Tw: domestic violence, child harm
He's become the most vile person. He tried so hard to isolate her from me. I wouldn't let him. He even assaulted me 20 years ago, but I still stayed close to her. They've been together since high school, so over 25 years.
She was so close. She left him for a little while but went back. Then covid happened and his dad closed his business and sold it. It was going to be passed on to him but he couldn't keep his hand out of the cash register. She worked in health care but burned out after the first year of covid. He also wasn't getting their kids to school to the point that child services was involved, so she couldn't work any more.
She was only back for a few months and she had enough video evidence of his physical and mental abuse that he was charged with several crimes including assault and stalking. She got a restraining order against him and he was out of the house.
That lasted a year, then, because nobody was paying the mortgage, she let him come back. He promised to take care of everything. He sold the house and now they live in a rental with their daughters.
Child services is still involved. Currently, neither of them work. She does all the chores, child care, everything. They're living on the money from the sale of the house. He lies in bed all day drinking and getting high, then gets up and starts fights with her. He's never sober. The last time he went to detox, he got the child services worker to pick him up 2 days early and she brought him to my sister's house. WTF! How is that part of her job? Just another person in his fog.
He thinks if they split up he's getting full custody. He's so delusional. It's a small town and he'll call himself the mayor because everybody loves him so much. If he only knew how many people laugh at him behind his back. But a lot of people are taken in by his whole show. It's unfortunate. He's dropped the mask to pick up alcohol and it's a dangerous combination.
He's been to rehab once and detox at least 5 times this year. He had a seizure last time and that child services lady thought it was a good idea to bring him home early? I really want to report her, and I probably will. Or my therapist will because when I talk about my sister she always tells me she has to report some of the things I tell her. Which is fine.
He still stalks her. If she goes to a friend's house he screams at her for not coming straight home. He's driving around a small town, drunk, looking for her car if she's gone more than a half hour. This happened last week so it's not getting any better.
She's in so much danger right now and she has no clue. He's ready to break and I don't want to lose my sister. She says she isn't worried because he's too weak from all the hard core drinking to really hurt her. Plus all the drugs he's getting from doctors to help him stop drinking. He's primed for a break from reality and doing some serious harm to her.
I only see my sister when we're not at her house. Last weekend we went out for lunch to celebrate my new promotion and things are so bad for her right now. She refuses to go to a lawyer, her oldest daughter will never forgive her. She could easily call his probation officer and ask for the restraining order back. I can't help her. I want to but it's not my life to control.
She wants me to visit her this weekend and bring my dogs. I miss hanging out with her but I know there's going to be an ugly confrontation if I go. There always is. And she gets the worst of it. So do I go? I'm not the type to sit back and take abuse from anyone. And at this point I think that there's nothing I can do for her. I just want her to be safe but I don't think that's ever going to happen. He'll kill her and the kids and then himself before he lets her go. Or I can go and just ignore him. It's really hard for me though.
My niece, she's 7, tells me things that hurt my heart. I've promised her I won't tell her mom, and I keep these promises. I do talk to the child services lady, and my sister has given me permission. I'm trying to be a safe person for her. She hates him and wishes he would go away. I don't blame her. I saw a couple of the videos my sister used to prosecute him and seeing my niece like that? My sister should be in a city 1000 miles away by now. I wish I could help her.

Hi! My husband and I are planning a 25 day trip to Japan for this summer, from mid July to mid August. We are both huge fans of art, culture, nature and food. So far we had a very relaxed itinerary, with longer stays per city, as I was supposed to be 5 months pregnant. Sadly, as of this week, I am not anymore. I've already added more activities, walks and museumtrips to our itinerary during our stay in Tokyo, but it still needs a lot of work for the rest of it. As you can see, there are still days unplanned or need to be changed.
Questions I have:

• This is a 25 day trip, with days unplanned. Any recommendations as to where we should go or visit?
• The number of days for Osaka may be too much now. I myself have been to Japan twice before, visiting Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. I actually really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and shopping in Osaka! However, it is my husband's first time. Perhaps it would be nice to discover other (new) places together. I am therefore willing to shorten our stay in Osaka to 4 days, but where should we go during the rest of it?
• If there's any advice or recommendations you have on this itinerary, I'm all ears. With everything going on, it sometimes feels a bit overwhelming. So any help is very much appreciated.

Our current itinerary:

• Day 0: Flight to HND Tokyo

Part 1 - Tokyo (7 days)

• Day 1: Tokyo
  • Morning: check-in at the hotel, have brunch
  • Evening: discover Ginza.
• Day 2: Tokyo
  • Morning: visit Sensoji-temple, Asakusa and head to the National museum.
  • Evening: t.b.d.
• Day 3: Tokyo
  • Morning: explore Akihabara en Ikebukuro
  • Evening: t.b.d.
• Day 4: Tokyo
  • Morning: Tsukiji market, Hama-rikya gardens and maybe a Kabuki show.
  • Evening: explore Chuo Dori or Nihonbashi district.
• Day 5: Tokyo
  • Morning: culture walk through Jimbocho, Imperial Gardens and Kagurazawa.
  • Evening: t.b.d.
• Day 6: Tokyo
  • Morning: Meji-shrine and Yoyogi Park
  • Evening: explore Shinjuku
• Day 7: Tokyo
  • Morning: Ghibli museum, explore Kichijoji and maybe Inokashira Park or Nakano Broadway.
  • Evening: Shinjuku for Oimoide Yokocho and Kabukicho

Part 2 - Kansai (12 days?)

• Day 8: Osaka
  • Morning: Shinkansen to Osaka, check-in at hotel
  • Evening: t.b.d.
• Day 9: Osaka
  • Morning: visit Osaka Castle
  • Evening: shopping and have food at Dotonbori
• Day 10: Osaka
  • Visit Nara
• Day 11: Osaka
  • Morning: shopping
  • Evening: Dotonbori or explore some bars
• Day 12: Osaka
  • Visit Kobe
• Day 13: Osaka?
• Day 14: Osaka?
• Day 15: Osaka?
• Day 16: Kyoto
  • Morning: travel from Osaka to Kyoto, check-in at hotel
  • Evening: explore Gion
• Day 17: Kyoto
  • Morning: Philosophers path and cycle around.
  • Evening: t.b.d.
• Day 18: Kyoto
  • Morning: Kinkaku-ji park and Insho domoto museum.
  • Evening: t.b.d.
• Day 19: Kyoto
  • Free day/my husband has a list of things he wants to do.

Part 3 - Unplanned (3 days)

• Day 20: ?
• Day 21: ?
• Day 22: ?

Part 4 - Tokyo (3 days)

• Day 23: Tokyo
  • Maybe explore Yokohama.
• Day 24: Tokyo
  • Open to explore any place we might have missed.
• Day 25: Tokyo
  • Open to explore any place we might have missed.
• Day 26: Tokyo
  • All day: flight back home.

Here we go again, another Friday and time for another Rotten Restaurant Report. This is just about the nicest time in Central Oregon. Mild temperatures, no more yard debris burning, no wildfires. What's not to love OTHER THAN THE POLLEN ? I hope that you all had a great week. Now let's get down to the business at hand - What have the health inspectors found this week?
The BEST - These are the places that scored perfect 100s. These places are really doing a good job at keeping their kitchens clean. The places that score a perfect 100 are really going all out to do things right and they deserve your support.
AlpenGlow Adventure Catering at The Capitol Kitchen (f), Bend (5/25)
Dilly Dally Coffee Co. (f), Bend (5/24)
Dough Nut (The) (Midtown), Bend (5/24)
Coffee Republic (mob), Bend (5/24)
Pro-Vend Services (V), Redmond (5/23)
Maki Maki Sushi (wh), Bend (5/22)
Raganelli's Take & Bake Pizza, Bend (5/22)
JoJo's Cafe (f), Bend (5/22)
The WORST SCORERS: Now comes everyone's favorite part of the report - the list of Rotten Restaurants who scored worse than 85. I don't post any place that scores 85 or above even if they were the worst inspections for a particular week. 85 is a solid B and I don't want to shame them.
Redmond Coffee Company (SW 21st), Redmond, Score: 52 (5/23)
I'm going to stick these identifiers here so that when you see stuff like (mob) and (wh) you'll have some idea of what they are talking about. I'm not positive about all of these but they're probably pretty close. If you see anything I've missed or I guessed wrong please let me know.
e - fee exempt
mob - mobile
wh - warehouse
rp - recreational park
f - fixed position?
com - commissary
tf - traveler's accommodation
L - Limited Service
If you have time on your hands and want to check out the county inspection site here's the link - https://inspections.myhealthdepartment.com/or-deschutes-county
It's a very nice community resource. Kudos to the county for making it this easy to check up on things.
Well that's all I got for this week. Time to say goodbye and leave you with a little tune.
Here you go....
https://youtu.be/HFwsONQdthI

Any homes for sale, or home auctions anyone is aware of ?

TLDR: My sister told her kids if I was using a wheelchair because I’m lazy then laughed about it.
I (38f) have a sister (36f) with two kids (nephew 9 & nice 5). We don’t have much in common and while we get on fine now and I love her dearly, she was completely horrible to me right up until I left home for uni. In fact in the first month I was away, she called me a couple of times just to pick fights because that was the only way she knew how to communicate with me. She always knew just what buttons to press to hurt me most.
I’ll admit, she doesn’t have it easy. She’s a single mum and her ex isn’t as involved a parent as any of us would like. She works hard and is constantly on the go, taking the kids to their activities and rarely has any time to herself.
But I haven’t had it easy either. I don’t think she (or anyone else in my family because I don’t like to talk about it) realises how emotionally abusive my marriage was. And for the past 6 years I’ve been physically disabled. I have one rare condition that causes painful abscess clusters, fibromyalgia, and I’m currently being investigated for rheumatoid arthritis. I’ve had to move back in with our parents because I can’t afford or physically manage the upkeep of a place of my own.
For years I’ve used one or two crutches to get around the house and a rolling walker for most of the time outside. But that on its own is becoming less feasible. My mobility has worsened in the last year, particularly my walking. I’ve been needing two crutches more often and my world has been shrinking. The final straw came when I was at a hospital appointment, using my walker and my legs just gave up. I needed wheeled to my appointment by one of the hospital volunteers and I was so embarrassed. I came home and ordered my first manual wheelchair.
It’s been life changing. For the first time since before the pandemic I was able to browse at the nearby shopping centre instead of just picking up my prescription and leaving. Instead of spending money on a taxi to get to appointments with no parking nearby I can park further away and wheel myself. I went to a museum exhibit with my dad that I really wanted to see but wouldn’t have managed. But it’s not easy. I’m using my arms in a completely different way and contending with my town’s terrible pavements. It’s actually really good exercise for my upper body.
When I first mentioned on the phone to my sister that I’d ordered it she said, “I hope you won’t become reliant on it,” and “You’d better not expect us to push you everywhere.” I asked her if she would say I was reliant on my glasses and explained it was just another tool in my mobility toolbox, I’ll always use the one most appropriate to the day/location/activity and the goal was to be more independent, not less and she seemed satisfied. I’ve spent ages rigging up a system to attach my crutches so they don’t fall off and I can get out of it at any time.
Well when they were visiting the other weekend she came in giggling and asked the kids to give me their “drawing”. In big letters it said “Auntie is your wheelchair for being lazy?” She was full blown laughing as I read that. I hid how much it hurt me but explained what I had above in a kid-friendly way. But later I cried in my room about it. I know the kids wouldn’t have come up with the “lazy” thing without her.
I’ve had a conversation about how much the chair is helping me but how much work it is with her bf (it came up naturally and he wasn’t there when they gave the “picture” to me) so hopefully some of that will be passed on. And I don’t intend on saying anything to her because I know she’ll get defensive. I just want to know if being hurt is normal or if this is just something I’ll have to get used to when using my chair? All my other interactions around it have been so positive this has really thrown me.

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I’m looking for strategies that will help me with this problem. My son is 5 1/2 and seems to be a prodigious climber. Within seconds he can climb the brick wall in the back yard. I’ve moved everything he has used to get a boost. Once he gets into the brick wall, he walks the wall into a neighbors yard or onto the roof.
I take him to parks so he can climb. Still comes homes and finds opportunities to climb out of the yard.
The only effective solution I have found has been to lock him inside the house, which really sucks. My wife says to just follow him around when he’s in the back yard. There are two blind spots, one on each side of the house. To watch him, I’d have to run back and forth from side to side as he exploits these vulnerabilities. I don’t have enough energy to follow him like that.
I used to be able to let him in the back yard with minimal supervision. Now, I cannot let him in the backyard at all (unless I want to follow him a round the whole time).
When I was young, I spent countless hours in the yard completely unsupervised. No problem. I would love to be able to allow my so. In the back yard without knowing he will climb out of the yard within 2-3 minutes.
Any effective solutions?

If you are interested in Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency contact us at +44 759 388 2116 on Telegram/Whatsapp.
I have Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency.
Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste agency is the latest course by Iman Gadzhi.
Copy Paste Agency is designed for established agency owners, who can use these lessons to scale their business.
In Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency, you will learn:

• How to continue to run a multiple-six-figure agency from home with a skeleton staff and minimal expenses
  
• How to command higher retainers… and retain those clients for longer
  
• How to automate, delegate, and optimize every area of your agency from lead generation and sales to service delivery and client communication
  

To get Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency contact us on:
Whatsapp/Telegram: +44 759 388 2116 (Telegram: multistorecourses)
Reddit DM to u/RequestCourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore[@]yandex.com (remove the brackets)

If you’re reading this I am begging you to believe me. Especially if you have children. My name is Leon and I have been investigating strange disappearances for four years. I am not an official investigator or a journalist. Before I started this whole thing I did not believe in ghosts or the paranormal. For me to believe in something I had to see it with my own two eyes! Everything had to be factual and everything had an explanation.
At least this is what I used to believe until my wife was murdered four years ago. They found her at work completely skinless. She was drained of blood and was missing all of her nails. They told me the precision required to accomplish this was not heard of yet. I waited months for answers and they never came, so I decided to go get them myself. I had no idea where to start or who to speak to so I went back to the store to try and dig up as much information as I could find.
Her manager eventually told me that she had gotten into a fight with a customer that day and that he assumed she went home on time. When her body was found in the employee break room he was shocked. He had no idea she was still in the building. He said he told me exactly what he told the police. I asked him if there was any footage of the man she was arguing with but he told me the security cameras were not working that day. I vividly remember wanting to punch this guy in his damn face. He was no help and I was determined to solve my wife's murder.
I ended up searching for the guy for months. I asked every one of her coworkers if they saw the argument and a couple of times I even had a run-in with the cops. They insisted that I should let them do their jobs and that they had everything handled. There was no chance I was going to listen to them. I had to take time off from my investigation to attend her funeral and make sure I got all of the preparations right. In hindsight, I was not growing properly and I really should've taken some time to reassess.
So fast forward another month and I finally get a lead. Something I assumed the cops didn't have, this meant I could finally get some answers before being stonewalled again. I ended up finding this guy, Will Brookes at a fucken motel off of the highway about three miles from where my wife worked. I waited for two days before I saw him leave his room to get ice. Once I knew what room to find him in I knocked until he opened the door. He was rightfully pissed but not as pissed as I was. It took every ounce of willpower in my body to not kill him on the spot.
“Why did you kill my wife?!” I snapped as I forced myself into the room and slammed the door behind me. He looked shocked.
“I did not kill her!” He screamed and tried to move around me. So I grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him into the wall next to the tv. This guy was not very heavy and not very strong. At that moment I was wondering how he could kill anyone.
“You were the last person to be seen with her alive!” I barked. I wanted to push his body through the wall. I wanted to crush him.
“I was bringing her the papers she requested for a job offer she accepted in a place called LittleBrooke!” The man said. He was shaking so I put him down and pushed him to the side. “Show me the papers,” I demanded. My wife had told me twice that she had gotten a new job offer. I was extremely excited! I work from home and would be happy to live wherever she wanted. All she had to do was say the word and we could’ve left as soon as possible. But she never made it home to tell me the news.
I watched as the shaking man handed me a stack of papers and even a suitcase. “Here, take it and please leave me alone!” He shouted. “Okay.” I left the motel room and went right to my car. I put everything on the passenger seat and went home. Once I got there I sobbed in the driveway for over an hour before finally getting out and heading inside. I never got to see her body and I never got to say goodbye. Being in this house felt like I was walking into a damn shallow grave of sorts.
I went right to the master bedroom and packed up as many clothes as I could. I even took some of her favorite items, I don’t know why. I took a couple of pillows and two blankets, and after that, I went around to search the rest of the house. Once I had finished in the master bedroom I went and grabbed all my items from the bathroom. After that, I went into the nursery. We were planning on trying to have a baby once she got her new job. I looked around the nursery and took some stuffed animals and blankets, nothing too crazy. I also made sure to grab our family photo album. Finally, I made sure to grab all of the savings from the jar we had plus anything I kept in the safe. I also made sure to grab our wedding video and once I had everything I thought I could need I left the house. On my way out I made sure to tell the building goodbye.
Once I got back into my car I decided to drive a bit. No way in hell was I going to the same motel as that guy so I drove until I hit a hotel far enough away from my house. I did not end up checking in though. Once I got close enough I backed up and just kept driving. I eventually hit a truck stop after a couple of hours and decided to rest my eyes for a while. I was exhausted and there were way too many questions rushing through my head. I knew if I kept driving in that state I would probably crash or something.
After sleeping for four hours I decided it was time to look through the papers and figure out what I was going to do next. I took the first paper from the stack and started to read it. For the sake of time here I will only tell you guys what I found that was interesting.
Paper One: You have been accepted to work as a store manager! Please review your employee packet for more information.
So as I am going over this first paper a couple of things stick out to me. Whoever wrote this was trying not to be specific. The whole paper was one big announcement for a new store opening up in a place called LittleBrooke. There was no state mentioned anywhere on this paper, I would later find out that this place was supposed to be in Washington D.C.
I decided to dig around and eventually found the employee packet. She accepted a job at a mega-store called BrightMarketZ. I thought it was a pretty weird name but what stood out to me was what they were offering to pay her. $22.00 an hour! I couldn't believe it. No wonder she said yes and didn’t bother to ask any questions.
Paper Twenty: To find LittleBrooke please enter [REDACTED] into your GPS device. You will be staying inside apartment 307. All rent for your first month in LittleBrooke is covered by your employer. Please note that all apartments are two-bedroom only. If you have a larger household please speak to Sydney May at Town Hall for bigger accommodations.
After reading this I decided to just go to LittleBrooke and get answers. I was assuming that I would find out what the hell happened if I just went. I wanted to know what my wife died for and I wanted to know why this was some big secret in the first place. I went back to bed and as soon as the sun came up I put the information into my GPS and headed for LittleBrooke.

Year One in LittleBrooke

It took me three weeks to reach LittleBrooke and I could tell that something was wrong the moment I found the town. If I wasn't so damn desperate for answers I would've turned around as soon as I saw the library. The building itself wasn't big but the two huge lions on either side of the staircase gave me the creeps.
After that I passed a mechanic, the whole place looked run down as hell. There wasn't a single car to be seen but the sign said open. The man standing outside of the building waved to me so I gave him a slow wave back. He looked weird. At the time I couldn’t place my finger on why but now I know it’s because he was not human.
The theater was kind of cool to look at in a vintage kind of way. They were not showing anything when I drove by and I made the decision early on to stay out of the theater altogether. After the theater, I saw a small building that said LittleBrooke Press. If anything else I figured I could write for the paper.
As I approached the apartment building a woman was standing outside. Her face was weird as hell. It looked like she had far too much plastic surgery like her face was threatening to pop at any moment. “Hi, can I help you?” she asked me. Her voice was shrill, it was gross to even hear her speak. It sounded like she was putting on a fake voice just to speak to me. “Hi, my wife accepted a job offer. Unfortunately, she has passed away. I would still like to claim the apartment left to us. I can work at any place that currently has an opening.” I offered.
“LittleBrooke Press has space for two more writers!” She smiled and handed me the keys to the apartment. She never asked my name and she knew exactly where I wanted to go. I thought it was weird but I didn’t argue. Instead, I took the keys and thanked her. I spent that whole day getting settled into the new apartment. A couple of things, the front door had four different locks on it. I thought that was pretty weird. I also did not see or hear any other people until my third night in the apartment. I called the LittleBrooke Press about a potential job and they told me to email my submissions. There was no need for me to come in person and honestly, I liked this deal a lot.
For the first few months, I spent my time writing about whatever came to my mind. After that, I would send it in and get my money back. The editor never told me what to do and they never requested anything. It was sweet. As December rolled around I could feel myself slipping into a seasonal depression. At that point, I had made no progress in any of my investigations. I did not know the town well enough and frankly, I felt like I was wasting my time. That night I decided to check out the local bar. It was pretty hidden, you had to drive further into LittleBrooke to find it. Once I got there I was shocked! The place was packed. I sat down at the bar and ordered a drink.
The bartender was hot as hell, too hot. She was so even looking so perfectly symmetrical that it made me extremely uncomfortable. There wasn’t a single hair out of place. “So are you new in town?” She asked me. “Yeah, I just got here a couple of months ago. My now-deceased wife accepted a job offer here.” I said bluntly and dryly. I wanted to finish my drink and go. It was like the bones in my body were screaming at me to leave. The woman looked shocked. “Tell me, does that happen often? Do people accept a job offer in LittleBrooke and turn up dead a couple of days later?” I hissed. It was a genuine question but she did not take it too kindly. She took my drink from my hands and told me to leave.
As I made my way back to my car I could hear someone coming up from behind me. I turned around as fast as possible and had to take three steps back. It was the bartender, but she did not look the same. Half of her face was weighed down like she had no bones at all. Her eyes were bulging out of her head. She gurgled at me. “You need to leave!” She finally snapped and swung her arm in my direction. I moved back before she could hit me. As her hand hit my car window it shattered like it was made of ice. I watched as her arm popped and clicked. I could see it slowly getting longer. Before I knew it her arm was dragging on the pavement! She lunged at me so I punched her in her stomach. She gurgled again and sunk her teeth into my jacket. I screamed for help as we hit the pavement. She was trying fucken eat me! I grabbed her by her hair and threw her backward as hard as I could. As I scrambled to my feet and looked at her I screamed again. Her skin was pulled back. Now hugging the bones on her face. Her eyes were completely exposed! I turned and dove into my car as fast as I could. I slammed the door behind me and sped out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.
The next morning I received a letter under my door. “Sorry, you had problems last night! Please accept our sincerest apologies.” -Mayor Brookes. There was $300 included with the letter. Now, I thought about leaving but decided I had to stay. Something was going on here and I had to find out what. I removed my jacket to see if the woman had injured me, she didn't but the experience was still terrifying. For the first time in a very long time, I was scared. But I also felt closer to the truth than I have ever been before.

Year Two in LittleBrooke

I spent all of January writing about the women who attacked me. I even contacted the police. I quickly learned that the police were going to be completely useless. My editor never sent the story back so I had assumed it was published.
At the end of the month, I left to shop for some supplies. Let me tell you, the grocery store in LittleBrooke is something else. They don’t have any brands you’ve ever heard of and at first, that drove me nuts. However, I quickly came to fall in love with the food here. It was comforting to have something to enjoy. Like always, I made sure to shop for two to three months at a time. Shopping was easy, I used the self-checkout to make sure I didn’t have to speak to anyone.
Once I got home I put everything away and decided to look around the apartment building. My whole floor started with 301 and went all the way to 310. The first floor was 501 to 509. There was a technical second floor but none of the doors were labeled. It looked like someone was renovating the place.
I got to see some of my neighbors too. An older woman, two men, and I were living next door to a lady the whole time. I had never seen or heard from these people before. It seemed like everyone wanted to keep to themselves too. I wanted to try and talk to someone but every time I approached them they turned and walked away. For what it's worth they looked completely normal.
So I left the apartment building and ventured around the property. There were no other apartments anywhere close to the one I was staying at, or so I thought until I found one about thirty minutes away. It was so out of the way you wouldn't find it unless you were looking. Against my better judgment, I opened the doors to the building and walked right inside. The place smelled like rust and soot.
I went to explore the first floor and was shocked to find blood trails on the floor and the ceiling. I followed the trail and made sure to look at the numbers on each door. This floor was numbered 1-10. Most of the doors were locked and I wasn’t going to try and knock anything down. I opened the door to apartment 10 and walked right inside. There was just enough light from the sun to illuminate the place. It looked like the whole place had been ransacked. I checked the tables and cabinets before heading into the bedroom. I searched the dresser and under the pillows before finally checking under the bed. When I looked under I spotted a black box. I grabbed it and that is when I got the feeling again. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt something sharp dig into my shoulders.
I screamed as loudly as I could, my face slammed off of the carpet and I clenched the box with one hand. Before I could figure out what the hell was happening I was tossed backward. I went into the bedroom door and rolled a couple of times until I reached the torn-up couch. I slowly lifted my head and to my horror what I was looking at was way too far from human to be real.
It looked like a dog ape thing. It was mostly skinless aside from some skin on its torso and face. The creature had thick, long claws and was standing on its hind legs. It barked at me. Its fangs were huge! I quickly scrambled to my feet and rushed out of the door as fast as possible. I could feel the blood running down my back. Never once did I consider letting this box go.
“Help!” I screamed as I burst through the apartment complex doors and started to run back to the main road. My heart was pounding, I could feel my chest getting tighter with each step. I could hear the beast behind me, it was screeching. I thought I was going to die for sure, there was no way I could continue to outrun this beast. That’s when I heard a car and before I knew it I could see it! A woman was waving me over, she was just up ahead! I had to push a little harder. I had to be just a little stronger.
When I felt the embrace of the car door I ripped it open and dove inside. She sped away and I looked out of the window. The beast did not follow us any further. “Are you insane!” She snapped at me. That’s the last thing I remember before passing out.
When I woke up I was laying on my stomach on an extremely comfortable couch. I could smell someone making pasta with meat sauce. My stomach was going insane. Everything hurt though, especially my back and my left side. I figured I had hurt my side when I was tossed across the room.
At this point, I did not dive into the box yet. I could barely move. “Hi.” I heard a woman say from the kitchen. “Thank you,” I replied before trying to sit up. I was so concerned that this woman would be another monster. When I saw her though I knew she was normal. She didn't look so damn perfect and that was a breath of fresh air.
“What's your name?” She asked me as I watched her prepare two bowls of food.
“Leon,” I said before closing my eyes. “You heard me screaming?” I asked her seriously.
“I did. I’m pretty sure everyone in our building did. You got hurt pretty badly, I did my best to patch you up.” She paused and laughed. “My name is Ashley.”
So I ended up crashing at her place. During this time I tried to focus on recovering. Sleeping became hell, I was having constant nightmares. I also spent a lot of time working on articles. I ended up giving Ash the keys to my apartment so she could get my laptop. It was a big move to trust anyone here but I am glad I did.
​

Year Three and Four in LittleBrooke

During my recovery, I spent most of my time writing. I wanted to write about everything I have seen and experienced. I had a lot of questions and way too much time with my thoughts. Ash and I got to know each other too.
I told her about how my wife had died mysteriously. I eventually opened up about her being skinned and drained of her blood. Ash told me she had come to LittleBrooke with her older sister. Her sister went to work one day and never came back. She was working at the theater. Ash had told me that she was stuck here, she didn’t feel right leaving with her sister still missing. Every time she would try the cops would meet her at the town line.
It was during this time that we both shared that we had never seen a police station. We talked about the monsters too. Her first run-in with one was at the grocery store. I told her about what happened to me at the bar. She told me that she heard rumors of the beast living beyond the apartments. The first time she saw it was when it was attacking me.
As I started to recover more we discussed a couple of things. First, the neighbors here suck. She could hear me screaming and came to help but no one else did. Second, neither of us has seen any families since we moved here. It was at this point I decided I wanted to leave and I offered to take her with me. We could both get out come hell or high water. She agreed but there was something I had to do first.
I showed her the box I had taken from the apartment.
“You almost died for a box?” Ash asked me. “Yes,” I said seriously.
I opened it and blinked. I found a picture of a girl with black hair and bright green eyes. It read, Stephanie. I found a missing persons report too. This girl had been missing a year before I got here. I decided that my last article would be about her. I had written about a couple of missing people before this. For example, the old lady in our building vanished and her apartment was rented out two days later.
I also found a badge inside the box. It read F.O.P.P. and there was a name! Jack Bridges. We tried to look up the organization's name but we came up empty-handed. I ended up writing the story about Stephanie and the next day Ash and I got packing. We decided to take my car since the cops know what hers looks like. I packed up the essentials all over again and we piled into the car. “We should check the other direction. Before we leave.” I suggested. Ash knew about the bar already but neither of us knew what was beyond that point: This suggested changed the course of our lives forever.
So we started driving in the other direction. We passed the bar where the woman had tried to eat me, we passed a convenience store I didn’t know this town had and we just kept driving. Eventually, I could hear Ash speaking to me, “Holy shit! The police station.” she pointed out. I couldn’t believe it either. I did not stop driving though but I wish I did.
Eventually, we saw a sign that read, LittleBrooke High. Go Bears!
I started to slow down a bit until the school was in view. The place looked run down as hell. There were holes in the walls and leaves growing up the side of the building. The parking lot was massive and full of buses. I pulled the car into the parking lot and told Ash to get into the driver's seat.
“You’re not serious?” She asked me. I could tell she wanted to go but I said, “This is it! This is the last place of note in this fucken town. Just take the wheel and I will be right back.” I said as I jumped out of the car and went to look around.
As I approached one of the buses I grabbed the doors, they were already open a crack. I pulled them open and was hit with a horrible stench. I had to step back and puke and no I am not going to describe what I saw in that fucken bus. At that point, I decided I had seen enough and it was time to fucken go.
“Help!” I heard someone cry from a couple of buses over. “Please!” I heard again. I wanted to slap myself because I knew better. I had already decided it was time to leave but I went to investigate anyway. I went to the bus and pulled the doors open. It smelled like stale piss and blood. “Back here!” A girl screamed out to me. I made my way to the back of the bus, stepping on school jackets and over backpacks. That is where I found them. Two teenagers are tied to the leg of a bus seat. They looked horrible, caking in blood and sweat. They were both injured. “Stephanie?!” I exclaimed as I bent over to free them. I recognized her face the moment I saw it.
“Can you move? I asked the blonde girl.” As I started to let her go. “Everything hurts.” She told me. I opened the emergency exit and called for Ash to pull the car over. It took her a second to hear me but she came as fast as possible. “I am going to get you guys in the car and we are going to get out of here, okay?” I told them. I wanted to tell them everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't. It felt like that would be a huge lie.
Ash stepped out of the car and helped get the girls into the backseat. As I stopped to look around I could feel the bus shift in weight. I turned around and inhaled sharply. Standing before me was a creature wearing a jacket that said COACH on it. He looked sickly, and pale, and his veins were protruding from his face and hands. As he ran at me I jumped out of the emergency exit door just in time to feel something slam off of the back of my head. I looked down to see a barbed football. I could feel blood trickling down my neck, I stumbled forward and felt a hand grab my arm. Ash was shoving me into the car. She slid over me, closed the passenger door, and backed the car up. I thought she was moving like lightning.
At this point, everyone was screaming. My heart was threatening to jump out of my fucken chest. I was so sure we were all going to die here, just like everyone else I had seen on the buses. But no, Ash sped out of the parking lot. The coach chased us to the school limits but for some reason, he did not follow us anymore.
I know we should've stopped to see if the kids could find their parents but we didn't. Instead, Ash just kept driving. Eventually, we could hear the cops behind us but that did not stop her. It took us six hours to finally see the You Are New Leaving LittleBrooke sign! I couldn’t believe it. This place was not that big at all.
So listen, if you’re invited to take a job in LittleBrooke. Don’t take it. It’s not worth your life.

I saw some mobile homes for sale in Shady acres on Cory Lane. Before I try to call or go there. Can anyone tell me what the stipulations to buy are and if they have a dog breed policy? TIA

This is a throwaway, but my best friend is currently not talking to me. She’s said she’s “embarrassed” and “angry” for me not having any empathy in her situation.
Here’s the problem we will call me T and my friend ‘Sandy’. I picked Sandy up from the hospital after staying there for a week. We live together so I offered to pick her up from chemo. On the way home we stopped and ate at a restaurant. We didn’t even get in the car for five minutes before Sandy started violently throwing up in my car! Making it even worse it was all over my seat and floor as she states she didn’t “have much warning” of her about to destroy my car.
It gets worse. She then sh*ts all over my effing car and at this point I’m pissed. I’d already pulled over into a parking lot by this point.
As the smell started building up I’d had enough and made her get out of my car. At first she wouldn’t leave and kept begging me to go inside the department store since the parking lot wed pulled into one was connected. She wanted to take her card and buy her new underwear and pants. At this point I was so mad tho and I refused to.
I kept yelling at Sandy to get out of my car and she eventually did and walked into the department store. I was so mad. I went home and asked someone else to pick her up. When she returned she was upset that I left her and wouldn’t help her get a change of clothes all because she was embarrassed. Now she doesn’t want anything to do with me because I hurt her feelings, but at the same time it’s going to take a lot to get my car back to normal so I feel I am justified. I also don’t know how you can accidentally throw up with no warning to get a bag or open the door!
Am I the asshole?

If you’re reading this I am begging you to believe me. Especially if you have children. My name is Leon and I have been investigating strange disappearances for four years. I am not an official investigator or a journalist. Before I started this whole thing I did not believe in ghosts or the paranormal. For me to believe in something I had to see it with my own two eyes! Everything had to be factual and everything had an explanation.
At least this is what I used to believe until my wife was murdered four years ago. They found her at work completely skinless. She was drained of blood and was missing all of her nails. They told me the precision required to accomplish this was not heard of yet. I waited months for answers and they never came, so I decided to go get them myself. I had no idea where to start or who to speak to so I went back to the store to try and dig up as much information as I could find.
Her manager eventually told me that she had gotten into a fight with a customer that day and that he assumed she went home on time. When her body was found in the employee break room he was shocked. He had no idea she was still in the building. He said he told me exactly what he told the police. I asked him if there was any footage of the man she was arguing with but he told me the security cameras were not working that day. I vividly remember wanting to punch this guy in his damn face. He was no help and I was determined to solve my wife's murder.
I ended up searching for the guy for months. I asked every one of her coworkers if they saw the argument and a couple of times I even had a run-in with the cops. They insisted that I should let them do their jobs and that they had everything handled. There was no chance I was going to listen to them. I had to take time off from my investigation to attend her funeral and make sure I got all of the preparations right. In hindsight, I was not growing properly and I really should've taken some time to reassess.
So fast forward another month and I finally get a lead. Something I assumed the cops didn't have, this meant I could finally get some answers before being stonewalled again. I ended up finding this guy, Will Brookes at a fucken motel off of the highway about three miles from where my wife worked. I waited for two days before I saw him leave his room to get ice. Once I knew what room to find him in I knocked until he opened the door. He was rightfully pissed but not as pissed as I was. It took every ounce of willpower in my body to not kill him on the spot.
“Why did you kill my wife?!” I snapped as I forced myself into the room and slammed the door behind me. He looked shocked.
“I did not kill her!” He screamed and tried to move around me. So I grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him into the wall next to the tv. This guy was not very heavy and not very strong. At that moment I was wondering how he could kill anyone.
“You were the last person to be seen with her alive!” I barked. I wanted to push his body through the wall. I wanted to crush him.
“I was bringing her the papers she requested for a job offer she accepted in a place called LittleBrooke!” The man said. He was shaking so I put him down and pushed him to the side. “Show me the papers,” I demanded. My wife had told me twice that she had gotten a new job offer. I was extremely excited! I work from home and would be happy to live wherever she wanted. All she had to do was say the word and we could’ve left as soon as possible. But she never made it home to tell me the news.
I watched as the shaking man handed me a stack of papers and even a suitcase. “Here, take it and please leave me alone!” He shouted. “Okay.” I left the motel room and went right to my car. I put everything on the passenger seat and went home. Once I got there I sobbed in the driveway for over an hour before finally getting out and heading inside. I never got to see her body and I never got to say goodbye. Being in this house felt like I was walking into a damn shallow grave of sorts.
I went right to the master bedroom and packed up as many clothes as I could. I even took some of her favorite items, I don’t know why. I took a couple of pillows and two blankets, and after that, I went around to search the rest of the house. Once I had finished in the master bedroom I went and grabbed all my items from the bathroom. After that, I went into the nursery. We were planning on trying to have a baby once she got her new job. I looked around the nursery and took some stuffed animals and blankets, nothing too crazy. I also made sure to grab our family photo album. Finally, I made sure to grab all of the savings from the jar we had plus anything I kept in the safe. I also made sure to grab our wedding video and once I had everything I thought I could need I left the house. On my way out I made sure to tell the building goodbye.
Once I got back into my car I decided to drive a bit. No way in hell was I going to the same motel as that guy so I drove until I hit a hotel far enough away from my house. I did not end up checking in though. Once I got close enough I backed up and just kept driving. I eventually hit a truck stop after a couple of hours and decided to rest my eyes for a while. I was exhausted and there were way too many questions rushing through my head. I knew if I kept driving in that state I would probably crash or something. After sleeping for four hours I decided it was time to look through the papers and figure out what I was going to do next. I took the first paper from the stack and started to read it. For the sake of time here I will only tell you guys what I found that was interesting.
Paper One: You have been accepted to work as a store manager! Please review your employee packet for more information.
So as I am going over this first paper a couple of things stick out to me. Whoever wrote this was trying not to be specific. The whole paper was one big announcement for a new store opening up in a place called LittleBrooke. There was no state mentioned anywhere on this paper, I would later find out that this place was supposed to be in Washington D.C.
I decided to dig around and eventually found the employee packet. She accepted a job at a mega-store called BrightMarketZ. I thought it was a pretty weird name but what stood out to me was what they were offering to pay her. $22.00 an hour! I couldn't believe it. No wonder she said yes and didn’t bother to ask any questions.
Paper Twenty: To find LittleBrooke please enter [REDACTED] into your GPS device. You will be staying inside apartment 307. All rent for your first month in LittleBrooke is covered by your employer. Please note that all apartments are two-bedroom only. If you have a larger household please speak to Sydney May at Town Hall for bigger accommodations. After reading this I decided to just go to LittleBrooke and get answers. I was assuming that I would find out what the hell happened if I just went. I wanted to know what my wife died for and I wanted to know why this was some big secret in the first place. I went back to bed and as soon as the sun came up I put the information into my GPS and headed for LittleBrooke.

Year One in LittleBrooke

It took me three weeks to reach LittleBrooke and I could tell that something was wrong the moment I found the town. If I wasn't so damn desperate for answers I would've turned around as soon as I saw the library. The building itself wasn't big but the two huge lions on either side of the staircase gave me the creeps.
After that I passed a mechanic, the whole place looked run down as hell. There wasn't a single car to be seen but the sign said open. The man standing outside of the building waved to me so I gave him a slow wave back. He looked weird. At the time I couldn’t place my finger on why but now I know it’s because he was not human.
The theater was kind of cool to look at in a vintage kind of way. They were not showing anything when I drove by and I made the decision early on to stay out of the theater altogether. After the theater, I saw a small building that said LittleBrooke Press. If anything else I figured I could write for the paper.
As I approached the apartment building a woman was standing outside. Her face was weird as hell. It looked like she had far too much plastic surgery like her face was threatening to pop at any moment. “Hi, can I help you?” she asked me. Her voice was shrill, it was gross to even hear her speak. It sounded like she was putting on a fake voice just to speak to me. “Hi, my wife accepted a job offer. Unfortunately, she has passed away. I would still like to claim the apartment left to us. I can work at any place that currently has an opening.” I offered.
“LittleBrooke Press has space for two more writers!” She smiled and handed me the keys to the apartment. She never asked my name and she knew exactly where I wanted to go. I thought it was weird but I didn’t argue. Instead, I took the keys and thanked her. I spent that whole day getting settled into the new apartment. A couple of things, the front door had four different locks on it. I thought that was pretty weird. I also did not see or hear any other people until my third night in the apartment. I called the LittleBrooke Press about a potential job and they told me to email my submissions. There was no need for me to come in person and honestly, I liked this deal a lot.
For the first few months, I spent my time writing about whatever came to my mind. After that, I would send it in and get my money back. The editor never told me what to do and they never requested anything. It was sweet. As December rolled around I could feel myself slipping into a seasonal depression. At that point, I had made no progress in any of my investigations. I did not know the town well enough and frankly, I felt like I was wasting my time. That night I decided to check out the local bar. It was pretty hidden, you had to drive further into LittleBrooke to find it. Once I got there I was shocked! The place was packed. I sat down at the bar and ordered a drink.
The bartender was hot as hell, too hot. She was so even looking so perfectly symmetrical that it made me extremely uncomfortable. There wasn’t a single hair out of place. “So are you new in town?” She asked me. “Yeah, I just got here a couple of months ago. My now-deceased wife accepted a job offer here.” I said bluntly and dryly. I wanted to finish my drink and go. It was like the bones in my body were screaming at me to leave. The woman looked shocked. “Tell me, does that happen often? Do people accept a job offer in LittleBrooke and turn up dead a couple of days later?” I hissed. It was a genuine question but she did not take it too kindly. She took my drink from my hands and told me to leave.
As I made my way back to my car I could hear someone coming up from behind me. I turned around as fast as possible and had to take three steps back. It was the bartender, but she did not look the same. Half of her face was weighed down like she had no bones at all. Her eyes were bulging out of her head. She gurgled at me. “You need to leave!” She finally snapped and swung her arm in my direction. I moved back before she could hit me. As her hand hit my car window it shattered like it was made of ice. I watched as her arm popped and clicked. I could see it slowly getting longer. Before I knew it her arm was dragging on the pavement! She lunged at me so I punched her in her stomach. She gurgled again and sunk her teeth into my jacket. I screamed for help as we hit the pavement. She was trying fucken eat me! I grabbed her by her hair and threw her backward as hard as I could. As I scrambled to my feet and looked at her I screamed again. Her skin was pulled back. Now hugging the bones on her face. Her eyes were completely exposed! I turned and dove into my car as fast as I could. I slammed the door behind me and sped out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.
The next morning I received a letter under my door. “Sorry, you had problems last night! Please accept our sincerest apologies.” -Mayor Brookes. There was $300 included with the letter. Now, I thought about leaving but decided I had to stay. Something was going on here and I had to find out what. I removed my jacket to see if the woman had injured me, she didn't but the experience was still terrifying. For the first time in a very long time, I was scared. But I also felt closer to the truth than I have ever been before.

Year Two in LittleBrooke

I spent all of January writing about the women who attacked me. I even contacted the police. I quickly learned that the police were going to be completely useless. My editor never sent the story back so I had assumed it was published.
At the end of the month, I left to shop for some supplies. Let me tell you, the grocery store in LittleBrooke is something else. They don’t have any brands you’ve ever heard of and at first, that drove me nuts. However, I quickly came to fall in love with the food here. It was comforting to have something to enjoy. Like always, I made sure to shop for two to three months at a time. Shopping was easy, I used the self-checkout to make sure I didn’t have to speak to anyone.
Once I got home I put everything away and decided to look around the apartment building. My whole floor started with 301 and went all the way to 310. The first floor was 501 to 509. There was a technical second floor but none of the doors were labeled. It looked like someone was renovating the place.
I got to see some of my neighbors too. An older woman, two men, and I were living next door to a lady the whole time. I had never seen or heard from these people before. It seemed like everyone wanted to keep to themselves too. I wanted to try and talk to someone but every time I approached them they turned and walked away. For what it's worth they looked completely normal.
So I left the apartment building and ventured around the property. There were no other apartments anywhere close to the one I was staying at, or so I thought until I found one about thirty minutes away. It was so out of the way you wouldn't find it unless you were looking. Against my better judgment, I opened the doors to the building and walked right inside. The place smelled like rust and soot.
I went to explore the first floor and was shocked to find blood trails on the floor and the ceiling. I followed the trail and made sure to look at the numbers on each door. This floor was numbered 1-10. Most of the doors were locked and I wasn’t going to try and knock anything down. I opened the door to apartment 10 and walked right inside. There was just enough light from the sun to illuminate the place. It looked like the whole place had been ransacked. I checked the tables and cabinets before heading into the bedroom. I searched the dresser and under the pillows before finally checking under the bed. When I looked under I spotted a black box. I grabbed it and that is when I got the feeling again. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt something sharp dig into my shoulders.
I screamed as loudly as I could, my face slammed off of the carpet and I clenched the box with one hand. Before I could figure out what the hell was happening I was tossed backward. I went into the bedroom door and rolled a couple of times until I reached the torn-up couch. I slowly lifted my head and to my horror what I was looking at was way too far from human to be real.
It looked like a dog ape thing. It was mostly skinless aside from some skin on its torso and face. The creature had thick, long claws and was standing on its hind legs. It barked at me. Its fangs were huge! I quickly scrambled to my feet and rushed out of the door as fast as possible. I could feel the blood running down my back. Never once did I consider letting this box go.
“Help!” I screamed as I burst through the apartment complex doors and started to run back to the main road. My heart was pounding, I could feel my chest getting tighter with each step. I could hear the beast behind me, it was screeching. I thought I was going to die for sure, there was no way I could continue to outrun this beast. That’s when I heard a car and before I knew it I could see it! A woman was waving me over, she was just up ahead! I had to push a little harder. I had to be just a little stronger.
When I felt the embrace of the car door I ripped it open and dove inside. She sped away and I looked out of the window. The beast did not follow us any further. “Are you insane!” She snapped at me. That’s the last thing I remember before passing out.
When I woke up I was laying on my stomach on an extremely comfortable couch. I could smell someone making pasta with meat sauce. My stomach was going insane. Everything hurt though, especially my back and my left side. I figured I had hurt my side when I was tossed across the room.
At this point, I did not dive into the box yet. I could barely move. “Hi.” I heard a woman say from the kitchen. “Thank you,” I replied before trying to sit up. I was so concerned that this woman would be another monster. When I saw her though I knew she was normal. She didn't look so damn perfect and that was a breath of fresh air.
“What's your name?” She asked me as I watched her prepare two bowls of food.
“Leon,” I said before closing my eyes. “You heard me screaming?” I asked her seriously.
“I did. I’m pretty sure everyone in our building did. You got hurt pretty badly, I did my best to patch you up.” She paused and laughed. “My name is Ashley.”
So I ended up crashing at her place. During this time I tried to focus on recovering. Sleeping became hell, I was having constant nightmares. I also spent a lot of time working on articles. I ended up giving Ash the keys to my apartment so she could get my laptop. It was a big move to trust anyone here but I am glad I did.

Year Three and Four in LittleBrooke

During my recovery, I spent most of my time writing. I wanted to write about everything I have seen and experienced. I had a lot of questions and way too much time with my thoughts. Ash and I got to know each other too.
I told her about how my wife had died mysteriously. I eventually opened up about her being skinned and drained of her blood. Ash told me she had come to LittleBrooke with her older sister. Her sister went to work one day and never came back. She was working at the theater. Ash had told me that she was stuck here, she didn’t feel right leaving with her sister still missing. Every time she would try the cops would meet her at the town line.
It was during this time that we both shared that we had never seen a police station. We talked about the monsters too. Her first run-in with one was at the grocery store. I told her about what happened to me at the bar. She told me that she heard rumors of the beast living beyond the apartments. The first time she saw it was when it was attacking me.
As I started to recover more we discussed a couple of things. First, the neighbors here suck. She could hear me screaming and came to help but no one else did. Second, neither of us has seen any families since we moved here. It was at this point I decided I wanted to leave and I offered to take her with me. We could both get out come hell or high water. She agreed but there was something I had to do first.
I showed her the box I had taken from the apartment.
“You almost died for a box?” Ash asked me. “Yes,” I said seriously.
I opened it and blinked. I found a picture of a girl with black hair and bright green eyes. It read, Stephanie. I found a missing persons report too. This girl had been missing a year before I got here. I decided that my last article would be about her. I had written about a couple of missing people before this. For example, the old lady in our building vanished and her apartment was rented out two days later.
I also found a badge inside the box. It read F.O.P.P. and there was a name! Jack Bridges. We tried to look up the organization's name but we came up empty-handed. I ended up writing the story about Stephanie and the next day Ash and I got packing. We decided to take my car since the cops know what hers looks like. I packed up the essentials all over again and we piled into the car.
“We should check the other direction. Before we leave.” I suggested. Ash knew about the bar already but neither of us knew what was beyond that point: This suggested changed the course of our lives forever.
So we started driving in the other direction. We passed the bar where the woman had tried to eat me, we passed a convenience store I didn’t know this town had and we just kept driving. Eventually, I could hear Ash speaking to me, “Holy shit! The police station.” she pointed out. I couldn’t believe it either. I did not stop driving though but I wish I did.
Eventually, we saw a sign that read, LittleBrooke High. Go Bears!
I started to slow down a bit until the school was in view. The place looked run down as hell. There were holes in the walls and leaves growing up the side of the building. The parking lot was massive and full of buses. I pulled the car into the parking lot and told Ash to get into the driver's seat.
“You’re not serious?” She asked me. I could tell she wanted to go but I said, “This is it! This is the last place of note in this fucken town. Just take the wheel and I will be right back.” I said as I jumped out of the car and went to look around.
As I approached one of the buses I grabbed the doors, they were already open a crack. I pulled them open and was hit with a horrible stench. I had to step back and puke and no I am not going to describe what I saw in that fucken bus. At that point, I decided I had seen enough and it was time to fucken go.
“Help!” I heard someone cry from a couple of buses over. “Please!” I heard again. I wanted to slap myself because I knew better. I had already decided it was time to leave but I went to investigate anyway. I went to the bus and pulled the doors open. It smelled like stale piss and blood. “Back here!” A girl screamed out to me. I made my way to the back of the bus, stepping on school jackets and over backpacks. That is where I found them. Two teenagers are tied to the leg of a bus seat. They looked horrible, caking in blood and sweat. They were both injured. “Stephanie?!” I exclaimed as I bent over to free them. I recognized her face the moment I saw it.
“Can you move? I asked the blonde girl.” As I started to let her go. “Everything hurts.” She told me. I opened the emergency exit and called for Ash to pull the car over. It took her a second to hear me but she came as fast as possible. “I am going to get you guys in the car and we are going to get out of here, okay?” I told them. I wanted to tell them everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't. It felt like that would be a huge lie.
Ash stepped out of the car and helped get the girls into the backseat. As I stopped to look around I could feel the bus shift in weight. I turned around and inhaled sharply. Standing before me was a creature wearing a jacket that said COACH on it. He looked sickly, and pale, and his veins were protruding from his face and hands. As he ran at me I jumped out of the emergency exit door just in time to feel something slam off of the back of my head. I looked down to see a barbed football. I could feel blood trickling down my neck, I stumbled forward and felt a hand grab my arm. Ash was shoving me into the car. She slid over me, closed the passenger door, and backed the car up. I thought she was moving like lightning.
At this point, everyone was screaming. My heart was threatening to jump out of my fucken chest. I was so sure we were all going to die here, just like everyone else I had seen on the buses. But no, Ash sped out of the parking lot. The coach chased us to the school limits but for some reason, he did not follow us anymore.
I know we should've stopped to see if the kids could find their parents but we didn't. Instead, Ash just kept driving. Eventually, we could hear the cops behind us but that did not stop her. It took us six hours to finally see the You Are New Leaving LittleBrooke sign! I couldn’t believe it. This place was not that big at all.
So listen, if you’re invited to take a job in LittleBrooke. Don’t take it. It’s not worth your life.

I’ve struggled with my mental health for a long time, ever since I can remember really. It sounds really sad, but I remember feeling depressed when I was a really small child, around 6 or 7 years old. I managed it all my life by myself, struggling in private, and to this day, no-one really knows or would even suspect I live with depression and anxiety unless I tell them.
Things got too overwhelming last year and I finally started to take Lexapro. I’ve been on the medication for over a year now and it really does help. I see a therapist twice a month now and my conversations with her also really help me. I eat well and exercise, I have a few friends who I talk to everyday, but I still feel so exhausted keeping up this pretence of being ‘normal’. I’m really trying to get better, but I’m just so so tired. So many stressful and sad things have happened to me and around me this month and its starting to feel overwhelming again. As cliche as it sounds, I just want to lie down in a dark room somewhere. But I have too many responsibilities and too many people relying on me to do that. I bumped my car into a wall parking at work this morning and now the entire bumper needs to be replaced for a tiny dent. It feels like the straw that broke the camels back, and all I want to do is just go home and sob. I’m exhausted.

With the end of Currency Series 1 approaching, it's clear people are going to be posting to request trades/sales to help complete their sets. The Mod team has decided in the best interests of this community, to create a reputation thread to keep track of these exchanges. This thread's main purpose is to help these exchanges go smoothly and give people peace of mind when trading with other members.
When a trade is confirmed, we will go to both users and give them a flair with a number indicating confirmed trades (Trades: 1). These flairs will help users notice those that have higher reputation and make them feel safer when trading with them.
You should always be making your transactions through PayPal G&S or via eBay sales but if for some reason you don’t do that, this system is designed to help give you an idea of who to trust.
We highly recommend to always be as cautious as possible during these exchanges.

• Each user should be able to provide the other with clear photos of both sides of the card(s) prior to the sale, even including their Reddit username physically written somewhere in the photo(s).
• It's recommended for all trades to start within a WTB/WTS/WTT post, negotiations can be done via Chat/Messages but the more public the info, the better.
• Once done negotiating, while the trade is pending, make a comment referencing what cards are involved in the sale within the Sale/Trade post. This will help prevent one user from possibly scamming multiple people for the same trade. (example)
• Exchange tracking number(s) upon package(s) being sent. These are just paper cards, PACKAGE THEM WELL!! USPS is know for bending envelopes, sender is always responsible for the package until it arrives safely to the receiver so make use of those Top Loaders, Hard Cases and extra layers of protective cardboard/packaging around them. Shipping Insurance for higher valued cards ALWAYS recommended.
• The more documentation the better, even if that means taking a video while opening package(s) for your own records. Best practice would be to include a clear shot of the mailing label and keeping the package/contents on screen the entire time.
• Post here once trade is completed so the Mod team can confirm a positive trade.

The Bitcointalk forum is great resource to use too starting out, being how everyone is starting with zero trades here. Some collectors have been on that forum for awhile and have built up merit there already that you can use to help determine the safety of your trade. If someone claims to have a username on Bitcointalk with merit, please confirm it is them by exchanging messages with them via that forum prior to sale.
Trading thread: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5407863.0
Information thread: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5406560.0
Card Abbreviations

• Base = B
• Holofoil = HF
• Crystal Sparkle = CS
• Cold Foil = CF
• Meta Rare = MR
• Gemstone Refractor Type = GRB for Beryl, GRE for Emerald, GRA for Amethyst, etc..

Please post all completed trades (trades, purchases, sales) below. Templates for commenting are as follows:
TRADED (# cards) for (# cards) with (user)
SOLD (# cards) to (user)
BOUGHT (# cards) from (user)
Ex. TRADED 1A GRR for Nikola Tesla CF to u/-squidster-
If you are the user tagged in the comment, please reply to it with ONLY “Confirmed”
When a mod has finished adding your trade to your flair, they will comment, "added."
If you had a trade go wrong, please also post that trade info below and include any link to a sale post. The Mod team will do their best to contact you and assess each situation accordingly but if each user followed the recommended steps above, it should make the process easier. Any user found to be in the wrong will be given a Warning Score (Warn: 1) next to their Trade Score or if found to be scamming will be given a subreddit ban, on a case by case basis. The main goal of the Mod team is to make this subreddit a safe place for all users to interact and trade freely.

If you are interested in Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency contact us at +44 759 388 2116 on Telegram/Whatsapp.
I have Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency.
Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste agency is the latest course by Iman Gadzhi.
Copy Paste Agency is designed for established agency owners, who can use these lessons to scale their business.
In Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency, you will learn:

• How to continue to run a multiple-six-figure agency from home with a skeleton staff and minimal expenses
  
• How to command higher retainers… and retain those clients for longer
  
• How to automate, delegate, and optimize every area of your agency from lead generation and sales to service delivery and client communication
  

To get Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency contact us on:
Whatsapp/Telegram: +44 759 388 2116 (Telegram: multistorecourses)
Reddit DM to u/RequestCourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore[@]yandex.com (remove the brackets)

If you are interested in Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency contact us at +44 759 388 2116 on Telegram/Whatsapp.
I have Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency.
Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste agency is the latest course by Iman Gadzhi.
Copy Paste Agency is designed for established agency owners, who can use these lessons to scale their business.
In Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency, you will learn:

• How to continue to run a multiple-six-figure agency from home with a skeleton staff and minimal expenses
  
• How to command higher retainers… and retain those clients for longer
  
• How to automate, delegate, and optimize every area of your agency from lead generation and sales to service delivery and client communication
  

To get Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency contact us on:
Whatsapp/Telegram: +44 759 388 2116 (Telegram: multistorecourses)
Reddit DM to u/RequestCourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore[@]yandex.com (remove the brackets)

After having a jam on my 4th print, my Kobra 2 started having serious problems. Printing in mid air after the first layer, saying the print was complete after just 1 minute, and the x-axis motor continuing to spin despite the bed being at the end of its track were the major problems I experienced. Not to mention the SD card came without the instructions and Prussia Slicer it was supposed to come with.
I’ve spent days troubleshooting with After-Sales Service troubleshooting with increased frustration caused by having only one correspondence ever 24hrs due to time-zone difference. I tried everything the rep asked me to do and still did not fix the problem. I drew the line when they wanted to send me parts FOR ME to replace on the printer. This is not a good sign for a product that I had hoped to serve me for many years.
I requested a return and the After-Sales Service rep said he would transfer me to Sales to process my return. After 24 hours, this did not happen. I decided to reach out to sales myself and with full transparency, I attached all my prior email correspondence as well as explained my situation. The first thing the sales rep told me to do was to CONTACT AFTER-SALES SERVICE! So clearly she did not read either my email or the attached emails.
So now on a Friday I’m stuck for another 36 hours at least without another response from AnyCubic. I have what’s essentially a $250 brick taking up space in my home that I just want to get rid of it. I have been working well within AnyCubic’s written guidelines for troubleshooting and returns, but I am not getting an acceptable level of support. If anyone by chance reads this, buy a FDM printer elsewhere. If AnyCubic reads this… please just process my return so this nightmare can be over and I can move on.

It has been quite a year. I’m disappointed that we have gotten into the position we are in. Through job loss, depression, and unemployment for my husband, we finally sat down and looked at our finances. I feel overwhelmed and stuck- We used to be in a great position, with no debt but here we are.
I know we have to start somewhere. Honestly I have never had debt I couldn’t pay so the thought of consolidating sounds like a good idea. I am hopeful with direction and budgeting we can target a plan.
Income- Husband is currently back as Independent contractor clerking for $25/hour. He will take the bar exam in July and if all goes well, secure an attorney position in September.
I am 100% commission in sales. Variability but summer tends to be a good time but this isn’t a normal market to be in mortgages.
INCOME: -May = $3520 (~$2112 after tax) -June = $22,838 (~$13702.80 after tax) -July = $9,857 currently, could increase (~$5914.20 after tax) -July 1st = ~$3500 Husband Income -August 1st = ~$1700 Husband Income (reduced hours for studying).
Family- 4.5 year old, 2 year old both in full time childcare. Baby #3 due in September. No paid maternity leave, my income should continue. I will stay home through the end of 2023. 2 dogs.
Current Accounts: Checking Account = $5,763.38 Savings Account = $500.01 401k Account = ~$120,000
Liabilities: HVAC - $4,556.45 Balance. 0% interest if paid by 11/2023. Currently paying $550/month.
Mortgage- $2,458.20 PITI 5.875% ARM 30 Year (~$315k Loan, ~$85,000 equity)
BOA Credit Card- $32,809 Balance ($32,000 Limit). 19.74% Interest, Minimum Payment of $680.
Chase Credit Card- $8,832.07 Balance ($18,000 Limit) 27.99% Interest. Minimum Payment of $275.
Obviously I am paralyzed by the amount of debt against what we have and have coming in. Yes we anticipate a large income boost for my husband but I want to be in the best position before baby arrives. Our lack of emergency fund worries me.
We have cancelled subscriptions, have a budget through YNAB, and are working on selling items for extra income.
Is there an option that is worth exploring- Debt consolidation? Putting the cards away and just doing the minimum balance to save for an EF? Cash out refinance to pay off the debt and take a higher mortgage rate over the interest? We are probably in this home for only <3 more years.
Thank you for your advice. I know this is the beginning and look forward to sharing our success story.