This was, by far, the sleaziest place we’d stopped for supplies. At least while I’d been part of the crew. For all I knew, the upstanding little courier starship had visited some real dives under previous leadership, but Captain Sunlight was both respectable and smart.
I wondered whose idea it was to stop at this freewheeling anarchy market, set up on an asteroid that somebody had installed a gravity generator on. There was an atmosphere too, and a wide variety of stalls on this mile-long hunk of rock, but not much in the way of oversight.
I saw two different fistfights in progress among the other ships while we exited onto the landing pad.
“Okay,” announced Captain Sunlight, standing as tall as she could — which wasn’t much, lizardy little thing that she was, but she looked dignified — “Mimi, Blip, and Blop, come with me. Trrili, take one or two others with you. Anyone else object to staying to guard the ship?”
There was a hearty chorus of no’s. Zhee turned a faceted eye on the pair of bystanders walking a little too close, clicking his pincher arms at them until they scooted away. In the distance, something that looked like fireworks colored the sky.
A polite claw tapped my elbow.
“Want to come with?” asked Coals, the Heatseeker with dull red scales. He was both shorter and stockier than the captain, and more importantly, he was good friends with Trrili. “It’s a pretty interesting place; I’ve been here once before.”
“How safe is it?” I asked, wanting to be convinced. There were some bizarre things for sale in the stalls visible from here.
“Should be fine as long as we’re careful,” he said. “Especially with her around.” He lifted his chin towards the insectile horror that loomed over him.
Trrili loved looming. “Yessss,” she said. “Essspessssially with me.” She flexed her own pinchers, glossy black to Zhee’s purple, and chuckled darkly. The red patterns on her carapace were especially vivid in the light of the nearby sun.
I smiled. Trrili was terrifying, but she was our terrifying. “Sure. I’d love to come.”
Coals aimed a claw in the opposite direction of the one that Captain Sunlight was looking towards. “Pretty sure I saw some Earth animals for sale as we landed.”
“Oh, well why didn’t you say so?” I asked. “Lead the way!”
We checked in with the captain, promised to be careful, and were off. I had some interplanetary credits in my pocket that I didn’t really plan on spending, but it was good to be prepared.
I also had a mini stun gun in a different pocket.
This place was just as chaotic as I’d expected, like an alien farmer’s market with a distinct lowlife element. Here was a humanoid selling pottery that glowed; there was a tentacle alien selling food that moved; over there was a would-be pickpocket getting the tar beaten out of them by a large hairy whatsit. A hand appeared around the corner of another stall to grab a power cell and disappear.
I kept my own hands close to my pockets, wishing I’d worn something with zipper pouches.
“Ah,” said Trrili. “There is the media.” She didn’t bother hissing in normal conversation, but as she led us over to a booth lined with shelves and run by small individuals, I fully expected the intimidation to come out soon.
Just before we reached it, Coals rapped a knuckle on her foreleg. “Hey. We’ll be at the end of the row. See?” He pointed.
“Yessss,” Trrili agreed.
With a nod, Coals left her to her bargaining, and waved me onward. I was a little concerned about this, but the end of the row wasn’t far. We could yell for her to come charging over if need be.
“See those guys in the solar ponchos?” Coals asked. He didn’t need to point.
I squinted. “Hard not to.” The clothes that the two plant-like people wore weren’t as bright as the actual sun, but they sure were unpleasant to look at. The other shopkeepers were giving them some distance, leaving space between their little cart and the proper stalls. Aside from the eye-searing fashion, they had ropy green limbs and faces like rose blossoms that wanted to be mandibles. Fleshy maroon, sharptoothed mouth in the middle, at least half a dozen eyes scattered throughout. More than a little creepy.
“I was watching with the mag lens earlier,” Coals said. “With the classification setting. They’ve got the Earth animals.” He was watching my face as he said it.
The series of expressions that I went through were probably interesting to see as I got a proper look at what was on that cart.
Earth animals, yay! Which ones? Those look like fishbowls. But there’s no water inside, just … fur? Are those cats shoved in fishbowls??
I felt my face grow stony. “Coals,” I said. “Who do we report animal cruelty to around here?” One of the plant guys was waving a bowl around, shouting about potted predators. A passerby turned him down, and he yelled an insult after them.
“Uh, nobody.”
I watched the guy hold up a different one and say something about food paste squeezed in through the lid. When he flipped the cap to demonstrate, piteous mewling filtered out. “What about theft?” I asked.
“Also no.”
“Good,” I said, voice flat. “Go get Trrili, then help me steal these.”
​
* * *
​
It took less convincing than I thought. Trrili already had her selection of media in a bag slung behind her, and she chuckled evilly. Coals cracked his knuckles and talked strategy. Then we went for it.
“Hello,” I said, approaching the sellers alone. “How many of these do you have?”
“Everything on this cart,” said the taller one with the bigger blossom head. “Limited supply, very valuable; get them before they’re gone.” He picked up a fishbowl full of gray fur, turning it like a fine art appreciator. A tiny face with big eyes peered out, meowing silently. Stars, these were kittens.
“You don’t have a source for more?” I asked, trying to sound unimpressed.
“These are very exotic, from a far away planet,” he said.
The shorter one bent to pull a big bowl from the bottom shelf of the cart. “Perhaps we can interest you in a larger model? It’s one of a kind.”
That’s the mother cat. Good. I straightened up. “I’ll take all of them,” I said. “Every one you have.”
The sleazy pair chortled and fawned and named a price that could have bought a single-seater spaceship.
I pulled out my tiny stun gun and aimed it at the tall one. “No. I’ll just be taking them.”
They of course laughed at me, and pulled out their own weapons, which Coals had spotted and identified through the holsters. These were also stun guns, but a bigger and more painful model that put mine to shame.
They weren’t, however, very effective on people with exoskeletons.
Trrili leapt out from behind the nearest stall, crossing the distance in a heartbeat of flashing black-and-red limbs, then reared up to stand over them with her pinchers flared, shrieking at earsplitting volume.
I’d already ducked to the side, so while they stumbled back and aimed, I got a great view of Coals jumping forward to grab their stupid ponchos and yank them off their feet.
One of them shot Trrili in the foreleg, making her hiss a little, but the other didn’t even manage that. And before I could use my little peashooter, Coals had tackled them and wrestled the guns from both. With an oversized stun gun in each hand, he got to his feet and aimed at the pair, just daring them to try something, like the tree-foot-tall badass he was.
“What did we do to you??” asked the tall one, rubbing his wrist but otherwise holding still.
“Yeah, how did we piss you off?” the smaller one demanded, eyes locked on Trrili.
I stepped forward with anger in my voice. “You didn’t offend either of them,” I said. “You offended me.” At their baffled silence, I continued. “Where did you get these animals? And what makes you think it’s okay to keep them contained like that?”
They both answered at once, and neither was terribly helpful. Some space trader somewhere. They didn’t even know where the cats were from.
“They’re from my planet,” I informed them. “And they should never be treated like this. Any human can tell you that.”
Their answer was just mumbling that sounded like “Yeah, okay.”
“Have you ever met a human before?” I asked, stepping closer. I leaned in. “My people eat things that look like you.”
They held very still, and didn’t object when Trrili pulled their cart away. Coals stepped back to follow, stun guns still aimed.
I put mine back in my pocket and gave them a final glare. “Do not try this again,” I said. “Or I will know.” I turned on my heel and followed Trrili, with Coals bringing up the rear. He kept the guns.
Shopkeepers and bystanders watched in curiosity, but none seemed particularly bothered by any of that. I heard what sounded distinctly like laughter. As we walked away, the hustle and bustle that had quieted a bit gradually resumed its normal volume.
I took the cart handle from Trrili. “Thank you both.”
Trrili chuckled. “My pleassurrrre.”
“Yeah, happy to help,” Coals said, moving up to walk alongside. He looked over the half dozen bowls that were rattling a bit, though I tried to pull the janky cart smoothly. “When you said you’d know…”
I held my chin up. “As far as they can tell, I will,” I said. “Any psychic abilities on the part of humans is for them to worry about.”
Coals laughed quietly and found the safety settings for the stun guns, saying nothing.
We got the cart into the ship without any objection from the crewmates we passed, though there was a fair amount of curiosity. Trrili and Coals stopped to tell the story in the lounge while I made a beeline for the medbay.
“I require use of your scanners,” I told Eggskin, who was understandably surprised. But at the sight of the cats, they wasted no time in bringing out everything required for a full checkup. I made sure to scan for contagion first, cart and all. I certainly didn’t trust those sleazeballs to be sanitary.
“All clear,” Eggskin said. They pulled gloves on over yellow-green scales. “Do we have spare carrying crates in the storage hold?”
“Oh, good point. We should put the family together.” I opened the door and leaned into the hallway. “Hey, Mur! Could you please bring a mid-size carrying crate? It’s urgent.”
Mur had been going a different direction, but he turned readily on dark blue tentacles with a “Sure thing.”
“Thank you!” I called after him.
He was back in no time with the crate, an ideal size for us to put Mama Cat into after her scan. She was dehydrated, but didn’t show any signs of having been in there long. Good. A bit of proper food and a reunion ought to be just the thing.
When we put the first kitten in with her, the purring was so loud it brought tears to my eyes. Eggskin and I wasted no time in checking the others. They were all okay. Not even any fleas.
I was talking with Eggskin about where to keep them for the time being when the door opened to let Captain Sunlight in. A curious crowd waited in the hall.
I stood at attention. “I’m not apologizing,” I said over the tiny kitten mews.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t expect you to. Are you hoping to keep them onboard, though?”
I shook my head. “I’m sure I can find a home for them at the next space station. Anywhere with a lot of humans, really. These are little cuties, and the mom didn’t even hiss at me, so she ought to raise them to be friendly.”
Captain Sunlight nodded. “All right, then. How about you keep them in your quarters as soon as they’re clear to leave the medical bay?”
“Yes, I was thinking that would be best,” I said. “I’ll just have to be careful opening the door. Maybe I can rig a net as a barrier that I can step over, to at least slow them down.”
“I’ll leave you to figure out how to keep them from roaming the halls,” she said. “Or the engine room, or the cockpit.”
“Yes. I will.”
She left it at that, and opened the door to shoo people away from the convalescing animals. The cart was already out there with the empty bowls and the food paste that would be going in the kitchen trash.
I saw Paint rummaging around the miscellaneous junk on the lowest shelf, which I hadn’t bothered to touch. Her orange tail straightened with excitement. “Hey, there’s money in here!”
I winced. Captain Sunlight gave me an unreadable look.
I felt bad about it, but then I looked down at the kittens tumbling over their mother, each getting licked in turn, and the feeling vanished.
“We can buy cat food with that,” I said.
The captain nodded. “Of course.” Then she sighed. “Mimi is going to be insufferable. First we find a replacement hoverbike after all, now this.”
A gruff voice called from down the hall, “Told you it was a good idea to stop there!”
I grinned. “The cats thank you!”
A toothpaste-green octopus head popped into the doorway. “Name one after me,” said Mimi, waving a tentacle.
I grinned wider. “I think that’s a great name for a cat.”
~~~
The ongoing backstory of the main character from this book. More to come!
Cross-posted to Tumblr and HFY.

I am struggling with nap times. My baby (10m) was an excellent sleeper and on schedule. 2 naps a day 2-4 hours even.
Then the fire nation attacked and never more. it’s been a week. wake window are the longest they’ve ever been 5-8 hours. no more cradling to sleep allowed. she hates it. and now i have a floor mattress mostly dark room and praying for her to fall asleep. can’t take 30- 2 hrs to go down. i let her roam and wiggle and minimize toys.
pros: not crying to sleep or awake but im about to have another baby in may and need to figure out a system for when it’s just us 3. im trying not to panic or stress about it but this has been real hard lately.
what do you guys do? what works? sleep training is not in the books. CIO is not in the books. safe cosleeping and independence is what we strive for.
but also 🏳 send help.

For a couple years now I’ve regretted my career choice. I went to school for radio - which i didn’t really want to do, did radio - didn’t enjoy it, went into supply chain as a warehouse worker and am now an inventory coordinator. I don’t feel fulfilled in my job and am extremely bored/depressed.
I’ve talked to my partner and I can go back to school but am struggling to decided what I want to do.
I was thinking vet tech but realized that I don’t know if I can really handle the tragedy you experience with it.
I was thinking an environmental technician as I think being outdoors sounds incredible but it would require full time schooling.
I was also then thinking graphic design or marketing which can be done part time but I don’t know if that’s really what I want to do.
I’m at an impasse here.
What made you decided your career?

It takes me almost 2 years to stop brooding, literally months of crying. I'm going through another grief since yesterday morning. I don't want to exist anymore, I don't want to love anymore, I don't want to suffer. I have been taking 60 mg of escitalopram every day for 5 years. I need something to stop this pain in my heart. I know it sounds childish, but I'm suffering extremely to the point where every year of my life is gray.

Hi i apologize if this is long. So i (26f) started sleeping with my coworker (28m) let’s call him G about 3 months ago that obviously ended in an unplanned pregnancy. We’ve been working together since last september so 7 months. This whole time we was working together he not once mentioned he was in a relationship or seeing someone. He didn’t have pictures on his desk and he computer background was anime. We work closely together. He would ask about my bf at the time (broke up in december). Anyway i’m about 6 weeks along. When we hooked up it was at my house after work usually and on the weekends he spent nearly all day with me. When i told him i was pregnant he freaked out initially i thought it was because he wasn’t ready to be a dad nope turns out he has a girlfriend and kids at home! To say i was upset is an understatement but hey it is what it is. I felt bad for his girlfriend i know what it’s like to be cheated on if i had known even in the slightest he had a girlfriend i never would have slept with him. Well he told her and she wanted to meet me. I figured i at least owed her that even tho i had no idea she existed. So we met at a restaurant and the minute i sat down she looked at me with disgust. I let it go. The waitress came we ordered drinks and food after she started in. She asked how long had i been sleeping with him I told her the truth. She then said what kinda whore sleeps with their coworker who’s in a relationship. I looked at him waited for him to tell her i had no idea she even existed (i know stupid on my part) when he didn’t i looked at her told her i had no idea she and her existed. She said she found that hard to believe since they had a happy relationship. I asked why was she upset at me when her man was the one that cheat i had no idea you or you kids existed he never mentioned it the whole 7 months we worked together he spent nearly every weekend at my house where did you think he was every weekend when he wasn’t at home. She said it didn’t matter what she thought i still slept with someone who was in a relationship and who has kids. I said obviously this isn’t going to be cordial like i was hoping sorry your man’s a pos hope you guys work it out turned to G told him to his face he was a pos he should have told me he was in a relationship otherwise i never would have had sex with him then left. He chased after me telling me he was sorry he had no idea she would say that he told her i never said i was in a relationship that you had no idea she existed. He asked if we could talk about the baby saying he hopes i let him in his/hers life. His gf came out and heard him saying this saying your really going to be in that bastard child’s life and throw our happy life. i had enough i told her if he was in a happy relationship and had a good life at home he never would had slept with me and that she should take a look why he stepped out on her (i know i shouldn’t have said that) She busted out in tears he went to console her i got in my car and left. He texted me later saying what i said was an ah move but he understood i was upset. So aita?

Hi everybody! I am a new GM looking for 2 more players for my new campaign. We will be playing the Lost Mine of Phandelver Wednesday nights starting at 7pm EST and lasting for about 3 hours. This will be a weekly campaign and hopefully will extend beyond the Lost Mines module but that’s where we’re starting.
Session 0 will take place this Wednesday at 7pm EST where we will discuss house rules, build characters, and go over any questions you guys have.
This is a LGBTQ+ friendly game. I would love other girls to play with this does include trans women!
Currently NOT accepting guys to this game.
Also would prefer people around my age (18-21) but I'm flexible with that so don’t worry too much about that part.
I would love new players with little or no experience at all. Lost Mine is a good starting point for new players! Of course you are welcome to join if you are a more experienced player.
Players will be limited to the races and classes in the Player’s Handbook because I am a new GM and would like to stick to the basics. Stats will be rolled at Session 0 using Roll20. Discord will be used for the voice chat.
If this game sounds interesting to you please submit your application. I can’t wait to read them and find players to fill the last two spots. Thank you!
The application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBqiLNLULlbV9VBmvEQGfhktvoncdT3ISBji7rl0iKDjqIKg/viewform?usp=sf_link

We had a discussion yesterday that I am feeling is still incomplete. This particular topic has been brought up multiple times in the past year and a half. We'll talk, and I'll feel good about it, and then when I get a second of alone time to think it over again, I realize that he is lying to me. He'll make it sound convincing so that the topic is dropped and can be avoided so he no longer has to deal with it.
He goes to therapy and I think he sugar coats everything with his therapist as well instead of admitting how he really feels or what his true inner thoughts are. (Obviously speculating here but if and when he opens up to me about his sessions I feel like he could have said more or elaborated to his therapist which he doesn't or doesn't feel the need to)
Most advice I get is he needs to go to therapy. I go to therapy as well for myself and have been making a lot of progress. Any other advice aside from therapy? Like the title says, I am starting to feel hopeless now after continuing to be lied to.

So basically outside of like fictional characters I’ve noticed something about myself: even though I DO experience attraction to men, irl I’m only attracted to men who present very femininely and are some shade of non-heterosexual. Every man I actually have wanted to date in real just about has been gay, so I don’t know what that says about me or my sexuality. I’m also attracted to women. I just am not sure what this means for me. Like as weird as it sounds, I feel like if I lived a century ago when being gay wasn’t as accepted, I probably would have ended up in a lavender marriage and I honestly don’t think I would have been unhappy with that. Like that actually probably would suit me kinda well. Does anyone relate to this?

I shouldn’t message him so I’ll just write it here. I thought I would forget about him by now, i mean it’s been a month. I’m just tired with everything that has been happening around me lately. I miss telling this to someone.
The feeling when you want to rest so bad but can’t coz you got things to do.
I just woke up, i fell asleep bc i was too tired from work. Finally i was able to sleep, but i have to work again haahahah i just want to sleep without worrying about my pendings. I want to cry.
I miss him. I wanna tell him how much i like him, that i think about him everyday and I think we’ll be good together. I wanna make him feel how I would love him and how i am willing to compromise. But I shouldn’ coz I know he doesn’t think about me as much as I think about him. And i think he’s dating someone else now based on his story.
I just want to let this out, that i miss you. But I have accepted that missing you doesnt means i should do smthing about it. Most of the time to avoid stupid decisions you just gotta have to accept the feelin bc the best way to respect myself is to let go of the things that isn’t good for me no matter how bad I want it.

I picked up H3 from the spring sale and was eager to try it out once finally downloaded and installed.
However once booted up, i noticed that there were no sounds in the menu, or cutscenes or later in gameplay.
While opening the deck menus the sounds are playing normally and all other games work just fine.
I tried to start it with compbility mode and proton v6-something and that improved the situation at least to some extent, as now sounds are playing in menu, cutscenes and during gameplay background music is playing - but all other sounds (voice actors, gunshot, interactive sounds) are all missing.
I tried fiddling with the audio settings (system and in-game) without any impact.
Scouring the sub, support/faq and Proton DB there seem to be others with sound issues, but nothing that seems to be the same as mine.
Any ideas of what to try next? Is a reinstall worth the wait/download time or should I request a refund before i accumulate to mich in-game time to miss the easy refund window.
Love the sub, the community and the deck - so thanks for being awesome!

I know this sounds odd, but I just hit the latter Alliance arcs and have noticed NPCs referring to me as a ‘she’ several times despite playing as male (which I chose solely because of Magnus Bruun!). In addition, the entire companionship arc with Villi didn’t feel at all like a polyamorous or bisexual tryst but felt like the character was speaking to a woman, it’s very hard to explain. Especially the scene at the end of the cave, that’s where this really got into my head and I started looking through old topics discussing this.
Since then it’s just been bugging me. I only played male because I love Magnus Bruun, and I’m kind of annoyed they got someone so awesome to play a non canon version of the character. It also dawned on me that female Eivor + male Havi makes sense with respect to the story…
So I guess I’m wondering if 160 hours in and on the Wincestre arc if I should just switch over. It would definitely be weird, but I do know a couple spoilers later on that definitively refer to Eivor as she which would be even weirder continuing to play as male.
I’m annoyed I didn’t just start as the canon Eivor but I had no idea that even within the context of the game if I chose male the character is still considered female and that I’m essentially playing a false recreation. I know it sounds silly but a major reason I love this game is for the immersive aspects.
What do you guys think? Know this is a well tread subject but I’m wondering how best to finish my playthrough. I guess as headcanon I can think of it as the animus correcting a mistake along the way? Idk, it’s annoying how they did this and allowed for something of a false choice. And it’s annoying how they got someone like Magnus Bruun to voice a character that doesn’t even exist.

Mortalism
Mortalism is the belief that a soul can die. Sometimes this and soul sleep are blurred together, but I distinguish them slightly. The soul is asleep in death, because it will be awakened and brought back to life at judgement (Hebrews 9:27). Those who are judged to righteousness are granted our reward of immortality. The soul is now "life-giving spirit" (1 Corinthians 15:45, compare 2 Corinthians 3:18, and Philippians 3:21). For those souls which are resurrected for judgement, and are judged to receive death, the second death, the soul dies. The soul is "destroyed." This contrasts with the typical assumption that the soul is immortal and cannot die. However, "the soul which is sinning, it itself will die" (Ezekiel 18:4, 20). "Fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna" (Matthew 10:28). The soul is mortal. It can die. Every soul which is not granted immortality will be put to death.

The previous part of the chapter
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Grata Revenite

"AHHHHHHHHHHH. NOT THIS AGAIN!" You scream yourself awake.
Looking around, you scared everybody up in the teacher's office.
"What's wrong, Mr Nestor?" Someone asks you.
"A rough job being a new head teacher, huh?" They chuckle.
"Yeah. Hahaha- Huh?" You stare at them in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"After Mr Mortimer left, you got the position."
"Ohh yeah, I remember that. Silly me." You laugh.
Mr Mortimer left a long time ago to return to his wife. How can you forget that? Probably from a lot of work.
"Oh, It's time for Class 8E." You walk along that hallway thinking about life.
You still remember the first time you are here. You were a crumbling mess but now? You become a part of the academy, a part of the family.
"A part of our family." Quinn's voice blooms from behind.
"Good day Quinn."
"Yeah. Good day." You can see her smirking beneath the mask.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, It’s just surprising to see."
“See what? Don’t leave me hanging.” You chuckle.
“Why don’t we talk while walking to class?”
“Sure.”
You two walk along the hallway, echoing footsteps following from behind. Somehow you feel uneasy when being near her. Fear in your mind
“To see that mortal can just... forget something... What's your opinion, Aid? I mean Nestor.”
“Aids? You keep calling me by that old name.” You laugh.
“Yeah yeah.”
“Alright, we are here.” You walk up to the door and knock. “Pardon me. Hello class!”
Some students look at you surprised but most of them look normal.
"What's with the silence?" You chuckle while taking out the attendance list. "Alright! Miss Déchu?"
"Here."
"Mr Ermengild?"
"Here."
"Mr Oddmund-"
"IS THIS CLASS 8-" A student screamed while entering the classroom.
Slice!
The student's head slowly drops to the ground. Blood is gushing out like a poked water balloon. Isn't it a familiar sight to see?
"Oh, Hades! Not again." You put down the clipboard and stop the head that rolls toward you with your foot. "Quinn! Can you call the janitor? Please?"
“Sure.” Quinn got up and walked out of the classroom.
Some students scream in shock, others puke out the window and the remaining students turn pale.
"Come on kids. It's just a dead body. Don't puke out the window, we are on the first floor, not the ground floor." You sigh while returning to the whiteboard.
When you turn your back against the board, you are met with a strange stare from the students.
“What’s wrong?” You speak.
“Who are you?” Elio’s amber eyes filled with concern.
“I’m… your teacher?”
“No. No, you’re not. Aid won’t act like this.”
“I've always been like this.” You smile softly.
“Aid would scream.” Ubel shares her opinion.
“Well, it's been a long time. People change." You sense the feeling of uneasiness filling the room.
"It's- only been a week...since you been here and then you went missing for 2 days ." Cedric stands up and walks toward you. "Who are you?"
"What? You're kidding." You laugh awkwardly.
"I knew it." A cold voice breaks the silence, it's Quinn. "Well, today's classes are cancelled then."
No one dares to move a muscle as she stares into the class and everyone's souls. The sharp sound of her footsteps echoing make you flinch while the janitor mops up the floor and collects the body.
"I thought you done the job I gave you..." Quinn stares at Pattinson who has been quiet.
"I'll do it myself then." Quinn smiles and claps her hands. "Let's do it by numbers."
"Block the door." The room turns dim. Dark cloudy figures surround the room.
"What was that!" Elna's body trembles.
"A magic trick," Quinn replies sarcastically.
"Angelica! My sweet fallen angel. Let's get your memories fixed." She takes off her mask.
Angelica slowly gets up and walks toward Quinn, her eyes filling with fear.
"P...please don't hurt me." Tears roll down her face.
"Awww. Don't cry, sweetheart. You won't be like Marakira." Quinn strokes her cheek and whips her tears.
She kisses Angelica's forehead tenderly before giving Angelica the pill to swallow. She falls to the ground.
"Alright, Merkel!" She calls out.
“No!” He yells.
“Come here or the porcupine die.” Quinn said coldly.
Merkel runs toward her trying to bite off her hand with rage. Quinn smacks him, sending Merkel to the wall. Your student groans before Quinn shoves the pill down his throat.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Blerim screamed while trying to get up from his seat.
"Shut up." Quinn turns her head toward the remaining students.
Blerim's mouth was sealed shut, unable to speak.
One by one, your students walk up to eat the pills and they fall to the ground.
"Take them to their room."
The dark figures start lifting the students' bodies out of the classroom.
Only Pattinson, the Scholar students and you remain in the class.
“Quinn. What is all of this?” You break the silence.
“Nothing, Nestor. Everything is fine. Someone just doesn’t do their job.”
"Quinn, I'm sorry but I couldn't do it." Pattinson tries to speak.
"I know. I'll let this slide. Now, mortals. Eat it." Quinn throws the pills onto their tables.
"I can't force you to eat it." Quinn sits on one of the tables. "You will die in my hands."
"What is it?" Geun Hyun-Shik grabs the pill in front of him calmly.
"Well, thanks to my lovely 'aunt', Mnemosyne. I can fix all of your memories." Quinn chuckle.
"What will I forget!? What will it do to my head? " Geun In-Su shouted.
"Not forget, just bend the mind.” Quinn chuckle. “I suggest you take it. Better for you and better for me.”
“No.” Geun In-Su throws it away.
“Fine.” Quinn snaps her fingers.
“AHHHHHHHHHHH!” Geun Hyun-Shik fell out of his chair and scream on the ground.
“STOP IT!” Geun In-Su cry while leaping toward his brother.
“Well, would you eat the pill now?”
You stare at them dumbfounded, deep down something makes you fear her. Pattinson looks at the ground timidly.
“MAKE IT STOP! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! DAD! DON’T HIT ME” Geun Hyun-Shik continue to scream, pulling his hair, and scratching his arms.
“FINE!” Geun In-Su grabs the pill and makes his brother swallows it then does the same to himself.
“Good boy. Take them to their room. Now you.” Quinn point to Elna.
“S…sure.” She holds the pill with her trembling hand.
“Stop it!” Cedric pulls out his ring and turns it into a golden knuckle duster. “What are you?”
“A god.” She laughs. “Pin him down.”
The dark figures appear again. Now trying to pin Cedric down.
“Get away from me!” Cedric punches the figures.
“Eat it, Elna.” Quinn walks toward her.
“no.”
“What?”
“I said NO!” Elna whipped out her necklace changing it to a baton with a silver handle and try to hit Quinn with it.
“Oh. So you chose death? Interesting. How about some nightmares?” Again, she snaps her fingers and the two students scream in pain.
“How about now?”
“N…NO!” Cedric scream. “TELL ME. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO OUR CLASS AND OUR TEACHER?” He points toward you.
“Maybe you shouldn’t do it.” Pattinson grabs Quinn’s shoulder.
“Get out.” Her void-like eyes filled with anger.
"Yes, Ma'am." Pattinson slowly walks toward the door and leaves the class. "I'm sorry."
“P..please help us.” Elna crawls toward your feet.
You don't understand what is going on. Looking at Elna, you take a step backwards.
"Maybe if you listen to her, you won't have to suffer." You can't believe what you just said.
"W...What?"
"Mortals can't win. We can just follow." You smile while picking up the pill and force Elna to eat it.
"It's for the greater good." Your broken smile makes her go quiet. "Come on. Don't be difficult."
"Please, Aid. H...help me." Tears roll down her cheeks.
"My name is Nestor."
"N..no. No. No. You let us call you Aid because you want to help us! You're not Nestor!"
Her scream wakes something in you. Does Mr Mortimer leave to go back to his wife? Have You been here for only a week? And is your name really Nestor?
"W..who am I?" The pill drop from your hand rolling away.
Elna tries to crawl her way toward the door.
"Don't you dare." You plug your dagger into her ankles out of instinct.
"AHHHHHHH." She let out an agonising cry.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ELNA?" Cedric whose been fighting the figures rushed toward Elna but got stopped by Quinn.
"Rule number 1. Don't turn away from the hunter." She snaps his legs.
"Now that you two are unable to fight. Stay!" Quinn turns her attention toward you again.
"No. No. No. I didn't mean to. I didn't" You balled up against the wall.
"Nestor? Are you alright? You did a great job." Quinn reaches her hand toward you.
"My name is Aid!" You shriek as the broken memories start to piece together.
"So, it came back." Quinn stares at your face so close that you can see the crop's skin on the left face fall off.
"What have you done to me?" Your senses start to come back. Seeing your students injured hurts you to your very core.
You hold your dagger tightly before stabbing it into Quinn's eyes.
"If you remember everything then you should know that you can't kill me." She pulls the dagger out of her eyes and breaks it in her hand again.
"You won't escape me. You can't." She grabs your face. "I won't let you go, my lovely nourishment. You're suffering and pain is the sweetest."
"h..help." You can see Elna bleeding out.
"Save them! Please! I beg you." You start to wail.
"That's so adorable. You're making me cry." Quinn whips blood off her cheek.
"Eat it." She grabs the pills that roll around when they were fighting and drop them in their grasp.
The two students grab them with the little power they have left before eating them.l
"Now it's just you and me." She grabs your face again.
"P..Please don't." You crawl away from her.
"I won't kill you. Just going to fix you again." She smirks while the room turns to pitch dark like the void.
"No. No. Not this again."
"Look into my eyes. Just a little fix and you will become a part of the family. Our family" Quinn's eyes begin to glow.
"A...a part of the family. Our family"
l
l
l
…Beep beep beep... The annoying sound of the alarm clock wakes you up as always, you have fallen asleep while planning your lessons and being the headteacher is not an easy role to fill. You stretch your back and start to get ready.
While you walk to class, you see many students running around, and some teachers grabbing coffee and talking.
"Pardon me." You knock 3 times and walk into the room. "Good morning Class 8E!"
"Good morning Mr Nestor!" The class replied.
Cedric and Elna beam with joy while you teach. You never feel this alive in a long time, you felt as if you are a part of this school.
After the bell rings dismiss the class. Quinn walks up to you and whispers.
"Grata Revenite, Nestor."
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Now. Are you interested in making deal with us?"
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Writer's note: This is the end of the Atrare Auroral Academia. Thank you so much for following this series and being patient. Again, thank you.
All of the Atrare Auroral Academia chapters' links

I'm in need of a control group for an experiment that I am carrying out about the relationship between Sleep Quality and Sleep Paralysis.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1p9KI5vMJGhoW4FXFTVh8H4z139QKL6RuaHHN8xQSHIQ/edit?usp=drivesdk

Hi all, I've owned a couple WRXs in the past (UK blobs both times) and loved both. I'm now setting my sights on getting my "final" scooby for semi-dailying, road trips and the occasional track day. I'm for sure wanting a VA STI, and especially 2018+ for the updated looks, brakes, etc. Being in the UK, if I wanted to buy domestically that means I'd have to buy a Final Edition, but I'm more and more leaning towards importing one from Japan. The cost ends up comparable after import fees (cheaper for the JDM by a few k in most cases) so my thinking comes down to preferring the idea of the EJ207 vs the EJ257 (more revvier and responsive over low-end torque, and a nicer sound to boot), as well as being less afraid of mods given the rarity of the Final Editions.
I had a couple of questions about this:

1. Is the EJ207 fundamentally different to the 257 in any ways other than engine size? I know historically in the Impreza era the JDM engines were supposedly stronger, and had a twin scroll, but I can't find enough information about the VA cars to know if that's true for 2018+.
2. I know this is opening up a can of worms but does the Final Edition (and UK/non-JDM VAs in general) come with unequal length exhaust headers? I assume the JDM cars don't and I'm afraid I'm one of the people who would seriously consider putting UEL headers on for the iconic sound even if it sarifices a handful of BHP and slight bit of throttle response. I did hear a JDM STI recently and it sounded very nice, though the exhaust wasn't stock and I can't find a decent comparison between UK and JDM, just USDM WRX vs STI where the WRX definitely sounds better IMO.

Any general advice about this would also be very appreciated! I would also understand if there was some outcry about putting UELs on a JDM VA so am open to input!

I'm not particularly a religious person. I never really connected with the idea of believing in a God or a Devil; something like religion never really resonated with me until the night a few of my friends and I explored the Lockwood house.
My mother gave me a laptop this morning; she thought that it might help me cope or whatever so here I am, typing what I remember. I haven't been able to sleep; there's a shadow that stands in the corner of my hospital room at night, and sometimes I hear voices inside my head telling me to do things, and I'm terrified.
No one believes me. They keep stating that my traumatizing experience must have triggered my anxiety. They called it a dissociation or detachment from reality, I think. Whatever. I know that what I saw in that house was real, and what had happened to my friends actually did happen. We just wanted an experience. We never really stopped to evaluate the risks that might come with it.
I guess I'll start from the beginning.
It was Friday morning, and I decided to kill some time in the library across from my high school. The greatest thing about being in a library was the calming atmosphere. I leaned forward on the worn sofa and rolled my eyes as I turned the page.
What? I scoffed. Why is this even a thing someone would think is even remotely attractive?
[ I am a lot to handle, but I can assure you that you'll have fun handling me, love ]
Seriously? I've met drunk perverts hanging outside of bars with better pick up lines than that I thought to myself. I didn't think it could get any cringier until I read the next line.
[ My heart did an unexpected flip, startled by his bizarrely attractive smile ]
I frowned inwardly. You know what you really need instead of a creepy-ass stalker boyfriend? A cardiology consult
"So annoying," I sighed. How is this tripe a best seller?
"What's annoying?"
"Oh, shit." I squeaked. I sat upright and turned around, instinctively about to clog the person when I realized who it was. Harlen leaned up against the wall with a tilted smirk on his face. He stood between me and the fluorescents.
Harlen was a fellow classmate and a friend of Mark's, who was an older guy Albie, and I guess Harlen hung out with. Harlen was a tall, attractive guy with an athletic build, short obsidian hair, and grey eyes. To quote the main character in the novel, Harlen was the kind of trouble smarter girls than I had fallen into with disastrous results and a few regrets.
My cheeks flushed and I closed the book as he cocked his head at me. "Did I seriously scare you?" He joked, but his smile faltered slightly as I glared up at him.
"Dude," I groaned. "Don't sneak up on me like that,"
"What? I didn't sneak," He crossed his arms over his chest in protest. "No sneaking was involved. I just walked over here. And to be fair, this is a library-silence is sacred in a library so technically we're supposed to sneak. We're also the only ones in here right now anyway, so who cares."
My eyes did a pointed sweep of the decidedly empty area before settling back on Harlen's with an unamused glower. "Yeah," I said. "I'm pretty sure the zero other people in here appreciate the deceptive aura of calm. What are you doing here?"
"Well, actually I was doing some research for a paper I'm writing for English." He tightened his grip on his bookbag. "I was told I'd find you here," He explained.
"Why?" I asked. "I didn't tell anyone that I was here."
"I've got my ways of tracking people down."
When he saw my expression, Harlen rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on Kaya. I'm just kidding! Is it really that weird that I happen to be in here the same time as you?"
"I guess not."
"I'll let you get back to reading, then. Oh," He started. "I almost forgot. Meet us down at the Love Triangle for lunch. I found a cool place for us to urbex."
My friends and I loved urban exploring. Most of the time it was exciting and exhilarating. Sometimes it was a challenge; some places were remote enough that you could simply walk in through the front door like a welcomed visitor. Other times we would be forced to climb up over fences or crawl through windows.
There was this one time we decided to check out a drainage tunnel because a few people have sworn they heard ominous laughter coming from it. Water seeped into our clothes and we shivered at the coldness. I remember that I cracked a joke about the movie "IT" when we suddenly heard a loud BOOM right next to our heads. I have no idea what caused the sound, but I doubt that it was anything paranormal.
I was in the middle of stabbing at a large crouton with my fork when Harlen, Albie, and Jessica took their seats at the table.
"Hey, Kaya," Albie said as he sat down beside me. Albie and I have been friends since we were little. He was a skinny black guy with a box fade haircut and light brown eyes. We were neither popular nor unpopular. We were what some people called, "drifters" and, according to Albie, those whose social standings meant that if he made random eye contact with someone in the halls he would probably get a nod back, and maybe even a quick "Hey" or "What's up" If you didn't know us personally you'd likely assume that we were siblings, especially with the way we acted around each other most of the time.
"What took you guys so long?" I asked, pointing my fork in his direction.
"It was my fault. I'm sorry." He grumbled, as he unzipped his lunch bag. "Mr. Wizzner chastised me for like, ten minutes."
"To be fair, You were looking at your phone in class." Jessica said. Jessica was Albie's girlfriend, a petite girl with long blond hair, and hazel eyes. "And that wasn't the only thing,"
Albie sighed. "You're not wrong, but he's kind of an asshat."
"You should use that filter once in a while," Jessica said.
"Oh baby, since when have you known me to have such a filter?"
"Oh please," I scoffed. "You just choose not to use it."
Albie gave me a frown and tossed a baby carrot my way, which I was able to dodge easily.
Harlen cleared his throat as he pulled out his phone. "So, shall we get to it, then?"
The Lockwood house had been abandoned for years now, but a few people who have walked the trail close to the place have claimed they could see the spirits of the family walking around inside, and others had even heard music coming from the house. When they went to investigate, there was no one inside.
In 2010 Ethan Lockwood brutally murdered his wife, Anna Lockwood, and her parents Steven and Isabelle Thompson in the middle of the night. Authorities found Anna's parents dead in their bedroom; both of their bodies were in pieces, and their daughter's body was found in the basement. Anna had multiple blunt force head injuries and what's worse, her eyes and tongue were missing. Ethan's body was found in the living room with a shotgun beside him, and a deep laceration on his neck. People have compared this to the Amityville horror - which was a huge reason we were doing this.
"Get this," Harlen said, as he scrolled down. "There was a survivor - a ten year old boy. He also had a twin brother, but he was never found."
Some have assumed the father killed him and buried his body somewhere on the property, and others have assumed the boy escaped and is probably alive under a new identity. I guess we'll never know.
"Holy crap. What happened to the boy who survived?" I asked.
"I don't know. I guess that part was kept confidential," Albie said. "For the boy's protection I guess."
"Poor baby," Jessica frowned.
"So," Harlen said. "Are you guys up for it?"
◇
We all crawled into Harlen's truck around 6pm and headed to the Lockwood house. Albie took his video recorder and held it in front of his face. "Hey, what's up guys, gals, and nonbinary folks!" Albie spoke with conviction as he stared wide-eyed in the video recorder. "We're going to prove that ghosts are real!"
I rolled down the window and glanced out at the scenery. I laughed to myself when we passed a large cornfield. "Guys, this seriously looks like we're going straight into a modern day horror film."
"It really does," Jessica agreed.
"I can already feel this place, I'm beginning to sweat all over." Albie exclaimed as he turned his camera to the window then back on himself.
"Like something about this place isn't right at all? That's pretty understandable, considering." Harlen said, turning down a gravel road.
"We're gonna recieve a ton of views for this!" Albie smiled. He turned the camera toward Harlen who waved back from the review mirror.
"Dude," Harlen chuckled. "I bet some of these viewers are going to think you're crazy because you're willing to allow something to throw you across the room and-possibly-murder you for content."
We pulled up to the gate in front of the two - story colonial home. There was already a green van parked outside the gate to the property. Mark greeted us at the gate with a colorful bottle of vodka. Mark was an average looking guy in his early 20s with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. He raised the bottle in his right hand with shot glasses in the other.
"Hey, guys," Mark handed each of us a shot glass. "Did you get here alright?"
"Oh yeah. I've driven passed this place a couple of times, I didn't even need the GPS" Harlen said.
"This definitely screams illegal." I commented, pointedly toward the large house.
"Only if we get caught, but this place is abandoned so I doubt we'll get into any trouble with the law." Harlen said.
"I'm giving you alcohol, and you're more worried about "breaking and entering"? Mark laughed.
Albie took his shot of the Three Olives Loopy vodka and made a face. "This tastes like Tucan Sam fucked me."
"Ew," Jessica grimaced.
Harlen and I laughed. Mark only snorted.
After we each had several shots of vodka, we got ready. We each grabbed a headlight in order to keep our hands free, gloves, and disposable face masks and placed them into our backpacks, along with first aid (just in case). Mark had been urbexing for a while, and he was always prepared with supplies just in case anyone forgot to bring something.
"So, what happens if we're not alone in the house?" Jessica asked.
Even though urbex sites are technically "abandoned" that didn't mean you wouldn't run into other people inside like squatters or addicts, and they may not react well to seeing a stranger in their space.
"It's a good thing I brought this along," Mark said. He pushed his jacket aside and revealed a hand gun tucked inside its holster.
"Holy crap, man." Harlen said.
"I can't believe you brought a gun." Albie said.
Jessica and I were speechless. It's a good idea to bring some sort of self defense tool just in case your physical safety is threatened, but bringing something like a gun raises the risk of you accidentally injuring yourself.
"Of course I did. It's always good to carry protection." Mark explained.
A few minutes after, the five of us walked up to the large rusted gate. With a little bit of work, we each slipped through the bars and headed up to the house.
"You know those haunted attractions where people dress up in order to scare the shit out of you, except it's actual demons and they're going to steal your soul!" Jessica smiled beside Albie who threaded his fingers through hers. "It's actually kinda thrilling."
"Awesome," Harlen smirked. "I'm glad you sound so optimistic about it."
"I try to be!"
We stepped up onto the porch, which wrapped around the front of the house. The paint on the door was chipped with age in places. "Are you guys ready?" Harlen asked. "Once we enter this house, we will possibly become vulnerable to any demonic presence that might reside here."
I rolled my eyes. "If I'm in serious danger, I'm getting out. I'll throw myself out the window if I have to."
"I'm on Kaya's team," Jessica agreed. "Team rational."
"What, and risk getting a broken leg?" Albie asked.
"Better a broken leg than having your soul taken by some kind of entity." I replied.
"Alright, guys let's do this." Harlen said. He opened the door and the five of us headed inside.
The front door opened up into a foyer. Straight ahead of us was a staircase that led up to the second floor. There was a spacious living room to our right and a dining room to our left, and from there, an alcove enterance that led into the kitchen. I could tell that this place had been abandoned for years; there was cobwebs and peeled paint on the walls. There were remnants of furniture left ripped, dismantled, and stained which laid disorderly on the floor of the living room, reminding me of death.
This had once been the home of a happy upper-class family, full of life. Now it was replaced by ghosts of the past, vermin, spiders, dirt, and trash. The smell of rot and the taste of regurgitated food made me grimace in disgust.
"Why hasn't anyone fix this place up and put it back on the market?" Jessica asked.
"Who really knows," Albie replied.
"Hello!" Harlen announced as he twirled on his heels. "Are there any spirits here?" I glanced over at Harlen with a look and he shrugged.
"Is this what you guys imagined?" Mark queried.
"Sure, minus the dead bodies," I walked into the living room and spotted a mid century record player console propped up against the wall next to a grand piano. There was a record still on the turntable, "Tonight You Belong To Me" by "Patience and Prudence"
"Hey, come check this out." Out of curiosity I placed the stylus and tried turning it on, not really expecting anything to happen. I jerked my hand away when it began to play.
I quickly took the needle off, a little creeped out. "Holy crap, that scared me."
"That thing still works?" Albie asked, as he inspected the record player. "That song is kinda sweet,"
"No it isn't," Jessica frowned. "It's the kind of song you would hear while being tortured to death."
After we goofed around a little bit, we all decided to begin exploring around the house. Mark started up the stairs and asked if anyone would like to join him.
"I'll join you, man." Harlen said. He gave me a wink before heading towards the stairs with Mark, and I glanced over at Albie and Jessica as they disappeared down the hall.
I was alone.
I walked over to the piano, and carefully lifted the lid up and over to reveal its keys. My fingers traced the lines in between them and pushed down lightly on a few. The deep sounds reverberated around the room.
My eyes drifted up to the small picture frame sitting on top of the piano. I absent-mindedly bit my bottom lip and reached up to grab the frame. My fingers trailed across the picture, leaving an oily impression against the glass that held the picture in place. A family of four stared back at me and I realized that it was Ethan, Anna, and their twin boys. I was so focused on the twins that I almost didn't hear my phone alerting me that I had a new text message.
It was a text from Albie.
From "Albie" at 6:45pm: Meet us down in the basement. I want to show u something.
To "Albie" at 6:46pm: What is it?
From "Albie" at 6:46pm: There's some cool shit down here. Hurry up.
I rolled my eyes and placed my phone in my pocket as I made my way down the hall. I paused at the top of the basement stairs. I could hear Jessica and Albie, the beems from their headlights bouncing around.
"Albie?" I called out.
"Yeah, Kaya, we're down here." He replied. "Come on down. We have something to show you."
"Alright, I'm coming down hold on." I carefully descended the stairs and turned the corner. "So, what did you want to show me-"
My voice died in my throat. It was dark down here, and my friends were nowhere to be seen. I was gripped by a sudden sense of unnease. I stood near the stairs and turned on my headlamp. "Hello? Albie, this isn't funny, dude."
What answered me was silence. Absolute silence. I was alone, or I thought I was until my light fell onto something moving a few feet in front of me. It was an androgynous looking kid around my age with pale skin, shoulder-length black hair, and violet eyes. They wore a long sleeve gothic cloak poncho, over thin black leggings. Their lips pulled back into a malicious grin as they came closer to me. I watched in horror as their eyes rolled to the back of their head and their mouth split open wide, revealing sharp teeth.
They reached out for me and I screamed in terror, my instincs finally kicked in. I bolted up the steps, and stumbled into the hallway. I ran for the front door and tried to leave, but it wouldn't open. What the hell?! that made no damn sense! My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. Suddenly I felt something touch my shoulder. I screamed, ready to defend myself.
"Hey. Hey! Kaya, stop it's me, Albie."
I stopped struggling as my eyes refocused on the familiar faces in front of me. Albie, Jessica, and Harlen stared back at me with confused alarm.
"Are you alright?" Harlen asked. "What happened?"
I shook my head and quickly glanced behind them at the basement door, but there was nothing there. I know I hadn't imagined it! I turned my attention back to my friends. "I saw something down in the basement! I want to leave. Now."
"What are you talking about, Kaya? Hold up, did you see something down there? Holy shit. The ghosts didn't think one of us would see them, but we did. Can you-"
Before Albie can finish his sentence, I roughly pushed him away from me and turned back to the door. "Damnit, Albie! I don't want to be in this fucking house anymore! It won't open! Why won't it open!"
"Seriously, Kaya what the hell?" Albie asked, almost annoyed.
"Just relax, Kaya. Let me give it a try, alright?" Harlen offered, calmly. He grabbed the knob, but it stayed shut. "What the hell?"
"See? I told you it won't open!" I hissed.
"What do you mean, "it won't open" let me give it a try." Albie shoved his way passed us. He motioned for all of us to stand back and we watched as he tried to use his whole body against it.
"M-maybe the door's jammed." Jessica exclaimed. "Let's chill out. The front door isn't the only exit out of this place."
"Jessica's right. Let's try the door in the kitchen." Harlen said. We entered the kitchen and Harlen quickly made his way over to the screen door that faced the forest. He cursed under his breath. "Damnit. Nothing."
"Hold up, guys. Where's Mark?" Albie asked.
Harlen quickly pulled his phone out to call Mark when we all collectively got a text from him. Reminding us that we had set up a group chat for easy contact. Harlen glanced back at me with an odd expression I couldn't name. I opened my texts and a sharp stab of dread settled in my stomach.
From "Mark" at 7:05pm: I'm down in the basement, Harlen. Where r u?
From "Mark" at 7:06pm: Harlen is that u? It's not funny, man.
Harlen texted Mark that we were all in the kitchen. I watched as the three small dots in a text bubble pending before it disappeared and Harlen's cell phone rang. He answered and placed Mark on speaker phone.
"What the hell do you mean you're in the kitchen? I definitely heard your voice down here."
Harlen cursed, and told Mark to make his way to the kitchen. Harlen started toward the basement and we all followed right behind him. Before we could reach the stairs to the basement, however, the door swung shut, the force of it knocked us backwards. We heard Mark's gun go off several times followed by his peircing screams of terror before they were abruptly cut short. In our inebriated panic, I failed at the last second to realize we were all running in different directions.
I remember running up the stairs and locking the bathroom door behind me. My heart pounded painfully against my ribcage as I fumbled for my phone, thankful that it hadn't fallen out of my pocket. I willed myself to control my sobs and called 911, but for some reason my call wouldn't go through.
"Nononono! Fuck, please no." I collapsed against the bathtub and cried into my sleeves. Paranoia nearly consumed me once I thought of my friends and every horrible scenario when I received a text from Albie. I looked at it confused.
I wiped the snot from my face and quickly texted him back. How in the hell was I able to receive his texts when I couldn't get ahold of the cops?
From "Albie" at 7:20pm: Apparently we can contact each other in this house, but our phone's service seems to be cut off from the outside world. Where r u?
What the hell is going on in this place??
To "Albie" at 7:21pm: I'm in the upstairs bathroom. Do u know where Harlen and Jess are?
From "Albie" at 7:25pm: Jess is with me. I don't know where Harlen is.
My stomach dropped, but before I could reply Albie sent another text, and what I read made my blood run cold.
From "Albie" at 7:25pm: There is smthing moving in the hallway outside the room we r in. Stay quiet and keep ur phone on silent. If we need to contact each other use text.
It was around thirty minutes after when Albie replied with another text updating me with their situation. The thing stalking outside their room a while ago was gone now, and it hadn't come back.
From "Albie" at 8:00pm: We're going to make our way to you. Stay where u r
To "Albie" at 8:02pm: Ok. Be careful.
I slowly got to my feet and set my phone down beside the sink and took a deep breath to level my breathing. Suddenly, I heard something pound against the door. I screamed and stumbled backward. "Holy shit!"
"Kaya?" It was Harlen. "Kaya, is that you?"
"H-Harlen?" I collected myself and made my way over to the bathroom door. I walked into the hallway, relieved that I wasn't alone anymore. Harlen was safe, thank God. "Oh my god, Harlen I'm so glad you're-"
I gasped, and I stumbled forward as the door behind me slammed shut. I felt a sudden wave of dread wash over me as my eyes swept up and down the vacant hallway. Whatever was keeping us here tricked me. I quickly tried going back into the bathroom, but it wouldn't open, not only that but I left my phone by the sink. "No! Damnit!" I needed my phone, it was my only way to stay in contact with my friends, and how was Albie going to know where I was? I had two options, I could try and make my way to Albie or find another place to hide.
My heart thudded loudly in my ears as my headlamp bounced off the walls, chasing nothing more than shadows. I stuck close to the wall as I made my way down the hall. From somewhere down the hall, I heard a voice call out. It was Albie's voice telling me to come over to him. I hesitated for a moment. What if it was another trick? It definitely could be since whatever is toying with us was capable of mimicking voices. What if it really was Albie? Regardless, I had to go passed the room if I wanted to find Albie or another place to hide.
"Kaya, we're in here," Albie whispered to me as I got closer to one of the bedrooms. I hesitated before I stepped inside. The bedroom smelled awful, like rotten meat hung out in the sun for too long. My headlamp's light swept the room until it landed on a lone figure lying face-up on the bed.
"...Albie?" I whispered, tentatively. My voice sounded thin, like old paper. The figure on the bed didn't answer, but when I crept closer, I slipped on something wet. I glanced down at the floor. It was blood; a trail of blood led in from the doorway all the way to the bed. "Oh my god!" I screamed. My stomach rebelled and I heaved out my lunch until I couldn't expel anything else.
My throat burned as I wiped my mouth, and my chest hurt from sobbing out his name. Mark laid sprawled on the bed, his abdomen was ripped open and what remained of his entrails spilled over his body like a gory blanket. I stumbled backward, I fell against the door closing it shut. I was about to leave when I spotted the gun tucked under Mark's jacket.
Oh god, this was probably the worst decision ever and the likelihood that this was yet another trick was high, but I needed something to protect myself with. I've watched Mark use it before when we all went camping a year ago, so I kind of knew how to use it. I steeled myself and started toward the bed.
The closer I got the more I can see the damage done to his body; his abdomen and chest cavity were open and hollowed out. The skin looked like it was rolled back, torn and ragged. His sternum was completely gone, a few of his ribs were cracked so they protruded from either side of his body like fangs. Half of his bottom lip looked like it was chewed off and his left ear was missing. I shook my head and tentatively reached out for the gun. Just as I grabbed it, I felt something gooey covered on the grip of the gun.
I yelped and dropped it on the floor. I cursed and bent down to pick it up. Once I did I wiped the substance off with my sleeve with a grimace and made sure the safety was on. I was tucking it into my jacket pocket when something dripped onto my hand. I looked up and saw Mark or what used to be Mark looming over me from the ceiling like Spiderman. His eyes were oily black, his face twisted in an agonized and vengeful expression. Before I could move, he threw himself at me.
Somehow, I managed to dodge him and wrench the door open, hitting Mark as he lunged at me. The blow was hard enough that it sent Mark sprawling across the floor. I rushed out of the room and back into the empty hallway. I took a chance and looked back, but Mark wasn't there.
When I reached the end of the hallway, I felt hands grab me and pull me around the corner. I opened my mouth to scream, but a hand clamped over my mouth, silencing me. Panic cut through my body like a hot blade, and new found adrenaline flooded my system as I twisted and shoved at the person holding me immobile.
"Kaya, stop," Albie hissed. "It's me."
I turned around and my eyes widened with tears as Albie released his hand from my mouth, and Jessica pulled me into a hug as I told them what happened. Albie pointed towards the stairs and motioned for us to follow. Albie led us into the foyer. We heard movement in the basement so as quickly and quietly as we could, we crawled inside a closet across from the living room.
"What are we going to do?" Jessica asked. "We have no weapons!"
"I found this on Mark's body." I exclaimed as I showed them the hand gun.
Albie got to his feet. "ah, crap...I'm going to be right back. I left my camera in the kitchen."
"What? Hell no." I hissed. Splitting up is a terrible Idea! Risking his life for that damn camera? Was he an idiot?
"Just stay here, alright? Kaya, keep that gun out." He said, with no room for an argument. "Whatever this thing is, it can mimic our voices so we'll need a password to distinguish them from us." He took out his phone and typed Last Alliance
After he left, I crawled over to the door and locked it. I sat down next to Jessica who was sobbing. I turned to her and placed my palms to her tear stained face. "Hey, Jess. We'll make it out of here alright? I promise-"
Jessica shook her head and pushed my hands away from her face. "Don't say that shit to me. We're going to die here, Kaya!" She hissed. "Why is this happening? I wanna go home!"
I sat back against the wall and sighed.
Ten minutes later I heard movement coming from outside the room. I quickly got to my feet and placed my hands on the door.
"Last Alliance," Albie whispered, rather quickly. "Hurry up and let me in."
I hadn't even released the door knob when Albie pushed passed me and helped Jessica to her feet without much protest on her end. "Shit, it was him all along."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"I caught it on camera!" He whispered frantically. "The reason he brought us out here wasn't to-shit-" he was breathing hard. He moved toward me and shoved the camera in my direction. "Here, hold onto it for-" His sentence was cut off abruptly as the thing that used to be Mark drilled his fist into Albie's chest from behind. Albie's eyes widened as his mind had come to the realization at what happened.
Mark dropped Albie's body on the ground and his lips twisted into a manic grin as he examined his blood-covered arm. "He was spying on us," Mark said, but it didn't sound like Mark anymore. His voice sounded like several voices overlapping, fighting for center stage. "He didn't think that we would notice, but we did."
We screamed, and holding onto the camera with one hand I pulled her toward me with the other, quickly. We couldn't save him, and I knew that if we didn't move now we would end up just like him.
Jessica and I bolted down the hallway and back up the stairs. We found an empty room that must have been a personal office at one point, and barricaded ourselves inside. I cursed when I noticed the room we were in didn't have a window wide enough for us to escape through. I sat against the wall beside Jessica who sobbed into her sleeves.
I glanced down at the camcorder which felt heavy in my hand. What did Albie capture on camera that had him so upset? I turned it on and what I saw on the screen made my blood run cold. It was Harlen, the kid from the basement who stood beside Harlen, and the thing that used to be Mark; Harlen was speaking to him, but it was in a strange language that I couldn't understand. After he was finished, the thing that used to be Mark knelt down as if Harlen was some kind of royalty, and that was where the video stopped.
I heard that thing right outside the room we were in. He was telling us that no matter what we did, we were not leaving this place. A few seconds later, he broke through the door, pushing the desk and chairs out of the way with ease. With the force, one of the chairs knocked me to the floor.
He released a sick and twisted laughter, and stalked toward me, eyes filled with malice. Jessica grabbed something heavy from the floor and chucked it at Mark. Mark was startled for a second, and then slowly turned his attention to her. She yelped and frantically swept her eyes around the room for anything she could use as a weapon. He lunged for her and they collided to the floor.
I fumbled for my jacket's zipper for the gun, but I was too late. I watched in utter horror as he ripped into my friend; her screams of terror and agony will haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life. I pulled myself to my feet, my back bumped into something hard. A metal filing cabinet. Mark turned his attention back on me, but before he could reach me, he tripped over something and he fell to the floor. I shifted, and using my whole body weight, I managed to tip it over. It landed on top of Mark with a sickening crunch of bone and viscera.
I slowly made my way to Jessica's body and collapsed to my knees. I clutched at my own head and screamed until it hurt. At that moment, all I wanted to do was crumble in defeat. My voice had broken into heavy sobs so loud and ugly that I almost didn't hear Harlen's footsteps behind me.
"Kaya, is that you?" He called out to me, his voice full of worry. I was hardly listening to him. This was his fault! Rage spiked through me like a knife to my gut, it twisted and turned until I was all ground beef inside; I had the sudden urge to pull the gun from my jacket and-no, I had to calm down. Maybe if I feigned ignorance, I might still have a chance to escape, however slim that was. He bent down, and I let him pull me along with him without protest. With his eyes forward, I slowly put my hand on the gun.
We were almost to the kitchen when Harlen turned around, and leaned against the wall. "So, you know, don't you."
It wasn't a question. I slowly pulled out the gun, unlocked it, and trained it on him. He stared at me with an unsettling expression, and I could have sworn his eyes were black. I suddenly felt an intense pressure pour down on me. I could feel a miasma of something intense as his eyes bore into mine; my arms trembled with the effort of keeping them aloft. The gun clenched tightly in my hands like a life line. I couldn't faulter. I knew that if I did, even for an instant, Harlen would undoubtedly kill me.
"Oh, don't be like that, Kaya. You're not getting out of this house unless I say so, so let's just chat, hm?"
I shook my head and raised the gun to his chest, and for a brief moment I caught a glimpse of a surprised expression on his face when I pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot reverberated around me. I pulled the trigger again and again, but the gun was empty. I dropped it to the floor, my hands shaking. He glanced down at himself. "Huh. Well, would ya look at that, you managed to get me through the ribs, good job."
I was running before Harlen finished his sentence. However, he wasn't coming after me-at least not yet. Figures. I couldn't leave this place so he had no reason to put much effort into the chase. I stumbled through the house, catching myself on overturned furniture in order to keep my balance as I made my way towards the stairs.
I tripped over something and I caught myself against the wall across from the stairs. I paused for a moment to catch my breath. The house seemed to resonate with his manic laughter. I glanced behind me, and I felt a wave of cold dread as he sauntered toward me down the hall. Hands in his pockets, with an almost amused expression.
"Where do you think you're going, Kaya?" He asked. "Didn't I tell you before?"
The words, "There is no escape" suddenly appeared all over the walls in blood. I cursed, and pushed myself off the wall and bolted up the steps, down the hall, and into one of the bedrooms and quickly closed the door. I looked around at what was once a child's room. There was a twin sized bed in the center of the room, a nightstand across from the closet, and a bathroom.
I spotted a decent sized window and I ran over to it, but it wouldn't open and I cursed when there was nothing around me to break it with. Without any time to come up with a plan, I quickly slid underneath the bed and turned off my headlamp. I immediately cursed at myself again, of all the places to hide I chose the first place any one would look!
I contemplated whether or not to find another hiding place, but before I could move I heard him make his way down the hall singing that creepy ass song. "My honey I know with the dawn that you will be gone, but tonight you belong to me, just little 'ol me~"
The bedroom door opened. I covered my mouth and tried to silence my breathing, hoping to God that he wouldn't find me under the bed. I watched in fear as he closed the door behind him and made his way over to the bed. The bed dipped slightly as Harlen's weight sank onto it. He told me things I didn't want to hear and more. This monster-this demon-slithered into our lives just for all of this to happen.
My eyes widened and I tucked my arms to my sides, the wooden bed frame gave a protest above me as Harlen laid down on top of it. Then he sighed, almost forlorn. "This was my brother's room, you know. Coming back here brings back so many memories,"
Right after he said that I felt something prickle behind my eyelids. I shut my eyes tightly as gruesome scenes appeared inside my head. There was so much blood, and images shown of a young boy in pajamas stalking through the house with an ax in his hands picking off his family members one by one-doing things a normal child his size wouldn't be able to do, but Harlen was anything but normal. I felt bile rise in my throat but I managed to keep it down.
"The final stage of grief is acceptance, Kaya." He said. His cruel voice brought me back to the present. "You have a lot of spirit, I like that. I'm also in a good mood so I'll give you two options: you can either die here or you can come with me. You should be grateful that I'm even giving you an option. So, what's it going to be?"
I opened my mouth and closed it again; what was I supposed to say to something like that? What was going to happen to me if I said yes? If I said no...
A low growl -yes, a growl- rumbled above me and I felt something snag my ankle. I panicked, my fingers tore into the wooden floor as I was dragged out from underneath the bed. I was thrown across the room, pain shot up my back as something bit into my spine. Harlen straightened up and started toward me. I quickly averted my gaze, the panic swarmed all over me like a hive of angry bees.
"Wh-why are you d-doing this?" I asked, my breath hitched between sobs.
Harlen knelt down in front of me. "Hey...hey look at me, Kaya."
Absolute terror gripped me as he forced me to look at him. His features weren't human; the light of the moon highlighted the inhuman planes of his face. Black, spidery thread-like lines creeped around his forehead and right beneath his oily black eyes. His mouth had split open, wider than any human mouth was capable of.
His nails grew long and sharp against my chin. It was mesmerizing, fascinating almost, like watching a lion's face before it tears yours off. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe; my lungs felt swollen and inflamed, my hands came up to my throat as I coughed and wheezed. Was this an asthma attack? No, it was Harlen.
"When I ask you a question, do not answer it with another question do you understand?" He snarled. "You will understand why when you arrive. Now, will it be a yes or a no?"
His features calmed and he looked human again, and whatever power on me broke, it allowed me to inhale sharply. I gasped. I wanted to scream at him, I wanted to rage. Instead, I dropped my hands on my thighs. I wanted to live.
◇
"Kaya, honey" My mom said, as she came into my hospital room, "You've got someone to see you this morning! One of your friends from school, I think."
I placed my book down on the table beside me. She bent down and gave me a kiss on the forehead. "And he's very attractive," She whispered, "It's not every day a tall handsome boy comes to sit by your bedside."
I nodded and gave her a small smile as my chest filled with dread. The doctor informed my mom that I was found in the middle of the woods, unconcious by a young man. She had no idea what really happened to me or what happened to my friends'. Harlen told me that he had ways of covering his tracks so there was no use in telling anyone what really happened. It didn't matter if I did or not because no one would believe me anyway.
Harlen came around the corner with a bouquet of flowers. My mom smiled at him and walked toward the door, "I'll just leave you two alone. What did you say your name was again?"
"My name is Harlen," He said, as he stepped forward. "Harlen Lockwood."
"Nice to meet you, Harlen," She said, smiling back at him before exiting the room.
Harlen placed the flowers on the table and sat down next to the hospital bed, he placed a hand on my thigh. "I'm so glad you're feeling better, Kaya." He said. He gently pushed a loose strand of my hair out of my face and gently tucked it behind my ear. "Remember what we talked about. You will come to me after you are discharged from the hospital,"
I shivered at his touch, and out of curiosity I asked, "What happens if I don't?"
Harlen let loose a dark chuckle. His head dips until his lips skate by the curve of my ear. "Then I'll hunt you down." He whispered to me like it's obvious. "I'll kill you and everyone you care about. I'm capable of all sorts of horrors; things you can't even imagine." I watched as Harlen stood up from the seat.
"Now, I've got a few things to do before you arrive," Harlen said, smiling down at me. He paused by the room's door. "I'll see you soon."
His visit was a few days ago. I've made up my mind; all of those lives are dependent on me. Everything that happened that night was real. I know that most people won't believe me, but to be quite honest I don't care anymore.
[Update] I just got the news I'll be discharged tomorrow.

READ THIS BEFORE YOU ASK ANYTHING - this is a comprehensive guide to Coachella by a member of the sub and answers the majority of FAQs we see in these posts-> Itwinky’s Coachella Tips
HOW IT WORKS
If you've got a question that doesn't need it's own thread but you're not sure where to post it, this is your place! There is no such thing as a stupid question as long as it's Coachella related. Literally no topic is off topic.
As always, the amazing and kind Coachella Vets are here to provide answers to any of your questions relating to tickets, the fest itself, the layout of the grounds, camping, schedules, getting to and from the fest, what to wear, what to bring....ANYTHING!
Just remember, we were all rookies at one point and we all needed help at one point or another. So please be kind, be helpful, and have fun!.
I’ll be posting another thread a weekly post starting the first Monday in April. We'll switch to a daily post beginning the week prior to W1 (4/7 - 4/12 for W1, 4/18 - 4/19 for W2), so keep an eye out.
NOTE - I am no way affiliated with Coachella, Goldenvoice, or AXS. I am a passionate fan of Coachella and I want to help people experience it in the best way possible
PAST NO STUPID QUESTION THREADS
MARCH 2023 Part 1 -> https://reddit.com/Coachella/comments/11k277b/39_days_till_friday_of_w1_have_you_done_all_you
FEB 2023 -> https://reddit.com/Coachella/comments/10vejhh/its_the_first_monday_in_february_we_are_now/
On Sale Day 2023 -> https://www.reddit.com/Coachella/comments/10ayym9/sale_day_2023_is_here_got_a_question_that_doesnt/
Lineup Drop Day 2023 -> https://www.reddit.com/Coachella/comments/108jrya/now_its_lineup_day_if_youre_new_here_and_have_a/
(Incorrect) Lineup Day 2023 -> https://www.reddit.com/Coachella/comments/1038hsx/its_likely_lineup_day_which_means_were_about_to/
LINKS & ESSENTIAL READING
90% of your questions can be answered here. Read through all the information thoroughly.
WEBSITE - coachella.com
COST FOR PASSES INCLUDING FEES -> https://coachella.com/fees
GENERAL FEST INFO -> https://coachella.com/festival-info
CAMPING INFO -> https://coachella.com/camping
TRAVEL INFO -> https://coachella.com/getting-here
FESTIVAL RULES -> https://coachella.com/rules
FAQ's -> https://coachella.com/faq
COACHELLA + AMEX TICKET SALES LINK (Cut the queue with an AMEX card) -> https://www.coachella.com/amex
2022 MAPS (FESTIVAL GROUNDS, CAMPING, PARKING) -> https://festivalviewer.com/coachella/map/2022
FREQUENT FAQ'S

• Tickets have begun to ship and obviously there have been some issues. Most issues will require you to go to will call to take care of.
  
• we have seen some movement from LYTE we’re not sure the odds of your swap happening or if a car camping spot will come available. Best you can do is put your name on the list and hope for the best. They are sold at MARKET value, not face value.
  
• We do not know what re-sale will look like come March/April. Traditionally with lineups that are not as popular, the trend is for passes to be around or below face value just before the fest. Also, just about every year sees W2 going for less than W1. W2 is also usually easier to get. Swapping W2 for W1 is difficult, but not impossible. Swapping W1 for W2 is extremely easy.
  
• The only difference between W1 and W2 are the dates. Same lineup, same location, and (mostly) the same set times
  
• W1 has green grass, more influencers, usually has more people attending than W2, and usually more logistical/production issues
  
• W2 has more dust/dead grass, less people and influencers, and production tends to runs smootheaudio sounds better.
  
• Guest acts are random and there is no "better weekend" to see guests in W1 or W2.
  
• Set Times and maps will drop during the week of W1. Do lab lineup should come in late March.
  
• I always recommend camping - it's immersive, you don't have to worry about getting home each night, and you feel like you're in a special world for 4 days.
  
• Don’t bring your small child, dog, or bad vibes.