elune isn't in charge of the "Lifelands"/Emerald Dream specifically, but she is watching over the Cycle. A great Guardian of Reality, maintaining the Balance of Life and Death. That's why she imbued Tyrande with her powers, when the Jailer went mad and gave Sylvanas the steroids of Death. So Tyrande could fight fire with fire and restore the balance.
That's why Renewal is more important than Vengeance, because Renewal means Life regains its foothold and becomes equal to Death once more. Vengeance would mean pretty much annihilating everyone assosciated with Death, as Tyrande was on the verge of doing. In that outcome, there wouldn't be balance. Life would have the upper hand, or rather, both forces would be screwed. Elune just wanted Life to regrow, not for Death to lose.
Even better, given how the WQ ended up being a dratted robot, it'd make sense if they retconned a possible kinship into something else, like Elune being a proper godess while the WQ was just under the impression that she was, too. Kind of how like the Night Elves call themselves "Sisters", the WQ also feels like a "Sister" in Elune's godly club.
Also, why would Elune, a.k.a. Mother Moon, a.k.a literally embodied as a moon watching over the planet Azeroth, be a moon orbiting Azeroth if she was the same thing as the WQ? Elune feels bigger, she feels more closely attatched to Azeroth and its fate.

I was scraping a living working as a security guard.
I was stationed in shopping malls where my days were spent asking teenagers to move on. I sat behind desks in the lobbies of office blocks staring at CCTV monitors where nothing happened for hour after hour. And I patrolled construction sites on freezing cold nights, actually wishing someone would try and break in and steal some of the building materials. At least then I could get warm by chasing them.
My job was garbage.
One night, I was responding to an alarm which had gone off at the lot of a car dealership.
I parked up outside. The alarm was flashing but there was no sign of damage to the building so I assumed it was yet another waste of time.
I stood in front of the window and looked at the sleek, high-performance vehicles on display that cost more than I would earn in a lifetime on my pathetic wage. My reflection peered back at me: a sad figure dressed in a grey security guard’s uniform.
I sighed, turned away and headed back to my car. I had left my work phone on the passenger seat. I had to use it to fill in an online form after every call out before leaving the scene and would get my wages docked if I did not complete all the boxes correctly. It felt so futile.
I unlocked the car and was reaching for the door handle when I saw movement across the road. A glimpse of something running on all fours.
It slipped down an alley and away out of sight.
I thought at first that it might have been a fox.
There were a small number of exclusive restaurants in the surrounding blocks and their refuse would be packed with tasty morsels for scavengers. They wouldn’t care that it was leftovers from haute cuisine prepared by a chef with his own show on cable tv.
But my hand hovered over the door handle.
What if it had been a dog? I wondered. A stray destined for the pound that would eventually, heartbreakingly, be put to sleep.
I had always liked dogs a lot. I admired their loyalty and their tenacity, though my circumstances over the years had meant I had not owned one since I was a teenager.
And though I should have got busy filling in the mind-numbing online form, I decided that could wait.
I wanted to see if it was a dog. If it was, maybe I could rescue it and give it a home. That would give my empty life some kind of purpose.
Trying not to think about how I was going to afford to pay for dog food and veterinarian’s bills, I set off on the animal’s trail.
The alley I had entered was narrow and dark. I gave my eyes a moment to adjust then carried on. I moved slowly, not wanting to spook the animal.
I knew that if it felt threated it could lash out, and the last thing I needed was a trip to ER to get treated for a bite.
But there was no sign of it and the only sound was a drunk singing in the distance.
I shook my head sadly. I would have to give up and get back to the car. There would be another job lined up for me by now and the supervisor would be wondering where I was.
I turned – but did not take another step.
A pair of eyes glowed in the darkness ahead of me. They were red and burning with rage.
I could see the snout of the animal now as well and its teeth… only they were not the teeth of any kind of dog or fox. They were way too big, way too sharp.
They were fangs. And they were coming my way.
My guts cramped with fear.
I needed to get out of there or stand and fight. I clenched my firsts.
The animal was close. It began to snarl and crouch. I realised with horror that it was about to go for me.
Suddenly the alley was filled with the sound of screeching tyres and an engine roaring like it was fit to burst.
A car sped into view. It was backing in and barely fit into the cramped space. Its sides scraped along the sides of the alley with a sickening screech. Then it slammed to a halt.
I heard a door open, and a man stepped out of the driver’s seat.
He wore a battered leather coat that reached almost to his ankles. A fedora was balanced at a rakish angle on his head.
He smiled, and I saw the glint of a gold tooth.
“Well, howdy,” he said to me, “I will take it from here.”
The animal had not moved since he had arrived on the scene. It had remained low to the ground, its teeth bared, its hackles raised.
The man stood tall before it, patted a holster on his hip and said, “I got six silver pieces in here. I will need only one. There will be no morning after regrets then. The only thing waiting for you will be a cold hard grave.”
It was insane. He was speaking to a crazed animal as if it could understand him.
The animal responded with a howl, then leapt at him.
Moving with lightning speed and agility, the man rolled out of the way and was back on his feet in a flash. He drew, and a loud retort filled the alley – all while the animal was still mid-air.
The impact of the projectile sent it spiralling down. It hit the ground heavily and did not move.
I stood there transfixed, barely able to breathe.
The man opened the trunk of his car, picked the animal up and placed it inside.
As he closed the trunk, I could swear I saw pale human skin appearing beneath the animal’s fur.
The man turned back to me. “Word of advice, stranger. Stay out of dark alleys on nights like these. The full moon’s real pretty, but she brings out the beast.”
Then he tapped the brim of his fedora in a relaxed salute and climbed back into his car.
I was left standing watching open-mouthed as he drove away.
I had not noticed that it was a full moon but, when I looked up, I saw it burning bright in the dark city night.
I took a deep breath and headed back to my car.
There were missed calls on my work phone and a red-flagged email telling me to report to personnel in the morning.
I did not tell the drone in the suit who I met in the security company’s headquarters at 9.30 the next day what had happened in the alley. I knew that was pointless. There was no way he would believe me – and, it turned out, the damage was already done.
I listened as he told me that I was fired for taking an unauthorised break.
It took all my self-control not to reach over the desk, grab him and tell him exactly what I thought of his organisation and his stupid face.
With my head held high, I walked out onto the street. I had my dignity but nothing else. I was unemployed and close to broke.
I needed to think. I decided it was too early to go to a bar and consider my options over a stiff drink, and my cramped apartment was the last place I wanted to be when I was already feeling down, so I set off walking.
I had no destination in mind, I just drifted.
As I paced the streets, my mood got bleaker and bleaker. I could not see a way out of the dire situation I was in.
Finally, as dusk fell, I gave in to the temptation of a drink. There was a bar on the corner. It had no windows and there was broken glass and cigarette ends scattered across the sidewalk in front of it.
It was a dive.
Ideal for a loser like me then, I figured, and headed in.
The inside of the bar was hazy with smoke and dimly lit by a fluorescent strip that was dancing with flies. There were half a dozen patrons nursing beers, and a juke box was playing a song about looking for love.
The only thing anyone was going to find in this place was regret and stale breath.
I headed to the bar and ordered a double bourbon neat. The barman slid over a glass and poured out the drink.
The rim of the glass had more fingerprints on it than a crime scene. Telling myself that alcohol was a very effective disinfectant, I downed the bourbon in one, then turned to leave.
Call it the ambiance, call it the dirty looks I was getting because my eyebrows did not meet in the middle, but this bar was not helping my mood one little bit.
I was almost back at the door, when it swung open and the man from the alley strolled in.
His fedora, long leather coat and confident strut made him stand out a mile in the seedy bar.
He looked at me and I saw recognition in his eyes, but he carried on right by me without a word and made his way towards a lone figure sitting at a corner table.
I’d paid this man no heed before. He was keeping to the shadows and, even as he was approached, he had eyes only for the drink that sat in front of him.
Common sense was telling me that there was about to be trouble and I should leave, but I had not ended up one step away from the gutter by listening to my common sense.
So I leant against a wall and watched and waited.
The man wearing the fedora had reached the table. He had his back to me, but I imagined a gold tooth glinting as he said, “It is time to end this.”
His voice was calm and cold. He meant business.
The lone figure responded by taking a long drink, then placing his glass back down slowly and deliberately. The sound of the glass clinking on the tabletop was the loudest sound in the bar by now.
The juke box was silent and everyone else in there seemed transfixed by the encounter as well.
The lone figure got to his feet. He was slender and dressed all in black. In the gloom, his eyes were two points of darkness and his skin looked drained of all colour.
Then he smiled, and I felt a cold chill run through my body.
The tips of his teeth were viciously sharp points. Had he had filed them down to be like that? I wondered. Or was there another explanation?
One that belonged far from the light of day, in a dank, dark place like this.
The lone figure kept smiling as he said, “That’s not going to happen. It’s night now, so I will be leaving here to get myself a drink that satisfies my thirst. The plasma they keep behind the bar for me here just doesn’t cut it. In fact, this whole situation lacks bite.”
Then he snarled and his jaws snapped open. His grotesque teeth looked like a steel trap. One that was about to close around the neck of the man in the fedora.
But, once again, he moved at speed, producing a sharp wooden stake from inside his leather coat and striking it into the heart of the lone figure – who screamed then crumbled into dust.
The man in the fedora turned to walk away.
Only his path to the door was blocked by the barman. He held a sawn-off. “You should not have done that,” he said. “Vampires are my best customers.”
Then he let loose with both barrels.
There was nothing the man in the fedora could do. He was sent flying backwards, crashing through chairs and tables before sliding to a halt.
Appalled at this vicious assault, I threw myself at the barman and knocked him out with a right hook.
Then I scrambled over to the man in the fedora. He was in a bad way, but he was still breathing. His eyes flickered opened.
I forced a reassuring smile onto my face and said, “Don’t try and move. I’ll call 911.”
“No, there’ll be too many questions.” he gasped and tried to sit up. His face contorted with pain and he swore. Then, through gritted teeth, he said, “Help me get out of here.”
I had no idea what he was talking about and still thought calling the authorities was the best thing to do, but I saw that the other customers were giving us filthy looks and that the barman was coming round. I decided that getting out of there as soon as possible was the wisest option after all.
I helped the man in the fedora get to his feet and took as much of his weight as I could as we struggled towards the door and out into the night.
I recognised his car parked across from the bar. He gave me the keys and collapsed into the passenger seat.
I was about to tell him I was not insured to drive his vehicle when I saw the door of the bar open and the barman emerge.
Getting pulled over for a traffic offense was small change compared to the volley that was about to come our way, so I dived into the car, gunned the engine and gripped the wheel as we sped away.
I almost hit a car at the next intersection but swerved just in time. My heart was beating way too fast and I was coated in sweat. Then the headlights of a truck filled my line of vision and its horn blasted out a warning.
It missed us by inches.
I could not take it anymore. I pulled up at the side of the road and sat there shaking.
I glanced over at the man in the fedora and was amazed to see he was grinning.
“What in Hades’ name is going on?” I snapped.
“I am a freelance operative,” he replied. “I am paid by the government to eliminate monsters.”
I looked at him, lost for words.
“Sounds crazy, I know,” he continued. “But I assure you I don’t need a straight-jacket, just one more favour. I live a couple of blocks from here. I’m figuring it would be safer to walk the rest of the way and, while my Kevlar vest, soaked up most of the blast I’m still in a world of pain…”
He left it hanging there.
I sighed then told him I’d help him get home but that was it.
A day that had started with me being fired had descended into chaos and my nerves were shredded.
With him leaning on me we made our way slowly through the streets, until finally we reached what looked to me like a derelict warehouse. Even though it was late, a steady stream of traffic passed by. This city never slept.
“This is my place,” he said, while unlocking the door with a big brass key. The door opened with a creak and I helped him inside.
He flicked a light switch on, revealing a long open plan room that was a strange mix of workshop and living space.
An old and very comfortable looking sofa sat in front of a tv that looked about thirty years old. There was a fridge nearby, a stove, and a sink that was piled high with dishes.
A tool box stood open on the floor near to the sink, and a wide wooden workbench ran along the side of one wall.
There was an unmade bed as well, and an empty clothes hanger. Rumpled clothes lay scattered across the floor.
“I’m guessing you live here alone,” I said.
He shrugged and responded with, “Wherever I lay my stakes, that’s my home.”
I thought he was joking until I saw the row of wooden stakes lined up against one of the walls. The tip of each was sharpened – just like the one he had used in the bar.
He tapped the nearest one and said, “I like to keep plenty of replacements. Always seem to be leaving the things behind.”
Then he made his way over to the sofa and sunk down onto it.
I could see he was still in a lot of pain, but his breathing was regular and as I watched his eyelids closed and he started to snore quietly.
It was time for me to make my exit – only I could hear the rain falling heavily against the roof of the building. It sounded filthy outside, and I was beat.
There was an armchair in one corner of the room. It looked ancient and the lining was split open in a bunch of places. At that moment in time, it also looked incredibly comfortable.
I dragged myself over and pretty much collapsed onto it.
I don’t even remember closing my eyes.
The next thing I knew, I was blinking and yawning and rubbing my face. The morning sun was reaching into the room from a skylight and there was a pot of coffee brewing on the stove.
There was also a fax machine whirring into life.
I thought they’d gone the way of the dinosaurs so was bemused by the spectacle as a printout appeared. I went over to see what was on the sheet of paper.
It was a two-tone reproduction of a mug shot. Whoever it was, was not going to win any beauty contests. He looked desperate and dangerous. He also appeared human, but I assumed there was more to him than met the eye, if he was of interest to a monster hunter.
Below the picture there was a dollar sign followed by four figures.
I whistled quietly to myself. To a man in my dire financial straits, it was a substantial sum.
I was thinking how having that kind of money in my pocket would have made my life a whole lot better, when the man who I had helped the night before came into the room.
He took the printout from me, studied it, then said, “Looks like it’s time for me to go back to work.”
His leather coat and fedora were on the floor. He started to bend over to pick them up but pulled up in pain.
“Look,” I said. “If I understand this right, and you’re going to try and take out that desperado for that fee, then I would say you are going to fail. I reckon at the best you’ve cracked a couple of ribs. What you need is a partner, with a fifty-fifty split of the money when we succeed.”
He did not look happy about my suggestion and replied, “It will be dangerous in the extreme. You must realise that after seeing the last couple of vermin I took out?”
Unease trickled through me. But I wasn’t going to be put off that easily. I really wanted the money.
I pointed at the mug shot and asked, “What kind of monster is this?”
He grabbed a second page that had appeared from the fax machine, read it, then told me, “It says he is a shapeshifter. He is more dangerous than the lycanthrope I killed in the alley because he can change at will, not just during the full moon, and he could well share the cold logic of the vampire from the bar. The amount of the fee reflects this.”
I swallowed and tried to pretend like I was not scared as I said, “My offer to partner up with you still stands.”
He felt his ribs then looked me in the eye and growled, “Let’s do this thing.”
He drove this time, wincing every time we hit a pothole.
I had the two printouts on my lap and was leafing through an old A to Z of the city. I was looking for the street name that was among the details provided on the second sheet of paper.
“You do know it’s much easier to do this online,” I told him, as yet another bump in the road made me lose my page.
“Easier, but risky,” he told me. “Emails and messaging services are frequently hacked but no one is looking for information sent by fax. And who’s to say someone is not looking at the results of your internet searches the moment you bring them up.”
“I guess you don’t trust money being wired into banks either. So how do you get paid?” I said with a cynical tone.
He replied without missing a beat: “In cash. Used notes. Collected from drop off points, and never the same place. Do you like being given cash in hand? I know I do.”
I had to smile. He had me there. I went back to the A to Z.
After a couple of unnecessary detours caused by my rusty map reading, we finally turned into the right street. The apartment block we were looking for was on our left.
Finding monsters in alleys and dive bars had made sense. I also assumed monsters would hang out in graveyards, crumbling mansions, and other generally creepy and run down locations.
As I climbed out of the car and looked up, I was surprised.
The apartment block was sleek and modern. Balconies extended below each window. The views from the upper ones must have been stunning. And back down at ground level there was no graffiti or trash anywhere in sight.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” I asked.
He looked me at me and said, “The fax never lies.”
Then, hiding his pain behind a swagger, he strode up to the entrance and pressed a bunch of intercom buttons all at once.
“Someone is bound to be expecting a delivery,” he said, and sure enough we were buzzed in straight away.
We made our way through the plush lobby and waited on the elevator. The details we had been given also told us the shapeshifter lived in the penthouse suite.
“Must be profitable being a monster,” I said as the display showed the elevator descending.
The man in the fedora kept his attention on the display as he replied, “For some it can be. They use their differences to gather fortunes and power, sometimes through deluded acolytes, sometimes through violence and cunning. For others, though, being different is a curse, pure and simple. They wallow in filth, driven by base instincts to feed and hide. Either way, it is only a matter of time before they are identified as monsters and an operative is sent to end them.”
The elevator arrived and the doors slid open. The interior was wallpapered and there was a small, ornate sofa on one side. More signs that the shapeshifter had clearly done very well for himself.
That was all about to change.
The elevator ride was smooth and swift, and we emerged into a corridor where our boots sank into a thick, white carpet. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a security camera fixed high on the wall turn to face us.
I pointed it out and whispered, “Motion activated.”
The man in the fedora drew and obliterated the camera. “Not anymore,” he said and walked up to the door leading to the penthouse.
“It’s over,” he yelled then slammed his boot into the door. I noticed for the first time that he had steel toe caps and steel heels. The door cracked, he forced it open and stepped inside.
I followed. I could feel the adrenaline pushing my fear away.
The downtrodden security guard was history, I was a monster hunter’s partner now.
The vestibule of the penthouse was larger than any of the rooms in my apartment. There were oil paintings on the wall and light fittings that sparkled like jewels. A door opened up off it.
The man in the fedora was already barging through it. I hurried after him, into a living room with a floor to ceiling window. High rises soared in the distance.
A man sat in an antique chair in one corner of the room. I recognised him from the mug shot.
He had an arrogant sneer on his face. An arrogance that spread to his voice when he said, “Breaking into my home was a mistake. The last one you will ever make.”
Then he rose to his feet – and began to change.
His entire body expanded and within seconds he loomed over us. His skin cracked and dark fur began to appear. His fingers split open and claws unfurled, and the sneering face that looked down on us was now that of a beast.
It growled and with dizzying speed went for the man in the fedora.
He made to draw, but his injuries must have slowed him because the shapeshifter reached him before he could.
The shapeshifter lashed out with one of its claw-tipped paws, and the man in the fedora was sent flying across the room.
He lay there looking dazed. His leather coat and Kevlar vest were ripped and blood was seeping out.
The shapeshifter raised its claws, ready to inflict a fatal blow.
I had to act. I grabbed a chair and swung this at the shapeshifter. It turned and smashed the chair out of my grip.
I was left standing there as the shapeshifter snarled at me. The only thing I had achieved was to move up the victim chain. I would be diced and sliced and left as a gory mess on the floor.
My life flashed before my eyes, and I felt sick to the core as I realised my last thought would be: I have wasted my time on this earth.
Then something whipped into sight, a blur of silver. The shapeshifter looked confused, then its head toppled to the floor.
The man in the fedora dragged himself into view. He was holding a silver boomerang. “An excellent weapon,” he drawled, “Portable, with an edge that will cut through most anything, and very loyal. It always comes back.”
The decapitated head was already changing back into that of a man. A very dead man.
I turned away and was violently sick.
By the time I had recovered, the man in the fedora had left the room. I ran after him and called out, “Do we still have a deal? I get half of the fee.”
He was stepping into the elevator and did not turn round as he replied, “Yeah, sure. I’m going to collect it now. I’ll meet you later to hand over your share. Be at the alley where we first met, at midnight. And don’t be late.”
The doors slid closed behind him.
I punched the air and said, “Yes!”
I was too wired to head home or go for a drink so once again found myself pacing the streets.
I was excited at the prospect of the cash coming my way, but I wanted more than a pay-off. I wanted to be back on the trail of a monster. I wanted the rush of the confrontation. The elation of victory.
Sure, I was green and I knew there was no way I could strike out on my own. But the way forward was obvious. I had persuaded the man in the fedora to partner up with me once. I would do that again.
I was still telling myself that as I waited for him in the alley. It was five minutes to midnight.
Then midnight came and went and there was no sign of him.
I told myself not to worry. He would be there soon, with my money, and I would seize my opportunity to change my life forever.
But, by one a.m., I was still alone.
I cursed the man in the fedora. Did he think he could rip me off?
Well, there was no way I was going to let that happen.
I set off for his base.
It took me hours to get there on foot. I was exhausted but still furious, until I saw that his door was hanging open.
I knew that someone as security conscious as him would never have left it like that, and my anger dissipated.
My nerves tingling with dread, I slipped inside – to be met by a shocking sight.
The man in the fedora was lying on the floor in a pool of blood.
“No,” I cried out and ran forwards. I knelt next to him and tried to find a pulse, but there was nothing.
I began to weep. And as I did so, laughter drifted from the edge of the room.
I span round. A tall, pale figure dressed all in black walked into view. His eyes were pools of darkness. My mind flashed back to the lone figure in the bar.
The vampire.
Was this his kin?
“You did this.” I spat the accusation out.
The pale figure smiled. “I took my revenge.”
I was shaking as I screamed at him, “You murderer!”
The pale figure shook his head. “No. I did not kill him, because there are worse things than death I can inflict. You will see.”
Then, he walked away, out into the night.
My mind was racing. I needed to do something. But, what?
I decided I should take care of the body first. It was an empty shell now, but I still wanted to treat it with respect.
I grabbed a towel from among the things on the floor and began to clean away the blood. I stopped when I saw two wounds on the neck.
They were small and deep and I knew in my heart what they were.
Bite marks.
I recalled the vampire’s words: … there are worse things than death I can inflict.
And now when I looked down at the man in the fedora’s chest, I could see it was moving. This was so slight, it was no wonder I had missed it, but there was no question now. He was not dead.
He was undead.
I knelt there and watched as his chest rose and fell, as his eyes opened.
I could see the pain in them, the confusion.
“What happened?” he asked. His voice was very faint.
I told him. There was no point in lying. No way back.
And he knew that. Better than me.
“I can’t exist like this. As a monster,” he said in a quiet, weary voice.
Then he asked me to help him get up. I supported him as he struggled to his feet. He took off his fedora and handed it to me.
It was dawn by now and the sun was starting to reach into the room through the skylight.
He began to move through the shadows that remained towards the still open door.
He hesitated for a moment on the threshold, perhaps remembering his own life, perhaps summoning the courage he needed, then he stepped outside.
Through the gap, I could see the smoke rising from his exposed skin as the sunlight touched him.
I closed my eyes. I could not bear to watch.
I stayed like that for a long time. After a while, I moved over to the sofa and collapsed onto it.
I felt more alone and lost than I had ever done in my whole miserable life. The world was infected by evil. How could I find my place in it now my eyes had been opened to this?
At dusk, I made a decision.
There was one thing l could do. One thing I had to do:
Take revenge.
The need for this burnt white hot inside me.
I put the fedora on, picked up a stake and stepped outside.
The rain struck the streets as I stared out into the night. The lights of cars blurred as they passed, and sirens rose and fell in their endless serenade.
I took a deep breath. Excitement and fear mingled inside me. It was time to go to work.