Zecharia Sitchin did an amazing job, but it is surprising that he left the New Testament texts without much attention. The information contained in them, after some amendments, significantly complements the hypothesis of the planet Nibiru and makes it more reasonable. The New Zavaet contains some astronomical details and sheds a lot of light on past and future events. The considerations that will be discussed contradict some of Sitchin's statements, but this does not pose much of a problem. I managed to find the contacts of Zecharia Sitchin's brother, who helped him with astronomical calculations and will share his ideas. He briefly thanked me for the information and said that such changes could well be made. This is not surprising because even modern astronomers, using advanced computer models, are faced with a lack of data for accurate long-term forecasts. The very first New Testament evidence of Nibiru, from which the New Testament actually begins, is the Star of Bethlehem. To date, there are several hypotheses about the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem. It is assumed that it was an unknown comet or a supernova explosion, but these versions do not have sufficient confirmation. Nevertheless, Vallaam's "star prophecy" from the Old Testament book of numbers foreshadows the event: "I see Him, but not yet; I see Him, but not close. A star rises from Jacob." What is known about the Star of Bethlehem from the New Testament? When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, magicians from the east came to Jerusalem and said: Where is the King of the Jews who has been born? for we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him—Matt. 2:1-2 They, having listened to the king, went. And behold, the star that they saw in the east went before them, until at last it came and stood over the place where the Child was. — Mf. 2:9-11 It is also known that having fulfilled its purpose, the star disappeared from the sky when the Magi came to Jerusalem so that Herod could not see it, and then returned again. Some apocryphal texts contain astronomical details not found in the canonical gospel. Usually, the Star of Bethlehem is spoken of briefly, but the First Gospel of James describes it this way: “His star rose bright, and it so surpassed all other stars in heaven in its brightness that they were no longer visible.” In addition, the star also had other unusual features, because of which St. John Chrysostom and Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria considered it to be a divine power: When you hear about a star, do not think that it was one of the ones we see: no, it was a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star. Since the Magi were engaged in the science of the stars, the Lord led them with this, for them a familiar sign, just like Peter the fisherman, amazing with many fish, attracted to Christ. And that the star was the power of an angel is evident from the fact that it shone brightly during the day, walked when the Magi walked, shone when they did not walk: especially from the fact that it walked from the north, where Persia, to the south, where Jerusalem: but the stars never travel from north to south. - Theophylact of Bulgaria To summarize: the star appeared in the east, was unusually bright so that it was visible during daylight hours and moved from north to south. For a while she disappeared from the sky but then reappeared. Now let's put aside this information for a while and consider another astronomical phenomenon from the New Testament - a solar eclipse during the crucifixion of Christ, which occurred according to the scripture in 33 AD. Most of the texts only briefly say that darkness has come. The Gospel of Nicodemus reports the following details: “It was the sixth hour and darkness descended on the earth, even until the ninth hour. The sun darkened, and now the veil in the temple was torn into two parts from top to bottom. In the Gospel of Peter it is written as follows: "It was noon, and darkness found over all Judea, Many went out with lamps, thinking that night had come... And at that moment the veil of the temple of Jerusalem was torn in two. And they took the nails out of the hands of the Lord and laid Him on the ground, and the earth shook, and there was great fear. And the sun shone again, and it turned out that it was already the ninth hour." And Pilate, interrogating the Jews, said to them: “Did you see what happened?” And they answered the ruler: "The sun is eclipsed as it usually happens." Thanks to the astronomical calculations carried out by scientists, it is reliably known that at that time a solar eclipse by the Moon could not have occurred. But at the same time, the New Testament claims that it happened and at the same time was unusually long. Now we already have two evidence of unusual astronomical events, which have not yet been confirmed explanation. How do these events relate to Zecharia Sitchin's speculation about Nibiru's orbit? According to Sitchin, Nibiru has a retrograde (counterclockwise) elongated orbit at an angle to the plane of the eclipticti. At the same time, Nibiru appears in the northern hemisphere, and, crossing the plane of the orbits of the solar system, moves away in the southern. Considering that, according to the New Offset, the Star of Bethlehem was visible in the light time of day, then we can conclude that Nibiru appeared in the solar system from the direction of the sun relative to the Earth and, having a retrograde orbit, moved towards the Earth. Then given the Earth's rotation, it should have become visible from about the wee hours of rising in the east! With sufficient brightness, it could be seen after dawn, then became invisible due to sunlight and went beyond the western horizon. After that, at dawn, it again rose in the east. And moving from the northern hemisphere to the southern one, each time it gradually shifted from north to south. Now about the eclipse - could it happen due to the fact that Nibiru passed between the Sun and the Earth? According to the hypothesis of Zecharia Sitchin, Nibiru crosses the solar system in the asteroid belt beyond the orbit of Mars. This makes it impossible for the eclipse of the Sun by the planet Nibiru. Based on the previously proposed model, Nibiru, having appeared from the direction of the Sun, should, after its appearance, go around the earth and become visible at night throughout its stay in the solar system, which, according to Sitchin, lasts about 30 years. But there is another possible option. In order for it to be possible, it is necessary to slightly correct the hypothesis of the collision of Nibiru with Tiamat and the formation of the Earth. The initial conditions remain the same. In place of the asteroid belt beyond the orbit of Mars was the large water planet Tiamat, in the current orbit of the Earth was the Moon. Nibiru burst into the solar system along an elongated retrograde orbit at an angle to the plane of the ecliptic and passed next to Tiamat, driving its satellites into it - 4 vortices from the Sumara poem about the creation of the world. Because of this, one part of Tiamat broke off and became an asteroid belt, and the other received a huge depression in the place of the Pacific Ocean and was thrown into the orbit of the Moon, where it is now becoming the Earth.
The correction that should be made to this theory concerns the orbit of Nibiru. The Earth's orbit is quite natural - having received a counter blow, it lost speed and began to fall into a lower orbit around the Sun. On the way, she was picked up by the Moon and she remained in the same orbit with her. As for Nibiru, as a result of the collision, she also received an impulse and her orbit also had to change and no longer pass through the asteroid belt. Instead, it may have, like the Earth, lost speed and switched to a lower orbit, approaching in its perihelion closer to the Sun than the Earth picked up by the Moon. Thus, there is a possibility that Nibiru can pass between the Earth and the Sun and cause an eclipse. Prophet Amos: "And it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord God, that I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in the midst of the bright day." Prophet Zechariah: "And it will be in that day: there will be no light, the luminaries will be removed. This day will be the only one known only to the Lord: neither day or night; only in the evening will light come." Now the question arises - how close can a giant planet come to Earth for a long solar eclipse to occur and not cause a catastrophe? The Bible does not speak of any catastrophic events other than the torn veil of the temple. They are also not mentioned in history, although it is known about earthquakes in Israel before and after these events with an interval of several centuries, but not during them. Only favorable and non-catastrophic floods in the Nile are known from 30 BC. e. and until 155 At the same time, the distance at which Nibiru should approach the Earth so that its apparent size is equal to the size of the Sun and closes it is about 7,000,000 km. This is much more than the distance to the Moon of 384,400 km, but still such a proximity to the giant planet raises serious concerns. Doubting my assumptions, I asked this question to various people somehow connected with astronomy and their opinions were very divided. Most, of course, supported the opinion that the appearance of Nibiru in the solar system is catastrophic in itself. In fact, this question is not unambiguous. According to some estimates, in order for a planet the size of Nibiru to pass between the sun and the Earth without consequences, it could be between Venus and Mercury (this is about 50,000,000 km). Most likely, this would only cause the acceleration and deceleration of the Earth, the same as when it approached with the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn, which is almost imperceptible to us. The only problem is that at this distance, Nibiru will cover only a very small part of the Sun and this eclipse will be almost invisible. This does not at all coincide with the biblical text, which says that darkness enveloped the earth from noon to the ninth hour. This is much longer than the two hour duration of a normal eclipse and means that Nibiru must have passed very close.
Another opinion is that passing from the Earth at a distance of 7,000,000 km, Nibiru will not cause any catastrophic consequences. The fact that Nibiru moves in a retrograde orbit opposite to the Earth significantly reduces the time spent by the planets close to each other. This reduces the interaction time of gravitational forces. If the planets were moving towards a meeting fast enough , they could simply slip through each other by inertia. If you take a magnet and move it quickly past another magnet, the attraction you feel will be short-lived and not at all the same as if you do it slowly. Of course, this will cause some deviations in the speed and orbit of the planets. The orbit of the Earth will become a little closer to the Sun, this will only affect as a warming of the climate with consequences like floods in the Nile and no more. It looks like this assumption will be the subject of endless criticism, but it gives something else. First, it removes the controversy from Sitchin's flood hypothesis. He wrote that the Flood was caused by the approach of the Earth to Nibiru, which caused the glaciers to split. Such an approach would not be possible if Nibiru crossed the solar system in the asteroid belt, much further than the safe distance. It is quite another matter when Nibiru almost crosses the orbit of the Earth. Secondly, it gives a different chronology for the appearance of Nibiru in the solar system, which roughly coincides with some significant events. Moreover, this version differs from Stchin's chronology by only about 500 years. This may well be explained by Nibiru's high-altitude years, which average 3600 years, or by a gradual change in its orbit. Such a disparity could well have developed over a long period of time. If we take the year 0 of the birth of Christ as the starting point and count back two periods of 3600 years, we get an interesting coincidence. Around 7500 B.C. (a difference of 200 years) climate changes have occurred on Earth, which are associated with a global cataclysm. In 7220 BC. e. there was an eruption of Mount Edgecumb volcano in Alaska and a large outflow of fresh water from the Black Sea into the Aegean Sea, which could be the result of the approach of Nibiru. And the greatest cataclysm occurred in 7640 BC. e. There is a theory that Tolman's hypothetical comet hit the Earth, but little is known about this. 3879 years after that, in 3761 BC. e., according to the Bible, the creation of the world took place. After 3761 years, year 0 has come - a new starting point has been assigned. These intervals differ from the period of 3600 years by a couple of centuries, which may have different explanations. One way or another, the next appearance of Nibiru should occur around the year 3600. This is not the only information from the New Testament texts. They contain other interesting records that can shed light not only on the past of human civilization, but also on the future. Indeed, in this case, the New Testament is the message of the Anunnaki specifically to us, people living today. This is exactly what its name implies.

Here are some fun facts about me:
-41, lived in Florida for 19 years, New York and Virginia the rest. Went to school in North Carolina, Florida and Connecticut, currently finishing another degree at LSU.
-Previous pawn shop manager, professional poker player, and ran a small business for about 15 years before sticking it to myself and going back to school to be an actuary. I know, very exciting stuff.
-I can be quite entertaining and it can be hard to make me laugh. If you can make me laugh you've probably won me over.
-I tend to go for the girl next door type, but seem to end up with the dramatic type at times. I guess that's why I am where I am now.
-Never married and have no children, but happy to change both of those situations.
-I have blonde hair and blue eyes, 5'10, 195. I wear glasses and they make me appear smart, no complaints.
-I haven't dated in a few years and really would love to meet the right person, maybe it will be on here!
-I love poker, cars, exotic plants and coffee. I would be happy if we shared 2 of those interests, but I won't be picky.
If this sounds like you, shout at me on chat! Let it all out!

Nobody can say the Dixiecrats aren't prepared to take a risk of late. In a complete landslide of a nomination, Vincent K. McMahon of Florida has been chosen to carry the Dixiecrats forward, in spite of his flaws. Ever a showman, McMahon walked out to his own theme music, swagger in his step, and gave a fiery speech about the Dixiecrats are staying right where they are in Confederate politics, and how the Farmers and Populists have "No chance in Hell!"
Bold and possibly true words, and Vince clearly was able to convince the Convention's attendees as they went into a frenzied cheer. But the Presidential nomination is only half of the ticket, and the Vice Presidential nomination can be just as important. Names have been put forward, and it's time for the Convention's delegates to choose.

Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama

Sessions is the current frontrunner in the Vice Presidential race after failing to cinch the nomination for President. Choosing him would give McMahon the political credentials he would need to get out of the gate with voters, and would give him some solid conservative credentials as well.
That said, Sessions disagrees with Vince on a number of social issues, and if one or both of these big personalities were to speak their opinion too loudly, they could clash over it, and the ticket would fray at the ends, dooming the whole campaign.

Representative Walter Jones of North Carolina

Walter B. Jones Jr. is a Representative from McMahon's native North Carolina, and is decidedly socially liberal, something that could help McMahon quite a bit. He would strongly reinforce McMahon's outsider status, while still providing the ticket some much-needed political experience.
That said, McMahon doesn't like Jones for reasons he doesn't seem keen to talk about. He's also changed his stance on foreign interventionism in the last few years, doing the conservative wing of the Dixiecrats no favors. He's an enemy to many members of Dixiecrat leadership, risking a bolt. Nominating Jones would almost certainly split the party, dooming this election.

Representative Virgil Goode of Virginia

Originally a Populist, the Representative Virgil Goode has recently switched to the Dixiecrats after being abandoned by Populist leadership over the Clinton and Edwards impeachments. This would help McMahon double down on his outsider appeal, and potentially siphon a few Populist votes. He's been a strong ally of foreign interventionism and was one of the main voices against Frist's pocket vetoing of the anti-Israel sanctions and embargo.
Having said that, Goode's anti-corruption reputation comes with a few controversies of his own. If any of the controversies or scandals around McMahon manage to stick once they come up, the effect would only be worse. He's also still not a favorite of the Dixiecrat leadership, so it's doubtful that the ticket could get the resources from the party necessary to keep it moving.

Fmr. Governor Jim Gilmore of Virginia

Another of the candidates who failed to secure the Presidential nomination, Gilmore would do a lot for McMahon's moderate reputation. As someone who's been out of government as long as he has, he could be the only candidate able to walk the tightrope between having political experience and being an outsider. Virginia is also crucial this election, as it shows signs of slipping to the Populists and the Farmers.
That said, this does nothing to assuage the concerns over Gilmore's mixed legacy as Governor of the Old Dominion State. If Gilmore cannot appeal to Virginia, then the election may as well be lost.
The candidates have made their cases, and it's time to vote. Who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Vincent K. McMahon on the campaign trail?
View Poll

Time for the rest of the Big 12 and the other three newcomers! The year in parenthesis is the date each team last played each other. As always if I missed any dates or mashups, please let me know!
​

1. Kansas

Army (0-1) (1922)
Auburn (0-2) (1988)
Bowling Green (0-1) (2002)
Coastal Carolina (0-3) (2021)
Louisville (0-3) (1990)
Miami (FL) (0-4) (1990)
Michigan (0-3) (1979)
Mississippi State (0-1) (1981)
North Carolina (0-2) (1986)
North Carolina State (0-2) (2003)
Northwestern (0-2) (2004)
Ohio (0-3) (2017)
Penn State (0-1) (1969)
Pittsburgh (0-3) (1980)
San Diego State (0-1) (1999)
Stanford (0-1) (1967)
Tennessee (0-2) (1974)
Virginia (0-2) (1991)
Washington (0-1) (1978)
Villanova (PA) (0-1) (1940)
Pennsylvania (0-1) (1930)
North Dakota St. (0-1) (2010)
Nicholls St. (LA) (0-1) (2018)
Marquette (WI) (0-4) (1945)
Knox (IL) (0-1) (1902)
Iowa Navy Pre-Flight (0-1) (1942)
Fort Riley (KS) (0-1) (1943)
​

1. Kansas State

Alabama (0-1) (2022)
Army (0-2) (1987)
Auburn (0-4) (2014)
Boston College (0-4) (1994)
Florida (0-2) (1973)
Florida State (0-3) (1977)
Fresno State (0-2) (2007)
Illinois (0-1) (1948)
Louisville (0-2) (2008)
Navy (0-1) (2019)
Northwestern (0-2) (1941)
Ohio State (0-1) (2004)
Oregon (0-1) (2013)
Penn State (0-2) (1969)
Purdue (0-3) (1998)
Rutgers (0-1) (2006)
Tulane (0-2) (2022)
Vanderbilt (0-2) (2017)
Wisconsin (0-2) (1982)
Olathe NAS (KS) (0-1-1) (1945)
San Francisco (CA) (0-1) (1946)
Northern Iowa (0-3) (1989)
Kansas City Medical (MO) (0-1) (1901)
Hardin-Simmons (TX) (0-1) (1946)
Colorado College (0-1) (1910)
Cal St.-Long Beach (0-1) (1983)
Austin Peay St. (TN) (0-1) (1987)
​

1. Iowa State

Alabama (0-1) (2001)
Arkansas (0-1) (1973)
Boise State (0-1) (2002)
Boston College (0-1) (1961)
California (0-1) (1963)
Clemson (0-1) (2021)
Georgia Tech (0-1) (1972)
Louisiana Lafayette (0-1) (2020)
LSU (0-1) (1971)
Michigan State (0-2) (1948)
New Mexico State (0-1) (1983)
North Carolina State (0-1) (1977)
Notre Dame (0-1) (2019)
Oregon State (0-1) (1962)
Rutgers (0-1) (2011)
South Carolina (0-1) (1967)
Syracuse (0-1-1) (1969)
Tennessee (0-1) (1982)
Washington (0-1) (1974)
Washington State (0-1) (2018)
Wisconsin (0-7) (1993)
Villanova (PA) (0-2) (1956)
Ottumwa NAS (IA) (0-1) (1943)
Loyola (LA) (0-1) (1930)
Iowa Navy Pre-Flight (0-1) (1943)
Central Oklahoma (0-1) (1922)
Butte AC (MT) (0-1) (1895)
​

1. West Virginia

Alabama (0-1) (2014)
Florida State (0-3) (2010)
LSU (0-2) (2011)
Michigan (0-1) (1904)
Michigan State (0-4)
Minnesota (0-1) (2021)
Nebraska (0-1) (1994)
Notre Dame (0-4) (2001)
Oregon (0-2) (1963)
Oregon State (0-2) (1962)
Rice (0-1) (1964)
Southern Cal (0-1) (1959)
Stanford (0-1) (1972)
Texas A&M (0-1) (2014)
Utah (0-2) (2017)
Wisconsin (0-4) (2003)
Bucknell (PA) (0-1-2) (1910)
Duquesne AC (PA) (0-1-1) (1935)
Dartmouth (NH) (0-1-1) (1917)
Yale (CT) (0-1) (1920)
Pennsylvania (0-5) (1916)
Manhattan (NY) (0-2) (1939)
Mahoning Cycle Club (OH) (0-1) (1896)
Greensburg AA (PA) (0-1) (1894)
Detroit (MI) (0-4) (1932)
Denison (OH) (0-2) (1912)
​

1. Cincinnati

Alabama (0-6) (2021)
Arkansas (0-1) (2022)
Auburn (0-2) (1986)
Air Force (0-1) (1961)
Bowling Green (0-4) (1994)
BYU (0-2) (2016)
Central Michigan (0-1) (1990)
Florida (0-2) (2010)
Florida State (0-6) (1990)
Georgia (0-3) (2021)
Iowa (0-1) (1990)
Maryland (0-2) (1976)
Michigan (0-1) (2017)
Nebraska (0-1) (1906)
Nevada (0-1) (1949)
North Carolina (0-3) (2013)
Northwestern (0-2) (1924)
Oklahoma (0-2) (2010)
South Carolina (0-2) (1982)
Wooster (OH) (0-3) (1924)
West Texas A&M (0-1) (1950)
Washington (MO) (0-1) (1903)
Washington & Jefferson (PA) (0-1) (1899)
Stumps (0-2) (1904)
Muskingum (OH) (0-1) (1931)
Morehead St. (KY) (0-2) (1989)
Haskell Indian Nations (KS) (0-1) (1900)
Georgetown (DC) (0-2) (1936)
Duquesne AC (PA) (0-1) (1895)
Cincinnati YMCA (OH) (0-1) (1893)
Chicago (IL) (0-1) (1893)
Carlisle Indian School (PA) (0-4) (1906)
​

1. BYU

Alabama (0-1) (1998)
Arkansas (0-1) (2022)
Coastal Carolina (0-1) (2020)
Florida State (0-4) (2010)
Georgia (0-1) (1982)
Indiana (0-1) (1979)
Iowa State (0-4)
Kansas (0-1) (1992)
LSU (0-1) (2017)
Louisville (0-1) (2001)
Marshall (0-1) (1999)
Memphis (0-1) (2014)
Northern Illinois (0-1) (2018)
Ohio State (0-3) (1993)
Oklahoma State (0-2) (1976)
Texas Tech (0-1) (1940)
UAB (0-1) (2021)
WVU (0-1) (2016)
Wichita St. (KS) (0-1) (1956)
West Texas A&M (0-1) (1961)
San Francisco (CA) (0-2) (1931)
San Diego Marines (CA) (0-1) (1933)
Portland (OR) (0-2) (1938)
Pacific Fleet (CA) (0-2) (1949)
George Washington (DC) (0-2) (1963)
Fort Douglas (UT) (0-1) (1942)
​

1. UCF

Arizona State (0-1) (2002)
Arkansas (0-1) (2001)
Clemson (0-1) (2001)
Duke (0-1) (2022)
Florida State (0-1) (1995)
Hawaii (0-1) (1985)
Kansas State (0-1) (2010)
LSU (0-1) (2019)
Miami (FL) (0-2) (2009)
Michigan (0-1) (2016)
Mississippi State (0-2) (2007)
Missouri (0-2) (2014)
Nebraska (0-1) (1997)
Nevada (0-1) (2005)
Ohio State (0-1) (2012)
Ole Miss (0-1) (1997)
Purdue (0-2) (1999)
South Carolina (0-5) (2015)
Syracuse (0-3) (2003)
Texas (0-2) (2009)
Texas State (0-2) (1985)
Utah State (0-1) (2001)
WVU (0-2) (2004)
Virginia Tech (0-3) (2003)
Wisconsin (0-1) (2004)
Wofford (SC) (0-1) (1986)
Wichita St. (KS) (0-1) (1986)
Stephen F. Austin (TX) (0-1) (1985)
SUNY-Albany (NY) (0-1) (1980)
Richmond (VA) (0-1) (1983)
Presbyterian (SC) (0-2) (1981)
New Haven (CT) (0-1) (1988)
Indiana St. (0-1) (1984)
Furman (SC) (0-2) (2015)
Alabama A&M (0-2) (1982)

Just finished watching Season 4 Episode 8 in which Whit went up against Jia in the first annual North Carolina dance competition. I had some thoughts and opinions

• Although it may be a bit unpopular I thought Whitney’s team was better than Jia’s. Whit was moving and the routine was more varied as opposed to Jia’s team. They were slowly moving on the first part trying to build up intimidation but then went into the booty popping. I had to agree with Jenzi’s statement on criticizing the rival team in wondering on how many different times can you twerk.
  
• We know Whit is a narcissist, and we saw during her individual segments how it it hurt her. But I like that at that brief moment she comforted her team and told them that they gave it their all and they should be proud of themselves.
  

*The thing that annoyed me the most were the following episodes in which she somehow snagged the results and decided to blast the team on air. Ok fine you think it is unfair but let it go. Then her brief attempt to challenge Jia was hilarious. We saw it hurt Whitney more and she needed to boost herself up.

I am a resident of South Carolina and currently in my senior year of Undergrad here close to home (still living with parents). I live very close to the North Carolina border and have a “lake house” (in my father and grandmother’s name) that has been in the family for many many years in North Carolina about an hour from me. In hopes that I get accepted, I will be attending UNCW for graduate school. The in state and out of state tuition is like night and day price wise!! Is there ANY way I can get in state tuition using the fact that i have a family home that i go to a lot (maybe my name on a bill?) or the fact i live 15 minutes from the border?

Nine more Top 25 matchups are on the offering this week. But this time, we're going to preview a matchup between two teams that got major upsets over Top 25 teams in the past. One has been rewarded with a Top 25 ranking of their own, while the other is on the cusp of it. Who will step up in this battle of power conference teams?
*****
Arkansas Razorbacks at #23 Iowa Hawkeyes.
Two teams unafraid of the daunting schedule ahead of them in conference play square off as Arkansas faces Iowa in a battle of 7-2 squads late in non-conference play.
Arkansas has already collected one Top 25 scalp this season, having just bumped off then-#19 Houston 100-85. However, the voters more punished Houston than rewarded Arkansas, with the Cougars losing their Top 25 spot while the Razorbacks remained on the fringes.
"We know we're better than that," coach Nolan Richardson said. "We can beat anyone. We have an up-tempo game plan and we're going to execute it."
Iowa, meanwhile, earned their Top 25 spot with a 7-1 start. Even though they come into the game having lost to #4 Duke in their last outing, coach Bucky O'Connor is optimistic.
"There's a lot of spots available in the tournament," he said. "We've shown we can beat teams that make it and can make a run, so if we can take care of business, we'll win enough games to get into the NIBL championships. But it starts by protecting your home court and getting this great Iowa crowd something to smile about."
ROSTER
​

Arkansas Razorbacks (7-2)	#	#23 Iowa Hawkeyes (7-2)
Patrick BEVERLEY	0	B.J. ARMSTRONG
Ron BREWER Sr	1	Ryan BOWEN
Ron BREWER Jr	2	Fred BROWN
Tony BROWN	3	Ricky DAVIS
Daniel GAFFORD	4	Reggie EVANS
Scott HASTINGS	5	Kevin GAMBLE
Joe JOHNSON	6	Bob HANSEN
Joe KLEINE	7	Connie HAWKINS
Andrew LANG	8	John JOHNSON
Oliver MILLER	9	Kevin KUNNERT
Sidney MONCREIF	10	Ronnie LESTER
Bobby PORTIS	11	Brad LOHAUS
Alvin ROBERTSON	12	Don NELSON
Darrell WALKER	13	George PEEPLES
Corliss WILLIAMSON	14	Chris STREET

LINE: Iowa by 5 1/2
*****
TOP 25 GAMES
#1 UCLA (9-0) at #7 Syracuse (8-1)
#4 Duke (8-1) at #8 Michigan (8-1)
#3 Kentucky (8-1) at #2 North Carolina (8-1)
#5 Kansas (8-1) at #14 Arizona (7-2)
Arkansas (7-2) at #23 Iowa (7-2)
#12 Connecticut (7-2) at #21 Alabama (7-2)
#17 DePaul (7-2) at #9 Notre Dame (7-2)
#22 Florida (7-2) at California (7-2)
#19 Georgetown (7-2) at #25 Illinois (7-2)
Louisiana Tech (7-2) at #10 Indiana (7-2)
#18 LSU (7-2) at Cincinnati (7-2)
#16 Maryland (7-2) at #15 Southern Cal (7-2)
#6 Michigan State (7-2) at #13 Texas (7-2)
NC State (7-2) at #20 Minnesota (7-2)
Saint John's (7-2) at #11 Ohio State (7-2)
Villanova (7-2) at #24 UNLV (6-3)

Pine needles brushed across Paul's arms as he charged through the trees with his bugout bag slung over his shoulders. Weighing in at forty pounds, it hardly slowed him down as he’d practiced this hike many times. He flicked his wrist and checked his Garmin Solar 2 Tactical Watch. The timer read: 2:23.
“You can do this, Paul.” He increased the pace and gritted his teeth, the weight finally having an effect. Paul bounded over a small creek, up a rolling hill, and pushed through a row of baby birches into a clearing. He doubled over to catch his breath and looked at his watch one more time. Two hours and twenty-eight minutes. Paul pumped his fist in victory.
After a short break, he approached a thorny bush in the center of the clearing. Paul brushed aside sand at the bush’s trunk, revealing a yellow rope. He pulled it, which lifted a hidden door in the ground covered with dirt, shrubbery, and other camouflage on the top side, and drab gray iron on the other. Underneath, wooden stairs descended into darkness. Paul retrieved a flashlight from his pack, clicked on the beam, and disappeared into the earth.
At the bottom of the steps, Paul faced a steel door and a combination lock. With several quick swipes of the dial, he opened the lock and tugged the metal door, which creaked as it cracked open. Paul flashed the beam on the offending hinges and shook his head. Something to fix later. He stepped into the secret chamber and pulled a hanging aluminum chain that turned on a large halogen light, illuminating a twenty-foot by eight-foot metal rectangle. The exposed corrugated walls revealed the bunker was nothing more than a shipping container. Paul buried it two years ago and had divided the interior into three spaces. The entry had a shelf with four dozen gallon jugs of sealed water along with a portable toilet, stacks of toilet paper, and a wastebasket. The middle section was the main living area and contained a futon, a TV with a DVD player, and a neat collection of movies underneath. A nightstand housed a small library of books, including the Bible, The Art of Meditation, Buddhism for Dummies, and other spiritual tomes. The back area of the unit had two shelves filled with canned food—black beans, green beans, peaches, peas, carrots, beef, and chicken. There was also a stationary bike, which was Paul’s proudest accomplishment because he had rigged it to a giant battery that provided power to all the electronics.
Paul was a prepper, and this would be his home when the end of the world came, an event he believed was imminent. The global economy was a house of cards built on greed, corruption, and inflated asset prices, but worst of all, it was based on a faith in paper and digital money.
His fear was triggered four years ago when he attended a lecture by a professor who explained the fragility of the world’s financial system. If a few banks failed, it would rattle people’s confidence, causing a herd-like response. Thousands of people would rush to withdraw their cash, which the banks no longer had because they’d invested it. The banks would either fail, and everyday folks would lose their life savings, or the government would print new money to replace the missing money, making all money worth a lot less. Anyone holding dollars would attempt to convert them to other assets.
Just like dominoes, the banks would topple over one by one, and as they crashed, people’s faith in money would crater. After all, what was money? It was just paper with printed images and numbers that we’d all accepted as having value. More recently, money had become numbers displayed on a computer screen, something Paul knew firsthand as he spent the first seven years of his career working at a regional bank in Asheville, North Carolina. Paul could literally change someone’s net worth with a few keystrokes. He could turn a pauper into a millionaire, or he could bankrupt the richest account holder. Sure, there were safeguards, but all were built on faith, which Paul believed was misplaced. Most people didn’t realize that the Federal Reserve only required each bank to hold at least ten percent of its deposits as a reserve. Ten percent. That’s it. The rest of the money was invested in loans or other financial instruments. As the rich bank owners and executives pushed for bigger and bigger returns, they invested in riskier and riskier assets. The lessons from the financial crisis of 2008 had been forgotten.
Once the monetary system collapsed, the entire economy would become paralyzed. Without a means of exchange, transactions would halt. Think about it. If someone tried to give you a slip of paper that you thought was worthless, would you give them anything of value in return?
The doomsday scenario would escalate. Food and water prices would skyrocket, but with no way to purchase them, many would starve. But people don’t just roll over and die, they would riot and take what they need to survive. Marshall Law would be implemented, but citizens would revolt against the government they felt had cheated them.
As Paul listened to the lecturer that fateful day, a depressing epiphany struck. Everything he’d learned and everything he’d spent his life acquiring was worthless.
Growing up, Paul had been taught the value of money, saving, and planning for retirement. He internalized these lessons as a teen after his father got sick and lost his job. His mother had died when he was very young, but his father still managed to provide him with a stable childhood, even though they were barely middle class. When his father fell ill, Paul witnessed firsthand how fast a family could sink into financial trouble, which couldn’t have come at a worse time. He was applying to colleges, and instead of choosing the one he liked best, he chose the one that gave him the most financial aid, which turned out to be a small school half-way across the country. He also didn’t choose a major he was excited about; he chose the one that would offer the safest financial prospects—economics with an emphasis on banking.
The distance from home meant that Paul didn’t see the rapid deterioration of his father. It wasn’t until he returned for the funeral that family friends told him how the disease had spread. His father had refused to let anyone tell Paul because he didn’t want that to distract Paul from his studies.
After graduating, Paul accepted a job at a bank, and immediately signed up for the company’s 401K match. Most college graduates can't grasp retirement when they enter the workforce, but a 401K match was free money. Over the next several years, Paul worked diligently to advance his career while saving most of his salary. He’d mapped out his life on an excel spreadsheet and calculated that he’d be financially secure at 53.
Everything went according to plan until that damn lecturer came along and blew it up. Sifting through the rubble of his grand scheme, Paul realized that in the new world order, he possessed no skills to survive. The savings he’d so meticulously built up would have little to no value. When the economy collapsed, he'd be like a baby, unable to do anything for himself.
After a week of wallowing in despair, Paul rallied himself. “I can still fix this” became a daily mantra. To start, he threw himself into survival classes. The first was a basic camping course where he learned how to create shelters and start a fire. The next class was more advanced and focused on water purification and building snares for small game.
Paul continued working at the bank, because he needed to pay for the classes and survival equipment he began hoarding, but on his next vacation, he put his training to the test. He planned to camp for a week in the Appalachian Mountains, but the temperature swings, especially at night, were too much. Paul lasted three nights in the wild. The humbling experience forced him to admit that he wasn’t a bushman. His depression returned until he stumbled upon an article about “preppers”—individuals who prepare for end of world disasters. Suddenly, things made sense. He didn’t need to abandon all the comforts of modern society. He needed to prepare for the end of the world the way he had planned for retirement.
As Paul traveled down the rabbit hole of prepping, he uncovered an underground society of people like him who knew the truth about the world’s demise. Of course, not everyone believed it would end because of an economic collapse. Some thought a nuclear war would destroy civilization. Others feared electromagnetic pulses from the sun would wipe out all modern electricity. And still others worried a massive volcanic eruption would spew enough ash and soot into the air to blot out the sun. There was no shortage of theories about the world ending, but one thing was clear. The world would end. Did it matter how it happened?
Paul began his prepping quest by purchasing ten acres an hour and a half outside of Asheville. It had plenty of small animals and a creek running through the middle. He then transported an unused cargo container to the land and buried it. This was the toughest part of the plan because it required heavy equipment. Next, he dug out a staircase and installed a steel door at the entrance. Finally, he furnished it with a mix of modern comforts and survival essentials.
Almost every weekend, Paul trekked to his underground sanctuary and made improvements. He also planned his bugout strategy. When the end of the world hit, he figured he needed to be safely hidden in his home within two and a half hours, a time he had achieved with this latest trip. Everything was set, and Paul could finally relax. He was prepared.
Paul slumped down on his futon and considered playing a movie or cracking the bottle of Jim Beam whiskey he stored in a special cabinet, but he shook off the urge. Those things were the rewards and comforts he’d enjoy after the world ended. His fingers rubbed the top of the Bible, something he planned to read cover to cover once the global economy cratered. He’d have plenty of time then to discover his spiritual side, but not now. Something else needed to be done. Something he’d missed.
The biggest mistake a prepper can make is assuming he had everything covered. This was the lesson taught by Yannis, the guru of the prepping world. He was so well-known within the doomsday community; he only went by one name. The guy was sharp as a whip and could live off the land, if necessary, but he preferred a more sophisticated lifestyle, so he created a luxurious cave that contained backup systems for all his backups. Food, water, shelter, and electricity were all taken care of, and it was projected that Yannis could survive ten years comfortably after the apocalypse. His famous blog titled “ABP” stood for Always Be Preparing. It was a motto Yannis lived by and something Paul aspired to, but as he sat in his bunker after the relentless hike, fatigue set in. He didn’t want to think about prepping or his bugout strategy. He wanted to just be.
Paul tilted his head back onto the futon’s cushion, and a loneliness crept into his mind. All his prepping left little time for relationships. He dated off and on in college, but it was never anything serious. It wasn’t like his high school sweetheart, Kristin Summer. They dated junior and senior year, but then Paul broke it off when his father got sick. Paul couldn’t focus on romance, and he knew the relationship wouldn’t have worked when he left for school 1,500 miles away. It still hurt when he learned from a friend that Kristin started dating Derek Gorman, an old classmate Paul hated. It hurt even more when he found out they had gotten married.
After college, Paul joined a couple of dating sites, but he hadn’t used them in over two years. Most women wouldn’t understand his prepping lifestyle, at least that’s what he feared, so he rejected dating before anyone could reject him. But most wasn't all, and with eight billion people on the planet, there had to be someone for him. Almost without thinking, Paul pulled out his phone and opened “My Match,” the site where he’d had the most luck. His profile still had a photo from his early banking days. He was clean shaven with a naïve smile. The face staring back in the picture differed greatly from the bearded survivalist he’d become. Would anyone consider a relationship with the new Paul? Only one way to find out. He snapped a selfie, uploaded it, and then updated his hobbies with the first being “prepping” followed by “survival skills training.” He finished by pressing the button that showed he was actively looking for someone. All he had to do now was wait.
After spending the night in his bunker, Paul checked the dating site in the morning. No response. “It was a stupid idea,” he told himself, and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. He locked his container and returned home.
Over the next two weeks, Paul received zero requests for a date. He didn’t even receive a message from anyone to start a conversation and test the waters. “Shake it off, dumbass,” he said alone in the confines of his cottage-style home. “The world is going to end, anyway.” He clenched his jaw and did what he always did. He researched more ways to survive. Paul poured over blog posts and imagined worst-case scenarios. How could his water be contaminated? Maybe he should bury some caches of water. What if someone finds his shelter? Maybe security cameras were needed. What if he gets lonely in his shelter? No ideas came to mind.
After his eyes got tired from reading, Paul clicked out of his browser, and the list of all his apps stared at him. For reasons unknown to him, he opened Facebook, something he hadn’t done for months. There were a handful of notifications and a couple of friend requests sent weeks ago. His heart raced when he saw the name of one—Kristin Summer. When he accepted, he saw she was on-line right then.
Should he message her? Would that be weird right after accepting her request? But wasn’t it weird that he hadn’t responded for several weeks? He pulled up the messenger and typed. “Hey. Sorry for the delay in accepting your request. Hadn’t been on Facebook in a while. Been busy. Hope you and Derek are well.”
He curled his lip in disgust as he typed Derek’s name and considered deleting it, but he took the moral high ground and hit “send” with his message unaltered.
Kristin Summer. Just the thought of her name brought a smile to Paul’s face.
Bing.
The sound alerted Paul to a response, which he read out loud. “Hey Paul. Good to hear from you. Derek and I divorced a little over a year ago. It was rough at first, but it was for the best. How are you?”
Paul’s eyes widened with shock and excitement. He couldn’t believe Derek was so stupid to let Kristin go. Paul could at least blame their breakup on his father’s illness. His fingers prattled away on the keyboard. “Things are amazing.” He stopped typing. That was a lie. Should he pretend like things were great or should he be honest and tell her about his prepping and the end of the world? Neither option sounded appealing. He tapped the keys without writing until he settled on something uncontroversial.
“Working at Trinity Bank in Asheville. It pays the bills. Where are you?”
Within a minute, the sweet sound of the notification binged. “I’m not too far away in Durham. If you’re ever in town, let me know.”
If you’re ever in town, let me know.
Paul couldn’t believe his eyes. Was Kristin asking him out? He shook his head. Nah, she’s probably just being polite. But maybe. If there was any chance, he had to find out. He chewed his lip and deliberated his next response. Fortune favors the bold, he told himself. Then he remembered Matt Damon telling people that in the now infamous commercial for FTX months before its collapse. When that occurred, Paul thought it was the beginning of the end, and he lived in his bunker for two days before emerging and finding the world still intact.
Paul clenched his fist. It was still good advice, and he had to try. Almost involuntarily, he typed, “I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. If you want to get together, let me know.” His finger hit send before he could talk himself out of it. There was no qualification in the message. No waffling or hedging. It was clear Paul wanted to see Kristin. The only question now was whether she wanted to see him.
The next ten minutes felt like ten days. Paul paced back and forth with his hands over his head, and he glanced at the monitor every few seconds, just in case his ears had missed the notification alert.
There was nothing.
A dark depression filled the room. Why had he gotten his hopes up? What was the point, anyway? The world was going to end.
Bing.
Paul leapt to the computer and his eyes widened with each word he read. “How about a lunch at The Fig Tree Restaurant on 7th?”
People overuse the word literally, but Paul at least felt like his jaw was literally on the floor. He had a date with Kristin Summer, the one woman he had loved. His hands rattled away at the keyboard. “See you at 1 tomorrow.”
“Holy crap,” he muttered to himself.
Panic replaced his excitement when he imagined sitting down and talking to Kristin. What would he say? “Hey Kristin, what have you been up to? Oh me? I’ve been working at a job I hate and planning for the end of the world.”
He drifted into the bathroom and stared at the scruffy character in the mirror. Paul could only cringe at the thought of Kristin’s reaction upon seeing him. She might not recognize the bearded loner who resembled Ted Kaczynski more than the short-haired, clean-shaven teen she last saw.
Only one thing to do.
Paul had to prepare. He opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of clippers. He began trimming his beard and mustache as short as the clippers would allow. Next, he applied a generous amount of cream and shaved all of it off. Paul smirked at the young man hiding under the shabby beard, but it still wasn’t enough. He set the guard on the clippers to a four and began shaving his head. In college, Paul cut his own hair to save money, and the skill came back to him quickly. He dropped to a three and worked in a fade on the sides and then finished with a two. Paul turned to the left, then to the right, and assessed his work. Not bad.
Next thing to prepare was his outfit. Paul slid the door of his closet open and evaluated his choices. A banker’s suit was too stuffy, and his mountain man denim was too hermit inspired. He yanked the clothes aside and climbed deeper into the recesses of his wardrobe until he found a nice buttoned-down shirt and a dark pair of slacks. It gave just the right vibe of successful and stable, while not trying too hard to impress, even though that was his precisely his goal. Paul laid the selection on the chair by his bed. Durham was a three-and-a-half-hour drive away, and he wanted to make sure he got there with time to find parking, and maybe use the restroom. He set the alarm on his iPhone for 6 a.m. That would give him plenty of time to take a shower, have breakfast, and get dressed.
There was no chance of falling asleep easily. His mind raced with thoughts, questions, and various scenarios about what the day would bring. To relax, he poured himself a double whiskey, which he downed with a single slurp. He poured another and sipped.
Kristin Summer. He shook his head, still in disbelief.
As the effect of alcohol set in, Paul laid down on his bed and shut his eyes. Tomorrow would be a good day.
Paul slipped into a deep, satisfying sleep until his mind jolted him awake. It was past 6 a.m. He didn’t know how he knew. He just knew. Paul had slept through his alarm. He snatched his phone off the nightstand, but it was out of battery. He checked his watch and saw it was 7 a.m. There was still time to get to Durham.
Paul jumped out of bed and into the bathroom. He flicked on the light switch, but nothing came on. Paul toggled it on and off, but the outlet was dead.
Police sirens wailed in the distance. Paul meandered out of his house and onto the front lawn. Aside from the sirens, there was an uneasy stillness. Paul’s neighbor Kurt ran out from his home with two suitcases that he flung into the trunk of his car.
“Kurt. What’s going on?” Paul asked.
“Fort Knox was bombed. All the gold was obliterated. And something happened to the electricity and the internet. They shut it down.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know, man, but it’s not good. No one has access to news, no money, nothing.”
“Where are you going?” Paul asked.
“I don’t know. Somewhere isolated. I’m just hoping there are no more bombings or other attacks.” Kurt jumped into his car and sped away.
This was it. The world was ending. All of his preps were about to pay off. But what about Kristin? Paul didn’t want the world to end. If he tried to get Kristin, there was no chance he could reach his shelter before things get hairy. Plus, there was no way he could find her. He didn’t have her address, and she might have already left Durham for somewhere safe.
Paul forced himself to focus on his plan. This was what he had prepared for. He dashed back inside and changed into his camouflage gear, grabbed his bugout bag, and then sprinted to his truck. He drove through his neighborhood and reached the main road. His shelter and plans were to the left. Kristin and the unknown were to the right. The whites of Paul’s knuckles flared as he gripped the steering wheel. Now was not the time to waffle. He turned left and hit the accelerator.
Paul gritted his teeth and raced down the street. Keep going. Keep going. He urged himself on. Almost involuntarily, his foot slammed on the brakes. Paul couldn’t do it. He’d planned for the worst all his life, and while he sat alone with the engine idling, he had to admit the truth. He’d lived all his life in fear.
Paul yanked the wheel and turned around toward Durham.

The whirring blades of my MD-902 throbbed against the warm evening air, and I smiled.
From 5,000 feet, the ground flew by in a carpet of dark forests and kelly-green fields. The sun hung low on the horizon in a picturesque array of dazzling orange and gold, and I could make out the narrow strip of the Ohio River to my left, glistening in the fading daylight. This time of year, the trees would be full of the sweet aroma of fresh blossoms, and the frequent rains kept small pockets of fluffy white mist hanging in the treetops. It was a beautiful view, one that reminded me of why being a helicopter pilot trumped flying in a jumbo jet far above the clouds every day of the week.
Fourteen more days, and I’m debt free.
That made me grin even more. I’d been working as a charter pilot ever since I obtained my license at age 19, and after years of keeping my nose to the grindstone, I was closing on the final payment for real-estate in western Pennsylvania. With no debt, a fixer-upper house on 30 rural acres all to myself, and a respectable wage for a 26-year-old pilot, I looked forward to the financial freedom I could now enjoy. Maybe I’d take a vacation, somewhere exotic like Venice Italy, or the Dominican Republic. Or perhaps I’d sock the money back for the day I started a family.
“Remember kleineun, a real man looks after his own.”
My elderly ouma’s voice came back from the depths of my memories, her proud, sun-tanned face rising from the darkness. She and my Rhodesian grandfather had emigrated to the US when they were newlyweds, as the violence against white Boer descendants in South Africa spiraled out of control. My mother and father both died in a car crash when I was six, and it had been my grandparents who raised me. Due to this, I’d grown up with a slight accent that many of my classmates found amusing, and I could speak both English, and Afrikaans, the Boer tongue of our former home.
I shifted in my seat, stretched my back muscles, and glanced at the picture taped to my console. Both my parents flanked a grinning, gap-toothed six-year-old me, at the last Christmas we’d spent together. My mother beamed, her dark hair and Italian features a sharp contrast to my father’s sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. Sometimes, I liked to imagine they were smiling at me with pride at how well I flew the old silver-colored bird my company had assigned to me, and that made the long, lonely flights easier to bear.
A flicker caught my eye, and I broke my gaze away from the photograph.
Perched in its small cradle above the controls, my little black Garmin fuzzed over for a few seconds, its screen shifting from brightly colored maps to a barrage of grey static.
Did the power chord come loose?
I checked, ensuring the power-cable for the unit’s battery was plugged into the port on the control panel. It was a brand-new GPS unit, and I’d used it a few times already, so I knew it wasn’t defective. Granted, I could fly and navigate without it, but the Garmin made my time as a pilot so much easier that the thought of going blind was dreadful.
My fuel gauge danced, clicked to empty, then to full, in a bizarre jolt.
More of the gauges began to stutter, the entire panel seeming to develop terrets all at once, and my pulse began to race. Something was wrong, very wrong, and the sludge inside my bowels churned with sour fear.
“Come on, come on.” I flicked switches, turned dials, punched buttons, but nothing seemed to fix the spasming electronics. Every gauge failed, and without warning, I found myself plunged into inky darkness.
Outside, the sun surrendered to the pull of night, the sky darker than usual. A distant rumble of thunder reverberated above the roar of my helicopter’s engine, and I thought I glimpsed a streak of yellowish lightning on the far horizon to my left.
Calm down Chris. We’re still flying, so it must just be a blown fuse. Stay in control and find a place to set her down.
My sweaty palm slid on the cyclic stick, and both feet weighed heavy on the yaw pedals. The collective stuck to my other hand with a nervous vibration, and I squinted against the abyss outside.
Beep.
I jumped despite myself, as the little Garmin on my panel flared back to life, the static pulling aside to reveal a twitching display. Each time the screen glitched, it showed the colorful map detailing my flight path over the ground below, but I noticed that some of the lines changed, the names shifting, as if the device couldn’t decide between two different versions of the world.
One name jutted out at me, slate gray like most of the major county names, appearing with ghostly flickers from between two neighboring ones.
Barron County.
I stared, confused. I’d flown over this section of southeastern Ohio plenty of times, and I knew the counties by heart. At this point, I should have been over the southern end of Noble County, and maybe dipping lower into Washington. There was no Barron County in Ohio. I was sure of it.
And yet it shown back at me from the digital landscape, a strange, almost cigar-shaped chunk of terrain carved from the surrounding counties like a tumor, sometimes there, sometimes not, as my little Garmin struggled to find the correct map. Rain began to patter against my cockpit window, and the entire aircraft rattled from a strong gust of wind. Thick clouds closed over my field of vision like a sea of gray cotton.
The blood in my veins turned to ice, and I sucked in a nervous breath.
Land. I had to land. There was nothing else to do, my flight controls weren’t responding, and only my Garmin had managed to come back to life. Perhaps I’d been hit by lightning, and the electronics had been fried? Either way, it was too dark to tell, but a storm seemed to be brewing, and if I didn’t get my feet on the ground soon, I could be in real trouble.
“Better safe than sorry.” I pushed down on the collective to start my slow descent and clicked the talking button for my headset. “Any station, this is Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, over.”
Nothing.
“Any station, this is Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, requesting emergency assistance, over.”
Still nothing.
If the radio’s dead, I’m really up a creek.
With my hand shaking, I clicked on the mic one more time. “Any station, this is—”
Like a curtain pulling back, the fog cleared from around my window, and the words stuck in my throat.
Without my gauges, I couldn’t tell just how far I’d descended, but I was definitely very low. Thick trees poked up from the ground, and the hills rolled into high ridges with flat valley floors, fields and pastures pockmarking them. Rain fell all around in cold, silvery sheets, a normal feature for the mid spring in this part of Ohio.
What wasn’t normal, were the fires.
At first, I thought they were forest fires for the amount of smoke and flames that bellowed from each spot, but as I swooped lower, my eyes widened in horror.
They were houses.
Farms, cottages, little clusters that barely constituted villages, all of them belched orange flames and black pillars of sooty smoke. I couldn’t hear above the helicopter blades, but I could see the flashes on the ground, along the road, in between the trees, and even coming from the burning buildings, little jets of golden light that spat into the darkness with anger.
Gunfire. That’s rifle fire, a whole lot of it.
Tiny black figures darted through the shadows, barely discernable from where I sat, several hundred feet up. I couldn’t see much, but some were definitely running away, the streaks of yellow gunfire chasing them. A few dark gray vehicles rumbled down one of the gravel roads, and sprayed fire into the houses as it went. They were fighting, I realized, the people in the trucks and the locals. It was horrific, like something out of war-torn Afghanistan, but worse.
Then, I caught a glimpse of the others.
They didn’t move like the rest, who either fled from the dark vehicles, or fired back from behind cover. These skinny figures loped along with haphazard gaits, many running on all fours like animals, swarming from the trees by the dozens. They threw themselves into the gales of bullets without flinching, attacking anyone within range, and something about the way they moved, so fluid, so fearless, made my heart skip a beat.
What is that?
“Echo Four Actual to unknown caller, please respond, over.”
Choking back a cry of shock, I fumbled at the control panel with clumsy fingers, the man’s voice sharp and stern. I hadn’t realized that I’d let go of the talking button and clicked it down again. “Hello? Hello, this is Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot out of Pittsburgh, over.”
An excruciating moment passed, and I continued to zoom over the trees, the fires falling away behind me as more silent forest took over.
“Roger that Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, we read you loud and clear. Please identify yourself and any passengers or cargo you might be carrying, over.”
Swallowing hard, I eyed the treetops, which looked much closer than they should have been. How far had I descended? “Echo Four Actual, my name is Christopher Dekker, and I am alone. I’m a charter flight from PA, carrying medical equipment for OSU in Columbus. My controls have been damaged, and I am unable to safely carry on due to the storm. Requesting permission to land, over.”
I watched the landscape slide by underneath me, once catching sight of what looked like a little white church surrounded by smaller huts, dozens of figures in the yard staring up at me as I flew over a nearby ridgeline.
“Solid copy on that Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot. Be advised, your transponder shows you to be inside a restricted zone. Please cease all radio traffic, reduce your speed, climb to 3,000 feet and proceed north. We’ll talk you in from there. How copy, over?”
My heart jumped, and I let out a sigh of relief. “Roger that Echo Four Actual, my altimeter is down, but I’ll do my best to eyeball the altitude, over.”
With that, I pulled the collective upward, and tried my best to gauge how far I was by eyesight in the gathering night, rain still coming down all around me. This had to be some kind of disaster or riot, I decided. After all, the voice over the radio sounded like military, and those vehicles seemed to have heavy weapons. Maybe there was some kind of unrest going on here that I hadn’t heard about yet?
Kind of weird for it to happen in rural areas though. Spoiled college kids I get, but never saw farmers get so worked up before. They usually love the military.
Something moved in the corner of my eye, and I turned out of reflex.
My mouth fell open, and I froze, unable to scream.
In the sky beside me, a huge shadow glided along, and its leathery wings effortlessly carved through the gloom, flapping only on occasion to keep it aloft. It was too dark for me to see what color it was, but from the way it moved, I knew it wasn’t another helicopter. No, this thing was alive, easily the size of a small plane, and more than twice the length of my little McDonald Douglass. A long tail trailed behind it, and bore a distinct arrow-shaped snout, with twig-like spines fanned out around the back of its head. Whatever legs it had were drawn up under it like a bird, yet its skin appeared rough and knobby, almost resembling tree bark. Without pause, the gigantic bat-winged entity flew along beside me, as if my presence was on par with an annoying fly buzzing about its head.
Gripping the microphone switch so tight, I thought I’d crack the plastic, I whispered into my headset, forgetting all radio protocol. “T-There’s something up here.”
Static crackled.
“Douglas Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, say again your last, you’re coming in weak and unreadable, over.”
“There’s something up here.” I snarled into the headset, still glued to the controls of the helicopter, afraid to deviate even an inch from my course in case the monstrosity decided to turn on me. “A freaking huge thing, right beside me. I swear, it looks like a bat or . . . I don’t know.”
“Calm down.” The man on the other end of the radio broke his rigorous discipline as well, his voice deep, but level. “It won’t attack if you don’t move too fast. Slowly ease away from it and follow that course until you’re out of sight.”
I didn’t have time to think about how wrong that sounded, how the man’s strict tone had changed to one of knowledge, how he hadn’t been the least surprised by what I’d said. Instead, I slowly turned the helicopter away from the huge menace and edged the speed higher in tiny increments.
As soon as I was roughly two football fields away, I let myself relax, and clicked the mic switch. “It’s not following.”
“You’re sure?”
Eyeing the huge flapping wings, I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, I’m well clear.”
“Good. Thank you, Mr. Dekker.”
Then, the radio went dead.
Something in my chest dropped, a weight that made my stomach roil. This wasn’t right, none of it. Who was that man? Why did he know about the thing I’d just seen? What was I supposed to—
A flash of light exploded from the trees to my right and shot into the air with a long finger of smoke.
What the . . .
On instinct, I jerked the cyclic stick to one side, and the helicopter swung to avoid the rocket.
Boom.
My world shook, metal screeched, and a dozen alarms began to go off inside the cockpit in a cacophony of beeps and sirens. Orange and red flames lit up the night sky just behind me, and the horizon started to spin wildly outside. Heat gushed from the cockpit door, and I smelled the greasy stench of burning oil. The safety belts dug into my shoulders, and with a final slip, the radio headset ripped free from my scalp.
I’m hit.
Desperate, I yanked on the controls, fought the bird even as she spun toward the ground in a wreath of flames, the inky black trees hurtling up to meet me. The helicopter went into full auto-rotation, the sky blurring past outside, and the alarms blared in a screech of doom. Panic slammed through my temples, I screamed at the top of my lungs, and for one brief second, my eyes locked on the little black Garmin still perched atop my control panel.
Its screen stopped twitching and settled on a map of the mysterious Barron County, with a little red arrow at the center of the screen, a few words popping up underneath it.
You are here.
Trees stabbed up into the sky, the belts crushed at my torso, glass shattered all around me, and the world went dark.
Copper, thick, warm, and tangy.
It filled my mouth, stank metallic in my nose, clogged my throat, choking me. In the murkiness, I fought for a surface, for a way out, blind and numb in the dark.
This way, kleineun.
My ouma’s voice echoed from somewhere in the shadows.
This way.
Both eyes flew open, and I gagged, spitting out a stream of red.
Pain throbbed in my ribs, and a heavy pressure sent a tingling numbness through my shoulders. Blood roared inside my temples, and stars danced before my eyes with a dizzying array. Humid night air kissed my skin, and something sticky coated my face, neck, and arms that hung straight up toward the ceiling.
Wait. Not up. Down.
I blinked at the wrinkled, torn ceiling of the cockpit, the glass all gone, the gray aluminum shredded like tissue paper. Just outside the broken windows, thick Appalachian bluegrass and stemmy underbrush swished in a feeble breeze, backlit by flashes of lightning from the thunderstorm overhead. Green and brown leaves covered everything in a wet carpet of triangles, and somewhere nearby, a cricket chirped.
Turning my head from side to side, I realized that I hung upside down inside the ruined helicopter, the top half burrowed into the mud. I could hear the hissing and crackling of flames, the pattering of rain falling on the hot aluminum, and the smaller brush fires around the downed aircraft sizzling out in the damp long grass. Charred steel and burning oil tainted the air, almost as strong as the metallic, coppery stench in my aching nose.
They shot me down. That military dude shot me out of the sky.
It didn’t make sense. I’d followed their orders, done everything they’d said, and yet the instant I veered safely away from whatever that thing in the sky had been, they’d fired, not at it, but at me.
Looking down (or rather, up) at my chest, I sucked in a gasp, which was harder to do that before.
The navy-blue shirt stuck to my torso with several big splotches of dark, rusty red. Most were clean slashes, but two held bits of glass sticking out of them, one alarmingly bigger than the other. They dripped cherry red blood onto my upturned face, and a wave of nausea hit me.
I gotta get down.
I flexed my arms to try and work some feeling back into them, praying nothing was broken. Half-numb from hanging so long, I palmed along my aching body until I felt the buckled for the seat belts.
“Okay.” I hissed between gritted teeth, in an effort to stave off my panic. “You can do this. Just hold on tight. Nice and tight. Here we go . . .”
Click.
Everything seemed to lurch, and I slid off the seat to plummet towards the muck-filled hole in the cockpit ceiling. My fingers were slick with blood and slipped over the smooth faux-leather pilot’s seat with ease. The shoulder belt snagged on the bits of glass that lay just under the left lowest rib, and a flare of white-hot pain ripped through me.
Wham.
I screamed, my right knee caught the edge of the aluminum ceiling, and both hands dove into a mound of leaf-covered glass shards on the opposite side of the hole. My head swam, being right-side-up again enough to make shadows gnaw at the corner of my eyes.
Forcing myself to breath slowly, I fought the urge to faint and slid back to sit on the smooth ceiling. I turned my hands over to see half a dozen bits of clear glass burrowed into my skin like greedy parasites, red blood weeping around the new cuts.
“Screw you.” I spat at the rubbish with angry tears in my eyes. “Screw you, screw you, screw you.”
The shards came out easy enough, and the cuts weren’t that deep, but that wasn’t what worried me. On my chest, the single piece of cockpit glass that remined was almost as big as my palm, and it really hurt. Just touching it felt like self-inflicted torture, but I knew it had to come out sooner or later.
Please don’t nick a vein.
Wiping my hands dry on my jeans, I gripped the shard with both hands, and jerked.
Fire roared over my ribs, and hot blood tickled my already grimy pale skin. I clapped a hand over the wound, pressing down hard, and grunted out a string of hateful expletives that my ouma would have slapped me for.
Lying on my back, I stared around me at the messy cargo compartment of the MD-902. Most of the medical supplies had been in cardboard boxes strapped down with heavy nylon tow-straps, but several cases had ruptured with the force of the impact, spraying bandages, syringes, and pill bottles all over the cluttered interior. Orange flames chewed at the crate furthest to the rear, the tail section long gone, but the foremost part of the hold was intact. Easily a million-dollar mess, it would have made me faint on any other trip, but today it was a godsend.
Half-blind in the darkness, I crawled along with only the firelight and lightning bolts to guide me, my right knee aching. Like a crippled raccoon, I collected things as I went, conscious of the two pallets of intact supplies weighing right over my head. I’d taken several different first-aid courses with some hunting buddies of mine, and the mental reflexes kicked in to help soothe my frazzled mind.
Check for bleeds, stop the worst, then move on.
Aside from my battered chest and stomach, the rest of me remained mostly unharmed. I had nasty bruises from the seatbelts, my right knee swelled, my nose slightly crooked and crusted in blood, but otherwise I was intact. Dowsing every scratch and cut with a bottle of isopropyl alcohol I found, I used butterfly closures on the smaller lacerations that peppered my skin. I wrapped soft white gauze over my abused palms and probed at the big cut where the last shard had been, only stopping when I was sure there were no pieces of glass wedged inside my flesh.
“Not too bad.” I grunted to myself, trying to sound impassive like a doctor might. “Rib must have stopped it. Gonna need stitches though. That’ll be fun.”
Pawing through the broken cases, I couldn’t find any suture chord, but just as I was about to give up, I noticed a small box that read ‘medical skin stapler’.
Bingo.
I tore the small white plastic stapler free from its packaging and eyeballed the device. I’d never done this before, only seen it in movies, and even though the cut in my skin hurt, I wondered if this wouldn’t be worse.
You’ve gotta do it. That bleeding needs to stop. Besides, no one’s coming to rescue you, not with those rocket-launching psychos out there.
Taking a deep breath, I pinched the skin around the gash together, and pressed the mouth of the stapler to it.
Click.
A sharp sting, like that of a needle bit at the skin, but it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the cut itself. I worked my way across the two-inch laceration and gave out a sigh of relief when it was done.
“Not going to bleed to death today.” I daubed ointment around the staples before winding more bandages over the wound.
Popping a few low-grade painkillers that tumbled from the cargo, I crawled wriggled through the nearest shattered window into the wet grass.
Raindrops kissed my face, clean and cool on my sweaty skin. Despite the thick cloud cover, there was enough constant lightning strikes within the storm to let me get glimpses of the world around me. My helicopter lay on its back, the blades snapped like pencils, with bits and pieces of it burning in chunks all around the small break in the trees. Chest-high scrub brush grew all around the low-lying ground, with pockets of standing water in places. My ears still rang from the impact of the crash, but I could start to pick up more crickets, frogs, and even some nocturnal birds singing into the darkness, like they didn’t notice the huge the hulk of flaming metal that had fallen from the sky. Overhead, the thunder rumbled onward, the feeble wind whistling, and there were other flashes on the horizon, orange and red ones, with crackles that didn’t sound quite like lightning.
The guns. They’re still fighting.
Instinctively, I pulled out my cellphone, and tapped the screen.
It fluttered to life, but no matter how I tried, I couldn’t get through to anyone, not even with the emergency function designed to work around having no service. The complicated wonder of our modern world was little better than a glorified paperweight.
Stunned, I sat down with my back to the helicopter and rested my head against the aluminum skin of the craft. How I’d gone from a regular medical supply run to being marooned in this hellish parody of rural America, I didn’t know, but one thig was certain; I needed a plan. Whoever fired the missile could have already contacted my charter company and made up some excuse to keep them from coming to look for me. No one else knew I was here, and even though I now had six staples holding the worst of my injuries shut, I knew I needed proper medical attention. If I wanted to live, I’d have to rescue myself.
My bag. I need to get my go-bag, grab some gear and then . . . head somewhere else.
It took me a while to gather my green canvas paratrooper bag from its place behind the pilot’s seat and fill it with whatever supplies I could scrounge. My knee didn’t seem to be broken, but man did it hurt, and I dreaded the thought of walking on it for miles on end. I focused instead on inventorying my gear and trying to come up with a halfway intelligent plan of action.
I had a stainless-steel canteen with one of those detachable cups on the bottom, a little fishing kit, some duct tape, a lighter, a black LED flashlight with three spare batteries, a few tattered road maps with a compass, a spare pair of socks, medical supplies from the cargo, and a simple forest green plastic rain poncho. I also managed to unearth a functioning digital camcorder my ouma had gotten me for Christmas a few years back, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to do any filming in such a miserable state. Lastly, since it was a private supply run from a warehouse area near Pittsburgh to a direct hospital pad in Ohio, I’d been able to bring my K-Bar, a sturdy, and brutally simple knife designed for the Marine Corps that I used every time I went camping. It was pitiful in comparison to the rifle I wished I had with me, but that didn’t matter now. I had what I had, and I doubted my trusty Armalite would have alleviated my sore knee anyway.
Clicking on my flashlight, I huddled with the poncho around my shoulders inside the wreck of the chopper and peered at the dusty roadmaps. A small part of me hoped that a solution would jump out from the faded paper, but none came. These were all maps of western PA and eastern Ohio. None of them had a Barron County on them anywhere.
The man on the radio said to head north, right before they shot me down. That means they must be camped out to the north of here. South had that convoy and those burning houses, so that’s a no-go. Maybe I can backtrack eastward the way I came.
As if on cue, a soft pop echoed from over the eastern horizon, and I craned to look out the helicopter window, spotting more man-made flashes over the tree tops.
“Great.” I hissed between clenched teeth, aware of how the temperature dipped to a chilly 60 degrees, and how despite the conditions, my stomach had begun to growl. “Not going that way, are we? Westward it is.”
Walking away from my poor 902 proved to be harder than I’d anticipated. Despite the glass, the fizzling fires, and the darkness, it still held a familiar, human essence to it. Sitting inside it made me feel secure, safe, even calm about the situation. In any other circumstance, I would have just stayed with the downed aircraft to wait for help, but I knew the men who shot me down would likely find my crash site, and I didn’t want to be around when they did.
Unlike much of central and western Ohio, southeastern Ohio is hilly, brushy, and clogged with thick forests. Thorns snagged at my thin poncho and sliced at my pant legs. My knee throbbed, every step a form of self-inflicted torture. The rain never stopped, a steady drizzle from above just cold enough to be problematic as time went on, making me shiver. Mud slid under my tennis shoes, and every tree looked ten times bigger in the flickering beam of my cheap flashlight. Icy fear prickled at the back of my neck at some of the sounds that greeted me through the gloom. I’d been camping loads of times, both in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, but these noises were something otherworldly to me.
Strange howls, screeches, and calls permeated the rain-soaked sky, some almost roars, while others bordered on human in their intonation. The more I walked, the softer the distant gunfire became, and the more prevalent the odd sounds, until the shadows seemed to fill with them. I didn’t dare turn off my flashlight, or I’d been completely blind in the dark, but a little voice in the back of my head screamed that I was too visible, crunching through the gloomy forest with my long beam of light stabbing into the abyss. It felt as though a million eyes were on me, studying me, hunting me from the surrounding brush, and I bitterly recalled how much I’d loved the old Survivor Man TV series as a kid.
Not so fun being out in the woods at night. Especially alone.
A twig snapped somewhere behind me, and I whirled on the spot, one trembling hand resting on the hilt of my K-Bar.
Nothing. Nothing but trees, bushes, and rain dripping down in the darkness.
“This is stupid.” I whispered to myself to keep my nerves in check as I slowly spun on the spot. “I should have went eastward anyway. God knows how long I’m going to have to—”
Creak.
A groan of metal-on-metal echoed from somewhere to my right, and I spun to face it, yanking the knife on my belt free from its scabbard. It felt so small and useless in my hand, and I choked down a wave of nauseas fear.
Ka-whump. Creak. K-whump. Creak.
Underbrush cracked and crunched, a few smaller saplings thrashed, and from deep within the gloom, two yellow orbs flared to life. They poked through the mist in the trees, forming into slender fingers of golden light that swept back and forth in the dark.
The soldiers . . . they must be looking for me.
I swallowed hard and turned to slink away.
Ice jammed through my blood, and I froze on the spot, biting my tongue to stop the scream.
It stood not yards away, a huge form that towered a good twelve feet tall in the swirling shadows. Unpolished chrome blended with flash-rusted spots in the faded red paint, and grime-smeared glass shone with dull hues in the flashes of lightning. Where the wheels should have been, the rounded steel axels curved like some enormous hand had bent them, and the tires lay face-down on the muddy ground like big round feet, their hubcaps buried in the dirt. Dents, scrapes, and chips covered the battered thing, and its crooked little radio antenna pointed straight up from the old metal fender like a mast. I could barely make out the mud-coated VW on the rounded hood, and my mind reeled in shock.
Is . . . is that a car?
Both yellow headlights bathed me in a circle of bright, blinding light, and neither I nor the strange vehicle moved.
Seconds ticked by, the screech-thumping in the background only growing closer. I realized that I couldn’t hear any engine noises and had yet to see any soldiers or guns pointed my way. This car looked old, really old, like one of those classic Volkswagen Beetles that collectors fought over at auctions. Try as I might, I couldn’t see a driver inside the murky, mold-smeared windows.
Because there wasn’t one.
Lightning arched across the sky overhead, and the car standing in front of me blinked.
Its headlights slid shut, as if little metal shades had crawled over the bulbs for a moment and flicked open again. Something about that movement was so primal, so real, so lifelike, that every ounce of self-control I had melted in an instant.
Cursing under my breath, I lunged into the shrubs, and the world erupted around me.
Under my shoes, the ground shook, and the car surged after me in a cacophony of ka-thumps that made my already racing heart skip several beats. A weather-beaten brown tow truck from the 50’s charged through the thorns to my left, it’s headlights ablaze, and a dilapidated yellow school bus rose from its hiding place in the weeds to stand tall on four down-turned axel-legs. They all flicked their headlights on like giants waking from their slumber, and as I dodged past them, they each blared their horn into the night in alarm.
My breaths came short and tight, my knee burned, and I crashed through thorns and briars without thought to how badly I was getting cut up.
The cheap poncho tore, and I ripped it away as it caught on a tree branch.
A purple 70’s Mustang shook off its blanket of creeping vines and bounded from a stand of trees just ahead, forcing me to swerve to avoid being run over, my adrenaline at all-time highs.
This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening.
Slipping and sliding, I pushed through a stand of multiflora rose, and stumbled out into a flat, dark expanse.
I almost skidded to a stop.
What had once been a rather large field stood no taller than my shoestrings, the grass charred, and burnt. The storm above illuminated huge pieces of wreckage that lay scattered over the nearly 40-acre plot, and I could just make out the fire-blackened hulk of a fuselage resting a hundred yards away. The plane had been brought down a while ago it seemed, as there weren’t any flames left burning, and I threw myself toward it in frenzied desperation.
Burned grass and greasy brown topsoil slushed underfoot, and I could hear the squelching of the cars pursing me. Rain soaked me to the bone, and my lungs ached from sucking down the damp night air. A painful stich crept into my side, and I cursed myself for not putting in more time for cardio at the gym.
Something caught my left shoelace, and I hurtled to the ground, tasting mud and blood in between my teeth.
They’ve got me now.
I clawed at the mud, rolled, and watched a tire slam down mere inches from where my head had been. The Mustang loomed over me and jostled for position with the red Volkswagen and brown tow truck, the school bus still a few yards behind them. They couldn’t seem to decide who would get the pleasure of stomping me to death, and like a herd of stampeding wildebeest, they locked bumpers in an epic shoving match.
On all fours, I scampered out from under the sparring brutes, and dashed for the crumpled airplane, a white-painted DC-3 that looked like it had been cut in half by a gargantuan knife blade. I passed a snapped wing section, the oily remains of a turbo-prop engine, and a mutilated wheel from the landing gear. Climbing over a heap of mud, I squeezed into the back of the ruined flight cabin and dropped down into the dark cargo hold.
Wham.
No sooner had my sneakers hit the cold metal floor, and the entire plane rocked from the impact of something heavy ramming it just outside. I tumbled to my knees, screaming in pain as, once again, I managed to bash the sore one off a bracket in the wall.
My hand smeared in something gooey, and I scrabbled for my flashlight.
It clicked on, a wavering ball of white light in the pitch darkness, and I fought the urge to gag. “Oh man . . .”
Three people, or what was left of them, lay strewn over the narrow cargo area. Claret red blood coated the walls, caked on the floor, and clotted under my mud-spattered shoes. Bits of flesh and viscera were stuck to everything, and tatters of cloth hung from exposed sections of broken bone. An eerie set of bloody handprints adorned the walls, and the only reason I could tell it had been three people were the shoes; all of them bore anklebones sticking out above blood-soaked socks. It smelled sickly sweet, a strange, nauseas odor that crept into my nose and settled on the back of my tongue like an alien parasite.
Something glinted in the beam of my flashlight, and my pulse quickened as I pried the object loose from the severed arm that still clung to it.
“Hail Mary full of Grace.” I would have grinned if it weren’t for the fact that the plane continued to buck and roll under the assault from the cars outside.
The pistol looked old, but well-maintained, aside from the light coating of dark blood that stained its round wooden handle. It felt heavy, but good in my hand, and I turned it over to read the words, Waffenfabrik Mauser stenciled into the frame, with a large red 9 carved into the grip. For some reason, it vaguely reminded me of the blasters from Star Wars.
I fumbled with a little switch that looked like a safety on the back of the gun and stumbled toward a gap in the plane’s dented fuselage to aim out at the surrounding headlights.
Bang.
The old gun bucked reliably in my hand, its long barrel spitting a little jet of flame into the night. I had no idea if I hit anything, but the attacking cars recoiled, their horns blaring in confusion.
They turned, and scuttled for the tree line as fast as their mechanical legs could go, the entire ordeal over as fast as it had begun.
Did I do that?
Perplexed, I stared down at the pistol in my hand.
Whoosh.
A large, inky black shadow glided down from the clouds, and the yellow school bus moved too slow to react in time.
With a crash, the kicking nightmarish vehicle was thrown onto its side, spraying glass and chrome trim across the muddy field. Its electro-synth horn blared with wails of mechanical agony, as two huge talon-like feet clamped down on it, and the enormous head of the flying creature lowered to rip open its engine compartment.
The horn cut out, and the enormous flying entity jerked its head back to gulp down a mass of what looked like sticky black vines from the interior of the shattered bus.
At this range, I could see now that the flying creature bore two legs and had its wings half-tucked like a vulture that had descended to feed on roadkill. Its head turned slightly, and in the glow of another lightning bolt, my jaw went slack at the realization of what it was.
A tree trunk. It’s a rotted tree trunk.
I couldn’t tell where the reptilian beast began, and where the organic tree components ended, the upper part of the head shaped like a log, while the lower jaw resembled something out of a dinosaur movie. Its skin looked identical to the outside of a shagbark hickory but flexed with a supple featheriness that denoted something closer to skin. Sharp branch-like spines ranged down its back, and out to the end of its tail, which bore a massive round club shaped like a diseased tree-knot. Crouched on both hind legs, it braced the hooked ends of its folded wings against the ground like a bat, towering higher than a semi-truck. Under the folds of its armored head, a bulging pair of chameleon-like eyes constantly spun in their sockets, probing the dark for threats while it ate.
One black pupil locked onto the window I peered through, and my heart stopped.
The beast regarded me for a moment, making a curious, sideways sniff.
With a proud, contemptful head-toss, the shadow from the sky parted rows of razor-sharp teeth to let out a roar that shook the earth beneath my feet. It was the triumphant war cry of a creature that sat at the very top of the food chain, one that felt no threat from the fragile two-legged beings that walked the earth all around it. It hunted whenever it wanted, ate whatever it wanted, and flew wherever it wanted. It didn’t need to rip the plane apart to devour me.
Like my hunter-gatherer ancestors from thousands of years ago, I wasn’t even worth the energy it would take to pounce.
I’m hiding in the remains of the cockpit now, which is half-buried under the mud of the field, enough to shield the light from my screen so that thing doesn’t see it. My service only now came back, and it’s been over an hour since the winged beast started in on the dead bus. I don’t know when, or how I’m going to get out of here. I don’t know when anyone will even see this post, or if it will upload at all. My phone battery is almost dead, and at this point, I’m probably going to have to sleep among the corpses until daylight comes.
A dead man sleeping amongst friends.
If you live in the Noble County area in southeastern Ohio, be careful where you drive, fly, and boat. I don’t know if it’s possible to stumble into this strange place by ground, but if so, then these things are definitely headed your way.
If that happens . . . pray that they don’t find you.

I’m a 24 year old woman whose lived in Ohio my entire life and while I don’t hate it, I’d definitely like to move somewhere else in the future.
Ideally it would be somewhere warmer, the places I’ve been thinking of are Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas, but I’m open to learning more about what it’s like to live in any state.
I know that every individual has their own preferences for what they look for in a place where they live but I want to hear your guys’ experiences.
I care most about: weather conditions, cost of living, future/current climate issues (ex: California drought issues), and educational opportunities for kids (I want my own family one day).
Thanks in advance!

This post is not a declaration or a guarantee that North Carolina will vote blue in 2024; indeed, I would personally rank it as the toss-uppiest of toss-ups in the election (like, 55% chance for the Dems and 45% chance for the GOP). With that being said, a lot of people on this sub and in the media have become convinced that because North Carolina is the "Funny close state that always gets away from the Dems, lol!" that the GOP will win no matter what. Quoting some strategists cited on an NPR story:
"Election after election, Democrats keep bemoaning the fact that they can't win North Carolina," said Bitzer. "How many times does it take to hit your head against a brick wall and think you're going to get a different result?"
"With all those advantages, Barack Obama won North Carolina by a whopping 0.32%," said Felts. "Democrats are starting with a huge disadvantage, and the smart ones know it. And so if they want to waste their money here, God bless 'em."
Today, I'm here to convince you why a Dem victory in North Carolina is far from impossible.

1. State demographics: The current issue eating away at the GOP in the state is fairly simple: can rural drift to the right and turnout, combined with avoiding further losses in the suburbs, keep the state red? Because the alternative creates a map for Democratic domination: the growing areas of the state are getting more Democratic, and the shrinking areas of the state are getting more Republican. While this isn't true on every level, the state has attracted college-educated professionals who lean Democratic who come to jobs in the Research Triangle, Wilmington, the Triad, Asheville, and Charlotte. Every single one of those areas is getting more Democratic. In contrast, the GOP was increased its rural gains by large margins, but even a tiny shift to the left in massive Mecklenburg country can erase shifts to the right in half a dozen rural ones.
2. Polarizing down-ballot candidates: The question of reverse coattails are a tricky one, but there's no question that truly terrible down-ballot candidates can hurt ones at the top of the ticket, such as Martha McSally in Arizona. And in 2024, the presumptive GOP nominee is a hot one: Mark Robinson, who is a legitimate whackjob with all sorts of crazy-ass beliefs. One might argue that he's led in a few polls against presumptive Dem nominee Josh Stein and that he was already elected to statewide office (albeit in an unimportant race where his views were less publicized), but how many open anti-Semites do you know in public office? Remember, there was a time when Doug Mastriano was thought to have a decent chance.
3. Abortion: In 2022, one thing that hurt Republicans was abortion. Not entirely coincidentally, states where the GOP did well tended to be ones where they finessed the issue; in North Carolina, abortion remained legal after Roy Cooper blocked bills to limit the practice. However, after a Democrat switched parties in the legislature (for money, I guess) and gave the GOP a supermajority, they passed a 12-week abortion ban that is hugely unpopular. In response, every major GOP presidential candidate, and Mark Robinson, are running on continuing to limit abortions.
4. State trends and margins: tying into the first point, look at how North Carolina has voted relative to the national average.

2008: .32 to Obama, 6.88 right to the nation as a whole
2002: 2.04 to Romney, 5.94 right to the nation as a whole
2016 3.66 to Trump, 5.76 right to the nation as a whole
2020: 1.34 to Trump, 5.8 right to the nation as a whole
2022 US House Elections: 4.3 to the GOP, 1.7 right to the nation as a whole
2022 US Senate Election: 3.2 to the GOP, 0.4 right to the nation as a whole
Notice a pattern? The GOP margin diminished enough in 2020 that a similar drift would flip the state, and the subsequent midterm election, which came in a midterm year for the Dems, suggested a further drift. Should these trends hold, 2024 looks like a logical pickup, especially if Biden makes it a target.
To reiterate my point: I don't guarantee a Democratic victory in North Carolina in 2024, but those saying that it's not going to happen are choosing to cling to narratives and not focusing on the very real chance.

Last week's post https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o6tg3/roundup_possibly_uaprelated_reports_on_here_last/
.1 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o2gsu/how_often_do_you_see_a_ufo_in_the_sky/ discussion of sighting frequency
.2 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o2g8b/what_did_i_see/ sighting description, South Carolina, rural area, nighttime, from car, single object directly ahead, It was a collection of lights around a dark center. It looked more or less round, but wider than tall., saucer, stationary, witness stopped the car, silent, feeling like I should get the hell out of there
.3 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o2ed0/objectobjects_in_sky_above_los_angeles/ video, daytime sky, contemporaneous report, single light object, fleet observed, splitting observed,Los Angeles California
.4 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o7708/constant_lightning_near_ft_walton/ video, nighttime sky, storm, lightning, between Ft Walton and Gulf Breeze Florida
.5 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o818g/friend_spotted_this_tonight_apparently_it_was/ photos, nighttime sky, single light object, trail, observed moving, similar sighting in comments Warsaw Poland 🇵🇱 , deleted
.6 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o8saj/strange_sightings_from_a_departed_veteran/ information, UFOs are common, tracked from Cheyenne Mountain Colorado, family history
.7 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13o85i8/orb_ball_lighting_ai_uap/ sighting description and reference image, in bedroom, nighttime, single light object
.8 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o9dw8/this_was_exposed_by_passing_clouds/ photo, daytime sky, single light, doughnut , repeat visitor , dancing https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o9t8v/vid_of_portal_circle_thing_exposed_by_cloud/ video , portal, stationary https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o9xoh/use_slomo_and_hyperlapse_i_use_s20/ advice, slow motion and hyperlapse to see ufo
.9 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13o9htd/what_is_this/ video, daytime sky, single light object, observed flashing, moving upward
.10 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13oa23s/what_is_this_plane_drone/ photo, daytime cloudy sky, single dark object, airplane anomaly, strange looking , Norton Massachusetts, "Rutan Model 61 Long-ez"
.11 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13obyz8/cern_physicist_changes_his_uap_stance/ conversation, family interest in UFOs
.12 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13oddjufo_sightingwisconsin/ video, evening sky, single dark object, twolights observed, red 🔴, very bright, lighting configuration change observed, lights turned off, possible reaction to being filmed, repeat visitor three times, two witnesses, Wisconsin, similar sightings in comments , low over treeline, flew over home, silent , rotating
.13 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ouiomy_mom_sent_this_video_the_other_day/ video, daytime sky, single light object, Atlanta Georgia , repeat visitor
.14 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13osiil/saw_something_weird_and_need_help_identifying_did/ video, [GOODPOST], 🌈 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ovcez/second_video_drove_3_miles_sw_from_original_site/ second video, Fort Lauderdale Florida, nighttime, contemporaneous report, nighttime cloudy sky, single light object stationary, color change observed, multicolored 🌈, possible luring, witness followed it, I got in my car and drove just a couple miles south west. Just to see if I can get another angle., duration 30 minutes
.15 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13orkr2/ufo_flying_in_a_figure_8_in_the_auroras_in_alaska/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, moving erratically, figure 8 path observed, repeat visitor, Alaska, similar sightings in comments
.16 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13nngre/friend_sent_me_this_video_this_happened_at_1030/ video, nighttime sky, downvoted to zero, hard to see, light objects, "bats", contemporaneous report, Sioux falls Idaho
.17 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13olalu/diamond_shaped_ufo_over_coosbayoregon_this_thing/ photo, nighttime sky, diamond shape, single light object, line across middle, very large observed, Coosbay oregon, repeat visitor https://old.reddit.com/UFObelievers/comments/13onavl/video_of_the_diamond_ufo_at_905pm_pretty_good/ video https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p6skb/its_sad_how_many_people_refuse_to_even_look_at/ more video https://old.reddit.com/UFObelievers/comments/13oel86/ive_been_hearing_a_high_pitched_frequency_since/ frequency
.17 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p0vsy/repost_due_to_making_mistakes_strange_object/ video, daytime sky, Trenton new jersey , single light object, wiggling
.18 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p0ny5/possible_sighting_identification_help/ video, daytime sky, fleet, light objects, towards Tehachipi California, duration 3-5 minutes
.19 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13oyuv7/captured_with_ir_filter_made_out_of_lenses_for_a/ video, red and blue filter , daytime cloudy sky, single object moving fast, slow motion https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p4oau/someone_said_that_its_a_hummingbird_so_heres_the/ video https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p57gc/raw_footage_without_slow_motion_object_flies_by/ more video
.20 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13oaa58/when_did_your_existential_fear_of_aliens_start/ discussion of fear
.21 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13o3mbb/something_that_made_me_way_less_skeptical_was_the/ sighting description, two witnesses, nighttime, Angeles forest California, telepathy, something compelled me to look off to my left, single light object, red 🔴, moving slowly, sudden departure upward
.22 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13ot6oh/my_encounter_of_the_3rd_kind_told_for_the_first/ sighting description, nighttime, entities, from car, single light object moving erratically, witness stopped the car, sudden descent, directly in front, emotion of fear, paralysis, feeling lifted up, photo of artifact, metallic sphere, information transfer "we come in peace", big debunker energy, OP comments downvoted, clowning on OP
.23 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13nz0zf/the_blizzard_of_1978/ sighting description, has anyone seen?, 1978, storm, blizzard, family story, bright light shining in bedroom, entity, telepathy, it had something on its head almost like a spiral, information transfer, "do not be afraid", Michigan
.24 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13orbsl/possible_sighting_in_swfl/ video, daytime sky, San Mateo Drive Bonita Springs Florida, single light object, golden metallic observed, rotating observed, contemporaneous report, [GOODPOST], jumpy movement
.25 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13ock4m/help_iding_a_plane/ sighting description, airplane anomaly, low flying, and had two balls attached to the bottom rear, contemporaneous report
.26 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13ol5c4/im_not_sure_if_i_believe_in_aliens_but_i_had_a/ sighting description, single dark object, from airplane, Las Vegas Nevada, two witnesses, flying saucer, black, and putting off a weird smoke or mist, also black. , trail, similar sighting in comments
.27 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13orlr7/my_unknown_experience/ sighting description, central Florida, two witnesses, nighttime, single light object, flareup, moving slowly, trail, observed vanishing, "satellite"
.28 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13oqp97/strange_thing_we_saw_at_the_sky/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, two witnesses, nighttime, very bright, also small blinking red light 🔴, observed vanishing, noise sounded like airplane
.29 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ovhb5/ufo_sighting_glasgow/ sighting description, nighttime, light objects, Glasgow Scotland
.30 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p2e8m/seen_last_evening_in_ct/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, nighttime, Connecticut, single light object moving
.31 https://old.reddit.com/RBI/comments/13oxk5y/mystery_static_visible_in_the_ai sighting description, two witnesses, from car, rectangular patch of static, shimmering, bugs or heat shimmer
.32 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p6v8d/london_22_may_2023/ video, nighttime sky, ISS
.33 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pxkty/saw_a_glowing_orange_orb_in_chicago_back_in/ video, nighttime sky, single light object moving slowly, orange 🟠, flareup observed, observed overhead, over home, two witnesses, urban area, Chicago, very bright, It looked like I was looking into the sun and the air around it looked distorted., emotion of fear, possible luring, witnesses followed it from home, descending down below treeline, emotion of unease, submission statement issues, removed, [GOODPOST] https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13py38v/glowing_orange_orb_siting_chicago_11222/ reposted
.34 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p7vy3/an_experience_like_no_othe sighting description, Cyprus 🇨🇾, nighttime, single light object, approach, flareup, observed moving and stationary, sudden departure
.35 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p7nkt/yuma_ufo/ video, daytime cloudy sky, from car, Yuma Arizona, single object, pacing car, matched car speed change, duration 5+ minutes, single light object, tictac
.36 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p69ej/donut_shaped_object_photos_taken_by_myself_in/ photos, nighttime sky, Ohio, single light object, doughnut shape observed, downvoted to zero, OP comments downvoted, observed moving slowly, multicolored
.37 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pzpce/how_does_my_own_personal_sighting_compare_to/ sighting description, has anyone seen?, urban area, passed the window, single light object, small, moving fast and straight, observed moving and stationary, sudden departure upward, brief, stationary duration 1-2 seconds, similar sightings in comments
.38 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pdmm3/odd_stationary_solid_yellow_light_starts_moving/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, yellow 🟡, observed stationary and moving, flashing, possible reaction to being filmed, vanishing, from car, driving from Mount Vernon Ohio to Columbus , pacing car duration a few minutes, witness stopped the car, trajectory change observed
.39 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pf2aq/i_saw_a_black_ball_in_the_sky/ childhood sighting description, Mexico 🇲🇽 , single dark object, black ⚫️ sphere, moving slowly upward , similar sighting in comments
.40 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pidun/tictac_shaped_thing_following_plane/ video, daytime cloudy sky, single light object, tictac, from airplane, flight from New York to Missouri, pacing plane, duration 30 minutes
.41 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pqems/sighting_last_night_just_after_11pm_45mins_north/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, nighttime, moving star, single light object moving erratically, two objects observed, one following the other, yellow orangish light 🟠
.42 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13q35p0/laying_in_the_hammock_just_now_oregon/ photos, daytime sky, contemporaneous report, single light object, moon for comparison, Oregon https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13q3dd8/help_identifying/ more pictures, contemporaneous report, happening at time of posting
.43 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13q0uw5/i_saw_this_ufo_and_have_a_video_also_over_in/ photos daytime sky, single object blackwhite, doughnut https://old.reddit.com/UFObelievers/comments/13pwmwf/this_is_a_set_of_photos_i_took_that_day_i_seen/ reposted, similar sighting in comments https://old.reddit.com/UFObelievers/comments/13p70tc/this_is_the_video_of_the_ufo_i_saw_on_which_i_had/ video, sightings in comments
.44 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13pfe2s/ufo/ video, daytime cloudy sky, from airplane, single light object, tictac , pacing plane, possible reaction to being filmed, vanished
.45 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13pi37z/any_idea_what_this_is/ photo, daytime cloudy sky, dark line across the sky and single dark object
.46 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13p649c/saw_something_odd_any_guesses/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, single light object stationary, flashing, red 🔴 and white, not sparkling like a star, it was like mechanical, rhythmic pulsing, silent, nighttime, the UK 🇬🇧, duration 5 minutes
.47 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13pg0po/does_this_count_as_an_alien_encounte experience description, nighttime, telepathy, thought like I needed to go to the window., entity, outside window, emotion of fear, paralysis, body mark, scar, daughter has same
.48 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13pcv77/operation_icebox/ experience description, entities, family history, grandfather, operation icebox, has anyone seen?, no comments, deleted OP
.49 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13peu7d/im_a_contactee_i_didnt_ask_for_that_and_didnt/ experience description, metallic sphere, repeat visitor, telepathy, information transfer
.50 https://old.reddit.com/itsslag/comments/13pp7j8/what_is_this/ photo, possible metamaterial
.51 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13pkbdt/quantum_cloning_a_true_story_from_my_childhood/ childhood experience description, quantum cloning
.52 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13pb5ep/an_experience_i_had_that_always_leaves_me/ experience description, humanoid, emotion of fear, Queensland Australia 🇦🇺
.53 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13p4f41/i_think_i_saw_an_alien/ experience description, entity, telepathy, felt that someone was watching me, possible reaction to being observed, vanished, expression was a bit like a grin that kids do when they are being cheeky
.54 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13qb0zo/not_alien_but_anyone_know_whowhen_what_launched/ video, nighttime sky, contemporaneous report, fleet light objects moving fast, trail, similar sighting in comments, Beauharnois Quebec Canada 🇨🇦, "fireball", downvoted to zero
.55 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13qbdd8/inquiring/ sighting description and reference image, art 🎨, has anyone seen?, single light object, low, silent, two witnesses, over the witness home, moved the tops of the trees when it passed by, new York state, [GOODPOST] , similar sightings in comments , green 🟢 fireball , downvoted to zero
.56 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13q9bll/reading_pa_52323_949pm_est/ video, nighttime sky, threelights observed, orange 🟠, two witnesses, reading Pennsylvania, urban area, contemporaneous report, moving erratically, very bright, silent, OP comments downvoted .57 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13qw4df/unexplained_sighting_with_time_series_fotos_on/ sighting description, nighttime cloudy sky, duration 6 minutes, Lipari Italy 🇮🇹 , single light object, very bright, multicolored, shape change
.58 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13qr541/my_possible_ufo_sightingsorry_i_dont_have_footage/ sighting description, nighttime, single light object, observed stationary and moving, sudden departure
.59 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13qdpqv/experiences_that_dont_fit_the_mold/ discussion of unusual experiences
.60 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13qch14/mount_shasta_ca/ sighting description, nighttime, repeat visitors, single light object, flew over the witness home, contemporaneous report, Mt Shasta California, similar sightings in comments
.61 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13pn2iy/your_thoughts_on_synchronicity_exeriwnces/ discussion of synchronicity
.62 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13q23h9/water_man/ sighting description, entity, nighttime, humanoid figure, possible reaction to being observed, ducked down
.63 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13pmky4/ball_lightning_foo_fighters_omg_plasma_exploded/ experience, ball lightning, flareup, close
.64 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13oa3cj/ufo_spotted_seattle_2023205/ video, daytime cloudy sky, single object moving fast, flying saucer, contemporaneous report, Seattle Washington state
.65 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13qnrc2/my_own_storynothing_like_everyone_elses_i_dont/ sighting description and family history, Pennsylvania, entity
.66 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13qyvje/ufo_incident_vegas_512023/ story and reference video, landed craft, entities, Las Vegas Nevada, law enforcement response, green 🟢, tictac
.67 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13r0j1t/help_identifying_flashing_stationary_object_at/ sighting description, nighttime, contemporaneous report, single light object, repeat visitor, flashing once every 11 seconds, flareup and vanishing, location change
.68 https://old.reddit.com/UFObelievers/comments/13qe8vb/their_back_blinker_city_baby_ive_had_it_up_since/ video, nighttime sky, fleet, blinking, repeat visitors
.69 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13r0ufc/here_is_the_32_second_clip_my_buddy_and_i_got/ video, nighttime sky, [GOODPOST], witness to the camp Wilson craft, big debunker energy, clowning on OP, removed by moderator, information suppression
.70 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13rj9gk/i_have_hyperthymesia_one_of_my_memories_is_not/ experience description, information transfer, red 🔴 light, perception anomaly, feels like a memory and not a dream
.71 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13r2cqs/a_voice_in_my_head_with_a_message/ experience description, information transfer, telepathy, "Sonic resonance is the key to harmony and peace", similar experiences in comments
.72 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13rdmt7/ive_dreamt_the_same_dream_on_and_off_for_45_yrs/ discussion of recurring dreams
.73 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13relcz/another_4chan_user_claims_to_have_leaks/ information, family history, grandfather, government works with aliens
.74 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13r5985/me_and_my_dad_see_ufos/ sighting description, family history, single dark object, black ⚫️, repeat visitor
.75 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13rdyvh/does_anyone_have_any_idea_of_what_this_is_it_can/ photos, nighttime sky, from security camera, infrared, not seen by eye, repeat visitor
.76 https://old.reddit.com/Thetruthishere/comments/13rab7y/scary_situation/ experience description, entity, emotion of fear , near where Parkersburg West Virginia turns into Mineral Wells West Virginia
.77 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rn3h7/what_did_i_capture/ photo, daytime cloudy sky, near power station, single object blackwhite , possible physical effects exhaustion
.78 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13rnmnc/cardiff_15th_may/ sighting description, nighttime, fleet, following, duration 10 minutes, "starlink", Cardiff Wales the UK 🇬🇧, this wasn’t satellites is because every so often one would stop and move up and the others would relay past
.79 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rosy7/my_uncle_saw_these_lights_moving_in_a_line_does/ video, nighttime cloudy sky, fleet, diffuse lights moving in a line, following, Fergana Region Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 , "spotlights", duration 30-60 minutes, contemporaneous report
.80 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rpsqk/energy_entity_in_the_night_sky/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, blocky shape, red and green 🔴🟢
.81 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rorointeresting_tidbits_north_american_first_nations/ information, cultural history, Tseshaht First Nation Vancouver Island British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sie28/tseshaht_native_account_of_super_natural_beings/ story , entities
.82 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13rogcf/i_used_the_new_google_bard_asking_about_a_uap_i/ sighting, tictac
.83 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13rqpz7/weird_light_beams/ photos, nighttime cloudy sky, light beams, vertical
.84 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rh0si_asked_to_be_see_something_then_instinctual_ran/ sighting description, human initiated contact, emotion of fear, nighttime, single light object, observed moving and stationary, flareup, sudden departure, duration 5-10 seconds, witness went inside, Dundee Scotland
.85 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rz7ed/looks_like_a_person_hovering_in_the_sky_for_about/ video, daytime sky, single light object irregular blocky shape, duration 1 hour, observed rotating, blackwhite, lighting configuration change, Astoria Queens NYC New York state
.86 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rssfm/glowing_spherical_and_reflective_uap_filmed_with/ video and description, daytime sky, single object blackwhite, flareup, single flash, duration 2 minutes, Spanish Moss Trail in coastal Port Royal south Carolina, two witnesses, metallic sphere observed, stationary duration 30-40 seconds,
.87 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13s7mvj/unidentified_objects_in_the_sky_north_of_quebec/ video, nighttime sky, fleet observed, fourlights, orange 🟠 , first noticed from car, witness stopped the car and got out
.88 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sjggg/my_friend_who_had_a_near_death_experience_2021/ photo, art 🎨, entity, reddish, nighttime
.89 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13s2sqq/possible_alien_ufo/ video, nighttime sky, contemporaneous report, Beverly Washington state, two craft observed, two witnesses, silent, oval shaped observed
.90 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13si7bf/my_teacher_made_us_levitate_and_20_years_later_i/ childhood experience description, levitation, similar experiences in comments
.91 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13sea3q/red_and_green_super_fast_light_creepy/ sighting description, twolights, red and green 🔴🟢, low, entered witness home, nighttime, animal reaction dog noticed it
.92 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13sm5k1/my_strangest_conversation/ experience description, information transfer, machine that needs to be fixed
.93 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13ru969/seeing_a_scarecrow_but_it_wasnt_there_when_i/ sighting description, entity
.94 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13so7wd/location_bucks_county_pa_date_of_sighting_052322/ video, daytime cloudy sky, hard to see , single object passes twice, bucks County Pennsylvania
.95 https://old.reddit.com/itsslag/comments/13smx6l/slag_from_colorado_around_climax_mine_in_the_60s/ possible metamaterial
.96 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sg1ns/some_sort_of_sighting_described_by_my_mothe sighting description and drawing, family story, mother, nighttime, from car, central Indiana, glowing/swirling orb of blue and white light 🔵, sphere, passed directly in front of car
.97 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sbf6y/possible_ufo_story/ sighting description , Guysborough/West Cooks Cove , nighttime, storm, lightning, two witnesses, light shining in bedroom, very bright, witness went to sleep
.98 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sr37k/just_some_cool_lights_probably_satellites/ video, nighttime sky, fleet, repeat visitors, new Mexico , "satellites"
.99 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sth75/saw_this_when_looking_up_at_the_sky_when_in_the/ video, nighttime sky, blinking lights moving erratically
.100 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tap26/ufo_sighted_51723_over_strasburg_colorado/ photo and video, daytime sky, single object elongated, cylindrical, worm 🪱, Strasburg Colorado , observed stationary, orientation change moving into vertical then horizontal position., "solar balloon", similar sighting in comments from same area
.101 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ssvyy/caught_these_strange_lights_over_north_phoenix_az/ video, nighttime sky, Phoenix Arizona, similar sightings in comments, cigar shape observed, fleet, white lights, some flashing
.102 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13suay6/spotted_some_weird_flying_light/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, has anyone seen?,single light object moving fast and straight, observed vanishing, similar sighting in comments , downvoted to zero, niklaas Belgium 🇧🇪
.103 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13stpxh/most_likely_satellites_still_super_cool/ sighting description and video, fleet, nighttime sky, Highlands Ranch Colorado, downvoted to zero
.104 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13s1s5d/been_seeing_a_lot_of_strange_flying_things_in_the/ sighting description, repeat visitors, bellavista Arkansas, "satellites"
.105 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13t2nl3/my_ufo_story/ sighting description, evening, single light object stationary, orange 🟠, two witnesses, low over treeline, splitting, fleet, spinning, sudden departure upward
.106 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13svg2v/everyone_must_readreceived_extraterrestrial/ information, channeling
.107 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13t4183/voice_caught_on_sleep_cycle_app_thats_not_mine_25f/ audio, entity, evp
.108 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13t4526/no_pics_colour_changing_iss/ sighting description, nighttime, single light object, multicolored, color change observed white to red 🔴, sudden acceleration
.109 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13sthn2/ufo_uk_bow_waveshock_wave/ photo, nighttime sky, hard to see, bow wave or shock wave observed, the UK 🇬🇧
.110 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13t07ov/a_silent_black_triangle_1989_pittsburgh_cg/ cgi recreation of sighting, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, single dark object, black triangle, silent, similar sightings in comments
.111 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13th58l/aliens_in_puerto_vallarta/ video, daytime sky, two objects, crescent 🌙 shape, blackwhite, urban area, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 🇲🇽 , big debunker energy, rowdy OP, this will get locked soon I bet, OP comments downvoted, downvoted to zero , "parasail" , removed https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ti1mt/ufos_in_pv/ reposted as sighting description , removed, troll? https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13thfhd/crazy_aliens_in_puerti_vallarta/ more video, nighttime , single light object
.112 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sxs7t/i_think_i_saw_a_ufouap/ sighting description, downvoted to zero, nighttime, twolights, green 🟢, Gary Indiana, lighting configuration change, triangle shape observed, sudden departure
.113 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13tioph/really_bizarre_experience_from_childhood_cant/ childhood experience description, anomalous silence, anomalous solitude, similar experience in comments
.114 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13thf2z/d%C3%A9j%C3%A0vu_experiences_before_negative_events/ discussion of precognition
.115 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13t6jn0/i_witnessed_a_ufo_while_on_a_flight/ childhood sighting description, from airplane, from Toronto to Orlando, eastern USA, daytime, two witnesses, single dark object, brown long oval shape, elongated, cigar, pacing plane, duration 10 minutes, vanishing and reappearing , shape change observed to U shape, rotated, fleet observed
.116 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tkrjg/2_flying_objects_obove_me/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, happening at time of posting, Arnhem the Netherlands 🇳🇱 , twolights stationary over home, separate approach observed, one following the other, observed moving and stationary, nighttime
.117 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tfira/red_ufo_orb_flying_over_the_neighborhood/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, orange 🟠, low over rooftop , Elmwood park Chicago Illinois, urban area
.118 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tj7ru/flying_object_seen_over_frankfurt_27_may_2023/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, Frankfurt Germany 🇩🇪, "ISS" , contemporaneous report
.119 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tlyxs/thing_i_saw_today_in_southeastern_pennsylvania/ video, daytime sky, contemporaneous report, Southeast Pennsylvania, single object, blackwhite, moving erratically, flipping observed, similar sightings in comments
.120 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tn1a8/i_know_everyone_was_very_interested_in_seeing_the/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, possible military response, helicopters, repeat visitor , deleted OP
.121 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tmrqh/may_27_2023_1239am_1246am_central_texas/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, daytime, fleet, moving straight, central Texas
.122 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tmfcp/odd_light/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, nighttime, Ohio, single light object moving fast and straight, right angle turn
.123 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ty0fn/could_i_ask_for_help_to_identify_this_moving/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, trajectory change observed, very bright, Cumbria the lake district the UK 🇬🇧, duration 2 minutes
.124 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tqem3/video_from_a_few_years_ago_in_nsw_australia/ video, daytime cloudy sky, New south Wales Australia 🇦🇺 , single dark object, low over rooftop, trajectory change observed
.125 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13trd8m/red_orange_orb_may_28_2023_buffalo_ny/ video, nighttime sky, contemporaneous report, single light object, red-orange 🔴🟠, Orchard Park south of Buffalo New York state, two witnesses, pulsating, approach, speed change observed, trajectory change observed, sudden departure upward, silent, repeat visitor, urban area
.126 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tu5i6/thats_no_balloon/ sighting description, downvoted to zero, Petersfield the UK 🇬🇧, daytime cloudy sky, single dark object, approach, sphere, moving straight, yellow/beige colour 🟡, two witnesses , flew overhead
.127 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tnbyi/another_ufo_sighting_27th_may_2234_leicester_uk/ video, nighttime sky, single light object
.128 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tszv1/ufo_sighting_phoenix/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, nighttime, fleet, blue 🔵, duration 10 seconds , Phoenix Arizona, "starlink"
.129 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13twgnb/2_new_ufo_videos_to_check_out/ video, nighttime sky, from night vision scope, moving stars, "satellites"
.130 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13tqwsc/strange_reoccurring_dream_and_close_encounter_30/ childhood experience description, bright light shining in bedroom, buzzing noise , repeat visitor, family story, mother saw entities
.131 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13toir2/weird_tapping_noise_in_my_room_all_day/ audio description, bedroom, contemporaneous report, erratic tapping sound, It would be silent for about 30 seconds and then this loud tap would come from any direction, possible reaction to being recorded, stopped
.132 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13tr174/i_see_the_rule_about_blurry_video_but/ video, nighttime sky, single light object blinking, Houston Texas, contemporaneous report, green 🟢 in video, amber 🟠color observed, two witnesses, approach, repeat visitor, similar sighting in comments, family history, father lived near Cheyenne Mountain https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13u7dgi/somebody_told_me_to_post_this_here/ reposted
.133 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13u4s7l/i_captured_a_tic_tac_like_ufo_whirling_around_the/ photos, daytime cloudy sky, single object blackwhite, shape change,
.134 https://old.reddit.com/space/comments/13u1exk/iron_nickel_meteorite/ photos, possible metamaterial
.135 https://old.reddit.com/whatisthisbone/comments/13u122q/is_this_a_fossil_whithin_the_rock_found_in_bahia/ possible crash site
.136 https://old.reddit.com/ParallelUniverse/comments/13u0pij/a_whole_building_changes_disappears/ experience description, two witnesses, location anomaly, building changed
.137 https://old.reddit.com/CLOUDS/comments/13u0hb0/has_anyone_ever_seen_something_like_this_i_used/ photos, daytime cloudy sky, cloud anomaly, portal, two circles of clouds merging
.138 https://old.reddit.com/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/13tr5tp/the_moon/ experience description, moon anomaly, single light object, outside window, close, emotion of unease
.139 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13tr5nz/what_is_up_with_the_moon/ video, deleted OP, nighttime, moon for comparison, objects moving fast
.140 https://old.reddit.com/RBI/comments/13tl6vq/cans_someone_identify_this_ring_camera_motion/ video, nighttime, from home security camera, fourlights, two objects
.141 https://old.reddit.com/RBI/comments/13t6brj/my_friends_memorydream_of_a_witch_whos_breath_cut/ childhood experience description, possible abduction, repeat visitor
.142 https://old.reddit.com/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/13p5oq4/the_sun_flickered_like_a_light_switch/ experience description, two witnesses, darkness in the day time, similar experiences in comments, "the blink"
.143 https://old.reddit.com/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/13pmzzh/sky_was_broken/ experience description, moving stars, two witnesses, similar sightings in comments, the Philippines 🇵🇭, physical effects the hair at the back of my neck rose. My head felt light and my legs felt wobbly, [GOODPOST]

Last week's post https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o6tg3/roundup_possibly_uaprelated_reports_on_here_last/ held for approval? 5:27 pm eastern released 1 hour later, tag changed to compilation instead of discussion
.1 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o2gsu/how_often_do_you_see_a_ufo_in_the_sky/ discussion of sighting frequency
.2 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o2g8b/what_did_i_see/ sighting description, South Carolina, rural area, nighttime, from car, single object directly ahead, It was a collection of lights around a dark center. It looked more or less round, but wider than tall., saucer, stationary, witness stopped the car, silent, feeling like I should get the hell out of there
.3 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o2ed0/objectobjects_in_sky_above_los_angeles/ video, daytime sky, contemporaneous report, single light object, fleet observed, splitting observed,Los Angeles California
.4 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o7708/constant_lightning_near_ft_walton/ video, nighttime sky, storm, lightning, between Ft Walton and Gulf Breeze Florida
.5 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o818g/friend_spotted_this_tonight_apparently_it_was/ photos, nighttime sky, single light object, trail, observed moving, similar sighting in comments Warsaw Poland 🇵🇱 , deleted
.6 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o8saj/strange_sightings_from_a_departed_veteran/ information, UFOs are common, tracked from Cheyenne Mountain Colorado, family history
.7 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13o85i8/orb_ball_lighting_ai_uap/ sighting description and reference image, in bedroom, nighttime, single light object
.8 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o9dw8/this_was_exposed_by_passing_clouds/ photo, daytime sky, single light, doughnut , repeat visitor , dancing https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o9t8v/vid_of_portal_circle_thing_exposed_by_cloud/ video , portal, stationary https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13o9xoh/use_slomo_and_hyperlapse_i_use_s20/ advice, slow motion and hyperlapse to see ufo
.9 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13o9htd/what_is_this/ video, daytime sky, single light object, observed flashing, moving upward
.10 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13oa23s/what_is_this_plane_drone/ photo, daytime cloudy sky, single dark object, airplane anomaly, strange looking , Norton Massachusetts, "Rutan Model 61 Long-ez"
.11 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13obyz8/cern_physicist_changes_his_uap_stance/ conversation, family interest in UFOs
.12 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13oddjufo_sightingwisconsin/ video, evening sky, single dark object, twolights observed, red 🔴, very bright, lighting configuration change observed, lights turned off, possible reaction to being filmed, repeat visitor three times, two witnesses, Wisconsin, similar sightings in comments , low over treeline, flew over home, silent , rotating
.13 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ouiomy_mom_sent_this_video_the_other_day/ video, daytime sky, single light object, Atlanta Georgia , repeat visitor
.14 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13osiil/saw_something_weird_and_need_help_identifying_did/ video, [GOODPOST], 🌈 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ovcez/second_video_drove_3_miles_sw_from_original_site/ second video, Fort Lauderdale Florida, nighttime, contemporaneous report, nighttime cloudy sky, single light object stationary, color change observed, multicolored 🌈, possible luring, witness followed it, I got in my car and drove just a couple miles south west. Just to see if I can get another angle., duration 30 minutes
.15 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13orkr2/ufo_flying_in_a_figure_8_in_the_auroras_in_alaska/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, moving erratically, figure 8 path observed, repeat visitor, Alaska, similar sightings in comments
.16 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13nngre/friend_sent_me_this_video_this_happened_at_1030/ video, nighttime sky, downvoted to zero, hard to see, light objects, "bats", contemporaneous report, Sioux falls Idaho
.17 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13olalu/diamond_shaped_ufo_over_coosbayoregon_this_thing/ photo, nighttime sky, diamond shape, single light object, line across middle, very large observed, Coosbay oregon, repeat visitor https://old.reddit.com/UFObelievers/comments/13onavl/video_of_the_diamond_ufo_at_905pm_pretty_good/ video https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p6skb/its_sad_how_many_people_refuse_to_even_look_at/ more video https://old.reddit.com/UFObelievers/comments/13oel86/ive_been_hearing_a_high_pitched_frequency_since/ frequency
.17 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p0vsy/repost_due_to_making_mistakes_strange_object/ video, daytime sky, Trenton new jersey , single light object, wiggling
.18 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p0ny5/possible_sighting_identification_help/ video, daytime sky, fleet, light objects, towards Tehachipi California, duration 3-5 minutes
.19 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13oyuv7/captured_with_ir_filter_made_out_of_lenses_for_a/ video, red and blue filter , daytime cloudy sky, single object moving fast, slow motion https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p4oau/someone_said_that_its_a_hummingbird_so_heres_the/ video https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p57gc/raw_footage_without_slow_motion_object_flies_by/ more video
.20 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13oaa58/when_did_your_existential_fear_of_aliens_start/ discussion of fear
.21 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13o3mbb/something_that_made_me_way_less_skeptical_was_the/ sighting description, two witnesses, nighttime, Angeles forest California, telepathy, something compelled me to look off to my left, single light object, red 🔴, moving slowly, sudden departure upward
.22 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13ot6oh/my_encounter_of_the_3rd_kind_told_for_the_first/ sighting description, nighttime, entities, from car, single light object moving erratically, witness stopped the car, sudden descent, directly in front, emotion of fear, paralysis, feeling lifted up, photo of artifact, metallic sphere, information transfer "we come in peace", big debunker energy, OP comments downvoted, clowning on OP
.23 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13nz0zf/the_blizzard_of_1978/ sighting description, has anyone seen?, 1978, storm, blizzard, family story, bright light shining in bedroom, entity, telepathy, it had something on its head almost like a spiral, information transfer, "do not be afraid", Michigan
.24 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13orbsl/possible_sighting_in_swfl/ video, daytime sky, San Mateo Drive Bonita Springs Florida, single light object, golden metallic observed, rotating observed, contemporaneous report, [GOODPOST], jumpy movement
.25 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13ock4m/help_iding_a_plane/ sighting description, airplane anomaly, low flying, and had two balls attached to the bottom rear, contemporaneous report
.26 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13ol5c4/im_not_sure_if_i_believe_in_aliens_but_i_had_a/ sighting description, single dark object, from airplane, Las Vegas Nevada, two witnesses, flying saucer, black, and putting off a weird smoke or mist, also black. , trail, similar sighting in comments
.27 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13orlr7/my_unknown_experience/ sighting description, central Florida, two witnesses, nighttime, single light object, flareup, moving slowly, trail, observed vanishing, "satellite"
.28 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13oqp97/strange_thing_we_saw_at_the_sky/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, two witnesses, nighttime, very bright, also small blinking red light 🔴, observed vanishing, noise sounded like airplane
.29 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ovhb5/ufo_sighting_glasgow/ sighting description, nighttime, light objects, Glasgow Scotland
.30 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p2e8m/seen_last_evening_in_ct/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, nighttime, Connecticut, single light object moving
.31 https://old.reddit.com/RBI/comments/13oxk5y/mystery_static_visible_in_the_ai sighting description, two witnesses, from car, rectangular patch of static, shimmering, bugs or heat shimmer
.32 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p6v8d/london_22_may_2023/ video, nighttime sky, ISS
.33 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pxkty/saw_a_glowing_orange_orb_in_chicago_back_in/ video, nighttime sky, single light object moving slowly, orange 🟠, flareup observed, observed overhead, over home, two witnesses, urban area, Chicago, very bright, It looked like I was looking into the sun and the air around it looked distorted., emotion of fear, possible luring, witnesses followed it from home, descending down below treeline, emotion of unease, submission statement issues, removed, [GOODPOST] https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13py38v/glowing_orange_orb_siting_chicago_11222/ reposted
.34 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p7vy3/an_experience_like_no_othe sighting description, Cyprus 🇨🇾, nighttime, single light object, approach, flareup, observed moving and stationary, sudden departure
.35 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p7nkt/yuma_ufo/ video, daytime cloudy sky, from car, Yuma Arizona, single object, pacing car, matched car speed change, duration 5+ minutes, single light object, tictac
.36 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13p69ej/donut_shaped_object_photos_taken_by_myself_in/ photos, nighttime sky, Ohio, single light object, doughnut shape observed, downvoted to zero, OP comments downvoted, observed moving slowly, multicolored
.37 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pzpce/how_does_my_own_personal_sighting_compare_to/ sighting description, has anyone seen?, urban area, passed the window, single light object, small, moving fast and straight, observed moving and stationary, sudden departure upward, brief, stationary duration 1-2 seconds, similar sightings in comments
.38 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pdmm3/odd_stationary_solid_yellow_light_starts_moving/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, yellow 🟡, observed stationary and moving, flashing, possible reaction to being filmed, vanishing, from car, driving from Mount Vernon Ohio to Columbus , pacing car duration a few minutes, witness stopped the car, trajectory change observed
.39 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pf2aq/i_saw_a_black_ball_in_the_sky/ childhood sighting description, Mexico 🇲🇽 , single dark object, black ⚫️ sphere, moving slowly upward , similar sighting in comments
.40 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pidun/tictac_shaped_thing_following_plane/ video, daytime cloudy sky, single light object, tictac, from airplane, flight from New York to Missouri, pacing plane, duration 30 minutes
.41 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13pqems/sighting_last_night_just_after_11pm_45mins_north/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, nighttime, moving star, single light object moving erratically, two objects observed, one following the other, yellow orangish light 🟠
.42 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13q35p0/laying_in_the_hammock_just_now_oregon/ photos, daytime sky, contemporaneous report, single light object, moon for comparison, Oregon https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13q3dd8/help_identifying/ more pictures, contemporaneous report, happening at time of posting
.43 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13q0uw5/i_saw_this_ufo_and_have_a_video_also_over_in/ photos daytime sky, single object blackwhite, doughnut https://old.reddit.com/UFObelievers/comments/13pwmwf/this_is_a_set_of_photos_i_took_that_day_i_seen/ reposted, similar sighting in comments https://old.reddit.com/UFObelievers/comments/13p70tc/this_is_the_video_of_the_ufo_i_saw_on_which_i_had/ video, sightings in comments
.44 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13pfe2s/ufo/ video, daytime cloudy sky, from airplane, single light object, tictac , pacing plane, possible reaction to being filmed, vanished
.45 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13pi37z/any_idea_what_this_is/ photo, daytime cloudy sky, dark line across the sky and single dark object
.46 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13p649c/saw_something_odd_any_guesses/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, single light object stationary, flashing, red 🔴 and white, not sparkling like a star, it was like mechanical, rhythmic pulsing, silent, nighttime, the UK 🇬🇧, duration 5 minutes
.47 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13pg0po/does_this_count_as_an_alien_encounte experience description, nighttime, telepathy, thought like I needed to go to the window., entity, outside window, emotion of fear, paralysis, body mark, scar, daughter has same
.48 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13pcv77/operation_icebox/ experience description, entities, family history, grandfather, operation icebox, has anyone seen?, no comments, deleted OP
.49 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13peu7d/im_a_contactee_i_didnt_ask_for_that_and_didnt/ experience description, metallic sphere, repeat visitor, telepathy, information transfer
.50 https://old.reddit.com/itsslag/comments/13pp7j8/what_is_this/ photo, possible metamaterial
.51 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13pkbdt/quantum_cloning_a_true_story_from_my_childhood/ childhood experience description, quantum cloning
.52 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13pb5ep/an_experience_i_had_that_always_leaves_me/ experience description, humanoid, emotion of fear, Queensland Australia 🇦🇺
.53 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13p4f41/i_think_i_saw_an_alien/ experience description, entity, telepathy, felt that someone was watching me, possible reaction to being observed, vanished, expression was a bit like a grin that kids do when they are being cheeky
.54 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13qb0zo/not_alien_but_anyone_know_whowhen_what_launched/ video, nighttime sky, contemporaneous report, fleet light objects moving fast, trail, similar sighting in comments, Beauharnois Quebec Canada 🇨🇦, "fireball", downvoted to zero
.55 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13qbdd8/inquiring/ sighting description and reference image, art 🎨, has anyone seen?, single light object, low, silent, two witnesses, over the witness home, moved the tops of the trees when it passed by, new York state, [GOODPOST] , similar sightings in comments , green 🟢 fireball , downvoted to zero
.56 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13q9bll/reading_pa_52323_949pm_est/ video, nighttime sky, threelights observed, orange 🟠, two witnesses, reading Pennsylvania, urban area, contemporaneous report, moving erratically, very bright, silent, OP comments downvoted .57 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13qw4df/unexplained_sighting_with_time_series_fotos_on/ sighting description, nighttime cloudy sky, duration 6 minutes, Lipari Italy 🇮🇹 , single light object, very bright, multicolored, shape change
.58 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13qr541/my_possible_ufo_sightingsorry_i_dont_have_footage/ sighting description, nighttime, single light object, observed stationary and moving, sudden departure
.59 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13qdpqv/experiences_that_dont_fit_the_mold/ discussion of unusual experiences
.60 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13qch14/mount_shasta_ca/ sighting description, nighttime, repeat visitors, single light object, flew over the witness home, contemporaneous report, Mt Shasta California, similar sightings in comments
.61 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13pn2iy/your_thoughts_on_synchronicity_exeriwnces/ discussion of synchronicity
.62 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13q23h9/water_man/ sighting description, entity, nighttime, humanoid figure, possible reaction to being observed, ducked down
.63 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13pmky4/ball_lightning_foo_fighters_omg_plasma_exploded/ experience, ball lightning, flareup, close
.64 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13oa3cj/ufo_spotted_seattle_2023205/ video, daytime cloudy sky, single object moving fast, flying saucer, contemporaneous report, Seattle Washington state
.65 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13qnrc2/my_own_storynothing_like_everyone_elses_i_dont/ sighting description and family history, Pennsylvania, entity
.66 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13qyvje/ufo_incident_vegas_512023/ story and reference video, landed craft, entities, Las Vegas Nevada, law enforcement response, green 🟢, tictac
.67 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13r0j1t/help_identifying_flashing_stationary_object_at/ sighting description, nighttime, contemporaneous report, single light object, repeat visitor, flashing once every 11 seconds, flareup and vanishing, location change
.68 https://old.reddit.com/UFObelievers/comments/13qe8vb/their_back_blinker_city_baby_ive_had_it_up_since/ video, nighttime sky, fleet, blinking, repeat visitors
.69 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13r0ufc/here_is_the_32_second_clip_my_buddy_and_i_got/ video, nighttime sky, [GOODPOST], witness to the camp Wilson craft, big debunker energy, clowning on OP, removed by moderator, information suppression
.70 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13rj9gk/i_have_hyperthymesia_one_of_my_memories_is_not/ experience description, information transfer, red 🔴 light, perception anomaly, feels like a memory and not a dream
.71 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13r2cqs/a_voice_in_my_head_with_a_message/ experience description, information transfer, telepathy, "Sonic resonance is the key to harmony and peace", similar experiences in comments
.72 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13rdmt7/ive_dreamt_the_same_dream_on_and_off_for_45_yrs/ discussion of recurring dreams
.73 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13relcz/another_4chan_user_claims_to_have_leaks/ information, family history, grandfather, government works with aliens
.74 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13r5985/me_and_my_dad_see_ufos/ sighting description, family history, single dark object, black ⚫️, repeat visitor
.75 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13rdyvh/does_anyone_have_any_idea_of_what_this_is_it_can/ photos, nighttime sky, from security camera, infrared, not seen by eye, repeat visitor
.76 https://old.reddit.com/Thetruthishere/comments/13rab7y/scary_situation/ experience description, entity, emotion of fear , near where Parkersburg West Virginia turns into Mineral Wells West Virginia
.77 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rn3h7/what_did_i_capture/ photo, daytime cloudy sky, near power station, single object blackwhite , possible physical effects exhaustion
.78 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13rnmnc/cardiff_15th_may/ sighting description, nighttime, fleet, following, duration 10 minutes, "starlink", Cardiff Wales the UK 🇬🇧, this wasn’t satellites is because every so often one would stop and move up and the others would relay past
.79 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rosy7/my_uncle_saw_these_lights_moving_in_a_line_does/ video, nighttime cloudy sky, fleet, diffuse lights moving in a line, following, Fergana Region Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 , "spotlights", duration 30-60 minutes, contemporaneous report
.80 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rpsqk/energy_entity_in_the_night_sky/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, blocky shape, red and green 🔴🟢
.81 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rorointeresting_tidbits_north_american_first_nations/ information, cultural history, Tseshaht First Nation Vancouver Island British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sie28/tseshaht_native_account_of_super_natural_beings/ story , entities
.82 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13rogcf/i_used_the_new_google_bard_asking_about_a_uap_i/ sighting, tictac
.83 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13rqpz7/weird_light_beams/ photos, nighttime cloudy sky, light beams, vertical
.84 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rh0si_asked_to_be_see_something_then_instinctual_ran/ sighting description, human initiated contact, emotion of fear, nighttime, single light object, observed moving and stationary, flareup, sudden departure, duration 5-10 seconds, witness went inside, Dundee Scotland
.85 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rz7ed/looks_like_a_person_hovering_in_the_sky_for_about/ video, daytime sky, single light object irregular blocky shape, duration 1 hour, observed rotating, blackwhite, lighting configuration change, Astoria Queens NYC New York state
.86 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13rssfm/glowing_spherical_and_reflective_uap_filmed_with/ video and description, daytime sky, single object blackwhite, flareup, single flash, duration 2 minutes, Spanish Moss Trail in coastal Port Royal south Carolina, two witnesses, metallic sphere observed, stationary duration 30-40 seconds,
.87 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13s7mvj/unidentified_objects_in_the_sky_north_of_quebec/ video, nighttime sky, fleet observed, fourlights, orange 🟠 , first noticed from car, witness stopped the car and got out
.88 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sjggg/my_friend_who_had_a_near_death_experience_2021/ photo, art 🎨, entity, reddish, nighttime
.89 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13s2sqq/possible_alien_ufo/ video, nighttime sky, contemporaneous report, Beverly Washington state, two craft observed, two witnesses, silent, oval shaped observed
.90 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13si7bf/my_teacher_made_us_levitate_and_20_years_later_i/ childhood experience description, levitation, similar experiences in comments
.91 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13sea3q/red_and_green_super_fast_light_creepy/ sighting description, twolights, red and green 🔴🟢, low, entered witness home, nighttime, animal reaction dog noticed it
.92 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13sm5k1/my_strangest_conversation/ experience description, information transfer, machine that needs to be fixed
.93 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13ru969/seeing_a_scarecrow_but_it_wasnt_there_when_i/ sighting description, entity
.94 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13so7wd/location_bucks_county_pa_date_of_sighting_052322/ video, daytime cloudy sky, hard to see , single object passes twice, bucks County Pennsylvania
.95 https://old.reddit.com/itsslag/comments/13smx6l/slag_from_colorado_around_climax_mine_in_the_60s/ possible metamaterial
.96 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sg1ns/some_sort_of_sighting_described_by_my_mothe sighting description and drawing, family story, mother, nighttime, from car, central Indiana, glowing/swirling orb of blue and white light 🔵, sphere, passed directly in front of car
.97 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sbf6y/possible_ufo_story/ sighting description , Guysborough/West Cooks Cove , nighttime, storm, lightning, two witnesses, light shining in bedroom, very bright, witness went to sleep
.98 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sr37k/just_some_cool_lights_probably_satellites/ video, nighttime sky, fleet, repeat visitors, new Mexico , "satellites"
.99 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sth75/saw_this_when_looking_up_at_the_sky_when_in_the/ video, nighttime sky, blinking lights moving erratically
.100 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tap26/ufo_sighted_51723_over_strasburg_colorado/ photo and video, daytime sky, single object elongated, cylindrical, worm 🪱, Strasburg Colorado , observed stationary, orientation change moving into vertical then horizontal position., "solar balloon", similar sighting in comments from same area
.101 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ssvyy/caught_these_strange_lights_over_north_phoenix_az/ video, nighttime sky, Phoenix Arizona, similar sightings in comments, cigar shape observed, fleet, white lights, some flashing
.102 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13suay6/spotted_some_weird_flying_light/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, has anyone seen?,single light object moving fast and straight, observed vanishing, similar sighting in comments , downvoted to zero, niklaas Belgium 🇧🇪
.103 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13stpxh/most_likely_satellites_still_super_cool/ sighting description and video, fleet, nighttime sky, Highlands Ranch Colorado, downvoted to zero
.104 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13s1s5d/been_seeing_a_lot_of_strange_flying_things_in_the/ sighting description, repeat visitors, bellavista Arkansas, "satellites"
.105 https://old.reddit.com/aliens/comments/13t2nl3/my_ufo_story/ sighting description, evening, single light object stationary, orange 🟠, two witnesses, low over treeline, splitting, fleet, spinning, sudden departure upward
.106 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13svg2v/everyone_must_readreceived_extraterrestrial/ information, channeling
.107 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13t4183/voice_caught_on_sleep_cycle_app_thats_not_mine_25f/ audio, entity, evp
.108 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13t4526/no_pics_colour_changing_iss/ sighting description, nighttime, single light object, multicolored, color change observed white to red 🔴, sudden acceleration
.109 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13sthn2/ufo_uk_bow_waveshock_wave/ photo, nighttime sky, hard to see, bow wave or shock wave observed, the UK 🇬🇧
.110 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13t07ov/a_silent_black_triangle_1989_pittsburgh_cg/ cgi recreation of sighting, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, single dark object, black triangle, silent, similar sightings in comments
.111 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13th58l/aliens_in_puerto_vallarta/ video, daytime sky, two objects, crescent 🌙 shape, blackwhite, urban area, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 🇲🇽 , big debunker energy, rowdy OP, this will get locked soon I bet, OP comments downvoted, downvoted to zero , "parasail" , removed https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ti1mt/ufos_in_pv/ reposted as sighting description , removed, troll? https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13thfhd/crazy_aliens_in_puerti_vallarta/ more video, nighttime , single light object
.112 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13sxs7t/i_think_i_saw_a_ufouap/ sighting description, downvoted to zero, nighttime, twolights, green 🟢, Gary Indiana, lighting configuration change, triangle shape observed, sudden departure
.113 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13tioph/really_bizarre_experience_from_childhood_cant/ childhood experience description, anomalous silence, anomalous solitude, similar experience in comments
.114 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13thf2z/d%C3%A9j%C3%A0vu_experiences_before_negative_events/ discussion of precognition
.115 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13t6jn0/i_witnessed_a_ufo_while_on_a_flight/ childhood sighting description, from airplane, from Toronto to Orlando, eastern USA, daytime, two witnesses, single dark object, brown long oval shape, elongated, cigar, pacing plane, duration 10 minutes, vanishing and reappearing , shape change observed to U shape, rotated, fleet observed
.116 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tkrjg/2_flying_objects_obove_me/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, happening at time of posting, Arnhem the Netherlands 🇳🇱 , twolights stationary over home, separate approach observed, one following the other, observed moving and stationary, nighttime
.117 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tfira/red_ufo_orb_flying_over_the_neighborhood/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, orange 🟠, low over rooftop , Elmwood park Chicago Illinois, urban area
.118 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tj7ru/flying_object_seen_over_frankfurt_27_may_2023/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, Frankfurt Germany 🇩🇪, "ISS" , contemporaneous report
.119 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tlyxs/thing_i_saw_today_in_southeastern_pennsylvania/ video, daytime sky, contemporaneous report, Southeast Pennsylvania, single object, blackwhite, moving erratically, flipping observed, similar sightings in comments
.120 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tn1a8/i_know_everyone_was_very_interested_in_seeing_the/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, possible military response, helicopters, repeat visitor , deleted OP
.121 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tmrqh/may_27_2023_1239am_1246am_central_texas/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, daytime, fleet, moving straight, central Texas
.122 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tmfcp/odd_light/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, nighttime, Ohio, single light object moving fast and straight, right angle turn
.123 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13ty0fn/could_i_ask_for_help_to_identify_this_moving/ video, nighttime sky, single light object, trajectory change observed, very bright, Cumbria the lake district the UK 🇬🇧, duration 2 minutes
.124 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tqem3/video_from_a_few_years_ago_in_nsw_australia/ video, daytime cloudy sky, New south Wales Australia 🇦🇺 , single dark object, low over rooftop, trajectory change observed
.125 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13trd8m/red_orange_orb_may_28_2023_buffalo_ny/ video, nighttime sky, contemporaneous report, single light object, red-orange 🔴🟠, Orchard Park south of Buffalo New York state, two witnesses, pulsating, approach, speed change observed, trajectory change observed, sudden departure upward, silent, repeat visitor, urban area
.126 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tu5i6/thats_no_balloon/ sighting description, downvoted to zero, Petersfield the UK 🇬🇧, daytime cloudy sky, single dark object, approach, sphere, moving straight, yellow/beige colour 🟡, two witnesses , flew overhead
.127 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tnbyi/another_ufo_sighting_27th_may_2234_leicester_uk/ video, nighttime sky, single light object
.128 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13tszv1/ufo_sighting_phoenix/ sighting description, contemporaneous report, nighttime, fleet, blue 🔵, duration 10 seconds , Phoenix Arizona, "starlink"
.129 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13twgnb/2_new_ufo_videos_to_check_out/ video, nighttime sky, from night vision scope, moving stars, "satellites"
.130 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13tqwsc/strange_reoccurring_dream_and_close_encounter_30/ childhood experience description, bright light shining in bedroom, buzzing noise , repeat visitor, family story, mother saw entities
.131 https://old.reddit.com/HighStrangeness/comments/13toir2/weird_tapping_noise_in_my_room_all_day/ audio description, bedroom, contemporaneous report, erratic tapping sound, It would be silent for about 30 seconds and then this loud tap would come from any direction, possible reaction to being recorded, stopped
.132 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13tr174/i_see_the_rule_about_blurry_video_but/ video, nighttime sky, single light object blinking, Houston Texas, contemporaneous report, green 🟢 in video, amber 🟠color observed, two witnesses, approach, repeat visitor, similar sighting in comments, family history, father lived near Cheyenne Mountain https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13u7dgi/somebody_told_me_to_post_this_here/ reposted
.133 https://old.reddit.com/UFOs/comments/13u4s7l/i_captured_a_tic_tac_like_ufo_whirling_around_the/ photos, daytime cloudy sky, single object blackwhite, shape change,
.134 https://old.reddit.com/space/comments/13u1exk/iron_nickel_meteorite/ photos, possible metamaterial
.135 https://old.reddit.com/whatisthisbone/comments/13u122q/is_this_a_fossil_whithin_the_rock_found_in_bahia/ possible crash site
.136 https://old.reddit.com/ParallelUniverse/comments/13u0pij/a_whole_building_changes_disappears/ experience description, two witnesses, location anomaly, building changed
.137 https://old.reddit.com/CLOUDS/comments/13u0hb0/has_anyone_ever_seen_something_like_this_i_used/ photos, daytime cloudy sky, cloud anomaly, portal, two circles of clouds merging
.138 https://old.reddit.com/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/13tr5tp/the_moon/ experience description, moon anomaly, single light object, outside window, close, emotion of unease
.139 https://old.reddit.com/ufo/comments/13tr5nz/what_is_up_with_the_moon/ video, deleted OP, nighttime, moon for comparison, objects moving fast
.140 https://old.reddit.com/RBI/comments/13tl6vq/cans_someone_identify_this_ring_camera_motion/ video, nighttime, from home security camera, fourlights, two objects
.141 https://old.reddit.com/RBI/comments/13t6brj/my_friends_memorydream_of_a_witch_whos_breath_cut/ childhood experience description, possible abduction, repeat visitor
.142 https://old.reddit.com/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/13p5oq4/the_sun_flickered_like_a_light_switch/ experience description, two witnesses, darkness in the day time, similar experiences in comments, "the blink"
.143 https://old.reddit.com/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/13pmzzh/sky_was_broken/ experience description, moving stars, two witnesses, similar sightings in comments, the Philippines 🇵🇭, physical effects the hair at the back of my neck rose. My head felt light and my legs felt wobbly, [GOODPOST]

Dracula: World of War --- The Violet Reaper ---- Humans Don’t Make Good Familiars Book 1 ---- The Lonely World --- Discord ---- YouTube --- My Patreon --- My Author's Page --- ArcAngel98 Wiki ---- The Next Best Hero ---- HDMGF Book 2 ---- Jess and Blinx: The Wizard ---- The Questing Parties ---- The Immortal Legends: The Van Helsing ---- Previous

Chapter 18: The Journey Home

I left a few nights after my conversation with Captain Lance. I was taken by jeep to the nearest safe town and caught a train. A few of the men saw me off, some wished me a swift recovery and others asked me to mail letters for them when I got back. I agreed and said my goodbyes. In the end I was dropped of back at London because that was where I joined the army from. I did as I told my comrades I would and mailed the letters for their families that they gave me, then tried to stop at my old apartment, but it was reduced to rubble in the air raids. I was still wearing my uniform, and now that my apartment was destroyed that meant all of my things were gone too. I was irritated, but only mildly; there wasn’t much in the apartment anyway. I had enough money to afford new clothes and tickets for passage to get me as close to Russia as I could. After that I would figure it out as I went.
I walked down London’s streets, currently filled with debris from destroyed buildings, and looked in what remained of the clothing shops. I found one shop, which was in complete ruin, glass from the broken windows were on the floor and a wall was caved inward splaying bricks and mortar everywhere. But still the shop was open; I knew this from a little hand made sign outside that read, “We are still open, just a bit more open than usual.” I actually laughed when I read that. The British were famous for being able to keep a stiff upper lip, but this was remarkable.
“Ah hello, welcome sir. How can I help you today?” An elderly man behind a counter asked.
“I am in need of new clothes. Something less… militaristic, and it needs to cover much of my body. I’m afraid the sun is rather unkind to my skin.” I told the man.
“Fresh home from the front, are you? I’m glad you were able to make it home safe and thank you for your brave service.” He shook my hand and led me to a more intact part of the shop. Along the walls and on shelves were many fine clothes, hats, and shoes. “As I always say sir: a fine suit makes a fine gentleman. May I ask, how much are you willing to spend today?”
I pulled out a few pounds and handed it to him, “this much.” He looked as if I had just given him a gold bar and a stiff drink.
“I… I think we have just the thing for you sir.” He quickly walked over to a large door and pulled out a key, unlocking it and motioning me to join him. Beyond the door was a room filled with mannequin wearing exquisite suits and fine dresses. “This is a room reserved for our more… lavish cliental. I think it will fit you much better.”
“How many can I afford with what I gave you?”
“Three or four full outfits, I should think sir, and I would be happy to throw in a rather dapper hat on the house for such a lofty purchase.” He began measuring me from head to toe, then he brought out several different trousers and shirts for me to try on. After we had decided on three shirts, jackets, and pants to match, we moved on to shoes and socks.
In total I spent nearly two hours in his shop, but I must admit to looking quite debonair when I left. And true to his word he gave me a bowler’s hat to match the suit that I wore out of the store. I had bought, and was currently wearing, black trousers, a fitted long sleeved white shirt, a black vest, and my bowler’s hat. In my bag, I had similar outfits, some with coats of varying colors, but mostly darker shades such as deep blues and greys. Now that I looked like any other well-dressed man, I would be able to blend in without drawing suspicion. If I had tried to cross borders dressed like a soldier I most likely would have been shot, captured, tortured, or generally mistreated. As much as the men and women of Russia may dislike the wealthy, they might dislike foreign soldiers even more.
I picked up my bag, that held what amounted to all of my worldly possessions, left the shopping district, and headed to the docks to get passage on a ship heading to the main European continent. Travel was dangerous due to the war, but a few trains still ran, so after a two-day boat ride, I hopped on a train for as far as it would take me. I got a few hundred miles from the Russian border, but no one would take me any further. My only options seemed to be either walking, finding an automobile, or ride a horse, which was a fairly common method of transportation in this area.
I looked around as I stepped of the train. I was used to major cities, large crowds, and tall buildings… not this. I felt as if I had stepped back in time by a century. The tallest thing in the whole town was the train, and it was leaving in fifteen minutes. I had arrived at night, so the town was quiet, and very dark. Not a single streetlamp as far as the eye could see. I was very thankful for my superior eyesight, or I would have been in a very bad way. The air smelt of cattle and grass, aside from the train station there was no one around. I felt my hunger rise in my throat and quelled it; I knew places like this had no criminals to satiate my thirst with. I doubted they had doctors… let alone drug dealers. There were open fields as far as I could make out in the moonlit distance. The only sounds came from the station and the animals. Some crickets chirped, a few bats flittered about, and a howl of some kind echoed, but nothing man-made even let out a peep.
I had spent centuries navigating by the stars, so I was able to get my baring without delay and headed for the border, which was to my North-East. I walked all night, and when the sun rose, I simply covered up and kept on. I walked for days, only stopping to feed or take a break from the Sun in the blessed shade, but these breaks never lasted long. I only allowed myself time enough to shake off the effects of the sunlight then I continued my march. My territory… my hometown… was hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometers away. Between us was the German army, and the poor unfortunate souls that made up their ranks… and my next meals for a while.

This is not an ultimate list, but from what I have learned from this community. Feel free to disagree and state your reason please! I will update this list for now. Those with stars means there is not much information and is just a speculation. I included most of the commonly identified as T30 in this list. If you feel I forgot one, comment and I will add it. Also if you can Upvote so others may enjoy it
Here is the list in no particular order.
Friendly:

1. University of California, Berkeley (for CCC)
2. University of California, Davis (for CCC)
3. University of California, Irvine (for CCC)
4. University of California, San Diego (for CCC)
5. University of California, Los Angeles (for CCC)
6. University of California, Santa Barbara (for CCC)
7. University of Southern California (mostly CCC)
8. University of Michigan (for MI residents)
9. University of Virginia (for VA residents)
10. University of Texas, Austin (especially for TX residents)
11. University of North Carolina, Chapell Hill (for NC residents)
12. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (for IL residents)

Semi Friendly:

1. New York University (no FinAid in most cases)
2. University of Pennsylvania
3. Columbia GS (for non trads)
4. Cornell University (mostly Transfer Options though)
5. Boston University
6. Emory University
7. Stanford University
8. Dartmouth University*
9. Amherst College (there is an article about it)
10. Johns Hopkins University
11. Princeton University (especially for Vets)
12. Williams College*
13. Vanderbilt University
14. Georgetown University

Unfriendly/Hostile:

1. University of Chicago
2. Duke University
3. Harvard University (except for military or non trads)
4. Yale University (except for Eli Whitney Program for non trads)
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
6. California Institute of Technology
7. Carnegie Mellon University*
8. Rice University*
9. Washington University at St.Louis (except for local CC)
10. Boston College*
11. University of Notre Dame*
12. Brown University*
13. Northwestern University*

I’ve got a unique request. Does anyone know where I could get a desktop picture frame (thinking 5x7, but other sizes okay) that is either shaped like North Carolina or has a clear NC theme?
Our friends are moving away and we’d like to get them this NC themed gift. Any tips are greatly appreciated!