California motorist struck by flying truck
Thoughts on the 1:1 Time Scale mod
2023.04.02 10:39 YouDriveSafely Thoughts on the 1:1 Time Scale mod
I finally got around to trying the 1:1 Time Scale mod. It really does bring the game to a new level!
It's such a treat to see the game with a 1:1 Time Scale and seeing the sky change so gradually, especially with sunrises and sunsets. It has also given me a deeper appreciation for the scenery during a sunrise or sunset, because we often don't get to see how gorgeous the scenery looks at a sunrise or sunset when the time flies by.
If you set the time to match your real local time, it's also quite satisfying. The estimated time of arrival (ETA) for deliveries is quite accurate assuming you have no delays, and when it's matching your local time that makes it interesting when you know roughly when the job will be finished in your local time.
And yes fuel does last longer with the mod like in real life, but interestingly refuelling time is not affected by the modded time scale. :D
The caveats are that custom world map backgrounds aren't compatible. Distances also don't reflect the miles travelled in the 1:20 or 1:19 scales.
I'd recommend using the mod when you already have the Steam/World of Truck achievements you want, and when you already have millions of dollars in the game, so that you're not worried about hired drivers not making profits, because the altered time scale has the side effect on making the game economy not suit the normal profit expectations.
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2023.04.02 07:23 Meced0 Archery Hatsu
Cupids arrow: Emission, Manipulation, Enhancement
The User charges an arrow With nen and fires it. Anyone struck by the arrow is unharmed by it, instead their natural healing abilities are enhanced 500% for 1 minute. This arrow must be shot while not touching the ground and can only be used 3 times a day.
Shadow tag: Emission, Manipulation,
The user fires an arrow. If this arrow hits a targets shadow the target cannot move from within 3 feet of the arrow for 5 minutes. If the target is casting a long shadow and is already more than 3 feet from the arrow the target will be unable to move more than 2 feet from their original location. This arrow cannot knowingly be used in conjunction with any ability that increases the accuracy of the shot or changes the path of the arrow.
Trail Blazer: Emission, Manipulation
The user creates 7 small nen beast the size of a tennis ball called puffles. These puffles are almost invisible, are capable of floating freely and resemble jelly fish. The puffles will spread out to a max of 50 yards then surround a target. The user then fires an arrow, if it hits a puffle or flies between two puffles the arrow will then only be able to fly on the trail between two puffles. IF it hits a puffle while set on the trail it will immediately change directions to travel on a different path between leading from that puffle to another. The arrow will continue to fly on these paths until released from it by the user. Once released an arrow cannot return to the trail.
These abilities are meant to be used in conjunction with
rain dog.
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2023.04.02 07:13 theMothman1966 The Silver Bridge disaster and its connections to the mothman
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2023.04.02 07:10 theMothman1966 The Silver Bridge disaster and its connections to the mothman
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2023.04.02 05:43 Alternative_Taste354 Footage request
After a video that was taking by a soldier in the back of a truck whilst driving on a road that leads to bakhmut that was basically a scene straight out of a movie with smoke and explosions in the distance, helicopters flying whilst releasing flares etc.
Second footage I am after is the one of a Ukrainian tank driving in a muddy town away whilst a explosion goes off in the distance, I believe people commented about how it looks like a Michael Bay movie.
Thanks.
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2023.04.02 05:28 KingoftheRednecks Spears Among the Stars, ch 26
First/
Prev The first explosion came an hour before dawn.
It was the right time for an attack; everybody knew that. The guards are tired, most people are asleep, and those who hear something suspicious but aren't close enough to know it's an attack will find any excuse for a few more minutes' sleep. The attackers are wired up and ready, their eyes used to the dark, while anyone who was sitting around the fire will be night-blind.
This was common wisdom to the San, something they assumed everybody knew, but it may well have been thousands of years since the Sovereign Residence on Noepe saw attack. Those who saw the explosion still didn't see the attack—that had begun half an hour before.
Three groups had crept carefully through the grounds, taking advantage of the cover. A few irritating sling stones from a building across the plaza had gotten the larger animals up and roaring, batting at the bars of their cages to call attention and cover sounds, and from the sides the groups came in.
Showers of spears and slingstones took care of the guards, slingstones dealt with the sensors, and the San flowed over the wall as silently as they could manage. The guards were alert as they could be, but the San and the Kel both had hunted the forests and the mountains of home, hunted among hyenas and lions and wolves that hunted back, hunted the chamois and the ibex that could hear a misplaced foot with ease.
By the time a volley of laser fire dealt with the gate guards and knocked many off the walls, the invasion was already well under way and the guards knew it. Two of the groups—about three dozen each, one lead by Logog and one by Barab, circled the grounds, with slingers breaking every sensor they could find. A massive sortie from the building itself flowed into the courtyard, and after a single volley of spears the attackers retreated. Given the chance they might have been able to ambush the defenders, but there were too many, and they were not foolish. They kept their ranks together, rifles ready, and when a spear flew from the dark a dozen rifles centered on its source and three dozen more peppered laser fire all around it. The costs were heavy, especially since they brought no dogs. As lights came on they went out again, smashed by stones, but when the sun came up in the West the warriors retreated, four groups of thirty slipping back over the walls as other soldiers rushed to man them, getting clear before the air vehicles could get overhead and spot them. Explosions rocked the air, and other eggs fell inside the walls and short of them, spewing smoke and chaff.
At the walls, the battle did not go well. Some dozen of the San were killed and three or four times that many wounded, and aside from those picked off the walls the defenders suffered nothing. The gate guards were not all killed, and they managed to close the gate well before the San could run the gauntlet of plasma bolters and Klokin guns to reach it. The shields protecting the walls held up easily under barrages of exploding eggs, and before long the San retreated, then scattered, fleeing a thousand different directions into a thousand different areas of the city. Three or four dozen were seen immediately after in bars or restaurants, but the rest were quietly moving North, out of the city by a hundred different methods. Some even took trains back to Shangshen, where they could pick up the vehicles just in case.
Nobody really noticed the two dozen men and women who found their way in through a maintenance door.
The soldiers weren't truly so careless as to leave one open. The poor maintenance worker who opened it for them was now soundly tied and gagged. Higa had wanted to leave the woman there, but Mogan had let her see his spare knife, set it on one side of the storage room, and then carried her gently to the other side. She would be able to wiggle back to his knife and cut herself loose, but by the time she did they would be finished and dead or finished and gone.
Half of them brought pistols, including Mogan, but hoped not to use them. The 'pop' of expanding steam and burning impurities would be an instant giveaway that something was wrong, much less the sound of whatever a laser hit, and so they each walked with a spear nocked, eyes constantly moving.
Ellisan used her wristpad to map where they had been, but that didn't precisely tell them where they were going, and the moved slowly.
“Use your noses,” Mogan whispered. “This is a luxury place, yes?”
The walls were testament to that, covered in precious metals, beautiful woods and stones, with paintings and decorations. It seemed each room had a floor in a different style of wood or stone, and soft light kept everything illuminated.
“If we find where the food is cooked, where she eats it won't be far. They won't risk the food getting cool or warm from distance, right? Food and cleaning chemicals.”
It wasn't a bad idea, but that wasn't how they found the Governess. Two guards came around a corner, and whipped up their rifles, but it was too late. One of them managed an ineffectual shot into the floor before four spears hit him; the other didn't even get that before four slammed through him.
Even so, one shot was more noise than they wanted, and everybody froze, listening. Ellisan's eyes brightened, and she whispered.
“Wind.”
Nobody spoke—perhaps straining to hear it themselves, perhaps waiting for her to explain.
“I hear it—wind going through... not branches—columns or rails, I guess.”
Mogan nodded. “Balconies.”
“Someplace you could look out at all your subjects,” Higa agreed.
“Maybe,” Mogan said, but it was all they had, and so they decided on going up. Someone suggested that after the attack Governess Shenya would be buried somewhere, in the most fortified part of the building, but Mogan knew better. They were rabble—anybody who didn't have a higher station than her was—and Shenya would not move for rabble, no matter the wisdom or necessity.
From what they could see the building was six stories high—presumably if they found stairs or a ramp it would go all the way up, but they had to find it first, and so they got moving again.
When they finally found the stairs, they found the second story even more opulent than the first. Mogan was certain that the walls of entire rooms were coated in precious metals, and one window big enough for him to stand up in was filled not with glass but entirely with gemstones.
It seemed that the second floor was better guarded, but Mogan presumed that there just weren't as many maintenance areas that didn't need so many guards. Whatever the reason or the implications, one guard managed a shout before whistling spears silenced him, and three more guards sprinted down the hallway into an ambush. It was more luck than they had a right to, and Mogan couldn't help thinking it could not last forever. He was right.
After the next three guards were downed and their rifles appropriated, there were a few tense moments of silence. The bodies downstairs had been stashed behind furniture, but there was no time to properly hide them, nor to clean up the bloodstains, and they couldn't go much longer before they were found. Worse, they didn't see any visual devices but had no idea what might be seeing them.
The San advanced, appropriating the guards' rifles as they searched for another stairway leading upwards. They snuck past walls entirely lined with exotic furs, displays of animal teeth and walls made of thin strips of tusk, others coated with material that looked like the inside of a clamshell. They saw no other guards, and Mogan found himself shaking his head. It made no sense.
And then, quite suddenly, it made perfect sense. Two walls slid almost instantly into the ceiling, revealing two dozen men and women with leveled laser rifles on each side. The officer, blue uniform decorated with gold braid and pistol in hand, smiled widely.
“You were looking for the governess, yes? Well, put down your weapons and we'll take you to her!”
The pistol leveled at Mogan's head. “Now, please.”
Two dozen warriors of the San walked up the staircase. They were disarmed and surrounded, but couldn't help feeling slightly amused. Walking up four flights of stairs had barely changed their breathing, while the Sylfa guarding them needed to catch their breath.
Mogan had muttered to them to keep quiet, and to wait for his signal. He suspected that a few of them had managed to hide weapons, even if just a knife or two, and now was not the time for them. If he remembered Shenya rightly, they were indeed being taken to her. There were few things that Shenya did well, but she knew how to hate. That, she was quite good at, and from what Mogan had seen here on Noepe the years had not brought her kindness. He would just have to hope they hadn't brought her wisdom either.
Mogan walked a little ahead, keeping the pace up, as they walked past yet more disgusting opulence. Holos coated these walls, and between them occasional sculptures of actual paintings. There was no rhythm to what would be next, and Mogan realized that the sculptures and paintings had been made when holos were still available,simply to use the style. Nonetheless, the story they told was impressive.
The first showed Noepe as it doubtless was when first discovered, with desert and thin forest, and heavy ice-caps. There was not as much ice on Noepe as he had seen in the orbit of his home planet, but quite a bit more than there was currently.
Various works showed the efforts taken to change the planet. Machines were set to deliberately warm the air, causing the ice to retreat as resorts were built at the oceans. When the water began to rise, ships simply carried it off planet. Soil was treated where plains were wanted so that forests could not grow, water pumped into the deserts, the thinner trees replaced with others from different planets.
The first governor—or perhaps the Sovereign at the time--was represented in different styles, gesturing imperiously as forests were cleared simply to replant them. There were hunts, then massive hunts where soldiers shot animals by the hundreds and left them to rot, before other creatures were introduced. Machines were made to scour the seas for dangerous fish or those that interfered with the best sport.
The poachers were represented as well, ragged and dirty men and women dragging down noble-looking creatures and tearing at them. One rather well-painted hanging depicted a battle, where men and women charged, brandishing their own fingernails, at phalanxes of disciplined gunners. The painting was ancient, quite possibly older than anything in the Moon Lake cave, but clearly Shenya's treatment of those who would kill the game reserved to the Sovereign was not entirely unique.
More opulent hunts followed, at least one of which featured a hunter, likely the Sovereign himself, at the aiming reticule of a plasma bolter, killing beasts that looked like those Mogan had seen on New Klon but twice as large.
There were two rebellions and three revolts featured in these murals. In each, the rebels were dirty and ragged, and when warfare was depicted it was always ragged mobs of rebels versus disciplined blocks of Sylfa. Even those in the trees were somehow all side-by-side in neat rows. The only time the enemies of the Sovereignty appeared in neat rows was in executions, and there were many of those.
They also, he noticed, had no Sylfa. Most of the poachers he had met were Sylfa, but all of the poachers, the rebels, and the revolters were entirely Anthata, Shawing, Mantu, and some of the other more common species.
There was little or no time to observe details, as the small group swept up the wide hallways into a spacious room. There were six columns, but Mogan suspected they were less from necessity and more to give the room the open-forest feel popular among Sylfa. The ceiling was high enough that a Mantu probably could not touch it, and they were greeted by the sound of a shoshir sliding from its scabbard.
Mogan knew the sound. For that matter, he knew the shoshir. He knew the woman as well.
The years may not have granted Shenya El' Esh wisdom or kindness, but they had certainly granted her beauty. She had been a stunning young woman when he saw her before, some sixteen years ago, but she had grown, rounded in all the right places. Sylfa tended to be thinner than humans, and she still was—except for her chest, where surgery had been involved—but the curves were undeniable. He heard more than one of those behind him gasp.
“I am going to kill each and every one of you.” She pointed the shoshir at Mogan. The L-shaped handle fit the two hands on her right side easily, and it didn't tremble. Mogan knew the blade well. Long ago, he had taken it from the assassin Fhlynn and had it given to her, but she had hated him before that. She had held him in contempt from the first moment she saw him, but when Fhlynn said something mocking and pointed at him, she had turned to look. Mogan had seen the man's other hands, one covering her drink from her view, the other pouring something from a small vial into it. She had likely hated him from the moment he knocked over the drink, spilling it across the table and her clothes.
“Surely you've had time to replace that dress by now, Shenya.”
“It's not about the dress, Mogan. It's not even about Ellisan, although you know she's illegal. And the one with the scar on his chin and the burn over his eye, that must be Higa—I just might send your head back to Burjit.”
She smirked as they stared. Ellisan mouthed a word, a name, but Mogan put it aside. That was something he didn't want to deal with at the moment.”
“You know I was saving your life that day.”
“Don't lie to me, Mogan. It's really not a good look for your last moments.”
“Fhlynn was an assassin, Ellisan. That's why he came here after me. He chased us a long way and we got away from him, and then I chased him, and he didn't do so well.”
“Enough of that!” Her beautiful lips twisted in a snarl. “Where is Shett?”
“Yil Shett? I don't know, but I'd like to see him again.”
“I told you not to lie to me, animal. I know that traitor has had it in for me, and ever since he defected I've been plagued with one problem after another! I want to know where he is, so I can send him the holos. He humiliated me when he had the power and I didn't, but that's not how it is anymore!”
“What did he do, Shenya, turn you down? I thought your hips had a little extra wiggle in them when you brought his drink.....”
That had been sixteen years ago, and he truly did suspect it, but he didn't expect it to hit a nerve so well. Shenya stabbed the end of the shoshir into the floor, probably damaging something priceless while she was at it.
“How dare you!? Do you not understand your life is in my hands!? I control the Sovereignty—me! I would let you escape, just so I could watch billions of soldiers hunt you down, if I didn't want the pleasure of killing you myself.”
A tiny bit of spittle flew from her mouth as she shouted, and her face had turned a shade of dark blue that was a little bit alarming.
“I have the power now! Me! You took my man away from me, but now you're in my hands, and I'm going to take everything away from you, including that half-animal!”
Mogan's hands tightened as if he could feel her throat in them, but with a great effort he kept his voice calm. “Your man was weak, Shenya. Do you think you're the Sovereign himself?”
“Even better!” Mogan was pretty sure he saw the shoshir sink a little into the floor as she leaned on it. “Fhlynn wasn't good enough for what I wanted, but the Sovereign is! And he does what I say! When I say you're an enemy of the entire Sovereignty, it happens!”
All four hands rested on the hilt and she leaned forward. It was nice for the view, but every muscle was tense as she snarled. “I spoke, and I leaned against his arm, and I had all the information about you that anybody knew. I spoke, and I just trailed my hands across his shoulders, and Shirfa was named a hero of the Sovereignty! I spoke, and I wiggled my ass in some stupid lacy thing he likes, and the reports naming your species non-sapient were given the Sovereign seal of approval—disputing a single word of it used to mean pissing off a Yil, but now it's an instant death sentence to even look for evidence against it--all the efforts of those idiots Hyeshi and Schlo trying to change it were wasted!”
Mogan grunted, but she was grinning now. At least, her mouth formed a parody of a smile, while her eyes burned with hate. “I want you to know it before you die, Mogan! I made it happen! I spoke, and I touched him, and no university in the Sovereignty would publish from either of them! I spoke, and I put my mouth on him, and your whore was abandoned on some worthless wilderness planet that won't see another sapient being for another hundred---”
She was already screaming, or almost, but now her scream turned into something shocked and stuttering as Mogan extended his left hand.
Some of the warriors of the San had seen him do this once before. They had believed that he commanded lightning itself, and it had helped to cement his reputation as one blessed by the spirits. Now they knew that the hand was mechanical, and they could assume that the bolt of electricity that shot from it was also mechanical, but it was no less impressive.
The Animal Person that he had struck nearly a decade ago had literally flown several yards back. One of the assassins here on Noepe, some sixteen years ago, had been knocked down. Shenya didn't, perhaps because the sword stabbed into the floor was an anchor. All four hands clamped down on the handle and electricity crackled and sparked all along the long, flowing blade of gold-titanium alloy as she convulsed, smoke rising from her hands and from her face as her hair smoked, and then a moment later she did leave the ground, landing in a heap some three or four meters away.
An ugly death, but an excellent signal. There was a beep that Mogan recognized, and then Higa threw one of Burjit's eggs. Two others had managed to hide knives before they were seen—and the rest had to go unarmed.
They were not defenseless in this. Everyone wrestled as a youngster, learning how to manage their weight and the weight of another, and while matches weren't supposed to cause harm beyond an occasional bruise, it was easy to tell how things could be worse.
In truth, the Sylfa had it easier than some others. One man simply grabbed a soldier by the waist, lifted him off his feet, and dropped him. Against a human, this was a good way to break a hip or back and perhaps start a blood feud, but the Sylfa simply didn't fall. It made sense that a species conditioned for climbing couldn't simply be dropped and instead held easily to his attacker, but the man was shot twice before he could react. He fell forward, whether by design in his last moments or by lucky accident, pinning the thinner Sylfa beneath his corpse.
Another threw a Sylfa with a rolling hiplock, and a third stomped on the soldier's head as he landed, while a fourth grabbed his rifle.
Higa's explosive went off. Mogan didn't know whether he'd intended to be sure of Shenya or not, but he could see her body twitch as shrapnel struck it, and half a dozen soldiers fell.
Mogan himself was never truly unarmed. Another bolt of electricity struck a soldier who was trying to take aim, and then he slammed a fist harder than steel into a blue-green face. Blood flowed as the guard staggered back, his face a cratered ruin, and then lasers flew as Ellisan grabbed the man's rifle and fired it as fast as she could. Not every shot hit, not even most, but some did.
But Ellisan wasn't the only one firing. As skilled as the San might have been, they were outnumbered two to one, and they were unarmed, and nobody fights a battle like that without taking losses. Half a dozen men fell in the first few seconds, and perhaps half-again that many of the soldiers, while the others sought cover behind couches and overturned tables.
“Cover!” Higa threw one more egg, then found something to duck behind himself. Alarms began to sound, and he made two hand gestures, hunting signals that were often used so that they wouldn't alert game. One indicated he was out of ammunition, another that they needed to pull back. Lasers flashed back and forth as the San backed up with stolen rifles, and Ellisan, bless her, managed to grab one of the bags that had held their own confiscated weapons.
When they reached the doors and took stock, the results of their battle weren't pretty. Everyone was wounded to some degree, and of the twenty-five people who went into that room only eleven made it out. It was a note of sick humor that at least now the bag Ellisan had grabbed had enough weapons for everyone.
“We're not going to fight our way down, Mogan.” Higa panted, holding his side. He hissed as Mogan sprayed in the sealant. “This was a good day, my friend.”
“And it's not done yet. We're not going down. There will be flyers on the roof, and Ellisan can fly anything.”
Ellisan was trying not to scream, holding the cauterized stump where her lower left hand once was. “And then where?”
“....I don't know.”
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2023.04.02 04:41 Future_Ad_3485 Valley of the Unknown Part Twenty-One: The Sins Come to the Surface
Branches scratched my cheeks, the reapers were on my tail. All I desired was to take a walk without a guard, my scythe dangled in my other arm. Leaping into the trees, half of them followed me up to the treetops. Their robes fluttered behind them, the rustling growing louder. Thinking of being behind them, my fingers snapped. Popping up behind them, one swing took them out. Shrill shrieks shattered the early morning air, one hundred reapers now floated behind me. Turning slowly, a clammy sweat drenched my skin. Spinning my scythe over my head, chains shot from the handles, The links clinked with each wrap around their bodies, dragging them closer to me.
“What the hell is your problem!” I demanded viciously, Jack’s energy fast approaching. “I am not up for death yet and you fucking know it! Tell me now!” None of them spoke my language, screeches shattered my ear drums. Inky blood stained my jawline. A worn brown leather book smacked me in my face, the leather leaving a bruise in the middle of my forehead. Leaning back against the tree, I flipped through the pages. This was Dr. Death's afterlife book, my eyes scanning for the information I required. Flipping to the back, my fingers traced the index. Stopping at the word reaper, they all waited patiently for me to find the right page. The pages rustled with each turn, horror widening my eyes.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” I exclaimed bitterly, scanning the page over again. “He was holding something for you guys. Here’s the deal, I will get the item and you will leave me the fuck alone.” Rescinding my chains, tension built in the air as we both waited for each other to attack the other one. Nothing happened for a few moments, the cold stares met me slicing my palm on my scythe. Allowing the blood to pool in my palm, a simple flip of my wrist created a rain of blood over the yellowed pages. A red door popped up next to me, the hinges groaning in protest as I pushed it open. Stepping across the threshold, my eyebrow twitched with irritation. Piles of items lay in tall piles, the lack of organization enough to bother me. A reaper popped up behind me, its icy gaze watching my every move. Couldn’t a vampire work in peace! Pointing to the door in the back of the room, the oak door began to breathe. Curling my fingers around the golden knob, it swung open. Jumping into the other side, the silence wasn’t helping. The empty streets of White Chapel exuded an eerie feeling, the fog curling at my feet. Scanning the dirty brick buildings, the overall feeling of sorrow was enough to drown someone. Weeping filled the streets, his decaying victims charged at me. Tattered dresses fluttered in the stale breeze, skeletal hands reached for me. Shooting chains from the handle, tiny hooks sank into the brick. Shrill shrieks shattered the night air, the reaper cutting them down with worn scythe.
“You really are stupid, aren’t you?” The reaper taunted in her icy female voice, the hood falling down. “He buried the item deep within his mind and it won’t be here. He actually enjoyed killing those poor women. How could you be kind to a murderer!” Her bone white hair cascaded down her back, inky black eyes glaring in my direction. Her scarlet lips curled into a wicked grin, evil laughter erupting from her lips.
“My job is to kill you. You are the item they want.” She chuckled darkly, playing with her hair. “I get to devour your rich vampire witch soul. It should taste even better with his powers. He was supposed to become one of us but he chose you instead. Who the hell doesn’t want to become one of us!” Licking her lips, her black robes shifted into a violet corset dress. Clammy sweat drenched my skin once more, wiping my sweaty palms on my ash gray sweater dress proving to be of little release. Lunging towards me, our scythes clashed violently.
“You wouldn’t know a damn thing about Dr. Death!” I retorted venomously, narrowly dodging her hand. “He changed for the better. Would a serial killer risk his life to save me? The answer is no! He could have killed me upon first meeting even if it meant killing himself as well.” Slamming my heel into her chest, relief washed over me at not dying. Smashing her into the nearby wall, a wicked grin curled across my lips. Shock mixed with rage, an agitated snarl twitching on her lips. Only one of us was going to make it out of this cursed place alive. Bouncing off the buildings, the lining of my stomach crumbled in upon itself upon the impact of her fist. Crashing to the ground, my body rolled to a stop. Groaning roughly, this pain matched my labor pains. Propping myself up, a swift motion with my scythe blocked her next attack. Locked in our positions, something had to give.
“Why can you touch me! One touch from a reaper should kill anything that breathes.” She pondered out loud, my own mind wanting to understand as well. “Maybe he bestowed that ability on you when he died. That makes sense. A guardian can absorb powers through each cycle of their life. If that is the case, you must die right now!” Kicking her off of me, blood dripped from the corner of her lips.
“Mirror of damage, reverse wounds!” I chanted boldly, feeling the impact of my kick. “Now let’s play. Now you will be the one afraid to give the blows.” Coughing up an unnatural amount of blood, black coated my hands. This spell could kill someone, my body aching as I struggled to my feet. Mouthing a healing spell, my stomach repaired itself. Popping up in front of me, her scythe cut off my thumb. A steady stream of curse words flooded from her lips at the sight of her own thumb dropping to the cobblestone streets, my thumb reappearing on my hand.
“What kind of a spell is that!” She roared in disbelief, her composure slipping. Blood spurted from her thumb, the one side effect of the spell is that one of us had to die. The ball I had in my court granted the healing powers all reapers lacked, frustration brewing on her face. Snapping my fingers, the scene shifted the burnt remains of my hometown.
“You forget I am dripping with sin myself. A whole town died because of me. This is the land of my sins which gives me total control over everything.” I bragged gleefully, cocking my head. “How does this taste!” Angling my scythe towards my heart, she protested. A swift swing pierced my heart, her porcelain skin decayed to ash. Ripping the scythe from my heart, my wound refused to heal. Inky black stained my dress, my eyes falling on a scarlet door in the distance. Cold hands held me back, my father limping towards me like a broken doll. Coughing up an unnatural amount of blood, his twisted hand gripped my chin.
“You killed my wife.” He growled through gritted teeth, his gnarly body pressing up against mine. “I have always hated you for that.” His words cut like a knife, my heart not doubting it for a moment. Every now and then he would give me the saddest glance a man could give. The scene shifted to the car, a truck swerving into my lane. Attempting to steer away from it, the car rolled several times, glass embedding itself in my skin. Metal screeched, my mother’s faceless body lay limp, her seat belt holding her in. Ruby colored her hair, tears staining my cheeks. Crawling out, my eyes widened with horror at the sparkling glass on the road. A twisted hand slapped the pavement, my father dragging his busted body out of the car.
“I stood over your bed with a pillow for weeks after. I had planned on murdering you once we moved here. I am going to dig into your memories to prove the truth. Come along on the journey, my dear.” He admitted with a malicious grin while adjusting his glasses. “Every day you were alive was a reminder of her choosing you over me everyday. You were born dead!” Trembling in my place, his kind smile had always fooled me. Dr. Death told me that once that your deepest sins will always tell the truth, the words weighing more than they should have. Snapping his fingers, this was the darkest secret of mine coming to light.
The fan in my room hummed, my plain white walls towering over me. This was the house I grew up in, his hair hung over his furious eyes. A pillow hovered my former face, my shaggy hair splayed over the pillow. Unable to look away, he smothered my face. My fingers clawed at his arm, the twisted version of my father holding me back. Unable to say anything, the days flicked by the same until we were in the garage of our last home. Stakes lined the walls, the most haunting image being my photo on a dart board. Circling me, his hand would graze my shoulder every now and then. His form decayed to a skeleton with pieces of skin dangling off the bone in front of my eyes.
“Can’t you see how much I despised you. My wife insisted we take you in against my wishes. I used to be a hunter. Did you know that?” He mused playfully, cupping my face with his skeletal hands. “Imagine how it looked for a hunter to be raising the vampire princess. I plotted to kill you day in and day out.” Gazing into his inky eyes, the truth continued to poison me from the inside. Betrayal stung worse than the lies, chains snaking up his body. Sobs wracked my body, every ounce of hatred burned in my eyes. His bones creaked with the steady increase of pressure on his body.
“You bastard!” I stammered brokenly, fighting back tears. “Why didn’t you just kill me then! Everyone would still be alive. Why does everyone say that I shouldn’t exist!” The chains crushed him to dust, my body falling to my knees. Cupping the sides of my head, Dr. Death popped up on the workbench. Cocking his head, he tipped his worn top hat. Dusting off his long coat, he adjusted his mask.
“You finally found out the truth.” He sighed in defeat, crossing his legs. “He hated you the whole time. Did you like my gift to protect you from the reaper’s touch?” My eye twitched in shock, a cloud of dust filling the room as he leapt down. Walking over to me, he crouched down to my level.
“How are you still here?” I asked with a grimace on my lips, his finger lifting up my chin. “I don’t get it. You died.” Shrugging his shoulders, his warm chuckle twinkled in the air. Pulling me into a desperate embrace, the beak of his mask brushed against my cheek.
“I left Heaven to live in the land of your sins.” He admitted sheepishly, holding my shoulders. “It was so boring. Could you believe everyone had their nose stuck up in the air. The thought of my little raven flying alone simply tortures me. Wear this necklace at all times and your door will show up whenever you want it to.” Dropping his soul stone into my palm, the onyx stone feather dangled off of a white gold chain. Tears of joy flooded from my eyes, his gloved hands placing it over my head.
“Thank you so much!” I blubbered uncontrollably, my door popping up in front of me. “I have to go now.” Hugging him one last time, his smile never left his face as the crystal knob turned with my wrist. Stepping through, the first room was empty. All of his memories were gone, the rough wooden floor groaned underneath my boots. Touching the wall, shelves grew from the wall. The books of my knowledge and memory slid into place, the full weight of my father’s words hitting me. Not now, I needed to get home to busy myself as a distraction. A second door popped up, the door swinging open. The wound in my chest sealed shut, a sigh of relief escaping my lips. Stepping out over the threshold, an army of reapers greeted me. Spinning my scythe over my head, a defiant grin spread across my determined face.
“I would leave if I were you.” I warned icily, chains whipped in every direction. “I killed the assassin you sent after me. It took quite a bit but I can kill you all too.” Shrill shrieks shattered the still air, the moon beginning to rise over the trees. The reapers drifted to the side, a tall slender man in pristine white robes marched to the front. His slicked back silver hair reeked of following the rules, his inky black eyes flitting between his reapers and me.
“I am Death, the lead reaper.” He introduced himself briskly, circling me. “You did kill one of my reapers. May I try something?” Poking my forehead, his other hand played with my hair. Slapping his hand away, a sly grin illuminated his features.
“The laws dictate that you should be dead but yet you stand here.” He mused curiously, stopping in front of me. “How about a deal? We leave you alone if you become an ally in my fight against the hunters. They have been stealing our souls to power their army. Be wise about this. No one can go against a deal with a reaper.” Holding out my hand, his enemies were my enemies. Curling his icy fingers around my hand, he shook my hand with vigor. An inky blackness stole my hand, the darkness contrasted his ghostly pale skin.
“That mark won’t ever go away. You break the contract, you will die.” He explained with his sly grin, tilting his head to the left. “Don’t worry, you can still touch living things. You are lucky that I was good friends with Dr. Death. I did whisk him away from Heaven after all. Let’s meet next week.” Ordering his reapers to get back to work, they all disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Resting on the nearest branch, pale moonlight bathed my black hand. Snapping my fingers, a worn black leather glove covered my hand. Ripping the hem of my dress, I tied my scythe to my back. Lowering myself down the branches, my boots touched the ground. Hiking back, my friends smashed into me at the entrance of the town. Jack cleared his throat, everyone backing off. His narrowed eyes sent chills up my spine, his hand dragging me to our apartment. Setting me down on the bed, he ripped off the glove. Tracing my blackened hand, he collapsed onto the bed next to me. Our twins rested in their cribs, his loving gaze falling on me.
“I see you found out the truth about your father. I was trying to tell you the whole time but could find the heart to. You looked so happy with him that day.” He admitted honestly, taking my right hand. “Dr. Death told me that today would happen a few weeks ago. I guess the reaper’s mark proves it. Don’t ever use that reverse damage spell again. You could have died.” Crimson colored my cheeks, his hands cupping my face.
“I felt your heart stop for a second.” He continued softly, tracing my cheek. “Our bond told me as much. You can let out your rage at your father if you w-” Alex poked his head in the doorway, my shaking hand yanking on my glove. Rubbing my forehead, a false smile dimmed my face. Marching up to me, he placed his hands on his hips.
“How about you cut the shit and tell me what’s wrong?” He interrogated intensely, lifting up my gloved hand. “I grew up with you my whole life and you look like a broken doll. The light isn’t even in your eyes right now. You are covered in bruises and cuts. Every time I see you, you have new wounds on you. Stop keeping me out of the loop!” Cocking my brow, a quiet rage seethed in my eyes.
“What the hell would you know!” I shouted furiously, Jack pleading for me to calm down. “I have been going through a living trying to get you a decent place to live! Go away and appreciate it!” Tossing my hand aside, a snarl curled on his lips. Tugging on his white t-shirt, his other hand clenched into a ball. The twins started to wail, my raw anger not allowing me to care.
“Would you look at my big superhero sister who never spends any time with me anymore! Where were you when I was turned into a werewolf after running from a burnt town!” He yelled loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood, his hands waving around. “You are the worst sister ever and a horrible mother!” Tears welled up in my eyes, his words stinging. Fighting back tears, my heart ached for my father’s hug. No, I didn’t!
“Our father tried to kill me after the accident! The accident I caused because I couldn’t drive well enough. You should hate me. I killed your mother. That was me.” I ranted, poking the palm of my hand. “He hated me the entire time and I still love him!” Picking up the picture from the nightstand, the shatter of the glass merely added to the chaos. Alex had nothing to say, his arms falling to his sides.
“Dad said that mom was driving, not you.” He stammered brokenly, stepping back. “You are a fucking bitch. You took the two most important people in my life. Screw you! Don’t talk to me ever again.” Sinking to my knees, tears flooded from my eyes. Great, now I was going to lose Alex. My breathing grew shallower, my gloved hand holding the frame while the other attempted to fix the glass. Why did I always break everything?
‘Give her a second chance.” Jack pleaded on my behalf, spinning him around. “She lives with the guilt of crashing that damn car, and your father did hate her. She is doing everything she can to ensure your safety here. She is barely an adult trying not to have the whole world kill her while attempting to raise you.” Alex’s face softened, a long exhale escaping his lips.
“It’s fine.” He exhaled tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I caught him smothering you a couple of times in my half asleep stupor. I kind of just thought I was seeing things. It also didn’t help that I wasn’t wearing my glasses. Let me help with that.” A bit of my glove slipped down, my mark starting to show.
“Not a word to anyone.” I whispered through a fresh wall of tears, his head shaking. “I had to make a deal with a reaper to save my life. I am so sorry for everything. I promise to be a better mother slash sister to you. Don’t pick up the glass, please.” Cupping my hands, the fight was over as soon as it started.
“I understand. Just promise me that we can do a movie night once a week.” He assured me with an unsure grin, the twins still wailing away in Jack’s arms. “I didn’t mean any of it. You are the greatest sister a brother could have. You just had a couple of kids and are trying to save the world.” Nodding once, he flashed me his crooked grin. Jumping to his feet, he left the room in a rush. Dropping all of the glass again, fresh cuts covered my left hand. Teardrops stained the rug, the image of my father fraying my nerves. Shaking off my emotions, nothing felt okay. My whole world seemed to be collapsing around me. A touch on my shoulders sent me out of my trance, a concerned Jack helping me to the bed. Tugging off my boots, he swung my legs onto the bed.
“Sleep.” He whispered, sweet slumber stealing me away.
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2023.04.02 04:00 Kazevenikov Cryptid Chronicle - Chapter 22
A special thanks to
u/bluefishcake for the wonderful original story and sandbox to play in.
A special thanks to my editors LordHenry7898, RandomTinkerer, and Swimming_Good_8507
And a big thanks to the authors and their stories that inspired me to tell my own in this universe. RandomTinkerer (City Slickers and Hayseeds), Punnynfunny (Denied Operations), CompassWithHat (Top Lasgun), CarCU131 (The Cook), and Rhion-618 (Just One Drop)
Hy’shq’e Ay Si’am (Thank you noble friends)
Chapter 22: The Concern of Parents
Andy drove the old pickup out of the base impound lot, with Aftasia and Sitry beside him on the bench seat. It was an old Rez truck, faded with age, dented, and rusting out in places, but it ran well enough and had a half tank of gas.
They’d landed easily enough, and Andy had let Aftasia and Sitry step out first to explain to the surprised militia garrison about him and his rifle. Andy was conscious of the leering faces of the Shil’vati women as they walked off the tarmac to the impounded vehicle lot. He’d spent twenty minutes convincing the two of them not to take one of the Marine transports. Now they bounced along in the old truck, and he had to stop himself from laughing at how they had to keep readjusting their ears as they folded over against the ceiling.
He drove out on the old coast road towards the river that had once been the border between the North Straits Salishian Reservation and Washington. Andy opened the window and the cab filled with the sea breeze as he drove over the neglected and bumpy road carefully. His two passengers were silent as they drove through the old abandoned suburbs of the town until they reached the crossing by the old collapsed bridge that used to span the river. Andy pulled the vehicle up on the bank and got out. The water was muddy and moving fairly fast. Andy took out a cigarette and started considering his options. The storm had swollen the river, and while the truck could probably ford the crossing, it wouldn’t do to have to go for a swim in front of the maybe boss and her cute daughter.
“Is this how you get home?” Andy turned when he heard Sitry’s voice behind him. Both of the Erbians had gotten out too, and Andy put the cigarette back in the pack unlit. Sitry was looking at him expectantly, and Andy found himself suddenly at a loss for words. Behind her, her mother had pulled out her omnipad and had popped in a set of earbuds.
“Hold on, Yes? Ah, Akil’eas, I was wondering when we’d get your call…she’s fine, I checked her myself. Her eyes are still black, her skin is still purple, and she has no viral lesions. Sakalbi and Rhaxiid are taking her to that little hospital in Bellingham. Yes, and no, I don’t want you calling her when you’re in this state. Kalai doesn’t need an overwrought father right now, she needs a mother who’ll flick her ears and tell her what an idiot she is.”
Andy couldn’t help but chuckle at hearing the one-sided conversation before looking over at Sitry and cracking a smile.
“My sister’s in trouble,” Sitry whispered as she moved to stand next to him as they watched her mother speak to what was presumably Kalai’s father on the other end of the line.
“So how does that work, exactly? Is she adopted or something?”
“Akil’eas, smart people do dumb things sometimes, and I choose to focus on the outcome…no one was permanently hurt, she’s on her way to the hospital for a check, and she’s back with….I’m her parent too, you know…I
have been for years while you’ve been here, and quite frankly, if this is the full extent of her ‘pre-teen rebellion’, I’ll happily take it over what some of my other children have done when they were her age!”
Sitry looked around and walked over to sit on a fallen log and patted the space next to her. “Yes and no? Dr. He’osforos is an old family friend. He went to school with my moms and my dad, and he used to teach and do research at VRISM with them, too. Me and Narny were born around the same time as Kalai and Gadea.”
Andy huffed in amusement and unwrapped the blanket from his shoulders to refold it over him like a sash. Sitry turned bright red and averted her eyes while he did before he took a seat next to her.
“Our folks put us all in the same nursery and we all went to the same school…we’ve been in each others’ back pockets ever since.” She started up again after a moment. “When the…attack went down, all the Shil’vati got sick. The virus doesn’t affect us, so our House didn’t lose anybody, but…almost everyone in our class got sick and died. Kalai lost her sister and her two mothers. Her dad came to Earth looking for a way to cure her, and he’s been here ever since. Kalai’s been living with us for so long, she may as well be Erbian at this point, but she’s not officially a member of our Warren or anything.”
Akil’eas….AKIL’EAS!
She is fine, a sprained ankle, a sore shoulder, and too much humble pie at the moment.
That’s all! Yes. Yes, she won’t be let out of our sight until you wrap up whatever it is you’re doing that’s so important right now…Well, I think that’s something I need to speak to you about in person.” Andy locked eyes with Aftasia for a moment and gulped before turning back to Sitry.
“So sisters but not. Family, but not. Strangely, I can relate.” Andy focused on Sitry who seemed to be playing with her hair while deliberately trying not to look at his exposed chest.
“You had a brother too, right?”
“
Have. I have a brother. Like I said, he got nuked by the Imp Navy and all it did was nothing. He and grandpa took what stommish were ready to fight and went to war.” Andy felt a wave of sadness wash over him and his breath caught in his throat for a moment. “I can barely remember him, I was so little the last time I saw him. He took
no shit from anybody.” Andy felt tears in his eyes and he sniffed them back, as he recalled a story that he could tell her without falling into tears.
“You know he, uh…one of the few things I remember about him was…there was this kid on the base, and he used to knock me down when we were coming home from school. Kay Tee…Konstantin…he found out and he followed me home, but he thought he was James Bond or something because he was running behind fences and trees and mailboxes waiting to ambush the bully. So the kid, I don’t even remember his name, walks up and pushes me down…and Kay Tee just bull-rushes him from the side and does this flying jump kick into the kid's nads and beats the piss out of him.” Andy started laughing at the memory. “So he puts the kid on his ass, and he says, ‘You mess with one Salish, you mess with all of us, and we
don’t fight fair!’ He picks me up and tells him ‘You push my brother again, I’ll cut your head off and stick it on a stake on the beach!’ or something like that.”
“He sounds like Leonidas.” Sitry’s voice had an airy quality and she was staring at him with very large blue-green eyes.
Andy burst out laughing. “
What?”
“You know, a hero! Blight, that didn’t come out right!” Sitry giggled nervously and she looked away.
“I mean, if you say so. Leonidas got himself killed, and Kay Tee isn’t dead," Andy laughed while giving Sitry a side eye. She squealed and pulled her ears over her face as she flushed a deeper red.
“-No I won’t, so message me when you can…alright, the human Shel, your place. We’d love to, and we’ll be bringing a guest…yes. We’ll see you then, and I’ll let the rest of the family know. Goodbye, Akil’eas!” Aftasia walked over to them as she wrapped up her phone call and removed her earbuds. “So, you two seem to be getting cozy,” she said in a flat tone and a raised eyebrow to her daughter.
“I wasn’t looking, honest ma!” Sitry mumbled, going red again in embarrassment. Andy looked from Sitry to her stern looking mother and he cleared his throat to get her attention.
“So I know
why you want to hire me, but what
exactly is it that I’d be doing on a day to day basis? A thousand credits a week is an exorbitant amount of money around here. I want to know what it is I’d be getting myself into.” And folded his arms over his chest as he studied Aftasia, watching her closely to try and discern what she might be thinking.
Aftasia’s stern expression softened and her ears swiveled forward towards him. “Well, ideally, you’d come live with us at Headquarters in Victoria, so you’d have twenty four hour access to the facilities and our people. I think my husband wants you to be a field guide for our restoration teams, which would mean leading expeditions and excursions. I’d imagine there’d be a training component to it as well. Teaching us to identify invasives, avoid causing ecological harm, and so on. We’d also like to ask you to speak to your people about perhaps
not trying to shoot us or sabotaging our equipment? Would you be willing to do that for us?” She held her hands open at her side and they moved slightly as she talked.
Andy felt his brow get heavy and his mouth pulled down in a frown. “That last one might be hard. I don’t speak for all the humans that live around here. I don’t even really speak for all of my own people…but there are enough that would at least hear me out because of my name and my heritage.” He schooled his features back into a stoic mask to hide the sudden wave of fear that threatened to make him shiver. “Living with you…giving up my home…”
Aftasia knelt down in front of him, concern clear on her face. “You’d have transportation at your beck and call, if that’s what it takes. If you’d rather not live in the arcology, then we’d make arrangements for ground transportation or even a shuttle service.”
Andy took a deep breath and considered his words carefully. “It just feels…well, almost like I’m being conscripted. Instead of a rifle and that black catsuit armor, I’d get a clipboard and a collaborator’s jacket.”
“We aren’t the military, Mr. Shelokset. Even if you signed the contract, we’d
never ask you to compromise your people or yourself.” She reached out and grabbed his hand, causing Andy to flinch, and instinctively pull his hand away and he stiffened, unable to hide the sudden burst of panic on his face. Aftasia seemed to pause and looked at him with an expression he couldn’t read, and her face fell before she spoke again. “Andrei, I don’t know the details of how the Imperium treated you, but…I know that there were many cruel and ‘inhumane’ things done to you. I can’t change that, but I know that
we want to be better. We’ve been trying to reach out to humans for a few years now and…all they see is the marines and the nobles. We aren’t those women, Andrei.”
Andy felt himself begin to untense, and he fought back the sudden desire to flee, letting Aftasia continue. “My family…our Warren…was tasked with the restoration of Earth to showcase the benefits of being part of the Empire. We’d like to be a force for good. To make a gift of your homeworld restored to the brilliant and beautiful garden world it was. We’d like to build a working relationship with humans and
earn your trust and hopefully, your friendship. That means when you speak, we listen. When you tell us how it is, we believe you and act on it.”
Andy stood up and walked a few paces away. He stared down at the coursing mud-brown river, as he tried to silently calm himself down. Now was not the time for a ‘Cry Song’, and he longed for the bottle of Jack Daniels he’d hidden in his closet. He focused on his breathing until the panic and fear subsided before he spoke again. “Well, this was the way home, but the water's a little high at the moment to risk crossing here. The bridge over by Ferndale’s still up, so we’ll detour around.” Andy made a show of brushing himself off. “Should only add about fifteen minutes to the drive.
“Well, at least our flood prevention is keeping the river contained.” Aftasia said brightly as she watched Sitry walk back to the truck like a hawk.
“Yeah, about that. We’ll need to talk about what you did to the river. You caused more problems than you solved," Andy replied as he clambered back into the truck and started it up again.
“Wha…really? I’d ask now, but I’d rather wait until we can pay you for your time and expertise. Your knowledge should be properly honored,” Aftasia sighed as Andy turned the vehicle around to drive the back roads to get to home.
“I think if you take that approach, it’ll make things a lot easier with my people in the long run," Andy added hopefully as they drove alongside the farm road by the river. The new raised and reinforced embankments to either side that contained the river and straightened its course out had made him and most everyone else grind their teeth in frustration. It was one of the reasons the salmon populations were dying in the rivers.
They fell back into silence again as they drove on and around, crossing the bridge onto the old Reservation. The road led past The Silver Reef Casino, and he felt a wry sense of amusement to see the parking lot full of both human and alien vehicles. They were doing good business at least, and he’d check in with the Kwainset and the George families that ran it and coordinated their less than legal activities.
“Is that another one of those Indian Casinos?” Sitry asked as they passed by the only buildings in the middle of the abandoned farmland.
“Yeah, each Band has its own, and that’s the Silver Reef, which belongs to my Band. Grandma’s Clan owns half of it because they built it with their money. We do alright, but we’re nowhere near as successful as the Lower River Salish between here and Seattle,” Andy grumbled bitterly. They may be Salish, but some Band rivalries ran deep and the formal dissolution of the Tribe had broken their unity as a people with everyone out for themselves.
Stand together or die alone. That was our way. His jaw tightened and he growled.
“So what’s the difference between a Band and a Clan?”
“Oh, uh, not much really. Bands are what the American and Canadian Governments organized us into when they took our land and forced us on different Reservations. The Clans were our own Warrens, so to speak. Some Bands have only one Clan, others have multiple Clans.”
“So which are you?”
“Bear Clan, North Straits Salish Band. We’re the northern most Indians that the United States kept inside their borders. Which reminds me, there’s a good chance my grandma’s not home. So if she’s not, I’ll just run in, get cleaned up and into civilian clothes, then we’ll go to the Casino. The Council officially meets there these days. If we do, just…let me do the talking.” Andy was gratified to see Aftasia nod earnestly before turning to whisper to her daughter. Andy brought his attention back to the road as they drove deep into the Rez and around back to the old coastal road to his home.
By some miracle, their old two story home had survived the orbital bombardment and the firestorm that had followed. The old blue and gray house sat on the top of the cliff, overlooking the bay towards Bellingham and had a beautiful view of the volcano, Kulshan. The gravel driveway crunched noisily as he pulled up the small dive, and found his grandmother’s car parked in front of the garage.
“Huh, looks like you’ll be able to meet my grandma after all,” Andy noted as he killed the engine and opened the door.
“This is your house? Your view is amazing!” Aftasia exclaimed as she followed him out and took in the view of the rising green hills, dominated by the single snowclad mountain behind them.
“Thank you. You’re welcome to come in if you’d like, but if you’d prefer not to, I’d ask that you stay close to the house. Not everyone around here is friendly to hwun’eetums. It might help that you’re not Shil’vati, but I’d rather not risk it!” Andy called back to them as he made his way up to the front door and the porch. He heard them scurry up behind him as he pushed the door open. The smell of smoked salmon wafted out of the house and he closed his eyes happily as he crossed the threshold. Old blankets hanging over the bay windows cut the light and suddenly he felt his head nod. The events of the last two days finally caught up to him and reminded him of how tired he was.
“Grandma! I’m home!” he shouted as he looked over at the living area in the front of the house. The potbelly stove in the corner was cold, and the couch that faced the windows was empty. Magazines and bills filled the coffee table and he walked quickly over to poke his head in the kitchen. She wasn’t there either.
A sudden loud chain of high pitched barking, scrambling, and scratching, followed by a series of thumps from the stairs by the kitchen heralded the approach of the worst guard dog in the world. Puck, the little snow white, fox-faced, American Eskimo Dog came tumbling down the stairs in his excitement, skidding across the hardwood floor like an idiot. Andy knelt down happily and the little fluffy cannonball jumped up into his arms barking and whimpering in his excitement.
“Oh my goodness, a Rakiri!” Andy heard Sitry practically shout as she and Aftasia came in after him.
“Not exactly. This fluffy idiot’s my dog, Puck. Don’t worry, he’s all bark and no bite,” Andy huffed as Puck hopped out and barked loudly at the two alien women. He skittered excitedly over to them and started hopping in place barking at them while panting happily. Aftasia held her ground admirably, but Sitry shrunk back from the loud little puffball.
“Alright, you little idiot! I know we’ve got alien invaders! Now sit!” Andy commanded and the dog half squatted, half sat as he danced from foot to foot. He fell mercifully silent, save for the panting and he looked up with a happy smile.
“
Tsu’ti’tsi’uqw!” The iron twinged voice, gravelly from years of smoking, echoed from the back rooms where grandma’s home office was located. She appeared in the doorway, dark eyes blazing with anger. She spoke in Salishian as she advanced into the kitchen, and he stood up at attention, the blanket falling to the floor as he put his shoulders back and his chin up.
“You took the Ancestor Masks out to Orcas and held a Gathering? Are you insane?” she roared at him in their language. She was smaller than him by almost a foot and a half, but there was no one in the world he was more terrified of in that moment as she came blazing up to him. The carved ivory necklace she wore clacked and clattered against the beaded hair ties that kept her steel gray hair in two tight ponytails as she stared up at him.
He refused to meet her eyes, staring over her as he felt his insides turn somersaults. “There were more than twenty Clans there, Grandma! Representatives from-”
“And no tumulhs except you! It was an insult and a failure that will set our plans back
again! Do you know I’m getting calls from the tumulhs of those Clans claiming everything from Wendigo attack to you turning traitor and…what and who are they?” Grandma Kwainset looked over and behind him at the two suddenly fearful Erbian woman who had gone stock still. “Cover yourself, for God’s sake, and I’ll deal with you later,” Grandma said as she moved to stand in between Andy and the Vaidas.
“Uh, good morning!” Aftasia managed brightly, though her tone was a bit unsteady to Andy’s ears. “Would you happen to speak Vatikre?”
“Fluently,” Grandma replied icily in the alien language with a look back at Andy as he quickly rewrapped himself.
“Ah, well, I’m Aftasia Vaida and this is my daughter-”
“Yes, I know your name. You work with the Ministry of Sciences and are one of the advisors to Governess Ta’naios. You and your family are responsible for the…
environmental protection of the region.” Grandma’s icy tone did not abate and Aftasia closed her mouth for a moment.
“Grandma, they stopped the marines from abducting me, and they brought me home-” Andy continued in Salishian, moving around to stand beside her.
“And they’ll want something in return, no doubt.” Grandma’s reply in Vatikre was curt as she stared at Aftasia, appraising her.
“Grandma, they
want to offer me a job-”
“Enslave you-”
“Grandma, they saved my life! Be mad at me, not at them!” Andy’s voice was firm as he stepped in front of her again, shielding the two aliens from grandma’s wrath.
“Oh, I’ve no need for your permission to be mad at you, grandson!” Andy felt the full weight of her authority hit him like a tsunami and he did his level best to hold his ground against it.
“Grandma, they want to hire me to fix the things they’re fucking up on! They’re willing to listen!”
“Of all the people to suddenly develop a naivete about the foreigners…” Grandma growled at him before walking over into the kitchen. “May I offer you something to drink?” She called out to Aftasia and Sitry in Vatikre, switching her language to one they could understand.
Andy looked over to Aftasia and nodded his head. “Uh, yes, please and thank you.” There was clattering from the kitchen and Andy rushed over to whisper to Aftasia.
“Our rules of hospitality mean she can’t kick you out if you accept food or drink; just don’t finish it. If you do before we resolve this, claim hunger," Andy whispered before quickly moving back to where he stood as Aftasia gave him a nod of understanding. Sitry’s eyes went wide as she stood next to her mother and gulped audibly. Grandma Kwainset came back out carrying two small glasses of water, which both Aftasia and Sitry accepted graciously and sipped at.
“So you have a job for my grandson. What is it?” Her tone was brusque and she folded her arms over her chest as she glared at the two of them.
“We’d like to hire him as a cultural expert-” Aftasia began before being cut off.
“His culture is not for sale.”
Andy took a deep breath to steady himself and interjected in the short silence that followed. “Grandma, she wants me to help them restore the land!”
“I’ve seen how they’ve been going about it. No deal. I’ll not put our plans, your reputation, and the family name at risk with the Clans to see you sell out to the invaders.” Grandma’s words stung him to the core and Andy felt that old core of frustrated anger that lived inside him start to awaken as his heart began to pump faster in his ears. The two of them glared at each other with neither backing down an inch.
Aftasia’s voice broke the small battle of wills and the two of them turned to look at her. “Missus uh…”
“Kwainset,” Grandma responded, and Andy bit back an angry growl at her use of her maiden name.
“Mrs. Kwainset, I’m not asking him to sell out. We need your help-” Aftasia began.
“I’ll say.” Grandma’s words were a challenge that Aftasia did not take, but instead she soldiered on admirably. Her tone remained gentle and even, just as it was in the shuttle when she’d talked with Andy.
“...your grandson has made us aware of several of the shortcomings in our approach to land management, and we would like to ask for his help in correcting these shortcomings. He’d even help us undo our mistakes in a way that honors and restores the historical territory of your people.”
“And by ‘your people’, you mean
us humans?” Grandma shot Andy a severe look.
“No, I mean the Salishians. The
indigenous people who have lived here since…how did you put it, Andy?”
“Since time began. Nilh tu’ oh,” Andy said, folding his own arms over his chest as he gave Grandma her own look back.
Aftasia finished her drink deliberately and set the cup on a coaster lying on the coffee table. She looked over and gave the clearly terrified Sitry a reassuring smile before moving to stand before Grandma Kwainset. “Yes, exactly. You are quite right, of course. We are in desperate need of your help, and we are also indebted to your grandson. He saved three of my children last night; this one in particular.” She motioned to Sitry who gave a nervous nod of agreement as Grandma turned her gaze on the teenage girl.
Aftasia continued when Grandma said nothing. “He is a credit to you and your family, and his care for and knowledge of your ancestral homeland is something we admire and would like to engage with to protect and restore it. He was adamant that he needed to receive your blessing before giving us an answer to our offer. We will, however, abide by your decision as his Matriarch, and if your answer is no then we will not impose upon your family any longer.”
Grandma Kwanset held her gaze for what seemed a long while, and Andy could see the impending negative answer building in her eyes. As she drew breath to speak, Andy felt a wild stab of courage compel him to make one last plea in Salishian. “They’re willing to listen! Something is better than nothing and better late than never, Grandma! Please!
They’re willing to listen and change!”
Grandma’s words halted in her mouth as she fixed Andy with that hard appraising stare, and again Andy felt as though she would crush him under the weight of her authority and inwardly he trembled at what felt like the inevitable answer. Seconds felt like hours as the silence hung, before grandma finally spoke. “Andy, go get cleaned up. I want a word with this hwun’eetum.”
It wasn’t a no, but it wasn’t a yes either, and Andy felt a different tension settle over him. A feeling of defiance that had seen him into so much trouble in the school, but had kept him alive ever since. It reared its ugly head and tried to rebel at the order. She wanted to speak to Aftasia, and that at least was something. All he could do was nod and turn to give a reassuring nod to Sitry and Aftasia that he didn’t feel before trudging up to the stairs that led to his room on the upper floor. When he’d gotten halfway up he stopped for a moment as he heard the front door open and close. His jaw clenched as he turned around, ready to fly back down the stairs to confront Grandma when her voice stopped him in his tracks and he stayed rooted in place, silent.
“Your warriors killed my husband, my sons, and all my grandchildren
except him. He is
the last of several long lines of leaders and
LET ME FINISH…if he is frozen out by the Clans, or worse, taken
AGAIN to be held hostage and brainwashed, then everything he represents will be lost.” Andy knew Grandma didn’t believe like he did that Grandpa and Konstantin were still alive. It had been far too long, and the two of them argued over it incessantly. He knew why she believed them dead, and why she was so insistent that he stop believing they were alive. She wanted him to sit in on the Council Meetings. The Shelokset name was an old and very respected name, but had become controversial. Many of the Clans still held Grandpa Wiley in high regard for his decision to go to war, and several of the surviving elders that had been recovered and brought home from the relocations had made it clear that until the exiles were recalled, there would be no reunification, recognized or not.
Grandma had wanted Andy to step up and take over as a young voice on the Council, but to do so would be to usurp Grandpa and Konstantin’s place, not to mention put him in the limelight, which he feared more than anything. He shivered and his skin got goosebumps as the thought of having to be ‘in charge’ frightened him. What if he got something wrong? Who was he? Just some kid, but doing something was better than nothing, and Grandma’s grand plan of Imperial recognition was never going to work. The Imperium just didn’t give a Goddamn about anyones’
inherent rights.
He quietly trudged up the stairs, avoiding the ones that creaked and went straight to the bathroom. With the shower heating up, he turned to look at himself in the mirror. His paint was a mess. Large areas had washed away or smeared all over him, and the bags under his eyes reminded him that he’d been awake now for almost two whole days. His blanket fell away and he stared at himself, wishing he could be certain of something,
anything, about himself. The only things he felt any surety in was his roles as a tumulh, and a Speaker.
“Some Speaker though, the voice and Witness of my family and outside an official gathering I can barely hold it together without either trying to kill somebody or wanting to go fetal. At least I found some hwun’eetums willing to listen. Maybe I’m not such a failure of a healer after all.” Andy wiped the mirror as it began to fog up, so he quickly washed his face and shaved the patchy stubble before stepping into the shower. The hot water felt good and he stayed to enjoy it for a bit longer than he’d meant to. Remembering that he’d left the two Erbians downstairs with his grandmother had him speed up through his normal routine. Slipping and sliding a bit on the floor, he moved quickly to his room to get dressed. His mind chased itself as he wondered what to wear and if he’d need to pack or prepare to say goodbye.
They’ve seen me at my most ‘primitive’, now might be the time to try and impress. He thought as certain lessons about male deportment came bubbling up from the school. Andy squeezed his eyes shut and forced the memories and the feelings of white hot rage and hatred back down deep as he quickly dressed in some of his best. “If they want a fucking Indian Prince, I’ll
give them a Goddamn
Indian Prince," he said aloud to himself as he finished dressing and braiding his hair. Andy stood in front of the mirror on the dresser and looked himself over. Black slacks, white shirt, beaded pattern vest buttoned up, black coat left open, ivory beaded choker with three carved ivory feathers hanging down over his chest, and three Bald Eagle feathers secured in his rope-tight braid that hung down to the small of his back. “You’ve seen the savage half of me, now let’s see what you think of the noble,” Andy told his reflection sarcastically before looking back at his bed. He’d pulled his suitcase out, but had left it empty.
Hope for the best, plan for the worst. Andy made his slow way down the stairs, straining his ears for any sound from the living room, but heard nothing. When he rounded the corner of the stairs, he saw his grandmother in the kitchen, leaning over the sink, and Aftasia’s ears poking over the back of the couch. He cleared his throat to get their attention.
The red ears over the couch rotated almost comically and Aftasia poked her head up to look at him. There was a moment where the woman did a double take and had a look of surprised shock as she looked him over. Grandma on the other hand took a moment to turn around and look at him. When she did, her face was unreadable. She walked slowly, heavily, towards him until she was standing right in front of him. When Grandma spoke, she spoke in Vatikre.
“You are your own man now, grandson, and you are a Chief of the Salish. I cannot tell you what to do, but I will not give you my blessing to work for our overlords.” Andy felt his jaw tighten, but he waited as Grandma took a breath and looked over at Aftasia, who averted her gaze from the two. “Nor will I forbid you either. You do what you think is right, but remember that your actions will be carried forward by your children and your children’s children. Succeed, and you will be praised. Fail, and your name and line will be
forgotten. If you’re willing to gamble your heritage and your birthrights on these hwun’eetums, then there’s nothing I can say or do that will stop you. My door will always be open to you, but the Tribe’s doors may close and you well know that once they do, they
never reopen.” With that, she gave him a brief hug and walked away back towards her office in the back of the house.
Andy stood alone looking down the dark hall she’d gone down and heard her shut the door.
She doesn’t want me to do this. She thinks I’m making a grave mistake…maybe I am. We need the money, especially if the Tribe’s ever going to…no. We have to succeed! If the Clans take this the wrong way, they’ll freeze me out…but if THEY think I’ve turned, I’ll wind up in a black bag or worse. Andy felt a soul crushing icy pressure settle in his chest, and he felt very alone and small in that moment.
Aftasia approached slowly, stopping a few feet from him and she seemed subdued when she spoke. “I would understand if you turned us down. Your grandmother laid out your situation quite clearly, and as much as I’m convinced that we need your help more than ever, I cannot in good conscience ask you to give up-”
“I am a tumulh…and the
last Shelokset tumulh. If not me, then who?” Andy said, interrupting her as he continued to stare down the hall after his grandmother, emotions whirling too fast to make any sense of. “Can you promise me that you will listen? That you will make what I stand to lose worth the risk?” Try as he might, he couldn’t keep the trepidation out of his voice.
“Andrei, you don’t know me yet, so I don’t expect that at this moment my words will carry much weight with you.” Aftasia spoke firmly and with conviction. Andy tore his eyes from the empty hall to look her dead in the eyes. He saw iron resolve reflected there and the claws that had him by the heart started to lose their grip to see it. “Come what may, the Vaida Warren will do right by you and your people. Upon my degrees, upon my children, upon my marriage. When you speak, you will be heard. If you need shelter or protection, our Warren will provide it.”
“And you speak for the others too?” Andy pressed, hoping for an answer that would shake the last of the tendrils of fear from him.
“As I said, you don’t know me yet, but you will…and when you do, you’ll understand the significance of what I’ve pledged. Suffice it to say, yes…I speak for my spouses…and all the Houses within the Warren.”
Andy stared at her in concealed amazement. She spoke like the elders and the fear subsided enough for him to make his choice. He stood still, his face a stoic mask to hide his feelings behind, until at last he made up his mind, and held out his hand, palm open.
“What…what is…I don’t understand?”
“A handshake. For us, the most unbreakable ‘contracts’ are sealed with a handshake and backed by your sacred honor.” Andy quoted one of the many video-letters his father made for him and his brother whenever he went on deployment. Aftasia looked down and slowly held her own out. He clasped her hand firmly and gave it a single shake, never breaking eye contact with her. “Then it’s done. I’ll come work for you.”
Aftasia’s face broke into a smile. “We’ll still get it in writing for appearance’s sake…for the Accountants and ITAD. They like their paperwork.”
“Government, the necessary evil,” Andy replied. “Where honor dies, and it’s only what you can prove in a packed court.”
“Spoken like a true citizen of the Imperium. Get packed, our driver is on his way to pick us up. We’ll fly over to the hospital, pick up the rest of the family and head out to Headquarters. We’ll get you your own apartment in the complex so you don’t have to worry about shuttle availability. Of course you’ll be able to come and go as you please…which reminds me, we’ll need to get you an Approved Entry pass from the Governess’ office.”
Andy nodded and hurried back upstairs to shove as much as he could into the one or two bags he owned. One for all the clothes he owned, which was enough to see him through a week if he ever fell behind on laundry, and the other for his regalia. Plans started to form in his mind, and he hoped that Atasia and her husband would be true to their word.
First:
https://www.reddit.com/Sexyspacebabes/comments/yz0u3h/the_cryptid_chronicle_chapter_1/ Previous:
https://www.reddit.com/Sexyspacebabes/comments/12290wz/cryptid_chronicle_chapter_21/ Next:
To be posted 4/9/23
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2023.04.02 02:10 theMothman1966 The Silver Bridge disaster and its connections to the mothman
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2023.04.02 01:50 leoofalexandria Announce YOURSELF
Station 9 to 1711. Mother fucker. I just want 10 fucking minutes. Give me that please, God. Just put a fresh dip in, opened one of the new “sugar free,” Monsters (different from the “lo-carb,” option,) and fired up a knock off game that’s similar to candy crush. Just parked in my favorite hideout too. Backed in, in between a couple school buses in my cities elementary school. NO one comes here during my shift, which is graveyard.
Spitting out my chew and taking a big swig of Monster, I ripped the mic off of its magnetic plate. Hesitating, closing my eyes, and clearing my head, I respond. Something about closing your eyes when you answer a call seems to make the response clearer. I don’t know, ask other cops. They should understand.
- Go ahead.
10-90 at 1300 Roosevelt. Front door and basement motion. Any available county car for a back? Great. My “me,” time got interrupted for a stupid home alarm. The burglar alarm business sure has made our lives hell, on their way to making millions for themselves. Every residence now has a ring, a chime, or even the old-school brinks or ADT system. Most of the time, excuse me, almost ALL of the time, it’s a false alarm.
County 3, I’ll head out there. Station 9 copy. Thanks County 3. Ok, that’s cool. County 3 tonight is Ramirez, I think. I hope. We’ve always gotten along, working in the same area for the last decade or so. We’re not like drinking buddies or anything but usually we will meet up for a coffee or a diner breakfast every now and then. More than I can say for most of my department. Well…. Let’s clear this call so I can get back to crushing this candy.
The address was only three miles away. I pulled up, threw it in park, and checked my CAD to see where Ramirez was. I shouldn’t have parked right out in front. Academy first day stuff. “Don’t get complacent.” I know. I know. My wits are still about me, I’m ready, but it’s just easier to make my life easier sometimes. And nothing really happens in this small town. Hell, there’s only 4 of us local cops. Thankfully we do have some help from the County. And by help we usually just let them handle most of our issues. They’ve got the equipment and resources so, fuck it. I’ll happily go and take care of dog off leash calls and folks complaining about their neighbor’s grass being too high. I’ve had my fill of Policing already. But that’s a story for another time.
1711, station 9, I’m up. 10-4. County 3, show me pulling up. 10-4. That’s weird, I don’t see that black and yellow sheriff car anywhere close- oh, here we go. Maybe CAD is messing up. It showed county 3 like 2 miles away just a minute ago. Time to get this dumb shit over with.
With a creak of the open driver side door and a creak in the back, I get my happy ass out of my cruiser. The back that sounds and feels like a 50-year-olds. Which would be fine if, you know, I was 50. I’m 33. It doesn’t feel like it.
The headlights dim from the County car. We’re parked with both our bumpers facing each other. Usually doesn’t happen like that, but, whatever, I guess. Not very tactical but not like we need to be. The door opens..
“Hey Rami-“
A tall, built guy steps out, towering out of the car. How the hell does he even fit inside? I’ve never seen this dude. He looks like god dang Arnold.
“Oh, hey bud,” I offer, “I figured Ramirez was County 3 tonight. I’m Happy.”
Obviously not my name, but it was a name given to me when I was back in SWAT. Another lifetime ago. And I loved that name, so I kept it. Just easier than getting too personal.
Arnold looked at me and broke an awkward smile. Kind of an odd first encounter from a fellow lawman. He pulled his shades up and placed them on his immaculate high and tight fade. It’s like 2 am, so that’s kind of weird. Lot of weirdness already. Maybe I’m just tired.
“Hey brother. Arnold. I used to cover the south end but asked to be out here. I hear it’s pretty chill.”
I do a slow nod and make sure to keep a tight smile. Inside my head I’m thinking “are you freaking serious, your name actually IS Arnold?” Straighten up. “Good to meet you, man. Guess we should cut the pleasantries and check out this house, eh?”
Arnold nods, checks his gear and extends his left hand, palm up, towards the house. A “Go ahead cochise,” gesture. I smirk and make my way up to the front of the house. “So, I was expecting Ramirez, did she just call in, or?”
“Not sure. Really don’t know much about her to be honest. I heard you two were pretty close though.”
This hit me in a weird way. Full disclosure, we are just friends. Partners in blue. I stopped, not really meaning to. I could feel Arnold stop himself from running into me, as he was not at all expecting me to stop walking toward the front of the house.
“I’ll say this. I don’t know what that means, but I’ll let it go. Don’t mention her again, ok?” I turned my head slightly, just to see his facial reaction.
“Whooooah, man. I’m sorry , I meant literally nothing by that. Just heard you guys worked good together. I won’t mention it again.”
I went over what I wanted to say in my head. I shouldn’t come off like this to some new boot just out of the academy. That shouldn’t have struck a nerve like that. These uniforms are hot. And uncomfortable. Add on the vest, the belt, the camera, the gun, etc. etc. I could feel the heat coming from my chest, out of my collar, toward my face. Disgusting. Like every day. Even when it’s winter, it’s hot wearing this shit. What happens when you’re hot and uncomfortable all the time? You get irritated. You get aggressive. Thankfully I learned a small trick from Joe Rogan. Breath. Open your mouth a little bit, and breathe. Get oxygen into your brain to calm yourself down. It worked.
“It’s fine… sorry to go off, that was uncalled for. I’ll buy your big ass a donut after this as an apology.”
Arnold laughed. Even though this Adonis could clearly fold me into a pretzel (and I’m no small guy myself,) he seemed to have some sense and recognize that I’m just not the type to be played around with. I appreciated that.
“Ok, good.” Something from the original call hit me just then. The burglary alarm tripped the front door and a basement motion. If someone has motion detectors set up, they have them in every hallway, every room. Usually. How could you conceivably break into the front door and then set off no alarms until the basement?
1711, Station 9.
9, go ahead.
Myself and County 3 will be checking the area.. shit.
Damnit. I hope that didn’t make the air. Between mentally sparring with myself and dealing with this newcomer, I didn’t notice the front door to 1300 Roosevelt was wide .. fucking .. open. I don’t think this is going to be a usual 10-90.
1711, Station 9, apologies. We have a front door open. Myself and 3 are going to make entry.
9 copies. Do you need additional units? I’ll advise. We should be all set.
“You sure? Maybe having another car might be a good idea?” The big Oak says.
I stood frozen in place, not taking my eyes off of the front door. I’ve never been to this address. No issues. Why tonight. What has happened tonight. “No. We can handle it. You up to it?”
This always gets the rookies. They can’t have their pride be broken so early in their career. He rolls his head from side to side, and flexes his chest, probably involuntarily, but funny either way.
“Fuck yea I’m up to it.”
That’s what I thought.
Walking up to an open door is always going to be dicey. Little behind the curtain disclosure here. From day one to day 11,000, you will ALWAYS be afraid when you walk into a house. Door open, door closed, doesn’t matter. No one calls the Police to say “Hey, I’m having a really good day, I just wanted to let you know.” Something wrong has to happen for me to be called. For me to be standing here right now.
As I attempt to bang on the open door and announce that Police are coming in, it moves slightly. I didn’t touch it. At least I don’t think I did. Shit.. either way I don’t have time to think about it. Focus.
POLICE, if there’s anyone inside, make yourself known. Silence. Arnold, are you behind me? I hear a short shuffling and feel him moving to my side. I quickly glanced toward him. Damnit, son, get your gun out. We could be dealing with anything.
“Sorry,” he says as I hear his service weapon getting taken out from his holster. “I’m ready.” “Stay on me and do as I say. We have an open room with a hallway slight left. Looks like two or three rooms ahead, can’t exactly tell.” I feel him shake his head and grunt something.
I can’t put my finger on it, but something about Arnold’s demeanor has changed.
“Ok, I’m moving toward the hallway, keep your eye on the room. When I move up toward the hallway, you look behind those couches. We proceed slowly, and he indeed does as I say. The living room is clear. When I feel him come back, I move up to the first room.
POLICE, announce yourself.
Annnnooouuunce yoooourself.. Every hair on my body stands on end. Something answered me. The voice sounded human, but off. Like something trying to sound human. Its tone was mocking.
“What.. what the hell was what?” Arnold said in a hushed tone.
SHH. What kind of an answer would I have for that? I’m just trying to think of where it wa-
Thump thump thump THUMP THUMP
Footsteps. Running away from us, damnit I hope it was away from us. It must have been? I’m too confused.
“Fuuuuuck man, what is all this?” My partner that I just met 10 minutes ago said. Too loudly, I may add.
Just then the same footsteps appeared to be overhead. Wait.. is there a second floor to this house? How can’t I remember that? I might have considered Arnold’s questioning of having another unit here if there was more space to search. I thought it was a ranch house. I take a pause to get my mental back. “Ok,” I said out of the side of my mouth to Arnold, like it would make him hear it better. “We know someone is here. We can’t just stop searching though. I’m going to open this door and you contact, ok?”
He nods. I look over him quickly, doing a silent “1,2,3,” countdown and then rip open the door. He draws, and sees.. stairs. I took a deep, stressful breath. And we have a basement here too. Just keeps getting better. Perfect. Now we have a real issue. We can’t just go upstai—
Station 9, 1711 status check Hach-e mach-e, I gasped. Damn radio scared the shit out of me. And let’s just ignore the fact that I actually said hach-e mach-e. That must have been what I said as a kid when I got scared.
Deep breath. 1711, Station 9, we are secure and working. Please send another unit, we have possible suspect in home.
We’ll try, we have all units tied up right now 1711 copy.
Well that’s perfect. Ok, back to the present. We can’t just leave but we have to be as safe as possible searching a house with just two people. “Ok, big guy. You stay here and hold this basement. I know we should search every room, but we don’t have time for that right now. I’m going up stairs to search for our suspect.” Oak just stares at me, trying his best to remain brave. No shame big guy, we’ve all been there.
Remaining vigilant, I made my way upstairs. At the base I, again, made my announcement. “SHOW YOURSELF AND HAVE YOUR HANDS VISIBLE”
ShoooOoOOw YOURssssself… Now I’m just getting pissed. This can go so wrong, but I’ve always been good at using anger to remain focused and hyper aware. But that doesn’t mean this is still creepy as fuck.
Leading by the light equipped to my handgun, I made my way up the stairs. Lucky for me it’s corner fed right, which means there’s only one side to go once you reach the second floor. I’ll take any victory I –
BANG
I draw in that direction. My streamlight sees one closed door. What the fuck kind of second floor has ONE room.
Tap… tap…. Tap…. Guess it doesn’t take the smartest of cops to realize where my guy is. I yell out downstairs. “I got ‘em here man, just hold that basement and call again for an extra unit.”
No response.
HooOOOOld the … the.. BAAsemeeeeeent.. This one was different. It sounded like some old scary story where the mimic alien thing is trying to actively learn human speech. Fuck this. Without thinking I booted the door with everything I had. Perfect connection. The door flies open, revealing a child’s room. Kind of. There’s a mattress on the ground, the kind would fit into a crib. There was a lamp in the corner, with some kind of children’s cartoon characters adorning it. What there wasn’t, was a person in here.
“He needs help.” Something whispered into my ear. The goosebumps on my flesh almost hurt. I holster and fly back down the stairs to Arnold. I’m sure it’s nothing but.. Arnold’s not there. The basement door remains open.
A million thoughts race through my head, like it’s 100’s of Daytona 500’s, and they’re all going different directions, racing at speeds of well over 200 mph. That’s a lot of numbers. Focus. How many times have I said that to myself tonight. Focus.
First thought: leave. Shameful thought. He might be hurt or in trouble down there. Second thought. Call once again for immediate backup. This I actually tried.. and the radio does not transmit. Perfect. How many times have I said that tonight. Clearing my mind, I know what I have to do. I have to go downstairs.
GooOOOoo DoooOOwn… “Fuck you.” That’s my response.
Each stair creaks. Almost more worried about falling through and splitting my fat head than what lies beneath. But they hold. And now I’m on the .. dirt floor? No one has a basement like this in this neighborhood. I was so enamored on the dirt floor that I almost didn’t register that a dark figure moved quickly from left to right in front of my eyes. Time to be stupid or brave. Maybe both.
“ARNOLD… are you down here, are you ok?”
I’m ok…. I’m hurt.. follow my voice… I can’t move. Good, he’s ok. “Where are you?”
Right… in.. front of you. Help me. I can’t.. I’m coming buddy. I can’t reach dispatch, they must be –
Station 9, 1711… Station 9, 1711? .. Station 9 TO 1711, PLEASE RESPOND County 3, Station 9, I’ll swing by his location. Just send me his whereabouts.
Copy that County 3, thank you Deputy Ramirez submitted by
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2023.04.02 01:48 MajorParadox Superman #83 - Blast From the Past
<< < > Coming May 1st
Author:
MajorParadox Book:
Superman Arc:
Dawn of a New Day Set:
83 Out of Control
Across the Hall From Lois and Clark’s Apartment
Ruby sat on her couch as Kenny, the rude creep from the diner, paced around her apartment. He had forced his way inside. But since then, he just walked around and mumbled to himself.
“It would have been perfect,” he said. “We’d start dating and then randomly bump into Clark. We’d get reacquainted, and he’d let me get close. And when he least expected it…”
“You wanted to date me?” asked Ruby. “To give you an in with Clark Kent?”
Kenny looked up. “It sounds stupid when you say it out loud,” he said. “It made sense before, but lately, concentrating has been even harder. You’re just not getting it.”
Ruby glanced between Kenny and her phone on the coffee table. Even if she could grab it without him seeing it, could she send out a message for help in time?
“This is the worst I’ve been in years,” said Kenny, finally sitting in the chair across from her.
“Are- are you okay?” asked Ruby. “Maybe we should call someone?”
Kenny narrowed his eyes at the coffee table and yanked the phone into his hands. “Nice try,” he said. He held his hands to his forehead.
Ruby cleared her throat. “What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?”
“You could say that,” replied Kenny. “They don’t even have a name for what I have. My parents actually thought it came from space if you could believe it.”
Smallville
1992
A truck with a flat tire was parked on the side of an empty, dark road. The stars lit up the sky as a man tended to his wife.
“Just hold on,” said Al. “I’ll get this tire changed in no time.”
Beryl took some deep breaths. “I’m sorry,” she said. “We don’t have no time.”
Al looked wide-eyed toward his wife, sweat pouring down her brow. “You mean-?”
“I’m sorry, baby,” said Beryl. “The baby’s coming now!”
“What the-?!” Al shouted as the sky lit up and a trail of green energy covered the entire area.
“What-” Beryl grimaced in pain. “What’s happening?”
Al returned to his wife. “Nothing,” he said. “Let’s get this baby delivered.”
Years Later
“I can’t miss school today,” said Kenny from the bathroom.
“You threw up twice already,” said his mom, Beryl, from outside. “The doctor said you should rest when you’re feeling this ill.”
“But I’ll miss the school play,” said Kenny.
“I know, sweetheart,” said Beryl. “But it’s not the end of the world.”
Kenny gritted his teeth. “They’ll put Clark in my place.”
“You should be happy for him,” said Beryl. “He’s your friend, isn’t he?”
“Pfft,” Kenny replied. “He wishes.”
“Cut out that nonsense,” Kenny’s dad, Al, jumped in. “Kent’s a fine boy. Good on him for getting a shot. You’d probably just mess it up, anyway”
“Al!” yelled Beryl.
“It’s not mean if it’s true,” said Al. “You want to make me proud? Give it your all like the Kent boy.”
The door opened, and Kenny stood there, his face red and sweaty. “I do give it my all,” he said. “I’m going to school whether you-”
Kenny turned back to the bathroom and slammed the door.
“You’ll be okay, honey,” said Beryl. “I’ll make you some soup.”
Metropolis Grand Hotel
Present
“Nothing changed?” asked Lois.
Sam Lane shook his head. “We never had any leads on Pipeline,” he explained.
“That’s not what you told me before.” Lois looked into his eyes. There was nothing there. She could recognize his tells. He truly believed what he was saying.
“Is this the only reason you’re here?” asked Sam. “Not that I don’t want to see you, Lois, but it’s late, and I just got to Metropolis. Can we do this another time?”
Lois sighed. “It’s good to see you too, Dad,” she said. “But something happened to you. And I’m going to find out what.”
She exited the room where Maggie Sawyer was waiting. The SCU had kept Lois and Clark in productive custody since their lives were still threatened. Sam didn’t find that compelling proof of Pipeline either, which just added to the oddity of the situation. Somehow had to be messing with him.
“Everything okay?” asked Maggie as she and Lois headed for the elevator.
Lois breathed heavily.. “I’ll be okay when I get to the bottom of this.”
The doors closed, and Maggie’s phone buzzed. She pulled it out and slipped it back into her pocket.
“Everything okay?” asked Lois, pushing the button for the garage.
“Nothing important,” Maggie answered, watching the floor numbers count down.
“Are you seeing anyone?” Lois asked, joining Maggie’s view of the number. “I heard you and Toby split up.”
“We split up every few months,” said Maggie. “It’s kind of our thing. We’re fine.”
“I see,” said Lois. “Want to talk about it anyway? We’re stuck with each other for the next few hours anyway.”
Maggie cracked a smile. “Thanks,” she said as the elevator doors opened. “But-”
Several masked men were waiting, weapons raised.
“Get down!” Maggie screamed, pushing Lois down while pulling out her gun. She fired several rounds while grabbing one of the perps, wrapping her free arm around his neck.
The attackers, who were still standing, retreated behind some cars as Maggie moved toward them. “Stay behind me,” she ordered Lois, using her prisoner as a human shield. She fired off some more shots, but the others were well covered already.
Lois picked up one of the fallen rifles from the ground and took cover behind a support beam as Maggie moved to the other side of it, knocking her hostage unconscious with the butt of her gun.
“Drop your weapons!” Maggie ordered, but they just fired back.
Lois and Maggie returned fire.
One of the men tossed a canister in their direction, and a blast of smoke exploded outward.
Lois couldn’t see the attackers anymore. She couldn’t even see Maggie until she heard a hit, and Maggie fell down to the ground. Another figure shot out of the smoke, and everything went black.
Questions
Outside Lois and Clark’s Apartment
Later
Dan Turpin met Jon’s eyes over the dinner table. “You can’t still be hungry, can you?” he asked.
Jon looked down at the last slice of pizza in the box. “Yes,” he said.
Dan looked over to Jon’s empty plate. “Wanna split it?”
Jon looked at the slice again.
Krypto whimpered from under the table.
“Fine, take it,” said Dan.
Jon smiled and grabbed the slice, putting it in his place. He tore off a piece and lowered it so Krypto so could reach.
Dan looked at Clark’s plate, which still had a full slice. “Kent!” he called. “You gonna finish your pizza?”
But there was no answer.
“Geez,” said Dan. “How long has your old man been in the can?”
There was a thud from the bathroom, and the door opened. “Sorry I was in there so long,” said Clark, who was met with Krypto's nose sniffing him over. He pointed to the TV in the living room. “Oh, look, Superman’s in the Philippines.”
Dan turned around to see video coverage of Superman diverting a mudslide. “Kent,” he started while turning back. “You gonna finish-”
Clark already had his piece of pizza in his mouth.
“Never mind,” Dan groaned. “Your neighbors fight a lot?” he asked, changing the subject.
“I don’t think so,” said Clark, noticing a stray drop of mud on his wrist. He picked up a napkin and wiped it off quickly. “Ruby and Jimmy have gotten along pretty well from what I’ve seen.”
“Thought I heard yelling over there earlier,” said Dan, shrugging.
Clark tiled his ear toward the door and quickly picked up an elevated heartbeat.
“How long is this going to take?” he heard Ruby ask.
“Dammit, Ruby,” a familiar voice that wasn’t Jimmy answered. “This will take however long it takes.”
That voice.
Clark looked through the walls and saw a face he hadn’t seen in years. Kenny Braverman. Except for a chance meeting in Paris, he hadn’t seen him since they were kids in Smallville. What was he doing there? Was Ruby dating him too? She seemed to be distressed, but if they were fighting as Dan said, that would explain it. Still…
“I’ll be right back,” said Clark.
Dan stood up. “I should come with you,” he said.
“I’m just headed next door,” said Clark. “Keep an eye on Jon for me?”
Once Clark was in the hall, he closed the apartment door behind him and knocked on Ruby’s.
Kenny opened the door with a smile on his face. “Clark Kent!” he said. “What a surprise to see you here.”
“Hey, Kenny,” said Clark. “It’s been a long time.” He looked inside to see Ruby standing a few feet behind him. “Is everything okay?” Clark asked her. “We thought we heard arguing over here.”
“Nah,” Kenny answered for her, placing an arm on Clark’s shoulder. “We’re good. How have you been, pal?”
“You!” shouted Jimmy from down the hall. “What the hell are you doing here?!”
Ruby took the distraction to slip passed Kenny and rushed over to Jimmy. She broke down in tears.
Turpin opened the door, his SCU rifle in hand, as Krypto stuck his head out, watching. “Everything okay out here?” asked Dan.
“He broke into my apartment!” Ruby explained. “He wouldn’t let me leave!”
Dan aimed his weapon as Krypto started barking. “Don’t move,” he ordered.
Kenny lifted his arms as Turpin approached.
“Turn around.”
Kenny did as he was told.
Dan held onto his rifle with one hand, pulling out a pair of handcuffs with the other. He snapped the cuffs over one hand. Before he could get the other, Kenny snapped his head back and spun around, swiping the rifle. He fired off a shot at the wall, causing everyone to take cover, and ran toward the elevator.
Clark tended to Dan. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Dan wiped some blood off his nose and pushed Clark back, running down the hall after Kenny. He pulled out his phone, calling for backup.
Clark turned back to Jimmy and Ruby. “Keep an eye on Jon, will you?” he asked before running down the hall next.
Ruby turned to Jimmy with a raised eyebrow. “Why is Clark running after him too?”
“He’s a reporter,” Jimmy answered. “He has to go, uh… report.”
The two entered the Kent apartment to find Krypto standing guard with the boy.
Hidden Pipeline Base
Lois came to and found herself handcuffed to a chair next to Maggie, who was also waking up. They were alone in an empty office with no windows.
“You okay?” asked Lois.
“Where are we?” asked Maggie, taking in her surroundings.
“If I had to guess, Pipeline,” Lois replied. She fumbled with her restraints, but they didn’t budge. “Clark, can you hear me?” she whispered under her breath. “We need help.”
The fact that Clark hadn’t swooped in to save them in the garage meant he was out of range. They could be anywhere by then, so calling out for him wouldn’t be foolproof. For now, it would be best to see what they wanted.
The door opened, and a couple of armed Pipeline agents entered.
“Why did you take us?” asked Lois.
“What do you want?” Maggie added.
The men ignored their questions and untied Maggie, keeping their weapons trained on her.
“Come with us,” one of them said, walking her out of the room.
“What about me?” asked Lois, getting no answer but the door slamming closed.
“Clark,” Lois called louder this time, still trying to free her arms. “I could really use some… help!.”
The door burst open, and a couple more agents aimed their weapons at Lois. “Quiet!” one of them ordered as the other approached her with a roll of duct tape.
“Superman!” Lois shouted as the agent started placing tape over her mouth. She chomped down on his fingers before he could finish.
“Argggh!” the agent shouted, clutching his hand.
The other agent approached, his rifle pointed right between Lois’ eyes. He finished covering the tape over her mouth. “That’s enough out of you,” he said.
“I think I’m bleeding,” the other agent said as he was walked out by the other.
Lois smirked under the tape. Even if Clark wouldn’t make it, at least she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. If only she could get herself freed.
The door opened again, and the original agents walked Maggie back inside.
“Mmmmmm,” Lois said, trying to talk. Maggie’s face seemed distant. She had to know what they did to her.
The agents sat Maggie back down but then left without even restraining her. Why was she just sitting there, though? She didn’t even look in Lois’ direction.
The men went after Lois next, removing her handcuffs. She quickly yanked the tape off her mouth.
“Maggie!” Lois shouted. “What did they do to you?” But Maggie continued staring blankly at the wall.
“That’s enough!” one of the agents yelled as two more entered the room. “Make one more move, and we’ll put you down.”
They walked Lois out of the room and pushed her into another, closing the door behind her. She found a gray-skinned, yellow-horned man chained up on the wall and immediately recognized him (Superman #15).
“Dubbilex!” she called. “What are you doing here?”
Smallville High
Many Years Ago
Cheers filled the bleachers as Kenny had a decent lead against the other runners around the track. Clark was gaining on him, though.
“Go, Clark!” yelled Pete from the sideline.
The crowd went wild when Clark caught up, and the two were neck and neck.
“No!” yelled Kenny as Clark pulled ahead of him.
Kenny kicked it into high gear but barely reached Clark before he broke through the winning ribbon.
“Congratulations, Kent,” Kenny’s father, Al, said, shaking Clark’s hand. “Way to show Kenny what to shoot for.”
“Uh, thank you, sir,” said Clark. “Kenny did a great job, though.”
“Dad, I came in second,” Kenny added. “And we both outpaced everyone else.”
“Second isn’t first,” Al said. “Nobody remembers who comes in second. You have to strive to be the winner.” He walked back to the bleachers.
“Sorry,” said Clark. “I didn’t mean to cause a whole thing.”
“He’s always like that,” said Kenny. “Even if I beat you, he’d still praise you over me. I think he wishes you were his kid instead.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” said Clark.
“I play the cards fate deals me,” Kenny stated. “But I play to win. You won’t beat me forever.”
Outside Lois and Clark’s Apartment Building
Present Day
Clark changed into his Superman suit and dropped down next to Turpin.
“Big Blue!” yelled Dan.
“Where did he go?” asked Clark.
“I’m not sure,” Dan answered. “He stormed out of the building pretty quickly. I think he even went down the fire escape.”
Clark scanned the area, looking for clues.
“Excuse me, Mr. Superman,” a little boy said. “I think the guy you’re looking for went into that car over there.” He pointed toward a black SUV with heavily tinted windows. Clark’s x-ray vision couldn’t even pierce it. Something more was happening.
“Clark,” his superhearing picked up. Lois was calling out to him.
Clark sped over to the SUV and pulled the side door off the vehicle to find Conduit there, blasting him with a cloud of kryptonite.
“Help!” Lois yelled, but Clark was trying to escape the green smoke cloud.
Conduit leaped out of his car, his metallic tendrils wrapping around Clark.
“Superman!” Lois yelled again.
Getting Answers
CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia
Years Ago
Kenny walked into Mr. Bristol’s office.
“Agent Braverman,” said Bristol. “I’ve received some disturbing reports about your last mission. Would you care to elaborate?”
“I completed the mission,” said Kenny. “What more do you want to know?”
Bristol pointed to the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat, son,” he said. “You destroyed an entire embassy. You were only supposed to deal with the ambassador.”
“That would have been a half-measure,” said Kenny, sitting down. He rested his feet over the desk.
“What is this?” asked Bristol. “Do you have no respect for my authority anymore?”
“Who’s to say I ever did?” Kenny smirked. “Let me tell you what else I found in Africa while I was there.”
Bristol exhaled sharply. “What?”
“Remember that intel we had on Cadmus?” Kenny explained. “There was chatter about a creature under their command who could read minds and even implant memories.”
“Of course,” said Bristol. “But that was a dead end, especially after they evacuated their underground base in Metropolis.”
“I’ve been keeping the investigation open on my own time,” said Kenny. “And it finally paid off.”
“You mean-?”
“I have the creature,” said Kenny.
“This is incredible,” said Bristol. “The things we could learn. The power this could give us…”
“I was thinking the same thing,” said Kenny. “Which is why I’ll be commandeering him for my own organization.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Bristol cried.
“I figured, why should I work my way up the CIA, always answering to someone,” said Kenny. “With Pipeline, I’ll be second to no one.”
“Pipeline?” asked Bristol.
“That’s what I’m calling it,” said Kenny. “We won’t take half-measures. Information we procure will flow through, and decisive action will be dispersed. But you won’t remember this when I’m done with you.”
Hidden Pipeline Base
Present
Lois rushed over to Dubbilex. She pulled at the chains, but they were secured firmly.
The DNAlien, as he had once called himself, seemed unresponsive. His eyes were barely open, and he didn’t seem to realize she was in the room with him.
“What did they do to you?” Lois asked, studying his face. She noticed he had earbuds. Was someone talking to him?
A jolt of electricity buzzed along the wall, and Dubbilex cried.
Suddenly the surroundings changed, and Lois and Dubbilex were in a ghostly white room, sitting at a clear table across from each other.
“What’s happening?” asked Lois.
“Lois,” Dubbilex greeted her. “It’s nice to see a friendly face, but I’m afraid I can’t stop what I have to do.”
“Do?” asked Lois. “Why are you even here? What happened to you?”
“After I left Cadmus,” Dubbilex explained. “I traveled the world. But I was eventually captured. Since then, I’ve been forced to intrude on people’s minds. Learn their secrets and sometimes make them forget things.”
“My dad,” said Lois. “And Maggie?”
“I’m afraid so,” said Dubbilex. “I refused to cooperate at first, but they kept me drugged and used coordinated electrical blasts to force me into submission. The joy of seeing you again has given me a rare moment of lucidity. Thank you for that.”
“So you won’t erase my memories of this place?” asked Lois. “Of Pipeline?”
“It’s not that simple,” Dubbilex explained. “If they suspect I worked against them… They might kill you.”
“We can’t let them get away with this,” said Lois.
“I have an idea,” said Dubbilex. “But it’s risky.”
Metropolis
Conduit’s tendrils glowed green, filling with kryptonite radiation. Clark screamed out in pain as he could no longer hear Lois. He twisted around, swinging Conduit against a light post, knocking it to the ground.
The move loosened Conduit’s grip, so Clark stretched his arms out, breaking free. He took a huge breath and blew Conduit to the other side of the street.
A driver slammed on his brakes, trying to stop before reaching the scene, but he wouldn’t make it in time. Clark sped over and grabbed the front of the car, slowing it down.
“Bad move, hero,” said Conduit, blasting Clark with more radiation. “If that car hit me, you might have had a shot.”
Clark tried to fly out of the line of fire, but his powers had been dwindling since the first blast of kryptonite. He knelt down and jumped instead, taking refuge on a balcony.
Before Conduit could fly after him, Dan blasted off a shot with his SCU rifle. “Leave the man alone,” he said.
“You stay out of this!” Conduit yelled, sending a blast back his way.
Dan took cover behind a car. “Where’s that backup?” he murmured to himself.
Clark fired off a beam of heat vision, slicing apart one of the tendrils, causing Conduit to cry out in pain.
Conduit fired back, and Clark readied to jump away, but he sensed people in the apartment behind him. The impact knocked him through the window.
“Are you okay, Superman?” a man asked.
“I will be,” he answered. “Keep your family away from the windows.”
Clark jumped back down to the street where Conduit was blasting through the car Dan was hiding behind. Every muscle screamed, but he had to end it quickly. Lois needed him.
Conduit swung a tendril at him, but Clark ducked. He pulled deep down for a final burst of speed, getting in close with a punch that cracked Conduit’s helmet into pieces. The two fell to the ground as SCU vans finally arrived.
“Don’t move!” the officers ordered as they trained their weapons at Conduit.
“This isn’t over,” said Conduit, lifting up his hands. “I play the cards fate deals me. And I play to win.”
“That saying,” said Clark to himself as he struggled to his feet. How did he not make the connection before?
Clark finally saw Conduit without his mask.
“Kenny, is it?” asked Dan.
“Kenny Braverman,” Clark offered.
“Great,” said Dan. “Kenny Braverman, you’re under arrest.”
Outside Metropolis Grand Hotel
—
Lois and Maggie exited the hotel garage.
“Toby is looking to settle down,” Maggie explained. “I don’t think I’m ready for that.”
“Have you talked to her about this?” asked Lois. “Sometimes these things become a problem because neither side expresses-.”
Clark dropped down in front of Maggie’s SUV, and she slammed on her brakes.
“Superman!” she yelled, getting out of her car. “What are you doing?”
“Lois,” he said. “She called for me. She’s in trouble.”
The passenger door opened, and Lois got out. “I’m fine,” she said.
“That’s a relief,” said Clark. “Listen, we stopped Conduit. Pipeline is as good as over.”
“Pipeline?” asked Lois. “I thought that place didn’t exist. You heard my dad.”
SCU Van
—
Kenny wasn’t too worried about being arrested. His team would make sure he got freed in no time. He had a lot to think about in the meantime. How did he not make the connection before?
<< < > Coming May 1st
submitted by
MajorParadox to
DCFU [link] [comments]
2023.04.02 01:47 BiasMushroom Nature of LoooOOOooove
A Fanfic of
u/SpacePaladin15’s work “
The nature of Predators” Thank you for the story!
A little something to lighten the mood!
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Memory transcription subject:
Vnal, New New York University Student Date [standardized human time]: April 1st, 2153
The cool spring air flowed through the campus like water through a creek. The flowers were blooming, the birds were singing and on days like this, Venlil like me should be looking for love. Yet here I was. Volunteering to work on a ranch. A ranch that actively harvests meat. It’s not like my omnivore friends haven't eaten meat in front of me before!
Tezal has enjoyed a bowl of earthworms before, Henry enjoyed his hot dogs, Sarah couldn’t stop herself from having a hamburger when the opportunity presented itself, but… the bugs are almost on the same level as plants, and human-made meat is on the same level as plants! This is a ranch. A place where they raise an animal from birth. Let it trust them completely. Then one day… kill it and break its body apart for consumption.
I needed to know if this is as bad as my mind makes it out to be. Humans are by nature not cruel. They have to learn cruelty. So either this ‘ranch’ is either something from the past that is better left there, or this isn’t as bad as it sounds.
I made my way to the shuttle point. Soon I would be hopping in a van with another volunteer and heading to work at the Lost Hope ranch for a month. What a way to spend the spring vacation. While Sarah, James, and Tezal went around the country sightseeing and competing in the national paintball tourney, I would be killing animals and ripping their body's apart.
I made my way around the final building and froze. Standing there was a seven foot tall Crocodile. “What?” Its head jerked to find the source of the question, and its eyes fell upon me. This isn’t a crocodile. It has forward facing eyes, the tail is not broad and flat like a crocodilians and the scales were the wrong shade of green. This was an Arxur. Likely one of the rescued betterment survivors if I had to guess. I knew in my head that he couldn’t hurt me as the consequences of such an act are not pleasant for him. Yet I stayed frozen in place.
“Do you like carrots?” What? “Um… Hello.” It waved its tail slowly behind it. Its shoulders drooped and he turned his gaze to the space slightly beside myself. I instantly started to feel a little relief despite those eyes occasionally flicking over my body before prying themselves off of me. “Uh… my name is Task… I am one of the volunteers for the Lost Hope ranch…” FUCK.
FUCK FUCK FUCK. No way in hell was I about to be spending the entirety of this trip with a person who likely knows what I taste like. I took a step back and froze again. He quickly jerked his head down and stared at the floor. “Please don’t run away. You can leave, but just don’t run. I can’t handle it anymore.” I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“Um… My name is Task. I was born on Wriss. My momma hid me in her floorboards for a few years until she was able to escape with some other betterment prisoners and took me with her. I won’t lie and say I never had… people before. I vaguely remember the time on the ship we were on. We were in a bad spot and got stuck. We ran out of human-made rations and had to use stolen Arxur rations. We took those to give to humans so they could be cremated." He looked rather glum before he perked up and continued.
"However! All of my childhood I have eaten lab-meat. I swear I won’t hurt you.” He gently held up a carrot. “I grew these. I herd that all farm animals like carrots so I though I could bring these to help the animals get used to me. Would you like one?”
I have no idea what took over me. I put one paw in front of the other. Slowly the massive beast in front of me grew larger and larger despite its best efforts to pull itself into as small of a form as possible. I was at the end of the carrot now. I leaned in slowly and… took a bit of the end of it and started to chew.
Chortle. That was a weird sound. He made it again as he held one of his six fingered paws to the end of his snout. “You can take the carrot from me!” Oh… now I felt stupid. I held my paw out and Task set the carrot onto it. I took another bite and this time savored the flavor.
“T-t-this is really good. Uh… my name is Vnal. I am the other volunteer…” Task moved over on the bench and looked at the ground. “Would you like to have a seat?” I gently sat down next to him. My tail was happily swaying back and forth despite my heart beating five times as fast as it should in fear. I could feel my face bloom as orange as this root in my paws when my tail gently brushed against his. I don’t know why I am so scared right now. I am safe. He isn’t going to hurt me. I felt my pulse slow.
I looked back up to him and the big brute was as tightly packed into himself as he could be. I don’t know why but my heart rate spiked again. Why was I afraid? He looked really silly! I leaned over and gently patted him on the arm. “Y-y-you d-d-don’t have to bind yourself up on m-m-my account ok? I have omnivore friends. I can deal with an obligate carnivore for a month.”
My pulse started to slow down again as he loosened his tight, taught, bulky muscles… oH fuck my heart rate spike again. Why am I afraid? He slightly scooched away from me and stretched as slowly as he could. His scaly hide was barely able to hold that physique of his. My heart couldn’t make up its mind on whether I was calm or terrified. His deep gravely voice shook through my whole body as he spoke. The chills it sent up my spine was something I had never felt before.
“Why did you join the ranch program? I wanted to learn what humanity was so long ago. It apparently wasn’t that different from my people… before the Dominion happened.” His head drooped down as he seemed to forget his question. I felt tears of fear start to build up as I looked at him. I don’t know why I am so scared right now. Maybe my people really aren't sapient. He looks and acts so hurt yet I can’t manage the smallest bit of sympathy for him? Am I damned to be a terrified prey animal for all of my life?
I made myself sit up to my full height and spoke with all the confidence of a Venlil in the jaws of an Arxur. “I-i-i-i-i-i wanted to join for the same reason!” His eyes opened wide, he looked at me with the most befuddled expression. With one glance I felt all the strength in my body fly away. He quickly jerked his head to the other side to hide those amber hued, predatory eyes that seemed to disect my very form. His muscles tightened in his arms as he restrained himself with all of his powerful might.
He gently shook and asked “Really?” I placed a paw on him again. The scales were surprisingly smooth as my pads glided against him feeling the raw power of an apex predator. I tried to compose myself. I thought today was supposed to be cool for fucks sake! Why am I so HOT! “Y-yes. I want to know what humanity was like. That if the practice of ranching is something best preserved in a museum instead of as an actual job. I want to know… I want to know what… what this really is like!”
I caught the gentlest glance of Task’s gaze. My eyes locked onto his. My heart began to beat faster and faster. I could almost see a smile on his face. His jaws slightly opened to reveal behind his large pearly teeth a tongue that was forming deep silky smooth words for me to hear. Yet, before I could feel his voice shake my very core, we were both interrupted by a large red tuck pulling up next to us.
“Y'all two here for the Lost Hope Ranch Paid Internship?” We both nodded. “A’ight. Lamb Chop you’ll have to ride center bitch as Texas there is going to have to ride shotgun. Hop in now y'all.”
Task looked angry for the briefest moment as he stood up to say something to the driver, but was cut off by the window rolling up and the radio in the truck turned up to play the country music even louder. “The nerve of that guy!” He turned to me with the softest look. “I am so sorry he called you that. That was wrong!”
I hopped up from my seat and made sure I had my bag as Task did the same. “It’s ok. I’ll accidentally fall when we get to the ranch and catch myself by grabbing his balls. Haven’t been arrested for that one yet!”
Task started to make that weird chortle sound again as he held the door open for me. The cold breeze whipped through my legs sending a chill up my body. Why am I wet? I am a long way away from my urge... did I piss myself and not even realize it! Of course Task wouldn't mention it. That would have been awkward. Him just going 'Oh sorry for sitting here and doing nothing and scaring you to the point you pissed yourself like a scared, weak infant' I glanced back to the where I was and the ground was dry... weird?
I threw my bag into the bed of the truck and hopped in. As I buckled up, Task did the same as I. Yet despite how large this truck was, Tasks bulging muscular form still pressed against me. “Sorry. It’s a little tight.”
I adjusted myself on the seat “Here wrap your tail around me. You need the room.” As he did it I slowly felt the warmth of his body melt into me. His spike scales didn’t pierce my fleshed but ever so gently scratched it in just the right way. His tail was like a warm blanket fighting against the chill that bit me so hard. His presence filled me with a very pleasant warmth.
He looked down and clasped his paws together. His digits gracefully and dexterously intertwined together. “Thank you.” I was about to respond when I finally realized what was happening.
Fuck. I have a type and this big guy ticks every box. Oh shit. I don’t know how I am going to get through a month trapped on a ranch with this hunk!
submitted by
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2023.04.02 01:43 leoofalexandria This House was my Last Call
Station 9 to 1711. Mother fucker. I just want 10 fucking minutes. Give me that please, God. Just put a fresh dip in, opened one of the new “sugar free,” Monsters (different from the “lo-carb,” option,) and fired up a knock off game that’s similar to candy crush. Just parked in my favorite hideout too. Backed in, in between a couple school buses in my cities elementary school. NO one comes here during my shift, which is graveyard.
Spitting out my chew and taking a big swig of Monster, I ripped the mic off of its magnetic plate. Hesitating, closing my eyes, and clearing my head, I respond. Something about closing your eyes when you answer a call seems to make the response clearer. I don’t know, ask other cops. They should understand.
- Go ahead.
10-90 at 1300 Roosevelt. Front door and basement motion. Any available county car for a back? Great. My “me,” time got interrupted for a stupid home alarm. The burglar alarm business sure has made our lives hell, on their way to making millions for themselves. Every residence now has a ring, a chime, or even the old-school brinks or ADT system. Most of the time, excuse me, almost ALL of the time, it’s a false alarm.
County 3, I’ll head out there. Station 9 copy. Thanks County 3. Ok, that’s cool. County 3 tonight is Ramirez, I think. I hope. We’ve always gotten along, working in the same area for the last decade or so. We’re not like drinking buddies or anything but usually we will meet up for a coffee or a diner breakfast every now and then. More than I can say for most of my department. Well…. Let’s clear this call so I can get back to crushing this candy.
The address was only three miles away. I pulled up, threw it in park, and checked my CAD to see where Ramirez was. I shouldn’t have parked right out in front. Academy first day stuff. “Don’t get complacent.” I know. I know. My wits are still about me, I’m ready, but it’s just easier to make my life easier sometimes. And nothing really happens in this small town. Hell, there’s only 4 of us local cops. Thankfully we do have some help from the County. And by help we usually just let them handle most of our issues. They’ve got the equipment and resources so, fuck it. I’ll happily go and take care of dog off leash calls and folks complaining about their neighbor’s grass being too high. I’ve had my fill of Policing already. But that’s a story for another time.
1711, station 9, I’m up. 10-4. County 3, show me pulling up. 10-4. That’s weird, I don’t see that black and yellow sheriff car anywhere close- oh, here we go. Maybe CAD is messing up. It showed county 3 like 2 miles away just a minute ago. Time to get this dumb shit over with.
With a creak of the open driver side door and a creak in the back, I get my happy ass out of my cruiser. The back that sounds and feels like a 50-year-olds. Which would be fine if, you know, I was 50. I’m 33. It doesn’t feel like it.
The headlights dim from the County car. We’re parked with both our bumpers facing each other. Usually doesn’t happen like that, but, whatever, I guess. Not very tactical but not like we need to be. The door opens..
“Hey Rami-“
A tall, built guy steps out, towering out of the car. How the hell does he even fit inside? I’ve never seen this dude. He looks like god dang Arnold.
“Oh, hey bud,” I offer, “I figured Ramirez was County 3 tonight. I’m Happy.”
Obviously not my name, but it was a name given to me when I was back in SWAT. Another lifetime ago. And I loved that name, so I kept it. Just easier than getting too personal.
Arnold looked at me and broke an awkward smile. Kind of an odd first encounter from a fellow lawman. He pulled his shades up and placed them on his immaculate high and tight fade. It’s like 2 am, so that’s kind of weird. Lot of weirdness already. Maybe I’m just tired.
“Hey brother. Arnold. I used to cover the south end but asked to be out here. I hear it’s pretty chill.”
I do a slow nod and make sure to keep a tight smile. Inside my head I’m thinking “are you freaking serious, your name actually IS Arnold?” Straighten up. “Good to meet you, man. Guess we should cut the pleasantries and check out this house, eh?”
Arnold nods, checks his gear and extends his left hand, palm up, towards the house. A “Go ahead cochise,” gesture. I smirk and make my way up to the front of the house. “So, I was expecting Ramirez, did she just call in, or?”
“Not sure. Really don’t know much about her to be honest. I heard you two were pretty close though.”
This hit me in a weird way. Full disclosure, we are just friends. Partners in blue. I stopped, not really meaning to. I could feel Arnold stop himself from running into me, as he was not at all expecting me to stop walking toward the front of the house.
“I’ll say this. I don’t know what that means, but I’ll let it go. Don’t mention her again, ok?” I turned my head slightly, just to see his facial reaction.
“Whooooah, man. I’m sorry , I meant literally nothing by that. Just heard you guys worked good together. I won’t mention it again.”
I went over what I wanted to say in my head. I shouldn’t come off like this to some new boot just out of the academy. That shouldn’t have struck a nerve like that. These uniforms are hot. And uncomfortable. Add on the vest, the belt, the camera, the gun, etc. etc. I could feel the heat coming from my chest, out of my collar, toward my face. Disgusting. Like every day. Even when it’s winter, it’s hot wearing this shit. What happens when you’re hot and uncomfortable all the time? You get irritated. You get aggressive. Thankfully I learned a small trick from Joe Rogan. Breath. Open your mouth a little bit, and breathe. Get oxygen into your brain to calm yourself down. It worked.
“It’s fine… sorry to go off, that was uncalled for. I’ll buy your big ass a donut after this as an apology.”
Arnold laughed. Even though this Adonis could clearly fold me into a pretzel (and I’m no small guy myself,) he seemed to have some sense and recognize that I’m just not the type to be played around with. I appreciated that.
“Ok, good.” Something from the original call hit me just then. The burglary alarm tripped the front door and a basement motion. If someone has motion detectors set up, they have them in every hallway, every room. Usually. How could you conceivably break into the front door and then set off no alarms until the basement?
1711, Station 9.
9, go ahead.
Myself and County 3 will be checking the area.. shit.
Damnit. I hope that didn’t make the air. Between mentally sparring with myself and dealing with this newcomer, I didn’t notice the front door to 1300 Roosevelt was wide .. fucking .. open. I don’t think this is going to be a usual 10-90.
1711, Station 9, apologies. We have a front door open. Myself and 3 are going to make entry.
9 copies. Do you need additional units? I’ll advise. We should be all set.
“You sure? Maybe having another car might be a good idea?” The big Oak says.
I stood frozen in place, not taking my eyes off of the front door. I’ve never been to this address. No issues. Why tonight. What has happened tonight. “No. We can handle it. You up to it?”
This always gets the rookies. They can’t have their pride be broken so early in their career. He rolls his head from side to side, and flexes his chest, probably involuntarily, but funny either way.
“Fuck yea I’m up to it.”
That’s what I thought.
Walking up to an open door is always going to be dicey. Little behind the curtain disclosure here. From day one to day 11,000, you will ALWAYS be afraid when you walk into a house. Door open, door closed, doesn’t matter. No one calls the Police to say “Hey, I’m having a really good day, I just wanted to let you know.” Something wrong has to happen for me to be called. For me to be standing here right now.
As I attempt to bang on the open door and announce that Police are coming in, it moves slightly. I didn’t touch it. At least I don’t think I did. Shit.. either way I don’t have time to think about it. Focus.
POLICE, if there’s anyone inside, make yourself known. Silence. Arnold, are you behind me? I hear a short shuffling and feel him moving to my side. I quickly glanced toward him. Damnit, son, get your gun out. We could be dealing with anything.
“Sorry,” he says as I hear his service weapon getting taken out from his holster. “I’m ready.” “Stay on me and do as I say. We have an open room with a hallway slight left. Looks like two or three rooms ahead, can’t exactly tell.” I feel him shake his head and grunt something.
I can’t put my finger on it, but something about Arnold’s demeanor has changed.
“Ok, I’m moving toward the hallway, keep your eye on the room. When I move up toward the hallway, you look behind those couches. We proceed slowly, and he indeed does as I say. The living room is clear. When I feel him come back, I move up to the first room.
POLICE, announce yourself.
Annnnooouuunce yoooourself.. Every hair on my body stands on end. Something answered me. The voice sounded human, but off. Like something trying to sound human. Its tone was mocking.
“What.. what the hell was what?” Arnold said in a hushed tone.
SHH. What kind of an answer would I have for that? I’m just trying to think of where it wa-
Thump thump thump THUMP THUMP
Footsteps. Running away from us, damnit I hope it was away from us. It must have been? I’m too confused.
“Fuuuuuck man, what is all this?” My partner that I just met 10 minutes ago said. Too loudly, I may add.
Just then the same footsteps appeared to be overhead. Wait.. is there a second floor to this house? How can’t I remember that? I might have considered Arnold’s questioning of having another unit here if there was more space to search. I thought it was a ranch house. I take a pause to get my mental back. “Ok,” I said out of the side of my mouth to Arnold, like it would make him hear it better. “We know someone is here. We can’t just stop searching though. I’m going to open this door and you contact, ok?”
He nods. I look over him quickly, doing a silent “1,2,3,” countdown and then rip open the door. He draws, and sees.. stairs. I took a deep, stressful breath. And we have a basement here too. Just keeps getting better. Perfect. Now we have a real issue. We can’t just go upstai—
Station 9, 1711 status check Hach-e mach-e, I gasped. Damn radio scared the shit out of me. And let’s just ignore the fact that I actually said hach-e mach-e. That must have been what I said as a kid when I got scared.
Deep breath. 1711, Station 9, we are secure and working. Please send another unit, we have possible suspect in home.
We’ll try, we have all units tied up right now 1711 copy.
Well that’s perfect. Ok, back to the present. We can’t just leave but we have to be as safe as possible searching a house with just two people. “Ok, big guy. You stay here and hold this basement. I know we should search every room, but we don’t have time for that right now. I’m going up stairs to search for our suspect.” Oak just stares at me, trying his best to remain brave. No shame big guy, we’ve all been there.
Remaining vigilant, I made my way upstairs. At the base I, again, made my announcement. “SHOW YOURSELF AND HAVE YOUR HANDS VISIBLE”
ShoooOoOOw YOURssssself… Now I’m just getting pissed. This can go so wrong, but I’ve always been good at using anger to remain focused and hyper aware. But that doesn’t mean this is still creepy as fuck.
Leading by the light equipped to my handgun, I made my way up the stairs. Lucky for me it’s corner fed right, which means there’s only one side to go once you reach the second floor. I’ll take any victory I –
BANG
I draw in that direction. My streamlight sees one closed door. What the fuck kind of second floor has ONE room.
Tap… tap…. Tap…. Guess it doesn’t take the smartest of cops to realize where my guy is. I yell out downstairs. “I got ‘em here man, just hold that basement and call again for an extra unit.”
No response.
HooOOOOld the … the.. BAAsemeeeeeent.. This one was different. It sounded like some old scary story where the mimic alien thing is trying to actively learn human speech. Fuck this. Without thinking I booted the door with everything I had. Perfect connection. The door flies open, revealing a child’s room. Kind of. There’s a mattress on the ground, the kind would fit into a crib. There was a lamp in the corner, with some kind of children’s cartoon characters adorning it. What there wasn’t, was a person in here.
“He needs help.” Something whispered into my ear. The goosebumps on my flesh almost hurt. I holster and fly back down the stairs to Arnold. I’m sure it’s nothing but.. Arnold’s not there. The basement door remains open.
A million thoughts race through my head, like it’s 100’s of Daytona 500’s, and they’re all going different directions, racing at speeds of well over 200 mph. That’s a lot of numbers. Focus. How many times have I said that to myself tonight. Focus.
First thought: leave. Shameful thought. He might be hurt or in trouble down there. Second thought. Call once again for immediate backup. This I actually tried.. and the radio does not transmit. Perfect. How many times have I said that tonight. Clearing my mind, I know what I have to do. I have to go downstairs.
GooOOOoo DoooOOwn… “Fuck you.” That’s my response.
Each stair creaks. Almost more worried about falling through and splitting my fat head than what lies beneath. But they hold. And now I’m on the .. dirt floor? No one has a basement like this in this neighborhood. I was so enamored on the dirt floor that I almost didn’t register that a dark figure moved quickly from left to right in front of my eyes. Time to be stupid or brave. Maybe both.
“ARNOLD… are you down here, are you ok?”
I’m ok…. I’m hurt.. follow my voice… I can’t move. Good, he’s ok. “Where are you?”
Right… in.. front of you. Help me. I can’t.. I’m coming buddy. I can’t reach dispatch, they must be –
Station 9, 1711… Station 9, 1711? .. Station 9 TO 1711, PLEASE RESPOND County 3, Station 9, I’ll swing by his location. Just send me his whereabouts.
Copy that County 3, thank you Deputy Ramirez submitted by
leoofalexandria to
LighthouseHorror [link] [comments]
2023.04.02 01:42 leoofalexandria No Police call is routine (Announce Yourself)
Station 9 to 1711. Mother fucker. I just want 10 fucking minutes. Give me that please, God. Just put a fresh dip in, opened one of the new “sugar free,” Monsters (different from the “lo-carb,” option,) and fired up a knock off game that’s similar to candy crush. Just parked in my favorite hideout too. Backed in, in between a couple school buses in my cities elementary school. NO one comes here during my shift, which is graveyard.
Spitting out my chew and taking a big swig of Monster, I ripped the mic off of its magnetic plate. Hesitating, closing my eyes, and clearing my head, I respond. Something about closing your eyes when you answer a call seems to make the response clearer. I don’t know, ask other cops. They should understand.
- Go ahead.
10-90 at 1300 Roosevelt. Front door and basement motion. Any available county car for a back? Great. My “me,” time got interrupted for a stupid home alarm. The burglar alarm business sure has made our lives hell, on their way to making millions for themselves. Every residence now has a ring, a chime, or even the old-school brinks or ADT system. Most of the time, excuse me, almost ALL of the time, it’s a false alarm.
County 3, I’ll head out there. Station 9 copy. Thanks County 3. Ok, that’s cool. County 3 tonight is Ramirez, I think. I hope. We’ve always gotten along, working in the same area for the last decade or so. We’re not like drinking buddies or anything but usually we will meet up for a coffee or a diner breakfast every now and then. More than I can say for most of my department. Well…. Let’s clear this call so I can get back to crushing this candy.
The address was only three miles away. I pulled up, threw it in park, and checked my CAD to see where Ramirez was. I shouldn’t have parked right out in front. Academy first day stuff. “Don’t get complacent.” I know. I know. My wits are still about me, I’m ready, but it’s just easier to make my life easier sometimes. And nothing really happens in this small town. Hell, there’s only 4 of us local cops. Thankfully we do have some help from the County. And by help we usually just let them handle most of our issues. They’ve got the equipment and resources so, fuck it. I’ll happily go and take care of dog off leash calls and folks complaining about their neighbor’s grass being too high. I’ve had my fill of Policing already. But that’s a story for another time.
1711, station 9, I’m up. 10-4. County 3, show me pulling up. 10-4. That’s weird, I don’t see that black and yellow sheriff car anywhere close- oh, here we go. Maybe CAD is messing up. It showed county 3 like 2 miles away just a minute ago. Time to get this dumb shit over with.
With a creak of the open driver side door and a creak in the back, I get my happy ass out of my cruiser. The back that sounds and feels like a 50-year-olds. Which would be fine if, you know, I was 50. I’m 33. It doesn’t feel like it.
The headlights dim from the County car. We’re parked with both our bumpers facing each other. Usually doesn’t happen like that, but, whatever, I guess. Not very tactical but not like we need to be. The door opens..
“Hey Rami-“
A tall, built guy steps out, towering out of the car. How the hell does he even fit inside? I’ve never seen this dude. He looks like god dang Arnold.
“Oh, hey bud,” I offer, “I figured Ramirez was County 3 tonight. I’m Happy.”
Obviously not my name, but it was a name given to me when I was back in SWAT. Another lifetime ago. And I loved that name, so I kept it. Just easier than getting too personal.
Arnold looked at me and broke an awkward smile. Kind of an odd first encounter from a fellow lawman. He pulled his shades up and placed them on his immaculate high and tight fade. It’s like 2 am, so that’s kind of weird. Lot of weirdness already. Maybe I’m just tired.
“Hey brother. Arnold. I used to cover the south end but asked to be out here. I hear it’s pretty chill.”
I do a slow nod and make sure to keep a tight smile. Inside my head I’m thinking “are you freaking serious, your name actually IS Arnold?” Straighten up. “Good to meet you, man. Guess we should cut the pleasantries and check out this house, eh?”
Arnold nods, checks his gear and extends his left hand, palm up, towards the house. A “Go ahead cochise,” gesture. I smirk and make my way up to the front of the house. “So, I was expecting Ramirez, did she just call in, or?”
“Not sure. Really don’t know much about her to be honest. I heard you two were pretty close though.”
This hit me in a weird way. Full disclosure, we are just friends. Partners in blue. I stopped, not really meaning to. I could feel Arnold stop himself from running into me, as he was not at all expecting me to stop walking toward the front of the house.
“I’ll say this. I don’t know what that means, but I’ll let it go. Don’t mention her again, ok?” I turned my head slightly, just to see his facial reaction.
“Whooooah, man. I’m sorry , I meant literally nothing by that. Just heard you guys worked good together. I won’t mention it again.”
I went over what I wanted to say in my head. I shouldn’t come off like this to some new boot just out of the academy. That shouldn’t have struck a nerve like that. These uniforms are hot. And uncomfortable. Add on the vest, the belt, the camera, the gun, etc. etc. I could feel the heat coming from my chest, out of my collar, toward my face. Disgusting. Like every day. Even when it’s winter, it’s hot wearing this shit. What happens when you’re hot and uncomfortable all the time? You get irritated. You get aggressive. Thankfully I learned a small trick from Joe Rogan. Breath. Open your mouth a little bit, and breathe. Get oxygen into your brain to calm yourself down. It worked.
“It’s fine… sorry to go off, that was uncalled for. I’ll buy your big ass a donut after this as an apology.”
Arnold laughed. Even though this Adonis could clearly fold me into a pretzel (and I’m no small guy myself,) he seemed to have some sense and recognize that I’m just not the type to be played around with. I appreciated that.
“Ok, good.” Something from the original call hit me just then. The burglary alarm tripped the front door and a basement motion. If someone has motion detectors set up, they have them in every hallway, every room. Usually. How could you conceivably break into the front door and then set off no alarms until the basement?
1711, Station 9.
9, go ahead.
Myself and County 3 will be checking the area.. shit.
Damnit. I hope that didn’t make the air. Between mentally sparring with myself and dealing with this newcomer, I didn’t notice the front door to 1300 Roosevelt was wide .. fucking .. open. I don’t think this is going to be a usual 10-90.
1711, Station 9, apologies. We have a front door open. Myself and 3 are going to make entry.
9 copies. Do you need additional units? I’ll advise. We should be all set.
“You sure? Maybe having another car might be a good idea?” The big Oak says.
I stood frozen in place, not taking my eyes off of the front door. I’ve never been to this address. No issues. Why tonight. What has happened tonight. “No. We can handle it. You up to it?”
This always gets the rookies. They can’t have their pride be broken so early in their career. He rolls his head from side to side, and flexes his chest, probably involuntarily, but funny either way.
“Fuck yea I’m up to it.”
That’s what I thought.
Walking up to an open door is always going to be dicey. Little behind the curtain disclosure here. From day one to day 11,000, you will ALWAYS be afraid when you walk into a house. Door open, door closed, doesn’t matter. No one calls the Police to say “Hey, I’m having a really good day, I just wanted to let you know.” Something wrong has to happen for me to be called. For me to be standing here right now.
As I attempt to bang on the open door and announce that Police are coming in, it moves slightly. I didn’t touch it. At least I don’t think I did. Shit.. either way I don’t have time to think about it. Focus.
POLICE, if there’s anyone inside, make yourself known. Silence. Arnold, are you behind me? I hear a short shuffling and feel him moving to my side. I quickly glanced toward him. Damnit, son, get your gun out. We could be dealing with anything.
“Sorry,” he says as I hear his service weapon getting taken out from his holster. “I’m ready.” “Stay on me and do as I say. We have an open room with a hallway slight left. Looks like two or three rooms ahead, can’t exactly tell.” I feel him shake his head and grunt something.
I can’t put my finger on it, but something about Arnold’s demeanor has changed.
“Ok, I’m moving toward the hallway, keep your eye on the room. When I move up toward the hallway, you look behind those couches. We proceed slowly, and he indeed does as I say. The living room is clear. When I feel him come back, I move up to the first room.
POLICE, announce yourself.
Annnnooouuunce yoooourself.. Every hair on my body stands on end. Something answered me. The voice sounded human, but off. Like something trying to sound human. Its tone was mocking.
“What.. what the hell was what?” Arnold said in a hushed tone.
SHH. What kind of an answer would I have for that? I’m just trying to think of where it wa-
Thump thump thump THUMP THUMP
Footsteps. Running away from us, damnit I hope it was away from us. It must have been? I’m too confused.
“Fuuuuuck man, what is all this?” My partner that I just met 10 minutes ago said. Too loudly, I may add.
Just then the same footsteps appeared to be overhead. Wait.. is there a second floor to this house? How can’t I remember that? I might have considered Arnold’s questioning of having another unit here if there was more space to search. I thought it was a ranch house. I take a pause to get my mental back. “Ok,” I said out of the side of my mouth to Arnold, like it would make him hear it better. “We know someone is here. We can’t just stop searching though. I’m going to open this door and you contact, ok?”
He nods. I look over him quickly, doing a silent “1,2,3,” countdown and then rip open the door. He draws, and sees.. stairs. I took a deep, stressful breath. And we have a basement here too. Just keeps getting better. Perfect. Now we have a real issue. We can’t just go upstai—
Station 9, 1711 status check Hach-e mach-e, I gasped. Damn radio scared the shit out of me. And let’s just ignore the fact that I actually said hach-e mach-e. That must have been what I said as a kid when I got scared.
Deep breath. 1711, Station 9, we are secure and working. Please send another unit, we have possible suspect in home.
We’ll try, we have all units tied up right now 1711 copy.
Well that’s perfect. Ok, back to the present. We can’t just leave but we have to be as safe as possible searching a house with just two people. “Ok, big guy. You stay here and hold this basement. I know we should search every room, but we don’t have time for that right now. I’m going up stairs to search for our suspect.” Oak just stares at me, trying his best to remain brave. No shame big guy, we’ve all been there.
Remaining vigilant, I made my way upstairs. At the base I, again, made my announcement. “SHOW YOURSELF AND HAVE YOUR HANDS VISIBLE”
ShoooOoOOw YOURssssself… Now I’m just getting pissed. This can go so wrong, but I’ve always been good at using anger to remain focused and hyper aware. But that doesn’t mean this is still creepy as fuck.
Leading by the light equipped to my handgun, I made my way up the stairs. Lucky for me it’s corner fed right, which means there’s only one side to go once you reach the second floor. I’ll take any victory I –
BANG
I draw in that direction. My streamlight sees one closed door. What the fuck kind of second floor has ONE room.
Tap… tap…. Tap…. Guess it doesn’t take the smartest of cops to realize where my guy is. I yell out downstairs. “I got ‘em here man, just hold that basement and call again for an extra unit.”
No response.
HooOOOOld the … the.. BAAsemeeeeeent.. This one was different. It sounded like some old scary story where the mimic alien thing is trying to actively learn human speech. Fuck this. Without thinking I booted the door with everything I had. Perfect connection. The door flies open, revealing a child’s room. Kind of. There’s a mattress on the ground, the kind would fit into a crib. There was a lamp in the corner, with some kind of children’s cartoon characters adorning it. What there wasn’t, was a person in here.
“He needs help.” Something whispered into my ear. The goosebumps on my flesh almost hurt. I holster and fly back down the stairs to Arnold. I’m sure it’s nothing but.. Arnold’s not there. The basement door remains open.
A million thoughts race through my head, like it’s 100’s of Daytona 500’s, and they’re all going different directions, racing at speeds of well over 200 mph. That’s a lot of numbers. Focus. How many times have I said that to myself tonight. Focus.
First thought: leave. Shameful thought. He might be hurt or in trouble down there. Second thought. Call once again for immediate backup. This I actually tried.. and the radio does not transmit. Perfect. How many times have I said that tonight. Clearing my mind, I know what I have to do. I have to go downstairs.
GooOOOoo DoooOOwn… “Fuck you.” That’s my response.
Each stair creaks. Almost more worried about falling through and splitting my fat head than what lies beneath. But they hold. And now I’m on the .. dirt floor? No one has a basement like this in this neighborhood. I was so enamored on the dirt floor that I almost didn’t register that a dark figure moved quickly from left to right in front of my eyes. Time to be stupid or brave. Maybe both.
“ARNOLD… are you down here, are you ok?”
I’m ok…. I’m hurt.. follow my voice… I can’t move. Good, he’s ok. “Where are you?”
Right… in.. front of you. Help me. I can’t.. I’m coming buddy. I can’t reach dispatch, they must be –
Station 9, 1711… Station 9, 1711? .. Station 9 TO 1711, PLEASE RESPOND County 3, Station 9, I’ll swing by his location. Just send me his whereabouts.
Copy that County 3, thank you Deputy Ramirez submitted by
leoofalexandria to
mrcreeps [link] [comments]
2023.04.02 01:41 leoofalexandria Announce yourself (The call of dread)
Station 9 to 1711. Mother fucker. I just want 10 fucking minutes. Give me that please, God. Just put a fresh dip in, opened one of the new “sugar free,” Monsters (different from the “lo-carb,” option,) and fired up a knock off game that’s similar to candy crush. Just parked in my favorite hideout too. Backed in, in between a couple school buses in my cities elementary school. NO one comes here during my shift, which is graveyard.
Spitting out my chew and taking a big swig of Monster, I ripped the mic off of its magnetic plate. Hesitating, closing my eyes, and clearing my head, I respond. Something about closing your eyes when you answer a call seems to make the response clearer. I don’t know, ask other cops. They should understand.
- Go ahead.
10-90 at 1300 Roosevelt. Front door and basement motion. Any available county car for a back? Great. My “me,” time got interrupted for a stupid home alarm. The burglar alarm business sure has made our lives hell, on their way to making millions for themselves. Every residence now has a ring, a chime, or even the old-school brinks or ADT system. Most of the time, excuse me, almost ALL of the time, it’s a false alarm.
County 3, I’ll head out there. Station 9 copy. Thanks County 3. Ok, that’s cool. County 3 tonight is Ramirez, I think. I hope. We’ve always gotten along, working in the same area for the last decade or so. We’re not like drinking buddies or anything but usually we will meet up for a coffee or a diner breakfast every now and then. More than I can say for most of my department. Well…. Let’s clear this call so I can get back to crushing this candy.
The address was only three miles away. I pulled up, threw it in park, and checked my CAD to see where Ramirez was. I shouldn’t have parked right out in front. Academy first day stuff. “Don’t get complacent.” I know. I know. My wits are still about me, I’m ready, but it’s just easier to make my life easier sometimes. And nothing really happens in this small town. Hell, there’s only 4 of us local cops. Thankfully we do have some help from the County. And by help we usually just let them handle most of our issues. They’ve got the equipment and resources so, fuck it. I’ll happily go and take care of dog off leash calls and folks complaining about their neighbor’s grass being too high. I’ve had my fill of Policing already. But that’s a story for another time.
1711, station 9, I’m up. 10-4. County 3, show me pulling up. 10-4. That’s weird, I don’t see that black and yellow sheriff car anywhere close- oh, here we go. Maybe CAD is messing up. It showed county 3 like 2 miles away just a minute ago. Time to get this dumb shit over with.
With a creak of the open driver side door and a creak in the back, I get my happy ass out of my cruiser. The back that sounds and feels like a 50-year-olds. Which would be fine if, you know, I was 50. I’m 33. It doesn’t feel like it.
The headlights dim from the County car. We’re parked with both our bumpers facing each other. Usually doesn’t happen like that, but, whatever, I guess. Not very tactical but not like we need to be. The door opens..
“Hey Rami-“
A tall, built guy steps out, towering out of the car. How the hell does he even fit inside? I’ve never seen this dude. He looks like god dang Arnold.
“Oh, hey bud,” I offer, “I figured Ramirez was County 3 tonight. I’m Happy.”
Obviously not my name, but it was a name given to me when I was back in SWAT. Another lifetime ago. And I loved that name, so I kept it. Just easier than getting too personal.
Arnold looked at me and broke an awkward smile. Kind of an odd first encounter from a fellow lawman. He pulled his shades up and placed them on his immaculate high and tight fade. It’s like 2 am, so that’s kind of weird. Lot of weirdness already. Maybe I’m just tired.
“Hey brother. Arnold. I used to cover the south end but asked to be out here. I hear it’s pretty chill.”
I do a slow nod and make sure to keep a tight smile. Inside my head I’m thinking “are you freaking serious, your name actually IS Arnold?” Straighten up. “Good to meet you, man. Guess we should cut the pleasantries and check out this house, eh?”
Arnold nods, checks his gear and extends his left hand, palm up, towards the house. A “Go ahead cochise,” gesture. I smirk and make my way up to the front of the house. “So, I was expecting Ramirez, did she just call in, or?”
“Not sure. Really don’t know much about her to be honest. I heard you two were pretty close though.”
This hit me in a weird way. Full disclosure, we are just friends. Partners in blue. I stopped, not really meaning to. I could feel Arnold stop himself from running into me, as he was not at all expecting me to stop walking toward the front of the house.
“I’ll say this. I don’t know what that means, but I’ll let it go. Don’t mention her again, ok?” I turned my head slightly, just to see his facial reaction.
“Whooooah, man. I’m sorry , I meant literally nothing by that. Just heard you guys worked good together. I won’t mention it again.”
I went over what I wanted to say in my head. I shouldn’t come off like this to some new boot just out of the academy. That shouldn’t have struck a nerve like that. These uniforms are hot. And uncomfortable. Add on the vest, the belt, the camera, the gun, etc. etc. I could feel the heat coming from my chest, out of my collar, toward my face. Disgusting. Like every day. Even when it’s winter, it’s hot wearing this shit. What happens when you’re hot and uncomfortable all the time? You get irritated. You get aggressive. Thankfully I learned a small trick from Joe Rogan. Breath. Open your mouth a little bit, and breathe. Get oxygen into your brain to calm yourself down. It worked.
“It’s fine… sorry to go off, that was uncalled for. I’ll buy your big ass a donut after this as an apology.”
Arnold laughed. Even though this Adonis could clearly fold me into a pretzel (and I’m no small guy myself,) he seemed to have some sense and recognize that I’m just not the type to be played around with. I appreciated that.
“Ok, good.” Something from the original call hit me just then. The burglary alarm tripped the front door and a basement motion. If someone has motion detectors set up, they have them in every hallway, every room. Usually. How could you conceivably break into the front door and then set off no alarms until the basement?
1711, Station 9.
9, go ahead.
Myself and County 3 will be checking the area.. shit.
Damnit. I hope that didn’t make the air. Between mentally sparring with myself and dealing with this newcomer, I didn’t notice the front door to 1300 Roosevelt was wide .. fucking .. open. I don’t think this is going to be a usual 10-90.
1711, Station 9, apologies. We have a front door open. Myself and 3 are going to make entry.
9 copies. Do you need additional units? I’ll advise. We should be all set.
“You sure? Maybe having another car might be a good idea?” The big Oak says.
I stood frozen in place, not taking my eyes off of the front door. I’ve never been to this address. No issues. Why tonight. What has happened tonight. “No. We can handle it. You up to it?”
This always gets the rookies. They can’t have their pride be broken so early in their career. He rolls his head from side to side, and flexes his chest, probably involuntarily, but funny either way.
“Fuck yea I’m up to it.”
That’s what I thought.
Walking up to an open door is always going to be dicey. Little behind the curtain disclosure here. From day one to day 11,000, you will ALWAYS be afraid when you walk into a house. Door open, door closed, doesn’t matter. No one calls the Police to say “Hey, I’m having a really good day, I just wanted to let you know.” Something wrong has to happen for me to be called. For me to be standing here right now.
As I attempt to bang on the open door and announce that Police are coming in, it moves slightly. I didn’t touch it. At least I don’t think I did. Shit.. either way I don’t have time to think about it. Focus.
POLICE, if there’s anyone inside, make yourself known. Silence. Arnold, are you behind me? I hear a short shuffling and feel him moving to my side. I quickly glanced toward him. Damnit, son, get your gun out. We could be dealing with anything.
“Sorry,” he says as I hear his service weapon getting taken out from his holster. “I’m ready.” “Stay on me and do as I say. We have an open room with a hallway slight left. Looks like two or three rooms ahead, can’t exactly tell.” I feel him shake his head and grunt something.
I can’t put my finger on it, but something about Arnold’s demeanor has changed.
“Ok, I’m moving toward the hallway, keep your eye on the room. When I move up toward the hallway, you look behind those couches. We proceed slowly, and he indeed does as I say. The living room is clear. When I feel him come back, I move up to the first room.
POLICE, announce yourself.
Annnnooouuunce yoooourself.. Every hair on my body stands on end. Something answered me. The voice sounded human, but off. Like something trying to sound human. Its tone was mocking.
“What.. what the hell was what?” Arnold said in a hushed tone.
SHH. What kind of an answer would I have for that? I’m just trying to think of where it wa-
Thump thump thump THUMP THUMP
Footsteps. Running away from us, damnit I hope it was away from us. It must have been? I’m too confused.
“Fuuuuuck man, what is all this?” My partner that I just met 10 minutes ago said. Too loudly, I may add.
Just then the same footsteps appeared to be overhead. Wait.. is there a second floor to this house? How can’t I remember that? I might have considered Arnold’s questioning of having another unit here if there was more space to search. I thought it was a ranch house. I take a pause to get my mental back. “Ok,” I said out of the side of my mouth to Arnold, like it would make him hear it better. “We know someone is here. We can’t just stop searching though. I’m going to open this door and you contact, ok?”
He nods. I look over him quickly, doing a silent “1,2,3,” countdown and then rip open the door. He draws, and sees.. stairs. I took a deep, stressful breath. And we have a basement here too. Just keeps getting better. Perfect. Now we have a real issue. We can’t just go upstai—
Station 9, 1711 status check Hach-e mach-e, I gasped. Damn radio scared the shit out of me. And let’s just ignore the fact that I actually said hach-e mach-e. That must have been what I said as a kid when I got scared.
Deep breath. 1711, Station 9, we are secure and working. Please send another unit, we have possible suspect in home.
We’ll try, we have all units tied up right now 1711 copy.
Well that’s perfect. Ok, back to the present. We can’t just leave but we have to be as safe as possible searching a house with just two people. “Ok, big guy. You stay here and hold this basement. I know we should search every room, but we don’t have time for that right now. I’m going up stairs to search for our suspect.” Oak just stares at me, trying his best to remain brave. No shame big guy, we’ve all been there.
Remaining vigilant, I made my way upstairs. At the base I, again, made my announcement. “SHOW YOURSELF AND HAVE YOUR HANDS VISIBLE”
ShoooOoOOw YOURssssself… Now I’m just getting pissed. This can go so wrong, but I’ve always been good at using anger to remain focused and hyper aware. But that doesn’t mean this is still creepy as fuck.
Leading by the light equipped to my handgun, I made my way up the stairs. Lucky for me it’s corner fed right, which means there’s only one side to go once you reach the second floor. I’ll take any victory I –
BANG
I draw in that direction. My streamlight sees one closed door. What the fuck kind of second floor has ONE room.
Tap… tap…. Tap…. Guess it doesn’t take the smartest of cops to realize where my guy is. I yell out downstairs. “I got ‘em here man, just hold that basement and call again for an extra unit.”
No response.
HooOOOOld the … the.. BAAsemeeeeeent.. This one was different. It sounded like some old scary story where the mimic alien thing is trying to actively learn human speech. Fuck this. Without thinking I booted the door with everything I had. Perfect connection. The door flies open, revealing a child’s room. Kind of. There’s a mattress on the ground, the kind would fit into a crib. There was a lamp in the corner, with some kind of children’s cartoon characters adorning it. What there wasn’t, was a person in here.
“He needs help.” Something whispered into my ear. The goosebumps on my flesh almost hurt. I holster and fly back down the stairs to Arnold. I’m sure it’s nothing but.. Arnold’s not there. The basement door remains open.
A million thoughts race through my head, like it’s 100’s of Daytona 500’s, and they’re all going different directions, racing at speeds of well over 200 mph. That’s a lot of numbers. Focus. How many times have I said that to myself tonight. Focus.
First thought: leave. Shameful thought. He might be hurt or in trouble down there. Second thought. Call once again for immediate backup. This I actually tried.. and the radio does not transmit. Perfect. How many times have I said that tonight. Clearing my mind, I know what I have to do. I have to go downstairs.
GooOOOoo DoooOOwn… “Fuck you.” That’s my response.
Each stair creaks. Almost more worried about falling through and splitting my fat head than what lies beneath. But they hold. And now I’m on the .. dirt floor? No one has a basement like this in this neighborhood. I was so enamored on the dirt floor that I almost didn’t register that a dark figure moved quickly from left to right in front of my eyes. Time to be stupid or brave. Maybe both.
“ARNOLD… are you down here, are you ok?”
I’m ok…. I’m hurt.. follow my voice… I can’t move. Good, he’s ok. “Where are you?”
Right… in.. front of you. Help me. I can’t.. I’m coming buddy. I can’t reach dispatch, they must be –
Station 9, 1711… Station 9, 1711? .. Station 9 TO 1711, PLEASE RESPOND County 3, Station 9, I’ll swing by his location. Just send me his whereabouts.
Copy that County 3, thank you Deputy Ramirez submitted by
leoofalexandria to
creepypasta [link] [comments]
2023.04.02 01:40 leoofalexandria If anyone's there, announce yourself.
Station 9 to 1711. Mother fucker. I just want 10 fucking minutes. Give me that please, God. Just put a fresh dip in, opened one of the new “sugar free,” Monsters (different from the “lo-carb,” option,) and fired up a knock off game that’s similar to candy crush. Just parked in my favorite hideout too. Backed in, in between a couple school buses in my cities elementary school. NO one comes here during my shift, which is graveyard.
Spitting out my chew and taking a big swig of Monster, I ripped the mic off of its magnetic plate. Hesitating, closing my eyes, and clearing my head, I respond. Something about closing your eyes when you answer a call seems to make the response clearer. I don’t know, ask other cops. They should understand.
- Go ahead.
10-90 at 1300 Roosevelt. Front door and basement motion. Any available county car for a back? Great. My “me,” time got interrupted for a stupid home alarm. The burglar alarm business sure has made our lives hell, on their way to making millions for themselves. Every residence now has a ring, a chime, or even the old-school brinks or ADT system. Most of the time, excuse me, almost ALL of the time, it’s a false alarm.
County 3, I’ll head out there. Station 9 copy. Thanks County 3. Ok, that’s cool. County 3 tonight is Ramirez, I think. I hope. We’ve always gotten along, working in the same area for the last decade or so. We’re not like drinking buddies or anything but usually we will meet up for a coffee or a diner breakfast every now and then. More than I can say for most of my department. Well…. Let’s clear this call so I can get back to crushing this candy.
The address was only three miles away. I pulled up, threw it in park, and checked my CAD to see where Ramirez was. I shouldn’t have parked right out in front. Academy first day stuff. “Don’t get complacent.” I know. I know. My wits are still about me, I’m ready, but it’s just easier to make my life easier sometimes. And nothing really happens in this small town. Hell, there’s only 4 of us local cops. Thankfully we do have some help from the County. And by help we usually just let them handle most of our issues. They’ve got the equipment and resources so, fuck it. I’ll happily go and take care of dog off leash calls and folks complaining about their neighbor’s grass being too high. I’ve had my fill of Policing already. But that’s a story for another time.
1711, station 9, I’m up. 10-4. County 3, show me pulling up. 10-4. That’s weird, I don’t see that black and yellow sheriff car anywhere close- oh, here we go. Maybe CAD is messing up. It showed county 3 like 2 miles away just a minute ago. Time to get this dumb shit over with.
With a creak of the open driver side door and a creak in the back, I get my happy ass out of my cruiser. The back that sounds and feels like a 50-year-olds. Which would be fine if, you know, I was 50. I’m 33. It doesn’t feel like it.
The headlights dim from the County car. We’re parked with both our bumpers facing each other. Usually doesn’t happen like that, but, whatever, I guess. Not very tactical but not like we need to be. The door opens..
“Hey Rami-“
A tall, built guy steps out, towering out of the car. How the hell does he even fit inside? I’ve never seen this dude. He looks like god dang Arnold.
“Oh, hey bud,” I offer, “I figured Ramirez was County 3 tonight. I’m Happy.”
Obviously not my name, but it was a name given to me when I was back in SWAT. Another lifetime ago. And I loved that name, so I kept it. Just easier than getting too personal.
Arnold looked at me and broke an awkward smile. Kind of an odd first encounter from a fellow lawman. He pulled his shades up and placed them on his immaculate high and tight fade. It’s like 2 am, so that’s kind of weird. Lot of weirdness already. Maybe I’m just tired.
“Hey brother. Arnold. I used to cover the south end but asked to be out here. I hear it’s pretty chill.”
I do a slow nod and make sure to keep a tight smile. Inside my head I’m thinking “are you freaking serious, your name actually IS Arnold?” Straighten up. “Good to meet you, man. Guess we should cut the pleasantries and check out this house, eh?”
Arnold nods, checks his gear and extends his left hand, palm up, towards the house. A “Go ahead cochise,” gesture. I smirk and make my way up to the front of the house. “So, I was expecting Ramirez, did she just call in, or?”
“Not sure. Really don’t know much about her to be honest. I heard you two were pretty close though.”
This hit me in a weird way. Full disclosure, we are just friends. Partners in blue. I stopped, not really meaning to. I could feel Arnold stop himself from running into me, as he was not at all expecting me to stop walking toward the front of the house.
“I’ll say this. I don’t know what that means, but I’ll let it go. Don’t mention her again, ok?” I turned my head slightly, just to see his facial reaction.
“Whooooah, man. I’m sorry , I meant literally nothing by that. Just heard you guys worked good together. I won’t mention it again.”
I went over what I wanted to say in my head. I shouldn’t come off like this to some new boot just out of the academy. That shouldn’t have struck a nerve like that. These uniforms are hot. And uncomfortable. Add on the vest, the belt, the camera, the gun, etc. etc. I could feel the heat coming from my chest, out of my collar, toward my face. Disgusting. Like every day. Even when it’s winter, it’s hot wearing this shit. What happens when you’re hot and uncomfortable all the time? You get irritated. You get aggressive. Thankfully I learned a small trick from Joe Rogan. Breath. Open your mouth a little bit, and breathe. Get oxygen into your brain to calm yourself down. It worked.
“It’s fine… sorry to go off, that was uncalled for. I’ll buy your big ass a donut after this as an apology.”
Arnold laughed. Even though this Adonis could clearly fold me into a pretzel (and I’m no small guy myself,) he seemed to have some sense and recognize that I’m just not the type to be played around with. I appreciated that.
“Ok, good.” Something from the original call hit me just then. The burglary alarm tripped the front door and a basement motion. If someone has motion detectors set up, they have them in every hallway, every room. Usually. How could you conceivably break into the front door and then set off no alarms until the basement?
1711, Station 9.
9, go ahead.
Myself and County 3 will be checking the area.. shit.
Damnit. I hope that didn’t make the air. Between mentally sparring with myself and dealing with this newcomer, I didn’t notice the front door to 1300 Roosevelt was wide .. fucking .. open. I don’t think this is going to be a usual 10-90.
1711, Station 9, apologies. We have a front door open. Myself and 3 are going to make entry.
9 copies. Do you need additional units? I’ll advise. We should be all set.
“You sure? Maybe having another car might be a good idea?” The big Oak says.
I stood frozen in place, not taking my eyes off of the front door. I’ve never been to this address. No issues. Why tonight. What has happened tonight. “No. We can handle it. You up to it?”
This always gets the rookies. They can’t have their pride be broken so early in their career. He rolls his head from side to side, and flexes his chest, probably involuntarily, but funny either way.
“Fuck yea I’m up to it.”
That’s what I thought.
Walking up to an open door is always going to be dicey. Little behind the curtain disclosure here. From day one to day 11,000, you will ALWAYS be afraid when you walk into a house. Door open, door closed, doesn’t matter. No one calls the Police to say “Hey, I’m having a really good day, I just wanted to let you know.” Something wrong has to happen for me to be called. For me to be standing here right now.
As I attempt to bang on the open door and announce that Police are coming in, it moves slightly. I didn’t touch it. At least I don’t think I did. Shit.. either way I don’t have time to think about it. Focus.
POLICE, if there’s anyone inside, make yourself known. Silence. Arnold, are you behind me? I hear a short shuffling and feel him moving to my side. I quickly glanced toward him. Damnit, son, get your gun out. We could be dealing with anything.
“Sorry,” he says as I hear his service weapon getting taken out from his holster. “I’m ready.” “Stay on me and do as I say. We have an open room with a hallway slight left. Looks like two or three rooms ahead, can’t exactly tell.” I feel him shake his head and grunt something.
I can’t put my finger on it, but something about Arnold’s demeanor has changed.
“Ok, I’m moving toward the hallway, keep your eye on the room. When I move up toward the hallway, you look behind those couches. We proceed slowly, and he indeed does as I say. The living room is clear. When I feel him come back, I move up to the first room.
POLICE, announce yourself.
Annnnooouuunce yoooourself.. Every hair on my body stands on end. Something answered me. The voice sounded human, but off. Like something trying to sound human. Its tone was mocking.
“What.. what the hell was what?” Arnold said in a hushed tone.
SHH. What kind of an answer would I have for that? I’m just trying to think of where it wa-
Thump thump thump THUMP THUMP
Footsteps. Running away from us, damnit I hope it was away from us. It must have been? I’m too confused.
“Fuuuuuck man, what is all this?” My partner that I just met 10 minutes ago said. Too loudly, I may add.
Just then the same footsteps appeared to be overhead. Wait.. is there a second floor to this house? How can’t I remember that? I might have considered Arnold’s questioning of having another unit here if there was more space to search. I thought it was a ranch house. I take a pause to get my mental back. “Ok,” I said out of the side of my mouth to Arnold, like it would make him hear it better. “We know someone is here. We can’t just stop searching though. I’m going to open this door and you contact, ok?”
He nods. I look over him quickly, doing a silent “1,2,3,” countdown and then rip open the door. He draws, and sees.. stairs. I took a deep, stressful breath. And we have a basement here too. Just keeps getting better. Perfect. Now we have a real issue. We can’t just go upstai—
Station 9, 1711 status check Hach-e mach-e, I gasped. Damn radio scared the shit out of me. And let’s just ignore the fact that I actually said hach-e mach-e. That must have been what I said as a kid when I got scared.
Deep breath. 1711, Station 9, we are secure and working. Please send another unit, we have possible suspect in home.
We’ll try, we have all units tied up right now 1711 copy.
Well that’s perfect. Ok, back to the present. We can’t just leave but we have to be as safe as possible searching a house with just two people. “Ok, big guy. You stay here and hold this basement. I know we should search every room, but we don’t have time for that right now. I’m going up stairs to search for our suspect.” Oak just stares at me, trying his best to remain brave. No shame big guy, we’ve all been there.
Remaining vigilant, I made my way upstairs. At the base I, again, made my announcement. “SHOW YOURSELF AND HAVE YOUR HANDS VISIBLE”
ShoooOoOOw YOURssssself… Now I’m just getting pissed. This can go so wrong, but I’ve always been good at using anger to remain focused and hyper aware. But that doesn’t mean this is still creepy as fuck.
Leading by the light equipped to my handgun, I made my way up the stairs. Lucky for me it’s corner fed right, which means there’s only one side to go once you reach the second floor. I’ll take any victory I –
BANG
I draw in that direction. My streamlight sees one closed door. What the fuck kind of second floor has ONE room.
Tap… tap…. Tap…. Guess it doesn’t take the smartest of cops to realize where my guy is. I yell out downstairs. “I got ‘em here man, just hold that basement and call again for an extra unit.”
No response.
HooOOOOld the … the.. BAAsemeeeeeent.. This one was different. It sounded like some old scary story where the mimic alien thing is trying to actively learn human speech. Fuck this. Without thinking I booted the door with everything I had. Perfect connection. The door flies open, revealing a child’s room. Kind of. There’s a mattress on the ground, the kind would fit into a crib. There was a lamp in the corner, with some kind of children’s cartoon characters adorning it. What there wasn’t, was a person in here.
“He needs help.” Something whispered into my ear. The goosebumps on my flesh almost hurt. I holster and fly back down the stairs to Arnold. I’m sure it’s nothing but.. Arnold’s not there. The basement door remains open.
A million thoughts race through my head, like it’s 100’s of Daytona 500’s, and they’re all going different directions, racing at speeds of well over 200 mph. That’s a lot of numbers. Focus. How many times have I said that to myself tonight. Focus.
First thought: leave. Shameful thought. He might be hurt or in trouble down there. Second thought. Call once again for immediate backup. This I actually tried.. and the radio does not transmit. Perfect. How many times have I said that tonight. Clearing my mind, I know what I have to do. I have to go downstairs.
GooOOOoo DoooOOwn… “Fuck you.” That’s my response.
Each stair creaks. Almost more worried about falling through and splitting my fat head than what lies beneath. But they hold. And now I’m on the .. dirt floor? No one has a basement like this in this neighborhood. I was so enamored on the dirt floor that I almost didn’t register that a dark figure moved quickly from left to right in front of my eyes. Time to be stupid or brave. Maybe both.
“ARNOLD… are you down here, are you ok?”
I’m ok…. I’m hurt.. follow my voice… I can’t move. Good, he’s ok. “Where are you?”
Right… in.. front of you. Help me. I can’t.. I’m coming buddy. I can’t reach dispatch, they must be –
Station 9, 1711… Station 9, 1711? .. Station 9 TO 1711, PLEASE RESPOND County 3, Station 9, I’ll swing by his location. Just send me his whereabouts.
Copy that County 3, thank you Deputy Ramirez submitted by
leoofalexandria to
scarystories [link] [comments]
2023.04.02 01:40 leoofalexandria Announce Yourself (A true-ish Police call)
Station 9 to 1711. Mother fucker. I just want 10 fucking minutes. Give me that please, God. Just put a fresh dip in, opened one of the new “sugar free,” Monsters (different from the “lo-carb,” option,) and fired up a knock off game that’s similar to candy crush. Just parked in my favorite hideout too. Backed in, in between a couple school buses in my cities elementary school. NO one comes here during my shift, which is graveyard.
Spitting out my chew and taking a big swig of Monster, I ripped the mic off of its magnetic plate. Hesitating, closing my eyes, and clearing my head, I respond. Something about closing your eyes when you answer a call seems to make the response clearer. I don’t know, ask other cops. They should understand.
- Go ahead.
10-90 at 1300 Roosevelt. Front door and basement motion. Any available county car for a back? Great. My “me,” time got interrupted for a stupid home alarm. The burglar alarm business sure has made our lives hell, on their way to making millions for themselves. Every residence now has a ring, a chime, or even the old-school brinks or ADT system. Most of the time, excuse me, almost ALL of the time, it’s a false alarm.
County 3, I’ll head out there. Station 9 copy. Thanks County 3. Ok, that’s cool. County 3 tonight is Ramirez, I think. I hope. We’ve always gotten along, working in the same area for the last decade or so. We’re not like drinking buddies or anything but usually we will meet up for a coffee or a diner breakfast every now and then. More than I can say for most of my department. Well…. Let’s clear this call so I can get back to crushing this candy.
The address was only three miles away. I pulled up, threw it in park, and checked my CAD to see where Ramirez was. I shouldn’t have parked right out in front. Academy first day stuff. “Don’t get complacent.” I know. I know. My wits are still about me, I’m ready, but it’s just easier to make my life easier sometimes. And nothing really happens in this small town. Hell, there’s only 4 of us local cops. Thankfully we do have some help from the County. And by help we usually just let them handle most of our issues. They’ve got the equipment and resources so, fuck it. I’ll happily go and take care of dog off leash calls and folks complaining about their neighbor’s grass being too high. I’ve had my fill of Policing already. But that’s a story for another time.
1711, station 9, I’m up. 10-4. County 3, show me pulling up. 10-4. That’s weird, I don’t see that black and yellow sheriff car anywhere close- oh, here we go. Maybe CAD is messing up. It showed county 3 like 2 miles away just a minute ago. Time to get this dumb shit over with.
With a creak of the open driver side door and a creak in the back, I get my happy ass out of my cruiser. The back that sounds and feels like a 50-year-olds. Which would be fine if, you know, I was 50. I’m 33. It doesn’t feel like it.
The headlights dim from the County car. We’re parked with both our bumpers facing each other. Usually doesn’t happen like that, but, whatever, I guess. Not very tactical but not like we need to be. The door opens..
“Hey Rami-“
A tall, built guy steps out, towering out of the car. How the hell does he even fit inside? I’ve never seen this dude. He looks like god dang Arnold.
“Oh, hey bud,” I offer, “I figured Ramirez was County 3 tonight. I’m Happy.”
Obviously not my name, but it was a name given to me when I was back in SWAT. Another lifetime ago. And I loved that name, so I kept it. Just easier than getting too personal.
Arnold looked at me and broke an awkward smile. Kind of an odd first encounter from a fellow lawman. He pulled his shades up and placed them on his immaculate high and tight fade. It’s like 2 am, so that’s kind of weird. Lot of weirdness already. Maybe I’m just tired.
“Hey brother. Arnold. I used to cover the south end but asked to be out here. I hear it’s pretty chill.”
I do a slow nod and make sure to keep a tight smile. Inside my head I’m thinking “are you freaking serious, your name actually IS Arnold?” Straighten up. “Good to meet you, man. Guess we should cut the pleasantries and check out this house, eh?”
Arnold nods, checks his gear and extends his left hand, palm up, towards the house. A “Go ahead cochise,” gesture. I smirk and make my way up to the front of the house. “So, I was expecting Ramirez, did she just call in, or?”
“Not sure. Really don’t know much about her to be honest. I heard you two were pretty close though.”
This hit me in a weird way. Full disclosure, we are just friends. Partners in blue. I stopped, not really meaning to. I could feel Arnold stop himself from running into me, as he was not at all expecting me to stop walking toward the front of the house.
“I’ll say this. I don’t know what that means, but I’ll let it go. Don’t mention her again, ok?” I turned my head slightly, just to see his facial reaction.
“Whooooah, man. I’m sorry , I meant literally nothing by that. Just heard you guys worked good together. I won’t mention it again.”
I went over what I wanted to say in my head. I shouldn’t come off like this to some new boot just out of the academy. That shouldn’t have struck a nerve like that. These uniforms are hot. And uncomfortable. Add on the vest, the belt, the camera, the gun, etc. etc. I could feel the heat coming from my chest, out of my collar, toward my face. Disgusting. Like every day. Even when it’s winter, it’s hot wearing this shit. What happens when you’re hot and uncomfortable all the time? You get irritated. You get aggressive. Thankfully I learned a small trick from Joe Rogan. Breath. Open your mouth a little bit, and breathe. Get oxygen into your brain to calm yourself down. It worked.
“It’s fine… sorry to go off, that was uncalled for. I’ll buy your big ass a donut after this as an apology.”
Arnold laughed. Even though this Adonis could clearly fold me into a pretzel (and I’m no small guy myself,) he seemed to have some sense and recognize that I’m just not the type to be played around with. I appreciated that.
“Ok, good.” Something from the original call hit me just then. The burglary alarm tripped the front door and a basement motion. If someone has motion detectors set up, they have them in every hallway, every room. Usually. How could you conceivably break into the front door and then set off no alarms until the basement?
1711, Station 9.
9, go ahead.
Myself and County 3 will be checking the area.. shit.
Damnit. I hope that didn’t make the air. Between mentally sparring with myself and dealing with this newcomer, I didn’t notice the front door to 1300 Roosevelt was wide .. fucking .. open. I don’t think this is going to be a usual 10-90.
1711, Station 9, apologies. We have a front door open. Myself and 3 are going to make entry.
9 copies. Do you need additional units? I’ll advise. We should be all set.
“You sure? Maybe having another car might be a good idea?” The big Oak says.
I stood frozen in place, not taking my eyes off of the front door. I’ve never been to this address. No issues. Why tonight. What has happened tonight. “No. We can handle it. You up to it?”
This always gets the rookies. They can’t have their pride be broken so early in their career. He rolls his head from side to side, and flexes his chest, probably involuntarily, but funny either way.
“Fuck yea I’m up to it.”
That’s what I thought.
Walking up to an open door is always going to be dicey. Little behind the curtain disclosure here. From day one to day 11,000, you will ALWAYS be afraid when you walk into a house. Door open, door closed, doesn’t matter. No one calls the Police to say “Hey, I’m having a really good day, I just wanted to let you know.” Something wrong has to happen for me to be called. For me to be standing here right now.
As I attempt to bang on the open door and announce that Police are coming in, it moves slightly. I didn’t touch it. At least I don’t think I did. Shit.. either way I don’t have time to think about it. Focus.
POLICE, if there’s anyone inside, make yourself known. Silence. Arnold, are you behind me? I hear a short shuffling and feel him moving to my side. I quickly glanced toward him. Damnit, son, get your gun out. We could be dealing with anything.
“Sorry,” he says as I hear his service weapon getting taken out from his holster. “I’m ready.” “Stay on me and do as I say. We have an open room with a hallway slight left. Looks like two or three rooms ahead, can’t exactly tell.” I feel him shake his head and grunt something.
I can’t put my finger on it, but something about Arnold’s demeanor has changed.
“Ok, I’m moving toward the hallway, keep your eye on the room. When I move up toward the hallway, you look behind those couches. We proceed slowly, and he indeed does as I say. The living room is clear. When I feel him come back, I move up to the first room.
POLICE, announce yourself.
Annnnooouuunce yoooourself.. Every hair on my body stands on end. Something answered me. The voice sounded human, but off. Like something trying to sound human. Its tone was mocking.
“What.. what the hell was what?” Arnold said in a hushed tone.
SHH. What kind of an answer would I have for that? I’m just trying to think of where it wa-
Thump thump thump THUMP THUMP
Footsteps. Running away from us, damnit I hope it was away from us. It must have been? I’m too confused.
“Fuuuuuck man, what is all this?” My partner that I just met 10 minutes ago said. Too loudly, I may add.
Just then the same footsteps appeared to be overhead. Wait.. is there a second floor to this house? How can’t I remember that? I might have considered Arnold’s questioning of having another unit here if there was more space to search. I thought it was a ranch house. I take a pause to get my mental back. “Ok,” I said out of the side of my mouth to Arnold, like it would make him hear it better. “We know someone is here. We can’t just stop searching though. I’m going to open this door and you contact, ok?”
He nods. I look over him quickly, doing a silent “1,2,3,” countdown and then rip open the door. He draws, and sees.. stairs. I took a deep, stressful breath. And we have a basement here too. Just keeps getting better. Perfect. Now we have a real issue. We can’t just go upstai—
Station 9, 1711 status check Hach-e mach-e, I gasped. Damn radio scared the shit out of me. And let’s just ignore the fact that I actually said hach-e mach-e. That must have been what I said as a kid when I got scared.
Deep breath. 1711, Station 9, we are secure and working. Please send another unit, we have possible suspect in home.
We’ll try, we have all units tied up right now 1711 copy.
Well that’s perfect. Ok, back to the present. We can’t just leave but we have to be as safe as possible searching a house with just two people. “Ok, big guy. You stay here and hold this basement. I know we should search every room, but we don’t have time for that right now. I’m going up stairs to search for our suspect.” Oak just stares at me, trying his best to remain brave. No shame big guy, we’ve all been there.
Remaining vigilant, I made my way upstairs. At the base I, again, made my announcement. “SHOW YOURSELF AND HAVE YOUR HANDS VISIBLE”
ShoooOoOOw YOURssssself… Now I’m just getting pissed. This can go so wrong, but I’ve always been good at using anger to remain focused and hyper aware. But that doesn’t mean this is still creepy as fuck.
Leading by the light equipped to my handgun, I made my way up the stairs. Lucky for me it’s corner fed right, which means there’s only one side to go once you reach the second floor. I’ll take any victory I –
BANG
I draw in that direction. My streamlight sees one closed door. What the fuck kind of second floor has ONE room.
Tap… tap…. Tap…. Guess it doesn’t take the smartest of cops to realize where my guy is. I yell out downstairs. “I got ‘em here man, just hold that basement and call again for an extra unit.”
No response.
HooOOOOld the … the.. BAAsemeeeeeent.. This one was different. It sounded like some old scary story where the mimic alien thing is trying to actively learn human speech. Fuck this. Without thinking I booted the door with everything I had. Perfect connection. The door flies open, revealing a child’s room. Kind of. There’s a mattress on the ground, the kind would fit into a crib. There was a lamp in the corner, with some kind of children’s cartoon characters adorning it. What there wasn’t, was a person in here.
“He needs help.” Something whispered into my ear. The goosebumps on my flesh almost hurt. I holster and fly back down the stairs to Arnold. I’m sure it’s nothing but.. Arnold’s not there. The basement door remains open.
A million thoughts race through my head, like it’s 100’s of Daytona 500’s, and they’re all going different directions, racing at speeds of well over 200 mph. That’s a lot of numbers. Focus. How many times have I said that to myself tonight. Focus.
First thought: leave. Shameful thought. He might be hurt or in trouble down there. Second thought. Call once again for immediate backup. This I actually tried.. and the radio does not transmit. Perfect. How many times have I said that tonight. Clearing my mind, I know what I have to do. I have to go downstairs.
GooOOOoo DoooOOwn… “Fuck you.” That’s my response.
Each stair creaks. Almost more worried about falling through and splitting my fat head than what lies beneath. But they hold. And now I’m on the .. dirt floor? No one has a basement like this in this neighborhood. I was so enamored on the dirt floor that I almost didn’t register that a dark figure moved quickly from left to right in front of my eyes. Time to be stupid or brave. Maybe both.
“ARNOLD… are you down here, are you ok?”
I’m ok…. I’m hurt.. follow my voice… I can’t move. Good, he’s ok. “Where are you?”
Right… in.. front of you. Help me. I can’t.. I’m coming buddy. I can’t reach dispatch, they must be –
Station 9, 1711… Station 9, 1711? .. Station 9 TO 1711, PLEASE RESPOND County 3, Station 9, I’ll swing by his location. Just send me his whereabouts.
Copy that County 3, thank you Deputy Ramirez submitted by
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2023.04.02 01:38 KittenDealinMama AITA for being my nephews first word?
Originally posted by
u/moomoomoo- in
AmItheAsshole on Feb 17, '23, Updated Feb 24th and March 21st. I have made quite a bit of punctuation edits so you can read it with your brain ka'sploding.
Trigger Warning:
Child abuse, verbal abuse Mood Spolier:
Infuriating and disturbing but ends with (some) improvement AITA for being my nephews first word Feb 17, '23
AITA for being my nephews first word?
My brother and his wife have a baby over a year old, he's 15 months. I regularly babysit him. i don't mind it because I'm happy to help my brother, although his wife is a stay at home so I'm not sure why i have to, but i don't want to cause trouble.
I work and own a dairy farm. i asked my brother if its ok i take his son to work with me whenever i Babysit, otherwise I would get nothing done (I have proper safety precautions in place and he only comes with me in the tractor because it has a proper car seat). He said its fine.
My nephew loves the animals. He makes all kind of excited noises and I try to encourage him to pet them when i hold him (they are all vaccinated and dosed regularly and calm again cleared with my bro). We spend a lot of time together. My brother and his wife have been trying to get him to say his first words, although its not simple and they don't exactly make it easier. Instead of mamma or dadda, they coax him to say Mother and father, and my nephew just dosent get it. He's a baby and those words seem kinda complicated for a baby.
We were all over at my parents house for a Sunday get together and I was sitting, playing blocks with my nephew. He suddenly looks up at me and starts going B B B B B BE BE. I thought it was just normal baby talk. Then he gets more aggressive repeating those letters over and over again. Then He starts going N N N N N. He then shouts BEN and points at me and laughs, BEN BEN BEN (my name). My brother and SIL start yelling at me, saying I was coaching him and how I was being selfish. They immediately pick him up and My brother yells at me, "you took away his first word. That was supposed to be our moment".
They storm off to another room, they stay in there for about 10 mins, and then come out and leave. But as they are leaving the baby looks at me again and shouts, in the playful baby voice, BEN and points at me again. My sil shouts at her son so her son starts crying, then she shouts at him more starts crying herself and they leave.
My parents think I'm an ass and I shouldn't have been teaching him my name, but I havent. The only time he hears my name is when anyone else says it. they think I should apologise to My SIL for ruining what should have been a mothers special moment. But honestly, My SIL dosent act like much of a mother. She dosen't work, I have her son 5 days a week I refuse to take him on Saturdays and Sunday's because I want to get some nitty gritty work done and she throws fits about it. At family events he's always offloaded to me. To play with, to feed (she pumps always has I'm not judging her for not doing direct breastfeeding btw), to calm down any tantrums and to change when he goes bathroom in his diapers.
what do you think reddit
EDIT: the argument that SIL had with her son went something like this:
SIl: say mother
baby: Baby noises B B Ben more baby noises
SIL: SAY MOTHER
Baby (with tears in his eyes and kind of sobbing): MMM M M B B B Ben (he said ben quitely this time)
SIL: NO YOU IDIOT SAY MOTHER N OW
Baby (now crying): BEn ben ben
SIL: (not so nice words that i dont feel like repating) SAY MOTHER
Baby (no full on crying and sniffling): dosent say anything
SIL brother and baby leave
Edit 2: I have taken your advice on board and am going to take action tomorrow I’ll post an update some time next week if this sub allows them.
More info in the comments: i would have the kid every day if i didnt put my foot down and say i need saturday to do some heavy dangerous work otherwise i would get nothing done she dosent have PPD she went to therapy after he was born and they said she was fine her reason for staying at home is so she can have some peace
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They dont really talk to their kid that much just kinda wait for him to cry for something they have been Going "say mothefather" depending on who is speaking to him but dont really partake in the fun and sillyness that is baby talk like i do they think it encourages him to just make sounds
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He's been late to all his milestones SIL says he has learning diffuclties but ive never noticed anything he tried walking one day when i when i was at their house and SIL marched over and shoved him back on the ground she did that alot when he would try to walk
I eventually got him to start full on walking (well baby walking) when he was on his own with me.
.
My parents told SIL and Bro they wouldnt be doing any babystitting aprt from maybe once a month im 25 bro is 29 and sil is 30. beofre the baby was born i told my brother that if he needed a hand in the first few monthes (meaning like a shelf put up or any manuel labour) id be happy to help they then said it was fine and just asked me to babysit every so often. it started as once every 2 weeks but by 6 months it was 5 days a week.
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I have him today and im currently making ok progress with him saying cow he can get the letters out just hasnt put them together hes alot quiter today and isnt really talking im worried my brother and sil punished him when he got home
.
I have him today again but my sil told me not to talk to him and if he says my name to tell him to be quiet or yell at him im not doing that but baby is a lot quiter and hasnt said my name at all really he dosent even make his usual baby sounds
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My sil is very posh and uptight its her way or the high way most of the time she was always like this im always friendly to her though she dosent like when anyone calls their mom or dada anything other than mother or father she thinks its "barbaric and breeds stupidity".
.
What can i do, ive tried bringing him back to their house but they ignore me and will dissapear to town if they see my pickup coming over the hills and i dont want to neglect him i seem to be the only positive influence in his life.
.
Talking to my brother is pointless he agrees with everything she says even when shes not around he would also shove him down when he tried walking when he tried crawling my brother picked him up and would strap him tightly into the car seat that just sits on the their living room floor.
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She wanted it she would talk for ages after they got married about how excited she was to have a cute baby and how he/she was going to be smarter and better and do everything faster than all the other kids.
Judgment: Not The Asshole UPDATE on my nephew Feb 24, '23
I figured I would give you all an update. Thanks for all the advice and help everyone. I did not call cps (our country has something else but for simplicity I'll just refer to it as cps). Straight away that was probably my biggest mistake. I have always tried to see the good in people and trust and forgive others. It's a terrible habit to have in this modern day but that’s just always been me.
I brought LO over to his parents’ house early Friday afternoon and told them it’s their baby, they need to look after it. I wasn’t going to babysit anymore, not unless it’s a dire emergency such as death or illness. I gave them parenting books and explained everything they were doing wrong. We had a long talk for a few hours, and I honestly thought we got somewhere. I went over Sunday afternoon and LO was doing great. He was doing the baby stumble all over the room, he was laughing, it seemed great. The car seat was nowhere to be found. I thought we’d turned a corner. He even said his second word (it's “will” not sure why, but he uses it now to get attention instead of Ben). I was only over for an hour and they all seemed happy. On the way out I mentioned to my brother that on Monday I was going to be helping my Fiancée move in to mine.
Monday morning rolls round. I get up milk, feed the dry cows and calves’ bed everything, and put the milking stock out to grass. I was running late to meet my Fiancée who I’ll call Ayah so I took off my overalls ran into the house, grabbed my keys for my pickup off the table, I didn’t even look in the living room (you can see where this is going already). It was 10:00 at this point, I put my trailer on and went over to Ayah’s. I was there for 3 hours helping her load and pack. We went and got lunch at around 2. We stayed at the café for an hour, went shopping together for an hour or so, then back to hers to lift my truck and the rest of her stuff.
We got back to mine at around 7. We were standing talking in my yard when we both hear screaming and crying. I unlock the door and run in and was greeted with an image I’ll never forget. LO was on the floor screaming crying, his face all red. He was sucking on one of the unopened bottles of breastmilk. His high chair that I have was lying on the floor (he had tried climbing it earlier in the day. I looked back through the cameras after CPS came). My tv was on the ground broke, the place was a mess, his diaper was a mess. I picked him up and began calming him while I changed him. Ayah put 3 bottles in the microwave to heat up and then took him to feed him for me.
I got a text then from my Bro asking if I could bring him back to theirs at around 8 because they had a surprise for everyone. They were having an announcement party which is why I had to babysit so they could get it all ready (they hadn’t texted me at all earlier). I then thought about ringing my bro but as I looked at my Fiancée, who was yanking the bottle out of LO mouth so he didn’t drink too fast (he was really aggressively gulping it down) and give himself stomach problems, I decided to call CPS and the police.
CPS came to us, and the police went theirs. I handed LO over and gave my statement as well as a copy of my CTV. My SIL arrived at mine at 7am and dropped LO off. My living room baby monitor caught nearly all of LO movement and one of my outside cameras caught a fair bit of his movement in the kitchen. He pulled the TV down on top of himself after he had been crying for a few hours that’s how he got his forehead bruise. He tried to climb into his high chair but that fell onto him and bruised his shoulder. He sat in the car seat I have on the living room floor (took it out of my truck to make room for boxes) and just screamed my name and then just screamed nothing (his voice was horse by this point).
What was SILs surprise you wonder? Well its nothing, only that she’s pregnant again. Because in her words, "the first one was a breeze", and she wants a daughter. Unfortunately, CPS in my country believes strongly in rehabilitation but its aggressive rehab not just, “here’s your kid try to do better”. It’s the whole 9 yards.
My SIL has a new therapist, and they must do couples counselling as well as parenting classes, and weekly visitations by CPS from now until new baby is 2 years. I have been appointed as a watcher for LO, meaning anyone that wants to visit has to be approved by me, and a bunch of other things must go through me. I know I made a mistake in trusting them, but I really thought they would change.
Ayah and I are now fully moved in together I haven’t babysitted at all this week. Bro and SIL are in between court appearances and other mandated events as well as being a parent (they struck a deal with the prosecutor and CPS. 3 years suspended sentence and a bunch of other restrictions, which is how this all progressed so fast).
My parents have finally seen SIL and Bro for what they are and have apologised profusely to me. I’m getting married in March, but I’ve demoted my Bro from best man to guest. I just promoted my best friend and picked another friend to be a new groomsman to keep it even with Ayahs bridesmaids. I’m contemplating uninviting them but I’m going to think about it for a while.
A lot of you said I should adopt LO but the truth is, I don’t want to. I love him and will always be there for him but I want it to be in a fun but caring uncle capacity. I know this sounds selfish but I just can’t explain my love for him. I want to have my own family and still be a part of his. I hope you all understand this.
There is still a lot happening so I might make an update 2, much later but this is all that I can share at this point. Bro and SIL are mad at me and refusing to talk outside of anything they are legally required to talk to me about. I don’t see why they are mad at me though they left a baby, which hadn’t had breakfast, at my house and didn’t tell me, when they knew I was going to be away. Please feel free to leave some more advice or thoughts I do read them all even the negative ones but take care everyone and thank you for all your help.
UPDATE 2: AITA for being my nephews first word March 21, '23
Hi everyone it’s been a almost a month so I thought I would post an update here
I first tried having a civilised conversation with LO’s parents and it worked for 2 days. Then it was back to me looking after him so I called cps. There is a whole incident on my page if your curious.
SIL is unfortunately pregnant again because, apparently raising the first one was simple and easy. She also used the word breeze. CPS has them on a strict regiment with regular therapy for them all and classes for the parents. SIL’s new therapist has diagnosed her with narcissistic personality disorder, as well as a few other things, but not PPD surprisingly.
I didn’t mention it in the original post cause it wasn't relative but I was engaged at the time. I’m not anymore though…. Cause I’m married. I invite LO and his parents. He has said his second word it’s will (he dosent know any people called will though) and he hasn’t really said my name much. His physiologist thinks it’s cause he associates it with yelling at him now. But he said it at my wedding along with a new word that I definitely didn’t teach him. There was a quite moment when my best man passed the Mike to my wife’s moh and LO chose that moment to demonstrate his vocabulary. “BEN…… WILL……. FUCK”. Everyone started laughing except his parents, who where mortified, they see themselves as better than everyone else. they did try to blame me for the f word but it’s not my go to swear word. Bastard would be my main choice
His parents are doing better. My Bro was the golden child but he’s fallen out of favour with my parents since cps was called. I have been over to their house and everything seems fine. No car seat on the living room floor, LO running around laughing making noises enjoying himself. My SIL on the other hand has called me multiple times crying because LO would cry for no reason, or he wouldn’t sleep, despite being fed and changed. All normal baby things she wants me to solve it but she needs to learn especially with N.o 2 on the way
That’s all really. I want to thank everyone for their help. I might make more posts on my account, not on this sub, but take care everyone
Reminder, DO NOT comment on the original posts or contact the original poster. I am not the original poster. This is a repost. submitted by
KittenDealinMama to
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2023.04.02 01:35 BlueClaws12 The black Knight with the power of love - by kieron wilson (what do you think?
Once upon a time, there lived a brave and powerful superhero known as the Black Knight. He was clad in a full black suit and carried two katanas at his side. He had the power of blue lighting, which made him a formidable opponent. Furthermore, he could fly, although he could never fly as high as he wanted.
But the Black Knight was more than just a superhero; he was driven by the power of love. He fought for the people he love and always put their safety first. Despite his superhuman abilities, he found himself up against an opponent he could never defeat - the Red Knight.
Then one day, he met the love of his life. She was kind, compassionate and understanding. She was the one person who truly accepted him and saw him for who he was. In her presence, he felt invincible and nothing seemed impossible. With her by his side, he gained the courage to face the Red Knight in battle.
And so, the Black Knight and the Red Knight went head to head in a ferocious battle. In the end, the Black Knight emerged victorious and the city was saved. In the aftermath, the Black Knight and his beloved were celebrated as heroes. From that day on, the Black Knight vowed to always protect the people he loved and to never give up. Kieron Wilson, also known as The Black Knight, had been living a peaceful life on Earth. He had forgotten the days of his past battles, and had become content with his current life.
One day, however, his life was disrupted. The Red Knight, an enemy from his past, had returned with an army greater than anyone on Earth had seen before. Millions of soldiers swarmed the planet, and their mission was clear: to capture Kieron and force him into battle.
Kieron was overwhelmed by the force of the Red Knight's army, but he knew he had to fight for the one person he loved above all else: his beloved. However, Kieron knew he couldn't possibly win against the Red Knight, especially with his army. Still, he was determined to keep his promise to protect her always and forever.
Kieron gathered all the strength he had and prepared for battle. He knew the odds were against him, but he was determined to fight for the one he loved. He entered the battlefield, and a great battle ensued.
After a fierce fight, Kieron was defeated, something unexpected happened that would change his life forever.
The sky seemed to darken, as if a huge thundercloud had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. Kieron's eyes began to glow a bright blue, and his body was giving off a strange, glowing light. Everyone around him was just standing there in shock, not knowing what to do.
Then, something even more unexpected happened. A large lightning bolt struck down from the sky and hit Kieron directly. He didn't seem to be hurt, but something was different. He now had an armor on and two katanas in his hands.
Kieron's newfound powers were incredible. Everyone was in awe, and the red knight couldn't believe his eyes. Apparently, Kieron had absorbed the power of all the original black knights, and he had done it to protect his true love.
He declared that he would fight the red knight and prove that his love was worth fighting for. The whole world was silenced as they watched the epic battle between Kieron and the red knight. kieron made a deal if you win red knitgh then you get to rule the world and everyone inside i but if i win you will leave earth and never come BACK!
The amount of anger in the red knights eyes it looks like he is about to explode. a buld of lighting struck the red knight but this time the lighting wasnt blue it was RED. The red knight has that much anger for The Black knight he became the revers. The black kinght and the red kight was fighting for 30 minuets but then the red knight did something so bad he grabed the love of kieron's life and he stabbed her in the leg. she fell to the floor kieron ran over as fast as he could. he grabbed her before she could fall to the floor but it was to late she already lost so much blood. she said one last sentace to him "i love you always and forever no matter what" then her eyes slowly closed.
the red knight said that should be more then anoth to keep him out of the hro buissnes for a while. the red knight left. but the black kight lost his whloe world.
submitted by
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2023.04.02 01:31 BlueClaws12 The Black Knight The power of love - by kieron wilson
Once upon a time, there lived a brave and powerful superhero known as the Black Knight. He was clad in a full black suit and carried two katanas at his side. He had the power of blue lighting, which made him a formidable opponent. Furthermore, he could fly, although he could never fly as high as he wanted.
But the Black Knight was more than just a superhero; he was driven by the power of love. He fought for the people he love and always put their safety first. Despite his superhuman abilities, he found himself up against an opponent he could never defeat - the Red Knight.
Then one day, he met the love of his life. She was kind, compassionate and understanding. She was the one person who truly accepted him and saw him for who he was. In her presence, he felt invincible and nothing seemed impossible. With her by his side, he gained the courage to face the Red Knight in battle.
And so, the Black Knight and the Red Knight went head to head in a ferocious battle. In the end, the Black Knight emerged victorious and the city was saved. In the aftermath, the Black Knight and his beloved were celebrated as heroes. From that day on, the Black Knight vowed to always protect the people he loved and to never give up. Kieron Wilson, also known as The Black Knight, had been living a peaceful life on Earth. He had forgotten the days of his past battles, and had become content with his current life.
One day, however, his life was disrupted. The Red Knight, an enemy from his past, had returned with an army greater than anyone on Earth had seen before. Millions of soldiers swarmed the planet, and their mission was clear: to capture Kieron and force him into battle.
Kieron was overwhelmed by the force of the Red Knight's army, but he knew he had to fight for the one person he loved above all else: his beloved. However, Kieron knew he couldn't possibly win against the Red Knight, especially with his army. Still, he was determined to keep his promise to protect her always and forever.
Kieron gathered all the strength he had and prepared for battle. He knew the odds were against him, but he was determined to fight for the one he loved. He entered the battlefield, and a great battle ensued.
After a fierce fight, Kieron was defeated, something unexpected happened that would change his life forever.
The sky seemed to darken, as if a huge thundercloud had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. Kieron's eyes began to glow a bright blue, and his body was giving off a strange, glowing light. Everyone around him was just standing there in shock, not knowing what to do.
Then, something even more unexpected happened. A large lightning bolt struck down from the sky and hit Kieron directly. He didn't seem to be hurt, but something was different. He now had an armor on and two katanas in his hands.
Kieron's newfound powers were incredible. Everyone was in awe, and the red knight couldn't believe his eyes. Apparently, Kieron had absorbed the power of all the original black knights, and he had done it to protect his true love.
He declared that he would fight the red knight and prove that his love was worth fighting for. The whole world was silenced as they watched the epic battle between Kieron and the red knight. kieron made a deal if you win red knitgh then you get to rule the world and everyone inside i but if i win you will leave earth and never come BACK!
The amount of anger in the red knights eyes it looks like he is about to explode. a buld of lighting struck the red knight but this time the lighting wasnt blue it was RED. The red knight has that much anger for The Black knight he became the revers. The black kinght and the red kight was fighting for 30 minuets but then the red knight did something so bad he grabed the love of kieron's life and he stabbed her in the leg. she fell to the floor kieron ran over as fast as he could. he grabbed her before she could fall to the floor but it was to late she already lost so much blood. she said one last sentace to him "i love you always and forever no matter what" then her eyes slowly closed.
the red knight said that should be more then anoth to keep him out of the hro buissnes for a while. the red knight left. but the black kight lost his whloe world.
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2023.04.02 01:22 Yankeebot IT'S NOT WHAT YOU WANT: The Yankees fell to the Giants by a score of 7-5 - April 01, 2023 @ 04:05 PM EDT
Game Status: Final - Score: 7-5 Giants
Links & Info
| Giants Batters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1 | Wade Jr. - 1B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .167 | .444 | .167 |
| 2 | Conforto - RF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | .111 | .111 | .111 |
| 3 | Estrada - 2B | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .333 | .333 |
| 4 | Pederson - DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .286 | .444 | .714 |
| 5 | Yastrzemski - LF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .286 | .286 | .571 |
| 6 | Villar - 3B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .333 | .333 | .333 |
| 7 | Crawford, Bra - SS | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .375 | .375 | .875 |
| 8 | Sabol - LF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .500 | .250 |
| Johnson, B - CF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 9 | Pérez - C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .167 | .167 | .167 |
| Totals | 39 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 22 | | | |
| Giants |
| BATTING: 2B: Yastrzemski 2 (2, Schmidt, Holmes); Crawford, Bra (1, King). HR: Pederson (1, 4th inning off Schmidt, 0 on, 0 out); Crawford, Bra (1, 4th inning off Schmidt, 1 on, 1 out). TB: Crawford, Bra 7; Estrada; Pederson 5; Sabol; Villar 2; Wade Jr.; Yastrzemski 4. RBI: Crawford, Bra 3 (3); Estrada (1); Pederson (1); Wade Jr. (1); Yastrzemski (1). 2-out RBI: Estrada; Crawford, Bra. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Conforto; Johnson, B; Pederson 3; Pérez. Team RISP: 4-for-14. Team LOB: 10. |
| FIELDING: E: Cobb (1, throw). DP: (Crawford, Bra-Estrada-Wade Jr.). |
| Yankees Batters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1 | LeMahieu - DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .250 | .333 | .375 |
| 2 | Judge - CF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .556 | .556 | .889 |
| 3 | Rizzo - 1B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .286 | .444 | .429 |
| 4 | Stanton - RF | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .222 | .222 | .556 |
| 5 | Donaldson - 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .250 | .250 | .625 |
| 6 | Torres - 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .143 | .250 | .571 |
| 7 | Cabrera, O - LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 | .125 | .125 |
| 8 | Trevino - C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .167 | .167 |
| a-Hicks, A - PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 9 | Volpe - SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .333 | .429 | .333 |
| Totals | 37 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 17 | | | |
| Yankees |
| a-Struck out for Trevino in the 9th. |
| BATTING: 2B: LeMahieu (1, Junis); Rizzo (1, Junis). HR: Stanton (1, 3rd inning off Cobb, 0 on, 2 out); Donaldson (1, 8th inning off Rogers, Ta, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Cabrera, O; Donaldson 4; Judge 3; LeMahieu 2; Rizzo 2; Stanton 4; Volpe 2. RBI: Donaldson (1); Judge (3); Rizzo (1); Stanton (1). 2-out RBI: Stanton. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: LeMahieu; Torres 3. GIDP: Stanton. Team RISP: 3-for-11. Team LOB: 8. |
| Giants Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | P-S | ERA |
| Cobb | 3.2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 76-47 | 2.45 |
| Junis (W, 1-0) | 2.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33-25 | 3.86 |
| Brebbia (H, 1) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12-7 | 4.50 |
| Rogers, Ta (H, 1) | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11-7 | 9.00 |
| Doval (S, 1) | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 24-12 | 9.00 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 2 | | |
| Yankees Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | P-S | ERA |
| Schmidt | 3.1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 76-49 | 8.10 |
| Peralta, Wa | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18-10 | 0.00 |
| King (L, 0-1) | 1.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 39-27 | 10.80 |
| Abreu, A | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 29-17 | 0.00 |
| Holmes | 0.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20-12 | 27.00 |
| Cordero, J | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3-2 | 0.00 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 2 | | |
| Game Info |
| WP: Abreu, A. |
| HBP: Sabol 2 (by Peralta, Wa, by King). |
| Pitch timer violations: Doval 2 (pitcher 2); Abreu, A (pitcher); Rogers, Ta (pitcher). |
| Pitches-strikes: Cobb 76-47; Junis 33-25; Brebbia 12-7; Rogers, Ta 11-7; Doval 24-12; Schmidt 76-49; Peralta, Wa 18-10; King 39-27; Abreu, A 29-17; Holmes 20-12; Cordero, J 3-2. |
| Groundouts-flyouts: Cobb 4-1; Junis 3-2; Brebbia 0-2; Rogers, Ta 1-0; Doval 1-0; Schmidt 2-1; Peralta, Wa 1-0; King 2-0; Abreu, A 2-1; Holmes 1-1; Cordero, J 1-0. |
| Batters faced: Cobb 17; Junis 10; Brebbia 3; Rogers, Ta 4; Doval 6; Schmidt 16; Peralta, Wa 4; King 11; Abreu, A 7; Holmes 5; Cordero, J 1. |
| Inherited runners-scored: Junis 1-0; Cordero, J 1-0. |
| Umpires: HP: Andy Fletcher. 1B: Erich Bacchus. 2B: Mike Estabrook. 3B: Laz Diaz. |
| Weather: 68 degrees, Sunny. |
| Wind: 16 mph, Out To LF. |
| First pitch: 4:09 PM. |
| T: 3:12. |
| Att: 41,642. |
| Venue: Yankee Stadium. |
| April 1, 2023 |
| Inning | Scoring Play | Score |
| Bottom 1 | Giancarlo Stanton reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by pitcher Alex Cobb. Aaron Judge scores. Anthony Rizzo to 3rd. Throwing error by pitcher Alex Cobb. | 1-0 NYY |
| Bottom 3 | Giancarlo Stanton homers (1) on a line drive to right field. | 2-0 NYY |
| Top 4 | Joc Pederson homers (1) on a line drive to right center field. | 2-1 NYY |
| Top 4 | Brandon Crawford homers (1) on a fly ball to right center field. Mike Yastrzemski scores. | 3-2 SF |
| Bottom 5 | Anthony Rizzo doubles (1) on a sharp line drive to right fielder Michael Conforto. DJ LeMahieu scores. Aaron Judge to 3rd. | 3-3 |
| Top 6 | LaMonte Wade Jr. singles on a soft ground ball to catcher Jose Trevino. David Villar scores. Brandon Crawford to 3rd. Blake Sabol to 2nd. | 4-3 SF |
| Top 6 | Thairo Estrada singles on a line drive to shortstop Anthony Volpe. Brandon Crawford scores. Blake Sabol to 3rd. LaMonte Wade Jr. to 2nd. | 5-3 SF |
| Bottom 8 | Josh Donaldson homers (1) on a fly ball to left field. | 5-4 SF |
| Top 9 | Mike Yastrzemski doubles (2) on a sharp line drive to center fielder Aaron Judge. Joc Pederson scores. | 6-4 SF |
| Top 9 | Brandon Crawford singles on a line drive to left fielder Oswaldo Cabrera. Mike Yastrzemski scores. | 7-4 SF |
| Bottom 9 | Aaron Judge singles on a ground ball to left fielder Mike Yastrzemski. Anthony Volpe scores. DJ LeMahieu to 2nd. | 7-5 SF |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | | R | H | E | LOB |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | | 7 | 12 | 1 | 10 |
| Yankees | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 5 | 10 | 0 | 8 |
Decisions
Division Scoreboard
TOR 1 @ STL 4 - Final
BAL 8 @ BOS 9 - Final
DET 2 @ TB 12 - Final
Next Yankees Game: Sun, Apr 02, 01:35 PM EDT vs. Giants
Last Updated: 04/01/2023 08:12:59 PM EDT submitted by
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2023.04.02 01:19 PhilsBot The Phillies fell to the Rangers by a score of 16-3 - Sat, Apr 01 @ 04:05 PM EDT
Game Status: Final - Score: 16-3 Rangers
Links & Info
| Phillies Batters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1 | Turner - SS | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .333 | .400 | .778 |
| 2 | Schwarber - LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 3 | Realmuto - C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .571 | .625 | 1.000 |
| a-Stubbs - C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 4 | Hall, D - 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 | .375 | .429 |
| b-Harrison - P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 5 | Castellanos, N - DH | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .444 | .444 | .778 |
| Sosa, E - 3B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 6 | Stott - 2B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .375 | .375 | .500 |
| 7 | Bohm - 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .429 | .500 | 1.000 |
| 8 | Cave - RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .000 | .125 | .000 |
| 9 | Marsh - CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .286 | .286 | .714 |
| c-Pache - PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Totals | 34 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 15 | | | |
| Phillies |
| a-Popped out for Realmuto in the 8th. b-Grounded out for Hall, D in the 8th. c-Struck out for Marsh in the 9th. |
| BATTING: 2B: Hall, D (1, Eovaldi); Castellanos, N 2 (3, Eovaldi, Dunning); Stott (1, Eovaldi). 3B: Turner (2, Eovaldi). TB: Castellanos, N 4; Hall, D 3; Realmuto; Stott 3; Turner 4. RBI: Castellanos, N 2 (2); Schwarber (1). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Stott; Marsh 2; Schwarber. GIDP: Bohm. Team RISP: 2-for-9. Team LOB: 7. |
| FIELDING: E: Turner (1, fielding); Bohm (1, fielding). PB: Stubbs (1). |
| Rangers Batters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1 | Semien - 2B | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .300 | .273 | .600 |
| 2 | Seager - SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .286 | .455 | .286 |
| Hearn - P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 3 | Lowe, N - 1B | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .444 | .500 | .556 |
| 4 | García, Ad - CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .625 | .667 | .625 |
| 1-Jankowski - CF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
| 5 | Jung - 3B | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | .125 | .300 | .125 |
| 6 | Grossman - RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 |
| Thompson, B - RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| 7 | Garver - C | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .500 | .600 | 2.000 |
| 8 | Miller, B - DH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .286 | .375 | .714 |
| a-Duran, E - LF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 9 | Smith, J - SS | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .250 | .571 | .250 |
| Totals | 40 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 6 | 12 | 23 | | | |
| Rangers |
| a-Struck out for Miller, B in the 8th. 1-Ran for García, Ad in the 7th. |
| BATTING: 2B: Lowe, N (1, Wheeler); Thompson, B (1, Kimbrel). HR: Semien (1, 1st inning off Wheeler, 0 on, 0 out); Garver 2 (2, 5th inning off Marte, Y, 2 on, 2 out, 7th inning off Domínguez, 2 on, 0 out). TB: García, Ad 3; Garver 8; Grossman 2; Jankowski; Jung; Lowe, N 4; Miller, B; Seager; Semien 4; Smith, J; Thompson, B 2. RBI: García, Ad (3); Garver 6 (6); Grossman 2 (5); Jankowski (1); Lowe, N 2 (3); Seager (1); Semien 2 (2). 2-out RBI: Grossman; García, Ad; Lowe, N; Jankowski; Garver 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Jung 2; Garver. SF: Grossman; Seager; Semien. Team RISP: 7-for-16. Team LOB: 10. |
| FIELDING: Outfield assists: Smith, J (Realmuto at 2nd base). DP: (Seager-Semien-Lowe, N). |
| Phillies Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | P-S | ERA |
| Wheeler (L, 0-1) | 4.1 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 94-55 | 8.31 |
| Marte, Y | 0.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 29-16 | 27.00 |
| Alvarado | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18-12 | 0.00 |
| Domínguez | 0.0 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27-15 | -.-- |
| Bellatti | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17-9 | 0.00 |
| Kimbrel | 0.1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 18-9 | 81.00 |
| Harrison | 0.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17-10 | 0.00 |
| Totals | 8.0 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 12 | 3 | | |
| Rangers Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | P-S | ERA |
| Eovaldi (W, 1-0) | 5.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 82-49 | 5.40 |
| Dunning (H, 1) | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35-23 | 0.00 |
| Hearn | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17-9 | 0.00 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | | |
| Game Info |
| HBP: Smith, J (by Domínguez). |
| Pitch timer violations: Wheeler (pitcher); Eovaldi (pitcher). |
| Pitches-strikes: Wheeler 94-55; Marte, Y 29-16; Alvarado 18-12; Domínguez 27-15; Bellatti 17-9; Kimbrel 18-9; Harrison 17-10; Eovaldi 82-49; Dunning 35-23; Hearn 17-9. |
| Groundouts-flyouts: Wheeler 4-2; Marte, Y 0-0; Alvarado 1-0; Domínguez 1-0; Bellatti 1-2; Kimbrel 0-0; Harrison 0-1; Eovaldi 5-1; Dunning 5-2; Hearn 0-1. |
| Batters faced: Wheeler 22; Marte, Y 5; Alvarado 4; Domínguez 6; Bellatti 4; Kimbrel 4; Harrison 5; Eovaldi 22; Dunning 11; Hearn 4. |
| Inherited runners-scored: Marte, Y 1-1; Bellatti 3-3; Harrison 3-3. |
| Umpires: HP: CB Bucknor. 1B: Chris Segal. 2B: Ben May. 3B: Jeff Nelson. |
| Weather: 71 degrees, Sunny. |
| Wind: 8 mph, In From CF. |
| First pitch: 3:07 PM. |
| T: 3:10. |
| Att: 31,916. |
| Venue: Globe Life Field. |
| April 1, 2023 |
| Inning | Scoring Play | Score |
| Bottom 1 | Marcus Semien homers (1) on a line drive to right center field. | 1-0 TEX |
| Bottom 1 | Robbie Grossman singles on a sharp ground ball to center fielder Brandon Marsh. Nathaniel Lowe scores. Adolis Garcia to 3rd. | 2-0 TEX |
| Bottom 3 | Robbie Grossman out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Jake Cave. Nathaniel Lowe scores. Adolis Garcia to 3rd. | 3-0 TEX |
| Bottom 3 | Mitch Garver reaches on a fielding error by shortstop Trea Turner. Adolis Garcia scores. | 4-0 TEX |
| Top 4 | Nick Castellanos doubles (2) on a sharp ground ball to right fielder Robbie Grossman, deflected by pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. J.T. Realmuto scores. Darick Hall scores. | 4-2 TEX |
| Top 5 | Kyle Schwarber grounds out, second baseman Marcus Semien to first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Trea Turner scores. | 4-3 TEX |
| Bottom 5 | Mitch Garver homers (1) on a fly ball to left field. Adolis Garcia scores. Josh Jung scores. | 7-3 TEX |
| Bottom 7 | Mitch Garver homers (2) on a fly ball to left field. Josh Jung scores. Robbie Grossman scores. | 10-3 TEX |
| Bottom 7 | Corey Seager out on a sacrifice fly to left fielder Kyle Schwarber. Brad Miller scores. Josh H. Smith to 3rd. Marcus Semien to 2nd. | 11-3 TEX |
| Bottom 7 | Nathaniel Lowe grounds out, shortstop Trea Turner to first baseman Darick Hall. Josh H. Smith scores. Marcus Semien to 3rd. | 12-3 TEX |
| Bottom 7 | Adolis Garcia singles on a ground ball to left fielder Kyle Schwarber. Marcus Semien scores. | 13-3 TEX |
| Bottom 8 | Marcus Semien out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Jake Cave. Bubba Thompson scores. Mitch Garver to 3rd. | 14-3 TEX |
| Bottom 8 | Nathaniel Lowe singles on a line drive to right fielder Jake Cave. Mitch Garver scores. Josh H. Smith to 3rd. Corey Seager to 2nd. | 15-3 TEX |
| Bottom 8 | Travis Jankowski singles on a line drive to left fielder Kyle Schwarber. Josh H. Smith scores. Corey Seager to 3rd. Nathaniel Lowe to 2nd. | 16-3 TEX |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | | R | H | E | LOB |
| Phillies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 3 | 9 | 2 | 7 |
| Rangers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | | | 16 | 17 | 0 | 10 |
Decisions
Division Scoreboard
ATL 7 @ WSH 1 - Final
NYM 6 @ MIA 2 - Final
Next Phillies Game: Sun, Apr 02, 07:08 PM EDT @ Rangers
Last Updated: 04/01/2023 09:35:21 PM EDT submitted by
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