Saying for wrist tattoos
Subreddit for fans of the "Purrfect Apawcalypse" game trilogy
2020.10.29 21:45 gattonero2001 Subreddit for fans of the "Purrfect Apawcalypse" game trilogy
Purrfect Apawcalypse is a trilogy of graphic visual novels, developed by 90% Studios. Gore and spoilers are both on this sub; beware! OFFICAL DISCORD SERVER: https://discord.gg/90pc
2024.06.10 05:57 HeadOfSpectre Soldiers Keep Moving (Part 4)
Part 3
I needed a drink.
God, did I ever need a drink.
The incident by River Ridge was nothing short of a disaster, to say the least. When he’d made it to the scene, Sheriff Smith had asked me for every detail I could give him on what had happened, and I’d told him most of the truth.
Most of it.
I left out the part where Clementine Di Cesare had drank a man's blood and caused the earth to move. Biggs probably would’ve believed all of it if I had told him, but the Sheriff? He’d probably send me to get my head checked, and I wouldn’t blame him one bit for that. Even if there was a chance he’d believe me, I couldn’t really bring myself to include those particular elements of the story. I barely believed them, even though I’d seen it all with my own two eyes. None of this seemed to make sense anymore. I felt like I was looking at the shifting gears of some great machine without any context for what any of them did. I only knew that they did in fact do something.
I knew that Apostle was killing monsters.
I knew that Di Cesare probably wasn’t actually with the State Police.
I knew that apparently there’d been a bunch of fish women living down by River Ridge, and I may or may not have just saved them all from being ambushed. These were things I knew… and yet they didn’t make sense to me.
Christ, and here I thought small towns like this were supposed to be simple?
***
I was at The Honey Pot and Spaniel, having a beer when Dr. Miller found me. The moment I saw him walk in, I gave him a nod and wasn’t in the least bit surprised when he slid into the booth across from me.
“Deputy Sawyer… sounds like you’ve had a hell of a day, huh?”
“I’ve had a hell of a week,” I replied. “I didn’t think you drank, Doc.”
“From time to time,” He said. The bartender, Dixon came by and he ordered a beer.
“You look like you’ve barely slept,” He said, once he was gone.
“Yeah? Go figure?” I asked. “I’ve got coffee keeping me going for the time being.”
“Caffeine doesn’t really make up for a good night's sleep.”
“Maybe not, but I’ve kinda had a lot going on lately. That doesn’t really give a man much time for sleep.”
“No, I guess it doesn’t,” Dr. Miller admitted.
“So what brings you to my little watering hole?” I asked, “It’s not 5 o’clock yet, so I can’t imagine this is a social call.”
“Yes and no,” He admitted. “Thought you might be interested in the autopsy results from last night's victim.”
I raised an eyebrow and took a sip of my beer.
“Yeah, I am actually,” I said. “I take it she had gills?”
“Noticed those, did you?” Dr. Miller asked.
“I saw them on the other girl. The one that got shot.”
He nodded.
"Guess I don't need to tell you that I've never seen this before, do I?"
"I'd be shocked if you had, Doc."
He laughed humorlessly.
"Yeah… gotta say, there wasn't a hell of a lot to find on the victim. Her name was Melissa Sinclair. Address was listed as River Ridge. Far as I can tell she owned an RV there."
"Sounds about right," I said, taking a sip of my drink. "You find anything else?"
"A lot, actually. But I'll spare you the autopsy details and cut to the really interesting bit."
He reached into his pocket and set a black card down in front of me. It looked a little bit like a student card. On it, I could see a picture of Melissa, along with her name in white text and a bar code. In the top right hand corner was a red four pointed star that looked a little bit like a cross.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Found it in her purse. There was a similar one in Hector Russells wallet too. Ever seen anything like this before?"
I took a closer look at the card. Aside from the red star, there wasn't much to ID it as belonging to any particular group, and the red star logo didn't look familiar to me either.
"No, never," I admitted.
"Me neither. Two victims with cards like this though? I'm no cop but something tells me it's connected."
I nodded, looking the cards over carefully.
"Yeah… Vickers and the Russell's… you ever met them while they were still alive?" I asked.
"You know, I actually did. My wife and I signed up for couples dance lessons for our fifteen anniversary… Hank and Patricia were in the same class as us. Can't say we were close, but I'd spoken to them a few times."
"You ever notice anything off about them?"
"Not in the slightest. I sure as hell didn't imagine they'd be… well…"
"Yeah…" I finished, nodding thoughtfully. "Melissa and Kayley… the girl that got shot… they passed as human too. So did Vickers. It's weird… no one seemed to suspect a damn thing about any of these people, but our gunmen seem to know exactly who they are, where they are and what they are…"
I looked down at the card and turned it over in my hands.
"Almost as if they've got a list of them…"
Dr. Miller's brow furrowed.
"You think that's possible?"
I nodded.
"Makes sense, doesn't it? Vickers worked in IT, right? Could be that he had access to this list… that's why he was the first target. Could also be why they burned his house. To try and get rid of any evidence of the list existing."
Dr. Miller grimaced.
"Why target the Russells and Melissa next though?"
"I'm not sure. Melissa… I may have some idea on what was going on there. The Russell's, not so much… but…"
I pocketed the card.
"I've still got time to find out."
Dr. Miller nodded.
"Keep me posted if you do," He said as Dixon brought him his beer.
We shared a drink together, and went our separate ways.
***
It was late in the afternoon when I finally made it back home. Since Di Cesare still had my car, I needed to take a cab, which I may have used as an excuse to drink more than usual. After the whirlwind of chaos that had defined the past 24… hell, the past 72 hours… I was more than ready to collapse and finally get some rest. Dr. Miller was right. I did need some sleep.
I unclipped my gun from my belt and left it in the living room along with my wallet before I dragged myself to the bedroom. I didn’t even bother to get changed before sinking down into the bed. Christ, I was getting too old for this… the drinking, the shooting. Ten years ago, maybe I wouldn’t have felt so rough, but I wasn’t in my body from ten years ago, now was I?
I rested my head back on my pillow, half ready to doze off completely. Unfortunately, that was around the time I noticed I wasn’t alone in my room.
There was a man with a red beard and a military crew cut, standing silently in my doorway. He fixed me in an intense stare, and I stared right back at him as an exasperated pit formed in my stomach.
“Well…” I said, “Hello there.”
“Deputy Rick Sawyer,” Red Beard said, his voice was low and rough with a distinct southern drawl to it. “You’ve been quite the pain in our ass, haven’t you?”
“Just today, or have I been an ongoing pain in the ass?” I asked, sitting up. I noticed two figures waiting in the hall behind Red Beard. One of them was a very disgruntled looking bald man with his arm in a sling. I waved to him. His eyes just narrowed at me.
I could feel my heart beating faster. But I did everything I could to keep a stoic face. These pricks didn’t deserve the satisfaction of knowing they’d spooked me.
“The boss wants to have a little chat with you,” Red Beard said. “Get up.”
“If you’re gonna shoot me, do me a solid and do it in my own bed. I’d like to at least die comfortable,” I said.
Red Beard just grunted.
“Lawrence, Oswald. Get him on his feet.”
The bald man and the other guy who I didn’t recognize both pushed past him, storming into my room to force me up. The bald man hung back, letting his friend do most of the work in forcing me to my feet. He only grabbed me with his good arm when I was already standing. Red Beard turned without a further word, leading us down the hall and through the door where a black Audi waited for us. I was forced into the back seat with my bald friend, while Red Beard got into the passenger seat.
“Oswald, keep a gun on him. Make sure he don’t do anything stupid,” Red Beard said.
The bald man… I guess he was Oswald, nodded. I figured that meant that the man who got in the driver's seat must’ve been Lawrence.
The car rolled away from my house, heading away from town.
“Taking me back to that abandoned auto garage?” I asked.
“Nah,” Red Beard replied. “Had to burn that one because of the mess you made… but we’ve got other places to stay.”
“On the run, huh?” I asked. “That’s gotta suck.”
“If you wanna stay alive, Deputy, that attitude ain’t gonna do you any favors.” Red Beard hissed.
“I wasn’t aware staying alive was on the table,” I replied.
“You’ve seen the way we work, Deputy. If we wanted you dead, we wouldn’t be having a conversation right now.”
I guess he had a point there.
Trees and farmland drifted past through the window before the car pulled into an overgrown parking lot with a single run down building in it. Once upon a time, that building had been a restaurant, although it looked like it’d been defunct for over a decade.
The car stopped and Oswald gestured with his gun for me to get out. I did.
Red Beard stepped out of the car as well, and without so much as a word to me, headed in through the broken door of the old restaurant. Oswald pushed me to follow. The old restaurant was baking in the summer heat and the dining room was completely empty. The tables and chairs that had probably once been here were long gone and the carpet where they’d once stood was dirty and covered in debris. The ceiling fans that had once hung over the dining room were stained and dirty. One of them had collapsed entirely.
Oswald ushered me past all of this, coaxing me toward an office where I could hear the roar of indoor fans. At his insistence, I stepped through the door and was greeted by a massive man behind a desk.
This man, I almost recognized… almost.
Joseph Cray. There’d been a photo of him on Apostle’s website, identifying him as the man who’d gotten the whole operation started. But the man in front of me only barely resembled the man in that photo. In fact, if it hadn’t been his employees who’d kidnapped me, I probably wouldn’t have recognized him at all. Cray looked to be somewhere in his mid fifties to early sixties, and he was big. I could see this man topping 600 or 700 pounds easily. He was bald and covered in liver spots, with an unkempt, wiry beard and coke bottle glasses. He was dressed in a khaki shirt with matching pants and wheezed with every breath.
He looked at Red Beard and I when we came in, and gave Red Beard a curt nod.
“Thank you, Klaus.”
Red Beard… Klaus, I guess, nodded in response and turned to leave. As soon as he was gone, Crays attention shifted to me.
“Deputy Sawyer…” He rasped, “So good to meet you face to face. I’m Joseph Cray.”
“Figured as much… so, to what exactly do I owe the pleasure?” I asked, getting straight to the point. Cray just gave me a twisted smile.
“You can relax, Deputy. I guess you probably think this is some sort of punishment, for that trouble you caused us today… but I assure you, it’s no such thing. I’m a reasonable man, Deputy. I understand you were doing your job and my men were doing theirs. Situations such as the one that occurred today are inevitable in our line of work. We don’t hold it against you… actually, you’re here because I’m inclined to offer you an olive branch. You’re a diligent, hardworking man. I respect that. Diligence in particular is a virtue I cherish.”
“Dragging me out of my home and bringing me here… hell of an olive branch,” I noted.
He laughed sheepishly.
“Sorry about the theatrics. But we both know you probably wouldn’t have accepted a formal request for a sit down and this location, while not ideal, does offer us an ideal amount of privacy.”
“I’m sure. Nobody would hear the gunshots, if things didn’t go the way you wanted.” I said.
Cray’s smile didn’t fade. He didn’t deny it.
“With all that’s been going on these past few days… I’m certain you must have questions.” He continued, “You’ve seen the bodies. Seen that they’re not human. I’m sure that might give you some ideas as to why the work we’re undertaking is so important.”
I didn’t answer that. I didn’t need to.
“This little town of yours… it’s dying, isn’t it?” Cray asked. “Or at least it was. You’ve had quite the shift in fortunes, over the past few years. Small warehouses, new businesses. Exciting, no? New life creeping into an old husk… like a hermit crab taking a new shell. Although that new life… it’s not what it seems, is it? Tell me… is it fair to the people who’ve lived their lives in this town for their entire lives, who’ve built it from the ground up to wake up and find that they’re not the ones in control anymore? Is it fair for something to come in, creep into the abandoned husks of dead buildings and bring them back as something else?”
“Better than letting the town die off,” I said.
“Is it? Perhaps it might be, if it weren’t for the ones behind it,” Cray said. “Make no mistake, these friendly new faces are anything but. This isn’t reinvigoration, it’s an invasion. Slow and insidious. Creeping into your communities, armed with lemon squares and potato salad, smiling just like people but hiding their teeth behind closed lips. Demons with human faces and a need for blood, calling themselves your friends, your neighbors… turning your home into theirs. You’ve seen most of them by now. Vampires, werewolves, sirens… others. Yours is not the first town they’ve co-opted. It will not be the last either.”
“And so what exactly is your mission, then?” I asked. “Kill them before they can… what? Form a homeowners association?”
“Before they can kill you,” Cray said gravely. “Our business is pest control. Parasites come in… and we exterminate them. We’ve done it before. It’s bloody, thankless work. But we have done it.”
I shifted uneasily. The way Cray spoke so proudly about having done this before disturbed me. That twisted smile on his lips told me that he wasn’t bluffing.
“I recognize that what we do may seem needlessly violent. I recognize that you may have reservations about our work. But you’ve seen the things we’ve killed. Deep in your gut, I think you know that this is necessary. These creatures look human. They act human. They seem so human. But they aren’t. I have fought them long enough to know for certain how monstrous they truly are… when they sink their claws into a place like this, there is no choice. You fight or you die. I am giving you the opportunity to fight.”
Cray leaned in toward me, and my eyes locked with his.
“We’re not enemies, you and I. You can help save this town, Deputy. You are obligated to save this town.”
I looked Cray in the eye, knowing what he was asking me. I didn’t even need to think about my answer.
“Save this town from what, exactly?” I asked, “Monsters? You want to know how many people in this town have been killed by vampires, Mr. Cray? Not a single goddamn one. You wanna talk about how many folks have been mauled by werewolves? None! But let’s take a look at the number of folks who you’ve shot in the past week. Five. And it would’ve been a whole hell of a lot more if I hadn’t stumbled into your ambush for those RV’s! Y’know, I may not have the firmest grasp on exactly what the hell is going on here right now, but from where I’m sitting, the only thing I have to save this town from is you!”
Cray’s eyes narrowed.
“I’d be watching my words if I were you,” He warned.
“If you’re gonna have your lap dogs shoot me, then just shoot me and get it over with.” I snapped. “You want me to sit here and grovel, because your boys have some guns? You want me to kiss your ass? See your side of things? No. That ain’t gonna happen, so take your olive branch, and shove it up your ugly ass.”
Cray went silent for a moment. His brow furrowing into a look of rage that admittedly gave me pause. After a moment, he sank back into his chair. From the corner of my eye, I saw Oswald raise the gun to my head again, but Cray raised a hand, making him stop. His eyes were still on me.
“We don’t make a habit of killing our own kind without good reason,” Cray said coldly. I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or Oswald. “Misguided as you may be, Deputy Sawyer… you’re still human. But they aren’t. Please, Deputy… reconsider who you’re thinking of standing up for, here. These creatures may fool you, but you need to understand they’re not what they claim to be! Even that witch who saved you today… Perhaps she did preserve your life, but you saw what she was capable of. With power like that, she’d be more than capable of leveling this county on a whim! Think of the bigger picture here! Do you really want to throw your lot in with the likes of that?”
“As opposed to throwing it in with you?” I snapped. "You murder people, claiming they're monsters! And maybe they are? Maybe! I don't really know how else to explain the things I've seen these past few days! But even if they're not human… they're still part of this goddamn town!"
“They’re an infestation!” Cray said. “Make no mistake, Deputy. This is war and you must choose a side. Are you going to look me in the eye and choose the bloodsucking, feral monsters over your own kind?”
“Considering what ‘my own kind’ looks like right now… yeah… I think I’ve made my choice,” I replied bitterly.
Cray stared at me, before finally huffing through his nose.
“Why is it that the stupidest people have the strongest convictions?” He said under his breath, “I’ve done everything in my power to talk some sense into you… you’ve chosen not to listen. I’m disappointed, but I won’t argue with a man unwilling to accept reality. Mr. Oswald, kindly take the Deputy out back and dispose of him. Then, you and Mr. Lawrence can find a suitable spot to dispose of the body.”
“Bout damn time…” Oswald huffed, pointing the gun at me. “On your feet.”
I didn’t move. I just stared down Joseph Cray.
“Come on, Cray. If you’re not gonna kill me yourself, at least look me in the eye like a man.”
The corner of his mouth shifted into a half smile as a single dry laugh escaped him.
“If you insist,” He said, before giving Oswald a half nod.
Oswald pressed the gun into the back of my head, and I looked Cray dead in the eye as I waited for everything to end. But when I inevitably heard the pop of gunshots, they were from somewhere else. Somewhere outside the restaurant.
Cray looked out through the open door, but I couldn’t read his expression. I heard the screams of men over the gunshots, but couldn’t tell exactly what the hell was going on out there. Not until Oswald was suddenly launched across the room by absolutely nothing. He was sent flying across the office and hit the far wall hard enough to leave a dent in the drywall.
I didn’t even need to see her to know she was there… Just that told me who it was.
I seized my opportunity, racing toward Oswald and lunging for him. He still held the gun tightly in his grasp, but he was disoriented. I slammed my boot into his face and heard his nose crunch under my heel before diving down to rip the gun from his hands. He didn’t let it go without a fight. But he only had one functional arm, and I had two. Mathematically speaking, he got his ass kicked.
I slammed his head hard into the ground, knocking him out cold before pulling the gun from his hand and raising it to Cray. He was holding his own .45 in one meaty hand. I could see markings along the barrel of the gun. Runes of some kind, but I couldn’t figure out what they meant. His teeth were gritted in rage, although his attention quickly shifted away from me and back toward the door of his office as the cause of all the current commotion strolled in through his door.
Clementine Di Cesare.
Her posture was casual and relaxed, as if she’d been on an afternoon stroll and just happened upon us by chance.
“In trouble again already, deputy?” She asked, calmly.
“Same trouble, actually…” I said.
She hummed in acknowledgement, looking at Cray from behind her sunglasses.
“So… you’ve saved me the trouble of hunting you down, Witch,” He snarled. He held the gun tightly in his hand. Di Cesare stared down the barrel, unflinching and calm.
“Joseph Cray… not what I’d been expecting,” She noted. “I’d thought a man of your reputation might be… different.”
“Mark my words, Di Cesare. I am no less a man than any soldier under my command!” He hissed.
“And yet no greater a man than any who’s tried to kill me in the past,” Di Cesare said calmly. She studied the runes on his gun, before huffing. “Well… at least you have an appropriate weapon, unlike most. I recognize those runes… you’ve found a way around my attribution spell… clever, but on the whole meaningless.”
“I knew they’d send you…” Cray said. “Clementine Di Cesare… they say you’re among the strongest of the Di Cesare Sisters. Still, you impress me… I presume you found us through the Deputy, didn’t you?”
She gave a half nod.
“Very astute. Even more impressive is how you’ve even managed to manipulate one of the local deputies over to your side… I’ve barely seen you in action, but I already know you more than live up to your legend, don’t you? Ironic… since you’ll be the first Di Cesare to die in two hundred years.”
“Fire that gun at me, and I’ll manipulate that bullet into your skull,” Di Cesare said. Her tone was calm, as if she was simply stating a fact, not making a threat.
“I know you would,” Cray said. “But the funny thing about the runes on this gun is… they ain’t unique.”
Di Cesare’s eyes widened and I heard a sudden gunshot. She moved, diving into cover behind the door frame, but not in time. I saw her blood spatter against Cray’s face as someone shot her from behind. A bullet hole appeared in Di Cesare’s shoulder. Cray’s gun followed her, I took aim at him and fired twice, aiming for his outstretched arms. I saw his wrist twist at an unnatural angle as my bullet tore through his hand, robbing him of a few fingers. Cray’s gun discharged but the bullet went through the wall behind Di Cesare, missing her entirely. He clutched at his ruined hand, screaming in pain before shooting me a death glare. A moment later, all 700 pounds of him came barreling toward me.
I fired twice, hitting him in the chest before he slammed into me, slamming me into the far wall of his office. The two of us tripped over Oswald’s unconscious body before crashing through the drywall and landing in what used to be the kitchen. My gun slid out of my hand as I tumbled to the ground and I didn’t see where it went.
My ears were ringing, but I looked up to see Cray forcing his way through the splintered wall joists. The buttons on his shirt had popped off and I could see kevlar underneath. Of course he was wearing kevlar.
In the office behind him, I could see Red Beard… Klaus coming in through the door, handgun drawn as he rounded the corner to finish off Di Cesare. The moment he took aim at her though, the ceiling of the office collapsed down on him, burying them both underneath it.
Cray still stumbled toward me, drenched in blood and sweat as he picked up speed again. I only barely got out of his way in time, and scrambled behind one of the kitchen counters before picking myself up. The counters were bare, not a weapon in sight, but I still needed to put up a fight.
With an almost animal scream of rage Cray continued after me. He moved with surprising speed, closing the distance between us and grabbing me by the throat. My fists pounded at his face, breaking his nose and knocking his glasses off, but he refused to let up. His hands wrapped around my neck and started to squeeze as he dragged me around, rasping and wheezing with every step. My legs kicked frantically and I desperately dug my fingers into the bullet wound on his hand. I felt his flesh squish beneath my fingers and he let out a cry of pain before pulling back. I kicked him in his generous stomach, but that didn’t really do much to stop him. He barely even flinched and instead caught me across the face with a backhand.
I found myself back on the ground, scrambling across the floor to put some distance between us before kicking back at him. My shoe connected with his groin, earning a pained rumble from him as I quickly picked myself up. I threw a haymaker, right in his face, sending him back just a single step. My fist connected with his face again, again and again before Cray finally collapsed backward onto the ground.
Through the hole in the wall behind him, I could see that both Di Cesare and Klaus had recovered from the collapse of the roof. Klaus still seemed a little disoriented, but Di Cesare was already coming for him. She gestured violently with her hand, and Klaus’s body was jerked violently to the side. I heard the crunch of drywall as she borrowed a move from Cray’s playbook and hurled him through the office wall, although Klaus was sent into the dining room, not the kitchen. Di Cesare glared at him, making sure he was down for the count before gritting her teeth and stepping through the hole in the wall that led to the kitchen.
Cray looked over at her, blood dribbling from his split lip and broken nose. His breath came in heavy pants and I could see a look of utter disgust on his face.
“No…” He rasped, “No… no… no…”
He tried to stand, but I forced him down onto his stomach. I took a pair of handcuffs from my belt, and closed them around his wrists.
“Joseph Cray…” I panted, “You’re under arrest for the murders of Geoffery Vickers, Hank Russell and Melissa Sinclair… you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law…”
As I read him his rights, Di Cesare just stared down at him. Her expression was completely neutral. No anger. No contempt… nothing. Finally, she simply turned away to deal with the others. Klaus, Oswald and Lawrence… wherever the hell Lawrence had ended up.
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I needed a drink.
God, did I ever need a drink.
The incident by River Ridge was nothing short of a disaster, to say the least. When he’d made it to the scene, Sheriff Smith had asked me for every detail I could give him on what had happened, and I’d told him most of the truth.
Most of it.
I left out the part where Clementine Di Cesare had drank a man's blood and caused the earth to move. Biggs probably would’ve believed all of it if I had told him, but the Sheriff? He’d probably send me to get my head checked, and I wouldn’t blame him one bit for that. Even if there was a chance he’d believe me, I couldn’t really bring myself to include those particular elements of the story. I barely believed them, even though I’d seen it all with my own two eyes. None of this seemed to make sense anymore. I felt like I was looking at the shifting gears of some great machine without any context for what any of them did. I only knew that they did in fact do something.
I knew that Apostle was killing monsters.
I knew that Di Cesare probably wasn’t actually with the State Police.
I knew that apparently there’d been a bunch of fish women living down by River Ridge, and I may or may not have just saved them all from being ambushed. These were things I knew… and yet they didn’t make sense to me.
Christ, and here I thought small towns like this were supposed to be simple?
***
I was at The Honey Pot and Spaniel, having a beer when Dr. Miller found me. The moment I saw him walk in, I gave him a nod and wasn’t in the least bit surprised when he slid into the booth across from me.
“Deputy Sawyer… sounds like you’ve had a hell of a day, huh?”
“I’ve had a hell of a week,” I replied. “I didn’t think you drank, Doc.”
“From time to time,” He said. The bartender, Dixon came by and he ordered a beer.
“You look like you’ve barely slept,” He said, once he was gone.
“Yeah? Go figure?” I asked. “I’ve got coffee keeping me going for the time being.”
“Caffeine doesn’t really make up for a good night's sleep.”
“Maybe not, but I’ve kinda had a lot going on lately. That doesn’t really give a man much time for sleep.”
“No, I guess it doesn’t,” Dr. Miller admitted.
“So what brings you to my little watering hole?” I asked, “It’s not 5 o’clock yet, so I can’t imagine this is a social call.”
“Yes and no,” He admitted. “Thought you might be interested in the autopsy results from last night's victim.”
I raised an eyebrow and took a sip of my beer.
“Yeah, I am actually,” I said. “I take it she had gills?”
“Noticed those, did you?” Dr. Miller asked.
“I saw them on the other girl. The one that got shot.”
He nodded.
"Guess I don't need to tell you that I've never seen this before, do I?"
"I'd be shocked if you had, Doc."
He laughed humorlessly.
"Yeah… gotta say, there wasn't a hell of a lot to find on the victim. Her name was Melissa Sinclair. Address was listed as River Ridge. Far as I can tell she owned an RV there."
"Sounds about right," I said, taking a sip of my drink. "You find anything else?"
"A lot, actually. But I'll spare you the autopsy details and cut to the really interesting bit."
He reached into his pocket and set a black card down in front of me. It looked a little bit like a student card. On it, I could see a picture of Melissa, along with her name in white text and a bar code. In the top right hand corner was a red four pointed star that looked a little bit like a cross.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Found it in her purse. There was a similar one in Hector Russells wallet too. Ever seen anything like this before?"
I took a closer look at the card. Aside from the red star, there wasn't much to ID it as belonging to any particular group, and the red star logo didn't look familiar to me either.
"No, never," I admitted.
"Me neither. Two victims with cards like this though? I'm no cop but something tells me it's connected."
I nodded, looking the cards over carefully.
"Yeah… Vickers and the Russell's… you ever met them while they were still alive?" I asked.
"You know, I actually did. My wife and I signed up for couples dance lessons for our fifteen anniversary… Hank and Patricia were in the same class as us. Can't say we were close, but I'd spoken to them a few times."
"You ever notice anything off about them?"
"Not in the slightest. I sure as hell didn't imagine they'd be… well…"
"Yeah…" I finished, nodding thoughtfully. "Melissa and Kayley… the girl that got shot… they passed as human too. So did Vickers. It's weird… no one seemed to suspect a damn thing about any of these people, but our gunmen seem to know exactly who they are, where they are and what they are…"
I looked down at the card and turned it over in my hands.
"Almost as if they've got a list of them…"
Dr. Miller's brow furrowed.
"You think that's possible?"
I nodded.
"Makes sense, doesn't it? Vickers worked in IT, right? Could be that he had access to this list… that's why he was the first target. Could also be why they burned his house. To try and get rid of any evidence of the list existing."
Dr. Miller grimaced.
"Why target the Russells and Melissa next though?"
"I'm not sure. Melissa… I may have some idea on what was going on there. The Russell's, not so much… but…"
I pocketed the card.
"I've still got time to find out."
Dr. Miller nodded.
"Keep me posted if you do," He said as Dixon brought him his beer.
We shared a drink together, and went our separate ways.
***
It was late in the afternoon when I finally made it back home. Since Di Cesare still had my car, I needed to take a cab, which I may have used as an excuse to drink more than usual. After the whirlwind of chaos that had defined the past 24… hell, the past 72 hours… I was more than ready to collapse and finally get some rest. Dr. Miller was right. I did need some sleep.
I unclipped my gun from my belt and left it in the living room along with my wallet before I dragged myself to the bedroom. I didn’t even bother to get changed before sinking down into the bed. Christ, I was getting too old for this… the drinking, the shooting. Ten years ago, maybe I wouldn’t have felt so rough, but I wasn’t in my body from ten years ago, now was I?
I rested my head back on my pillow, half ready to doze off completely. Unfortunately, that was around the time I noticed I wasn’t alone in my room.
There was a man with a red beard and a military crew cut, standing silently in my doorway. He fixed me in an intense stare, and I stared right back at him as an exasperated pit formed in my stomach.
“Well…” I said, “Hello there.”
“Deputy Rick Sawyer,” Red Beard said, his voice was low and rough with a distinct southern drawl to it. “You’ve been quite the pain in our ass, haven’t you?”
“Just today, or have I been an ongoing pain in the ass?” I asked, sitting up. I noticed two figures waiting in the hall behind Red Beard. One of them was a very disgruntled looking bald man with his arm in a sling. I waved to him. His eyes just narrowed at me.
I could feel my heart beating faster. But I did everything I could to keep a stoic face. These pricks didn’t deserve the satisfaction of knowing they’d spooked me.
“The boss wants to have a little chat with you,” Red Beard said. “Get up.”
“If you’re gonna shoot me, do me a solid and do it in my own bed. I’d like to at least die comfortable,” I said.
Red Beard just grunted.
“Lawrence, Oswald. Get him on his feet.”
The bald man and the other guy who I didn’t recognize both pushed past him, storming into my room to force me up. The bald man hung back, letting his friend do most of the work in forcing me to my feet. He only grabbed me with his good arm when I was already standing. Red Beard turned without a further word, leading us down the hall and through the door where a black Audi waited for us. I was forced into the back seat with my bald friend, while Red Beard got into the passenger seat.
“Oswald, keep a gun on him. Make sure he don’t do anything stupid,” Red Beard said.
The bald man… I guess he was Oswald, nodded. I figured that meant that the man who got in the driver's seat must’ve been Lawrence.
The car rolled away from my house, heading away from town.
“Taking me back to that abandoned auto garage?” I asked.
“Nah,” Red Beard replied. “Had to burn that one because of the mess you made… but we’ve got other places to stay.”
“On the run, huh?” I asked. “That’s gotta suck.”
“If you wanna stay alive, Deputy, that attitude ain’t gonna do you any favors.” Red Beard hissed.
“I wasn’t aware staying alive was on the table,” I replied.
“You’ve seen the way we work, Deputy. If we wanted you dead, we wouldn’t be having a conversation right now.”
I guess he had a point there.
Trees and farmland drifted past through the window before the car pulled into an overgrown parking lot with a single run down building in it. Once upon a time, that building had been a restaurant, although it looked like it’d been defunct for over a decade.
The car stopped and Oswald gestured with his gun for me to get out. I did.
Red Beard stepped out of the car as well, and without so much as a word to me, headed in through the broken door of the old restaurant. Oswald pushed me to follow. The old restaurant was baking in the summer heat and the dining room was completely empty. The tables and chairs that had probably once been here were long gone and the carpet where they’d once stood was dirty and covered in debris. The ceiling fans that had once hung over the dining room were stained and dirty. One of them had collapsed entirely.
Oswald ushered me past all of this, coaxing me toward an office where I could hear the roar of indoor fans. At his insistence, I stepped through the door and was greeted by a massive man behind a desk.
This man, I almost recognized… almost.
Joseph Cray. There’d been a photo of him on Apostle’s website, identifying him as the man who’d gotten the whole operation started. But the man in front of me only barely resembled the man in that photo. In fact, if it hadn’t been his employees who’d kidnapped me, I probably wouldn’t have recognized him at all. Cray looked to be somewhere in his mid fifties to early sixties, and he was big. I could see this man topping 600 or 700 pounds easily. He was bald and covered in liver spots, with an unkempt, wiry beard and coke bottle glasses. He was dressed in a khaki shirt with matching pants and wheezed with every breath.
He looked at Red Beard and I when we came in, and gave Red Beard a curt nod.
“Thank you, Klaus.”
Red Beard… Klaus, I guess, nodded in response and turned to leave. As soon as he was gone, Crays attention shifted to me.
“Deputy Sawyer…” He rasped, “So good to meet you face to face. I’m Joseph Cray.”
“Figured as much… so, to what exactly do I owe the pleasure?” I asked, getting straight to the point. Cray just gave me a twisted smile.
“You can relax, Deputy. I guess you probably think this is some sort of punishment, for that trouble you caused us today… but I assure you, it’s no such thing. I’m a reasonable man, Deputy. I understand you were doing your job and my men were doing theirs. Situations such as the one that occurred today are inevitable in our line of work. We don’t hold it against you… actually, you’re here because I’m inclined to offer you an olive branch. You’re a diligent, hardworking man. I respect that. Diligence in particular is a virtue I cherish.”
“Dragging me out of my home and bringing me here… hell of an olive branch,” I noted.
He laughed sheepishly.
“Sorry about the theatrics. But we both know you probably wouldn’t have accepted a formal request for a sit down and this location, while not ideal, does offer us an ideal amount of privacy.”
“I’m sure. Nobody would hear the gunshots, if things didn’t go the way you wanted.” I said.
Cray’s smile didn’t fade. He didn’t deny it.
“With all that’s been going on these past few days… I’m certain you must have questions.” He continued, “You’ve seen the bodies. Seen that they’re not human. I’m sure that might give you some ideas as to why the work we’re undertaking is so important.”
I didn’t answer that. I didn’t need to.
“This little town of yours… it’s dying, isn’t it?” Cray asked. “Or at least it was. You’ve had quite the shift in fortunes, over the past few years. Small warehouses, new businesses. Exciting, no? New life creeping into an old husk… like a hermit crab taking a new shell. Although that new life… it’s not what it seems, is it? Tell me… is it fair to the people who’ve lived their lives in this town for their entire lives, who’ve built it from the ground up to wake up and find that they’re not the ones in control anymore? Is it fair for something to come in, creep into the abandoned husks of dead buildings and bring them back as something else?”
“Better than letting the town die off,” I said.
“Is it? Perhaps it might be, if it weren’t for the ones behind it,” Cray said. “Make no mistake, these friendly new faces are anything but. This isn’t reinvigoration, it’s an invasion. Slow and insidious. Creeping into your communities, armed with lemon squares and potato salad, smiling just like people but hiding their teeth behind closed lips. Demons with human faces and a need for blood, calling themselves your friends, your neighbors… turning your home into theirs. You’ve seen most of them by now. Vampires, werewolves, sirens… others. Yours is not the first town they’ve co-opted. It will not be the last either.”
“And so what exactly is your mission, then?” I asked. “Kill them before they can… what? Form a homeowners association?”
“Before they can kill you,” Cray said gravely. “Our business is pest control. Parasites come in… and we exterminate them. We’ve done it before. It’s bloody, thankless work. But we have done it.”
I shifted uneasily. The way Cray spoke so proudly about having done this before disturbed me. That twisted smile on his lips told me that he wasn’t bluffing.
“I recognize that what we do may seem needlessly violent. I recognize that you may have reservations about our work. But you’ve seen the things we’ve killed. Deep in your gut, I think you know that this is necessary. These creatures look human. They act human. They seem so human. But they aren’t. I have fought them long enough to know for certain how monstrous they truly are… when they sink their claws into a place like this, there is no choice. You fight or you die. I am giving you the opportunity to fight.”
Cray leaned in toward me, and my eyes locked with his.
“We’re not enemies, you and I. You can help save this town, Deputy. You are obligated to save this town.”
I looked Cray in the eye, knowing what he was asking me. I didn’t even need to think about my answer.
“Save this town from what, exactly?” I asked, “Monsters? You want to know how many people in this town have been killed by vampires, Mr. Cray? Not a single goddamn one. You wanna talk about how many folks have been mauled by werewolves? None! But let’s take a look at the number of folks who you’ve shot in the past week. Five. And it would’ve been a whole hell of a lot more if I hadn’t stumbled into your ambush for those RV’s! Y’know, I may not have the firmest grasp on exactly what the hell is going on here right now, but from where I’m sitting, the only thing I have to save this town from is you!”
Cray’s eyes narrowed.
“I’d be watching my words if I were you,” He warned.
“If you’re gonna have your lap dogs shoot me, then just shoot me and get it over with.” I snapped. “You want me to sit here and grovel, because your boys have some guns? You want me to kiss your ass? See your side of things? No. That ain’t gonna happen, so take your olive branch, and shove it up your ugly ass.”
Cray went silent for a moment. His brow furrowing into a look of rage that admittedly gave me pause. After a moment, he sank back into his chair. From the corner of my eye, I saw Oswald raise the gun to my head again, but Cray raised a hand, making him stop. His eyes were still on me.
“We don’t make a habit of killing our own kind without good reason,” Cray said coldly. I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or Oswald. “Misguided as you may be, Deputy Sawyer… you’re still human. But they aren’t. Please, Deputy… reconsider who you’re thinking of standing up for, here. These creatures may fool you, but you need to understand they’re not what they claim to be! Even that witch who saved you today… Perhaps she did preserve your life, but you saw what she was capable of. With power like that, she’d be more than capable of leveling this county on a whim! Think of the bigger picture here! Do you really want to throw your lot in with the likes of that?”
“As opposed to throwing it in with you?” I snapped. "You murder people, claiming they're monsters! And maybe they are? Maybe! I don't really know how else to explain the things I've seen these past few days! But even if they're not human… they're still part of this goddamn town!"
“They’re an infestation!” Cray said. “Make no mistake, Deputy. This is war and you must choose a side. Are you going to look me in the eye and choose the bloodsucking, feral monsters over your own kind?”
“Considering what ‘my own kind’ looks like right now… yeah… I think I’ve made my choice,” I replied bitterly.
Cray stared at me, before finally huffing through his nose.
“Why is it that the stupidest people have the strongest convictions?” He said under his breath, “I’ve done everything in my power to talk some sense into you… you’ve chosen not to listen. I’m disappointed, but I won’t argue with a man unwilling to accept reality. Mr. Oswald, kindly take the Deputy out back and dispose of him. Then, you and Mr. Lawrence can find a suitable spot to dispose of the body.”
“Bout damn time…” Oswald huffed, pointing the gun at me. “On your feet.”
I didn’t move. I just stared down Joseph Cray.
“Come on, Cray. If you’re not gonna kill me yourself, at least look me in the eye like a man.”
The corner of his mouth shifted into a half smile as a single dry laugh escaped him.
“If you insist,” He said, before giving Oswald a half nod.
Oswald pressed the gun into the back of my head, and I looked Cray dead in the eye as I waited for everything to end. But when I inevitably heard the pop of gunshots, they were from somewhere else. Somewhere outside the restaurant.
Cray looked out through the open door, but I couldn’t read his expression. I heard the screams of men over the gunshots, but couldn’t tell exactly what the hell was going on out there. Not until Oswald was suddenly launched across the room by absolutely nothing. He was sent flying across the office and hit the far wall hard enough to leave a dent in the drywall.
I didn’t even need to see her to know she was there… Just that told me who it was.
I seized my opportunity, racing toward Oswald and lunging for him. He still held the gun tightly in his grasp, but he was disoriented. I slammed my boot into his face and heard his nose crunch under my heel before diving down to rip the gun from his hands. He didn’t let it go without a fight. But he only had one functional arm, and I had two. Mathematically speaking, he got his ass kicked.
I slammed his head hard into the ground, knocking him out cold before pulling the gun from his hand and raising it to Cray. He was holding his own .45 in one meaty hand. I could see markings along the barrel of the gun. Runes of some kind, but I couldn’t figure out what they meant. His teeth were gritted in rage, although his attention quickly shifted away from me and back toward the door of his office as the cause of all the current commotion strolled in through his door.
Clementine Di Cesare.
Her posture was casual and relaxed, as if she’d been on an afternoon stroll and just happened upon us by chance.
“In trouble again already, deputy?” She asked, calmly.
“Same trouble, actually…” I said.
She hummed in acknowledgement, looking at Cray from behind her sunglasses.
“So… you’ve saved me the trouble of hunting you down, Witch,” He snarled. He held the gun tightly in his hand. Di Cesare stared down the barrel, unflinching and calm.
“Joseph Cray… not what I’d been expecting,” She noted. “I’d thought a man of your reputation might be… different.”
“Mark my words, Di Cesare. I am no less a man than any soldier under my command!” He hissed.
“And yet no greater a man than any who’s tried to kill me in the past,” Di Cesare said calmly. She studied the runes on his gun, before huffing. “Well… at least you have an appropriate weapon, unlike most. I recognize those runes… you’ve found a way around my attribution spell… clever, but on the whole meaningless.”
“I knew they’d send you…” Cray said. “Clementine Di Cesare… they say you’re among the strongest of the Di Cesare Sisters. Still, you impress me… I presume you found us through the Deputy, didn’t you?”
She gave a half nod.
“Very astute. Even more impressive is how you’ve even managed to manipulate one of the local deputies over to your side… I’ve barely seen you in action, but I already know you more than live up to your legend, don’t you? Ironic… since you’ll be the first Di Cesare to die in two hundred years.”
“Fire that gun at me, and I’ll manipulate that bullet into your skull,” Di Cesare said. Her tone was calm, as if she was simply stating a fact, not making a threat.
“I know you would,” Cray said. “But the funny thing about the runes on this gun is… they ain’t unique.”
Di Cesare’s eyes widened and I heard a sudden gunshot. She moved, diving into cover behind the door frame, but not in time. I saw her blood spatter against Cray’s face as someone shot her from behind. A bullet hole appeared in Di Cesare’s shoulder. Cray’s gun followed her, I took aim at him and fired twice, aiming for his outstretched arms. I saw his wrist twist at an unnatural angle as my bullet tore through his hand, robbing him of a few fingers. Cray’s gun discharged but the bullet went through the wall behind Di Cesare, missing her entirely. He clutched at his ruined hand, screaming in pain before shooting me a death glare. A moment later, all 700 pounds of him came barreling toward me.
I fired twice, hitting him in the chest before he slammed into me, slamming me into the far wall of his office. The two of us tripped over Oswald’s unconscious body before crashing through the drywall and landing in what used to be the kitchen. My gun slid out of my hand as I tumbled to the ground and I didn’t see where it went.
My ears were ringing, but I looked up to see Cray forcing his way through the splintered wall joists. The buttons on his shirt had popped off and I could see kevlar underneath. Of course he was wearing kevlar.
In the office behind him, I could see Red Beard… Klaus coming in through the door, handgun drawn as he rounded the corner to finish off Di Cesare. The moment he took aim at her though, the ceiling of the office collapsed down on him, burying them both underneath it.
Cray still stumbled toward me, drenched in blood and sweat as he picked up speed again. I only barely got out of his way in time, and scrambled behind one of the kitchen counters before picking myself up. The counters were bare, not a weapon in sight, but I still needed to put up a fight.
With an almost animal scream of rage Cray continued after me. He moved with surprising speed, closing the distance between us and grabbing me by the throat. My fists pounded at his face, breaking his nose and knocking his glasses off, but he refused to let up. His hands wrapped around my neck and started to squeeze as he dragged me around, rasping and wheezing with every step. My legs kicked frantically and I desperately dug my fingers into the bullet wound on his hand. I felt his flesh squish beneath my fingers and he let out a cry of pain before pulling back. I kicked him in his generous stomach, but that didn’t really do much to stop him. He barely even flinched and instead caught me across the face with a backhand.
I found myself back on the ground, scrambling across the floor to put some distance between us before kicking back at him. My shoe connected with his groin, earning a pained rumble from him as I quickly picked myself up. I threw a haymaker, right in his face, sending him back just a single step. My fist connected with his face again, again and again before Cray finally collapsed backward onto the ground.
Through the hole in the wall behind him, I could see that both Di Cesare and Klaus had recovered from the collapse of the roof. Klaus still seemed a little disoriented, but Di Cesare was already coming for him. She gestured violently with her hand, and Klaus’s body was jerked violently to the side. I heard the crunch of drywall as she borrowed a move from Cray’s playbook and hurled him through the office wall, although Klaus was sent into the dining room, not the kitchen. Di Cesare glared at him, making sure he was down for the count before gritting her teeth and stepping through the hole in the wall that led to the kitchen.
Cray looked over at her, blood dribbling from his split lip and broken nose. His breath came in heavy pants and I could see a look of utter disgust on his face.
“No…” He rasped, “No… no… no…”
He tried to stand, but I forced him down onto his stomach. I took a pair of handcuffs from my belt, and closed them around his wrists.
“Joseph Cray…” I panted, “You’re under arrest for the murders of Geoffery Vickers, Hank Russell and Melissa Sinclair… you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law…”
As I read him his rights, Di Cesare just stared down at him. Her expression was completely neutral. No anger. No contempt… nothing. Finally, she simply turned away to deal with the others. Klaus, Oswald and Lawrence… wherever the hell Lawrence had ended up.
2024.06.10 05:49 HeadOfSpectre Delusions of Grandeur
Hugo Wright sat across from me, portions of roasted heart on the small airplane table in front of him. I watched him skewer one on the prongs of his fork, before popping it delicately into his mouth. He chewed for several seconds, savoring the flavor, before swallowing.
“You know, we live in exceedingly interesting times, Miss Snow.” He said. “When I told people I was gonna be a billionaire by the age of 21, they laughed? Said it would never happen, and they were right, I suppose. But I didn’t let that discourage me. I took that pain and I used it as fuel. I persevered. By 22, I owned my first private jet. By 23, I could’ve retired and been set for life and by 26? That was when I truly made it. That was when I finally crossed that threshold and it was… it was brilliant. People said it couldn’t be done. And to most of them, it couldn’t. But, I’ve learned that the laws of ordinary people simply don’t apply to me.”
He popped another morsel of heart into his mouth. As he spoke I took down notes on what he said, as was expected of me. Technically as an executive assistant, biographer wasn’t part of my job description, but according to Hugo, my job was whatever he said it was. So ‘Personal Biographer’ had become one of my duties.
“So many people settle for ordinary. That’s all they can strive for. But a select few of us were destined to be more. More than ordinary, hell, more than people.” He chuckled, as he took another bite of the heart.
“Well said, sir,” I replied quietly. He cracked a smug grin, and I caught his eyes lingering on my legs. He didn’t say anything out loud, but I could hear what he was thinking loud and clear.
“Speaking of being ‘more than people’, which one is that you’re eating?”
“I believe the Grimoire called him ‘Õudus.’ One of the Grovewalkers. They are sufficient for a quick pick me up. Helps to keep my game sharp in between the more high priority kills. Every little morsel helps.”
“Of course sir.” I said. Whatever ‘Õudus’ had been, it certainly didn’t look appetizing. Then again, none of the things I’d seen Hugo summon for his little side project had seemed particularly appetizing… or edible. But he slaughtered and devoured them all the same.
“When Godhood is within one's grasp, then the correct answer is to seize it for oneself,” Hugo said, as he finished the last few bites. “That’s the only path that matters. Apotheosis.”
“Of course, sir,” I said again, although I couldn’t help but wonder just how grim a world with a God like Hugo would be.
Before I’d started working for Hugo, I’d heard rumors online about what some people were calling ‘The God Rush.’ Crackpot theories about billionaires pouring money into investigating the supernatural, hunting obscure deities and devouring their hearts in some mad effort to become Gods themselves. I hadn’t believed them at first, chalking them down as nothing more than another wild conspiracy theory. They’re a dime a dozen on the internet, after all. But I guess every now and then, the crackpots get it right.
In the four months that I’d been in his employ, I’d watched him summon things that logically should not have existed, and I’d watched him slaughter them with power no human should’ve ever been able to use. If I hadn’t seen it all with my own eyes, I would’ve thought it was all madness. But no. I’d seen enough of his unholy power to know that it was all too real. I even carried the ritual dagger he used to butcher them in his briefcase, like any other piece of equipment. Like being his personal biographer, catering to his delusions of grandeur (which seemed to be becoming less and less like delusions every day) was just another part of my job.
It was those growing genuine perceptions of grandeur that had us flying out of New York on a Thursday night into Belgium. Part of my job was to keep an eye out for any rare artifacts that might aid his pursuit of apotheosis and it just so happened that a particularly rare one was up for auction. Several pages of a grimoire known as ‘Liber Shaal’. A tome reportedly authored by the Devil herself supposedly containing ancient spells that were not meant to be cast within our world, and more importantly, containing summoning instructions for ancient entities long since forgotten by time. To Hugo, it was an a’la carte menu of fresh entities to devour. New stepping stones on his path to Godhood. Getting those pages was essential, and so we would be attending the auction.
On the bright side - I’d never been to Europe before, so if nothing else this was bound to be exciting! And so long as I focused on that, and not the fact that I was helping a lunatic with a God complex get closer to their goal of Apotheosis, all would be well.
***
We landed in the late afternoon, before taking a car over to the site of the auction. In what I could only describe as a testament to the decadence of the attendees, it was due to be hosted in the top floor restaurant of one of Brussell’s most iconic landmarks. The Atomium.
I had seen pictures of the building before - strictly as a curiosity, but seeing it in person was an entirely different kind of experience.
The Atomium was a surreal looking building, designed as the centerpiece of 1958 Brussels World's Fair, as a monument to Belgium's engineering prowess at the time. It had been made to resemble an elementary iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. (Hugo made a point to explain all the trivia to me as we drove closer.) It consisted of nine massive steel spheres, connected by steel tubes. How the whole thing didn’t collapse under its own weight was a mystery to me. But it stood, taller than it had any right to be.
The car dropped us off at the gate, where a man in a suit was waiting for us.
“Mr. Wright,” He said warmly, giving Hugo a nod as we drove closer. “I’m Mr. Cassel. It’s a pleasure to have you here.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” Hugo said, as Mr. Cassel’s eyes shifted over toward me.
“My personal assistant, Miss Snow. She’ll be accompanying me, pay her no mind.” Hugo said coolly, answering his question before he asked it. Cassel gave a nod, and led us toward the building at the base of the lowest sphere.
While I imagine that normally, the Atomium might have been a hot tourist spot, at this late hour it was fully abandoned. It was almost a shame. If I’d had more time, I wouldn’t have minded stopping to browse the little exhibitions that dominated the first sphere, which seemed to function as one part art gallery and one part history museum. I wouldn’t have minded getting a chance to explore some of the other four accessible spheres, which according to the map I saw as we came in, hosted temporary exhibitions and special events.
Unfortunately - I never got that chance. We were here on business.
The Atomium’s restaurant was only accessible from the lowest sphere, via an elevator that ran straight from the lowest sphere, up to the top. I won’t lie - the elevator ride was a little harrowing. As we rode up through the cold steel structure, I could’ve easily fooled myself into thinking we were on our way up a mine shaft, as opposed to being on our way to an action for the obscenely rich. The only view from the elevator was the reinforced steel beams that kept the structure sturdy, although when the elevator doors finally opened, I was greeted with a sight more in line with what I’d been expecting of this place.
We stepped out of the elevator into an upscale restaurant area, with large windows showcasing the sprawling city and countryside around us. The tables and chairs had an almost futuristic aesthetic to them, and many of them were already occupied. The figures who had already arrived cast wary eyes toward Hugo and I as we joined them. He just glared back at them, his lips pulling back into a slight smirk.
“Evening,” He said, confident as ever.
“Was there anyone who didn’t hear about this auction?” A woman asked. She looked to be in her early thirties, and was dressed in an expensive snow white outfit that might not have looked out of place on a runway model. Her short blonde hair was delicately styled, and framed her face perfectly, and peeked out from beneath what I can only describe as a fashionable white bowler hat. I’d seen this woman’s face before, although only ever in a magazine.
Angela Champion… and yes, that was her real name. Champion was the current CEO of the Champion Fashion House, succeeding her father. She’d been a topic of discussion in recent months due to her attempts to start some sort of feud with the twin CEO’s of the Darling Fashion House, although said feud was fairly one sided, with the Darlings seemingly making a point to ignore her. Due to her larger than life online persona, people either saw her as the up and coming queen bee of the fashion world, or as a rich brat, chasing celebrity.
“What can I say? It’s a small world, Angie.” Hugo said wryly, sitting down at a table across from her.
“Clearly,” A man by the bar said. He was dressed relatively casually, in jeans and a t-shirt. I recognized him as well. Daniel Hernandez, although I knew very little about him, other than that his father owned a very large, very powerful food distribution company and had a net worth somewhere in the billions. “Guess you can’t have an auction without healthy competition, no?”
“I was led to believe that this was a private sale,” Another man said. He was somewhere in his thirties, with long, dirty blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. He wore aviator sunglasses despite it being nighttime.
“No such thing as a private sale, Georgie,” Hugo teased.
Georgie. That name made it all click. I had seen this man before, at a conference I’d accompanied Hugo to. This was George Barbier. The self proclaimed: ‘Final Boss of LinkedIn.’ Hugo had made me watch a few videos he’d made, talking about tips for entrepreneurs and wealth management. He’d supposedly made his fortune in luxury cars, although according to Hugo: “That cocksucker only makes money by making people think he’s some hotshot automotive executive.” so it was hard to say what the truth was.
“Clearly not,” Barbier scoffed.
“Don’t feel special. They told me something similar,” A second woman said. She sat by the bar, a few feet away from Daniel. I recognized her as well. Mary Williams. Like Angela Champion, I knew her by reputation. Williams sometimes featured in some podcasts I’d listened to, as one of, if not the wealthiest women in the world. She was the current CEO of one of the larger cosmetics companies. I’d heard her discuss her rise from poverty to wealth, pitching her life story as some sort of inspirational tale of overcoming great odds to attain limitless success, yet still remaining humble. Personally, I found her anecdotes a little tasteless. I’ve actually been homeless in the past. Williams described it all as an adventure she had overcome through the strength of her character and her own entrepreneurial ingenuity, rather than the miserable, nearly endless struggle that it was. It was condescending, to say the least. And despite her efforts to depict herself as some gifted heroine who’d risen above the rough hand life had dealt her, a lot of the controversy her company had come under for their laundry list of shady practices painted a different picture of the woman than her podcast interviews did.
Barbier huffed in agreement, before taking a sip of his drink.
“Oh come on. How many sellers have you met who wouldn’t be interested in driving up the price, a little.” Hugo teased. “Besides, your wallet can handle it, right?”
Barbier ignored him.
“A little underhanded, luring some of us here with a lie though, wasn’t it?” Angela asked. She glanced over at Cassel, who’d made his way toward the back of the restaurant.
“For the record, I wasn’t told about any other buyers either.”
“Well, I was.” Hugo said. “Had a feeling I might run into a few of you, too. Speaking of this lot, any idea what’s on the menu tonight?”
“Restaurant is closed.” A man sitting a short distance away said. His voice carried a very heavy German accent. While I knew most of the figures in this room, I didn’t know him. He was big in every sense of the word, looking almost as if he’d been poured into his plain brown suit. Every time he moved, I saw the fabric strain against his muscles. His jawline was chiseled, and his expression was stern. He had an undercut that looked like it’d been measured out with a ruler.
“Closed?” Hugo repeated.
The large man didn’t elaborate.
“Yeah. Would’ve ordered some goddamn h’orderves if it wasn’t,” Daniel replied.
“The bar’s still technically open,” Mary added.
“Technically…” Hugo repeated, before chuckling and standing up. “Well, how can I say no to that?”
He headed over behind the bar to fix himself a martini. He never asked me if I wanted anything, not that I was in the mood to drink.
I was surprised that no one in the room had commented about how odd all of this was. Lies told to get some of them there, an empty restaurant, an abandoned bar… most people probably would’ve had a few questions about that. But, out of the collection of LinkedIn’s finest in that room with me, not a single one of them thought to ask any of the questions anyone else probably would’ve asked. I suppose when your net worth is ten digits, critical thinking skills aren’t all that critical.
Mr. Cassel had disappeared somewhere near the back of the restaurant, and I glanced over to see him coming back toward us.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies and gentlemen. But now that all of our guests have arrived, I don’t see much reason to delay tonight’s event.”
“About damn time,” Barbier huffed. “Let’s just get on with it. I’ll start my bidding at ten million.”
Cassel smiled, almost apologetically.
“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Barbier.” He said. “Tonight’s auction will function a little differently than you may be used to, but I’ll permit our host to explain as much.”
“You are not the host?” The Large German Man asked.
“I’m afraid not, Mr. Koch. But she’ll be connecting with us very soon.”
The German - Koch, nodded solemnly.
“Connecting?” Angela asked, before noticing a TV screen above the bar flickering to life. Her eyes narrowed as the image of a woman appeared on it. She was middle aged, with long auburn hair and plastic horn rimmed glasses. She wore a crooked smile, as if she knew something that nobody else did.
“Good evening, everyone. So glad everyone could make out tonight! My name is Lauren Lapointe and I have the privilege of being your host this evening!”
The moment she said her name, I noticed Hugo’s eyes narrowing. He clearly recognized her. To be fair, so did I. Lauren Lapointe had become a controversial figure in recent months, due to the allegations that she’d been involved in some sort of ‘snuff film, bloodsport’ conspiracy, broadcasting such things for wealthy clients, amongst other illicit services. I’d heard about the case… and was sure I wasn’t the only one who had.
“What the hell is this?” Barbier demanded. “Where’s the goddamn book! Where’s the Liber Shaal!”
“Well, according to the old folklore, buried somewhere in the depths of Hell.” Lauren admitted. “Although I have to say, that book is one hell of a conversation starter. Seems like it’s brought you all together, hasn’t it?”
“You don’t even have the book?” Angela huffed, standing up. “Then what the hell are we even here for?”
“The fact that none of you have figured it out yet is a little sad.” Lauren replied. “Come now, don’t be coy. I think all of you know why you want that book. You’re all special! You’re all a cut above your everyday average Joe, aren’t you? You’re the ones worthy of becoming Gods… aren’t you?”
A pregnant silence settled over the room. On the screen, I saw Lauren’s lips curl into a knowing grin.
“Yes, I know all about that. I know all about you. Feeding on the hearts of ancient, powerful things, just to drag yourselves a little closer to their level, abandoning your limited humanity to ascend to the echelons you were meant for. I know. And I admire that! I’ve always been of the mind that if you have the stomach to lift yourself above the rest of the cattle, then you deserve a seat at the butcher's table. But what are butchers if not themselves meat?”
“W-what…?” Angela’s voice was small, and I heard a slight tremble in it. Although she was the only one who seemed remotely put off by what Lauren had just said.
The rest…
Barbier.
Mary.
Daniel.
Koch.
Hugo.
They all sat in rapt silence, and I could see the gears in their heads turning. Lauren had gotten their attention and she had just introduced a very specific thought into their heads. A thought I don’t think had occurred to any of them before.
“How much power have you all claimed during your pursuit of divinity? Which of you is truly the closest to calling themselves a God? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? And once you start asking that, maybe you’ll start asking how similar you’ve become to the things you’ve been feeding on… and what might happen if you were to remove the competition, as it were?”
Angela stood up.
“What the fuck?!” She snapped. “We’re not… we’re not gonna fucking eat each other, you sick cunt!”
Although she was alone in her protest. The others remained silent. I glanced over at Hugo. He stared up at the screen. I could only see the back of his head, but somehow I knew what the expression on his face would be. Lauren’s grin grew wider. She knew what they were thinking. And she seemed all too thrilled at just how trivial it had been to plant that idea in their minds. Angela remained stock still, her breathing getting heavier as she read the room.
“No…” She stammered, “No… no… you can’t be… don’t you see how sick this is? Killing those things is different! They’re THINGS! We’re PEOPLE! FUCK, WE CAN’T JUST EAT EACH OTHER!”
“Are you still people?” Lauren replied. “People are… small, insignificant little animals. We all know this to be true. But you… you’re not small, you’re not insignificant. You’ve made sure of that personally, haven’t you? You stand above the very shadows that lurk in the darkness, who’ve inspired fear in the minds of primitive, lesser men, and each and every one of you had drawn those demons out of the darkness, and taken their lives as if they were nothing more than meat at an abattoir. People can’t do that. But Gods can.”
The room remained silent. Even Angela was left speechless for a moment.
Almost dutifully, I quietly opened Hugo’s briefcase. I knew what was coming.
“Food for thought,” Lauren crooned. “And whoever’s left… well… you’ll probably have a prize just as good as anything you’d get from that old book, wouldn’t you? Five of them, specifically.”
Those words were what did it.
Barbier attacked first… moving in a way no human should’ve ever been able to move. The space around him seemed to distort as he drew one of the nearby tables closer to him, allowing him to snatch a steak knife off of it. He seemed to phase through the bar as he lunged for Hugo, pinning him against the wall, as he tried to drive his knife into his stomach.
The moment the carnage broke out, I heard Lauren burst out into laughter. She watched the chaos unfold from wherever she was hiding, and she reveled in it. As Barbier went for Hugo, Mary tried to do the same to Daniel.
I saw a ritual dagger, similar to the one I’d seen Hugo use, manifest in her hand. Her eyes locked onto Daniel, who looked down at that dagger and froze. He hadn’t come expecting a fight, and confronted with the reality of what was about to happen, he’d quickly lost his nerve. Mary lunged for him, and Daniel scrambled out of the way, only narrowly avoiding getting his throat torn open by her. Mary lunged for him again, although she didn’t get very far. Koch seemed to materialize out of the air around her, catching her by the wrist. I saw a surge of panic in her eyes as he plucked her arm off of her body the same way one might pull a wing off of a fly. She screamed and Daniel took the opportunity to flee, as Koch set to work disassembling Mary Williams.
Disassembling.
That’s really the only word for it.
As she screamed, he simply… pulled her apart. Not in the way a human might come apart, though. No. Her body broke in a way that I could only describe as ‘wooden.’ As if she wasn’t made of flesh anymore, but of something else. Although I couldn’t tell if that was Koch’s power, or her own power that did that to her. He gripped her by the shoulders and cracked her like a nut… snapping her body with an audible POP, that did not provide any kind of merciful end to her shrieks of agony. Then, with an almost casual lack of reverence, he plucked her beating heart from the quivering gore in her chest and bit into it.
Mary’s screams reached a crescendo, as he let her drop to the ground, writhing in her death throes. I saw her skin grow paler. Her eyes seemed to roll back into her skull as the warped state of her body seemed to catch up to her, leaving her gasping and shuddering in her final few seconds of agonizing consciousness.
I imagine that death was a mercy for her. Angela stood, rooted to the spot, looking at the sudden carnage that had erupted. Koch glanced over at Barbier and Hugo, still grappling behind the bar. He looked at me, before deciding I was of no importance to him, then he looked over at Angela.
“No…” She rasped, tears streaming down her cheeks. “NO!”
I wouldn’t have pegged her as the sanest person in the room, but clearly she was. She scrambled back, heading for the elevator. Daniel was already there, desperately hammering on the button, although the elevator didn’t come. Angela wasn’t stupid enough to wait patiently by his side. She scanned the space around her, before noticing a fire exit on the far side of the restaurant.
Then, without a second thought she sprinted for it, racing for the exit. She didn’t even bother opening the door, phasing through it with some sort of unnatural power. Daniel watched her go, and noticing Koch getting closer, chose to follow her. He didn’t quite have the power to just phase through the door, so he had to open it the old fashioned way. He tore down the stairs, before disappearing into the Atomium and Koch followed him.
It was just myself, Barbier and Hugo now.
The two men had tumbled over the bar, and seemed to have suddenly remembered that they were both God Eaters who didn’t need to restrain themselves to a simple fist fight, although they also weren’t smart enough to do much more than fight like a couple of 14 year old boys after science class.
Gravity seemed to shift around them, as they shoved each other across the restaurant, knocking tables and cutlery aside. I calmly stood and stepped out of the way as they tore each other to pieces, hitting each other with the kind of force you see in the third act of a mediocre superhero movie.
The brutality between them was actually a little boring. I’d watched Hugo kill far more formidable creatures, and Barbier didn’t quite live up to some of them. If this was ‘The Final Boss of LinkedIn’, then LinkedIn was awfully pathetic.
With one grunt of exertion (that was probably unnecessary) Hugo seized Barbier by the throat and hurled him through one of the glass windows of the panoramic restaurant. His eyes shifted over to me.
“SNOW! MY DAGGER!”
I dutifully tossed it into his waiting hand, right as time began to flow backward around us. Hugo glanced back at the window, before the dagger in his hand sank into the skin of his palm, merging with his flesh and vanishing from sight. Barbier rose back through the window he’d been thrown through, as the glass mended behind him. He landed on his feet in front of the window, lips curled back in a snarl.
“Is that the best you’ve got, Wright?” He snapped. “You think you can become a GOD? YOU THINK YOU CAN BECOME ANYTHING?” He stormed toward Hugo, who lunged for him only to be knocked to the ground.
“You always liked to talk shit, didn’t you… but look at you now? LOOK AT YOU!”
I noticed some of the silverware scattered about the mess of a dining room began to glow with heat. They melted and their molten components slithered toward Barbier, pooling at his feet before rising into a spear, reforged for the sole purpose of killing Hugo. Strange runes were burned into its metallic surface, and Barbier studied them, before grabbing the spear and advancing on Hugo. Hugo tried to stand, but Barbier reached him first, grabbing him by the back of his suit jacket,
“You’re out of your fucking depth, next to me! Now be a good boy, and DI-”
In one swift movement, Hugo pressed his palm against Barbiers chest, and his voice died in his throat. His eyes went wide as he felt the ritual dagger Hugo had hidden in his palm tear through his heart.
“You’d be out of your depth in a parking lot puddle…” Hugo snarled, before plunging his hand into Barbier’s chest.
“W-wait…” Barbier rasped, although Hugo didn’t listen. He tore his heart free of his chest, and pushed the man to the ground, leaving him twitching and staring vacantly up at the ceiling. Hugo smirked, watching him for a moment, before biting into his heart like an apple.
“Mmm… not bad…” He mused, before he waved a hand, almost dismissively. The room shifted around us. That which was broken, returned to where it had been before, repaired once more. In a few moments, it was like there’d been no skirmish at all. Everything was as it was, and George Barbier’s corpse was crumbling to dust where it lay, leaving no trace of him behind.
“Best not to cause a scene,” Hugo said as he finished off the last few bites of Barbier’s heart. “Snow, come,” He said. “There’s still three more to deal with.”
“Yes, sir,” I said quietly and followed Hugo as he headed for the stairs, Angela, Daniel and Koch had disappeared down. I noticed that Hugo had paid no mind to Mr. Cassel… who had conveniently disappeared when the violence had broken out. In fact, there wasn’t a trace of Mr. Cassel left in that dining room, almost as if he’d never existed in the first place. Hugo didn’t seem to think about it, so neither did I.
Of the nine spheres of the Atomium, I knew that only six were accessible to the public. The lower 5 spheres contained the exhibitions and event halls, while the topmost sphere, where we presently were, was the panoramic restaurant. The three spheres below the restaurant were less stable, which is why they were closed off to the public and the stairway leading to them was certainly a lot less glamorous than the stairways and escalators I’d seen going between the other spheres. They hadn’t dressed it up as much.
Hugo led the way down the stairs, moving with the calm confidence of a man who knew he was in no real danger, as opposed to the caution of a man being hunted.
“Keep up, Snow,” He said as we descended into the main part of the sphere. The space around us was wide open and almost completely unoccupied, save for a few cabinets for storage. There was only one dull light in the ceiling that didn’t illuminate much, and cast deep shadows in every corner that seemed to watch us. There were two exits, each one leading down into one of the more accessible spheres.
Hugo studied each exit, staring down the differing sets of stairs and listening closely for any indicator on which his quarry might have taken. I remained dead silent, letting him hunt.
“Blood,” He mused. “Smells like Koch has been busy.”
He took a step toward one of the stairways, before freezing, almost as if he detected something I didn’t. I saw his eyes go wide for a moment, before the shadows suddenly moved, collapsing in on Hugo like a cascade of water. He spun around, raising an arm to shield his face as I saw a figure materialize out of the inky darkness, a runed dagger in her hand.
Angela Champion brought her dagger down on Hugo’s arm, cutting through flesh and bone as if it were butter. His severed hand, still clutching his own dagger, hit the ground with a thud, and Hugo let out a cry of surprise, but not pain before Angela seized him by his shirt and hurled him toward the center of the sphere. Hugo picked himself up quickly, rising to one knee and glaring at the woman across from him.
“Well, well… getting into the spirit of things after all, aren’t we Angie?” He hissed. She just stood defiantly between him and the stairs, or perhaps between him and his own severed hand.
“I’m not going to kill you, Hugo. Not unless I have to!” She warned.
“Then you’ll die here with the rest.” He replied, rising to his feet.
“Which’ll include you, if you keep going the way you’re going!” She snapped. “Pull your head out of your ass for five seconds and think about the bigger picture here! This Lapointe woman, she didn’t just bring us together, to have us duke it out for the hell of it! We’re here because she wants what we’ve got!”
Hugo grimaced.
“You think I haven’t figured that out?” He asked. “It doesn’t matter. She’s just some mortal, biting off more than she can ever hope to chew.”
“Maybe. But after going through all that trouble to track us down, and lure us here with the promise of the Liber Shaal, something she knew none of us could resist, can you really be so sure she’s just a mortal?”
“How many hearts have you eaten?” Hugo asked coyly, taking a step toward her. “How much power have you taken, Angela?”
She didn’t answer that question.
“I can sense that it isn’t much, you know, not compared to some of the others here. Barbier was almost on my level, and that last one… Koch. Oh he’s going to be interesting. But you? You’re weak. I can feel it. You know I’m familiar with the work of Lauren Lapointe. Not intimately. But I know those who are. Nasty piece of work, that one. But mortal. Weak. Insignificant. I know of Lauren Lapointe. And I know we’re not up against a worthy opponent, we’re up against ourselves and one stupid woman with delusions of grandeur. Maybe she’s had a taste of violence like this before, pitting other, small, miserable things against each other like a child putting insects in a box to watch them devour each other. Maybe that’s made her feel strong. But she is nothing compared to the likes of us. And you are nothing compared to the likes of me…”
With every step, he inched closer. Angela held her ground for a few moments, before finally taking a step back and as she did, Hugo’s dagger erupted through her chest. Her eyes widened for a split second, as the dagger twisted and writhed through her ribcage, finally bursting free of her and landing in Hugo’s remaining hand. Still, despite the state she was in, she stood, swaying on her feet before he lunged for her, grabbing her by the throat.
“For what it’s worth, you did well to cut off my hand. Shame you didn’t have the stomach to finish the job.”
“No…” Angela gasped, as Hugo forced her to the ground, and tore into her. Her white bowler hat rolled off of her head, and landed by my feet.
I could only watch impartially as he ripped her apart, and pulled her still beating heart from her chest. Angela stared at it with wide, tear filled eyes. She knew she was dying. And all she could do was mouth the words: “No… no… no…” over and over again before Hugo took a bite.
As he ate, I watched, pausing only to calmly walk over to the stairs to pick up his severed hand, as if it were something he’d dropped. When Hugo stood once more, I offered the hand to him.
“Thank you, Snow/” He crooned, casually popping it back into place, before wiping the blood off of his mouth.
“Of course, sir. Two more to go?”
“One, most likely,” He said. “Then we deal with Lapointe.”
I nodded, and let him lead the way. He paid Angela’s body little mind, leaving her in a growing pool of her own blood. I stared down at her remains, and looked into her lifeless eyes which stared up at the ceiling in horror. My eyes settled on the runed dagger she’d used to wound Hugo. It seems that in his fervor, he hadn’t thought to grab it. Fortunately, I was a good assistant and took care of that for him.
***
As we reached the bottom of the stairs, we were greeted by an almost predictable sight. The bloody remains of Daniel Hernandez lay scattered about on the ground, and sitting in front of them sat Koch.
He stared at Hugo, sizing him up before huffing.
“You’ve killed Angela?” He asked calmly.
“It wasn’t much of a chore,” Hugo replied. “And Daniel?”
Koch nodded.
“No chore,” He repeated.
“I thought not. Well, no point in standing on ceremony, is there? We’ve both got places to be, don’t we?”
Koch rose to his feet. He cracked his knuckles. I noticed a heavy iron hammer resting in his hands. An ancient weapon, decorated in runes of all sorts. It probably had a very interesting history to it, but he never explained any of that before swinging it at Hugo with all the grace of a raging bull.
The world around Hugo distorted, moving him out of the way of every swing. His body seemed to twist and duplicate, making him harder to track and harder to hit as he tried to find an angle of attack. Koch huffed in rage, before slamming his hammer into the ground.
A wave of pure energy tore through the room, knocking me off my feet, and sending Hugo crashing against a wall. Koch wasted no time in trying to crush his head into pulp, although Hugo simply dissolved through the wall to evade him, before manifesting behind him.
“A perfect challenge!” Hugo jeered. “But there’s only one throne, for one true God!”
A third arm, made of inky black energy manifested from Koch’s back, seizing Hugo by the throat.
“In this my friend… we are agreed.” Koch hissed. More arms grew from his back, seizing Hugo’s body and keeping him in place. He tried to phase through them, but somehow they still held him.
Koch’s body twisted and elongated, as his spine slowly adjusted itself so that he could face Hugo and raise his hammer over his head. Hugo stared up into his eyes, before opening his mouth and launching a beam of pure energy into Koch’s face. I heard Koch scream, as his skull shattered, smearing a shimmering dark liquid all over the ceiling.
Still… somehow I wasn’t sure if he was dead. His grip on Hugo was still strong, and no matter how hard Hugo fought, he didn’t seem to let go, not that Hugo seemed to want to get too far away from him. No, I watched as Hugo tried to push himself closer to Koch. I watched him drive his dagger into his chest, to try and pry out his beating heart.
More hands manifested from Koch to keep Hugo away, but he was so close. As Koch pulled him back from the gaping wound in his chest, Hugo’s limbs elongated as he reached for the mans beating heart to pry it free, and just as he triumphed and pulled it from his chest… I cut off Hugo’s hand again.
I saw his eyes widen with shock, but he didn’t utter a single word. As his hand and Koch’s heart fell, I snatched them both out of the air. My eyes burned into Hugo’s from behind my glasses, and I gave him a small, knowing smile before biting into the heart myself.
Koch’s entire body seized, but his grip on Hugo grew no weaker.
“Snow?” Hugo’s voice cracked, as the panic of realization set in.
I answered him… but not in my own voice. I spoke in the voice of Lauren Lapointe.
“I’ve always been of the mind that if you have the stomach to lift yourself above the rest of the cattle, then you deserve a seat at the butcher's table. But what are butchers if not themselves meat?”
My face shifted, revealing the visage I’d stolen. I imagined that the real Lauren wouldn’t have minded my borrowing it. She’d been the one who taught me the primal joys of bloodsport, after all, and I’m sure she would’ve loved watching a bunch of rich morons with delusions of grandeur butcher each other in the name of power.
Hugo on the other hand?
The look on his face was one of absolute horror as he quickly put the pieces together. He squirmed. He fought. He tried to get free. But I still had Angela’s knife in my hand, and he could do nothing to stop me from taking his other hand, disarming him in every sense of the word.
“No…” He cried, “No… Penelope… don’t! PENELOPE WAIT!”
Oh, first names now? He was desperate.
Not that it saved him.
And as he wriggled free of Koch’s dying grasp, he only found himself tumbling into mine, where his struggles could not save him as I cut into his chest, pulled out his panicked, beating heart… and took a bite.
***
There were no bodies left behind when I left the Atomium. No bloodstains or any trace of what had happened there. I saw to their disposal. I could feel the new power coursing through my veins… it was more than I’d ever felt before. It was strange. Exciting!
I’d thought the boost I’d gotten from the morsels I’d stolen from Hugo was intense, but this was on an entirely new level! Yet it wasn’t enough.
It would never be enough, not until I’d reached the top. If there even was a top.
I imagined I’d find out soon enough.
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“You know, we live in exceedingly interesting times, Miss Snow.” He said. “When I told people I was gonna be a billionaire by the age of 21, they laughed? Said it would never happen, and they were right, I suppose. But I didn’t let that discourage me. I took that pain and I used it as fuel. I persevered. By 22, I owned my first private jet. By 23, I could’ve retired and been set for life and by 26? That was when I truly made it. That was when I finally crossed that threshold and it was… it was brilliant. People said it couldn’t be done. And to most of them, it couldn’t. But, I’ve learned that the laws of ordinary people simply don’t apply to me.”
He popped another morsel of heart into his mouth. As he spoke I took down notes on what he said, as was expected of me. Technically as an executive assistant, biographer wasn’t part of my job description, but according to Hugo, my job was whatever he said it was. So ‘Personal Biographer’ had become one of my duties.
“So many people settle for ordinary. That’s all they can strive for. But a select few of us were destined to be more. More than ordinary, hell, more than people.” He chuckled, as he took another bite of the heart.
“Well said, sir,” I replied quietly. He cracked a smug grin, and I caught his eyes lingering on my legs. He didn’t say anything out loud, but I could hear what he was thinking loud and clear.
“Speaking of being ‘more than people’, which one is that you’re eating?”
“I believe the Grimoire called him ‘Õudus.’ One of the Grovewalkers. They are sufficient for a quick pick me up. Helps to keep my game sharp in between the more high priority kills. Every little morsel helps.”
“Of course sir.” I said. Whatever ‘Õudus’ had been, it certainly didn’t look appetizing. Then again, none of the things I’d seen Hugo summon for his little side project had seemed particularly appetizing… or edible. But he slaughtered and devoured them all the same.
“When Godhood is within one's grasp, then the correct answer is to seize it for oneself,” Hugo said, as he finished the last few bites. “That’s the only path that matters. Apotheosis.”
“Of course, sir,” I said again, although I couldn’t help but wonder just how grim a world with a God like Hugo would be.
Before I’d started working for Hugo, I’d heard rumors online about what some people were calling ‘The God Rush.’ Crackpot theories about billionaires pouring money into investigating the supernatural, hunting obscure deities and devouring their hearts in some mad effort to become Gods themselves. I hadn’t believed them at first, chalking them down as nothing more than another wild conspiracy theory. They’re a dime a dozen on the internet, after all. But I guess every now and then, the crackpots get it right.
In the four months that I’d been in his employ, I’d watched him summon things that logically should not have existed, and I’d watched him slaughter them with power no human should’ve ever been able to use. If I hadn’t seen it all with my own eyes, I would’ve thought it was all madness. But no. I’d seen enough of his unholy power to know that it was all too real. I even carried the ritual dagger he used to butcher them in his briefcase, like any other piece of equipment. Like being his personal biographer, catering to his delusions of grandeur (which seemed to be becoming less and less like delusions every day) was just another part of my job.
It was those growing genuine perceptions of grandeur that had us flying out of New York on a Thursday night into Belgium. Part of my job was to keep an eye out for any rare artifacts that might aid his pursuit of apotheosis and it just so happened that a particularly rare one was up for auction. Several pages of a grimoire known as ‘Liber Shaal’. A tome reportedly authored by the Devil herself supposedly containing ancient spells that were not meant to be cast within our world, and more importantly, containing summoning instructions for ancient entities long since forgotten by time. To Hugo, it was an a’la carte menu of fresh entities to devour. New stepping stones on his path to Godhood. Getting those pages was essential, and so we would be attending the auction.
On the bright side - I’d never been to Europe before, so if nothing else this was bound to be exciting! And so long as I focused on that, and not the fact that I was helping a lunatic with a God complex get closer to their goal of Apotheosis, all would be well.
***
We landed in the late afternoon, before taking a car over to the site of the auction. In what I could only describe as a testament to the decadence of the attendees, it was due to be hosted in the top floor restaurant of one of Brussell’s most iconic landmarks. The Atomium.
I had seen pictures of the building before - strictly as a curiosity, but seeing it in person was an entirely different kind of experience.
The Atomium was a surreal looking building, designed as the centerpiece of 1958 Brussels World's Fair, as a monument to Belgium's engineering prowess at the time. It had been made to resemble an elementary iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. (Hugo made a point to explain all the trivia to me as we drove closer.) It consisted of nine massive steel spheres, connected by steel tubes. How the whole thing didn’t collapse under its own weight was a mystery to me. But it stood, taller than it had any right to be.
The car dropped us off at the gate, where a man in a suit was waiting for us.
“Mr. Wright,” He said warmly, giving Hugo a nod as we drove closer. “I’m Mr. Cassel. It’s a pleasure to have you here.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” Hugo said, as Mr. Cassel’s eyes shifted over toward me.
“My personal assistant, Miss Snow. She’ll be accompanying me, pay her no mind.” Hugo said coolly, answering his question before he asked it. Cassel gave a nod, and led us toward the building at the base of the lowest sphere.
While I imagine that normally, the Atomium might have been a hot tourist spot, at this late hour it was fully abandoned. It was almost a shame. If I’d had more time, I wouldn’t have minded stopping to browse the little exhibitions that dominated the first sphere, which seemed to function as one part art gallery and one part history museum. I wouldn’t have minded getting a chance to explore some of the other four accessible spheres, which according to the map I saw as we came in, hosted temporary exhibitions and special events.
Unfortunately - I never got that chance. We were here on business.
The Atomium’s restaurant was only accessible from the lowest sphere, via an elevator that ran straight from the lowest sphere, up to the top. I won’t lie - the elevator ride was a little harrowing. As we rode up through the cold steel structure, I could’ve easily fooled myself into thinking we were on our way up a mine shaft, as opposed to being on our way to an action for the obscenely rich. The only view from the elevator was the reinforced steel beams that kept the structure sturdy, although when the elevator doors finally opened, I was greeted with a sight more in line with what I’d been expecting of this place.
We stepped out of the elevator into an upscale restaurant area, with large windows showcasing the sprawling city and countryside around us. The tables and chairs had an almost futuristic aesthetic to them, and many of them were already occupied. The figures who had already arrived cast wary eyes toward Hugo and I as we joined them. He just glared back at them, his lips pulling back into a slight smirk.
“Evening,” He said, confident as ever.
“Was there anyone who didn’t hear about this auction?” A woman asked. She looked to be in her early thirties, and was dressed in an expensive snow white outfit that might not have looked out of place on a runway model. Her short blonde hair was delicately styled, and framed her face perfectly, and peeked out from beneath what I can only describe as a fashionable white bowler hat. I’d seen this woman’s face before, although only ever in a magazine.
Angela Champion… and yes, that was her real name. Champion was the current CEO of the Champion Fashion House, succeeding her father. She’d been a topic of discussion in recent months due to her attempts to start some sort of feud with the twin CEO’s of the Darling Fashion House, although said feud was fairly one sided, with the Darlings seemingly making a point to ignore her. Due to her larger than life online persona, people either saw her as the up and coming queen bee of the fashion world, or as a rich brat, chasing celebrity.
“What can I say? It’s a small world, Angie.” Hugo said wryly, sitting down at a table across from her.
“Clearly,” A man by the bar said. He was dressed relatively casually, in jeans and a t-shirt. I recognized him as well. Daniel Hernandez, although I knew very little about him, other than that his father owned a very large, very powerful food distribution company and had a net worth somewhere in the billions. “Guess you can’t have an auction without healthy competition, no?”
“I was led to believe that this was a private sale,” Another man said. He was somewhere in his thirties, with long, dirty blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. He wore aviator sunglasses despite it being nighttime.
“No such thing as a private sale, Georgie,” Hugo teased.
Georgie. That name made it all click. I had seen this man before, at a conference I’d accompanied Hugo to. This was George Barbier. The self proclaimed: ‘Final Boss of LinkedIn.’ Hugo had made me watch a few videos he’d made, talking about tips for entrepreneurs and wealth management. He’d supposedly made his fortune in luxury cars, although according to Hugo: “That cocksucker only makes money by making people think he’s some hotshot automotive executive.” so it was hard to say what the truth was.
“Clearly not,” Barbier scoffed.
“Don’t feel special. They told me something similar,” A second woman said. She sat by the bar, a few feet away from Daniel. I recognized her as well. Mary Williams. Like Angela Champion, I knew her by reputation. Williams sometimes featured in some podcasts I’d listened to, as one of, if not the wealthiest women in the world. She was the current CEO of one of the larger cosmetics companies. I’d heard her discuss her rise from poverty to wealth, pitching her life story as some sort of inspirational tale of overcoming great odds to attain limitless success, yet still remaining humble. Personally, I found her anecdotes a little tasteless. I’ve actually been homeless in the past. Williams described it all as an adventure she had overcome through the strength of her character and her own entrepreneurial ingenuity, rather than the miserable, nearly endless struggle that it was. It was condescending, to say the least. And despite her efforts to depict herself as some gifted heroine who’d risen above the rough hand life had dealt her, a lot of the controversy her company had come under for their laundry list of shady practices painted a different picture of the woman than her podcast interviews did.
Barbier huffed in agreement, before taking a sip of his drink.
“Oh come on. How many sellers have you met who wouldn’t be interested in driving up the price, a little.” Hugo teased. “Besides, your wallet can handle it, right?”
Barbier ignored him.
“A little underhanded, luring some of us here with a lie though, wasn’t it?” Angela asked. She glanced over at Cassel, who’d made his way toward the back of the restaurant.
“For the record, I wasn’t told about any other buyers either.”
“Well, I was.” Hugo said. “Had a feeling I might run into a few of you, too. Speaking of this lot, any idea what’s on the menu tonight?”
“Restaurant is closed.” A man sitting a short distance away said. His voice carried a very heavy German accent. While I knew most of the figures in this room, I didn’t know him. He was big in every sense of the word, looking almost as if he’d been poured into his plain brown suit. Every time he moved, I saw the fabric strain against his muscles. His jawline was chiseled, and his expression was stern. He had an undercut that looked like it’d been measured out with a ruler.
“Closed?” Hugo repeated.
The large man didn’t elaborate.
“Yeah. Would’ve ordered some goddamn h’orderves if it wasn’t,” Daniel replied.
“The bar’s still technically open,” Mary added.
“Technically…” Hugo repeated, before chuckling and standing up. “Well, how can I say no to that?”
He headed over behind the bar to fix himself a martini. He never asked me if I wanted anything, not that I was in the mood to drink.
I was surprised that no one in the room had commented about how odd all of this was. Lies told to get some of them there, an empty restaurant, an abandoned bar… most people probably would’ve had a few questions about that. But, out of the collection of LinkedIn’s finest in that room with me, not a single one of them thought to ask any of the questions anyone else probably would’ve asked. I suppose when your net worth is ten digits, critical thinking skills aren’t all that critical.
Mr. Cassel had disappeared somewhere near the back of the restaurant, and I glanced over to see him coming back toward us.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies and gentlemen. But now that all of our guests have arrived, I don’t see much reason to delay tonight’s event.”
“About damn time,” Barbier huffed. “Let’s just get on with it. I’ll start my bidding at ten million.”
Cassel smiled, almost apologetically.
“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Barbier.” He said. “Tonight’s auction will function a little differently than you may be used to, but I’ll permit our host to explain as much.”
“You are not the host?” The Large German Man asked.
“I’m afraid not, Mr. Koch. But she’ll be connecting with us very soon.”
The German - Koch, nodded solemnly.
“Connecting?” Angela asked, before noticing a TV screen above the bar flickering to life. Her eyes narrowed as the image of a woman appeared on it. She was middle aged, with long auburn hair and plastic horn rimmed glasses. She wore a crooked smile, as if she knew something that nobody else did.
“Good evening, everyone. So glad everyone could make out tonight! My name is Lauren Lapointe and I have the privilege of being your host this evening!”
The moment she said her name, I noticed Hugo’s eyes narrowing. He clearly recognized her. To be fair, so did I. Lauren Lapointe had become a controversial figure in recent months, due to the allegations that she’d been involved in some sort of ‘snuff film, bloodsport’ conspiracy, broadcasting such things for wealthy clients, amongst other illicit services. I’d heard about the case… and was sure I wasn’t the only one who had.
“What the hell is this?” Barbier demanded. “Where’s the goddamn book! Where’s the Liber Shaal!”
“Well, according to the old folklore, buried somewhere in the depths of Hell.” Lauren admitted. “Although I have to say, that book is one hell of a conversation starter. Seems like it’s brought you all together, hasn’t it?”
“You don’t even have the book?” Angela huffed, standing up. “Then what the hell are we even here for?”
“The fact that none of you have figured it out yet is a little sad.” Lauren replied. “Come now, don’t be coy. I think all of you know why you want that book. You’re all special! You’re all a cut above your everyday average Joe, aren’t you? You’re the ones worthy of becoming Gods… aren’t you?”
A pregnant silence settled over the room. On the screen, I saw Lauren’s lips curl into a knowing grin.
“Yes, I know all about that. I know all about you. Feeding on the hearts of ancient, powerful things, just to drag yourselves a little closer to their level, abandoning your limited humanity to ascend to the echelons you were meant for. I know. And I admire that! I’ve always been of the mind that if you have the stomach to lift yourself above the rest of the cattle, then you deserve a seat at the butcher's table. But what are butchers if not themselves meat?”
“W-what…?” Angela’s voice was small, and I heard a slight tremble in it. Although she was the only one who seemed remotely put off by what Lauren had just said.
The rest…
Barbier.
Mary.
Daniel.
Koch.
Hugo.
They all sat in rapt silence, and I could see the gears in their heads turning. Lauren had gotten their attention and she had just introduced a very specific thought into their heads. A thought I don’t think had occurred to any of them before.
“How much power have you all claimed during your pursuit of divinity? Which of you is truly the closest to calling themselves a God? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? And once you start asking that, maybe you’ll start asking how similar you’ve become to the things you’ve been feeding on… and what might happen if you were to remove the competition, as it were?”
Angela stood up.
“What the fuck?!” She snapped. “We’re not… we’re not gonna fucking eat each other, you sick cunt!”
Although she was alone in her protest. The others remained silent. I glanced over at Hugo. He stared up at the screen. I could only see the back of his head, but somehow I knew what the expression on his face would be. Lauren’s grin grew wider. She knew what they were thinking. And she seemed all too thrilled at just how trivial it had been to plant that idea in their minds. Angela remained stock still, her breathing getting heavier as she read the room.
“No…” She stammered, “No… no… you can’t be… don’t you see how sick this is? Killing those things is different! They’re THINGS! We’re PEOPLE! FUCK, WE CAN’T JUST EAT EACH OTHER!”
“Are you still people?” Lauren replied. “People are… small, insignificant little animals. We all know this to be true. But you… you’re not small, you’re not insignificant. You’ve made sure of that personally, haven’t you? You stand above the very shadows that lurk in the darkness, who’ve inspired fear in the minds of primitive, lesser men, and each and every one of you had drawn those demons out of the darkness, and taken their lives as if they were nothing more than meat at an abattoir. People can’t do that. But Gods can.”
The room remained silent. Even Angela was left speechless for a moment.
Almost dutifully, I quietly opened Hugo’s briefcase. I knew what was coming.
“Food for thought,” Lauren crooned. “And whoever’s left… well… you’ll probably have a prize just as good as anything you’d get from that old book, wouldn’t you? Five of them, specifically.”
Those words were what did it.
Barbier attacked first… moving in a way no human should’ve ever been able to move. The space around him seemed to distort as he drew one of the nearby tables closer to him, allowing him to snatch a steak knife off of it. He seemed to phase through the bar as he lunged for Hugo, pinning him against the wall, as he tried to drive his knife into his stomach.
The moment the carnage broke out, I heard Lauren burst out into laughter. She watched the chaos unfold from wherever she was hiding, and she reveled in it. As Barbier went for Hugo, Mary tried to do the same to Daniel.
I saw a ritual dagger, similar to the one I’d seen Hugo use, manifest in her hand. Her eyes locked onto Daniel, who looked down at that dagger and froze. He hadn’t come expecting a fight, and confronted with the reality of what was about to happen, he’d quickly lost his nerve. Mary lunged for him, and Daniel scrambled out of the way, only narrowly avoiding getting his throat torn open by her. Mary lunged for him again, although she didn’t get very far. Koch seemed to materialize out of the air around her, catching her by the wrist. I saw a surge of panic in her eyes as he plucked her arm off of her body the same way one might pull a wing off of a fly. She screamed and Daniel took the opportunity to flee, as Koch set to work disassembling Mary Williams.
Disassembling.
That’s really the only word for it.
As she screamed, he simply… pulled her apart. Not in the way a human might come apart, though. No. Her body broke in a way that I could only describe as ‘wooden.’ As if she wasn’t made of flesh anymore, but of something else. Although I couldn’t tell if that was Koch’s power, or her own power that did that to her. He gripped her by the shoulders and cracked her like a nut… snapping her body with an audible POP, that did not provide any kind of merciful end to her shrieks of agony. Then, with an almost casual lack of reverence, he plucked her beating heart from the quivering gore in her chest and bit into it.
Mary’s screams reached a crescendo, as he let her drop to the ground, writhing in her death throes. I saw her skin grow paler. Her eyes seemed to roll back into her skull as the warped state of her body seemed to catch up to her, leaving her gasping and shuddering in her final few seconds of agonizing consciousness.
I imagine that death was a mercy for her. Angela stood, rooted to the spot, looking at the sudden carnage that had erupted. Koch glanced over at Barbier and Hugo, still grappling behind the bar. He looked at me, before deciding I was of no importance to him, then he looked over at Angela.
“No…” She rasped, tears streaming down her cheeks. “NO!”
I wouldn’t have pegged her as the sanest person in the room, but clearly she was. She scrambled back, heading for the elevator. Daniel was already there, desperately hammering on the button, although the elevator didn’t come. Angela wasn’t stupid enough to wait patiently by his side. She scanned the space around her, before noticing a fire exit on the far side of the restaurant.
Then, without a second thought she sprinted for it, racing for the exit. She didn’t even bother opening the door, phasing through it with some sort of unnatural power. Daniel watched her go, and noticing Koch getting closer, chose to follow her. He didn’t quite have the power to just phase through the door, so he had to open it the old fashioned way. He tore down the stairs, before disappearing into the Atomium and Koch followed him.
It was just myself, Barbier and Hugo now.
The two men had tumbled over the bar, and seemed to have suddenly remembered that they were both God Eaters who didn’t need to restrain themselves to a simple fist fight, although they also weren’t smart enough to do much more than fight like a couple of 14 year old boys after science class.
Gravity seemed to shift around them, as they shoved each other across the restaurant, knocking tables and cutlery aside. I calmly stood and stepped out of the way as they tore each other to pieces, hitting each other with the kind of force you see in the third act of a mediocre superhero movie.
The brutality between them was actually a little boring. I’d watched Hugo kill far more formidable creatures, and Barbier didn’t quite live up to some of them. If this was ‘The Final Boss of LinkedIn’, then LinkedIn was awfully pathetic.
With one grunt of exertion (that was probably unnecessary) Hugo seized Barbier by the throat and hurled him through one of the glass windows of the panoramic restaurant. His eyes shifted over to me.
“SNOW! MY DAGGER!”
I dutifully tossed it into his waiting hand, right as time began to flow backward around us. Hugo glanced back at the window, before the dagger in his hand sank into the skin of his palm, merging with his flesh and vanishing from sight. Barbier rose back through the window he’d been thrown through, as the glass mended behind him. He landed on his feet in front of the window, lips curled back in a snarl.
“Is that the best you’ve got, Wright?” He snapped. “You think you can become a GOD? YOU THINK YOU CAN BECOME ANYTHING?” He stormed toward Hugo, who lunged for him only to be knocked to the ground.
“You always liked to talk shit, didn’t you… but look at you now? LOOK AT YOU!”
I noticed some of the silverware scattered about the mess of a dining room began to glow with heat. They melted and their molten components slithered toward Barbier, pooling at his feet before rising into a spear, reforged for the sole purpose of killing Hugo. Strange runes were burned into its metallic surface, and Barbier studied them, before grabbing the spear and advancing on Hugo. Hugo tried to stand, but Barbier reached him first, grabbing him by the back of his suit jacket,
“You’re out of your fucking depth, next to me! Now be a good boy, and DI-”
In one swift movement, Hugo pressed his palm against Barbiers chest, and his voice died in his throat. His eyes went wide as he felt the ritual dagger Hugo had hidden in his palm tear through his heart.
“You’d be out of your depth in a parking lot puddle…” Hugo snarled, before plunging his hand into Barbier’s chest.
“W-wait…” Barbier rasped, although Hugo didn’t listen. He tore his heart free of his chest, and pushed the man to the ground, leaving him twitching and staring vacantly up at the ceiling. Hugo smirked, watching him for a moment, before biting into his heart like an apple.
“Mmm… not bad…” He mused, before he waved a hand, almost dismissively. The room shifted around us. That which was broken, returned to where it had been before, repaired once more. In a few moments, it was like there’d been no skirmish at all. Everything was as it was, and George Barbier’s corpse was crumbling to dust where it lay, leaving no trace of him behind.
“Best not to cause a scene,” Hugo said as he finished off the last few bites of Barbier’s heart. “Snow, come,” He said. “There’s still three more to deal with.”
“Yes, sir,” I said quietly and followed Hugo as he headed for the stairs, Angela, Daniel and Koch had disappeared down. I noticed that Hugo had paid no mind to Mr. Cassel… who had conveniently disappeared when the violence had broken out. In fact, there wasn’t a trace of Mr. Cassel left in that dining room, almost as if he’d never existed in the first place. Hugo didn’t seem to think about it, so neither did I.
Of the nine spheres of the Atomium, I knew that only six were accessible to the public. The lower 5 spheres contained the exhibitions and event halls, while the topmost sphere, where we presently were, was the panoramic restaurant. The three spheres below the restaurant were less stable, which is why they were closed off to the public and the stairway leading to them was certainly a lot less glamorous than the stairways and escalators I’d seen going between the other spheres. They hadn’t dressed it up as much.
Hugo led the way down the stairs, moving with the calm confidence of a man who knew he was in no real danger, as opposed to the caution of a man being hunted.
“Keep up, Snow,” He said as we descended into the main part of the sphere. The space around us was wide open and almost completely unoccupied, save for a few cabinets for storage. There was only one dull light in the ceiling that didn’t illuminate much, and cast deep shadows in every corner that seemed to watch us. There were two exits, each one leading down into one of the more accessible spheres.
Hugo studied each exit, staring down the differing sets of stairs and listening closely for any indicator on which his quarry might have taken. I remained dead silent, letting him hunt.
“Blood,” He mused. “Smells like Koch has been busy.”
He took a step toward one of the stairways, before freezing, almost as if he detected something I didn’t. I saw his eyes go wide for a moment, before the shadows suddenly moved, collapsing in on Hugo like a cascade of water. He spun around, raising an arm to shield his face as I saw a figure materialize out of the inky darkness, a runed dagger in her hand.
Angela Champion brought her dagger down on Hugo’s arm, cutting through flesh and bone as if it were butter. His severed hand, still clutching his own dagger, hit the ground with a thud, and Hugo let out a cry of surprise, but not pain before Angela seized him by his shirt and hurled him toward the center of the sphere. Hugo picked himself up quickly, rising to one knee and glaring at the woman across from him.
“Well, well… getting into the spirit of things after all, aren’t we Angie?” He hissed. She just stood defiantly between him and the stairs, or perhaps between him and his own severed hand.
“I’m not going to kill you, Hugo. Not unless I have to!” She warned.
“Then you’ll die here with the rest.” He replied, rising to his feet.
“Which’ll include you, if you keep going the way you’re going!” She snapped. “Pull your head out of your ass for five seconds and think about the bigger picture here! This Lapointe woman, she didn’t just bring us together, to have us duke it out for the hell of it! We’re here because she wants what we’ve got!”
Hugo grimaced.
“You think I haven’t figured that out?” He asked. “It doesn’t matter. She’s just some mortal, biting off more than she can ever hope to chew.”
“Maybe. But after going through all that trouble to track us down, and lure us here with the promise of the Liber Shaal, something she knew none of us could resist, can you really be so sure she’s just a mortal?”
“How many hearts have you eaten?” Hugo asked coyly, taking a step toward her. “How much power have you taken, Angela?”
She didn’t answer that question.
“I can sense that it isn’t much, you know, not compared to some of the others here. Barbier was almost on my level, and that last one… Koch. Oh he’s going to be interesting. But you? You’re weak. I can feel it. You know I’m familiar with the work of Lauren Lapointe. Not intimately. But I know those who are. Nasty piece of work, that one. But mortal. Weak. Insignificant. I know of Lauren Lapointe. And I know we’re not up against a worthy opponent, we’re up against ourselves and one stupid woman with delusions of grandeur. Maybe she’s had a taste of violence like this before, pitting other, small, miserable things against each other like a child putting insects in a box to watch them devour each other. Maybe that’s made her feel strong. But she is nothing compared to the likes of us. And you are nothing compared to the likes of me…”
With every step, he inched closer. Angela held her ground for a few moments, before finally taking a step back and as she did, Hugo’s dagger erupted through her chest. Her eyes widened for a split second, as the dagger twisted and writhed through her ribcage, finally bursting free of her and landing in Hugo’s remaining hand. Still, despite the state she was in, she stood, swaying on her feet before he lunged for her, grabbing her by the throat.
“For what it’s worth, you did well to cut off my hand. Shame you didn’t have the stomach to finish the job.”
“No…” Angela gasped, as Hugo forced her to the ground, and tore into her. Her white bowler hat rolled off of her head, and landed by my feet.
I could only watch impartially as he ripped her apart, and pulled her still beating heart from her chest. Angela stared at it with wide, tear filled eyes. She knew she was dying. And all she could do was mouth the words: “No… no… no…” over and over again before Hugo took a bite.
As he ate, I watched, pausing only to calmly walk over to the stairs to pick up his severed hand, as if it were something he’d dropped. When Hugo stood once more, I offered the hand to him.
“Thank you, Snow/” He crooned, casually popping it back into place, before wiping the blood off of his mouth.
“Of course, sir. Two more to go?”
“One, most likely,” He said. “Then we deal with Lapointe.”
I nodded, and let him lead the way. He paid Angela’s body little mind, leaving her in a growing pool of her own blood. I stared down at her remains, and looked into her lifeless eyes which stared up at the ceiling in horror. My eyes settled on the runed dagger she’d used to wound Hugo. It seems that in his fervor, he hadn’t thought to grab it. Fortunately, I was a good assistant and took care of that for him.
***
As we reached the bottom of the stairs, we were greeted by an almost predictable sight. The bloody remains of Daniel Hernandez lay scattered about on the ground, and sitting in front of them sat Koch.
He stared at Hugo, sizing him up before huffing.
“You’ve killed Angela?” He asked calmly.
“It wasn’t much of a chore,” Hugo replied. “And Daniel?”
Koch nodded.
“No chore,” He repeated.
“I thought not. Well, no point in standing on ceremony, is there? We’ve both got places to be, don’t we?”
Koch rose to his feet. He cracked his knuckles. I noticed a heavy iron hammer resting in his hands. An ancient weapon, decorated in runes of all sorts. It probably had a very interesting history to it, but he never explained any of that before swinging it at Hugo with all the grace of a raging bull.
The world around Hugo distorted, moving him out of the way of every swing. His body seemed to twist and duplicate, making him harder to track and harder to hit as he tried to find an angle of attack. Koch huffed in rage, before slamming his hammer into the ground.
A wave of pure energy tore through the room, knocking me off my feet, and sending Hugo crashing against a wall. Koch wasted no time in trying to crush his head into pulp, although Hugo simply dissolved through the wall to evade him, before manifesting behind him.
“A perfect challenge!” Hugo jeered. “But there’s only one throne, for one true God!”
A third arm, made of inky black energy manifested from Koch’s back, seizing Hugo by the throat.
“In this my friend… we are agreed.” Koch hissed. More arms grew from his back, seizing Hugo’s body and keeping him in place. He tried to phase through them, but somehow they still held him.
Koch’s body twisted and elongated, as his spine slowly adjusted itself so that he could face Hugo and raise his hammer over his head. Hugo stared up into his eyes, before opening his mouth and launching a beam of pure energy into Koch’s face. I heard Koch scream, as his skull shattered, smearing a shimmering dark liquid all over the ceiling.
Still… somehow I wasn’t sure if he was dead. His grip on Hugo was still strong, and no matter how hard Hugo fought, he didn’t seem to let go, not that Hugo seemed to want to get too far away from him. No, I watched as Hugo tried to push himself closer to Koch. I watched him drive his dagger into his chest, to try and pry out his beating heart.
More hands manifested from Koch to keep Hugo away, but he was so close. As Koch pulled him back from the gaping wound in his chest, Hugo’s limbs elongated as he reached for the mans beating heart to pry it free, and just as he triumphed and pulled it from his chest… I cut off Hugo’s hand again.
I saw his eyes widen with shock, but he didn’t utter a single word. As his hand and Koch’s heart fell, I snatched them both out of the air. My eyes burned into Hugo’s from behind my glasses, and I gave him a small, knowing smile before biting into the heart myself.
Koch’s entire body seized, but his grip on Hugo grew no weaker.
“Snow?” Hugo’s voice cracked, as the panic of realization set in.
I answered him… but not in my own voice. I spoke in the voice of Lauren Lapointe.
“I’ve always been of the mind that if you have the stomach to lift yourself above the rest of the cattle, then you deserve a seat at the butcher's table. But what are butchers if not themselves meat?”
My face shifted, revealing the visage I’d stolen. I imagined that the real Lauren wouldn’t have minded my borrowing it. She’d been the one who taught me the primal joys of bloodsport, after all, and I’m sure she would’ve loved watching a bunch of rich morons with delusions of grandeur butcher each other in the name of power.
Hugo on the other hand?
The look on his face was one of absolute horror as he quickly put the pieces together. He squirmed. He fought. He tried to get free. But I still had Angela’s knife in my hand, and he could do nothing to stop me from taking his other hand, disarming him in every sense of the word.
“No…” He cried, “No… Penelope… don’t! PENELOPE WAIT!”
Oh, first names now? He was desperate.
Not that it saved him.
And as he wriggled free of Koch’s dying grasp, he only found himself tumbling into mine, where his struggles could not save him as I cut into his chest, pulled out his panicked, beating heart… and took a bite.
***
There were no bodies left behind when I left the Atomium. No bloodstains or any trace of what had happened there. I saw to their disposal. I could feel the new power coursing through my veins… it was more than I’d ever felt before. It was strange. Exciting!
I’d thought the boost I’d gotten from the morsels I’d stolen from Hugo was intense, but this was on an entirely new level! Yet it wasn’t enough.
It would never be enough, not until I’d reached the top. If there even was a top.
I imagined I’d find out soon enough.
2024.06.10 05:49 lordsharma Your Experience Running Larger Grips Due to Hand/Wrist Pain?
Have been golfing for almost 2 years and like everyone wish I started earlier. Unfortunately due to 18+ years of PC gaming + being behind the computer for work, I have dealt with early stages of carpel tunnel that intermittently dissipates after I wear a wrist brace while I sleep for a few days. After completing a lengthy work project I spontaneously decided to take a few days off and ended up golfing 5 days in a row - 18-27 holes a day + some lengthy range sessions of 200+ balls on a mat. I noticed my carpel tunnel started to flare back up and this time with a vengeance. Presumably miss hits, death grip, and general overuse are the culprits however not working behind the computer and not golfing are not options that are possible for me right now :)
I have seen a couple posts here regarding running larger grips to help alleviate carpel tunnel but not many answers of peoples experience so thought I would drop this here. I figure I can't be the only one dealing with this. Currently hovering at a 15 handicap on 18Birdies (10 handicap long game, 20 handicap short game). I wear a small glove and am thinking of going from standard grips to midsize (golf grip sites actually say I should be playing undersized which I have held and feel far to small). Natural shot shape is a fade.
Pros? Cons? Recommendations? Anything I should be conscious of?
submitted by lordsharma to golf [link] [comments]
I have seen a couple posts here regarding running larger grips to help alleviate carpel tunnel but not many answers of peoples experience so thought I would drop this here. I figure I can't be the only one dealing with this. Currently hovering at a 15 handicap on 18Birdies (10 handicap long game, 20 handicap short game). I wear a small glove and am thinking of going from standard grips to midsize (golf grip sites actually say I should be playing undersized which I have held and feel far to small). Natural shot shape is a fade.
Pros? Cons? Recommendations? Anything I should be conscious of?
2024.06.10 05:44 over18forreal four
submitted by over18forreal to u/over18forreal [link] [comments]2024.06.10 05:43 Neither_Contact_8475 15F looking for frend to talk to bc homework is boring
hey friendss on the opposite side of the screen, im a 15 year old girl in highschool if that wasnt obvious ig and uh i like the color purple and pastel, like bunnies and ducks, sanrio, plushies, cutsie stuff, and im pretty childish, personality and interest-wise i would say. and uh, yea i just wanna make some new friends meet new people and stuff ig bc im bored and doing homework and uh yea just no one under 14 and no one over 18 i would say but ya i think thats all bc i cant think of anything else...uhm...the post button isnt blue yet so ig i need to keep saying stuff so uhh lets see im interested in getting a tattoo and piercing but im too young for that ig so im just vibing with my normal ear piecrings and fake tattoos yk the ones that gets on ur skin with water but uh yea why is the post button still not blue yet uhhh oh i just realized it aint turning blue bc i didnt put a flair breh anywys yea baiii
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2024.06.10 05:37 HeadOfSpectre Delusions of Grandeur
Hugo Wright sat across from me, portions of roasted heart on the small airplane table in front of him. I watched him skewer one on the prongs of his fork, before popping it delicately into his mouth. He chewed for several seconds, savoring the flavor, before swallowing.
“You know, we live in exceedingly interesting times, Miss Snow.” He said. “When I told people I was gonna be a billionaire by the age of 21, they laughed? Said it would never happen, and they were right, I suppose. But I didn’t let that discourage me. I took that pain and I used it as fuel. I persevered. By 22, I owned my first private jet. By 23, I could’ve retired and been set for life and by 26? That was when I truly made it. That was when I finally crossed that threshold and it was… it was brilliant. People said it couldn’t be done. And to most of them, it couldn’t. But, I’ve learned that the laws of ordinary people simply don’t apply to me.”
He popped another morsel of heart into his mouth. As he spoke I took down notes on what he said, as was expected of me. Technically as an executive assistant, biographer wasn’t part of my job description, but according to Hugo, my job was whatever he said it was. So ‘Personal Biographer’ had become one of my duties.
“So many people settle for ordinary. That’s all they can strive for. But a select few of us were destined to be more. More than ordinary, hell, more than people.” He chuckled, as he took another bite of the heart.
“Well said, sir,” I replied quietly. He cracked a smug grin, and I caught his eyes lingering on my legs. He didn’t say anything out loud, but I could hear what he was thinking loud and clear.
“Speaking of being ‘more than people’, which one is that you’re eating?”
“I believe the Grimoire called him ‘Õudus.’ One of the Grovewalkers. They are sufficient for a quick pick me up. Helps to keep my game sharp in between the more high priority kills. Every little morsel helps.”
“Of course sir.” I said. Whatever ‘Õudus’ had been, it certainly didn’t look appetizing. Then again, none of the things I’d seen Hugo summon for his little side project had seemed particularly appetizing… or edible. But he slaughtered and devoured them all the same.
“When Godhood is within one's grasp, then the correct answer is to seize it for oneself,” Hugo said, as he finished the last few bites. “That’s the only path that matters. Apotheosis.”
“Of course, sir,” I said again, although I couldn’t help but wonder just how grim a world with a God like Hugo would be.
Before I’d started working for Hugo, I’d heard rumors online about what some people were calling ‘The God Rush.’ Crackpot theories about billionaires pouring money into investigating the supernatural, hunting obscure deities and devouring their hearts in some mad effort to become Gods themselves. I hadn’t believed them at first, chalking them down as nothing more than another wild conspiracy theory. They’re a dime a dozen on the internet, after all. But I guess every now and then, the crackpots get it right.
In the four months that I’d been in his employ, I’d watched him summon things that logically should not have existed, and I’d watched him slaughter them with power no human should’ve ever been able to use. If I hadn’t seen it all with my own eyes, I would’ve thought it was all madness. But no. I’d seen enough of his unholy power to know that it was all too real. I even carried the ritual dagger he used to butcher them in his briefcase, like any other piece of equipment. Like being his personal biographer, catering to his delusions of grandeur (which seemed to be becoming less and less like delusions every day) was just another part of my job.
It was those growing genuine perceptions of grandeur that had us flying out of New York on a Thursday night into Belgium. Part of my job was to keep an eye out for any rare artifacts that might aid his pursuit of apotheosis and it just so happened that a particularly rare one was up for auction. Several pages of a grimoire known as ‘Liber Shaal’. A tome reportedly authored by the Devil herself supposedly containing ancient spells that were not meant to be cast within our world, and more importantly, containing summoning instructions for ancient entities long since forgotten by time. To Hugo, it was an a’la carte menu of fresh entities to devour. New stepping stones on his path to Godhood. Getting those pages was essential, and so we would be attending the auction.
On the bright side - I’d never been to Europe before, so if nothing else this was bound to be exciting! And so long as I focused on that, and not the fact that I was helping a lunatic with a God complex get closer to their goal of Apotheosis, all would be well.
***
We landed in the late afternoon, before taking a car over to the site of the auction. In what I could only describe as a testament to the decadence of the attendees, it was due to be hosted in the top floor restaurant of one of Brussell’s most iconic landmarks. The Atomium.
I had seen pictures of the building before - strictly as a curiosity, but seeing it in person was an entirely different kind of experience.
The Atomium was a surreal looking building, designed as the centerpiece of 1958 Brussels World's Fair, as a monument to Belgium's engineering prowess at the time. It had been made to resemble an elementary iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. (Hugo made a point to explain all the trivia to me as we drove closer.) It consisted of nine massive steel spheres, connected by steel tubes. How the whole thing didn’t collapse under its own weight was a mystery to me. But it stood, taller than it had any right to be.
The car dropped us off at the gate, where a man in a suit was waiting for us.
“Mr. Wright,” He said warmly, giving Hugo a nod as we drove closer. “I’m Mr. Cassel. It’s a pleasure to have you here.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” Hugo said, as Mr. Cassel’s eyes shifted over toward me.
“My personal assistant, Miss Snow. She’ll be accompanying me, pay her no mind.” Hugo said coolly, answering his question before he asked it. Cassel gave a nod, and led us toward the building at the base of the lowest sphere.
While I imagine that normally, the Atomium might have been a hot tourist spot, at this late hour it was fully abandoned. It was almost a shame. If I’d had more time, I wouldn’t have minded stopping to browse the little exhibitions that dominated the first sphere, which seemed to function as one part art gallery and one part history museum. I wouldn’t have minded getting a chance to explore some of the other four accessible spheres, which according to the map I saw as we came in, hosted temporary exhibitions and special events.
Unfortunately - I never got that chance. We were here on business.
The Atomium’s restaurant was only accessible from the lowest sphere, via an elevator that ran straight from the lowest sphere, up to the top. I won’t lie - the elevator ride was a little harrowing. As we rode up through the cold steel structure, I could’ve easily fooled myself into thinking we were on our way up a mine shaft, as opposed to being on our way to an action for the obscenely rich. The only view from the elevator was the reinforced steel beams that kept the structure sturdy, although when the elevator doors finally opened, I was greeted with a sight more in line with what I’d been expecting of this place.
We stepped out of the elevator into an upscale restaurant area, with large windows showcasing the sprawling city and countryside around us. The tables and chairs had an almost futuristic aesthetic to them, and many of them were already occupied. The figures who had already arrived cast wary eyes toward Hugo and I as we joined them. He just glared back at them, his lips pulling back into a slight smirk.
“Evening,” He said, confident as ever.
“Was there anyone who didn’t hear about this auction?” A woman asked. She looked to be in her early thirties, and was dressed in an expensive snow white outfit that might not have looked out of place on a runway model. Her short blonde hair was delicately styled, and framed her face perfectly, and peeked out from beneath what I can only describe as a fashionable white bowler hat. I’d seen this woman’s face before, although only ever in a magazine.
Angela Champion… and yes, that was her real name. Champion was the current CEO of the Champion Fashion House, succeeding her father. She’d been a topic of discussion in recent months due to her attempts to start some sort of feud with the twin CEO’s of the Darling Fashion House, although said feud was fairly one sided, with the Darlings seemingly making a point to ignore her. Due to her larger than life online persona, people either saw her as the up and coming queen bee of the fashion world, or as a rich brat, chasing celebrity.
“What can I say? It’s a small world, Angie.” Hugo said wryly, sitting down at a table across from her.
“Clearly,” A man by the bar said. He was dressed relatively casually, in jeans and a t-shirt. I recognized him as well. Daniel Hernandez, although I knew very little about him, other than that his father owned a very large, very powerful food distribution company and had a net worth somewhere in the billions. “Guess you can’t have an auction without healthy competition, no?”
“I was led to believe that this was a private sale,” Another man said. He was somewhere in his thirties, with long, dirty blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. He wore aviator sunglasses despite it being nighttime.
“No such thing as a private sale, Georgie,” Hugo teased.
Georgie. That name made it all click. I had seen this man before, at a conference I’d accompanied Hugo to. This was George Barbier. The self proclaimed: ‘Final Boss of LinkedIn.’ Hugo had made me watch a few videos he’d made, talking about tips for entrepreneurs and wealth management. He’d supposedly made his fortune in luxury cars, although according to Hugo: “That cocksucker only makes money by making people think he’s some hotshot automotive executive.” so it was hard to say what the truth was.
“Clearly not,” Barbier scoffed.
“Don’t feel special. They told me something similar,” A second woman said. She sat by the bar, a few feet away from Daniel. I recognized her as well. Mary Williams. Like Angela Champion, I knew her by reputation. Williams sometimes featured in some podcasts I’d listened to, as one of, if not the wealthiest women in the world. She was the current CEO of one of the larger cosmetics companies. I’d heard her discuss her rise from poverty to wealth, pitching her life story as some sort of inspirational tale of overcoming great odds to attain limitless success, yet still remaining humble. Personally, I found her anecdotes a little tasteless. I’ve actually been homeless in the past. Williams described it all as an adventure she had overcome through the strength of her character and her own entrepreneurial ingenuity, rather than the miserable, nearly endless struggle that it was. It was condescending, to say the least. And despite her efforts to depict herself as some gifted heroine who’d risen above the rough hand life had dealt her, a lot of the controversy her company had come under for their laundry list of shady practices painted a different picture of the woman than her podcast interviews did.
Barbier huffed in agreement, before taking a sip of his drink.
“Oh come on. How many sellers have you met who wouldn’t be interested in driving up the price, a little.” Hugo teased. “Besides, your wallet can handle it, right?”
Barbier ignored him.
“A little underhanded, luring some of us here with a lie though, wasn’t it?” Angela asked. She glanced over at Cassel, who’d made his way toward the back of the restaurant.
“For the record, I wasn’t told about any other buyers either.”
“Well, I was.” Hugo said. “Had a feeling I might run into a few of you, too. Speaking of this lot, any idea what’s on the menu tonight?”
“Restaurant is closed.” A man sitting a short distance away said. His voice carried a very heavy German accent. While I knew most of the figures in this room, I didn’t know him. He was big in every sense of the word, looking almost as if he’d been poured into his plain brown suit. Every time he moved, I saw the fabric strain against his muscles. His jawline was chiseled, and his expression was stern. He had an undercut that looked like it’d been measured out with a ruler.
“Closed?” Hugo repeated.
The large man didn’t elaborate.
“Yeah. Would’ve ordered some goddamn h’orderves if it wasn’t,” Daniel replied.
“The bar’s still technically open,” Mary added.
“Technically…” Hugo repeated, before chuckling and standing up. “Well, how can I say no to that?”
He headed over behind the bar to fix himself a martini. He never asked me if I wanted anything, not that I was in the mood to drink.
I was surprised that no one in the room had commented about how odd all of this was. Lies told to get some of them there, an empty restaurant, an abandoned bar… most people probably would’ve had a few questions about that. But, out of the collection of LinkedIn’s finest in that room with me, not a single one of them thought to ask any of the questions anyone else probably would’ve asked. I suppose when your net worth is ten digits, critical thinking skills aren’t all that critical.
Mr. Cassel had disappeared somewhere near the back of the restaurant, and I glanced over to see him coming back toward us.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies and gentlemen. But now that all of our guests have arrived, I don’t see much reason to delay tonight’s event.”
“About damn time,” Barbier huffed. “Let’s just get on with it. I’ll start my bidding at ten million.”
Cassel smiled, almost apologetically.
“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Barbier.” He said. “Tonight’s auction will function a little differently than you may be used to, but I’ll permit our host to explain as much.”
“You are not the host?” The Large German Man asked.
“I’m afraid not, Mr. Koch. But she’ll be connecting with us very soon.”
The German - Koch, nodded solemnly.
“Connecting?” Angela asked, before noticing a TV screen above the bar flickering to life. Her eyes narrowed as the image of a woman appeared on it. She was middle aged, with long auburn hair and plastic horn rimmed glasses. She wore a crooked smile, as if she knew something that nobody else did.
“Good evening, everyone. So glad everyone could make out tonight! My name is Lauren Lapointe and I have the privilege of being your host this evening!”
The moment she said her name, I noticed Hugo’s eyes narrowing. He clearly recognized her. To be fair, so did I. Lauren Lapointe had become a controversial figure in recent months, due to the allegations that she’d been involved in some sort of ‘snuff film, bloodsport’ conspiracy, broadcasting such things for wealthy clients, amongst other illicit services. I’d heard about the case… and was sure I wasn’t the only one who had.
“What the hell is this?” Barbier demanded. “Where’s the goddamn book! Where’s the Liber Shaal!”
“Well, according to the old folklore, buried somewhere in the depths of Hell.” Lauren admitted. “Although I have to say, that book is one hell of a conversation starter. Seems like it’s brought you all together, hasn’t it?”
“You don’t even have the book?” Angela huffed, standing up. “Then what the hell are we even here for?”
“The fact that none of you have figured it out yet is a little sad.” Lauren replied. “Come now, don’t be coy. I think all of you know why you want that book. You’re all special! You’re all a cut above your everyday average Joe, aren’t you? You’re the ones worthy of becoming Gods… aren’t you?”
A pregnant silence settled over the room. On the screen, I saw Lauren’s lips curl into a knowing grin.
“Yes, I know all about that. I know all about you. Feeding on the hearts of ancient, powerful things, just to drag yourselves a little closer to their level, abandoning your limited humanity to ascend to the echelons you were meant for. I know. And I admire that! I’ve always been of the mind that if you have the stomach to lift yourself above the rest of the cattle, then you deserve a seat at the butcher's table. But what are butchers if not themselves meat?”
“W-what…?” Angela’s voice was small, and I heard a slight tremble in it. Although she was the only one who seemed remotely put off by what Lauren had just said.
The rest…
Barbier.
Mary.
Daniel.
Koch.
Hugo.
They all sat in rapt silence, and I could see the gears in their heads turning. Lauren had gotten their attention and she had just introduced a very specific thought into their heads. A thought I don’t think had occurred to any of them before.
“How much power have you all claimed during your pursuit of divinity? Which of you is truly the closest to calling themselves a God? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? And once you start asking that, maybe you’ll start asking how similar you’ve become to the things you’ve been feeding on… and what might happen if you were to remove the competition, as it were?”
Angela stood up.
“What the fuck?!” She snapped. “We’re not… we’re not gonna fucking eat each other, you sick cunt!”
Although she was alone in her protest. The others remained silent. I glanced over at Hugo. He stared up at the screen. I could only see the back of his head, but somehow I knew what the expression on his face would be. Lauren’s grin grew wider. She knew what they were thinking. And she seemed all too thrilled at just how trivial it had been to plant that idea in their minds. Angela remained stock still, her breathing getting heavier as she read the room.
“No…” She stammered, “No… no… you can’t be… don’t you see how sick this is? Killing those things is different! They’re THINGS! We’re PEOPLE! FUCK, WE CAN’T JUST EAT EACH OTHER!”
“Are you still people?” Lauren replied. “People are… small, insignificant little animals. We all know this to be true. But you… you’re not small, you’re not insignificant. You’ve made sure of that personally, haven’t you? You stand above the very shadows that lurk in the darkness, who’ve inspired fear in the minds of primitive, lesser men, and each and every one of you had drawn those demons out of the darkness, and taken their lives as if they were nothing more than meat at an abattoir. People can’t do that. But Gods can.”
The room remained silent. Even Angela was left speechless for a moment.
Almost dutifully, I quietly opened Hugo’s briefcase. I knew what was coming.
“Food for thought,” Lauren crooned. “And whoever’s left… well… you’ll probably have a prize just as good as anything you’d get from that old book, wouldn’t you? Five of them, specifically.”
Those words were what did it.
Barbier attacked first… moving in a way no human should’ve ever been able to move. The space around him seemed to distort as he drew one of the nearby tables closer to him, allowing him to snatch a steak knife off of it. He seemed to phase through the bar as he lunged for Hugo, pinning him against the wall, as he tried to drive his knife into his stomach.
The moment the carnage broke out, I heard Lauren burst out into laughter. She watched the chaos unfold from wherever she was hiding, and she reveled in it. As Barbier went for Hugo, Mary tried to do the same to Daniel.
I saw a ritual dagger, similar to the one I’d seen Hugo use, manifest in her hand. Her eyes locked onto Daniel, who looked down at that dagger and froze. He hadn’t come expecting a fight, and confronted with the reality of what was about to happen, he’d quickly lost his nerve. Mary lunged for him, and Daniel scrambled out of the way, only narrowly avoiding getting his throat torn open by her. Mary lunged for him again, although she didn’t get very far. Koch seemed to materialize out of the air around her, catching her by the wrist. I saw a surge of panic in her eyes as he plucked her arm off of her body the same way one might pull a wing off of a fly. She screamed and Daniel took the opportunity to flee, as Koch set to work disassembling Mary Williams.
Disassembling.
That’s really the only word for it.
As she screamed, he simply… pulled her apart. Not in the way a human might come apart, though. No. Her body broke in a way that I could only describe as ‘wooden.’ As if she wasn’t made of flesh anymore, but of something else. Although I couldn’t tell if that was Koch’s power, or her own power that did that to her. He gripped her by the shoulders and cracked her like a nut… snapping her body with an audible POP, that did not provide any kind of merciful end to her shrieks of agony. Then, with an almost casual lack of reverence, he plucked her beating heart from the quivering gore in her chest and bit into it.
Mary’s screams reached a crescendo, as he let her drop to the ground, writhing in her death throes. I saw her skin grow paler. Her eyes seemed to roll back into her skull as the warped state of her body seemed to catch up to her, leaving her gasping and shuddering in her final few seconds of agonizing consciousness.
I imagine that death was a mercy for her. Angela stood, rooted to the spot, looking at the sudden carnage that had erupted. Koch glanced over at Barbier and Hugo, still grappling behind the bar. He looked at me, before deciding I was of no importance to him, then he looked over at Angela.
“No…” She rasped, tears streaming down her cheeks. “NO!”
I wouldn’t have pegged her as the sanest person in the room, but clearly she was. She scrambled back, heading for the elevator. Daniel was already there, desperately hammering on the button, although the elevator didn’t come. Angela wasn’t stupid enough to wait patiently by his side. She scanned the space around her, before noticing a fire exit on the far side of the restaurant.
Then, without a second thought she sprinted for it, racing for the exit. She didn’t even bother opening the door, phasing through it with some sort of unnatural power. Daniel watched her go, and noticing Koch getting closer, chose to follow her. He didn’t quite have the power to just phase through the door, so he had to open it the old fashioned way. He tore down the stairs, before disappearing into the Atomium and Koch followed him.
It was just myself, Barbier and Hugo now.
The two men had tumbled over the bar, and seemed to have suddenly remembered that they were both God Eaters who didn’t need to restrain themselves to a simple fist fight, although they also weren’t smart enough to do much more than fight like a couple of 14 year old boys after science class.
Gravity seemed to shift around them, as they shoved each other across the restaurant, knocking tables and cutlery aside. I calmly stood and stepped out of the way as they tore each other to pieces, hitting each other with the kind of force you see in the third act of a mediocre superhero movie.
The brutality between them was actually a little boring. I’d watched Hugo kill far more formidable creatures, and Barbier didn’t quite live up to some of them. If this was ‘The Final Boss of LinkedIn’, then LinkedIn was awfully pathetic.
With one grunt of exertion (that was probably unnecessary) Hugo seized Barbier by the throat and hurled him through one of the glass windows of the panoramic restaurant. His eyes shifted over to me.
“SNOW! MY DAGGER!”
I dutifully tossed it into his waiting hand, right as time began to flow backward around us. Hugo glanced back at the window, before the dagger in his hand sank into the skin of his palm, merging with his flesh and vanishing from sight. Barbier rose back through the window he’d been thrown through, as the glass mended behind him. He landed on his feet in front of the window, lips curled back in a snarl.
“Is that the best you’ve got, Wright?” He snapped. “You think you can become a GOD? YOU THINK YOU CAN BECOME ANYTHING?” He stormed toward Hugo, who lunged for him only to be knocked to the ground.
“You always liked to talk shit, didn’t you… but look at you now? LOOK AT YOU!”
I noticed some of the silverware scattered about the mess of a dining room began to glow with heat. They melted and their molten components slithered toward Barbier, pooling at his feet before rising into a spear, reforged for the sole purpose of killing Hugo. Strange runes were burned into its metallic surface, and Barbier studied them, before grabbing the spear and advancing on Hugo. Hugo tried to stand, but Barbier reached him first, grabbing him by the back of his suit jacket,
“You’re out of your fucking depth, next to me! Now be a good boy, and DI-”
In one swift movement, Hugo pressed his palm against Barbiers chest, and his voice died in his throat. His eyes went wide as he felt the ritual dagger Hugo had hidden in his palm tear through his heart.
“You’d be out of your depth in a parking lot puddle…” Hugo snarled, before plunging his hand into Barbier’s chest.
“W-wait…” Barbier rasped, although Hugo didn’t listen. He tore his heart free of his chest, and pushed the man to the ground, leaving him twitching and staring vacantly up at the ceiling. Hugo smirked, watching him for a moment, before biting into his heart like an apple.
“Mmm… not bad…” He mused, before he waved a hand, almost dismissively. The room shifted around us. That which was broken, returned to where it had been before, repaired once more. In a few moments, it was like there’d been no skirmish at all. Everything was as it was, and George Barbier’s corpse was crumbling to dust where it lay, leaving no trace of him behind.
“Best not to cause a scene,” Hugo said as he finished off the last few bites of Barbier’s heart. “Snow, come,” He said. “There’s still three more to deal with.”
“Yes, sir,” I said quietly and followed Hugo as he headed for the stairs, Angela, Daniel and Koch had disappeared down. I noticed that Hugo had paid no mind to Mr. Cassel… who had conveniently disappeared when the violence had broken out. In fact, there wasn’t a trace of Mr. Cassel left in that dining room, almost as if he’d never existed in the first place. Hugo didn’t seem to think about it, so neither did I.
Of the nine spheres of the Atomium, I knew that only six were accessible to the public. The lower 5 spheres contained the exhibitions and event halls, while the topmost sphere, where we presently were, was the panoramic restaurant. The three spheres below the restaurant were less stable, which is why they were closed off to the public and the stairway leading to them was certainly a lot less glamorous than the stairways and escalators I’d seen going between the other spheres. They hadn’t dressed it up as much.
Hugo led the way down the stairs, moving with the calm confidence of a man who knew he was in no real danger, as opposed to the caution of a man being hunted.
“Keep up, Snow,” He said as we descended into the main part of the sphere. The space around us was wide open and almost completely unoccupied, save for a few cabinets for storage. There was only one dull light in the ceiling that didn’t illuminate much, and cast deep shadows in every corner that seemed to watch us. There were two exits, each one leading down into one of the more accessible spheres.
Hugo studied each exit, staring down the differing sets of stairs and listening closely for any indicator on which his quarry might have taken. I remained dead silent, letting him hunt.
“Blood,” He mused. “Smells like Koch has been busy.”
He took a step toward one of the stairways, before freezing, almost as if he detected something I didn’t. I saw his eyes go wide for a moment, before the shadows suddenly moved, collapsing in on Hugo like a cascade of water. He spun around, raising an arm to shield his face as I saw a figure materialize out of the inky darkness, a runed dagger in her hand.
Angela Champion brought her dagger down on Hugo’s arm, cutting through flesh and bone as if it were butter. His severed hand, still clutching his own dagger, hit the ground with a thud, and Hugo let out a cry of surprise, but not pain before Angela seized him by his shirt and hurled him toward the center of the sphere. Hugo picked himself up quickly, rising to one knee and glaring at the woman across from him.
“Well, well… getting into the spirit of things after all, aren’t we Angie?” He hissed. She just stood defiantly between him and the stairs, or perhaps between him and his own severed hand.
“I’m not going to kill you, Hugo. Not unless I have to!” She warned.
“Then you’ll die here with the rest.” He replied, rising to his feet.
“Which’ll include you, if you keep going the way you’re going!” She snapped. “Pull your head out of your ass for five seconds and think about the bigger picture here! This Lapointe woman, she didn’t just bring us together, to have us duke it out for the hell of it! We’re here because she wants what we’ve got!”
Hugo grimaced.
“You think I haven’t figured that out?” He asked. “It doesn’t matter. She’s just some mortal, biting off more than she can ever hope to chew.”
“Maybe. But after going through all that trouble to track us down, and lure us here with the promise of the Liber Shaal, something she knew none of us could resist, can you really be so sure she’s just a mortal?”
“How many hearts have you eaten?” Hugo asked coyly, taking a step toward her. “How much power have you taken, Angela?”
She didn’t answer that question.
“I can sense that it isn’t much, you know, not compared to some of the others here. Barbier was almost on my level, and that last one… Koch. Oh he’s going to be interesting. But you? You’re weak. I can feel it. You know I’m familiar with the work of Lauren Lapointe. Not intimately. But I know those who are. Nasty piece of work, that one. But mortal. Weak. Insignificant. I know of Lauren Lapointe. And I know we’re not up against a worthy opponent, we’re up against ourselves and one stupid woman with delusions of grandeur. Maybe she’s had a taste of violence like this before, pitting other, small, miserable things against each other like a child putting insects in a box to watch them devour each other. Maybe that’s made her feel strong. But she is nothing compared to the likes of us. And you are nothing compared to the likes of me…”
With every step, he inched closer. Angela held her ground for a few moments, before finally taking a step back and as she did, Hugo’s dagger erupted through her chest. Her eyes widened for a split second, as the dagger twisted and writhed through her ribcage, finally bursting free of her and landing in Hugo’s remaining hand. Still, despite the state she was in, she stood, swaying on her feet before he lunged for her, grabbing her by the throat.
“For what it’s worth, you did well to cut off my hand. Shame you didn’t have the stomach to finish the job.”
“No…” Angela gasped, as Hugo forced her to the ground, and tore into her. Her white bowler hat rolled off of her head, and landed by my feet.
I could only watch impartially as he ripped her apart, and pulled her still beating heart from her chest. Angela stared at it with wide, tear filled eyes. She knew she was dying. And all she could do was mouth the words: “No… no… no…” over and over again before Hugo took a bite.
As he ate, I watched, pausing only to calmly walk over to the stairs to pick up his severed hand, as if it were something he’d dropped. When Hugo stood once more, I offered the hand to him.
“Thank you, Snow/” He crooned, casually popping it back into place, before wiping the blood off of his mouth.
“Of course, sir. Two more to go?”
“One, most likely,” He said. “Then we deal with Lapointe.”
I nodded, and let him lead the way. He paid Angela’s body little mind, leaving her in a growing pool of her own blood. I stared down at her remains, and looked into her lifeless eyes which stared up at the ceiling in horror. My eyes settled on the runed dagger she’d used to wound Hugo. It seems that in his fervor, he hadn’t thought to grab it. Fortunately, I was a good assistant and took care of that for him.
***
As we reached the bottom of the stairs, we were greeted by an almost predictable sight. The bloody remains of Daniel Hernandez lay scattered about on the ground, and sitting in front of them sat Koch.
He stared at Hugo, sizing him up before huffing.
“You’ve killed Angela?” He asked calmly.
“It wasn’t much of a chore,” Hugo replied. “And Daniel?”
Koch nodded.
“No chore,” He repeated.
“I thought not. Well, no point in standing on ceremony, is there? We’ve both got places to be, don’t we?”
Koch rose to his feet. He cracked his knuckles. I noticed a heavy iron hammer resting in his hands. An ancient weapon, decorated in runes of all sorts. It probably had a very interesting history to it, but he never explained any of that before swinging it at Hugo with all the grace of a raging bull.
The world around Hugo distorted, moving him out of the way of every swing. His body seemed to twist and duplicate, making him harder to track and harder to hit as he tried to find an angle of attack. Koch huffed in rage, before slamming his hammer into the ground.
A wave of pure energy tore through the room, knocking me off my feet, and sending Hugo crashing against a wall. Koch wasted no time in trying to crush his head into pulp, although Hugo simply dissolved through the wall to evade him, before manifesting behind him.
“A perfect challenge!” Hugo jeered. “But there’s only one throne, for one true God!”
A third arm, made of inky black energy manifested from Koch’s back, seizing Hugo by the throat.
“In this my friend… we are agreed.” Koch hissed. More arms grew from his back, seizing Hugo’s body and keeping him in place. He tried to phase through them, but somehow they still held him.
Koch’s body twisted and elongated, as his spine slowly adjusted itself so that he could face Hugo and raise his hammer over his head. Hugo stared up into his eyes, before opening his mouth and launching a beam of pure energy into Koch’s face. I heard Koch scream, as his skull shattered, smearing a shimmering dark liquid all over the ceiling.
Still… somehow I wasn’t sure if he was dead. His grip on Hugo was still strong, and no matter how hard Hugo fought, he didn’t seem to let go, not that Hugo seemed to want to get too far away from him. No, I watched as Hugo tried to push himself closer to Koch. I watched him drive his dagger into his chest, to try and pry out his beating heart.
More hands manifested from Koch to keep Hugo away, but he was so close. As Koch pulled him back from the gaping wound in his chest, Hugo’s limbs elongated as he reached for the mans beating heart to pry it free, and just as he triumphed and pulled it from his chest… I cut off Hugo’s hand again.
I saw his eyes widen with shock, but he didn’t utter a single word. As his hand and Koch’s heart fell, I snatched them both out of the air. My eyes burned into Hugo’s from behind my glasses, and I gave him a small, knowing smile before biting into the heart myself.
Koch’s entire body seized, but his grip on Hugo grew no weaker.
“Snow?” Hugo’s voice cracked, as the panic of realization set in.
I answered him… but not in my own voice. I spoke in the voice of Lauren Lapointe.
“I’ve always been of the mind that if you have the stomach to lift yourself above the rest of the cattle, then you deserve a seat at the butcher's table. But what are butchers if not themselves meat?”
My face shifted, revealing the visage I’d stolen. I imagined that the real Lauren wouldn’t have minded my borrowing it. She’d been the one who taught me the primal joys of bloodsport, after all, and I’m sure she would’ve loved watching a bunch of rich morons with delusions of grandeur butcher each other in the name of power.
Hugo on the other hand?
The look on his face was one of absolute horror as he quickly put the pieces together. He squirmed. He fought. He tried to get free. But I still had Angela’s knife in my hand, and he could do nothing to stop me from taking his other hand, disarming him in every sense of the word.
“No…” He cried, “No… Penelope… don’t! PENELOPE WAIT!”
Oh, first names now? He was desperate.
Not that it saved him.
And as he wriggled free of Koch’s dying grasp, he only found himself tumbling into mine, where his struggles could not save him as I cut into his chest, pulled out his panicked, beating heart… and took a bite.
***
There were no bodies left behind when I left the Atomium. No bloodstains or any trace of what had happened there. I saw to their disposal. I could feel the new power coursing through my veins… it was more than I’d ever felt before. It was strange. Exciting!
I’d thought the boost I’d gotten from the morsels I’d stolen from Hugo was intense, but this was on an entirely new level! Yet it wasn’t enough.
It would never be enough, not until I’d reached the top. If there even was a top.
I imagined I’d find out soon enough.
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“You know, we live in exceedingly interesting times, Miss Snow.” He said. “When I told people I was gonna be a billionaire by the age of 21, they laughed? Said it would never happen, and they were right, I suppose. But I didn’t let that discourage me. I took that pain and I used it as fuel. I persevered. By 22, I owned my first private jet. By 23, I could’ve retired and been set for life and by 26? That was when I truly made it. That was when I finally crossed that threshold and it was… it was brilliant. People said it couldn’t be done. And to most of them, it couldn’t. But, I’ve learned that the laws of ordinary people simply don’t apply to me.”
He popped another morsel of heart into his mouth. As he spoke I took down notes on what he said, as was expected of me. Technically as an executive assistant, biographer wasn’t part of my job description, but according to Hugo, my job was whatever he said it was. So ‘Personal Biographer’ had become one of my duties.
“So many people settle for ordinary. That’s all they can strive for. But a select few of us were destined to be more. More than ordinary, hell, more than people.” He chuckled, as he took another bite of the heart.
“Well said, sir,” I replied quietly. He cracked a smug grin, and I caught his eyes lingering on my legs. He didn’t say anything out loud, but I could hear what he was thinking loud and clear.
“Speaking of being ‘more than people’, which one is that you’re eating?”
“I believe the Grimoire called him ‘Õudus.’ One of the Grovewalkers. They are sufficient for a quick pick me up. Helps to keep my game sharp in between the more high priority kills. Every little morsel helps.”
“Of course sir.” I said. Whatever ‘Õudus’ had been, it certainly didn’t look appetizing. Then again, none of the things I’d seen Hugo summon for his little side project had seemed particularly appetizing… or edible. But he slaughtered and devoured them all the same.
“When Godhood is within one's grasp, then the correct answer is to seize it for oneself,” Hugo said, as he finished the last few bites. “That’s the only path that matters. Apotheosis.”
“Of course, sir,” I said again, although I couldn’t help but wonder just how grim a world with a God like Hugo would be.
Before I’d started working for Hugo, I’d heard rumors online about what some people were calling ‘The God Rush.’ Crackpot theories about billionaires pouring money into investigating the supernatural, hunting obscure deities and devouring their hearts in some mad effort to become Gods themselves. I hadn’t believed them at first, chalking them down as nothing more than another wild conspiracy theory. They’re a dime a dozen on the internet, after all. But I guess every now and then, the crackpots get it right.
In the four months that I’d been in his employ, I’d watched him summon things that logically should not have existed, and I’d watched him slaughter them with power no human should’ve ever been able to use. If I hadn’t seen it all with my own eyes, I would’ve thought it was all madness. But no. I’d seen enough of his unholy power to know that it was all too real. I even carried the ritual dagger he used to butcher them in his briefcase, like any other piece of equipment. Like being his personal biographer, catering to his delusions of grandeur (which seemed to be becoming less and less like delusions every day) was just another part of my job.
It was those growing genuine perceptions of grandeur that had us flying out of New York on a Thursday night into Belgium. Part of my job was to keep an eye out for any rare artifacts that might aid his pursuit of apotheosis and it just so happened that a particularly rare one was up for auction. Several pages of a grimoire known as ‘Liber Shaal’. A tome reportedly authored by the Devil herself supposedly containing ancient spells that were not meant to be cast within our world, and more importantly, containing summoning instructions for ancient entities long since forgotten by time. To Hugo, it was an a’la carte menu of fresh entities to devour. New stepping stones on his path to Godhood. Getting those pages was essential, and so we would be attending the auction.
On the bright side - I’d never been to Europe before, so if nothing else this was bound to be exciting! And so long as I focused on that, and not the fact that I was helping a lunatic with a God complex get closer to their goal of Apotheosis, all would be well.
***
We landed in the late afternoon, before taking a car over to the site of the auction. In what I could only describe as a testament to the decadence of the attendees, it was due to be hosted in the top floor restaurant of one of Brussell’s most iconic landmarks. The Atomium.
I had seen pictures of the building before - strictly as a curiosity, but seeing it in person was an entirely different kind of experience.
The Atomium was a surreal looking building, designed as the centerpiece of 1958 Brussels World's Fair, as a monument to Belgium's engineering prowess at the time. It had been made to resemble an elementary iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. (Hugo made a point to explain all the trivia to me as we drove closer.) It consisted of nine massive steel spheres, connected by steel tubes. How the whole thing didn’t collapse under its own weight was a mystery to me. But it stood, taller than it had any right to be.
The car dropped us off at the gate, where a man in a suit was waiting for us.
“Mr. Wright,” He said warmly, giving Hugo a nod as we drove closer. “I’m Mr. Cassel. It’s a pleasure to have you here.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” Hugo said, as Mr. Cassel’s eyes shifted over toward me.
“My personal assistant, Miss Snow. She’ll be accompanying me, pay her no mind.” Hugo said coolly, answering his question before he asked it. Cassel gave a nod, and led us toward the building at the base of the lowest sphere.
While I imagine that normally, the Atomium might have been a hot tourist spot, at this late hour it was fully abandoned. It was almost a shame. If I’d had more time, I wouldn’t have minded stopping to browse the little exhibitions that dominated the first sphere, which seemed to function as one part art gallery and one part history museum. I wouldn’t have minded getting a chance to explore some of the other four accessible spheres, which according to the map I saw as we came in, hosted temporary exhibitions and special events.
Unfortunately - I never got that chance. We were here on business.
The Atomium’s restaurant was only accessible from the lowest sphere, via an elevator that ran straight from the lowest sphere, up to the top. I won’t lie - the elevator ride was a little harrowing. As we rode up through the cold steel structure, I could’ve easily fooled myself into thinking we were on our way up a mine shaft, as opposed to being on our way to an action for the obscenely rich. The only view from the elevator was the reinforced steel beams that kept the structure sturdy, although when the elevator doors finally opened, I was greeted with a sight more in line with what I’d been expecting of this place.
We stepped out of the elevator into an upscale restaurant area, with large windows showcasing the sprawling city and countryside around us. The tables and chairs had an almost futuristic aesthetic to them, and many of them were already occupied. The figures who had already arrived cast wary eyes toward Hugo and I as we joined them. He just glared back at them, his lips pulling back into a slight smirk.
“Evening,” He said, confident as ever.
“Was there anyone who didn’t hear about this auction?” A woman asked. She looked to be in her early thirties, and was dressed in an expensive snow white outfit that might not have looked out of place on a runway model. Her short blonde hair was delicately styled, and framed her face perfectly, and peeked out from beneath what I can only describe as a fashionable white bowler hat. I’d seen this woman’s face before, although only ever in a magazine.
Angela Champion… and yes, that was her real name. Champion was the current CEO of the Champion Fashion House, succeeding her father. She’d been a topic of discussion in recent months due to her attempts to start some sort of feud with the twin CEO’s of the Darling Fashion House, although said feud was fairly one sided, with the Darlings seemingly making a point to ignore her. Due to her larger than life online persona, people either saw her as the up and coming queen bee of the fashion world, or as a rich brat, chasing celebrity.
“What can I say? It’s a small world, Angie.” Hugo said wryly, sitting down at a table across from her.
“Clearly,” A man by the bar said. He was dressed relatively casually, in jeans and a t-shirt. I recognized him as well. Daniel Hernandez, although I knew very little about him, other than that his father owned a very large, very powerful food distribution company and had a net worth somewhere in the billions. “Guess you can’t have an auction without healthy competition, no?”
“I was led to believe that this was a private sale,” Another man said. He was somewhere in his thirties, with long, dirty blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. He wore aviator sunglasses despite it being nighttime.
“No such thing as a private sale, Georgie,” Hugo teased.
Georgie. That name made it all click. I had seen this man before, at a conference I’d accompanied Hugo to. This was George Barbier. The self proclaimed: ‘Final Boss of LinkedIn.’ Hugo had made me watch a few videos he’d made, talking about tips for entrepreneurs and wealth management. He’d supposedly made his fortune in luxury cars, although according to Hugo: “That cocksucker only makes money by making people think he’s some hotshot automotive executive.” so it was hard to say what the truth was.
“Clearly not,” Barbier scoffed.
“Don’t feel special. They told me something similar,” A second woman said. She sat by the bar, a few feet away from Daniel. I recognized her as well. Mary Williams. Like Angela Champion, I knew her by reputation. Williams sometimes featured in some podcasts I’d listened to, as one of, if not the wealthiest women in the world. She was the current CEO of one of the larger cosmetics companies. I’d heard her discuss her rise from poverty to wealth, pitching her life story as some sort of inspirational tale of overcoming great odds to attain limitless success, yet still remaining humble. Personally, I found her anecdotes a little tasteless. I’ve actually been homeless in the past. Williams described it all as an adventure she had overcome through the strength of her character and her own entrepreneurial ingenuity, rather than the miserable, nearly endless struggle that it was. It was condescending, to say the least. And despite her efforts to depict herself as some gifted heroine who’d risen above the rough hand life had dealt her, a lot of the controversy her company had come under for their laundry list of shady practices painted a different picture of the woman than her podcast interviews did.
Barbier huffed in agreement, before taking a sip of his drink.
“Oh come on. How many sellers have you met who wouldn’t be interested in driving up the price, a little.” Hugo teased. “Besides, your wallet can handle it, right?”
Barbier ignored him.
“A little underhanded, luring some of us here with a lie though, wasn’t it?” Angela asked. She glanced over at Cassel, who’d made his way toward the back of the restaurant.
“For the record, I wasn’t told about any other buyers either.”
“Well, I was.” Hugo said. “Had a feeling I might run into a few of you, too. Speaking of this lot, any idea what’s on the menu tonight?”
“Restaurant is closed.” A man sitting a short distance away said. His voice carried a very heavy German accent. While I knew most of the figures in this room, I didn’t know him. He was big in every sense of the word, looking almost as if he’d been poured into his plain brown suit. Every time he moved, I saw the fabric strain against his muscles. His jawline was chiseled, and his expression was stern. He had an undercut that looked like it’d been measured out with a ruler.
“Closed?” Hugo repeated.
The large man didn’t elaborate.
“Yeah. Would’ve ordered some goddamn h’orderves if it wasn’t,” Daniel replied.
“The bar’s still technically open,” Mary added.
“Technically…” Hugo repeated, before chuckling and standing up. “Well, how can I say no to that?”
He headed over behind the bar to fix himself a martini. He never asked me if I wanted anything, not that I was in the mood to drink.
I was surprised that no one in the room had commented about how odd all of this was. Lies told to get some of them there, an empty restaurant, an abandoned bar… most people probably would’ve had a few questions about that. But, out of the collection of LinkedIn’s finest in that room with me, not a single one of them thought to ask any of the questions anyone else probably would’ve asked. I suppose when your net worth is ten digits, critical thinking skills aren’t all that critical.
Mr. Cassel had disappeared somewhere near the back of the restaurant, and I glanced over to see him coming back toward us.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies and gentlemen. But now that all of our guests have arrived, I don’t see much reason to delay tonight’s event.”
“About damn time,” Barbier huffed. “Let’s just get on with it. I’ll start my bidding at ten million.”
Cassel smiled, almost apologetically.
“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Barbier.” He said. “Tonight’s auction will function a little differently than you may be used to, but I’ll permit our host to explain as much.”
“You are not the host?” The Large German Man asked.
“I’m afraid not, Mr. Koch. But she’ll be connecting with us very soon.”
The German - Koch, nodded solemnly.
“Connecting?” Angela asked, before noticing a TV screen above the bar flickering to life. Her eyes narrowed as the image of a woman appeared on it. She was middle aged, with long auburn hair and plastic horn rimmed glasses. She wore a crooked smile, as if she knew something that nobody else did.
“Good evening, everyone. So glad everyone could make out tonight! My name is Lauren Lapointe and I have the privilege of being your host this evening!”
The moment she said her name, I noticed Hugo’s eyes narrowing. He clearly recognized her. To be fair, so did I. Lauren Lapointe had become a controversial figure in recent months, due to the allegations that she’d been involved in some sort of ‘snuff film, bloodsport’ conspiracy, broadcasting such things for wealthy clients, amongst other illicit services. I’d heard about the case… and was sure I wasn’t the only one who had.
“What the hell is this?” Barbier demanded. “Where’s the goddamn book! Where’s the Liber Shaal!”
“Well, according to the old folklore, buried somewhere in the depths of Hell.” Lauren admitted. “Although I have to say, that book is one hell of a conversation starter. Seems like it’s brought you all together, hasn’t it?”
“You don’t even have the book?” Angela huffed, standing up. “Then what the hell are we even here for?”
“The fact that none of you have figured it out yet is a little sad.” Lauren replied. “Come now, don’t be coy. I think all of you know why you want that book. You’re all special! You’re all a cut above your everyday average Joe, aren’t you? You’re the ones worthy of becoming Gods… aren’t you?”
A pregnant silence settled over the room. On the screen, I saw Lauren’s lips curl into a knowing grin.
“Yes, I know all about that. I know all about you. Feeding on the hearts of ancient, powerful things, just to drag yourselves a little closer to their level, abandoning your limited humanity to ascend to the echelons you were meant for. I know. And I admire that! I’ve always been of the mind that if you have the stomach to lift yourself above the rest of the cattle, then you deserve a seat at the butcher's table. But what are butchers if not themselves meat?”
“W-what…?” Angela’s voice was small, and I heard a slight tremble in it. Although she was the only one who seemed remotely put off by what Lauren had just said.
The rest…
Barbier.
Mary.
Daniel.
Koch.
Hugo.
They all sat in rapt silence, and I could see the gears in their heads turning. Lauren had gotten their attention and she had just introduced a very specific thought into their heads. A thought I don’t think had occurred to any of them before.
“How much power have you all claimed during your pursuit of divinity? Which of you is truly the closest to calling themselves a God? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? And once you start asking that, maybe you’ll start asking how similar you’ve become to the things you’ve been feeding on… and what might happen if you were to remove the competition, as it were?”
Angela stood up.
“What the fuck?!” She snapped. “We’re not… we’re not gonna fucking eat each other, you sick cunt!”
Although she was alone in her protest. The others remained silent. I glanced over at Hugo. He stared up at the screen. I could only see the back of his head, but somehow I knew what the expression on his face would be. Lauren’s grin grew wider. She knew what they were thinking. And she seemed all too thrilled at just how trivial it had been to plant that idea in their minds. Angela remained stock still, her breathing getting heavier as she read the room.
“No…” She stammered, “No… no… you can’t be… don’t you see how sick this is? Killing those things is different! They’re THINGS! We’re PEOPLE! FUCK, WE CAN’T JUST EAT EACH OTHER!”
“Are you still people?” Lauren replied. “People are… small, insignificant little animals. We all know this to be true. But you… you’re not small, you’re not insignificant. You’ve made sure of that personally, haven’t you? You stand above the very shadows that lurk in the darkness, who’ve inspired fear in the minds of primitive, lesser men, and each and every one of you had drawn those demons out of the darkness, and taken their lives as if they were nothing more than meat at an abattoir. People can’t do that. But Gods can.”
The room remained silent. Even Angela was left speechless for a moment.
Almost dutifully, I quietly opened Hugo’s briefcase. I knew what was coming.
“Food for thought,” Lauren crooned. “And whoever’s left… well… you’ll probably have a prize just as good as anything you’d get from that old book, wouldn’t you? Five of them, specifically.”
Those words were what did it.
Barbier attacked first… moving in a way no human should’ve ever been able to move. The space around him seemed to distort as he drew one of the nearby tables closer to him, allowing him to snatch a steak knife off of it. He seemed to phase through the bar as he lunged for Hugo, pinning him against the wall, as he tried to drive his knife into his stomach.
The moment the carnage broke out, I heard Lauren burst out into laughter. She watched the chaos unfold from wherever she was hiding, and she reveled in it. As Barbier went for Hugo, Mary tried to do the same to Daniel.
I saw a ritual dagger, similar to the one I’d seen Hugo use, manifest in her hand. Her eyes locked onto Daniel, who looked down at that dagger and froze. He hadn’t come expecting a fight, and confronted with the reality of what was about to happen, he’d quickly lost his nerve. Mary lunged for him, and Daniel scrambled out of the way, only narrowly avoiding getting his throat torn open by her. Mary lunged for him again, although she didn’t get very far. Koch seemed to materialize out of the air around her, catching her by the wrist. I saw a surge of panic in her eyes as he plucked her arm off of her body the same way one might pull a wing off of a fly. She screamed and Daniel took the opportunity to flee, as Koch set to work disassembling Mary Williams.
Disassembling.
That’s really the only word for it.
As she screamed, he simply… pulled her apart. Not in the way a human might come apart, though. No. Her body broke in a way that I could only describe as ‘wooden.’ As if she wasn’t made of flesh anymore, but of something else. Although I couldn’t tell if that was Koch’s power, or her own power that did that to her. He gripped her by the shoulders and cracked her like a nut… snapping her body with an audible POP, that did not provide any kind of merciful end to her shrieks of agony. Then, with an almost casual lack of reverence, he plucked her beating heart from the quivering gore in her chest and bit into it.
Mary’s screams reached a crescendo, as he let her drop to the ground, writhing in her death throes. I saw her skin grow paler. Her eyes seemed to roll back into her skull as the warped state of her body seemed to catch up to her, leaving her gasping and shuddering in her final few seconds of agonizing consciousness.
I imagine that death was a mercy for her. Angela stood, rooted to the spot, looking at the sudden carnage that had erupted. Koch glanced over at Barbier and Hugo, still grappling behind the bar. He looked at me, before deciding I was of no importance to him, then he looked over at Angela.
“No…” She rasped, tears streaming down her cheeks. “NO!”
I wouldn’t have pegged her as the sanest person in the room, but clearly she was. She scrambled back, heading for the elevator. Daniel was already there, desperately hammering on the button, although the elevator didn’t come. Angela wasn’t stupid enough to wait patiently by his side. She scanned the space around her, before noticing a fire exit on the far side of the restaurant.
Then, without a second thought she sprinted for it, racing for the exit. She didn’t even bother opening the door, phasing through it with some sort of unnatural power. Daniel watched her go, and noticing Koch getting closer, chose to follow her. He didn’t quite have the power to just phase through the door, so he had to open it the old fashioned way. He tore down the stairs, before disappearing into the Atomium and Koch followed him.
It was just myself, Barbier and Hugo now.
The two men had tumbled over the bar, and seemed to have suddenly remembered that they were both God Eaters who didn’t need to restrain themselves to a simple fist fight, although they also weren’t smart enough to do much more than fight like a couple of 14 year old boys after science class.
Gravity seemed to shift around them, as they shoved each other across the restaurant, knocking tables and cutlery aside. I calmly stood and stepped out of the way as they tore each other to pieces, hitting each other with the kind of force you see in the third act of a mediocre superhero movie.
The brutality between them was actually a little boring. I’d watched Hugo kill far more formidable creatures, and Barbier didn’t quite live up to some of them. If this was ‘The Final Boss of LinkedIn’, then LinkedIn was awfully pathetic.
With one grunt of exertion (that was probably unnecessary) Hugo seized Barbier by the throat and hurled him through one of the glass windows of the panoramic restaurant. His eyes shifted over to me.
“SNOW! MY DAGGER!”
I dutifully tossed it into his waiting hand, right as time began to flow backward around us. Hugo glanced back at the window, before the dagger in his hand sank into the skin of his palm, merging with his flesh and vanishing from sight. Barbier rose back through the window he’d been thrown through, as the glass mended behind him. He landed on his feet in front of the window, lips curled back in a snarl.
“Is that the best you’ve got, Wright?” He snapped. “You think you can become a GOD? YOU THINK YOU CAN BECOME ANYTHING?” He stormed toward Hugo, who lunged for him only to be knocked to the ground.
“You always liked to talk shit, didn’t you… but look at you now? LOOK AT YOU!”
I noticed some of the silverware scattered about the mess of a dining room began to glow with heat. They melted and their molten components slithered toward Barbier, pooling at his feet before rising into a spear, reforged for the sole purpose of killing Hugo. Strange runes were burned into its metallic surface, and Barbier studied them, before grabbing the spear and advancing on Hugo. Hugo tried to stand, but Barbier reached him first, grabbing him by the back of his suit jacket,
“You’re out of your fucking depth, next to me! Now be a good boy, and DI-”
In one swift movement, Hugo pressed his palm against Barbiers chest, and his voice died in his throat. His eyes went wide as he felt the ritual dagger Hugo had hidden in his palm tear through his heart.
“You’d be out of your depth in a parking lot puddle…” Hugo snarled, before plunging his hand into Barbier’s chest.
“W-wait…” Barbier rasped, although Hugo didn’t listen. He tore his heart free of his chest, and pushed the man to the ground, leaving him twitching and staring vacantly up at the ceiling. Hugo smirked, watching him for a moment, before biting into his heart like an apple.
“Mmm… not bad…” He mused, before he waved a hand, almost dismissively. The room shifted around us. That which was broken, returned to where it had been before, repaired once more. In a few moments, it was like there’d been no skirmish at all. Everything was as it was, and George Barbier’s corpse was crumbling to dust where it lay, leaving no trace of him behind.
“Best not to cause a scene,” Hugo said as he finished off the last few bites of Barbier’s heart. “Snow, come,” He said. “There’s still three more to deal with.”
“Yes, sir,” I said quietly and followed Hugo as he headed for the stairs, Angela, Daniel and Koch had disappeared down. I noticed that Hugo had paid no mind to Mr. Cassel… who had conveniently disappeared when the violence had broken out. In fact, there wasn’t a trace of Mr. Cassel left in that dining room, almost as if he’d never existed in the first place. Hugo didn’t seem to think about it, so neither did I.
Of the nine spheres of the Atomium, I knew that only six were accessible to the public. The lower 5 spheres contained the exhibitions and event halls, while the topmost sphere, where we presently were, was the panoramic restaurant. The three spheres below the restaurant were less stable, which is why they were closed off to the public and the stairway leading to them was certainly a lot less glamorous than the stairways and escalators I’d seen going between the other spheres. They hadn’t dressed it up as much.
Hugo led the way down the stairs, moving with the calm confidence of a man who knew he was in no real danger, as opposed to the caution of a man being hunted.
“Keep up, Snow,” He said as we descended into the main part of the sphere. The space around us was wide open and almost completely unoccupied, save for a few cabinets for storage. There was only one dull light in the ceiling that didn’t illuminate much, and cast deep shadows in every corner that seemed to watch us. There were two exits, each one leading down into one of the more accessible spheres.
Hugo studied each exit, staring down the differing sets of stairs and listening closely for any indicator on which his quarry might have taken. I remained dead silent, letting him hunt.
“Blood,” He mused. “Smells like Koch has been busy.”
He took a step toward one of the stairways, before freezing, almost as if he detected something I didn’t. I saw his eyes go wide for a moment, before the shadows suddenly moved, collapsing in on Hugo like a cascade of water. He spun around, raising an arm to shield his face as I saw a figure materialize out of the inky darkness, a runed dagger in her hand.
Angela Champion brought her dagger down on Hugo’s arm, cutting through flesh and bone as if it were butter. His severed hand, still clutching his own dagger, hit the ground with a thud, and Hugo let out a cry of surprise, but not pain before Angela seized him by his shirt and hurled him toward the center of the sphere. Hugo picked himself up quickly, rising to one knee and glaring at the woman across from him.
“Well, well… getting into the spirit of things after all, aren’t we Angie?” He hissed. She just stood defiantly between him and the stairs, or perhaps between him and his own severed hand.
“I’m not going to kill you, Hugo. Not unless I have to!” She warned.
“Then you’ll die here with the rest.” He replied, rising to his feet.
“Which’ll include you, if you keep going the way you’re going!” She snapped. “Pull your head out of your ass for five seconds and think about the bigger picture here! This Lapointe woman, she didn’t just bring us together, to have us duke it out for the hell of it! We’re here because she wants what we’ve got!”
Hugo grimaced.
“You think I haven’t figured that out?” He asked. “It doesn’t matter. She’s just some mortal, biting off more than she can ever hope to chew.”
“Maybe. But after going through all that trouble to track us down, and lure us here with the promise of the Liber Shaal, something she knew none of us could resist, can you really be so sure she’s just a mortal?”
“How many hearts have you eaten?” Hugo asked coyly, taking a step toward her. “How much power have you taken, Angela?”
She didn’t answer that question.
“I can sense that it isn’t much, you know, not compared to some of the others here. Barbier was almost on my level, and that last one… Koch. Oh he’s going to be interesting. But you? You’re weak. I can feel it. You know I’m familiar with the work of Lauren Lapointe. Not intimately. But I know those who are. Nasty piece of work, that one. But mortal. Weak. Insignificant. I know of Lauren Lapointe. And I know we’re not up against a worthy opponent, we’re up against ourselves and one stupid woman with delusions of grandeur. Maybe she’s had a taste of violence like this before, pitting other, small, miserable things against each other like a child putting insects in a box to watch them devour each other. Maybe that’s made her feel strong. But she is nothing compared to the likes of us. And you are nothing compared to the likes of me…”
With every step, he inched closer. Angela held her ground for a few moments, before finally taking a step back and as she did, Hugo’s dagger erupted through her chest. Her eyes widened for a split second, as the dagger twisted and writhed through her ribcage, finally bursting free of her and landing in Hugo’s remaining hand. Still, despite the state she was in, she stood, swaying on her feet before he lunged for her, grabbing her by the throat.
“For what it’s worth, you did well to cut off my hand. Shame you didn’t have the stomach to finish the job.”
“No…” Angela gasped, as Hugo forced her to the ground, and tore into her. Her white bowler hat rolled off of her head, and landed by my feet.
I could only watch impartially as he ripped her apart, and pulled her still beating heart from her chest. Angela stared at it with wide, tear filled eyes. She knew she was dying. And all she could do was mouth the words: “No… no… no…” over and over again before Hugo took a bite.
As he ate, I watched, pausing only to calmly walk over to the stairs to pick up his severed hand, as if it were something he’d dropped. When Hugo stood once more, I offered the hand to him.
“Thank you, Snow/” He crooned, casually popping it back into place, before wiping the blood off of his mouth.
“Of course, sir. Two more to go?”
“One, most likely,” He said. “Then we deal with Lapointe.”
I nodded, and let him lead the way. He paid Angela’s body little mind, leaving her in a growing pool of her own blood. I stared down at her remains, and looked into her lifeless eyes which stared up at the ceiling in horror. My eyes settled on the runed dagger she’d used to wound Hugo. It seems that in his fervor, he hadn’t thought to grab it. Fortunately, I was a good assistant and took care of that for him.
***
As we reached the bottom of the stairs, we were greeted by an almost predictable sight. The bloody remains of Daniel Hernandez lay scattered about on the ground, and sitting in front of them sat Koch.
He stared at Hugo, sizing him up before huffing.
“You’ve killed Angela?” He asked calmly.
“It wasn’t much of a chore,” Hugo replied. “And Daniel?”
Koch nodded.
“No chore,” He repeated.
“I thought not. Well, no point in standing on ceremony, is there? We’ve both got places to be, don’t we?”
Koch rose to his feet. He cracked his knuckles. I noticed a heavy iron hammer resting in his hands. An ancient weapon, decorated in runes of all sorts. It probably had a very interesting history to it, but he never explained any of that before swinging it at Hugo with all the grace of a raging bull.
The world around Hugo distorted, moving him out of the way of every swing. His body seemed to twist and duplicate, making him harder to track and harder to hit as he tried to find an angle of attack. Koch huffed in rage, before slamming his hammer into the ground.
A wave of pure energy tore through the room, knocking me off my feet, and sending Hugo crashing against a wall. Koch wasted no time in trying to crush his head into pulp, although Hugo simply dissolved through the wall to evade him, before manifesting behind him.
“A perfect challenge!” Hugo jeered. “But there’s only one throne, for one true God!”
A third arm, made of inky black energy manifested from Koch’s back, seizing Hugo by the throat.
“In this my friend… we are agreed.” Koch hissed. More arms grew from his back, seizing Hugo’s body and keeping him in place. He tried to phase through them, but somehow they still held him.
Koch’s body twisted and elongated, as his spine slowly adjusted itself so that he could face Hugo and raise his hammer over his head. Hugo stared up into his eyes, before opening his mouth and launching a beam of pure energy into Koch’s face. I heard Koch scream, as his skull shattered, smearing a shimmering dark liquid all over the ceiling.
Still… somehow I wasn’t sure if he was dead. His grip on Hugo was still strong, and no matter how hard Hugo fought, he didn’t seem to let go, not that Hugo seemed to want to get too far away from him. No, I watched as Hugo tried to push himself closer to Koch. I watched him drive his dagger into his chest, to try and pry out his beating heart.
More hands manifested from Koch to keep Hugo away, but he was so close. As Koch pulled him back from the gaping wound in his chest, Hugo’s limbs elongated as he reached for the mans beating heart to pry it free, and just as he triumphed and pulled it from his chest… I cut off Hugo’s hand again.
I saw his eyes widen with shock, but he didn’t utter a single word. As his hand and Koch’s heart fell, I snatched them both out of the air. My eyes burned into Hugo’s from behind my glasses, and I gave him a small, knowing smile before biting into the heart myself.
Koch’s entire body seized, but his grip on Hugo grew no weaker.
“Snow?” Hugo’s voice cracked, as the panic of realization set in.
I answered him… but not in my own voice. I spoke in the voice of Lauren Lapointe.
“I’ve always been of the mind that if you have the stomach to lift yourself above the rest of the cattle, then you deserve a seat at the butcher's table. But what are butchers if not themselves meat?”
My face shifted, revealing the visage I’d stolen. I imagined that the real Lauren wouldn’t have minded my borrowing it. She’d been the one who taught me the primal joys of bloodsport, after all, and I’m sure she would’ve loved watching a bunch of rich morons with delusions of grandeur butcher each other in the name of power.
Hugo on the other hand?
The look on his face was one of absolute horror as he quickly put the pieces together. He squirmed. He fought. He tried to get free. But I still had Angela’s knife in my hand, and he could do nothing to stop me from taking his other hand, disarming him in every sense of the word.
“No…” He cried, “No… Penelope… don’t! PENELOPE WAIT!”
Oh, first names now? He was desperate.
Not that it saved him.
And as he wriggled free of Koch’s dying grasp, he only found himself tumbling into mine, where his struggles could not save him as I cut into his chest, pulled out his panicked, beating heart… and took a bite.
***
There were no bodies left behind when I left the Atomium. No bloodstains or any trace of what had happened there. I saw to their disposal. I could feel the new power coursing through my veins… it was more than I’d ever felt before. It was strange. Exciting!
I’d thought the boost I’d gotten from the morsels I’d stolen from Hugo was intense, but this was on an entirely new level! Yet it wasn’t enough.
It would never be enough, not until I’d reached the top. If there even was a top.
I imagined I’d find out soon enough.
2024.06.10 05:22 Vickkyyy_ 19F Searching for a genuine connection < 3
Hi. I usually lurk but I decided to give this a shot. About me:
Appearance: I’m alt. 2 tattoos and 7 piercings. 5’3. Im was only gothic and alt but pretty hippie and earthy these days also!
Personality: I’d say i’m very emotionally open but also logical. I don’t look like it but i’m a big nerd. I am very open minded and pretty unconventional in some ways. I am fiery and passionate when i get comfortable and can be a chatter box too. I love to laugh and hug and I can always be an optimist as well as a realist.
Education: I studied biochemistry the past two years in college and i’m in college this fall studying sustainable agriculture.
Religion: Im not really religious. I’m spiritual. I practice buddhism and other dharmic religions. I like to meditate and practice mindfulness.
Interests: I like videogames, binge watching shows, watching movies, going to the beach in cute swimsuits and collecting rocks, astrology and i love science. Especially biology and astronomy. I like reading(gonna stay up tonight with my new book!!) I love music!! I sing, write and play guitar. I like fashion. (I may have a shopping problem)
I am also bisexual. Happy pride btw.
Likes: Scented candles, honesty, beauty and kindness < 3
Please send an introduction about yourself that includes your name, location and age. Even send a picture (no d!ck pics) if you’re comfortable with it.
Anyway! Send a ❤️ if you read this far. (For my ADHDers who just skimmed through, i’ll let you slide if you don’t send a ❤️) and don’t be nervous!!
Also, you are loved always < 3 —G
submitted by Vickkyyy_ to MakeNewFriendsHere [link] [comments]
Appearance: I’m alt. 2 tattoos and 7 piercings. 5’3. Im was only gothic and alt but pretty hippie and earthy these days also!
Personality: I’d say i’m very emotionally open but also logical. I don’t look like it but i’m a big nerd. I am very open minded and pretty unconventional in some ways. I am fiery and passionate when i get comfortable and can be a chatter box too. I love to laugh and hug and I can always be an optimist as well as a realist.
Education: I studied biochemistry the past two years in college and i’m in college this fall studying sustainable agriculture.
Religion: Im not really religious. I’m spiritual. I practice buddhism and other dharmic religions. I like to meditate and practice mindfulness.
Interests: I like videogames, binge watching shows, watching movies, going to the beach in cute swimsuits and collecting rocks, astrology and i love science. Especially biology and astronomy. I like reading(gonna stay up tonight with my new book!!) I love music!! I sing, write and play guitar. I like fashion. (I may have a shopping problem)
I am also bisexual. Happy pride btw.
Likes: Scented candles, honesty, beauty and kindness < 3
Please send an introduction about yourself that includes your name, location and age. Even send a picture (no d!ck pics) if you’re comfortable with it.
Anyway! Send a ❤️ if you read this far. (For my ADHDers who just skimmed through, i’ll let you slide if you don’t send a ❤️) and don’t be nervous!!
Also, you are loved always < 3 —G
2024.06.10 05:17 Dry_Description_2936 my uncle and aunt went through my brother journals
My aunt and uncle broke my brother today please help I need some advice as soon as possible. I wanna fix this. I'll be posting to a few different subs so I can get as much help as possible. Thank you
My (16) brother (M23) is an incredibly selfless person from a age he was the one protecting us from our drug and alcohol addicted parents on good days they'd just leave us alone which meant that my brother would be forced to take care of me and my eight siblings but on the bad days they'd find any reason to be mad and beat us, my brother would stand in front of the door way nake sure they would beat him instead of us. They'd use irons, bats anything to make us feel pain but my brother protecting us he would get the worse of it all, he still has a lot fo scars from it all but he has some tattoos that cover them up.
He never got any chance to have a childhood. And even now life hasn't gotten any easier, this last year has been crazy. He lost his best friend of ten years to a drug overdose, and only a month later we lost my little brothers both (M13), my cousin (F16) and my younger sister (F10) car accident a
All three of them ended up in a coma but eventually passed away one by one during this time my brother wouldn't leave their side, he never slept, didn't sleep or drink water. He'd only drink coffee and enegery drinks to stay awake.
And finally we lost our grandmother. She and my brother were always super close, and she passed away. After her passing things quickly went downhill from there. He couldn't sleep, he would've eat and I'm pretty sure he didn't take his meds that are meant to help him with his bipolar.
One day I came home from school and I found out that my brother tried to kill himself so he was sent to the psych ward.
We got to visit him while he was there but he wasn't like himself, he isn't really happy go lucky he can sometimes be like Wednesday Addams but he just looked so drained and dead inside. The nurse said that he had signs of burnout, a mental breakdown and psychosis.
He's been home for about a week now and there is no difference in his behaviour. He is still cold, distant and sometimes I catch him starring off into the distance. I can tell he feels very vulnerable position but he won't let any one of take care of him.
I'm gonna get to the point now today I came home from soccer practice to my uncle and aunt trying to get me to talk to my brother because they got into a fight. I don't wanna get into to much detail but it started over coffee and developed into them blaming him for the car accident and they were shaming him over things they found in journal entries like how he hated raising us, how he wished he could live a normal life, how he struggling with self harm and a lot of different stuff.
When I went upstairs he was in a ball crying telling me he's sorry and that I shouldn't have to see him like this. When I bent down to try and comfort he moved from me quickly begging for me not to touch him saying that he doesn't want to hurt anyone and that he is tried of hurting people. I told that it was okay but before I could say more to comfort him he just screamed to leave him alone.
I'm not sure what to do from here. I called my godmother and she left about thirty minutes ago. She managed to calm him down with some herbs.
Do you guys have any advice or tips on how I can help him? Please please help me. Thank you
submitted by Dry_Description_2936 to redditonwiki [link] [comments]
My (16) brother (M23) is an incredibly selfless person from a age he was the one protecting us from our drug and alcohol addicted parents on good days they'd just leave us alone which meant that my brother would be forced to take care of me and my eight siblings but on the bad days they'd find any reason to be mad and beat us, my brother would stand in front of the door way nake sure they would beat him instead of us. They'd use irons, bats anything to make us feel pain but my brother protecting us he would get the worse of it all, he still has a lot fo scars from it all but he has some tattoos that cover them up.
He never got any chance to have a childhood. And even now life hasn't gotten any easier, this last year has been crazy. He lost his best friend of ten years to a drug overdose, and only a month later we lost my little brothers both (M13), my cousin (F16) and my younger sister (F10) car accident a
All three of them ended up in a coma but eventually passed away one by one during this time my brother wouldn't leave their side, he never slept, didn't sleep or drink water. He'd only drink coffee and enegery drinks to stay awake.
And finally we lost our grandmother. She and my brother were always super close, and she passed away. After her passing things quickly went downhill from there. He couldn't sleep, he would've eat and I'm pretty sure he didn't take his meds that are meant to help him with his bipolar.
One day I came home from school and I found out that my brother tried to kill himself so he was sent to the psych ward.
We got to visit him while he was there but he wasn't like himself, he isn't really happy go lucky he can sometimes be like Wednesday Addams but he just looked so drained and dead inside. The nurse said that he had signs of burnout, a mental breakdown and psychosis.
He's been home for about a week now and there is no difference in his behaviour. He is still cold, distant and sometimes I catch him starring off into the distance. I can tell he feels very vulnerable position but he won't let any one of take care of him.
I'm gonna get to the point now today I came home from soccer practice to my uncle and aunt trying to get me to talk to my brother because they got into a fight. I don't wanna get into to much detail but it started over coffee and developed into them blaming him for the car accident and they were shaming him over things they found in journal entries like how he hated raising us, how he wished he could live a normal life, how he struggling with self harm and a lot of different stuff.
When I went upstairs he was in a ball crying telling me he's sorry and that I shouldn't have to see him like this. When I bent down to try and comfort he moved from me quickly begging for me not to touch him saying that he doesn't want to hurt anyone and that he is tried of hurting people. I told that it was okay but before I could say more to comfort him he just screamed to leave him alone.
I'm not sure what to do from here. I called my godmother and she left about thirty minutes ago. She managed to calm him down with some herbs.
Do you guys have any advice or tips on how I can help him? Please please help me. Thank you
2024.06.10 05:01 GuiltlessMaple Best Flying Spinner
 | submitted by GuiltlessMaple to u/GuiltlessMaple [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/6b0iypiktn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=378a9f11766a4e68deeaad48193e767e1a6ff35d Get ready to take off on an exciting journey as we dive into the world of Flying Spinner! In this comprehensive roundup, we'll explore the latest innovative products that are sure to send your imagination skyward. From compact drones to state-of-the-art RC planes, we've got all the best options to keep you and your loved ones entertained. So buckle up, and let's soar together as we uncover the ultimate Flying Spinner collection! The Top 19 Best Flying Spinner
Reviews🔗Flying Spinner Ball Toy for Kidshttps://preview.redd.it/crjh9dyktn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22f81665231ad38e68dc26f3eb985d4eb5f149bc The Ciniffo Flying Orb Ball, an upgraded flying ball toy, offers a unique and exciting experience for kids. With its round shape, powerful engine, and aviation flight principles, it can perform endless tricks and flight modes, captivating the hearts of any child. The safety of the kids playing with this toy is guaranteed, as it has passed the child safety test. My experience with the Flying Orb Ball has been quite fascinating. The blue orb's small size easily fits into my hand, allowing for convenient and easy control. It's like having a boomerang with an endless supply of tricks up its sleeve. The speed and movements of the orb are smooth and captivating, making it a great way to spend some quality time with friends and family. However, I did notice a slight delay in delivery as the product shipped from China. Although it finally arrived, it wasn't the exact item I ordered, making me a bit disappointed. Overall, the Flying Orb Ball can be a fun toy for kids, but ensure that you double-check the shipping information before making a purchase. 🔗Flying Orb Ball Toy: High-Grade Spinner Drone for Indoor & Outdoor Funhttps://preview.redd.it/gfz8z6hltn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23b8bb07e50144224ebf1b612bd296d946b8dcb7 I recently got my hands on this Flying Orb Ball Toy, and I must say it's been quite the entertaining experience. The boomerang spinner drone has a responsive design that allows it to fly in the opposite direction whenever it senses my hands getting close. It's a fantastic toy for children and beginners alike, as it offers a variety of flight routes and skills. Not only that, but it also comes with a rechargeable feature, making it convenient to pack and take anywhere. One of my favorite aspects is its safe and durable design, made of lightweight and flexible material. The propellers are safely concealed within, ensuring no harm to children or anyone around them. Another highlight is that this flying orb ball toy can be used both indoors and outdoors. The LED build-in light adds a nice touch, and the colorful design truly attracts everyone's attention. Overall, the Flying Orb Ball Toy is an excellent gift for birthdays, holidays, and even as a fun addition to any get-together. The endless fun it brings makes it a perfect addition to the list of coolest hand-controlled drones available in the market. 🔗Flying Orb Spinner Mini Drone Ball for Fun & Entertainmenthttps://preview.redd.it/myrr26oltn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8363251891cbd59e35968cd02d802c8fc30a5fb5 I recently had the chance to play with the Hoofun Flying Orb, a mini drone ball designed for a fun, hand-controlled flying experience. I was immediately captivated by its sleek design and impressive maneuverability. Watching the orb glide effortlessly through the air was quite mesmerizing, and the hover-back-to-hand mechanism was not only amazing to watch but also incredibly fun to try and master. One drawback, however, was the lack of replaceable batteries, which can be inconvenient in the long run. Additionally, charging the device in extreme temperatures could lead to potential safety issues or damage to the toy. It's also essential to charge it unattended as prolonged unobserved charging can result in battery overcharging. Despite these minor drawbacks, the Hoofun Flying Orb offers an entertaining and engaging playtime for people of all ages. Its compact size makes it perfect for on-the-go fun, from the beach to the park, and even in the bedroom. Plus, the durability of the device ensures that it can withstand minor bumps and collisions, adding to its overall charm. Overall, the Hoofun Flying Orb is a well-crafted, engaging, and entertaining gadget that provides hours of hand-eye coordination practice and fun for users. Just be mindful of the battery life, charging guidelines, and supervision when using it with children under six years old. 🔗RGB Light Flying Orb Spinner for Fun and Skill Developmenthttps://preview.redd.it/71io31fmtn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea4be6029ce6cffdea50b3e284cd4fb76c739400 Having used the HIJJPS Flying Orb Ball in my daily routine, I must say it's a fascinating toy that brings joy to both me and my kids. The hand-controlled drone ball's unique throwing angles and speeds offer various flight routes, making it a fun and engaging challenge to master. The boomerang effect and smooth flight modes never fail to impress, adding a touch of magic to our playtime. A standout feature is the colorful RGB light, which transforms the orb into a cool cosmic toy at night, captivating us all. However, the drone ball's main highlight is its durability and safety. The dense mesh and full cover design ensure it can withstand numerous crashes, while the non-toxic high-quality ABS material provides a flexible, lightweight feeling. The enclosed propellers are a smart move, avoiding potential harm to children, making the toy both enjoyable and safe for our family. 🔗Magic Flying Spinner: The Ultimate STEM Toy for Endless Funhttps://preview.redd.it/6g1ryfrmtn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f486be70c58b9bcb02db8d05ab412b2042567dce Imagine soaring through the air with a simple flick of your wrist, guiding a captivating orb as it weaves its spell in the sky. That's the magic of the Ciniffo Flying Orb Ball, an upgraded toy that makes even the most mundane moments feel like a sci-fi adventure. This hand-controlled boomerang is not only fun but also serves as an excellent educational tool to awaken your child's curiosity in STEM subjects. One of the most attractive features of the Flying Orb Ball is its user-friendly design. With just a few simple gestures, you can control its flight, making the experience accessible even for the smallest of hands. It's this ease of use that makes it not just fun for solo play but also a fantastic multiplayer activity to engage friends and family in endless playful thrills. The Ciniffo Flying Orb Ball is perfect for both indoor and outdoor events, making it a versatile tool to use from casual recreational moments to structured team-building exercises. It's a wonderful device that brings together technology and entertainment in a unique, captivating way, allowing its users to live out fantasies of soaring through galaxies right in the comfort of their homes or backyards. However, there are a few areas where the product can be improved. For instance, the included Lithium Ion batteries might be smaller than expected, which may necessitate frequent recharges for prolonged usage. Additionally, the device is currently manufactured in China; some users might have ethical concerns about the source of their toys. Despite these minor drawbacks, the Ciniffo Flying Orb Ball is an innovative, enchanting, and thought-provoking toy that will inspire joy in children and adults alike. It's a fascinating product that serves as a testament to how technology can be a tool for both physical and mental agility, offering endless hours of captivating fun. 🔗Magical Flying Spinner Ball with LED Lightshttps://preview.redd.it/84gbegbntn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=414422b3d034ed6d69831fffa4ecbafdbe27a415 The Wonder Sphere Flying Spinner Ball with LED Animated Lights left me mesmerized as I watched it float in the air with my own hands. Its sleek design and fun performance made it a delight to use as I easily mastered the 180-degree boomerang maneuver. The only downside I encountered was the limited battery life, but it served as a great excuse to indulge in more playtime. I believe this product would make a fantastic addition to anyone's collection, whether it's for entertainment or to teach the younger generations about science and innovation. 🔗Fly High: Am Duo Duo Cosmic Orb Spinnerhttps://preview.redd.it/pz3yiyontn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ff2d71b696d31dd0acdda14bc29c04d5878a57f As I was scrolling through Amazon, I came across these eye-catching Flying Spinner Orb Balls. The product description mentioned that it's great for family fun and could be played indoors or outdoors. Intrigued, I decided to give it a shot. The first thing that struck me was the charging time, which was 20 minutes, a bit on the longer side, but not unmanageable. After charging, the ball was ready to play. One of the features that stood out was the Straight Line Boomerang. I got to throw it up and watched it fly back following its original path. It was a fun activity to play with, and it was surprisingly easy to throw it straight up. Another feature, Magic Levitation, was an interesting one. If you release the ball slowly into the air, it will float and remain suspended if your hand is in the right position. Despite the positives, there were a few drawbacks too. The ball seemed to require quite a bit of force to get it going, which made it a bit hard for me to handle. And while it was fun to throw it around, it didn't seem to maintain its charge for very long before it needed a recharge, which was a bit of a hassle. In conclusion, the Flying Spinner Orb Ball provided some good old-fashioned family fun. It was simple, engaging, and kept us entertained for a little while. But at the same time, it was a bit tricky to handle, and its relatively short battery life meant that it needed charging quite frequently. So, if you're looking for a novel gift or a family activity, the Flying Spinner Orb Ball might be worth a shot. 🔗Magical Flying Spinner and Boomerang Toyhttps://preview.redd.it/hrb8tp8otn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1244d85b71b3c720e3a0ee6f317583426eadba6c I recently tried the Vantexi Flying Orb Ball, a fun and unique toy that brings joy to both kids and adults. It's easy to use and doesn't require any remote control, making it a perfect activity for any game time. The dense mesh design of the ball makes it safe for children to play with, and it doesn't get damaged even when thrown around. The Vantexi Flying Orb Ball comes with two galactic fidget spinners, a USB charging cable, and a user manual. It's a great gift for various occasions, and the spinning ball mechanism makes it a fun and addictive way to relieve stress. But, don't be fooled by the simplicity - this toy packs a lot of entertainment in a small package. Overall, it's a great addition to any collection of fun toys. 🔗Electronic Hover Ball Toy for Outdoor Playhttps://preview.redd.it/mcur2alotn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e2583352db73424889c666099425f29d06d29d4 I recently had the chance to play with the Flying Nebula Orb Toy, an updated version for 2022. It's a 360° rotating hoversphere that's lightweight and portable, making it perfect for outdoor fun. The built-in RGB light is a standout feature, adding some cool, futuristic vibes to my playtime. But, and this is a big one, the PROP 65 warning label on the packaging really took the wind out of my sails. I've never seen this before, and it's a real bummer when you're excited to get playing. Overall, if you're looking for an entertaining outdoor toy, this one might be it. Just make sure to handle the chemical warnings with care. 🔗Fly-Away Orb Ball: A Fun and Durable Hovering Drone Toy for Kidshttps://preview.redd.it/f4fx0f3ptn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b520b855a8789cd995179cf801b263dd87c2081 Recently, I came across the Tikduck Flying Orb Ball. The moment I opened the box, I was pleasantly surprised by how lightweight it was. The handheld controller was easy to operate, letting me navigate the toy through the air with ease. The boomerang effect was interesting too, as tossing it in different angles created diverse movement trajectories. One of the standout features was the durability of this drone. Even after multiple crashes, it held up well, proving its ABS material construction. However, its battery life left a bit to be desired, only providing 8 to 10 minutes of flight time with a 25-minute charging process. I used the Flying Spinner in my backyard, as it was effortless to operate both indoors and outdoors. Children enjoyed watching the drone soar with varying flight lines thanks to its smart AI technology. The product made for a fun and creative outdoor activity for kids at family gatherings. Aside from the battery issue, the Tikduck Flying Orb Ball made for an exciting toy. Its unique design and boomerang-effect trajectories could be enjoyed by people of all ages, making it a perfect gift idea for various occasions. 🔗Cool Flying LED Orb for Endless Indoor and Outdoor Funhttps://preview.redd.it/7zo68dgptn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2dbde6c34903ddab2cdeb65caf7dee06acd2cf11 The Flying Spinner, a space-themed hover ball toy, has been in my hands for the past few weeks. At first glance, the colorful LED lights and cosmic design caught my attention. The toy is lightweight and easy to carry, making it perfect for indoor and outdoor play. However, I quickly discovered that the Flying Spinner lacked the durability and robustness I was hoping for. One of the most unique features of this product is its ability to create various flight paths by changing the angle and speed at which the ball is thrown. It creates an interesting boomerang-like effect in the air. Yet, despite this interesting novelty, the toy proved challenging to control, and I often found myself getting frustrated. Moreover, the build quality of the Flying Spinner leaves much to be desired. It appears to be made with cheaper materials, causing the fans inside to be particularly loud and the toy to be quite fragile. Consequently, I found myself constantly worrying about the ball's safety around children, as the lack of durability means it could easily break on impact. Another feature I discovered was the need for a USB charger to keep the ball functioning. This is an added inconvenience, as charging the toy requires a certain amount of time and patience. Though the battery life is not too short, it can be a hassle when you need to play with the toy urgently. Despite its shortcomings, the Flying Spinner does offer an element of fun and excitement. The colorful design and ability to create various flight paths can captivate children and even adults for a brief moment. However, the lack of sturdiness, the difficulty in controlling it, and the cumbersome charging process overshadow the fun it provides. In conclusion, while the AMERFIST 2023 Flying Spinner offers an interesting and cosmic-themed hover ball experience, the lack of durability and convenience make it a less appealing choice. Its unique features may be enticing for children and space-enthusiasts, but its build quality and functionality leave much to be desired. 🔗Flynova LED Flying Spinner Hand Release Stress Drone for Boys and Girlshttps://preview.redd.it/a4rg48zptn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=791d5b180a96679754c3458b00579af7766e0615 The Flynova LED Flying Spinner Hand Release Stress Drone Toy is a perfect gift for boys and girls. With its sleek design and captivating LED lights, this little drone easily becomes a favorite among kids. It's constructed with eco-friendly materials, ensuring the longevity of the toy while also being gentle on the environment. The Flying Spinner boasts a user-friendly interface that allows anyone, regardless of age or skill level, to play with it. The four types of play modes add an exciting twist to the experience, making it a great stress reliever and a fun way to unwind after a long day. With its easy charging and convenient switch button, you can enjoy hours of play without the hassle of constant battery changes. The Flynova Flying Spinner's closed roller design ensures safety, as it guards your hand while you're rotating it. Plus, it's available in various color options, including the vibrant blue, which adds an attractive touch to the toy. Overall, the Flying Spinner Hand Release Stress Drone Toy is a fantastic choice for children and families looking for a fun, eco-friendly, and stress-relieving gift. 🔗Magic Flying Orb Levitating Ball Toyhttps://preview.redd.it/5yhtkudqtn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=74ccecd344ad1385aae857f2b5c779eacdfed777 I recently came across the ETPlanet Flying Orb Ball Toys, a unique hovering orb that's sure to bring joy to any age. The moment I held it, I couldn't resist giving it a gentle pat and watching it come alive, effortlessly soaring through the air. Its vibrant colors and intricate design were not only eye-catching but also provided a fun twist to traditional flying toys. The magic orbit ball is simple to operate—simply turn it on and shake or pat it to get it flying. It spins around its axis at an angle before gently returning to you, perfect for a quick game of catch or simply mesmerizing onlookers. The ability to stop the orb by shaking or patting it also added a practical aspect, allowing me to enjoy it at my leisure. In terms of material and safety, the ETPlanet Flying Orb Ball is a great choice. Made of ABS Plastic, the ball is lightweight, flexible, and touchable, making it safe for people of all ages. It's also not restricted by space, giving users the freedom to play in any environment. The USB charging feature is quite convenient as well. With a charging time of just 25 minutes, the orbit ball can provide up to 8 to 10 minutes of flight time. The device can be charged using various options such as a computer, power adapter, mobile phone, or portable charger, allowing for flexibility and ease of use. Overall, the ETPlanet Flying Orb Ball Toys has been a delightful addition to my daily life. Its unique design, easy operation, and safety features make it a great gift option for anyone from kids to adults—it's definitely a fun way to add some magic to everyday moments. 🔗Flying Spinner Drone with LED Lightshttps://preview.redd.it/0qodepwqtn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6036328473e6b51e4a319fe38ad89e0de3d4c285 I recently tried the Renewgoo GeeUFO Flying Spinner Boomerang, and I must say it brought plenty of delight. The drone's glowing dark night LED lights made it a breeze for me to navigate it at any time of day. Plus, its incredible battery life provided me with 10 whole minutes of playtime in just 15! With its bright LED lights and colorful flying show, it was a perfect companion for my nightly play sessions. However, I've experienced a couple of issues. The charging port seemed rather flimsy, and the drone snatched up every hair from my floors. Not to mention that the battery died quite quickly. Despite these shortcomings, the Renewgoo GeeUFO Flying Spinner Boomerang managed to create a fun and entertaining experience for me. 🔗Flying Boomerang Ball for Aerodynamics Funhttps://preview.redd.it/v4s1xeertn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5080f615638d7226a86c71eecc19fbe956fd90cb I was recently introduced to the Boomerang Spinner Ball, a fun, hand-controlled drone designed for both outdoor and indoor use. The ball makes for a great conversation piece at family gatherings and comes in a range of colors to fit any preferences. At first glance, the Ball is well-made, and the quality of the materials used is evident. Despite the ball's compact size, the enclosed propellers are sturdy and do not pose any risk of injury, making it an ideal toy for children. This toy encourages not just fun, but also learning about physics and aerodynamics and helps improve hand-eye coordination. Controlling the ball's movements is surprisingly easy, and I found that I could create some interesting flight patterns and even perform tricks. However, I did notice that the battery life could be longer. A charging time of 25 minutes for only 8-10 minutes of actual playtime seems a little short. Additionally, the product instructions are minimal, which can make it a bit difficult for some users, especially younger children. Overall, the Boomerang Spinner Ball is a unique and entertaining toy that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With a few minor tweaks, such as improving the battery life and providing more comprehensive instructions, this could become a must-have item for both indoor and outdoor playtime. Buyer's GuideBefore diving into the exciting world of Flying Spinners, it's essential to understand the unique features and considerations that make this product category stand out from others. In this buyer's guide, we will explore the key aspects you need to consider when looking for the perfect Flying Spinner for your needs and experience.Materialshttps://preview.redd.it/3ii5u2mttn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b8164262a51e09c109602980c29ecc4eef46f9c4 One crucial factor to consider when purchasing a Flying Spinner is the material it is made of. Most Flying Spinners are typically constructed of high-quality ABS plastic or metallic alloys like aluminum or stainless steel. These materials ensure durability, resistance to wear and tear, and a smooth, long-lasting glide for your device. Design and SizeThe design and size of a Flying Spinner can significantly impact its performance and user experience. Be sure to consider the overall dimensions and weight of the device, as larger and heavier models may offer a more stable platform for hands-free use. Additionally, research designs with adjustable angles or swivel mechanisms to enhance your Flying Spinner's versatility and ease of use.Compatibility with DevicesAnother essential consideration is compatibility with your devices. Ensure that the Flying Spinner you choose can securely hold and support your smartphone, tablet, or other devices without causing any damage. Consider the placement of the clamp or mounting mechanism to ensure a stable connection and avoid any wobbling or shaking during use. https://preview.redd.it/out3lo4utn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=467939232ae2356ddf069f15c1a5f1326c85a1b3 Adjustability and StabilityThe adjustability and stability of a Flying Spinner can significantly impact its user experience. Look for models that offer adjustable angles and swivel mechanisms to ensure a comfortable and stable viewing experience for a wide range of positions and preferences. Furthermore, consider the device's stability when setting it up on a flat surface to prevent any sudden movements or falls.Weight and PortabilityPortability and lightweight design are essential factors to consider when purchasing a Flying Spinner. Many models are designed for easy transportation and storage, making them ideal for students, professionals, or frequent travelers. Be sure to research the weight and dimensions of the device to ensure it fits your space and travel requirements.Price and Warrantyhttps://preview.redd.it/0nml2sjutn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=61ca634ef41146da1d7cc4696992a71498277e78 Lastly, consider the price and warranty offered by the manufacturer or seller. Shop around and compare prices to find the best value for your money. Additionally, research the warranty options available, such as return policies or long-term repair coverage, to provide peace of mind and protect your investment in a high-quality Flying Spinner. With the numerous Flying Spinners available on the market, it's essential to consider the crucial factors that make this product category stand out. Be sure to research materials, compatibility, adjustability, stability, portability, and warranty options carefully before making a purchase. By doing so, you will ensure a long-lasting, high-quality Flying Spinner that meets your needs and expectations. FAQWhat is the Flying Spinner?The Flying Spinner is a unique and exciting gadget that is designed to perform amazing tricks and maneuvers in the air. It consists of a small, lightweight disc with propellers attached to it, which allows it to spin, hover, and even flip through the air. The Flying Spinner is an excellent choice for those who love action-packed entertainment and innovative technology. https://preview.redd.it/8tdfzqzutn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f1ee60c0a71462b4b12962d3f0cdc46e3efa1b4 How does the Flying Spinner work?The Flying Spinner works by utilizing four powerful propellers, which generate lift and thrust to propel the device through the air. It also features sensors and a built-in gyroscope, which help to stabilize the device and maintain its orientation while in flight. To control the Flying Spinner, users simply need to press a button or use a remote control, depending on the specific model they have purchased.What are some of the key features of the Flying Spinner?
What is the typical flight time of the Flying Spinner?The flight time of the Flying Spinner depends on the specific model and battery capacity. On average, users can expect a flight time of around 8-10 minutes, with an additional 20-30 minutes required for charging. Some higher-end models with more advanced features and larger batteries may have longer flight times, but this also depends on the specific usage, such as the speed setting and maneuvers performed.Are there any safety concerns with the Flying Spinner?While the Flying Spinner is designed to be safe for users and bystanders, there are still some precautions to take when using the device. It's essential to read the user manual thoroughly before operating the gadget, follow the suggested guidelines and avoid flying near people, animals, or other obstacles. Additionally, ensure the device is in good working condition and fully charged before each use.What are the best practices for maintaining the Flying Spinner?To ensure the longevity of the Flying Spinner and its performance, users should follow these maintenance tips:
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2024.06.10 04:58 Dry_Description_2936 my uncle and aunt went through my brother journals
I'm pretty sure my my aunt and uncle broke my brother today please help I need some advice as soon as possible. I wanna fix this. I'll be posting to a few different subs so I can get as much help as possible. Thank you
My (16) brother (M23) is an incredibly selfless person from a age he was the one protecting us from our drug and alcohol addicted parents on good days they'd just leave us alone which meant that my brother would be forced to take care of me and my eight siblings but on the bad days they'd find any reason to be mad and beat us, my brother would stand in front of the door way nake sure they would beat him instead of us. They'd use irons, bats anything to make us feel pain but my brother protecting us he would get the worse of it all, he still has a lot fo scars from it all but he has some tattoos that cover them up.
He never got any chance to have a childhood. And even now life hasn't gotten any easier, this last year has been crazy. He lost his best friend of ten years to a drug overdose, and only a month later we lost my little brothers both (M13), my cousin (F16) and my younger sister (F10) car accident a
All three of them ended up in a coma but eventually passed away one by one during this time my brother wouldn't leave their side, he never slept, didn't sleep or drink water. He'd only drink coffee and enegery drinks to stay awake.
And finally we lost our grandmother. She and my brother were always super close, and she passed away. After her passing things quickly went downhill from there. He couldn't sleep, he would've eat and I'm pretty sure he didn't take his meds that are meant to help him with his bipolar.
One day I came home from school and I found out that my brother tried to kill himself so he was sent to the psych ward.
We got to visit him while he was there but he wasn't like himself, he isn't really happy go lucky he can sometimes be like Wednesday Addams but he just looked so drained and dead inside. The nurse said that he had signs of burnout, a mental breakdown and psychosis.
He's been home for about a week now and there is no difference in his behaviour. He is still cold, distant and sometimes I catch him starring off into the distance. I can tell he feels very vulnerable position but he won't let any one of take care of him.
I'm gonna get to the point now today I came home from soccer practice to my uncle and aunt trying to get me to talk to my brother because they got into a fight. I don't wanna get into to much detail but it started over coffee and developed into them blaming him for the car accident and they were shaming him over things they found in journal entries like how he hated raising us, how he wished he could live a normal life, how he struggling with self harm and a lot of different stuff.
When I went upstairs he was in a ball crying telling me he's sorry and that I shouldn't have to see him like this. When I bent down to try and comfort he moved from me quickly begging for me not to touch him saying that he doesn't want to hurt anyone and that he is tried of hurting people. I told that it was okay but before I could say more to comfort him he just screamed to leave him alone.
I'm not sure what to do from here. I called my godmother and she left about thirty minutes ago. She managed to calm him down with some herbs.
Do you guys have any advice or tips on how I can help him? Please please help me. Thank you
submitted by Dry_Description_2936 to TrueOffMyChest [link] [comments]
My (16) brother (M23) is an incredibly selfless person from a age he was the one protecting us from our drug and alcohol addicted parents on good days they'd just leave us alone which meant that my brother would be forced to take care of me and my eight siblings but on the bad days they'd find any reason to be mad and beat us, my brother would stand in front of the door way nake sure they would beat him instead of us. They'd use irons, bats anything to make us feel pain but my brother protecting us he would get the worse of it all, he still has a lot fo scars from it all but he has some tattoos that cover them up.
He never got any chance to have a childhood. And even now life hasn't gotten any easier, this last year has been crazy. He lost his best friend of ten years to a drug overdose, and only a month later we lost my little brothers both (M13), my cousin (F16) and my younger sister (F10) car accident a
All three of them ended up in a coma but eventually passed away one by one during this time my brother wouldn't leave their side, he never slept, didn't sleep or drink water. He'd only drink coffee and enegery drinks to stay awake.
And finally we lost our grandmother. She and my brother were always super close, and she passed away. After her passing things quickly went downhill from there. He couldn't sleep, he would've eat and I'm pretty sure he didn't take his meds that are meant to help him with his bipolar.
One day I came home from school and I found out that my brother tried to kill himself so he was sent to the psych ward.
We got to visit him while he was there but he wasn't like himself, he isn't really happy go lucky he can sometimes be like Wednesday Addams but he just looked so drained and dead inside. The nurse said that he had signs of burnout, a mental breakdown and psychosis.
He's been home for about a week now and there is no difference in his behaviour. He is still cold, distant and sometimes I catch him starring off into the distance. I can tell he feels very vulnerable position but he won't let any one of take care of him.
I'm gonna get to the point now today I came home from soccer practice to my uncle and aunt trying to get me to talk to my brother because they got into a fight. I don't wanna get into to much detail but it started over coffee and developed into them blaming him for the car accident and they were shaming him over things they found in journal entries like how he hated raising us, how he wished he could live a normal life, how he struggling with self harm and a lot of different stuff.
When I went upstairs he was in a ball crying telling me he's sorry and that I shouldn't have to see him like this. When I bent down to try and comfort he moved from me quickly begging for me not to touch him saying that he doesn't want to hurt anyone and that he is tried of hurting people. I told that it was okay but before I could say more to comfort him he just screamed to leave him alone.
I'm not sure what to do from here. I called my godmother and she left about thirty minutes ago. She managed to calm him down with some herbs.
Do you guys have any advice or tips on how I can help him? Please please help me. Thank you
2024.06.10 04:58 Stage-Piercing727 Best Flying Orb Balls
 | submitted by Stage-Piercing727 to u/Stage-Piercing727 [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/bxwf6i9vsn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c4613fa14f97b540bb3333ebca71461ea6c7bb7 Discover the fascinating world of Flying Orb Balls! These hovering wonders will keep you and your family entertained for hours on end. In this roundup, we'll showcase a variety of these captivating toys, explore their features and benefits, and highlight our top picks. Get ready to be amazed! The Top 19 Best Flying Orb Balls
Reviews🔗Flying Orb Ball Toy for Indoor and Outdoor Funhttps://preview.redd.it/g4banprvsn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c152cea57d02ad874f2edf86ee8613dc6c6760dd I recently got my hands on the SVJJ 2023 Flying Orb Ball Toy, and I must say, it's been a delightful addition to my collection of indoor games. The day it arrived, I couldn't wait to give it a shot. It's such a unique twist on the classic boomerang fly spinners we know and love. The first thing that caught my eye was how easy it was to operate. Even though I'm not a tech-savvy person, I had no trouble flying this orb around. It's light as a feather and moves smoothly, making it perfect for indoor play. Plus, it's designed with safety in mind, which is great if you've got little ones running around. However, one thing I noticed was that this toy doesn't handle windy conditions very well. It tends to get a bit unstable in windy environments, so it's better suited for indoor play or calm outdoor settings. All in all, I'd highly recommend the SVJJ 2023 Flying Orb Ball Toy. It's a fun and interactive gadget that keeps everyone entertained, whether you're playing alone or with friends and family. And who knows? Maybe it'll inspire some creative play as well! 🔗Soaring Hover Pro Boomerang Spinner Ball Toyhttps://preview.redd.it/uo32pq9wsn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6e3eeadf2d0d0fed5608f6764b30644da1468de As a tech enthusiast, I was excited to try out the mini drone hover orb globes from Tikduck. The vibrant color and unique un-enclosed structure definitely caught my eye, and I was eager to see what kind of fun and games I could get out of these spinning orbs. One of the highlights of my experience was the level of control I had with the orbs. I was able to execute different stunts and even compete with others to develop the best stunts and tricks. This is definitely a fun toy for kids and adults who enjoy a good challenge. However, there were several downsides to this product. The quality of the orbs was a major concern for me. Many users reported that their orbs stopped working after just a few uses, and others even experienced issues with the lights not functioning properly. Additionally, the shipping times for this product were quite lengthy, with many customers reporting that their orders took weeks or even months to arrive. Overall, while I appreciate the novelty of the Tikduck Flying Orb Ball, I wouldn't recommend this product due to its poor quality and long shipping times. There are certainly better options out there for toy enthusiasts who are looking for a fun and engaging toy. 🔗Upgraded Flying Ball Orb Toyhttps://preview.redd.it/g619eznwsn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=538149d91c0cdaebdd1efaba65bccdd068b7f3ad As an avid fan of gadgets and tech toys, I couldn't resist trying out the DPTOYZ Flying Orb Ball. It's everything you'd expect from a high-tech toy, but in a surprisingly compact and lightweight package. The moment I powered it up, the first thing that caught my eye was the stunning RGB lights that make the orb look like a small celestial body floating in the air. Its responsiveness to hand gestures is impressive too, and the hovering, sliding, and spinning capabilities based on the throttle make it so much fun to play with. Not just fun, it’s also incredibly durable. The sturdy design not only keeps the internal parts safe but also ensures the eyes and skin of children are protected from potential harm with its enclosed propellers. Its robust nature extends to its collision system too, making it ideal for any environment, be it indoors, outdoors, parties, or school playgrounds. One of its unique selling points is its multifaceted benefits. Not only does it provide endless fun, but it also helps improve children's hands-on abilities, intelligence, and creativity, giving them a hands-on chance to learn physics and develop spatial awareness. And for us adults, it's a stress-buster, perfect for taking a break to enjoy outdoor fun with our kids. Lastly, its portable nature and quick charging feature via USB (just 25 minutes) make it a delightful accessory to carry around. Plus, the user-friendly boomerang flight control makes it ideal for kids aged 6+. However, I did face one small issue. The toy's noise can be a bit distracting in some settings. Nonetheless, the overall experience has been fantastic, and I find myself reaching for this fun Flying Orb Ball more often than I anticipated. 🔗Flying Orb Ball for Endless Tricks and Funhttps://preview.redd.it/pkydin4xsn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b7bf7a02ba909aa4f28461f93455949967b3e5a6 Imagine unboxing a blue, small Flying Orb Ball. Oh, how thrilled I was to see the spherical design, reminiscent of a miniature flying saucer. Thanks to its powerful engine, this orb can hover and perform stunning tricks effortlessly. I've had so much fun just spinning it, watching it perform endless spins, and playing with it like it's my personal flying helper. Its design is based on aviation flight principles and boasts a variety of flight modes, which makes it an excellent choice for both indoor and outdoor fun. Not to forget, its high-precision sensors ensure a safe and enjoyable playtime for kids. It's one of the trendy toys I wish I'd discovered when I was younger, but I'm still having a blast being a big kid with it today. However, I've encountered one minor issue. During my playing spree, the ball didn't always fly in sync with my movements, like it needed a little more time to sync up. I'd hope for a slightly smoother response in future models. But aside from that, I'd say the Flying Orb Ball has been a joy to play with and would make an excellent gift for any adventurous kid. 🔗Colorful LED Flying Orb Ball Toyhttps://preview.redd.it/d3knqdjxsn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d249e8e10ea6df11f5b40bd76b6704e5fb82009 As an enthusiast of gadgets and gizmos, I recently stumbled upon this incredible flying orb ball that has quickly become my go-to for entertainment. This high-tech hand-controlled drone is not only visually striking with its cool RGB light, but it's also incredibly intelligent in its flight patterns. Tilt it back and throw it out, or release it horizontally for levitation - the possibilities for play are endless! One of the most incredible things about this orb is its durability. Made from high-quality, flexible materials, it's perfectly safe for my kids to play with. Plus, it's lightweight and portable, making it easy to bring along wherever I go. And when the fun is over, charging it is a breeze - just plug it into my computer or power adapter for about 20 minutes and I'm good to go for another 8-10 hours of playtime. The flying orb also offers countless benefits, from improving hand-eye coordination and creativity in children, to reducing stress and promoting social interaction in adults. It's the perfect gift for anyone, from my little one to my tech-savvy friends. However, I have to admit that sometimes it can be a bit unpredictable in its flight path. But that's part of the fun, right? Overall, I'd highly recommend this flying orb ball for anyone looking for a unique, immersive, and entertaining toy that's great for both indoor and outdoor play. It's definitely been a hit in our household! 🔗Flynova Pro Flying Ball Toy: Illuminate the Sky with Your Choiceshttps://preview.redd.it/lgmtpzyxsn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae57881a39bca9cf3ba59e39420a24cbd65941ae When I first got my hands on the Flynova Pro, I was honestly blown away by its unique features. The colorful LED lights instantly caught my eye, and it wasn't long before I was lighting up the night sky, changing colors as I pleased. But it's not all about aesthetics; the safety features are a godsend. The soft, light material and protective casing make handling this little ball a breeze, even for kids. I've had countless hours of fun, indoors and outdoors, whether it's with friends at a party or just unwinding at home. I also appreciate the rechargeable, portable design. The USB cable makes charging quick and easy, and the toy itself is lightweight and portable, perfect for travel or just tossing in my bag for a day trip. One little con might be the battery life. I've found that it drains a bit quicker than I'd like, but overall, the Flynova Pro has been a fantastic addition to my toy collection. Plus, it’s such a fun and unique gift idea, I can’t wait to surprise my friends with one of these. 🔗Flying Toy Ball with Magical Hand Controlhttps://preview.redd.it/t728p9cysn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7e0f6e3f0f49337dc179a06ec7e0f8211ce6762 As a mom of three kids, I know how important it is to find toys that are not only fun but also educational and safe. That's why I was thrilled to discover the Hoverball, a flying toy orb that offers hours of entertainment for my little ones. The first thing that caught my eye was its sleek design, with an aerodynamic enclosed orb that allows it to float effortlessly through the air. It's truly magical watching the Hoverball take flight, then hover back to your hand like it's a living creature. This not only keeps my kids enthralled, but also helps improve their hand-eye coordination and encourages physical activity. One issue we did encounter was the battery life. While the charge time is fairly short, the run time isn't quite as impressive (think minutes rather than hours). However, my kids didn't seem to mind and still enjoyed playing with it. Additionally, the Hoverball is incredibly durable, with a caged orb design that protects it from bumps, falls, drops, and even collisions. In conclusion, the Hoverball is a unique and fun toy that's perfect for keeping kids entertained and active. While there are some minor drawbacks like battery life and lack of control, the overall experience has been overwhelmingly positive for my family. 🔗Hover Orb Boomerang Spinner Drone with LEDhttps://preview.redd.it/4hy5jjtysn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7cfc203930fbe5c3de2c46998af4d69dd974e88a As a toy enthusiast, I've had the chance to try some exciting new gadgets, including the Flying Orb Ball. This toy is the perfect blend of fun and learning, providing hours of entertainment while helping kids understand basic physics concepts. The highlight of this toy is its hand-controlled design. With a flick of your wrist, the orb takes flight, spinning gracefully in the air before returning to your hand like a boomerang. The control is intuitive and responsive, making it easy for anyone to master within minutes. Plus, the built-in LED lights give the orb a magical glow that's sure to captivate both children and adults alike. Another aspect I appreciated about the Flying Orb Ball is its durability. Despite several crashes, it always bounces back without any damage. The propellers are well protected, ensuring that no fingers get caught in the spinning blades. And when it needs charging, the USB cable provides quick and easy recharging, extending the playtime significantly. However, there are a few cons worth mentioning. The charging process can be somewhat temperamental; sometimes the orb doesn't charge even when plugged in. Additionally, while it's designed for indoor and outdoor use, windy conditions can make controlling the orb more difficult. Overall, the Flying Orb Ball is a unique and engaging toy that brings together fun and learning in a way that appeals to people of all ages. Its hand-controlled design, durability, and LED lights make it a standout in the world of toy drones. 🔗360° Rotating Flying Ball Toy with Built-in LED Lightshttps://preview.redd.it/8qolw8gzsn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=edfafc5ca628f434c2176254aee561f2219ba949 I've been using the Flying Orb Ball in my daily life and it's quite the experience! This responsive drone ball toy is perfect for hours of fun, whether indoors or outdoors. The AI-chip control helps the orb fly back towards you when your hands approach it, making it a really fun and interactive toy. Its 360-degree rotating soaring ability adds to its charm. The best part about this orb is the ease with which it can be controlled. The trick is to throw it at a 30-degree angle and watch it spin back to you as if it were a boomerang. It's safe to use too, as it stops automatically when it hits any object in its path. However, the battery life isn't the best. You only get about 8-10 minutes of playtime after charging it for 25 minutes. But on the positive side, it's rechargeable and portable, making it easy to carry around wherever you go. The Flying Orb Ball is a perfect gift for people of all ages, not only for its fun factor but also for helping kids stay away from screens and engage in more outdoor activities. It's a great addition to the roundup of flying toys! While it's not perfect due to its battery life, its fun, interactive features more than make up for it. 🔗Infrared Controlled Cyber Flyer Orb Ballhttps://preview.redd.it/kala38xzsn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7cd394bbead5da5c75836ec4d48780a5e793d10f As a tech enthusiast who loves gadgets that make my daily life more fun and entertaining, I recently got my hands on the Flipo Cyber Flyer Infrared Controlled Technology Flying Ball Globe. This little flying orb has been a hit with both adults and kids in my family. What really stood out to me about this product was its smart design. The Cyber Flyer is not only easy to use, but it also includes a safety feature that automatically starts and stops the toy. This made it perfect for my younger siblings who were eager to try it out. On the flip side, while I appreciate the simplicity of using my hand to control the flight path of the flyer, I must admit that the battery life could be better. It's a bit inconvenient to have to charge the flyer for 30 minutes just to get 7 minutes of playtime. Overall, the Flipo Cyber Flyer Infrared Controlled Technology Flying Ball Globe is a unique toy that brings joy to everyone who tries it. Its infrared technology, coupled with the vibrant LED lights, make for an exciting experience indoors. However, be prepared to deal with short battery life and potentially flimsy construction. 🔗Hand Controlled Flying Ball Toy - Bluehttps://preview.redd.it/hkiu63f0tn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d00320dc90c3c6e7013c521b443d935723fc88ff As a mom of three energetic kids, I'm always on the lookout for toys that are fun, engaging, and promote active play. The Hoverball, a flying orb that magically returns to your hand with a gentle toss, has been a hit in our house. The first time we took it out to the beach, my kids spent hours tossing it around, laughing as it zoomed up and down the shoreline. One of the things I love about the Hoverball is its durability. The enclosed orb design not only looks cool but also protects it from those inevitable bumps and scrapes that come with rough play. Plus, the hovering effect it creates when you release it into the air is truly mesmerizing - like watching a tiny hovercraft floating across the room! However, there are a few drawbacks to note. The battery life could be better, especially if you have overly enthusiastic children who want to play with it non-stop. And while the color options were appealing at first, I wish there was a more straightforward way to control exactly where the hoverball goes. All in all, the Hoverball is a unique and entertaining toy for kids and adults alike. Just be prepared to replace the batteries frequently and don't get too disappointed if it doesn't always hover back right where you aim. Still, I'd say it's definitely worth checking out for an afternoon of fun in the sun! 🔗Glowing Hand-Controlled Flying Orb Ballhttps://preview.redd.it/bfsw6wg1tn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4668e07860a88e3670e931cfc1ce1dbcc8190e00 I've been using this HIJPS Flying Orb Ball and it's been quite a unique and exciting addition to my toy collection. It's a hand-controlled drone ball that spins and flies in the air, creating a cosmic globe effect, perfect for both fun and skill-building activities. One highlight is its colorful RGB light, which makes it look even cooler, especially when played with at night. I also love the dense mesh and full coverage design, making it safe and durable - even after countless crashes. Plus, the intelligent protection feature ensures that the hidden propellers never harm anyone during playtime. As for charging, the USB rechargeable feature is super convenient, taking just 25 minutes for a full charge. I found that using it responsibly and following the user manual guidelines ensures a smooth and enjoyable experience. Overall, the HIJPS Flying Orb Ball has been an excellent toy for improving not only my hands-on abilities, but also my intelligence and creativity. 🔗Hands-free LED Flying Orb Ball Toy with Boomerang Effecthttps://preview.redd.it/z5usodk2tn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87081eca23804fa88a2a18cd0678cd020b6ba344 Ah, the Zummy FS1161BL Hand Operated Flying LED Orb Ball Toy with Boomerang Effect - quite a mouthful, isn't it? But don't let that deter you. This little device is bound to bring hours of fun for both indoors and outdoors. Now, I've had my fair share of experiences with this toy. There's just something quite satisfying about throwing it up and watching it boomerang back to you. Not to mention, the craftsmanship is quite impressive. Made from high-grade ABS material, it's lightweight yet robust enough to withstand a good few crashes. However, my experience with the Zummy FS1161BL has also had its hiccups. The first time I took it outdoors, it was a gusty day and before I knew it, the orb was soaring high into the sky, never to be seen again. I guess I should have stuck to indoor play. And then there's the battery life. While it charges quite quickly, the 8-10 minutes of flying time seems to be gone in a blink of an eye. It's almost as if it were teasing me, saying 'Just a little bit more, you know you want to. . ' But despite these minor hiccups, I can't help but recommend the Zummy FS1161BL. It's a fun way to spend an afternoon and a great bonding activity for families. Just remember to keep it indoors, especially on windy days! 🔗Upgraded Galaxy Ball Toy: Indoor & Outdoor Funhttps://preview.redd.it/glhpp1b3tn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca452ea6e81a78d9996f2277c90d3eac1c9f6c7e After a long day of hustle and bustle, I find solace in a bit of relaxation and play. Recently, I came across this intriguing toy called the "Ciniffo Fly Spinner. " It's essentially a fun, flying orb that can perform multiple tricks, making it the perfect companion for a fun and engaging evening. What really piqued my interest was how effortlessly it integrates into both indoor and outdoor settings. Whether it's a sunny day in the park or a cozy night indoors, it keeps you or your children entertained for hours. The best part? The controls are incredibly intuitive, making it easy for anyone of any age to dive in right away. However, there are a few things that caught my attention in a not-so-positive way. The battery life, though decent, could be better. Also, it sometimes struggles to maintain consistent flight trajectories, especially in windy conditions. All things considered, the Ciniffo Fly Spinner is an impressive toy. It's not only fun but also encourages physical play and fosters a sense of curiosity. Its versatility and ease of use make it a great addition to anyone's toolkit of entertainment, making it a perfect gift for birthdays, holidays, or just an afternoon surprise. Buyer's GuideNone https://preview.redd.it/qeo9m9r4tn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb5543fbd18eb43e60eab3163f1e649c79210d71 FAQWhat are Flying Orb Balls?Flying Orb Balls are remote-controlled, spinning orbs that hover and move through the air. They are designed for entertainment and can be controlled using a handheld remote or an app on your smartphone or tablet. https://preview.redd.it/2j3cted5tn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=650dcd0c475446a32153534f7e9b5f6108d83694 How do Flying Orb Balls work?Flying Orb Balls operate on the principle of aerodynamics, utilizing internal fans and a lightweight design that helps them maintain altitude and move smoothly without falling to the ground. The remote control or app allows you to control the altitude, direction, and speed of the orb.Are Flying Orb Balls safe for indoor use?Yes, most Flying Orb Balls are designed with safety in mind, featuring soft, cushioned exteriors that prevent them from causing injury or damaging objects when they collide. However, it is recommended to keep a safe distance from people and fragile objects while operating the orb to avoid any accidents. https://preview.redd.it/tzcemby5tn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=745a462f13cea2bd2001d8f490aa7c01dc8a233e How long do the batteries last in Flying Orb Balls?Battery life varies depending on the model and brand, but generally, Flying Orb Balls can provide around 6-10 minutes of continuous flight time on a single charge. Some higher-end models may offer longer battery life, up to 15 minutes or more.How do I charge my Flying Orb Ball?Charging methods depend on the model and brand, but most Flying Orb Balls come with a charging cable, which can be connected to a USB port for charging. Simply plug the cable into the charging port on the orb and connect the other end to a USB power source. The charging process can take up to 40-60 minutes, depending on the battery capacity. https://preview.redd.it/ty5apej6tn5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c2302fc076a7ccf773936a80267bfc6aea7091b9 What age group are Flying Orb Balls suitable for?Flying Orb Balls are generally suitable for all ages, but children under the age of 12 should be supervised by an adult when playing with them. It's essential to follow the manufacturer's recommendations for age suitability, as some models may have small parts or features that could pose a choking hazard to young children.How far can Flying Orb Balls travel?The distance a Flying Orb Ball can travel varies depending on the model and brand. Some basic models may have a control range of up to 20-30 feet, while more advanced models can have a control range of up to 100 feet or more. It is essential to keep the remote or smartphone within the control range for proper operation.What is the typical price range for Flying Orb Balls?The prices of Flying Orb Balls can vary significantly depending on the model, brand, and features included. Basic models may cost around $20-$30, while more advanced ones with longer flight times, higher control ranges, and additional features like music sync or LED lights can cost up to $60-$100 or more.Can I perform tricks with a Flying Orb Ball?Yes, many Flying Orb Balls come with a range of features that allow you to perform various tricks and stunts. Some models may feature adjustable flight modes, allowing you to transition from beginner-friendly to more challenging maneuvers. Additionally, some orbs come with built-in sensors, enabling them to perform 360-degree flips and other advanced tricks at the touch of a button.How do I choose the right Flying Orb Ball for me?When selecting a Flying Orb Ball, consider factors such as battery life, control range, price range, brand reputation, and whether it includes any additional features you find appealing. Reading product reviews and watching videos of the orb in action can also help you determine if it aligns with your expectations and intended use. Always prioritize safety when choosing a Flying Orb Ball, especially if you plan to use it around children or pets.As an Amazon™ Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. |
2024.06.10 04:53 Fluffy-Tanuki Mace - Shield or No Shield, for mainly master strikes.
Started a new hardcore save after years of hiatus, and my very first one without using longswords (what can I say, Magdeburg longsword is a beauty).
Trying out the Bailiff's mace at the moment, since I really like its aesthetic, and the idea of bonking a fully armoured opponent unconscious is quite amusing. However, I am debating whether I should carry a shield or not (which is also a first for me, since longswords I used to wield are not compatible with shields).
If I may say so myself, I am pretty good at Master Strikes, but much much less proficient at doing combos. As such, my primary method is to wait for the opponent to act, counter the attack and follow up with a bonk to the noggin. Slow, but usually quite effective.
I've noticed that the animations for Master Strike differ greatly when carrying and not carrying a shield. A lot of the moves would include pushing the opponent back or around the back with the shield, or a poke through a gap (which is not ideal since I have low stab damage and not wielding a special warhammer such as Raven's Beak). Conversely, when not wielding a shield, I'd see more offensive counters, such as hitting them in the chin, tapping the wrist and side of the head, etc.
I don't have exact numbers, but so far it feels like if I don't carry a shield, the ripostes can dispose of enemies more quickly; however, if I miss a master strike/perfect block, my stamina gets drained extremely fast.
Any recommendations and advice would be greatly appreciated :)
submitted by Fluffy-Tanuki to kingdomcome [link] [comments]
Trying out the Bailiff's mace at the moment, since I really like its aesthetic, and the idea of bonking a fully armoured opponent unconscious is quite amusing. However, I am debating whether I should carry a shield or not (which is also a first for me, since longswords I used to wield are not compatible with shields).
If I may say so myself, I am pretty good at Master Strikes, but much much less proficient at doing combos. As such, my primary method is to wait for the opponent to act, counter the attack and follow up with a bonk to the noggin. Slow, but usually quite effective.
I've noticed that the animations for Master Strike differ greatly when carrying and not carrying a shield. A lot of the moves would include pushing the opponent back or around the back with the shield, or a poke through a gap (which is not ideal since I have low stab damage and not wielding a special warhammer such as Raven's Beak). Conversely, when not wielding a shield, I'd see more offensive counters, such as hitting them in the chin, tapping the wrist and side of the head, etc.
I don't have exact numbers, but so far it feels like if I don't carry a shield, the ripostes can dispose of enemies more quickly; however, if I miss a master strike/perfect block, my stamina gets drained extremely fast.
Any recommendations and advice would be greatly appreciated :)
2024.06.10 04:42 Jus512 I started last year with fighting games - I'm Diamond 4 now here are my tips that actually work
- Don't listen to people who have been playing fighting games for 20-30 years. They may seem detached from the reality of what newcomers experience. It's basically a "git gud" mentality. They may not even understand that some newcomers simply can't time crouching lights into specials yet.
- Learn classic controls. You won't feel the same sense of accomplishment with modern controls. Once your success rate with inputs goes up, it will feel even better because you'll notice how much you're improving. Classic controls also discourage button mashing.
- Turn button release input (negative edge) on in the controller settings. It generally helps with inputs, but it can also make you accidentally buffer super moves, which can be a problem. However, negative edge also discourages button mashing, which is good! I struggled heavily in Platinum until I turned this on.
- If you're serious about getting better, consider different controllers. Arcade sticks aren't for everyone. They can feel slow, clumsy, and cause wrist fatigue. Try a leverless (Hitbox) controller instead! They can make inputs easier and have many shortcuts you can learn. However, using a PS or Xbox controller is also a great choice since most of you already have them! I also recommend checking out the Betop Fighting Gamepad – it's super cheap and the d-pad is amazing!
- Learning drive rush canceling into combos is important! Learn 3-4 combos! That's all you really need at the beginning. Just make sure you know one combo that you can cancel into a level 3 super.
- Learn how to anti-air. An opponent who hits you with a jumping heavy in round 1 can take a third of your health because they'll likely combo you. Round 2 is even worse since they usually have access to their level 3 super by then.
- Try to unlearn Drive Impact spam as early as possible. I understand that at lower ranks, more people get hit by it, and it gives you two seconds to plan your next move while damaging your opponent. However, it's a terrible habit to rely on as you climb the ranks, and it will ultimately cause you to lose matches.
- Getting angry is the worst thing you can feel while playing. I've broken my fair share of controllers in frustration. All I can say is, if you're losing constantly, take a break and ask yourself when you last had fun playing. Even a 15-minute break can do wonders.
- Don't just stick to one character just because you've gotten good with them. You never know if you might do better with another character! Fundamentals transfer over even when switching to a new character.
- And for my final tip, watch the FGC (Fighting Game Community) and other pros play. You'll learn so much faster than just waiting for yourself to improve on your own.
2024.06.10 03:59 Anchor_Aways [Shayna Baszler responding to a remark about tattoos] “None are champions…” except we’ve all been champions. Strange (STUPID) thing to say in a division ruled for over a year by Rhea Ripley. Kindly, eat a bag of d*cks.
submitted by Anchor_Aways to SquaredCircle [link] [comments]
2024.06.10 03:53 Joppapi Asking for ride to gas station scam?
So I was with my parents eating at a packed restaurant and we start walking out, but we took separate cars and my mom decides to go to the restroom and I tell my dad I’m gonna go ahead and leave.
On the way out I see a white woman with a throat tattoo and a black man. They must have asked to get seated and walked out. I hold the door open for them and silence so I’m already thinking well these people probably aren’t that nice. Walking to my car and I parked on the side away from most cars and I hear a “hello” from the woman. I turn around and she says that there’s a gas station near by and needs a ride because they told her its a 45 minute wait and that she is hungry and that she had just gotten off a flight here. Yeah there is an airport like 5 minutes away, but why is she going to a pretty expensive medium end restaurant right after a flight.
I said I’m going the opposite direction and she asks “is there a gas station over there” and I said yeah, but my gut told me to not help so I said I’m waiting for my parents, which I wasn’t. She then says “oh sorry I thought you were alone” and that really struck a yeah definitely not gonna help them cord in my brain and gut for some reason.
I was just hesitant because she kept talking like she was alone and kept using ‘I’ when I knew she was with the guy. I see my parents finally walking out so I take the moment to say no and walk towards them back towards the restaurant and just tell them the situation, but they also said that sounds weird. I turn around and see the man meet up with her again and they walk towards a really close nearby motel and walk back to my car and drive off. Was this a scam or was I being paranoid? Idk I felt like if I said yes she would have said can her friend come along and sort of guilt me into it and who knows what they might have done maybe idk
submitted by Joppapi to Scams [link] [comments]
On the way out I see a white woman with a throat tattoo and a black man. They must have asked to get seated and walked out. I hold the door open for them and silence so I’m already thinking well these people probably aren’t that nice. Walking to my car and I parked on the side away from most cars and I hear a “hello” from the woman. I turn around and she says that there’s a gas station near by and needs a ride because they told her its a 45 minute wait and that she is hungry and that she had just gotten off a flight here. Yeah there is an airport like 5 minutes away, but why is she going to a pretty expensive medium end restaurant right after a flight.
I said I’m going the opposite direction and she asks “is there a gas station over there” and I said yeah, but my gut told me to not help so I said I’m waiting for my parents, which I wasn’t. She then says “oh sorry I thought you were alone” and that really struck a yeah definitely not gonna help them cord in my brain and gut for some reason.
I was just hesitant because she kept talking like she was alone and kept using ‘I’ when I knew she was with the guy. I see my parents finally walking out so I take the moment to say no and walk towards them back towards the restaurant and just tell them the situation, but they also said that sounds weird. I turn around and see the man meet up with her again and they walk towards a really close nearby motel and walk back to my car and drive off. Was this a scam or was I being paranoid? Idk I felt like if I said yes she would have said can her friend come along and sort of guilt me into it and who knows what they might have done maybe idk
2024.06.10 03:51 Present-Builder-8567 Ex GF moved on after a week.
Hey guys, writing this feeling number than ever. In past relationships i have had very traumatising experiences. E.g. Gf of one year got caught cheating in my house i broke up with her and proceeded to cut her wrists in my bathroom and i found her lying on the floor( she lived) and that was my 2nd relationship. In my first relationship i got groomed as she was 5 years older than me and we lived together, i was 15 she was 20 (i left my home, too much abuse), she also cheated on me twice. Now on my last relationship. She knew all my traumas and what i've been through. We were together for a year, and for the first time i was happy in a relationship, i wanted to marry her. She met my siblings and parents (things are better at home now). I had become very paranoid as i grew more attached to her. I would suspect her every move and action. We broke up after a lot of months of fighting from morning to night (some fights my fault some hers). We kept on seeing each other and being exclusive. Since we broke up she would always yap about her taking at least a year off without dating, after things would be completely over between us. I believed it. She would say that she despises other men and that she finds everyone ugly etc. We cut off things completely. One week later she hooks up with her ex at a club, proceeds to bring him home and have sex with him. I had a gut feeling, we talked, she admitted and said she felt ready while being stone cold with me,but a week prior she was crying because she would never see me again. Consider this is the woman that i wanted to be the mother of my children. This happened an hour ago and im speechless. I was crying and having mental breakdowns this past week and now it all stopped. I feel numb. How after all these relationship traumas, plus the childhood abuse at home, will i be able to remotely trust a person again? How do i cope with this? How do i even live anymore? I am completely lost. I havent even mentioned the experiences that made me unablento trust theres like 50+ times my trust was broken in a relationship, romantic or not. Im venting a lot but what the f**k is this life? Call me dumb for believing her saying she would stay celibate for at least a year. Help, please.
submitted by Present-Builder-8567 to BreakUps [link] [comments]
2024.06.10 03:46 MysticSparkleWings Light Discussion Question about Season 4 Episode 9:
Possible Spoiler for the very end of the episode, but the question alluded to in the title:
Do you think Fran really had her tattoo removed?
Just caught this episode on TV tonight and I've wondered about this for a while. Earlier in the episode, Fran says the only thing she's getting off her back is her mother—Implying she has no desire to actually remove the tattoo, she just wants her mother to think she did/is going to.
But then, of course, at the end of the episode, Fran has the inflatable donut to sit on and makes a few comments that sound like she did actually get the tattoo removed after all.
When I first saw the episode when I was a lot younger, I just assumed Fran was putting on an act for her mother as she implied earlier in the episode, but as I've gotten older I'm thinking at least the writer's intention was that Fran did in fact really get the tattoo removed and teenage me just assumed the naturally more teenager-y way to handle the situation.
I am curious though: Does or did anyone else think Fran was still just acting for her mother's sake? Or did you know/agree from the beginning that she really did get the tattoo removed in the end?
submitted by MysticSparkleWings to TheNanny [link] [comments]
Do you think Fran really had her tattoo removed?
Just caught this episode on TV tonight and I've wondered about this for a while. Earlier in the episode, Fran says the only thing she's getting off her back is her mother—Implying she has no desire to actually remove the tattoo, she just wants her mother to think she did/is going to.
But then, of course, at the end of the episode, Fran has the inflatable donut to sit on and makes a few comments that sound like she did actually get the tattoo removed after all.
When I first saw the episode when I was a lot younger, I just assumed Fran was putting on an act for her mother as she implied earlier in the episode, but as I've gotten older I'm thinking at least the writer's intention was that Fran did in fact really get the tattoo removed and teenage me just assumed the naturally more teenager-y way to handle the situation.
I am curious though: Does or did anyone else think Fran was still just acting for her mother's sake? Or did you know/agree from the beginning that she really did get the tattoo removed in the end?
2024.06.10 03:44 Sad_Yogurtcloset_694 my codependent bestie roommates with an addiction and an untreated personality disorder tried to ruin my life
okay so this might be long because i want to provide as much detail as possible so you can get the full picture. i (23NB) have lived in this NYC apartment for 4 years, and lived with one of my roommates (24F) (will be referred to as “A”) for the entirety of the time i’ve been in the city, which is 6 years. we were assigned roommates in college and just kept living together because at the time we were good friends and it worked! we had rotating 3rd roommates throughout the years and dealt with a lot of crazy shit together, including a violent roommate, but that’s a story for a different day. so this roommate and i had been having some issues for the past couple of years because she got addicted to ketamine. i felt responsible for her because it started out as us using recreationally together but she spiraled out of control with it and honestly the entire situation was just a lot on me. throughout her addiction she was doing, at one point, 16 grams in 3 days, so i was really worried that she would die, not to mention she doesn’t really test her drugs and was getting it from a neighborhood that’s notorious for fentanyl. it honestly became my full time job to take care of her, but at the end of the day I was just trying to be a good friend. after some therapy/self work, i now realize how enabling the role I was playing actually was, but it was just the position that I was put in and I had also never dealt with something like this before. I feel like for further context, i should add that A’s parents pay her rent and for a lot of things for her. she had a part time job at the time and was also in school but left due to her addiction. the situation that i am in is very different, my family does not support me financially and i pay for everything for myself and have made my way pretty much on my own. i’m pretty established in my neighborhood because I am a tattoo artist at a local shop and also have worked for 3 other businesses within the same few blocks. i also consistently have multiple jobs at once, now i have 3, and for a long time I was working 6 days a week. not really relevant to the situation but needless to say, i already have a LOT on my plate. anyways, so yeah. for about almost 2 years, i was dealing with my roommates addiction. i watched her overdose and throw up on herself 5-7 times, she projectile vomited all over the house, i have dragged her out of a pool of her own vomit, she would consistently lie to me about whether she was high or had bought ketamine, and our other friends and i would go through her room to make sure she wasn’t hiding it countless times, (to no avail obviously, she would always lie and say she didn’t have any more when she did, hidden in hard to find places.) it affected everyone in our friend group and in her life. but especially me because i was really the only person who was physically present for it all. i tried talking to her about it at first, and was very understanding and patient with her and genuinely was doing my best to help because she was my friend, we were really close, and I didn’t want to see her die or ruin her life. she also expected me to say something to her and would tell me that i should say something if i thought she was high. she would say this when she was sober and it started off an an “accountability partner” thing, but eventually became very codependent and unhealthy. even when i would ask her, she would lie. i made it very clear from the beginning that all of this was damaging our relationship, but i was still doing my best to be her friend and be there for her. at one point, i even took the drugs out of her room and hid them in mine to take to another friends house the next day to dispose of them, and she went into my room and found them. it reached a point where I made her call her parents and tell them what had been going on. calling her parents had honestly been in discussion for a while, and the sober version of her agreed that it needed to happen. she got a slap on the wrist and sent to the mental hospital for a few days, she even convinced them to let her out early! her parents also weren’t really involved in her care at all after because she has never been disciplined in her life, her parents think she can do no wrong. she relapsed soon after she got out and at this point, I started taking a lot more space for myself because I was mentally and emotionally drained and it was clear that all my efforts were in vain. this was after dealing with it for about a year. honestly, i should have definitely started planning on moving out around this point. the reasons I didn’t were the fact that i still considered A to be one of my best friends despite what we had gone through, all of my jobs are like a 5-10 minute walk away, and I also loved my room. i put a lot of time and effort into decorating it and I had also lived there for a long time and for a really great price, $850 for a huge room with a dishwasher, laundry in building, AND a rooftop i can smoke on outside my window with a view of a GREEN backyard with PLANTS. not some concrete bs. that’s UNHEARD OF in nyc. im also not really great with change, even if it’s for the best, and to be honest i was also naive and thought things would eventually go back to normal. this was a person that i previously trusted a lot, i didn’t think she would normally do these things to me. anyways, eventually she got sober and then my, at the time, best friend of 7 years from home, a state across the country, moved in. (22 F, let’s call her “B”) we met in high school and I was in the class above her. we only went to school together for a year before I graduated and moved to NYC, so for the past few years, our friendship had been over facetime/seeing eachother occasionally when I would come visit. B’s background is similar to mine, the state we’re from is very impoverished and we both left the religion we were raised as. another huge reason she moved here was so that she could start medically transitioning and get on estrogen. i was really excited for her and also wanted to support her in her transition, im also non binary and we come from a really transphobic state, so growing up queer in the south was like a huge part of our friendship, and when she moved in, she didn’t have a lot of gender affirming clothes, and i had a ton of clothes, so i gave her a bunch of mine, i sent her resources, lent her books/zines, point is i really was trying to support her, and before she moved in and even throughout us living together we would talk for hours about this stuff. also, normally, i would not feel the need to even mention the fact that someone is trans, but all of this is relevant to the story. i will also add that I know now to never live with friends! at the time, i thought it would be okay because I trusted her and we seemed to have good communication on roommate matters and i think we both had good intentions going into it. we would say things like “i don’t plan on moving out on bad terms” “we can communicate and respect eachothers boundaries!” etc. i also knew that she really wanted to move here because she had talked about it for years and she came and visited before she moved in. so yeah, things were great at first, but not for long. so I am someone who, like I said, am at work most of the time and when i come home from work I just want to relax and smoke weed and chill and if you know me in real life, you know that i’m not a very beefy person and it takes a lot to really make me upset, i’m generally chill about most things, honestly to my detriment. so the first signs of things starting to go south were when B started to say that I was ignoring her. this was confusing to me, as we hung out most days after I got off work, and she even had a job herself at the time, (she’s been fired twice in the past year and was unemployed on and off) so she wasn’t like completely trapped in the house all the time. I would try to inquire further and understand why she thought I was ignoring her, and reassure her that I’m listening. she started telling me that she needs a lot of reassurance, and i told her that I am happy to reassure her whenever needed! we talked it through and i genuinely started to put in a lot of effort into making sure i was being fully present during our time together and also making sure I was hanging out with her enough. this evolved into us having very extensive conversations for hours where she would bring up the fact that she still felt like i was ignoring her, and i would reassure that I was not purposefully ignoring her, im listening and really trying. and almost daily she would bring up a problem that she had with something that I said or did. she even at one point started tweeting about me, saying things like “do u even consider others?”. she also asked me to be on constant emotional monitoring for her, which i told her that i will not do that. i don’t really pick up on subtle social cues or “shade” and also it’s not my job to do that. if something upsets you, you can communicate with me about it instead of being passive aggressive or expecting me to be able to read your mind. plus, real friends don’t have to be responsible for every single emotion! at one point, she told me that she was mad at me because living together wasn’t living up the the idealized version of what she thought it would be. she would also guilt trip me like a LOT. she would be like “as a friend, you should be doing ____ for me” and her requests got more and more ridiculous as time went on, one of them being to basically force myself to start listening to a genre of music that i simply just don’t like or want to listen to during my own time, insinuating that i would be a bad friend if i didn’t like the same music as her. and to that, i tried to explain to her that we don’t have to like the same music in order to be friends and that i don’t care if she listens to music that i don’t particularly listen to on my own, although i am happy to listen to her recommendations, i am picky about the music I listen to. basically i felt like she was trying to find any stupid reason to say i was a bad friend. it started to really annoy me, because i already had a lot on my plate, and honestly i just didn’t have the bandwidth to be fully present all the time, especially after dealing with my other roommates addiction for so long. i needed space and time for myself really badly, and I felt like I was trying really hard to please her to no avail. all of this was incredibly exhausting to deal with. i tried to communicate this to B, but it never got through. during these very tedious conversations, B would say things that were extremely concerning, such as “You need to stop triggering me!!!” to which i responded, “okay let’s make a deal, i will be more mindful of your triggers if you work on managing them.” she would also constantly make accusations at me. for example, she accused me of laughing AT HER when i was not, and I was laughing at something completely unrelated. there were many other times that she accused me of doing and saying things that I never said or did. she would twist my words a lot, things i told her in confidence, and use them against me, adding an entire new meaning to what i was saying. and if i disagreed with her or got even a little defensive she would be like “You just pissed me off!!!!” i honestly felt like she was just picking on me and criticizing me at a lot of points, because I could literally breathe wrong and it would be an issue. i now realize that she actually just needs to create drama, but i didnt want to admit that at the time. again, during this time I was trying to be very calm during our conversations when trying to reassure her and explain myself, but internally I was very stressed out by all of this. at some point during all this, A relapsed. this was a disaster, B knew about the relapse and was lying to me about it. i was especially upset because the way A relapsed was she asked me to unlock the parental password on her phone so she could “update apps”, but instead she downloaded the app she uses to text her plug, so essentially she tricked me into enabling her relapse. i messaged her parents immediately and told them. at this point, i felt like it was expected of me to do that. of course, they basically did nothing for a while, it got really bad. A was basically not functioning at all. she would tell me that she didn’t care how she made me feel. our other friend came over and went through her room and babysat her to make sure she wouldn’t do ketamine but she pretended to go to sleep while he was literally crying next to her and she got up and did it right after he left. a lot of horrible things were said, i would express the fact that i hate that i can’t trust her, and she would scream back “i don’t want you to trust me!”, amongst many other awful things. we would hear loud snorting like every few minutes every single day, which was extremely stressful. she broke the stove because she was high, it was affecting the way she looked and her physical health, and at this point it was a safety concern for her and for B and I, because we did not want to be responsible if something happened to her and this was affecting us tremendously. eventually, B and I called her parents and told them a lot of details and begged them to send her to rehab, I had to send them a long text message being like super blunt about the fact that she needs to get professional help or she will die, and they were basically saying that ultimately it’s up to her, which was bullshit in my opinion, but she did end up going. during the time A was in rehab, things with B got progressively worse. a lot of weird and horrible things started happening, she berated me for like over an hour about one of my closest friendships, that she met once and got “bad vibes from”, i told her that I didn’t want to be put in a position where i have to defend my other friendships to her, especially ones that have nothing to do with her, and that this person is an extremely good friend to me, and that she didn’t have to be around her if she didn’t want to. i was asking her to stop but she wouldn’t! she was pulling bullshit reasons why i shouldn’t hang out with this person anymore out of her ass. for context, B drinks a lot, and she drank the night we all hung out while my other friend and i didn’t really drink. she was like “i actually HAD to drink that night because your friend was making me so uncomfortable!” which, that night was extremely normal and chill, nothing bad happened at all, also don’t blame me or anyone else for your own habits! she would pick fights almost daily. on halloween, we got drunk together with one of the people she was seeing at the time, and she ended up berating me in front of this person for ignoring her, not respecting her, etc and the person had to step in and tell her that she’s making pointed comments at me and not hearing me out, and that she was being horrible to me. (this is not the only time someone hung out with us together and then told her that she was being an asshole to me.) that night, she said a lot of hurtful things, such as “at least i don’t have a bunch of fake friendships!” (as if my friendship with her was the only “real friendship” i could have) and “you don’t have the lesbian experience you claim to have!!!!” (what does that even mean??? i’ve been lesbian since before we met lol) and she also falsely accused me of saying that being a lesbian is worse than being a trans woman, which i never said! i have never even thought that and that is not how i feel at all! at first i tried to explain everything using logic, but eventually i basically told her to stop projecting her insecurities onto me and to stop dragging me into her shit. she slammed the door in my face when we got home. we didn’t talk for like a month. during this month, i really needed some outside support, so i reached out to some trusted people to tell them what was going on and get some advice on what i should do/ how to handle the situation, and to get an outside perspective. honestly, that night was the straw that broke the camels back and sent me into a full mental breakdown from the stress of everything that had been going on in the house. i was like scream crying every single day for the entire month, unable to function at work, not thinking clearly at all. everyone in my life was telling me i should just move out asap. i think i was just extremely upset because I then realized that my relationships with both of them were not healthy, but i really cared about these people. i was extremely disappointed in how things were going, and i was also extremely worried about both of their wellbeings, i didn’t want anything to happen to them or to not have them in my life. and i was also upset that they had been being absolutely horrible to me and i was honestly just sick of being treated like shit by my roommates at this point. honestly i was an asshole when i would talk about it sometimes, but how was i supposed to be kind when everyone was being so cruel to me for no reason? i was honestly really mad, especially because B knew the stress of taking care of A, like why are you adding to the intense stress i already had just experienced?? during this time, i realized that all of this was happening because of B’s untreated BPD. to clarify, i do not care about people having bpd or other mental health disorders as long as you are not hurting other people, which, B was hurting me a lot and honestly our relationship was pretty destructive to my mental health. i also realized that these friendships were wildly codependent and unhealthy, and I needed to set boundaries. i can only take so much abuse!!! and i felt like a scapegoat for both of them and a crutch in the situation. although i still cared for these people, i knew that this was not sustainable long term. i could not handle the weight of A’s life on my back or the way I was being treated by either of them, or the fact that my home was not actually safe. at first, i was going to move out and take a break from the friendships, with the intention of hopefully rekindling when we were all in healthier places, but also the need to move out felt super urgent. the stress from this entire situation had leaked into every area of my life. i was doing poorly at work, every person in my life was telling me how i needed to get out asap because this shit was bad for my health and they had watched my mental health deteriorate because of it but i really didn’t want to move, i had lived there and known these people for so long. after chatting with other people who have bpd who are in therapy and live an emotionally healthy life, they told me that what really helps people with bpd is if you are honest with them and encourage them to seek treatment, as well as setting clear boundaries around their behavior. i was the closest person to her at the time, so i wanted to be honest with her and try to help, i wrote both of my roommates long text messages explaining how i felt and what my boundaries were moving forward. they did not take this well! they started justifying their behavior to eachother, and made me out to be the villain in the story. A told B that i told other people she had bpd, which i did do! but i did that because i needed support and advice, and I also couldn’t handle the horrible treatment i was receiving, the weight of all of this was extremely heavy. not because i was trying to “turn people against her”, as they were trying to make it seem like. this is a real life adult issue, not some petty sides picking bullshit, and i genuinely needed support because everything that was happening was making me feel insane and extremely stressed out. I even previously asked A not to say anything to B to make the situation worse and that at this point I just wanted to have conversations surrounding solution. B was upset that I told people what was going on and accused me of being manipulative. i honestly understand why she would be upset about that, it’s a very stigmatized disorder and it wasn’t really my place to share that information. i also told these people those things in confidence, i didn’t expect them to tell her i said anything to try to make the situation worse. and i also only told people that i trusted and honestly i just wanted help and support and an outside perspective and to express my feelings. after i sent the long text messages to my roommates, (i let B read hers in person so we could have open dialogue and A hers while she was in rehab so she could talk about it in therapy) (also i know that long text messages are not the best way to communicate and work through issues, im going to avoid doing that in the future) B’s response was basically something like, yeah i have bpd and yes I was projecting my shit onto you and lashing out at you, but I used to do way worse things to people. but thank you for typing this out and i’m gonna start going to therapy and working on it. she also said something like “well. friendships are through the good, the bad, and the ugly. sorry that you saw my ugly side!” like. okay. a real apology would be nice lol. in the days after this, i ended up having a huge mental crisis from all of the overwhelming stress and could not function properly, i had to go to the hospital. once i got back from the hospital, all I wanted to do was work on myself. i started creating distance from them and going back to therapy and al anon, and really started trying to pull my own shit together. i apologized for telling other people and said that I wouldn’t tell anyone again, and i didn’t. A’s sibling and i suggested that we go to family therapy so that we could have healthier relationships, A’s parents even offered to pay for it, but it never actually happened. things were kind of okay for the next few months. i wasn’t as close to either of them, but i was okay with that because I needed space and to be able to focus on myself. i talked about it a lot with a therapist, and i was essentially trying to maintain the friendships in a non codependent way. i honestly just kept to myself for a while and started taking a lot more alone time. forgot to mention, another reason they were mad at me was because I was going to move out on short notice (before i went to the hospital), but I also was going to find someone to fill the room to make the process less stressful for them, and i was vetting people to make sure they would be a good fit, and i wanted A and B to meet and approve of the person. i needed to get out of there as fast as possible, but i wanted to put effort into finding someone compatible with them. i already had a place to go lined up, but it fell through (the stress of trying to move also contributed to me going to the hospital and the situation i was going to go into seemed great at first but turned out to be a complete mess), and i also felt really guilty and horrible, so i ended up staying and trying to repair and maintain the relationships while also taking adequate alone time and upholding my boundaries. anyways, a few months pass, all i have been doing at this point is working on myself and going to work and coming home and chilling, there hasn’t really been much conflict besides the normal A being a passive aggressive asshole (which she always has been. looking back, i don’t even know how i was friends with someone like this) and B would still say disturbing things every once in a while, such as comparing me to past friendships that didn’t work out, and at one point she even flipped the narrative subtly to make it seem like i “had an outburst for no reason”. (when she is actually the person who had the outbursts towards me), and generally just blame shifting a lot in subtle ways, saying I was the one who “changed the dynamics of the house”, even though all I did was set boundaries and take time for myself, plus, the previous dynamic obviously was not working. but honestly i was just kind of ignoring it. at this point the dynamic has been A and B spending most of their time together, (they also have a codependent friendship) and me mostly keeping to myself, but hanging out occasionally and being cordial in the apartment. I was okay with that because I really just wanted alone time anyways, and I made it clear to them that I need time to work on myself, which i was doing a lot of, and B started therapy so I thought we were all just kind of working on ourselves at this point and trying to move forward. so one day, A and B go back to A’s home state together for a week, i was honestly a bit upset by this because we originally planned to all go together, we have all always gone together in the past, and honestly i thought things were chill now that everyone was in therapy, plus we had hung out on purpose occasionally. nope! once they got back, they told me I had to move out! i was extremely upset by this. honestly i was at my wits end with their bullshit, especially since A had continued to be an asshole to me even when i was still being kind and normal to her. honestly i am glad I had to move out, my life is going to get a lot better now that I don’t have them in it, but I was still just like. pissed because honestly my only objective this entire time has been to exist in my house and also I just felt like it was unfair especially considering the fact that they were the ones who were causing the issues, although I do recognize my part in them. i was codependent AF and trying to fix my friends, enabling horrible things to happen in my life to the point of going actually insane, i had extremely poor boundaries in the name of trying to be a good friend, and i should have left a long long time ago. but anyways, when they told me I had to move out, i basically said that I agreed and that I didn’t want to live with them anymore, i slammed my door and blocked them both on instagram, i also removed all of my personal belongings from the common areas. thankfully, my real friends were all there for me during this time and letting me crash on their couches. i didn’t really want to be in the apartment. within the next few days, i started getting harassed over text by their friends and unfollowed by people who were associated with them. they started going on a smear campaign against me! their friends started harassing me over text, saying “you need the mental hospital. stop pissing in glasses and stop speaking on trans people. seek the maximum amount of help possible” so basically, at this point, they’re basically telling people things that are blatantly untrue. i have never pissed in a glass before, in fact, i know B has pissed in cups in her room for her whole life (probably where she got the idea from) besides, pissing in cups isn’t a crime! also, at this point, i thought we had already talked out and worked through the me telling people about B’s BPD. so i messaged them and I was like. “can you guys please stop slandering me. this has been a traumatizing situation for all of us. honestly i would prefer for this to be as smooth as possible. i have not pissed in a glass and i have no idea what i even said about trans people that was offensive or hurtful” and they responded by saying “we have proof you were misgendering me and the shit we found out was before A’s relapse and before we had a fight”. so basically, while they were on vacation, they went LOOKING for things to use against me. A’s relapse was 8 months ago at this point, why are you digging stuff up from back then to use against me now?? i also have no idea when i misgendered her, and it was obviously a complete accident. i went through every message i sent in the past year that had anything to do with her and couldn’t find any misgendering. at this point, i did not inquire further because I was sick of having to defend myself to someone who is committed to misunderstanding me and also manipulating the situation to make me seem like a bad person. honestly, i don’t care much about the smear campaign, because most of those people i didn’t really like anyway, and the ones i did who believed them, i know now that they’re not my real friends. (even though it’s the same people saying that the way I was treated by A through her addiction was incredibly unfair to me, and asking why she is doing this to me. how dare I be actually affected?!) although the saying i’m transphobic thing is really frustrating, especially considering the fact that i literally invited you to come here SO THAT YOU COULD TRANSITION and the fact that I am also non binary. but also, how are you going to come into my home after I invited you to move in with me out of the kindness of my heart, start yelling at me and attacking me constantly and disrespecting my boundaries, kick me out of MY OWN HOUSE, and then smear my name, saying things that are blatantly untrue, to people i knew for years BEFORE YOU MOVED IN, who I INTRODUCED YOU TO ???? anyways, B went into my room while i was at work and took all of her artwork off my walls, which i don’t care about the artwork, but her going into my room made me really uncomfortable, so I installed a lock on my door until I could move out. B also ripped my mentor at the tattoo shop’s artwork off of the walls, stole it, and when i demanded it be returned it was returned to me vandalized. (she knows that my mentor wants the best for me and supports me in many areas of my life). so at this point, i’m being harassed and my items are being stolen. i had to get out of there asap, at this point it was a safety concern, it has honestly been a safety concern this entire time. so I ended up finding a place that’s the same amazing price and great quality in the area that’s still close to my jobs with people who are actually healthy and normal!!! and i moved out a month before I was supposed to because my mom and the rest of my support system agreed that it was not safe for me to stay another month, i didn’t tell them that I was moving early because I knew they would damage my things. It took me 2 days to move, and the night in between me moving, they stole my bike and put it out on the street. and A admitted that she did it out of spite because I moved early. so I stole some things back to get even and I also did not repaint or repair the room like I was supposed to, (i was going to originally before my bike was stolen) but I left her my deposit to cover the repainting etc. i also unfortunately dumped old protein shake on the floor out of pettiness and hatefulness. i am not normally like that but I was FUMING. that was definitely that angriest i have ever been in my life. i ended up paying the rent for the month I wasn’t there. But A still decided to message me on facebook, where I forgot to block her and send me an invoice with a bunch of “damages” to the apartment, demanding that I send her $1700 to get the entire floor replaced, new doors, etc. her numbers were ridiculous, it was a bunch of bullshit and I told her that i wasn’t paying it, to never contact me again, and blocked her. her parents pay her rent, it’s not about the money for her it’s about being a vindictive and entitled bully. plus, i really don’t owe her shit at this point. anyways, i have learned a lot of lessons from all this and am working on acknowledging my part in all of these issues and am going to start going to codependents anonymous to start rebuilding my life. obviously i have a lot to learn and work on within myself, and i was not perfect throughout this, even though my only intentions were to be there for my friends and exist in my own house. honestly i never want to see either of these people again! i hate them both so deeply for making my safe space unsafe, and for everything else they’ve done to me, including making my PTSD incredibly worse. and from now on I am going to leave friendships WHEN ITS TIME instead of dragging it out, and hopefully now I can choose better friends and have stronger boundaries, and in the future when tough situations arise i will be more equipped to respond in better ways. hopefully i never have to go through anything like this again!!
submitted by Sad_Yogurtcloset_694 to offmychest [link] [comments]
2024.06.10 03:31 Dry_Description_2936 my uncle and aunt broke my brother
Please help I need some advice as soon as possible. I'll be posting to a few different subs so I can get as much help as possible. Thank you
My (16) brother (M23) is an incredibly selfless person from a age he was the one protecting us from our drug and alcohol addicted parents on good days they'd just leave us alone which meant that my brother would be forced to take care of me and my eight siblings but on the bad days they'd find any reason to be mad and beat us, my brother would stand in front of the door way nake sure they would beat him instead of us. They'd use irons, bats anything to make us feel pain but my brother protecting us he would get the worse of it all, he still has a lot fo scars from it all but he has some tattoos that cover them up.
He never got any chance to have a childhood. And even now life hasn't gotten any easier, this last year has been crazy. He lost his best friend of ten years to a drug overdose, and only a month later we lost my little brothers both (M13), my cousin (F16) and my younger sister (F10) car accident a
All three of them ended up in a coma but eventually passed away one by one during this time my brother wouldn't leave their side, he never slept, didn't sleep or drink water. He'd only drink coffee and enegery drinks to stay awake.
And finally we lost our grandmother. She and my brother were always super close, and she passed away. After her passing things quickly went downhill from there. He couldn't sleep, he would've eat and I'm pretty sure he didn't take his meds that are meant to help him with his bipolar.
One day I came home from school and I found out that my brother tried to kill himself so he was sent to the psych ward.
We got to visit him while he was there but he wasn't like himself, he isn't really happy go lucky he can sometimes be like Wednesday Addams but he just looked so drained and dead inside. The nurse said that he had signs of burnout, a mental breakdown and psychosis.
He's been home for about a week now and there is no difference in his behaviour. He is still cold, distant and sometimes I catch him starring off into the distance. I can tell he feels very vulnerable position but he won't let any one of take care of him.
I'm gonna get to the point now today I came home from soccer practice to my uncle and aunt trying to get me to talk to my brother because they got into a fight. I don't wanna get into to much detail but it started over coffee and developed into them blaming him for the car accident.
When I went upstairs he was in a ball crying telling me he's sorry and that I shouldn't have to see him like this. When I bent down to try and comfort he moved from me quickly begging for me not to touch him saying that he doesn't want to hurt anyone and that he is tried of hurting people. I told that it was okay but before I could say more to comfort him he just screamed to leave him alone.
I'm not sure what to do from here. I called my godmother and she left about thirty minutes ago. She managed to calm him down with some herbs.
Do you guys have any advice or tips on how I can help him? Please please help me. Thank you
submitted by Dry_Description_2936 to Parentification [link] [comments]
My (16) brother (M23) is an incredibly selfless person from a age he was the one protecting us from our drug and alcohol addicted parents on good days they'd just leave us alone which meant that my brother would be forced to take care of me and my eight siblings but on the bad days they'd find any reason to be mad and beat us, my brother would stand in front of the door way nake sure they would beat him instead of us. They'd use irons, bats anything to make us feel pain but my brother protecting us he would get the worse of it all, he still has a lot fo scars from it all but he has some tattoos that cover them up.
He never got any chance to have a childhood. And even now life hasn't gotten any easier, this last year has been crazy. He lost his best friend of ten years to a drug overdose, and only a month later we lost my little brothers both (M13), my cousin (F16) and my younger sister (F10) car accident a
All three of them ended up in a coma but eventually passed away one by one during this time my brother wouldn't leave their side, he never slept, didn't sleep or drink water. He'd only drink coffee and enegery drinks to stay awake.
And finally we lost our grandmother. She and my brother were always super close, and she passed away. After her passing things quickly went downhill from there. He couldn't sleep, he would've eat and I'm pretty sure he didn't take his meds that are meant to help him with his bipolar.
One day I came home from school and I found out that my brother tried to kill himself so he was sent to the psych ward.
We got to visit him while he was there but he wasn't like himself, he isn't really happy go lucky he can sometimes be like Wednesday Addams but he just looked so drained and dead inside. The nurse said that he had signs of burnout, a mental breakdown and psychosis.
He's been home for about a week now and there is no difference in his behaviour. He is still cold, distant and sometimes I catch him starring off into the distance. I can tell he feels very vulnerable position but he won't let any one of take care of him.
I'm gonna get to the point now today I came home from soccer practice to my uncle and aunt trying to get me to talk to my brother because they got into a fight. I don't wanna get into to much detail but it started over coffee and developed into them blaming him for the car accident.
When I went upstairs he was in a ball crying telling me he's sorry and that I shouldn't have to see him like this. When I bent down to try and comfort he moved from me quickly begging for me not to touch him saying that he doesn't want to hurt anyone and that he is tried of hurting people. I told that it was okay but before I could say more to comfort him he just screamed to leave him alone.
I'm not sure what to do from here. I called my godmother and she left about thirty minutes ago. She managed to calm him down with some herbs.
Do you guys have any advice or tips on how I can help him? Please please help me. Thank you
2024.06.10 03:30 Dry_Description_2936 my uncle and aunt broke my brother
Please help I need some advice as soon as possible. I'll be posting to a few different subs so I can get as much help as possible. Thank you
My (16) brother (M23) is an incredibly selfless person from a age he was the one protecting us from our drug and alcohol addicted parents on good days they'd just leave us alone which meant that my brother would be forced to take care of me and my eight siblings but on the bad days they'd find any reason to be mad and beat us, my brother would stand in front of the door way nake sure they would beat him instead of us. They'd use irons, bats anything to make us feel pain but my brother protecting us he would get the worse of it all, he still has a lot fo scars from it all but he has some tattoos that cover them up.
He never got any chance to have a childhood. And even now life hasn't gotten any easier, this last year has been crazy. He lost his best friend of ten years to a drug overdose, and only a month later we lost my little brothers both (M13), my cousin (F16) and my younger sister (F10) car accident a
All three of them ended up in a coma but eventually passed away one by one during this time my brother wouldn't leave their side, he never slept, didn't sleep or drink water. He'd only drink coffee and enegery drinks to stay awake.
And finally we lost our grandmother. She and my brother were always super close, and she passed away. After her passing things quickly went downhill from there. He couldn't sleep, he would've eat and I'm pretty sure he didn't take his meds that are meant to help him with his bipolar.
One day I came home from school and I found out that my brother tried to kill himself so he was sent to the psych ward.
We got to visit him while he was there but he wasn't like himself, he isn't really happy go lucky he can sometimes be like Wednesday Addams but he just looked so drained and dead inside. The nurse said that he had signs of burnout, a mental breakdown and psychosis.
He's been home for about a week now and there is no difference in his behaviour. He is still cold, distant and sometimes I catch him starring off into the distance. I can tell he feels very vulnerable position but he won't let any one of take care of him.
I'm gonna get to the point now today I came home from soccer practice to my uncle and aunt trying to get me to talk to my brother because they got into a fight. I don't wanna get into to much detail but it started over coffee and developed into them blaming him for the car accident and they were shaming him over things they found in journal entries like how he hated raising us, how he wished he could live a normal life, how he struggling with self harm and a lot of different stuff.
When I went upstairs he was in a ball crying telling me he's sorry and that I shouldn't have to see him like this. When I bent down to try and comfort he moved from me quickly begging for me not to touch him saying that he doesn't want to hurt anyone and that he is tried of hurting people. I told that it was okay but before I could say more to comfort him he just screamed to leave him alone.
I'm not sure what to do from here. I called my godmother and she left about thirty minutes ago. She managed to calm him down with some herbs.
Do you guys have any advice or tips on how I can help him? Please please help me. Thank you
submitted by Dry_Description_2936 to TwoHotTakes [link] [comments]
My (16) brother (M23) is an incredibly selfless person from a age he was the one protecting us from our drug and alcohol addicted parents on good days they'd just leave us alone which meant that my brother would be forced to take care of me and my eight siblings but on the bad days they'd find any reason to be mad and beat us, my brother would stand in front of the door way nake sure they would beat him instead of us. They'd use irons, bats anything to make us feel pain but my brother protecting us he would get the worse of it all, he still has a lot fo scars from it all but he has some tattoos that cover them up.
He never got any chance to have a childhood. And even now life hasn't gotten any easier, this last year has been crazy. He lost his best friend of ten years to a drug overdose, and only a month later we lost my little brothers both (M13), my cousin (F16) and my younger sister (F10) car accident a
All three of them ended up in a coma but eventually passed away one by one during this time my brother wouldn't leave their side, he never slept, didn't sleep or drink water. He'd only drink coffee and enegery drinks to stay awake.
And finally we lost our grandmother. She and my brother were always super close, and she passed away. After her passing things quickly went downhill from there. He couldn't sleep, he would've eat and I'm pretty sure he didn't take his meds that are meant to help him with his bipolar.
One day I came home from school and I found out that my brother tried to kill himself so he was sent to the psych ward.
We got to visit him while he was there but he wasn't like himself, he isn't really happy go lucky he can sometimes be like Wednesday Addams but he just looked so drained and dead inside. The nurse said that he had signs of burnout, a mental breakdown and psychosis.
He's been home for about a week now and there is no difference in his behaviour. He is still cold, distant and sometimes I catch him starring off into the distance. I can tell he feels very vulnerable position but he won't let any one of take care of him.
I'm gonna get to the point now today I came home from soccer practice to my uncle and aunt trying to get me to talk to my brother because they got into a fight. I don't wanna get into to much detail but it started over coffee and developed into them blaming him for the car accident and they were shaming him over things they found in journal entries like how he hated raising us, how he wished he could live a normal life, how he struggling with self harm and a lot of different stuff.
When I went upstairs he was in a ball crying telling me he's sorry and that I shouldn't have to see him like this. When I bent down to try and comfort he moved from me quickly begging for me not to touch him saying that he doesn't want to hurt anyone and that he is tried of hurting people. I told that it was okay but before I could say more to comfort him he just screamed to leave him alone.
I'm not sure what to do from here. I called my godmother and she left about thirty minutes ago. She managed to calm him down with some herbs.
Do you guys have any advice or tips on how I can help him? Please please help me. Thank you
2024.06.10 03:02 maxdefolsch [Monogatari Short Stories] Hitagi Throwing
Hi ! This is one more post of a series whose aim is to share the Monogatari short stories that hadn't been translated into English yet. Except that one already was. Whatever.
Short stories masterpost here, updated regularly to show our progress with the translations.
Today is a re-translation of Hitagi Throwing (by Tigoris), a rather long short story, published in the Heroine Book #5: Senjougahara Hitagi. This one is among the most interesting short stories : it is about Suruga remembering her first meeting with Hitagi at the age of 12.
Once again, the previous translation was very old, and I wanted to make sure we had a better version for the short stories book.
As someone who has been devoted to Senjougahara Hitagi for some years now, it feels like a betrayal of some kind to say something like this, but when I first met her as a first-year in middle school, the impression that I had of her was not exactly a positive one.
To be more specific, one might say that it was a negative impression.
I thought, “Just who is this girl?”
If it’s okay to be a bit more informal, then my more exact thought was, “This girl’s bad news.” Now, I’d like you to cut me some slack here, because at the time I had only just graduated from elementary school, and I was, in appearance, personality, ability, and intellect, a brat of a meager 12 years of age.
However, I will also firmly say that Senjougahara-senpai was not entirely without fault of her own; in fact, let me emphasize that she was not without fault. After all, when she—the track-and-field club’s very own ace—came storming into the gym during basketball practice, it seemed like the start of a raid, and all of the basketball club members flinched. And she didn’t come alone. She brought along a large group of her followers, which was not limited to other track-and-field members and included students from not only the second- and third-year students, but there were even some first-year students mixed in. To an observer, it looked as if a feudal lord had descended upon the gymnasium along with his full retinue of retainers.
To put it another way, it’s like when Mitchi showed up in Slam Dunk.
She was smiling softly and had a gentle manner, but that only made her all the more intimidating, in part because her cronies had an unusual air about them.
“You’re Kanbaru-san, then? I’ve heard rumors that you’re quick on your feet—if it’s no bother, may I observe you?”
What is she, a noble lady?
That was what I wanted to say, but back then Senjougahara-senpai was like that—she was like a character taken straight from a shoujo novel.
It put a shiver down my spine to discover that this person really existed. And allow me to clarify that when I say “a shiver down my spine,” I don’t mean it in the good way—looking back on it now, it might be more accurate to say that I recoiled with shock.
I had an instinctive feeling that her request was strange.
And so was she.
To put it simply, that just about sums up my first impression of her—of course, Senjougahara-senpai was famous, so after I had enrolled in the school and even before I joined the basketball club, I had already heard her name a number of times.
She and Hanekawa-senpai were the two poster children for my school—to the point that we were told (by a teacher during the entrance ceremony) not to cross “those two” if we wanted to make it in the school (at the time I didn’t know which two the teacher was talking about, but, in retrospect, the warning was largely accurate).
However, as you know, I was a twelve-year-old who had, for various reasons, a rather extraordinary obsession with running fast—but because of those same reasons, I was unable to join the track and field club. Nevertheless, I took an interest in the ace of the track and field club, Senjougahara-senpai, and went to observe her running during that April, even though I had not become a trial member of the team.
I didn’t realize that it was possible for a person to run so beautifully.
It took my breath away.
My running form was not something that I had received coaching for—even now, I have not received any education in sprinting, so my running form is self-taught. Being self-taught is not a bad thing; it’s a perfectly acceptable running style, and I never had a complex about how I ran, but when I saw Senjougahara-senpai run on that day, the beauty of her form stood in stark contrast to the frantic flailing of my own form.
She displayed the final form of human running.
She was the idealized runner.
But I could not attempt to copy her—she was not like me, and I was not like her.
I was painfully aware of our differences.
I also remember thinking that the track uniforms were erotic, but that’s neither here nor there. I’d had no intention of joining the track club, as I said before, but after seeing her run, whatever lingering regrets I had were gone.
It blew me away.
To look at it another way, it was seeing Senjougahara-senpai run that day that made me into the basketball player that I am today—it was easy to forget what had caused me to become so passionately devoted to basketball, but I’ll save that discussion of “you never know what event will become a turning point in your life” for another time.
You could say that I’m not really a shy person, but when it came to Senjougahara-senpai, I made it my policy to actively avoid coming in contact with her, so for her to seek me out on her own was so surprising as to strike me dumb. Add in her whole “storybook princess” demeanor, and I turned into a stuttering, stumbling idiot—so, suffice to say, on the day that Senjougahara-senpai (and her retinue) observed my basketball practice, I was not exactly doing my best.
“May we speak, Kanbaru-san?”
After practice, Senjougahara-senpai approached me—and while I didn’t exactly feel enticed by her invitation, my heart skipped a beat regardless.
Looking at her up close, it was hard to believe that a girl with such mature features was only a year older than myself.
“You’re as fast as the rumors say—so how about it? Do you have any interest in transferring to the track club? Why not spend your youth in friendly competition with me?”
… She was an impressively bold headhunter. By the way, the basketball team captain (a third-year) was also there at the time as Senjougahara-senpai (a second-year) tried to steal me from the team, but the captain acted as if it were none of her business and didn’t interrupt.
Just what were you hoping to find by examining the ball that closely, captain?
You can turn it over as many times as you want; you’re not going to find a hole.
I was disappointed in the team captain, but setting that aside, I was happy to receive the invitation—no matter the situation or the way that it was said, I would always be happy to receive praise for the legs that I was so proud of. It made my heart dance to be acknowledged.
That simplicity still has not changed.
I’ve always been an idiot when it came to this.
That said, it still didn’t mean that I was so stupid as to blindly be scouted just because someone praised me. I’m an idiot who can think. So I politely, but firmly, declined her invitation while trying to hint that she had been a bit rude, but without being so blatant as to damage her reputation or be rude myself.
“Better luck next time.”
Huh?
What is this memory?
Who is this cheeky little brat? Oh, it’s me.
Was I at the age where I reacted to authority with petulance? Or was I afraid that if I didn’t reject her firmly, she would wear away my resolve and convince me to join the track club? Either way, maybe that wasn’t the exact phrasing that I used (I would like to think so), but, even if so, I still rejected Senjougahara-senpai in a rude way.
“Oh my. You’re quite spirited, aren’t you? I’m becoming even more interested in you.”
Senjougahara-senpai replied in a cool and composed tone (looking back on it now, I can’t help but think, “Who the hell are you?”), but the retinue of club members assembled behind her looked to be trying to use their eyes to stab me through.
Oh man, I’m so dead.
The crowd of cronies looked ready to get physical with me, but Senjougahara-senpai smiled and held a hand out to stop them without looking, then said, “It’s okay. I like nothing more than to tame cute girls like this.”
Seriously, who the hell are you?
Perhaps my imagination is adding to the memory a bit, so maybe my memory of middle school second-year Senjougahara-senpai isn’t perfectly accurate, but the big picture of us having a stressful, if brief, interview as our first contact is certainly true.
“Have a pleasant day.”
And with those parting words, Senjougahara-senpai left.
Even in the face of my unfavorable and downright rude response, she remained elegant. She carried on that noble air from start to finish, and while those events did hurt me, I thought that it was for the best.
Even if I had to be rude to do it, it would be better to firmly reject her than to reply so mildly that she continued to hold out hopes for me—of course, having rejected one of the famous girls of the school, I suspected that I may have set myself up to have a difficult life as a middle school girl, but, well, even if I had tried to stay in her good favor, I would likely have bungled that too.
Come if you’re going to come; I’ll take you on.
That was the stance that I mentally took, and I was not disappointed.
But the one who came to find me in the gym the next day was not one or more of Senjougahara-senpai’s retinue come to put me in my place, but instead it was Senjougahara-senpai herself—without anyone else, just herself.
“Hello everyone. We are blessed with lovely weather today, aren’t we? May I observe your practice once again?”
The older girls in the basketball club began to murmur to each other—it sounded different from the reaction from the previous day, and I later learned that it was because Senjougahara-senpai very rarely went anywhere unaccompanied.
She didn’t choose to have people follow her around, but instead, it was more that she was the kind of person that people naturally gravitated to and followed—which meant that the only way she could arrive in the gym without at least a small group of followers was for her to have told them to leave her alone.
Why?
I told her “better luck next time,” so did she actually think that she should try again and hopefully have better luck on the second attempt? And she decided that coming on her own might be the factor that would convince me?
Several of the basketball team members volunteered to make Senjougahara-senpai more comfortable, and so she sat off to the side in a comfortable chair, partaking in the snacks she had been provided while watching us practice with a smile. Or rather, she watched me practice. I couldn’t read anything from her body language.
I had been welcomed into the basketball club with a good bit of fanfare because of my speed, so it wasn’t as if I had never been observed while playing before, but there was something about being watched so intensely that made it difficult to play. On that day, I missed an unusually high percentage of shots and even made a lot of simple mistakes with dribbling—the only thing that kept me from outright failing was the speed of my legs. But seeing as Senjougahara-senpai was there to see how fast I could be, she must have been happy with the display.
“Kanbaru-san. Have you reconsidered your response to my invitation?”
“No, I’m not having second thoughts…”
I didn’t go so far as to say I hadn’t thought about it at all.
It was difficult to be rude to someone who showed up two days in a row to express interest in you.
“Hm. Then how about this? You and I shall have a 100-meter race, and if I win, then you will transfer into the track club. Don’t you think it’s a wonderful idea?”
“… So if you lose, then you’ll join the basketball team?”
“Eh?”
She tilted her head in confusion.
No, don’t you “Eh?” me.
There’s no way that you don’t understand.
“No, I will not be doing that.”
She firmly rejected the idea.
“But it would mean that I will no longer come to the gym every day without fail.”
“You intend to come every day…”
I told her no.
I’m pretty sure that I tried to be less rude than the day before.
“Oh.”
Senjougahara-senpai seemed genuinely surprised by the response.
“How strange. Was I wrong about you?”
“About what?”
“Someone like you would be unable to back down when presented with a challenge.”
“…”
That assumption of hers—was correct.
But, even if that were the case, I couldn’t allow myself to race against anyone. Of course, if I accepted the challenge and won, then the whole issue would be settled. But if I were to lose… I didn’t want to think about what would happen.
Also, there was the question of whether Senjougahara-senpai would actually back down if I won against her in the race—so it would be all risk with no reward.
“No thanks.”
She simply said that she understood.
I fell silent, and Senjougahara-senpai left—but before she departed the gym, she cleaned up the snack wrappers and put away the chair that she had used while observing our practice. She did seem to have had a good upbringing.
I was happy if she understood that she wouldn’t be able to convince me to join her club, but, thinking about it more, Senjougahara-senpai hadn’t said what it was that she understood. The true meaning of her words was a mystery.
And the next day, that mystery was solved.
For the third time, Senjougahara Hitagi arrived in the gymnasium during the basketball team’s practice. But unlike the first and second visits, she was not wearing her school uniform, nor was she wearing the erotic—that is to say, stylish—uniform of the track club, but she instead wore one of our own basketball uniforms.
Her back bore the number 4.
Well, actually, the number was also on the front of her jersey, so I don’t suppose I needed to specify that it was on her back. Anyway, the point is that the #4 jersey belonged to the captain.
I looked back to confirm and found that, sure enough, our team captain was in the back of the gym wearing her P.E. uniform and polishing a basketball. I just polished that one. Why are you polishing it again? Just how shiny do you want that ball to be? It’ll slip out of our hands if you give it any more polish than that.
Apparently our team captain rented out her uniform, what you might call the symbol that our team followed, to Senjougahara-senpai when she asked for it. You could say that this was the instant when all of our captain’s authority vanished.
Once this whole thing was settled, there would be a coup d'état.
“If you will not compete with me on the track, then I will come to your field and compete with this basketball. Does this work for you?”
“Uh… huh…?”
To be entirely honest, I was mostly just feeling uneasy at that point in time, and I definitely didn’t want to accept her challenge. I didn’t want to, but what choice did I have when she had shown up a third time to try and convince me to join the track club?
She did, technically, ask for the “captain’s” permission before doing this (it pains me that I had to put quotation marks around captain, but that reflects the sad state of affairs at the time), and so half of the gym’s court was reserved for myself and Senjougahara-senpai to have our competition.
Our showdown.
Bout. Duel.
What actually followed was not as dramatic as the words used to describe it might suggest. It wasn’t instantly resolved, and there was definitely some tension during the competition, but it’s a bit difficult to have much drama when the competition is just a free throw contest. Our “captain,” or, I guess I should say, our captain, insisted that we have a competition where there was no risk of us coming into physical contact with each other. I was a new member on the team, and while Senjougahara-senpai was a veteran athlete, she was not a basketball player. So, to be on the safe side, it was decided that we could not have a true 1-on-1 match on the off chance that either of us should get injured.
Whoever made ten baskets first would win.
There were no handicaps, and the competition proceeded in a simple and straightforward manner—we took turns taking our shots, and after thirty minutes, it was all over.
The final score was ten to nine.
It was a close match—which Senjougahara-senpai won.
We both missed a number of shots, but we remained neck-and-neck throughout, until, in the end, Senjougahara-senpai managed to get the final basket.
“It was a good competition.” Senjougahara spoke, brushing aside her long, elegant hair. “Kanbaru-san, it seems that you are more suited for the basketball court than the track—I hope that you will continue to give it your best.”
She turned on her heel and left the gym.
I had already been thinking of some way to avoid taking part in races (such as by focusing on long jump or high jump) and had resigned myself to having to join the track club, so when Senjougahara-senpai simply departed, I was left dumbfounded for a moment.
But it was only a moment.
I hurriedly chased after Senjougahara-senpai—and I full-out sprinted, so I quickly caught up to her elegant walk, and I grabbed her wrist.
Grabbing someone by the wrist is a forceful way to stop them. One might say that it’s wild and violent, which is to say, it’s very me. Senjougahara-senpai turned to look at me with obvious suspicion, and perhaps she was letting her real self show through because her gaze was sharp.
Under that sharp gaze, I asked, “Was this your goal from the start?”
It was almost more like an interrogation than a simple question, which was also very like me.
“You wanted to compete with me, beat me, and then drop me?”
“… What do you mean? For what reason would I do such a thing?”
Senjougahara-senpai asked back seriously without any hint of evasion.
“To protect me,” I replied.
The outline was simple enough—there was no mistake that the original reason that she had come to the gym was to scout me for the track team after hearing rumors about me.
And she would surely have anticipated that there was a chance that I would say no to her invitation.
But what she did not anticipate was the super strength of my refusal—that is, my more-than-necessary, full-on rejection. And I had rejected her so rudely in front of all of her followers.
Senjougahara-senpai managed to keep things peaceful at that time, but, as they say, bad news travels fast. A newly enrolled first-year who dared to bare her teeth at the elegant and skilled Senjougahara Hitagi would be a rumor that reached every ear in record time, and when it did… my school life would have a very bleak outlook.
I had planned—which is to say, foolishly assumed—to deal with that problem when the time came, but Senjougahara-senpai had a way to prevent it from happening in the first place.
She was able to rein in the people who followed her directly, but she had no way of anticipating what others might do upon hearing the rumor—people are good on their own, but there’s plenty of bad to be found in a group. That was why Senjougahara-senpai needed to get ahead of the rumors and put an end to the story—and in a way that would let her be in the winning position. But it wasn’t just about her winning—she needed to win in such a way that it would be a close battle so as not to tarnish the reputation of the first-year rising star of the basketball team.
And so we had a free-throw contest.
… Thinking about it more, it had been strange for the team captain to just go along with whatever Senjougahara-senpai said, but then also be the one to decide on the rules for the contest in the way that she did… In other words, by having us take turns to do our free throws, they would be able to control the scores, and the two of them must have arranged the entire circumstance of our contest from the start, back whenever Senjougahara-senpai had gone to ask to borrow the uniform (which means I was completely wrong about the captain).
If I had accepted her challenge on the second day—which would have been the best for Senjougahara-senpai—she could have controlled her speed so as to put on a show of it being a close race between the two of us.
She must have a lot of confidence to have been so sure that she could “barely win in a neck-and-neck competition” in not only running on the track but also a free throw competition. That she was able to pull it off so cleanly, however, meant that I could not fault her for that confidence.
By clearly and definitively beating me and then, just as clearly and definitively, acknowledging my ability in a public space—which is to say, giving me permission to continue playing basketball—she would knock down the perceived conflict and defuse the situation with her fans who might have wished me harm.
“… Supposing that I had been thinking along those lines…”
Senjougahara-senpai spoke now in a flat, sober voice that was entirely unlike how she had been talking up until that point.
“Wouldn’t you be throwing away my consideration by confronting me and voicing your thoughts to me? Are you not undoing what I’ve just done?”
She was trying to tell me that I should follow her lead and subtly accept what she did for me. I let go of her wrist.
And then I took hold of her hand instead.
I did so gently.
I copied Senjougahara-senpai’s mannerisms of softness and kindness—she no doubt thought that I was trying to have a friendly parting handshake to show that there were no hard feelings, but instead I did something that was completely unexpected and kissed the back of her hand.
“W… What?!”
She practically screamed the word with surprise, and I straightened.
“No, I don’t think so.” I declared. “Because I have decided to accept your kindness and go far beyond what is necessary to repay it—Senjougahara-senpai.”
From now on, I am your dog.
That’s what I told her.
Senjougahara Hitagi and Kanbaru Suruga. The pair that would go on to be called the Valhalla Duo began here.
“Are you an idiot?”
I still think that those words and the cold smile that came with them were probably Senjougahara-senpai’s genuine, impartial reaction to what I had said.
As usual, thank you spr-o-ckt for contributing to this commission.
A cute little story. I wish we could see more of those that actually feels important rather than yet another pun-filled discussion about a random topic.
See you next time for another story !
submitted by maxdefolsch to araragi [link] [comments]
Short stories masterpost here, updated regularly to show our progress with the translations.
Today is a re-translation of Hitagi Throwing (by Tigoris), a rather long short story, published in the Heroine Book #5: Senjougahara Hitagi. This one is among the most interesting short stories : it is about Suruga remembering her first meeting with Hitagi at the age of 12.
Once again, the previous translation was very old, and I wanted to make sure we had a better version for the short stories book.
As someone who has been devoted to Senjougahara Hitagi for some years now, it feels like a betrayal of some kind to say something like this, but when I first met her as a first-year in middle school, the impression that I had of her was not exactly a positive one.
To be more specific, one might say that it was a negative impression.
I thought, “Just who is this girl?”
If it’s okay to be a bit more informal, then my more exact thought was, “This girl’s bad news.” Now, I’d like you to cut me some slack here, because at the time I had only just graduated from elementary school, and I was, in appearance, personality, ability, and intellect, a brat of a meager 12 years of age.
However, I will also firmly say that Senjougahara-senpai was not entirely without fault of her own; in fact, let me emphasize that she was not without fault. After all, when she—the track-and-field club’s very own ace—came storming into the gym during basketball practice, it seemed like the start of a raid, and all of the basketball club members flinched. And she didn’t come alone. She brought along a large group of her followers, which was not limited to other track-and-field members and included students from not only the second- and third-year students, but there were even some first-year students mixed in. To an observer, it looked as if a feudal lord had descended upon the gymnasium along with his full retinue of retainers.
To put it another way, it’s like when Mitchi showed up in Slam Dunk.
She was smiling softly and had a gentle manner, but that only made her all the more intimidating, in part because her cronies had an unusual air about them.
“You’re Kanbaru-san, then? I’ve heard rumors that you’re quick on your feet—if it’s no bother, may I observe you?”
What is she, a noble lady?
That was what I wanted to say, but back then Senjougahara-senpai was like that—she was like a character taken straight from a shoujo novel.
It put a shiver down my spine to discover that this person really existed. And allow me to clarify that when I say “a shiver down my spine,” I don’t mean it in the good way—looking back on it now, it might be more accurate to say that I recoiled with shock.
I had an instinctive feeling that her request was strange.
And so was she.
To put it simply, that just about sums up my first impression of her—of course, Senjougahara-senpai was famous, so after I had enrolled in the school and even before I joined the basketball club, I had already heard her name a number of times.
She and Hanekawa-senpai were the two poster children for my school—to the point that we were told (by a teacher during the entrance ceremony) not to cross “those two” if we wanted to make it in the school (at the time I didn’t know which two the teacher was talking about, but, in retrospect, the warning was largely accurate).
However, as you know, I was a twelve-year-old who had, for various reasons, a rather extraordinary obsession with running fast—but because of those same reasons, I was unable to join the track and field club. Nevertheless, I took an interest in the ace of the track and field club, Senjougahara-senpai, and went to observe her running during that April, even though I had not become a trial member of the team.
I didn’t realize that it was possible for a person to run so beautifully.
It took my breath away.
My running form was not something that I had received coaching for—even now, I have not received any education in sprinting, so my running form is self-taught. Being self-taught is not a bad thing; it’s a perfectly acceptable running style, and I never had a complex about how I ran, but when I saw Senjougahara-senpai run on that day, the beauty of her form stood in stark contrast to the frantic flailing of my own form.
She displayed the final form of human running.
She was the idealized runner.
But I could not attempt to copy her—she was not like me, and I was not like her.
I was painfully aware of our differences.
I also remember thinking that the track uniforms were erotic, but that’s neither here nor there. I’d had no intention of joining the track club, as I said before, but after seeing her run, whatever lingering regrets I had were gone.
It blew me away.
To look at it another way, it was seeing Senjougahara-senpai run that day that made me into the basketball player that I am today—it was easy to forget what had caused me to become so passionately devoted to basketball, but I’ll save that discussion of “you never know what event will become a turning point in your life” for another time.
You could say that I’m not really a shy person, but when it came to Senjougahara-senpai, I made it my policy to actively avoid coming in contact with her, so for her to seek me out on her own was so surprising as to strike me dumb. Add in her whole “storybook princess” demeanor, and I turned into a stuttering, stumbling idiot—so, suffice to say, on the day that Senjougahara-senpai (and her retinue) observed my basketball practice, I was not exactly doing my best.
“May we speak, Kanbaru-san?”
After practice, Senjougahara-senpai approached me—and while I didn’t exactly feel enticed by her invitation, my heart skipped a beat regardless.
Looking at her up close, it was hard to believe that a girl with such mature features was only a year older than myself.
“You’re as fast as the rumors say—so how about it? Do you have any interest in transferring to the track club? Why not spend your youth in friendly competition with me?”
… She was an impressively bold headhunter. By the way, the basketball team captain (a third-year) was also there at the time as Senjougahara-senpai (a second-year) tried to steal me from the team, but the captain acted as if it were none of her business and didn’t interrupt.
Just what were you hoping to find by examining the ball that closely, captain?
You can turn it over as many times as you want; you’re not going to find a hole.
I was disappointed in the team captain, but setting that aside, I was happy to receive the invitation—no matter the situation or the way that it was said, I would always be happy to receive praise for the legs that I was so proud of. It made my heart dance to be acknowledged.
That simplicity still has not changed.
I’ve always been an idiot when it came to this.
That said, it still didn’t mean that I was so stupid as to blindly be scouted just because someone praised me. I’m an idiot who can think. So I politely, but firmly, declined her invitation while trying to hint that she had been a bit rude, but without being so blatant as to damage her reputation or be rude myself.
“Better luck next time.”
Huh?
What is this memory?
Who is this cheeky little brat? Oh, it’s me.
Was I at the age where I reacted to authority with petulance? Or was I afraid that if I didn’t reject her firmly, she would wear away my resolve and convince me to join the track club? Either way, maybe that wasn’t the exact phrasing that I used (I would like to think so), but, even if so, I still rejected Senjougahara-senpai in a rude way.
“Oh my. You’re quite spirited, aren’t you? I’m becoming even more interested in you.”
Senjougahara-senpai replied in a cool and composed tone (looking back on it now, I can’t help but think, “Who the hell are you?”), but the retinue of club members assembled behind her looked to be trying to use their eyes to stab me through.
Oh man, I’m so dead.
The crowd of cronies looked ready to get physical with me, but Senjougahara-senpai smiled and held a hand out to stop them without looking, then said, “It’s okay. I like nothing more than to tame cute girls like this.”
Seriously, who the hell are you?
Perhaps my imagination is adding to the memory a bit, so maybe my memory of middle school second-year Senjougahara-senpai isn’t perfectly accurate, but the big picture of us having a stressful, if brief, interview as our first contact is certainly true.
“Have a pleasant day.”
And with those parting words, Senjougahara-senpai left.
Even in the face of my unfavorable and downright rude response, she remained elegant. She carried on that noble air from start to finish, and while those events did hurt me, I thought that it was for the best.
Even if I had to be rude to do it, it would be better to firmly reject her than to reply so mildly that she continued to hold out hopes for me—of course, having rejected one of the famous girls of the school, I suspected that I may have set myself up to have a difficult life as a middle school girl, but, well, even if I had tried to stay in her good favor, I would likely have bungled that too.
Come if you’re going to come; I’ll take you on.
That was the stance that I mentally took, and I was not disappointed.
But the one who came to find me in the gym the next day was not one or more of Senjougahara-senpai’s retinue come to put me in my place, but instead it was Senjougahara-senpai herself—without anyone else, just herself.
“Hello everyone. We are blessed with lovely weather today, aren’t we? May I observe your practice once again?”
The older girls in the basketball club began to murmur to each other—it sounded different from the reaction from the previous day, and I later learned that it was because Senjougahara-senpai very rarely went anywhere unaccompanied.
She didn’t choose to have people follow her around, but instead, it was more that she was the kind of person that people naturally gravitated to and followed—which meant that the only way she could arrive in the gym without at least a small group of followers was for her to have told them to leave her alone.
Why?
I told her “better luck next time,” so did she actually think that she should try again and hopefully have better luck on the second attempt? And she decided that coming on her own might be the factor that would convince me?
Several of the basketball team members volunteered to make Senjougahara-senpai more comfortable, and so she sat off to the side in a comfortable chair, partaking in the snacks she had been provided while watching us practice with a smile. Or rather, she watched me practice. I couldn’t read anything from her body language.
I had been welcomed into the basketball club with a good bit of fanfare because of my speed, so it wasn’t as if I had never been observed while playing before, but there was something about being watched so intensely that made it difficult to play. On that day, I missed an unusually high percentage of shots and even made a lot of simple mistakes with dribbling—the only thing that kept me from outright failing was the speed of my legs. But seeing as Senjougahara-senpai was there to see how fast I could be, she must have been happy with the display.
“Kanbaru-san. Have you reconsidered your response to my invitation?”
“No, I’m not having second thoughts…”
I didn’t go so far as to say I hadn’t thought about it at all.
It was difficult to be rude to someone who showed up two days in a row to express interest in you.
“Hm. Then how about this? You and I shall have a 100-meter race, and if I win, then you will transfer into the track club. Don’t you think it’s a wonderful idea?”
“… So if you lose, then you’ll join the basketball team?”
“Eh?”
She tilted her head in confusion.
No, don’t you “Eh?” me.
There’s no way that you don’t understand.
“No, I will not be doing that.”
She firmly rejected the idea.
“But it would mean that I will no longer come to the gym every day without fail.”
“You intend to come every day…”
I told her no.
I’m pretty sure that I tried to be less rude than the day before.
“Oh.”
Senjougahara-senpai seemed genuinely surprised by the response.
“How strange. Was I wrong about you?”
“About what?”
“Someone like you would be unable to back down when presented with a challenge.”
“…”
That assumption of hers—was correct.
But, even if that were the case, I couldn’t allow myself to race against anyone. Of course, if I accepted the challenge and won, then the whole issue would be settled. But if I were to lose… I didn’t want to think about what would happen.
Also, there was the question of whether Senjougahara-senpai would actually back down if I won against her in the race—so it would be all risk with no reward.
“No thanks.”
She simply said that she understood.
I fell silent, and Senjougahara-senpai left—but before she departed the gym, she cleaned up the snack wrappers and put away the chair that she had used while observing our practice. She did seem to have had a good upbringing.
I was happy if she understood that she wouldn’t be able to convince me to join her club, but, thinking about it more, Senjougahara-senpai hadn’t said what it was that she understood. The true meaning of her words was a mystery.
And the next day, that mystery was solved.
For the third time, Senjougahara Hitagi arrived in the gymnasium during the basketball team’s practice. But unlike the first and second visits, she was not wearing her school uniform, nor was she wearing the erotic—that is to say, stylish—uniform of the track club, but she instead wore one of our own basketball uniforms.
Her back bore the number 4.
Well, actually, the number was also on the front of her jersey, so I don’t suppose I needed to specify that it was on her back. Anyway, the point is that the #4 jersey belonged to the captain.
I looked back to confirm and found that, sure enough, our team captain was in the back of the gym wearing her P.E. uniform and polishing a basketball. I just polished that one. Why are you polishing it again? Just how shiny do you want that ball to be? It’ll slip out of our hands if you give it any more polish than that.
Apparently our team captain rented out her uniform, what you might call the symbol that our team followed, to Senjougahara-senpai when she asked for it. You could say that this was the instant when all of our captain’s authority vanished.
Once this whole thing was settled, there would be a coup d'état.
“If you will not compete with me on the track, then I will come to your field and compete with this basketball. Does this work for you?”
“Uh… huh…?”
To be entirely honest, I was mostly just feeling uneasy at that point in time, and I definitely didn’t want to accept her challenge. I didn’t want to, but what choice did I have when she had shown up a third time to try and convince me to join the track club?
She did, technically, ask for the “captain’s” permission before doing this (it pains me that I had to put quotation marks around captain, but that reflects the sad state of affairs at the time), and so half of the gym’s court was reserved for myself and Senjougahara-senpai to have our competition.
Our showdown.
Bout. Duel.
What actually followed was not as dramatic as the words used to describe it might suggest. It wasn’t instantly resolved, and there was definitely some tension during the competition, but it’s a bit difficult to have much drama when the competition is just a free throw contest. Our “captain,” or, I guess I should say, our captain, insisted that we have a competition where there was no risk of us coming into physical contact with each other. I was a new member on the team, and while Senjougahara-senpai was a veteran athlete, she was not a basketball player. So, to be on the safe side, it was decided that we could not have a true 1-on-1 match on the off chance that either of us should get injured.
Whoever made ten baskets first would win.
There were no handicaps, and the competition proceeded in a simple and straightforward manner—we took turns taking our shots, and after thirty minutes, it was all over.
The final score was ten to nine.
It was a close match—which Senjougahara-senpai won.
We both missed a number of shots, but we remained neck-and-neck throughout, until, in the end, Senjougahara-senpai managed to get the final basket.
“It was a good competition.” Senjougahara spoke, brushing aside her long, elegant hair. “Kanbaru-san, it seems that you are more suited for the basketball court than the track—I hope that you will continue to give it your best.”
She turned on her heel and left the gym.
I had already been thinking of some way to avoid taking part in races (such as by focusing on long jump or high jump) and had resigned myself to having to join the track club, so when Senjougahara-senpai simply departed, I was left dumbfounded for a moment.
But it was only a moment.
I hurriedly chased after Senjougahara-senpai—and I full-out sprinted, so I quickly caught up to her elegant walk, and I grabbed her wrist.
Grabbing someone by the wrist is a forceful way to stop them. One might say that it’s wild and violent, which is to say, it’s very me. Senjougahara-senpai turned to look at me with obvious suspicion, and perhaps she was letting her real self show through because her gaze was sharp.
Under that sharp gaze, I asked, “Was this your goal from the start?”
It was almost more like an interrogation than a simple question, which was also very like me.
“You wanted to compete with me, beat me, and then drop me?”
“… What do you mean? For what reason would I do such a thing?”
Senjougahara-senpai asked back seriously without any hint of evasion.
“To protect me,” I replied.
The outline was simple enough—there was no mistake that the original reason that she had come to the gym was to scout me for the track team after hearing rumors about me.
And she would surely have anticipated that there was a chance that I would say no to her invitation.
But what she did not anticipate was the super strength of my refusal—that is, my more-than-necessary, full-on rejection. And I had rejected her so rudely in front of all of her followers.
Senjougahara-senpai managed to keep things peaceful at that time, but, as they say, bad news travels fast. A newly enrolled first-year who dared to bare her teeth at the elegant and skilled Senjougahara Hitagi would be a rumor that reached every ear in record time, and when it did… my school life would have a very bleak outlook.
I had planned—which is to say, foolishly assumed—to deal with that problem when the time came, but Senjougahara-senpai had a way to prevent it from happening in the first place.
She was able to rein in the people who followed her directly, but she had no way of anticipating what others might do upon hearing the rumor—people are good on their own, but there’s plenty of bad to be found in a group. That was why Senjougahara-senpai needed to get ahead of the rumors and put an end to the story—and in a way that would let her be in the winning position. But it wasn’t just about her winning—she needed to win in such a way that it would be a close battle so as not to tarnish the reputation of the first-year rising star of the basketball team.
And so we had a free-throw contest.
… Thinking about it more, it had been strange for the team captain to just go along with whatever Senjougahara-senpai said, but then also be the one to decide on the rules for the contest in the way that she did… In other words, by having us take turns to do our free throws, they would be able to control the scores, and the two of them must have arranged the entire circumstance of our contest from the start, back whenever Senjougahara-senpai had gone to ask to borrow the uniform (which means I was completely wrong about the captain).
If I had accepted her challenge on the second day—which would have been the best for Senjougahara-senpai—she could have controlled her speed so as to put on a show of it being a close race between the two of us.
She must have a lot of confidence to have been so sure that she could “barely win in a neck-and-neck competition” in not only running on the track but also a free throw competition. That she was able to pull it off so cleanly, however, meant that I could not fault her for that confidence.
By clearly and definitively beating me and then, just as clearly and definitively, acknowledging my ability in a public space—which is to say, giving me permission to continue playing basketball—she would knock down the perceived conflict and defuse the situation with her fans who might have wished me harm.
“… Supposing that I had been thinking along those lines…”
Senjougahara-senpai spoke now in a flat, sober voice that was entirely unlike how she had been talking up until that point.
“Wouldn’t you be throwing away my consideration by confronting me and voicing your thoughts to me? Are you not undoing what I’ve just done?”
She was trying to tell me that I should follow her lead and subtly accept what she did for me. I let go of her wrist.
And then I took hold of her hand instead.
I did so gently.
I copied Senjougahara-senpai’s mannerisms of softness and kindness—she no doubt thought that I was trying to have a friendly parting handshake to show that there were no hard feelings, but instead I did something that was completely unexpected and kissed the back of her hand.
“W… What?!”
She practically screamed the word with surprise, and I straightened.
“No, I don’t think so.” I declared. “Because I have decided to accept your kindness and go far beyond what is necessary to repay it—Senjougahara-senpai.”
From now on, I am your dog.
That’s what I told her.
Senjougahara Hitagi and Kanbaru Suruga. The pair that would go on to be called the Valhalla Duo began here.
“Are you an idiot?”
I still think that those words and the cold smile that came with them were probably Senjougahara-senpai’s genuine, impartial reaction to what I had said.
As usual, thank you spr-o-ckt for contributing to this commission.
A cute little story. I wish we could see more of those that actually feels important rather than yet another pun-filled discussion about a random topic.
See you next time for another story !
2024.06.10 03:01 Kaijufan22 I’ve always wondered what would happen with Agents Harris after the series ended
Just like the title says, I think Harris has one of the best arcs, underrated even. We see him go from a sympathetic but by the book agent in season one, and by the end of the show he’s openly supporting Tony’s crew.
“All right we’re gonna win this thing.”
I wonder, since it was also pretty heavily implied he slept with a fellow agent for info, and got caught giving said info to Tony, what became of him? Was he fired, charged with conspiracy, or quietly transferred with a slap on the wrist.
submitted by Kaijufan22 to thesopranos [link] [comments]
“All right we’re gonna win this thing.”
I wonder, since it was also pretty heavily implied he slept with a fellow agent for info, and got caught giving said info to Tony, what became of him? Was he fired, charged with conspiracy, or quietly transferred with a slap on the wrist.