Dr. Creepen's Dungeon - S6 Ep343: Episode 343: Strangest Ever Horror Stories

Episode Date: June 5, 2026

Tonight’s tales of terror are as follows:Stationed in a Fire Tower by Michael KelsoWorkplace Behaviour by Weird Bryce GuyAnything for Mother by Corpse ChildA Curious Conversation by Blake BlizzardThe Girl from the Deep by Corpse Child

Hey Ontario, come on down to BetMGM Casino and check out our newest exclusive. The Price is Right Fortune Pick. Don't miss out. Play exciting casino games based on the iconic game show. Only at BetMGM. Access to the Price is right Fortune Pick is only available at BetMGM Casino. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. 19 plus to wager, Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you,

please contact Connix Ontario at 1866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Welcome to Dr. Creepen's Dungeon. Ah, good evening, brave souls and welcome once more to the hour when the world grows quiet and the dark feels just a little bit too close. As always, I'll be your guide tonight, leading you away from the safety of the familiar, into places where fear wears many faces. So lower the lights, silence the distractions, and make yourself comfortable if you can. What awaits you isn't a single nightmare but a collection of them. Different voices, different terrors, and each one is designed to creep under your skin in its own way.

Some will unsettle you slowly. Others will strike without warning. But all of them are waiting. If you're ready to face whatever form the darkness chooses to take tonight, then let's begin. But as always, before we begin, a word of caution, tonight's tales may contain strong language as well as descriptions of violence and horrific imagery. If that sounds like your kind of thing, it really is time to begin. Stationed in a fire tower by Michael Kelso. When I first got the job, I couldn't believe my luck.

I was a very solitary person. I loved to read and be alone. When I saw an ad for a park ranger manning a fire tower, I just about jumped out of my skin. Working overnight at a Walmart wasn't exactly the best job in the world. There are some stories I could tell about that as well. but I applied for the job and was ecstatic that I got it. They made me do a week of training before my first shift.

Most of it was dry reading and making sure I was qualified in CPR. They showed me the jobs in and outs, and I followed in my car as we drove to the tower. In the middle of the day, it was awe-inspiring to stare up at the underside of the tower looming above me, suspended high in the air by the metal pylons. Once I started climbing the narrow metal stairs with hints of rust at the edges, I was somewhat less than excited.

In fact, I was terrified. I don't like heights very much. It's not like I go all vertigo or anything. It's just I prefer to stay on the ground. Once we'd reached the top and pushed open the trapdoor to get onto the deck that surrounded the tower, I was doing a little better. I opened the door that led into the tower's interior.

Looking around the room made me forget all about that terrible climb. It was like a small apartment. There was a small refrigerator, sink, counter, cupboards and a small table. In the center of the room was a table with a map permanently attached to it. Of course, there were windows all around. There was a 360-degree view, as you'd expect for a fire tower in the middle of a state park. The view was absolutely amazing. I could see peaks and valleys for miles in every direction.

It was a photographer's dream. The other ranger explained what was expected of me. We worked 24-hour shifts, so there would be times I'd have to sleep, but I had to set an alarm and get up to scan for problems at least once per hour during the night. During daytime hours, I had to scan every 30 minutes. There was a radio to report any trouble and a phone in case I needed to call the fire department. In my mind, I was already drooling at the thought of getting paid to take amazing pictures and sit around reading books. and the Ranger told me it was extremely important that I read the rulebook first thing he asked if I had any questions when I said no he reinforced that I could not leave the tower no matter what until I was relieved I followed him down the narrow staircase to get my supplies from my car then he got in his truck and hesitated for a moment as if he wanted to say something else but then he shut the door wish me well and drove away it took me three trips to get all my stuff up to the

top. At home it's nothing to bring a few boxes of groceries into the house, but here it became life and death. I was near the top with a box in front of me when I stumbled on one of the narrow steps and nearly fell over the side. I paused for a long moment to regain my balance before continuing to the top, and it suddenly struck me that this job might not be the cake walk I thought it was. I pushed that thought to the back of my mind and went for my next two loads, basic supplies, books, phone charges, and camera occupied the second and last trips. Once I was up for good, I collapsed into the chair. I was on my way to Napland, when I heard static on the radio.

I jumped up and grabbed it. Hello? I said, but no one answered. I figured this was the Ranger's subtle way of reminding me it was time to do a check. But lugging three loads up the tiny stairs of death that put a serious crimp in my firewatch time, in fact it had been nearly an hour since the other ranger had left i did my slow pan around the room checking each part of the forest for smoke and seeing none having successfully completed my first go-around i celebrated with a bottle of water while i put the groceries away the covers weren't empty but

they weren't a gourmet's delight either nearly a full shelf of baked beans didn't exactly thrill me but I had the supplies that should do me for a few shifts. I sat the bread down on the counter and loaded the cold cuts into the fridge. I'd get some more options the next time I went shopping. By the time I'd finished putting things away, it was time for another check. The sun was starting to set, so I grabbed my camera and took some amazing pictures. I couldn't wait to upload them to my computer at home. As I looked around the room, my eyes landed on the manual.

I realized I hadn't read it yet. I sighed and took it over to the chair. I was sure it would have me out cold in no time. As I opened the book, a piece of notebook paper fell out. I picked it up and read. Read the rules. Never under any circumstances leave the fire tower until you were relieved. Turn off all lights between the hours of 2 and 3 a.m.

If you receive a radio transmission or phone call, between those hours, do not answer. If anyone knocks on the trapdoor during those hours, tell them they'll have to wait until morning. Do not open the door. If you see a glowing object floating toward the tower, don't look at it. Cover your eyes and count to 50.

When you open your eyes, it should be gone. If not, cover and count of 50 again. If animals surround the tower, don't go down to look. Fire your flare gun into the air twice, one minute apart, and lock yourself in the bathroom and hope for the best. I sat the note down and stared at it. Was this a joke?

Were they having some fun with the new guy? I wasn't looking forward to getting hazed at two o'clock in the morning. I put the note back in the book and skimmed through the manual. It was a real snooze fest of standard rules and nonsense. For the next check, I decided to use binocchio. I was rewarded by seeing a bear in 3D. I brought out my camera and took some picks, but the zoom wasn't quite as much as I needed to get some really good shots.

You could still tell it was a bear, but it was a little blurry. I decided to go camera shopping with my first paycheck. It was a use of having this spectacular view if I can't take good pictures of it. Soon after sunset came the twilight, and the sky lit up a brilliant orange. I took some more pictures and took some more pictures. did my scan. I was just about to go back inside when I noticed a thin wisp of smoke in the distance. I grabbed my binoculars and tried to get a better view, but there were too many trees in the way. I pulled out my compass and got a

general direction, then grabbed the radio and caught the Ranger on duty. I told him I had a fire and gave him the general direction and distance. He acknowledged it and said he'd check it out. I stayed glued to my binoculars, waiting to see the smoke lesson. The minute it seemed to take an eternity as the smoke continued to rise. Nearly half an hour later, the radio came to life. Hey, rookie, the ranger said. Did you find it? Did you put it out? I still see smoke. Did I tell you the wrong place? I set into the radio all in one breath.

Oh, there, he said. Everything's fine. It was just a campfire. What? Campfire, he said. Nothing to worry about. A campfire, I repeated in a daze. Yeah, you'll want to see more smoke, and it should be a lot thicker and darker before you call it in. I stood in silence, my face beat red with embarrassment. Ah, cheer up, the rangers said into the silence. At least you didn't call the fire department. I looked over at the phone, knowing I was mere minutes from doing that very thing.

Yeah, thanks, I said. Sorry about that. I don't worry, kid, he said. At least you erred on the side of caution instead of letting the forest burn down. I put my face in my palm and shook my head. So much for a good first impression. Twilight had faded, leaving a few last vestiges of light as the clouds transformed from dirty grey to black. I began to realise just how alone I was out here, when the canopy was.

of the night fully fell. Doing my checks from inside was nearly impossible. I had lights on, and every window I looked out became a mirror of me looking back in at myself. Alone in a wooden box suspended a hundred feet above the ground made it that much creepier. I stepped out onto the deck in the cool evening air. The total darkness was oppressive. I couldn't see anything. How was I supposed to see smoke? I did a slow walk around the deck, looking out blindly at the trees. As my eyes adjusted, I was able to make out some shapes with the mountains, and even the soft glow in the distance of the nearest town.

I was small comfort to know that things still existed out in the world, and I hadn't been plunged into this cover of darkness. I finished my check and stepped back inside. After being out in the darkness, it was way too bright. I turned off the main over the main over. overhead light and the light over the entrance. The room settled into a comfortable glow with enough light to see but not to blind. In fact, it was a little too cozy. I felt a nap coming on. I lay down on the surprisingly comfortable cot and closed my eyes. I woke some time later to static

sounding on the radio. I reached for the radio to answer it, but something in the back of my mind told me not to. I looked at my watch and it said two, 12 a.m. I froze. Looking around the lit room, I thought about the strange rules I'd read earlier. I reached up and turned off the light, plunging in the room into darkness. As my eyes adjusted and I could see a few things, I looked out the window and could swear, I saw someone peering in at me. Just then I heard static on the radio. I was a voice trying to get through, but it seemed too weak. I waited to see if they'd call again. A minute later, static sounded once more, but beneath it I heard the voice. It was a little stronger this time. I could just make it out. Help me! It said in a feeble,

yet insistent voice. I reached for the radio, but something made me glance at my watch first. It was 2.23 a.m. I faltered and didn't answer. Yes, those creepy rules, I thought. What if they're real? I've already broken one by having the lights on. What happens when you break the rules? I sat in silence, wanting to know the answer, but at the same time not wanting to know. The radio call came through much more clearly this time. Can anyone hear me? I need help. The voice sounded desperate. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.

It had a strange quality that I couldn't quite place. I fought the urge to answer, not knowing if I'd be fired for dereliction of duty or not. This was what I was out here for. I needed to answer, but my mind just wouldn't let go of those rules. The minutes ticked by like hours, and three more times the radio sounded out its plea, each time sounding more desperate.

I watched the time count in the seconds until three. When the time finally came, I picked up the radio. Whoever was calling for help, please stay your position so I can relay help to you. I said, Who is this? came the answer on the radio.

This is a Park Ranger manning a fire tower. Well, Park Ranger, I've been down this channel all night and yours is the first voice I've heard. "'That's not possible,' I thought. "'I had several calls for help over the last hour,' I said. "'You sure?' "'Absolutely.

"'I wrote down the time of each call. "'And why I didn't you answer them until now?' "'I paused. "'What could I say? "'Because a weird list of rules told me not to. "'Ranger?' "'I had, um,' I said hesitantly, extenuating circumstances

extenuating circumstances the voice repeated as though tasting them what circumstances would those be whoever this was they weren't going to let it go I'm not at liberty to say you mean like

falling asleep and breaking the rules the voice said sounding deeper raspier and more menacing I froze I hadn't turned the lights on yet, leaving the room in eerie darkness that left me feeling very exposed.

I slowly panned around looking out the windows and remembering the earlier feeling of being watched. You can look all you want, but you won't see me, the voice said. It's after three, I said, hoping the terror I felt wasn't evident in my voice. You have no power over me. The voice chucked,

It wasn't a pleasant sound. Normally you'd be correct. However, you broke the rules. What if I didn't know about the rules? I said, grasping at straws. Nice try. But you knew you should be safe after three. Oh, damn it, I thought.

It picked up on that. So, what do you want? I said. fearing the answer. We're hungry, the voice said, only now it sounded like many voices speaking at once. Come down and let us feed. My legs turned to rubber as I stumbled over to the door and stepped out onto the deck. The moon was rising half full, casting light into the darkness.

I looked down and saw over a dozen large animals surrounding the tower in a circle, and each one of them was looking up at me. I dove back inside and locked the door, and I frantically searched for the flashlight. Once I found it, I picked up the phone to call the Rangers station. There was no dial tone. I hung up and tried again, but still, nothing. I pulled out my cell phone, but there was no signal. I paused then to clear my head.

Okay, I thought, you freaked out right now, but what's actually happened? A weirdo on the radio? Some animals around the tower. that this list is making you paranoid. Just then I looked outside and there was a light off in the distance that looked like an airplane. The problem was that it was heading straight toward me.

God, it was mesmerizing. I found myself staring into the rapidly approaching glow until I realized it was going to ram into the tower. I found the best cover I could on the opposite side of the room and surrounded myself with as much furniture as possible. Being that the furnishings were sparse, that meant I dragged the chair over in front of me. I covered my eyes and hoped for the best,

and I may or may not have mumbled one of those, I'll promise I'll be good if you get me out of this, prayers. The seconds tumbled into minutes. Nothing happened. I picked over the edge of the counter, and the light was gone. I breathed a sigh of relief, and wondered why I hadn't heard any engine sound. I decided it was because I was too busy ducking for cover.

And then it hit me. I grabbed the manual and pulled out the list of rules. There it was. Rule number five. If you see a glowing object floating toward the tower, don't look at it. Cover your eyes and count of 50. When you open your eyes, it should be gone. If not, cover and count of 50 again. I read over the rules again and realized how many had come to pass.

For a long moment I thought that it maybe was an elaborate joke, some of the rangers yanking the rookies chain. But there was too much I couldn't explain. The radio transmissions, the glowing light, the animals surrounding the tower. Then I realized I'd broken that rule too. I hadn't fired the flare gun as instructed. I dug through the cupboard where the emergency supplies were kept and found the gun. I grabbed two flares and stepped out onto the deck. As I questioned the intelligence of firing flares that could end up causing a forest fire

when I was supposed to be trying to prevent them, I heard a strange sound. I held my breath and cocked my ear for a better listen. It wasn't just one sound, it was many. I glanced over the side of the rail toward the ground and saw the animals all growling and pouring at the ground, working themselves into a frenzy. I backed away and loaded the first flare, then pointed up and fired it. It rose majestically, glowing blood red until gravity slowed its ascent and poured it back to earth. I watched closely to make sure not only that it went out but where it landed just in case.

I waited a minute and fired the second flare, watching where it landed as well. I then stepped back inside and hid in the bathroom as instructed. I knew in my heart that I was safe from the animals as long as I didn't go down the steps. The radio sounded off, scaring me nearly half to death. Fire, Tower No. 5, the voice said. I've seen your flares. I'm on my way. Are you physically injured? No, not at the moment, I said.

I'll explain when you get here. Roger that, on route. I tried to calm my nerves by thinking about what job I would apply for next, and how unfortunate it was that this one hadn't worked out. I thought about what I was going to tell the Ranger when he got here. I couldn't tell him the truth, but what else could I say? Yeah, there were some animals at the bottom of the tower that scared me. I honestly considered calling him back and telling him not to come

when I felt heavy footsteps on the bottom stairs of the fire tower. I must have been daydreaming and let time slip by. I stepped out of the bathroom and went to the trap door. Here, you here already? I said into the radio as I reached down to unlatch the trap door. You that was fast. What are you talking about? Came the clear answer over the radio.

I'm not there yet. I paused as I felt the footsteps come closer to the top. Where are you? I said quietly. I can barely see the tower, probably a mile away. His words hit me like a sledgehammer. I looked down at the bolt I was about to unlatch and pulled my handbag very slowly. Which direction are you coming from? I said.

Southeast. I looked in that direction and sure enough I could see headlights approaching. The radio sounded again but with a slightly different voice. Power. Ignore that last transmission. It said, I'm already here. Let me in, please. I stared down at the trap door. door as though it wanted to bite me. Tower let me in, it said more insistently. I backed away as something began beating on the trap door with tremendous force. The board shook with every impact. I stepped inside and locked the door, then barricaded it with my only loose piece of furniture,

the chair. Tower five, Tower five, I don't know who that is talking to you, but it isn't me. Do not open that door, repeat, do not, open that door. I backed into the bathroom with the flare gun in hand and locked the door. The pounding on the trap door became louder. I knew it wouldn't take much more of a beating, and the whole room shook with every impact. I closed my eyes and prayed in earnest this time. And then my salvation came in the form of the engine sound of a pickup truck. I knew the real ranger was here.

I listened as it came closer, and then stopped. There was an awful silence for a moment, and then gunfire, over and over, multiple shots in rapid succession. Then there was a lull, followed by more shots. The pounding on the trap door had stopped as soon as the truck pulled up. The coast is clear, Ranger. You can open the door now. Came a voice over the radio. I put my hand on the knob. smiling to go out and greet my saviour when I heard a weak transmission.

Don't, not me, it rasped. A heartbeat later the screaming began. It was a gut-wrenching scream of terrible suffering. I could hear it beneath me. All I could do was drop to the floor and curl up in a ball as the screaming went on and on. I closed my eyes and tried not to imagine that poor ranger being ripped. to shreds by God knows what. Soon the screams lessened in volume and intensity as though they were moving away.

I rocked back and forth, hugging my knees until unconsciousness mercifully took me. I woke to strange voices calling my name. I opened my eyes and I was surrounded by people in blue uniforms. I panicked and backed away from them as fast as I could until my back hit a wall. Calm down, one of them said. it's all right I looked around the room like an animal that had been backed into a corner I was ready to fight my way out are you injured he asked my mind raced to remember where I was looked out the window and it was morning the sun was shining I could see blue clouds everything

from last night came back to me in a rush I looked around the room and saw nothing out of the ordinary oh I'm not injured I said to the EMT. Can you tell us what happened here? A ranger said from behind them. I looked over at the manual that contained the list of rules and, for a heartbeat, considered telling him to read them. No, was all I said instead.

Can I go home now? The ranger glared at me. Wanting answers and not getting them is frustrating, I know. Is he all right to drive? The ranger asked the EMT. and they gave me the once-over, BP, lungs, heart rate, and didn't find anything to be concerned about.

Well, I'd say physically he's fine, the EMT said, and the Ranger sighed. Go ahead, he said, but I'll want to talk to you tomorrow. I nodded and stood, gathered my things, and started toward the door. When I got to the open trap door, I hesitated, seeing it had been hacked open with an axe.

I took a tentative first step, then another. Surviving a night as I had, only to fall down several flights of stairs would be quite ironic. As I made my way down, white knuckling the railing the whole way, I saw people busy at the bottom. They were picking up shell casings with gloves and putting them into plastic bags. I could see spots of blood here and there, but no bodies, either human or animal. I saw the trail of blood as it disappeared into the woods. I stood on the bottom step for a long time, wondering if I was allowed to step onto the ground.

I took the step and bolted from my car. I started it up and drove out of there as fast as I could. Just as I turned onto the gravel road, a deer walked out in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and slid to a stop mere inches from hitting it. It didn't move. He just stood there staring at me. As I looked more closely, I could see blood on its nose and mouth.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw a shred of a ranger's patch impaled on one of his antlers. Its eyes bored into mine as I slammed into reverse, and then drove, swerved around the deer, and broke every speed limit getting home. I caught my boss and quit as soon as I got there. And I packed and started looking for a job in the city. Maybe I can find a nice quiet warehouse to guard. But, if it has a strange set of rules, I'm walking out. No, questions asked. Workplace, behavioral analysis.

I weird Bryce guy. Some people have a fear of public speaking. Varying levels of stage fright that can range from stuttering during presentations to freezing up the moment they see the audience before them. I suffer from a similar condition except that I have a fear of public existing anytime I'm out in public or if it's going out for a walk or to get the mail

I invariably succumbed to an extreme fit of nervousness an overwhelming anxiety that makes each movement physically laborious and this feeling deepens intensifies with each person present in the immediate vicinity it's literally debilitating now this particular condition isn't baseless in origin. I did not simply wake up one day inexplicably afraid of crowds, nor was I born with some sort of genetically inherited predisposition towards shyness. When I was a teenager,

I was pranked harshly. The school bully, he applied his tortures generally, targeting everyone with equal malice. I decided one day to slip some laxatives into my ground beef tacos. I love tacos, and all dishes in Mexican cuisine. Being a hungry teenager, I didn't examine my taco for foreign contaminants. I had no reason to. I ate it quickly, ravenously, oblivious to the devilish snickering happening around me. Five minutes later, in the line for another taco, might supply me with extra money that day just for the occasion. I felt the laxative kick in. My bowels were primed to deliver a molten mess. I didn't even make it out of the lunchroom. and as if the school staff responsible for setting up the lunch tables had collaborated with the bully

I couldn't weave through these island-like obstructions fast enough. Halfway across the room, I lost control, in the worst way possible. Oh, it shot out of me, audibly, down my shorts. It was unfortunately summer, with a sickening squelch, splattering the floor. I wouldn't have made the lunchroom quieter if I'd self-immolate it. all eyes turned to me and the most mocking, heart-sinking laughter arose, laughter that rang aloud in my head for days, weeks, months afterwards. Thankfully, as I've mentioned before, the equality-minded bullies soon set its sights

on a new target. Well, no one ever forgot that I'd shut myself. Other poor souls were similarly embarrassed and socially ostracized. That's why I fear going out in public for the last ten or so years. and yet I never lost my love for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, carnia, sourd of fries and so on. Oh, all those delicious combinations of spicy meats, cheese, veggies and calves. Luckily, I managed to secure a post-high school job that not only paid well but allowed me to work from home. Home being the living quarters within the compound of the facility that employs me.

My work isn't really important to the story I have to tell. I monitored and log things, then sent the data to someone else within the compound-wide network, and they did with it what they would. I was able to live my life without direct contact with anyone, and while we were obviously allowed to leave the compound whenever we wanted, I really had reason to. My parents aren't in the picture, and all my friends were a clickaway. I got my groceries and any other necessary items delivered.

Life was simple, comfortably modern, undisturbed and unobserved. Or so I thought. Due to my dietary habits, not just Mexican but spice-laden foods, I often relieve myself of gas throughout the day. I don't believe I suffer from any actual condition of gastrointestrian or weakness or sensitivity, and neither do I think that I'm addicted to the previously mentioned foods. I just think that without the social pressures to refrain from passing gas, I've grown accustomed to doing it whenever. I'm sure the average person would fart a lot more if they knew they wouldn't be ridiculed for it. Oh, because I'm accustomed to doing it.

Going outside to retrieve the mail, the only thing I bizarrely can't have brought my door, is an emotionally harrowing experience. The mail is housed within a large room, delivered to the specific slots of the residents. We must retrieve our mail ourselves, using the key provided to us, upon acceptance into employment. Now ordinarily I can manage the trip there and back without too much trouble, a bit of sweating, a slightly quickened pace, a brief uptick in heart rate. But if there's another person there, it becomes, or feels like it becomes, a matter of life and death, a dire fated journey to retrieve an item whose importance diminishes with each person I happen to spot on the way there.

I've forsaken my male countless times just because someone had been walking in a direction entirely different from my way, destination the worst part is that lately there seems to always be someone around some resident or facility worker who pops into my site just as I'm entering the mail room or sometime before and since last month I've been forced to retrieve my mail daily after a compound-wide notice was issued the residents are not to neglect their mail due to the small capacity of the slots well thankfully the facilities administration was kind enough not to point me out, although the mailman, who elicits the same feeling in me as everyone else, started giving me dirty looks whenever he passed by. To cope with this mandate of forced

mail retrieval, I started listening to music, using the noise to counsel out the sounds of footsteps, which always alert me to the presence of another person. I had nothing to help with their visual detection. I still needed to see. While this was a good idea on paper, It had unforeseen and disastrous consequences two weeks ago. I'd just grabbed my mail and was halfway home when the music in my ears betrayed me. I'd had beef, chorizo, egg and salsa burrito for breakfast. A truly delicious combination that was, of course, an intestinal powder keg. It was a good day.

I'd chosen music I could really get into, something that was loud and wild enough to really capture and hold my focus. I was so into it, so mentally immersed, in the song that I briefly forgot to monitor the other functions of my body. Perhaps 30 metres from my apartment, I let one slip. I didn't hear it I couldn't have with the music blurring through my earphones, but I felt it, and the feeling alone filled me with an immediate and powerful dread, because I knew in some dim way that there were others around.

When I saw the first person walk around the corner, face contorted into a mixed extent, expression of amusement and confusion. I saw the little control I'd retroactively applied to that area. I don't know if nervous farting is a normal thing, but for me, in that increasingly awful moment, it was. Thankfully, my nerves hadn't denied me the ability to walk, so I at least made progress towards my apartment as gas continuously slipped out. But with nearly every step I took, people popped into viewers if summoned by some fart alarm, conjured by some incantation of flatulence. It got to a point where I had a small crowd following me

and a greater crowd converging towards me before I finally managed to enter my apartment, lock the door, and unleashed the full extent of my gastrointestinal fury. Weirdly, the crowd dispersed almost immediately after I'd made it inside. There was a murmur, a few stifled laughs, but nothing remotely close to the almost diabolic chorus of laughter I'd experienced all those years ago in school. I was exhausted, physically and emotionally, and curled up into a ball on my couch.

While the experience was certainly mortifying, it had also been odd. I wasn't able to exactly understand why until I logged into the facility's network later to do some work. After compiling my daily report to send up the chain, I happened to glance at the list of online, online users and on a vague impulse expanded the list to view all the facilities personnel. I stayed at this list for a while, growing increasingly unsettled with time as I scanned the series of names. There were 28 people in total on the list. There had been at least 50 people following me earlier in the day. Somehow almost double the compound's capacity had converged upon me in the incredible span of only a few moments.

Something wasn't right. I went to sleep, or at least put myself to bed, with a suspicion that the facility was harboring secrets, that there was more to its research than it let on. In the morning after a mostly restless night, I logged onto my computer to begin the day's work and was met with quite a shocking sight. The personnel list had grown from 28 to 54.

I scrolled through the list, recognizing only half of the names there, or the others were entirely unfamiliar to me. The departments in which these new phantom users worked were real departments, although because I'd never physically visited them, hadn't had any reason to, I couldn't then verify whether or not the persons listed within them actually weren't there. Even more surprising was the fact that I hadn't received any emails about the previous day's incident, nor had there been any compound-wide notices or bulletins posted. It was as if the near instantaneous gathering of the entire compounds personnel hadn't happened,

as if my incredibly embarrassing gaseous attack hadn't happened. I rarely have the need to directly communicate with other network users. I simply download assignment packets and upload my logged data through a server, so I didn't have anyone I could casually talk with about the bizarre incident, or apparent lack thereof. There are general forums for discussing common issues, communicating new protocols and other universally useful information, but nothing that would have been an appropriate place to address or investigate what happened.

Unsettled, confused, and perhaps even afraid, though at the time I couldn't describe why. I left it alone and went about my day. During one of my leisurely walks, as mandated by the Facilities Exercise Initiative, another bizarre thing happened. I typically stray from the usual walking path, that wrap around the compound and instead venture into the flat, pseudo-desert expanse of barren land beyond the facility's perimeter, a place where, for the first two years of my employment,

I had yet to see another soul explore. But two days after the incident, during a normal walk, I felt that age-old urge to relieve myself, having had leftover goat curry for lunch. Not having any reason to refrain from doing it, I let some gas slip out. Before the whistle had even ceased, a woman suddenly entered my peripheral vision, jogging a few metres away towards the limits of the expanse, where a rarely trafficked highway lies. Our dread flourished anew, and I forcibly stopped the gaseous flow, despite there still being a few puffs to let out. The woman glanced in my direction, and my soul froze over as I noticed her vacant ears,

devoid of earphones. She'd heard the roar of my nethermost region. I quickly turned away, mortified beyond measure, and made my way back to my apartment. Along the way, people seemed to pop up with a truly disconcerting suddenness, emerging into view like wooden pop-ups in the shooting gallery. I made eye contact with no one, but it kept a mental count of each person I passed. By the time I had arrived at my apartment, the count had reached 43. Considering the time of day, it was extremely odd that there were so many people out and about,

especially since many of the compound's occupants were responsible for data logging and essential operations that could only be conducted during the day. Once again, with the ostensible privacy of my apartment, I sat before my computer and, having no other recourse, emailed my supervisor with a question, something I hadn't done since my first week on the job. All my question had been simple, straightforward, and yet his response was very vague, almost elusive. The subsequent conversation only served to worsen my anxiety

and even inspired actual fear by the time it had reached its conclusion. Well, here is the transcript. Hello, I know it's unusual for me to be emailing you, considering the lack of communication between us since my initial onboarding, but I cannot think of anywhere else to turn. Recently I've noticed what I can only describe his story, strange and unprecedented behavior from my colleagues here. Behavior that seems focused on me.

It seems as if I'm being unduly monitored, or at least persistently followed by nearly the entirety of the available staff. I've checked the personnel list and have noticed an increase in the users listed, nearly double the amount. Well, I wasn't aware of any hiring event. There were no notices of orientation dates or announcements of department restructuring.

Do you have any idea of what's going on, and why I seem to be at the center of it all? There's no need to worry. The facilities operation cannot be fully understood by a single individual, and rarely does the administration bother to dispense information pertaining to the grander aspects of our work. Do not worry. Operations are going well, and your work is being reviewed positively. While I'm glad to hear that I'm performing my duties adequately, I don't see what that has do with the fact that I'm being followed whenever I go out on errands and walks. As my immediate supervisor, surely you must have some idea of why I'm receiving this

special and admittedly discomforting attention. It is okay. The situation is being monitored. Data is being recorded and passed along to the necessary analytical teams. No observation is wasted. You are performing well and needn't alter your behavior in anticipation of any modifiers. If you have any further questions, please consider keeping them to yourself and resuming your daily tasks. End of transcript.

In the space of about ten minutes, my anxiety had blossomed into full-blown panic. My supervisor had clearly been withholding information, and while he was right, I didn't have any entitlement to information regarding the grander scheme of operations. I was still nonetheless owed an explanation for why my privacy happened. personal space was being intruded upon by strangers. Terror can drive people to do stupid, impulsive things if they believe that in doing so, they'll save themselves from whatever is causing them stress or posing a threat to their life. My terror drove me to try something that was, for me, completely unheard of. When the day came around to order groceries, I requisitioned sandwich materials, soups, fruits,

cereal and juices. Nothing that would be a major intestinal irritant, compared to my usual spicy and cheesy diet. For an entire week, I produced very little gas, and I was still hounded with only the faintest pretense of subtlety by other residents. I was followed closely wherever I went, as if my pursuers hoped to catch me off guard, farting my heart out. It was an air of aggravation throughout the compound,

at least when I was outside to perceive it. Halfway through the week, my supervisor even contacted me, saying that I should resume activity as usual for the continued operational efficiency of the facility and your own personal safety. Even though I hadn't deviated from my daily habits or my actual work in the slightest way. Only my diet had changed, and the visible effect this change had upon the community was evidence enough that I was being closely and unfairly monitored for some extremely strange. reason the suggestion that my well-being would be put at risk only served to increase my anxiety about the circumstances and deepen my distrust of my employers and colleagues I'd hope that they'd eventually leave me alone and find another subject to harass and monitor sort of like how the school bully had moved

on to another victim after ruining my social standard his hope was crushed when a food truck pulled into the facility bearing a sign that read tackles burritos and more jeep cheesy, meaty and spicy. An event that had never, in the history of my employment, happened before. Concurrent with the arrival of the truck was the sudden closure of the mailroom, right before I could step inside and retrieve a package I'd been anticipating. There was, allegedly, an unforeseen plumbing issue, and the mailroom needed to be drained of water.

I'd been just about to walk inside when the mail attendant stopped me, and informed me of the dubious situation. When I turned around, I came face to face without a cursed food truck in its sign, which seemed to advertise specifically to me. There were, of course, others around, and while it had been a warm day, it was obvious that their visible perspiration

was owed to an anxious anticipation of my behaviour, rather than the heat. They were waiting to see what I'd do since I had for the entire week, not let out the smallest, softest puff of gas in a public space. But embarrassment and terror had endowed me with a preternatural sense of self-control,

a psychological resilience to that culinary predilection that I had indulged in without abstinence my whole life. I walked right past that truck, noticing even the driver's eyes and eerily welcoming smile follow me as I ignored the sense of spiced meats and steamed

rice. Unfortunately, this was the final straw for the facility. A crowd gathered behind me as I strode away, dropping performances of absent-mindedness and casualness. They pursued me with clear intent, marching along in ranks, silent and grim-faced. Doors opened as I passed them, and from each exited at least one person who joined the trailing army. When I rounded a corner, I was met with a wall of people. Their faces sternly set, their arms crossed before them.

with syringes gripped tightly in their hands. Cut off, hemmed in by row after row of familiar faces and complete strangers, well, beyond the fifty-plus I counted earlier, I could do nothing but await the fate that was to be forced upon me. No one spoke, but a moment later the food truck careened around the corner, and the wall before me briefly parted to allow it passage. The food-harbering vehicle came to rest right in front of me, and the smells from within wafted out deliciously, intoxicatingly.

Wordlessly, an arm extended from the window, and in its hand was a burrito bloated with savory contents and dripping with grease. The eyes of the man who'd offered it were darkly shaded by the cap he wore, though his mouth was visible, and the smile that had been there only moments ago was now an unsettlingly severe frown. fearing a fate worse than the one presented to me by the driver no good can come from forcible injections by an ominously gathered crowd i took hold of the proffered burrito the weight was almost staggering it was truly an attestation to the chef's strength that he'd managed to hold the thing outstretched for even a few moments gripping it with both hands before an audience of perhaps a hundred demonically faced people a bit into the burrito tasting the ultra-palatable combination of meats, veggies, cheese and sauces. Against myself, I ate the entire thing with more fervour than a starving wolf would consume a fresh kill. I tore into the tortilla

like a mortally dehydrated man might tear into a plastic-wrapped case of bottled water. When I was finished and my fingers had been licked clean of the juices, I looked up to the crowd, knowing what they expected to happen next. Their faces were. were full, all of them, of deep satisfaction, a fulfilment that went beyond having witnessed an entertaining event. Happiness is too light of a word to describe their expressions. Scientific ecstasy is a more befitting description. I realised then the truth of my professional purpose within the compound. The work I did was inconsequential, unimportant. The real data I contributed to the facility was my output of farts and the result.

emotional turmoil generated within me when they were witnessed in a public setting. Like the streams of data that I oversaw and reported, my gaseous streams were similarly studied. My modification was intentionally induced, charted, and evaluated for some gross, cryptic purpose. Left without options and utterly exhausted by the relentless harassment and frightening pursuits, I gave them what they wanted. I gave them more than they wanted. The farts swelled to truly immense sonic proportions, drowning out even the rumbling of the truck's engine.

I held nothing back, allowed myself to produce more than I'd ever had before, aided not only by the quickly digested burrito, but by the farts I'd withheld throughout the week. The abdominal pressure was released in a great tumultuous thunder-clap that shook cheeks and polluted the immediate atmosphere, with an olfactorily debilitating stench. The crowd, unprepared for and revolted by this enormous fart, immediately dispersed, some fleeing to the buildings from which they come, others running mindlessly,

unable to think clearly amidst the chaos of my gaseous outburst. No longer surrounded, I continued my flatulent bombardment while weaving in and out of buildings. When I finally reached my apartment, I gathered together what belongings I could carry, then left the building and headed for the parking lots. There were small crowds of people huddled about, all brandishing syringes, all mean-faced and watching, though none of them converged on me for fear of being crop-dusted. I even saw my supervisor as I reached the part of the lot where in my car sat. He tried to get my attention, waving toward me from a vacant corner of the lot.

But I knew he'd only try and restrain me or distract me while, someone else rushed in to subdue me. His face bore a smile, though it was obvious that it was insincere. His feigned kindness and act to master the vehemans within. There were no syringes in his hands, but his posture was one of confrontational readiness. Upon reaching my car, I let rip a final, triumphant, rearward discharge, scattering the few brave souls that had dared to attempt my capture at the last moment. I then drove out of it. of the lot and left the compound without looking back. I have no intentions of going back until I receive answers and have promised that they will cease monitoring my bodily functions

and dietary habits. It's a well-paying job, and while their intentions may be nefarious, it is nonetheless the only viable option of employment that I have. Considering how they were able to muster up such a sizable force of people within what felt like a short moment's notice, I won't be disclosed in the name of the company for fear that they were able to muster up that they all use their apparent power and influence to silence me. Anything for Mother, by corpse child. Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of children. Isn't that how the old saying goes?

Growing up, it was certainly the case for me. Mother was my angel, my saviour. Anytime I hear of the Virgin Mary, I have and always will picture Mother. She was my goddess, and I am her devout disciple. anything mother requested or needed of me I obeyed without question or hesitation well i feel it's the least i could have done given how much she'd given just for me by rights my mother didn't have to give me nearly as much as she has hell i wasn't technically hers whose child i was well i don't think i or anyone else could ever tell you it was all so long ago and i was very little my first memory of mother and of my family is

very hazy, being so young at the time. Well, I do still remember certain details, such as the emotions I experienced that night. I remember it was cold, bitter, and I was wailing, afraid and alone, aimlessly wandering about here in the middle of the woods, feebly trying to find my way back out. How and why I was in the woods in the first place are questions that, again, I don't know who will ever have an answer for. I just remember how I woke up one night as a toddler in the heart the woods. I remember the very first glimpse I caught of mother. Admittedly, I was, of course, terrified. I probably wouldn't have even known why at the time, but I guess even small children have some ingrained sense of danger about another living creature. She leered down at me,

a predator to a wounded prey, with her small, ruby red eyes. She was tall almost a quarter to half the size of some of the taller trees in the encompassing woods with long, gangly arms and hands that reached down even past her tall thighs. Her face, as well as her body, seemed to blend with the color of the night, and so I couldn't see any defining features. I remember how I just stood there, quivering and looking up at her. I didn't know what to think. All I knew how to do at that age was wander alone in these dark, cold woods, crying and lost. I'll also never forget those first words she ever spoke to me. Why do you cry? Her voice was soft, soothing and tender, yet at the same time distorted.

It seemed to have an echo in it. I still frightened, I remember feeling some of the apprehension melt away at her voice. I'm scared. She caught her head to the side, still gazing down at me with her burning eyes. Her head then twitched like the legs of a cricket, even making a similar noise to a cricket, as she raised one of her hands just enough to touch my face. naturally I flinched at her touch at first when I felt how soft and smoother fingers fell against my face though

I slowly relented why are you afraid little car I don't know where I am I'm all alone and I'm hungry and cold I want my money as I started blubbering again mother's head snapped at the other side and twitched like before she spoke again and continuing to lovingly stroke my cheek

cry no more little one you aren't alone here and I won't let anything happen to you she then moved her claw-like hand from my face up to the top of my head her eyes began to glow and I felt a burning sensation that seemed to come from inside my head forcing me to shut my eyes and shriek in pain when I opened my eyes again mother was now kneeling down to meet my gaze stroking my hair I am so sorry come with me little one no more will you be mistreated I'll take care of you. I just stood there quivering and, with a frightened well,

looking at her with tear-soaked eyes. Suddenly from her shadow body I saw four large leathery-looking wings, like that of a bat, unravelling from around her torso. Come, don't be afraid. And that's when I felt her scooped me up and cradle me close to her chest. I tried to struggle, writhing like a fish, gasping on a hook. But it was useless. I was held tightly in mother's embrace.

As quickly as I could blink, we were airborne. I beat and beat on her chest with all the might and vigor a three-year-old was capable of, pitifully crying and begging for her to put me down. Eventually I must have tied myself out and fallen asleep, thrashing and screaming the way I was, because the next thing I knew, mother had descended in front of the mouth of a cave at the base of the mountain that overlooks the woods. Where am I?

I squeaked, frantically throwing my head around to regain my bearings. Welcome home, my little cup, she warmly replied. I looked into the cave. It was shrouded in darkness, as mother was herself, even somehow able to stand out from the rest of the pitch black night, save for a single orange-looking speck deep within. She sat me down and I just stood, frozen, petrified, with the legs that felt like gelatin. I felt it began to nudge me forward toward the cave. Go on, don't be afraid.

I slowly and stiffly trudged forward. I remember hearing loud cackling, more deranged than even that of a hyena, echoing out of the cave from within. Eventually I was swallowed by the darkness of the cave. I could hear the cackling grow closer and closer, some even approaching from my left and right. I'm home, my children,

mother announced from behind me. The cackling was now tight on top of me, and I wanted to turn around to run back out into the dark foreboding woods. Mother's urging me forward were not permit this, however. And what have you fetched for supper tonight, Mother? The voice from directly in front of me questioned, sounding similar in tone and in cadence to Mother, although obviously a lot less comforting and much more vicious. Even Mother's urging couldn't push me forward any more now. back away she commanded to the fire go and we shall die in as a family sure enough the deranged cackling grew distant moving away from me seemed to travel toward the orange glow at the other end of the cave they're gonna eat me on a turn to run the other way however just as i'd feared mother deterred me from doing so to the fire little one she cooed softly continuing to nudge me forward eventually she turned to

took me gently by my hand and led me toward the rather larger-looking fire compared to the more claustrophobic surroundings of the cave. When we finally reached the fire, I could hear the sounds scurrying like a multitude of creatures simultaneously converging toward the fire, the clicking of nails or talons being echoed all throughout the cave. I began to see more tiny red, beady eyes, similar to mothers, pierced the darkness in front of me the closer they came to the fire. There were pairs of eyes from right in front of me, as well as one on my left and right. I couldn't run or hide, and I was now even in so much of a state of shock that I couldn't even cry in fear anymore. He's so small, whispered the voice coming from my left.

Come, my little cubs, gather it around. Her command they finally came into the light. Well, that's another thing I'll never forget about that night. The mix of confusion and sheer terror that flooded my entire body, freezing my blood solid. The first time I saw them, the ones I would, in time, call my siblings. The one in front of me is, as well as the one on my left, both had bright pink skin that stretched over their bones and long, gangly arms and equally slender legs. Wrapped around their pink emaciated bodies, they too had large dark wings. The one on my right was very much the same, except that I could tell this one was female,

because of its longer hair and breasts. The three of them squatted around the fire, looking me dead in the eyes, sizing me up. The one on my left slowly started to sculpt toward me. I saw him open his mouth, splitting it unnaturally, or at least unnaturally to any human understanding, in four different directions, bearing rows of slender, jagged teeth, and distending wide enough that he probably would have had no problem devouring me whole.

I could see him drooling and his long, pointed tongue slowly unraveled from its grotesque moor, lapping out and weaving like it was a snake. Don't you touch him, mother bellowed, her voice echoing so hard that I swear I could have felt the cave shaking.

The creature halted dead in its tracks, looking up behind me to mother. He started backing away to the fire again while I just sat there trembling and weeping. I thought my heart was finally going to stop. Everything was spiraling in my head in a hysterical frenzy. What is this place? Why am I here?

What are these things? Where's my home? My mummy and daddy? I had a hand on my shoulder, instantly breaking me from my frightened trance, and I turned back and shrieked, stumbling back at what I saw. It was Mother, in all of her full detail. no longer shrouded in darkness. She looked just like the other three,

tight pink skin, large brown wings wrapped around her waist and a gaping moor that would stretch and split into four directions. I saw her head twitched to the side as she just stood there, observing me with her glowing red eyes as I shakily curled into a fetal position.

She then squatted down to me, reaching out a large, gangly hand to stroke my cheek. Don't cry, little one. you're safe now her voice was smooth again tender and loving even still i just stayed huddled in terror she crawled closer and sat down beside me in front of the fire we're hungry mother the one on the left eagerly snapped i watched as mother then crawled away from the fire disappearing again to the darkness before re-emerging now dragging the corpse of a fresh killed deer in her right hand i could hear the others titter with the excitement. "'Patience, my children,' Mother commanded tenderly. "'The first portion is for him, our newest little cub.' The others then looked at me.

"'Are you so small, Mother?' "'It's the one to my right, the female of the litter.' "'Where did you find him, Mother?' The one on the other side of the fire in front of me asked. Mother didn't reply to either of them. She tore one of the legs clean away from the deer, handing it to me. "'Go on, little one,' she cooed. "'You must eat.'

I stared back at Mother, unaware of what to do. I was confused and repulsed. I was hungry, but the idea of trying to eat a raw animal like that at the time sicken me out of any real appetite I might have had. Looking at the others around me, I could see their attention fixed on me, wondering, expecting me to take the deer leg and begin feasting on it like they wanted to. slowly I reached up and took it with shaking hands I could already smell the odor of death assaulting me as I took the leg for another moment I hesitated I really didn't want to do it at

first my stomach began to growl however when I could hear the others tittering grow more excited part of my young mind at the time must have panicked afraid of what they'd do to me if I didn't eat the dear leg I thought they might indeed make me their meal after all regardless of mother's demands. So finally, I took a bite from it. Yet another part of that night that I can't forget. The very first moment I ever tasted the raw flesh of another creature, something that would become a very prevalent part of my lifestyle

as I grew through the years and up to the present. The meat was tough, extremely so, to a point where I could barely even swallow a portion of it. I actually ended up choking on it, regurgitating most of it back up. I looked up to mother, somewhat expecting her to be angry. Surprisingly, she just patted my head. Don't fret, my little cub.

One day you'll be able to eat like us. That's when she used her long, clawed hands to begin tearing out bite-sized chunks of meat from the deer leg. She reached out again with the small meaty chunks in her palm. I, of course, didn't want to eat at first. The aching from my stomach, from lack of food, however, caused my instincts to eclipse my reasoning and I, albeit hesitantly, scooped up a handful from Mother's palm and quickly stuffed them into my mouth. It was unpleasant to say the least. They felt so slimy going down my throat, and I did end up gagging again, but I had managed to keep them down this time.

Mother patted my head softly before then splitting the rest of the deer to serve the other three, and then watched as they senselessly devoured the rest of the deer. That night ended with Mother huddling around me in front of the fire, cradling me to her chest. Rest well, my little cub, she softly whispered into my ear. I guess that's another thing about mother. Somehow her voice, even back then, was always able to soothe me. Her voice always seemed to sound the way they say an angel's word, or rather, like what you'd expect a loving mother to sound like to a small child.

Like I've said before, of any memory before that night, I am completely without. In all respects, my life essentially began then and there in those woods, with the family with mother. For the first time in my life, I was given a name, the only one I've ever known. Cub. That was me, the little cub, the runt of the litter, not able to do much on my own in the wild. In fact, fear alone of just about everything that made noise or even moved in the outside world

made a climatizing to this newfound lifestyle very difficult. Naturally, this would tend to drive a clear wedge in between me and my siblings. Many times I remember how they tell me that one day they'd just leave me behind in the woods again, so they'd go back to living as they had before mother had found me. At least, that's what little brother would suggest occasionally. Big brother, the bigger one with the foot-long curved talons on his hands, usually just whispered at night how he planned to help himself to my tender

flesh when Mother wasn't around to stop it. Well, I guess I was fortunate then that Mother wouldn't ever let me out of her sight when I was little. Of course, that may have been another reason they disliked me so. Mother seemed to hold an even bigger fondness from me than the others.

I never understood why, and I guess in some ways I still don't. But Mother has always kept me closer to her than the rest. Even as I grew into adolescence, mother always handled me with the softest manners. In spite of this, I was even able to, over time, forge a bond with my siblings, or I did with sister and little brother anyway. Big brother, I suppose, couldn't forgive that I seemed to have stolen mother's affections from him.

I guess, though, it was because of him that I would learn one significant thing, what it was like and how it felt to kill another living being for the first time. By this time I was much older and bigger. I had grown to stand at least five feet tall, able to meet eye-level with little brother, and at least chest level with big brother. It was at this time that mother would let the others take me out into the woods to hunt for food with them, without being present herself. I was frightened at first, never before having learned how to hunt, much less kill another animal. But by now the winter was approaching, and mother had always grown weaker with the colder weather.

That meant that we, the cubs, had to venture out. to gather food. Before, though, being so small and defenceless, I'd always stayed in the cave with Mother while the others went out. But now I felt that the time was right for me to join them in gathering food for her. Mother was reluctant, and I could see Big Brother wasn't fond of the idea either. In the end, however, Mother ruled in my favour, and I was to accompany Big Brother into the woods. Trying as hard as I could, I just wasn't able to keep up with him. And of course he had no qualms with essentially abandoning me the first chance they could. So there I was, deep in the heart of the woods again, alone, defenseless and scared.

But this time I knew I couldn't simply just hope that I'd be rescued by a mother or anything else. No, I'd have to finally learn how to fend for myself. For a while I just stood there listening, trying to get a bearing on my surroundings. That was how I learned to focus my hearing and learn the different sense. sounds of the world around me, the sounds of the wind bristling through the trees, the distinct sounds of the different critters around me in the woods. I learned which ones chirped, and which ones would howl or squeak, which ones were fast when scurrying about, and which ones would take their time. Finally, I heard it. I heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, they were

approaching quickly, despite how heavy they sounded. Whatever it was was moving on two feet rather than for, unlike the deer that usually pass through these woods. Another thing that was different was the sounds it was making. It was a familiar sound. Too familiar. Hey, Orville, take a gander over here. I heard this coming from my right,

and I quickly dove behind a nearby tree. Still concentrating, I could hear the heavy footsteps coming toward the spot I was standing in only a moment ago, now joined by another set of footsteps equally as heavy. I heard them again. What is it, Soam? What are you going on about now? You telling me you didn't see that rushing off there?

See what? I don't rightly know, but I'm almost willing to bet I saw a boy dart off into the trees there. Where? I could hear them come closer and closer until I could hear them stop right where I was standing before. Or right there? I heard one of them bark and laugh before. saying. Saul, sometimes you make me wonder about all them trips to the bar you've been making lately. Oh, damn it to hell, Rick. I know what I saw. There was a boy standing right here.

Soon, though, I began to feel a breeze blast all across my right side, followed by a distant flapping sound. Oh, I knew that sound. Big brother. You hear that, Saul? I heard the first one say again. what now shh listen I heard him say you hear that

a moment passed and I could hear the flapping get closer starting to fade with each inch it gained as if trying to silently now zero in on our location that was when a head splitting screech was heard and I saw Big Brother dart down from the sky

tackling and pinning one of them down I could see him struggling underneath Big Brother but to no purpose Big Brother began tearing and biting at the throat of his prey. That's when I heard a loud, bang, followed by Big Brother screeching in pain. I saw him clutching his arm, and I could see a black stream running down his right wing. I heard it again, and again Big Brother cried out in pain. They're going to kill him! And that's when I bounded out from behind the tree and grabbed onto the

one that Big Brother had attacked. Immediately I bit into his throat and started gouging his eyes. just as I'd seen Big Brother do. I could feel him trying to pry me off, but he must have been weakened by either mine or Big Brother's assault. It wasn't long before I felt him cease struggling and go limp. I had another bang before a searing pain had surged through my right arm. I looked up to see the other one, holding his weapon in my direction. For a second I just stared, frozen fear,

expecting for him to use it again to finish me. But that was when something strange happened. This thing, this monster, then lowered his weapon, and I watched his eyes widened as if in shock. No, no, it can be, he mumbled. Oh, his guard is down, I thought. Now's my chance. I slowly crawled toward him.

He stood motionless, mouth agape. Ben? He finally said. Benny, is that you? I kept crawling toward him, paying no attention to his words. I wasn't going to be swayed from my objective. I'd kill him for what he'd done to Big Brother. He then slung his weapon over his shoulder and said,

Oh my God, Benny, sweet Jesus, Marion Joseph, my little Benny, it's real you. He sounded elated, like you'd just realize some great truth. I stopped when I saw him start toward me. I lowered myself to the ground, poised to pounce as soon as he was close enough. I'd go for the throat, just as I'd done with the other one, and I wouldn't stop there. Now I'd rip and tear him inside out.

Oh, my boy, I thought I'd lost you... And that's when I sprang for the kill. In an instant my teeth were sunk into his flesh, and I could taste his blood flowing into my mouth. It was exhilarating. He frantically tried prying me off of him, but it was useless. I had him and he wasn't getting away. I was doing it.

I was finally killing my own prey, just like the family, just like mother. His flailing became weaker and weaker. I released my jaws from his throat and stood over him, triumphant, watching as his body convulsed until finally relaxing. As life left his eyes, he heard. opened his mouth and made a series of gurgled, croaking noises. I noticed, though, that he seemed to be trying to speak. Benny, I heard him choke out. I'm so sorry, son.

With this, his eyes closed and he was lifeless. I stood, frozen. adrenaline was still surging through me. I did it. I did it. I killed my first prey. My heart was racing and I began beating my chest. howling to the sky. I was grown now. I was now a hunter. I was no longer just the little cub.

I was an alpha. Then I looked at the face. I wasn't sure why, but something struck me about his face. Something was almost, almost familiar with it. It looked a lot like, oh, me. I knocked down and observed him more closely. His jaw was pointed. His face got. His face. gone. I felt my own face to find that my face matched these features. What is this? I wondered. I ran over to the nearby stream and looked into the river. And that's when adrenaline left me. I was horrified with what I saw. It was him. I saw the younger face of my prey staring up at me from the lake. I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't believe it. It had to be some trick.

Why did this man look like me, or I look like him? What was he? He was a monster. He'd hurt big brother, my family. So why did I have the same face as him? I ruffled the water and began clawing at my face. This isn't real. This isn't real.

I'm not him. I'm nothing like him. Deep down, down in the deepest part of my heart, though, I knew the truth. His dying whispers started repeating in my head. I'm sorry, son. Overcome with rage, I started howling at the sky while pounding the ground with my fists. I took up nearby stones and hurled them in every direction, not caring what they'd hit. I was lost, mentally and emotionally, and I had no control over my behaviours.

Eventually I clapped to the ground, exhausted. I was weak and tired. Just as I was losing consciousness, I hurt, in the way. the distance, the sound of large flapping wings. From above I could see the silhouette of mother as she descended. I finally fell unconscious when I felt

mother lift me from the ground, cradling me just as she'd done all those years ago when I was still so small, weak and fragile. It was night when I awoke again. Sister and little brother were huddled around the fire, mother in the middle of her back facing me.

My body still felt so exhausted and I was slow to move again. "'Mother!' I murmured softly. I saw sister and little brother snapped to look at me. Mother didn't move. I weakly began crawling my way over to them. Approaching the fire, I noticed that the faces of the other two were downcast and sombre. They looked at me, and sister asked,

"'What happened?' Reaching the fire, I felt my heart fall from my chest. It was Big Brother. He lay in front of Mother, most of the same. motionless. I scurried over and began shaking him, crying out. Big Brother, Big Brother, wake up. I felt Mother's hand rest on my shoulder, pulling me away. I stayed firm, though, feebly shaking the body of Big Brother until she forcefully pulled me away from him. He's gone, little one. I crumpled on the floor of the cave and began crying. Every

bit of the vigor, the confidence, the triumph I'd earlier felt had now all but about. I was now just the crying wellp I was all that time ago when mother had found me. Big brother was dead and it was all my fault. I was weak like had always been. If I was strong like my family was I could have saved him. But I wasn't like them. I was like the ones that had killed him. It's all my fault, I bawled, looking at mother.

She was silent, continuing to stare at the fight. I just laid there crying. I didn't know what else to do. I wanted Mother to say something, anything. I wanted her to either absolve me or condemn me, to either show me love or her wrath. Instead, she did none of that. She just sat, silent.

In some way I knew what this meant. She hated me. I was responsible for the death of her firstborn, and she would never forgive me. I cried until eventually falling asleep again. It wasn't long before I was awakened again by the sounds of shuffling coming toward me. I slowly stirred awake to find Sister and Little Brother crawling low to the ground the way I saw them do when they were set to pounce.

Sister, little brother, what's going on? He's awake, Sister whispered. Little Brother then bounded toward me, his talons outstretched, ready to tear me apart. With quicker reflexes than I ever thought possible, I rolled out of the way and stood up. Sister spread her wings and attempted to glide toward me, catching my face and knocking me over with a vicious swipe of her talents. She circled around and landed, leering over me.

What are you doing? What big brother would have wanted us to do? It's because of you, Cub, that he's dead. Little brother hissed before pouncing on top of me. He immediately started slashing at me, opening wide gashes in my chest. I shriek with pain as he sent one of his claws across my eye. I was able to hurl him off me

and sent him crashing into the wall of the cave. I was about to try and run, but sister was too quick, and in seconds she had me pinned down again. She sent a hard stomp onto my shoulder, immediately breaking it. She did the same to my other arm, proclaiming, We should have listened to Big Brother. we should have eaten you when mother first brought you here.

With my one good eye, I watched sister raise up and unhinger jaws went. All of a sudden, she was swept off from the top of me by something huge. Looking up, I saw that it was mother. She had sister and little brother held down to the wall of the cave. I used the opportunity to run, bolting straight to the mouth of the cave. I ran and ran not at all knowing where I was going or even, where I wanted to go. At some point I twisted my ankle and fell. My lungs were starved of air and I was aching all over. My body felt broken, both from the injuries of the struggle as well as from

sheer exhaustion. Because of this, I couldn't move. I was laid on my back, staring up at the night sky and the trees above me. I remember how cold it was, and I began to wonder if that would be it for me. But I was going to freeze to death there on the forest floor alone. weak, without anyone, without mother. As exhausted as I was I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. I stared at the sky all night and into the next dawn. I picked myself up again when the sun was finally high enough for its light to break the top of the tree line. Not knowing where to go, I began wandering through the woods.

This went on for hours, how many I couldn't tell you, and I can't tell you what time of day it was either when I finally stopped. Well I can tell you is that it was when I heard sounds familiar to the ones that I'd heard the previous day, and I quickly dove for a nearby tree. Looking out, there were four of them, tall, broad-shouldered figures that were covered in blue and spoke into their shoulders. Two of them I saw had what appeared to be dogs, like those Big Brother and the others would occasionally bring to the cave for supper. These, however, were much bigger and looked far more vicious. I started to panic when I saw one of them turn and begin to bark in my direction, alerting the others.

I watched them move closer to me. I stood frozen, not knowing whether to run or to try and fight. In the end, I was forced to act when the barking dog bound into the tree and pounced on me. I tried to run, but I was no match for its speed. Upon catching up to me, I cried out in pain when I felt its teeth sink into my leg, causing me to fall face first to the ground. For a moment I struggled with the dog, tried to hold its jaws away from my face, when I suddenly heard that all too familiar flapping of wings.

From ahead I heard one of the figures in blue cry out. What the hell? I watched as Mother dove down, snatching the dog off of me before sending it hurling toward the figures. The other one attempted to leap at Mother to attack, only to be batted away like his companion. That was when one of the figures pointed a weapon similar to one that had kill Big Brother, but this one appeared smaller. They were deafening, and I had to cover my ears. When I looked at Mother, she was unharmed, and was gliding through the air,

swiping her attacker off the ground by his throat. I heard two more deafening bursts, and I watched Mother drop her prey and fall to the ground. Mother! I screamed, running over to her. Before I could make it all the way to her, though, I felt large, rough hands seized my arms. My struggle was pitiful. Their grip was strong like the dog's jaws. I felt them forcing me away while I flailed against them. Let me go.

Mother wasn't moving. I could see a dark black pool forming around her. Mother, let me go. Mother! They paid no attention, and I was finally silenced when I felt something strike me in the face. Instantly, everything went dark. I remember dreaming.

I was back in the cave, the fire lit and gathered around me. Mother was there and the others. They were looking at me, concentrating their judgment on them. You've grown, little carp, mother says. You've grown and you've learned. Learned how to kill. I'm proud of you, little one. You're strong, even if you don't see it yet.

But how? I cry out. How am I strong, and I couldn't save you. You're dead and it's all my fault. just like them. You were nothing like them. You little cub, of strength you don't know of. You show this when you killed the one that hurt big brother. You chose to avenge your family, and you'll do it again.

But what do you mean? You'll learn how to hunt. You'll become an apex predator, become the hunter I raised you to be like your siblings. That was where the dream ended. I woke up again a dark grey room similar to the cave. This, however, wasn't lit by a fire. Instead, long, bright white lights lit the area around me. In front of me was a table with a dark window behind it and a large door to the left of it.

Suddenly the door opened and one of the figures entered, covered in white and wearing something reflective over his eyes. I wanted to leap forward to attack, but I found myself to be strapped to where I was. "'Oh, easy there,' I heard him say. "'I'm not here to hurt you. "'My name's Dr. Carter. "'I'd like to help you.' "'I was silent.

"'He laid some papers down on the table in front of me. "'Can you tell me your name?' "'I just sat glaring at him, "'wanting only to rip him apart. "'He looked friendly, warm and welcoming. "'Oh, I wasn't thought, though. "'I wasn't fooled by this "'or by his claim to want to help me.

"'How could he want to help me?' me. He's one of them. He's with the ones that killed mother and big brother. Can you tell me your name? He repeated. Cub, I spat harshly, my voice dripping with venom. I'm mother's little cub. I see. What's the name you were born with? I'm a mother's little cub, I repeated. He tried to ask me again what my real name was, to which I continued to give the same answer. He tried to ask me questions about mother and the family.

I didn't answer. I felt he deserved no answer. He's one of them. He's a man. I'm not. I'm mother's little cub. It's these words that I've held on to now. These are the words I've lived by now for the past few years that I've spent in this place, this prison,

far from the cave from where I'd always called home. It's these words that have kept me strong. And it's her words, that I'm not of them, that I am will always be her little cub. Those keep me from falling for the lies they try to feed me, such as that my name was Benjamin, that I was abandoned by my real mother long ago, and that mother wasn't real. No, they're liars, they're men. I'm not, I'm mother's little cub. It was there that I would continue to grow into an adult. As I grew, I would learn more and more of their ways, the ways of men.

They taught me to read, to write, and how to communicate the way they do. Furthermore, the more I grew up, the more I would grow to detest myself when I looked into a mirror, seeing the all too haunting image of Big Brother's Killer facing me, the one who called me son. He was one of them. He was a man. I'm not. I am Mother's little cub. At night I still see her.

She tells me how proud of me she is, how much of a predator I've become. You've learned their ways, little Cobb, she tells me. You've earned their trust. Now use it against them. Use their knowledge against them the way we use the knowledge of the forest animals to hunt. I'm proud of you, little cub. I was always proud of you.

Now, make me proud again. These were the words that drove me when I found. I remember everything, the way I ever so quietly left the room they confined me to and sculpt down the dark halls. I remember how peaceful he, this man, Dr. Carter, looked as he sat at his desk, not suspecting in the least of my presence behind him. I remember how exhilarating it was as I crept closer to him, lowering myself to the ground ready to strike.

Oh, I was in the woods again. I was hunting just like my family did. I was the alpha predator and he was my prey. I remember the way his eyes looked when I sprang upon him, sinking my teeth into his throat. He was frozen with fright. I remember the ecstasy I felt when life left his eyes, the same as when I watched life leave the eyes of the man in the woods. Through it all, no attention was alerted to anyone else. He died silently, agonizingly gasping for breath.

After this, I was able to slip just. as quietly through the main hall to find my way out, back into the outside world. From there I spent many days and nights roaming until I finally found the woods again, where I remain now. I write this as a warning to you all after having claimed another prey only last night. There were two young boys that decided to enter these woods with their guns, just like the men that took mother and my family from me. Well, I may look like you, sound like you, and have learned your own. ways, but I am not one of you.

I'm something more. I'm an alpha, an apex predator, and I am, always was and always will be Mother's little carp. And even in her death, I'll do anything for Mother.

A curious conversation at the Coral Corral, by Blake Blizzard. Two guys walk into a bar. Stop me if you've heard this one. What follows is my best effort to describe the strangest event in my life. I'm still not sure if I'm safe. Hell, I'm still not sure what just happened at all.

The only thing I can do to make sense of this is to put pen to paper or fingertip to keyboard. Whether I'm still here or not after this, hopefully this story will get out. The thing is, I'm not even involved in this, at least not as the main character. I'm just a regular guy who stopped into my story. local bar restaurant for a drink and a pizza, half off on Tuesdays. After one day of highest dressed than normal at work, I decided to treat myself to a drink. I don't normally do so on a work night, but the day had called for one.

After perusing the drink menu, I decided to keep it simple. Too many choices these days, too many specialty cocktails. As I've gotten older, it seems like every small-time restaurant and corner bar has turned into a speakeasy mixology joint like you'd expect to find in New York, from L.A. or some hipster bar in Portland or Austin. Does anyone use the term hipster anymore? I guess that's how I still see these types of places. The places where bartenders were suspenders have insanely manicured handlebar moustaches. The places where everything all of a sudden is covered with wood, the bar made from one long piece of shellect maple lock. A tall beer and a shop, please.

I stated to my server, closing the drink's special menu. The woman taking my order gave me no visible reaction and plainly asked what kind of beer and what kind of shot. Again, trying to be simple so I could get my imbibing on as soon as possible. I just asked for a cause and a jagged annuals. I don't even like either, to be honest. It was the first two brands that came to mind. Short while later, my drinks had arrived.

I quickly took down the JD, whinsing, follow that with a generous gulp of my beer. When I put the 24-ounce glass back down on the table, I saw him. I don't think he was there just a moment ago. I'd taken a table just off the bar, maybe five or so feet away. There was something oddly captivating about this gentleman. I'd come to understand why throughout the night. Bard one, the introduction.

Man looked to be around his mid-twenties to early thirties. He'd sleep back black hair, all black, not one grey, or off-black strand of hair at all. He had dark eyes, not impossibly dark, but dark. He had a pencil-thin moustache, not pencil-thin actually, but maybe double pencil-thin. He kept a slight smile while enjoying his drinks. Yes, he had two small drinks in front of him. one of familiar looking brown liquid with one perfect ice cube taking residence a straight-up whiskey or rum babes

and the other was more alien it was an off-putting grey with strands of red at this point i quickly snapped my gaze back to my own beer i didn't want to risk him seeing me eyeing his sci-fi drink another sip of my standard domestic i did that fake neck stretch thing so i could sneak a peek at the gentleman again He wasn't paying tension, thankfully. Yeah, great drink with red streaks.

Peculiar. Even though his hair was impeccable and his eyes were dark, there was a kindness to them. Like he was more content in life than I could ever hope to be. As he eyed his drinks, I saw something behind that kindness, however. Some type of brimming darkness. I can't quite place it. I don't know if I've seen it before, but if I did, I think I remembered.

remember because this was fascinating. As he kept the impossible half-smile on his face, there was a feeling that at any moment he could transform into one of those piranha plants from Super Mario Brothers and eat your face off. I humorously envisioned and rows of sharp teeth developing from his mouth, overcoming his entire head and growing leaves and vines like the Mario model. Okay, I thought, mind your business and enjoy your rare night out. So I did, or I tried to. I was enjoying my Colorado Kool-Aid, and it was enjoying me. That sounded a luder than I intended. I felt the familiar warmth that I used to be all too connected with in my younger years. I found myself scanning the dozen or so TVs above the

bar. Top NFL draft prospects, spring training baseball game, soccer, a TV dedicated to keynote numbers, a regular cable channel playing one of those paranormal ghost hunter shows. I guess they have that arm for the non-sports people here. As I looked around, I did notice there was a diverse group of patrons. Families, old, young, dates. It was nice to see. The name of this establishment is the coral, like sea coral. Do I live near the sea?

No. I do live on the water, but it's fresh. I think the founder of this place, named it after his surname. It's been around for over a hundred years. Back in the frontier days, it would probably be considered a corral where farmers, cowboys, and most of the town would meet for various reasons. Somewhere along the line, the names coral and corral had paired up. Since it is by water, the sea coral aesthetic stuck for whatever weird reason. There are ocean-themed decorations everywhere, including actual coral. The logo is a big old marl. The logo is a big old marl.

in welcoming its guests when you walk through the front door. None of it makes sense, but no one here cares. It's been a mainstay of this little town for a long time. Hey, let's meet at the Coral Corral. There's been a trademark phrase on a Friday night. Here you are, sir. Oh, thank you, I said. My pizza had arrived.

Pizza from a seafood place. Well, not really a seafood place. I just explained all that, didn't I? As I was going to tear my first slice apart from the piping hot round, I heard an interesting exchange coming from the Piranha gentleman's corner of the bar. Is anyone sitting here? I swallowed my first bite of pizza in record time. I looked toward the gentleman. He spoke.

No, no, there isn't. Thank you so much for asking. He looked at the patron with a closed smile. exuding happiness and being thankful that the other man had politely asked if he could take the seat next to him. There were a few seats open at the bar, or I assumed he was asking if the gentleman had another person coming, or the other man wanted to make sure it was okay if he took a couple of seats, or something changed when I saw his face this time.

When he thanked his now guest and watched him take a seat, there was a determination in his eyes. I said in the beginning I'd do my best to describe this event, and I intend to keep myself to that. I'll also try and stay the way out of the following conversation as much as I can. Of course, I'll have to interject when I feel necessary. You would too if you'd witness this. Hey, is anyone sitting here?

The gentleman smiled at the man asking. No, no, there isn't, he softly spoke. Thank you so, so much for asking. The man wearing a blue Adidas track suit with a matching blue beanie sat down. Thanks man, I just wanted to catch some highlights from the tournament. Sure it's cool. Don't have anyone sitting here? Sure don't, friend.

The seat's all yours. Name's Hudson. Now I have a name for the gentleman. I couldn't make up a better name for this guy. Cool. Appreciate it. The one in the blue track suit says. I never did catch his name now that I think about it.

After Blue ordered a drink, Hudson took a sip of his brown drink, followed by a sip of whatever grey concoction he had. Hey man, like your soup, brother, you look sharp, Blue said. Hudson was indeed wearing a nice-looking black pinstripe suit and matching pants, complemented by expensive-looking black loafers with no socks. I'd look these days, but it worked. for him. He also wasn't wearing a tie, instead opting for a V-neck red t-shirts. Just here for the highlights? Hudson asked, swirling his normal drink. Yeah, just stopping in after work

before I see the wife and kids, you know. Blue took a slug from his beer. I hear that, Hudson said, sounding somewhat robotic, but with a big smile. I was now completely invested in this conversation between two completely unknown strangers. They continued to make small talk, like, where are you from? What are your kids' names? And so on. As with most bars, the music and general chatter drowned out most of the words. I started to get lost in my attempt to hang on every word. Didn't seem like this was going to be as deep as I imagined, kind of relieved, honestly. For a moment, I thought something otherworldly was going on. I can now go back to finishing my third, a pizza and take the rest home for another time.

The uninterested server came back to see if I'd like another drink. I think one shot in beer would be more than enough for this imprompt you solo night out. Um, no thank you. I think I'll just take the... What's one of your deepest desires? I heard Hudson ask his guest. Oh, um, yeah, I'll take another round, please. I said to my server, not taking my eyes.

off of Hudson. Part two. The question. Blue was in the middle of raising his glass for another drink, almost dropping it when he heard Hudson's deeply personal question. Deepest desire, he said, his eyes widening, then looking toward the top of his skull like he was searching for his brain to help with an answer. Well, to be happy is one of the easy answers. Are you not happy? Hudson asked, with a concern look on his impossibly small. smooth-skinned face. Blue and Hudson went on to continue the conversation about what does and doesn't make an average person happy. It made me think of how I'd answer that question. I'm a pretty fulfilled person. Got a great career, great marriage, and produced a couple of amazing little

people. Palm trees are what would make me happy right now, I thought. I've always been enthralled by the symbol of that easy West Coast living. I don't have anywhere I live. I've only seen them during my academy days and that was quite a long time ago. I never could explain why I loved them so. Maybe some guy in California has the same thoughts about snow-covered white pines which only grow in my area. Blue finished his drink and ordered another. Ah, happiness is something you have to work for, Hudson. It's not as easy as I thought it would be. My mom never did tell me how to get it. Hudson warmly smiled, taking a sip of his grey drink. The drink never seemed to change levels, and I never saw him order another one.

Oh, you're an intelligent man. A real man knows that being happy is something that doesn't just happen. You have to work for it. So now then, if you know what you desire, what's one of your biggest fears? This seemingly drunk conversation between two strangers gets more. intense now. I don't know much, but I know inebriated people very well. And this guy Hudson was not drunk, no, not at all. Blue again puts his eyes to the sky, searching his mind for an appropriate answer. As Lug would have it, a live band started blasting out some 90s or 2000s cover song.

I can't place it right now. Sounds like a punk pop band, like Blink 182 or Green Day. I didn't hear the answer that Blue most likely so meticulous. I naturally want to answer this one for myself as well. I don't have many fears, honestly. In my career I've been in more life-threatening situations than I can count on one hand. I don't work as a hitman killing high-value targets or tasked with containing and or eradicating entities the government would rather keep silent. I have taken part in some top secret clearance missions that I'd rather not discuss, well,

not until they're declassified. The thing I most fear is losing all my loved ones to natural causes, accidents or more horrific outcomes. I'm here at this bar tonight because I had a particularly bad day at the office. I haven't had one of those days for a while. I'm okay. My family's okay. But I have seen again how bad things can be in the real world. I swing my attention again to Hudson and Blue's convo. Blue seems intrinsic, while Hudson seems jubilant, albeit under.

stated. Oh, you've been a good friend here today. Where did you say your family is again tonight? They're home, man. Like I said. Blue looks confused. Sure, that's right. Hudson winks at him.

Something darker is coming to Hudson at that wing. You'd like to do more for your family, wouldn't you? You're not a bad guy. Just caught up in some bad situations. It's not too late. I don't know what you mean, man, but no, I'm not a bad guy. You don't even know me. In fact, I think I've got to get at home anyway.

You have a good night. Blue's instant irritation seems only to fuel Hudson. He's not phased at all. I've seen this in many interviews with clinically diagnosed sociopaths and people with borderline personality disorder. I'm now on my third round of course Tallboys and Jack Daniel backs. "'Have a good night, friend. "'It was a pleasure sharing this night with you. "'Hope you found what you were looking for,'

"'Hudson whispers, sipping at that awful grey ooze. "'Blue, now standing, shakes his head and throws a couple of twenty-dollar notes on the bar. "'Doesn't even wait for his bill.' "'Oh, before you go,' Hudson says, "'can I buy you one more drink? "'You know it was a peace offering.' blue took his beanie off smoothing his brown hair back he looked like this was one of his de-stressing mannerisms okay man oh sorry you just pushed a little deep that's all hudson smiled his usual welcoming smile he tilted his head toward the seat previously occupied by blue and blue obliged hudson used his right thumb and index finger to stroke his immaculate moustache two shots were slid to him by the bartender. I fully expected them to be of that grey and red atrocity that Hudson was

sipping on all night, but they were both clear. What's this? Blue asked. Just a thank you, Hudson replied. Lou didn't seem to put more thought into it, down the shot, said his goodbye, and left. Part 3, The Unexplained. I took a few moments to process what had gone down that night. I mean, I'm a logical person, dealing in real life at its most real. When I can't explain something, I find a way to explain it. This one felt like something I'd have to chalk up to the beer and whiskey. I boxed up my remaining half of pizza and finished up my third or fourth beer. Hudson seemed to be leaving as well.

You watched the ending of one of the sporting events above him. Never have I seen a more content human. if he was human he took a deep breath placed an ungodly stack of money on the bar and stood as he left we met eyes

just for a moment well that moment could have lasted for a second or an eternity feelings of enlightenment danger hope and despair filled me would you like to order any food sir

what I snapped to my server she took a shocked step backwards. I felt like I'd woken up from a deep sleep. Yeah, that nap you took that was so hard you thought it was the next day or late for school, but you're almost 35 and haven't been in school for almost 18 years. Oh, gosh, I'm sorry.

I had something on my mind. I looked at my table. I barely started my first drink, and the glass was still frosty. What the hell? happened to me. I must have had a more stressful day than I thought. The palm trees outside soothed me. I always love palm trees, always calm me down. Wait, my pocket vibrated. I haven't gone a day in my life without checking my phone for less than ten minutes at a time since I got one. I don't remember

the last time I looked at it today. What the hell? 37 voicemails, over a hundred missed text messages, multiple missed social media DMs. Something terrible has happened. The girl from the deep, like Corb's child. I met Carly two years ago. I remember how we met too. It was honestly a bit of a freak occurrence. For the time, me and a friend of mine, Caleb,

was spending the summer in his grandparents' old beach house up in Myrtle Beach. I remember I was standing in line at the movies, winging out to Caleb about the new Halloween movie. He heard it was directed by the dudes who made Saw. I remember shouting in his face. Yeah, the suck-ass once, he said scoffing. Remember how I was even jumping around like a little kid hopped up on too much candy? Oh, come on, can we just watch the new conjuring movie instead?

I remember looking to him like, Please tell me that was a bad joke. There was no small secret. I was not a fan of those movies. Oh, really, dude, I chided it condescendingly. What? What's wrong with it? It's based on a true story. I made a fake... I'm so scared, face.

He rolled his eyes and added, At least it might have some actual scares in it. I've heard the new Halloween is just a gore fest. As if, I scoffed. Come on, how can you beat a classy like Halloween? With my excitement, I ended up bumping right into the girl in line behind me. This caused the both of us to end up toppling over onto the... ground, me landing, where else, but right on top of her. Oh, for a moment, we stared at each other

on the ground, facing each other with both our eyes the size of serving platets. Oh, um, I stammered. Are you okay? She just continued staring back up with me, face chiseled in an expression of pure shock. From behind me, I could hear the sound of a photo snapping. Looking back, I saw Caleb standing there with a shitting grin on his face, holding his phone. He was a little. up. Seeing this, I scrambled off of her and to my feet. He started snickering, and I saw the crowd form around us. What the hell are you doing? Oh, don't mind me, he remarked. His grin still on full blast. I was about to try and rush him to snatch the phone and chuck it half across the street when, from behind me, I heard a soft voice ask, was it a good pick? I snuck my head around to see her on

her feet too. She was smirking kind of sheepishly. Instantly my body tensed up again. Oh, I, I stuttered, and she started giggling. My tongue froze again. Oh, come on, Denghis, you're blowing it here. Get your shit together. Pete, I finally blurted. Huh? She asked. Come again. My name, Pete. I chuckled nervously. I chuckled nervously. I was. I was just. I chockered nervously, feeling less than two seconds from a heart attack, and Shakley held my hand out to her. She stared at me for a moment, seemingly confused. Her eyes seemed to lock directly into mine. In a way, I could feel them boring through me. For a moment, I thought I could see something else in those eyes, something like maybe worry or fear.

You know, Pete, you coming? I looked behind me to see that the line was moving. "'Kalib was third in line now to the ticket booth. "'I took him to game back to her. "'Her face is still fixed in that worried-looking expression. "'I signal to him that I'd be right there. "'He rolled his eyes and mouthed me to hurry the hell up. "'I was the one with the money for the tickets. "'Suddenly she started blinking rapidly, broken from her stupor.

"'Oh, she asked. "'What happened?' "'Oh, nothing. I just told you my name was Pete and you just sort of zoned out there. Is everything okay? She smiled again and nodded her head. Yeah, sorry, she said, chuckling.

Sometimes I just get lost to myself, you know? I'm Carly, by the way. Oh, um, well, you want to join me and my buddy? We're going to see the new Halloween. Oh, sure, why not? She smiled and I bit my lip. I remember getting to the ticket booth. and Caleb looking at me confused before then grinning,

knowing I'd just scored a date with my little embarrassment. The movie was enjoyable enough, but of course I was barely even concentrating on it. See, I'm one of those people that will actually talk during a movie, even in theatres, despite almost getting into a fistfight with some of the other patrons on certain occasions because of this. Caleb would usually try to ignore me, but not her.

Actually, it turns out Carly was the same way. So we spent the entire time gawking, laughing, and chatting back and forth about the movie. Well, like I said, I was barely focused on the screen. I couldn't take my eyes off of her for more than 30 seconds without finding my gaze locked right back on her. I mean, she was beautiful. Sure, drop-dead, freaking gorgeous, in fact. But it wasn't just that. There was something else about her, something more...

Something, well, I don't know, hypnotic in a way. Still, bottom line, that night went from a great night to freaking amazing because I'd made a fool of myself. Towards the end of the movie, despite what I just said, somehow I didn't notice she'd laid her head on my shoulder and fallen asleep. When I woke her up, she jolted awake, frightened. What happened? she exclaimed, throwing her head left and right. Oh, sorry, I didn't mean.

to scare you the movie's over though she began to relax a little i could tell she was still tense about something hey uh is everyone okay oh yeah what time is it though i looked at my phone uh 12 30 her eyes bugged out again why what's wrong oh shit my folks are gonna kill me i was supposed to be home an hour ago. She started ruffling her hands frantically through her hair. Hey, um, it's okay, if you like, I can give you a... No, she blurted out, startling me. I mean, that's not necessary. There's really no trouble, I said, trying to be reassuring and pretty obviously failing. She shook her head and said, no, really, it's fine. It's better if I just go ahead and go, I don't live that far

away anyway. Plus, I stand a better chance of sneaking by unnoticed if I don't have another person announcing my presence, you know. Oh, yeah, I conceded. Well, um, I had fun tonight. She smiled and said, Me too. As she was turning to leave, I shut out my hand and shouted, wait. She spun around. I started digging in my pockets, pulling out my ticket stub and pen, and began scrolling my phone number. Um, Yeah, call me sometime. We can maybe hang out again. She giggled before pocketing my number and leaving. And so, yeah, that's how all that started.

It was only the weekend after that that our second date was booked, this time being to the water park. That's where I learned she actually used to be on a high school swim team, as well as work in summertime as a lifeguard. I'll say this much, she could swim circles around my ass. turned out she lived right along the beach front here in Myrtle Beach I remember thinking how cool that was I'm gonna call you Ariel from now on

I joked her face seemed to sink at this you know from Little Mermaid oh yeah I know what she meant just I don't know how to not be called that oh I said feeling stupid sorry

She shook her head and grinned again Don't worry about it Want to get some ice cream I immediately jumped up with a resounding hell yeah Just like at the movies The date went awesome too Spent the entire day splashing around at the water park like little kids Soon six o'clock rolled around

And it started to get dark That's when Carly insisted that she leave You sure I mean the park's open for another couple hours Yeah, think it's better I go ahead and head back, though. She winked and added, smiling. It'd be nice to avoid another incident like last time, right? Oh, yeah, I said. Good point.

I sighed, disappointed. I was really hoping to stay until closing. They turned the hot tubs on at seven up until closing. She walked up to me, smiling, and put her arms around my waist, whispering in my ear. I had fun with you though, handsome. Following this, she planted a kiss on my cheek

that caused my heart to stop. She then turned and left, leaving me standing there, select jaws. That night I was up, tossing and turning. Couldn't help it. I could not stop thinking about her. I kept having this dream where, for some reason, she's standing in front of the ocean,

facing me, smiling warmly. She curls her finger, beckoning me forward. I start towards her, compelled by some force. I come being pulled by a leash towards her. She backs slowly into the ocean behind her. My own stride quickens. I reach out to her. Wait, I cry.

She continues to be swallowed by the tide. I begin running for her, determined to reach her before she's gone. And just before the ocean swallows her, I leap forward. hurling myself head first like a spear into the water instantly everything around me becomes black I'm heading downwards face first into a black boundless fathomless abyss I hear nothing my ears feel like they've been stuffed with cotton my arms and legs feel like feathers on my body despite this my lungs don't burn in fact I won't feel my lungs anymore instead I feel a sort of resonance around me, a sort of beating, like from a giant drum, pounding all around me.

It gets more and more intense and I begin to feel sharp pains shooting across the sides of my neck. From below I see thousands of human-looking figures swimming up from the abyss below. They begin circling around me. My vision becomes blurry, rounded in a way. I look at my hands to see that there's now skin in between each finger, forming webs in between them. I'm shocked, horrified, yet I'm unable to scream. The people closing around me, and I can see them clearly now. They're tall, green and scaly, with palpitating gills on their necks and webbed hands.

Each and every one of them look the same, like the gill man from the creature from the black lagoon. One of them are female judging from the appearance, or at least the aquatic resemblance of breasts. I just float, seemingly suspended in place, defying gravity in the dark, murky depths of the ocean. The fish creature's eyes lock onto me, and once again spellbound. She puts her webbed hands around my face, puckers her scaly lips, and... Peed! I was instantly pulled out of the dream. I was standing outside on the back deck of the condo we were in, in my boxes. Oh, how the hell did I get here?

Pete, bro, what the heck's going on with you? He asked, sounding more just shocked at the bizarreness of it. First you toss around in the bed, muttering to yourself like a crazy person, now I found you out here damn near in the buff. Bro, are you been smoking? For a moment, I just stood there. Didn't know how to begin making any kind of excuse. To even do that, I'd have to have understood.

I understood somewhat what the hell was going on, but I didn't. All I knew at the moment was that one moment I'm sleeping, dreaming about chasing a pretty girl into the ocean. The next, I'm dreaming of being surrounded by fish people and becoming one myself. And now, there I was, out in the open, in my freaking skivies. Needless to say, I was far beyond confused. I started, no, continued looking at me, bewildered. I mean, well, not much, eh?

Just to clarify, I don't smoke, drink, or do anything like that. Then again, I didn't typically sleepwalk either. Or dream of fish people for that manner. So then, what the hell was going on? In the end, I just copped to the sleepwalking alibi, which I could tell he had a hard time buying. Despite this, probably because it was 3.30 in the morning, he just shook his head and said,

Ah, screw it. I went back to bed. just keep it down next time will you oh yeah sorry to wake you but what the hell happened how did i get here then another question popped into my hands how much further would i have gone if caleb hadn't woken me up started thinking about the dream again standing at the ocean facing carly was that where i was going to the ocean why now obviously you know obviously you the simplest explanation to all that was that I was a love-struck dumbass and I guess my subconscious was trying to act out my latest weird dream. I mean this was brought on or likely was anyway by Carly kissing me on the cheek. Yeah, that's it. That's all it is. I'm just having a weird dream about a girl and started to sleepwalking. With that, I decided to go to bed.

Going back to sleep was nigh on impossible. Instead, I spent the remainder of that night watching Netflix on my phone. About six o'clock or so, with the sun just starting to peek out above the horizon. I get a call from Carly. Hello? I answered. Still pretty groggy. I was still tired, even if I couldn't actually sleep.

Hey there, listen, you doing anything big tonight? No, not really, why? You want to meet up at the beach later on tonight? Sure. What time? About six-ish, when the sun starts going down. You're on. I heard a giggle on the other end before saying, Awesome. See you there, handsome. She hung up after that. And then I laid back, smiling, watching the sunrise through the window. Ah, peedy, old boy, you've done it again. All that day I felt as free as the seagulls that were flocking on the beach, scrounging for breadcrumbs.

nothing was going to ruin my day. Well, Caleb noticed this too. I got you so hyped, huh? I just grinned. Let me guess it's that one girl, isn't it? Maybe, I replied. Not at all subtly. Why?

Well, I had to figure it was out of that, but you're still tripping ass on whatever it was you were on last night. That made me pause. Up to then, I'd actually forgotten about that little incident. "'speaking of which, I'm going to get any kind of story on what the fuck was going on there?' "'Oh, that,' I replied, chuckling, "'I don't know. Yes, I was just sleepwalking.' "'Sleepwalking?' He scoffed and said,

"'Well, I do say there's a first time for everything. "'But I'm still wondering what was making you wig out the way you were. "'What do you mean?' "'I mean, you was flopping around work. than alive fish on a grill. You were also whispering something in your sleep, something about, wait for me, something, I don't know.

Now I was curious. See, like I'd been saying, I wasn't a sleepwalker. The saying would apply to talking in my sleep as well. At the same time, it's not like I could call bullshit either. I mean, I was standing out in my underwear after apparently sleepwalking.

That plus the utterly weird-ass dream making my sleep pretty restless. and it all seemed to add up to what Caleb was saying. What wasn't adding up, though, was why? Why did it happen? Why, after all my life of never having any problems with sleeping, being known to sleep through most of the noise of the city where I live, why am I now having incidents like what happened the previous night?

I thought back again to the water park. I had fun with you, handsome. Carly, I wondered, is she really the reason why? Yes, I know that sounded cheesy enough to make every Hallmark Channel director blush. I mean, we'd only just met. But what other explanation was there?

Oh, something else, far off in the back of my head, was telling me that there was another aspect of this. But this may not be some love at first sight destined to be together forever type of deal here. But then, what do you? is it exactly? I decided then that I'd asked Carly when I saw her that evening. How that 'd help, I wasn't sure, but the way I figured it's the only way I was going to get some kind of answer. So the day passed with me and Caleb just screwing around at the boardwork. I had fun, of course,

but at the same time, I just couldn't help but think about the ocean, about Carly. Couldn't really explain it, but I was itching to go to the beach right then and there. Actually, it was more than that. I felt compelled, summoned to the beach somehow. Not only this, but my entire body felt hot as well. My insides felt like they were cooking inside my skin. I had to get out of my clothes. They were too hot. My mouth was dry.

I needed water. I needed the ocean. Yo, Pete. I heard a voice shouting behind me. What the hell are you doing? I snapped back around to see Caleb standing in line for the ice cream stand, looking conform. fused at me. Looking down, I saw that I was, right there in the open, stripped buck-ass-nude.

I could see a crowd gathering around, froze up. Oh, I stammered. Dude, put your freaking clothes back on. Because I could, I scrambled to put my jeans back on before me and Caleb scurried out of the boardwalk and back to the condo. We made it back, after slamming and locking the door, making sure the cops went on. my way he instantly started pressing me as to what had just happened i i don't know i swear to god look he said exasperated i need you to be straight with me okay are you high right now are you stashing any drugs around here what's gotten into you because you're really starting to freak me out a bit here i shook my head i'm telling you i don't know i'm not high i just I just don't know what happened.

Kay, well, can you at least tell me what was going through your head when you decided to just up and present yourself for God and the world to see? I don't know. I felt hot like I was in an oven. I felt like I was wanting to get out of my skin. I remember wanting to go to the ocean really badly for some reason, like I was being, I don't know, called to it. He stood, blinking at me,

confusion. That's all I remember. I'm serious though, I'm not high. He rubbed his eyes. He was just as lost as I was, if not understandably more so. So let me get this straight here, he said, sighing. You're feeling cold to the ocean, and you feel like your skin's too hot, which then makes you wander off and strip out in the open. Not twice now. All of this and you're not high. My face fell into my hands. Despite that being exactly what happened, how could I make him understand that?

Hell, how was I supposed to make myself understand that? Oh, Frank, I don't know, man. I cried through my palms. He sighed and said, Oh, bro, I've been budd since high school, okay? You know who you can tell me shit? I got you back. Just tell me what's going on.

I don't know. I exclaimed. How many times do you have to say it? I don't know. Ever since last night after Carly left the water park. Ah, he interrupted a grin parting from the corner of his lip. So that's what this is all about. Why didn't you just say that in the beginning?

Say what? Ah, little girl's got you by the box. He threw his head back then and cackled. I wasn't amused by this. What are you talking about? "'Ah, come on, dude. "'Ever since you bolt her over at the movies, "'you've been going nuts about her.

"'Now, after seeing her at the water park, "'all dolled up in a swimsuit, "'well you all freaking whipped.' "'He juggled again. "'Ah, whatever, man, screw this,' he said, "'getting up and stomping towards the door. "'I've had his hand grabbed my shoulder, stomping me. "'Oh, who the hell do you think you're going?'

"'Out,' I snapped, "'aditated at his snide remark. As well as this, I started feeling hot again, stuffy, really hard to breathe. He started wrapping his knuckles on my forehead. Hello? Anyone home? You just forget that the cops are probably looking for you after that little stunt at the boardwalk. Look, I'll be fine, let you just move. I batted his hand away and continued with the door.

I could feel my legs now getting lighter and lighter, weaker. What you plan to tell me where you're soldering off to? I glared at him. My vision started to blur a bit, but I could still see him. The beach. There, happy now, Dad. I opened the door. Outside the sky was starting to turn a bright, burning orange.

The sun was going down. I have to go to Carly. I have to get to the ocean. My vision blurred more and more now. My head began to spin. I felt so hot. so dry I was burning up. I had to get to the ocean quick. Before I knew it, I was taking off at full speed. My mind was blank. Only one thing occupied my focus, getting to the ocean, seeing her.

My legs were weak and my lungs were all blot flaccid, but I didn't care. I was going to get to the beach, to the ocean. The world around me started to warp, looking more and more around it. The closer I got, the hotter I felt, inside and out. Imagine the way the waves would cool me off once I'd made it. Ah, it'd feel like being a fish. Soon, I was able to see it, the beach front. It's almost empty, being that the sun was half gone now. There, almost silhouetted against the sunset's burning red beam. Carly stood, facing me, waiting for me, calling to me. When I made it to the shoreline, she smiled. I'm glad you made it, Pete, she cooed.

I stood, breathless, burning up and feeling weak. The way my body felt, I thought my skin would melt off like butter in a microwave. Still smiling, she curled her finger at me, winking. It's time to come with me. I began staggering mindlessly towards her. I saw her take baby steps backwards with every step I took towards her. The water felt cool across my skin as my feet entered. Not too hot, not too cold.

Oh, it was soothing. The further I waded in, the more my body seemed to cool off. More than that, it seemed to go numb, like it wasn't even there anymore. This started from my feet and continued throughout my body the further I entered. She continued stepping backwards, descending further into the tide. From behind her I saw what looked like dorsal fins approaching in my direction. What the hell? Are those sharks?

Despite this, I kept moving forward. I couldn't stop. The fin started circling around me and Carly. Carly finally disappeared and I dove head first after her. The ocean was murky, making it impossible to see how deep it was at the bottom. I seemed to go on forever as well. I swam and swam as hard as I could, struggling to continue, forcing myself downward. As I went along, I felt sharp, searing pain and shoot throughout my body, starting from my ribs.

It felt like someone had taken a serrated knife across my body, flaying me open. When I looked down, though, my eyes widened when I saw three large gashes or slots opened wide across them. What the... What's happening to me? When I went to feel them, my heart almost stopped completely, seeing that there were now large, fleshy webs connecting between my fingers. I could feel panic coursed through me, and I began flailing frantically to pull myself back to the surface. Eventually, I couldn't feel my arms or legs anymore. In spite of this, I noticed I wasn't sinking.

Instead, I just floated there, suspended in the middle of the ocean depths. all around me I watched as a bunch of figures started swimming around I swam in one large horde all around me a school of fish essentially forming a sort of ring around me

the longer I watched the more I was able to distinguish a few of them individually and that's when I realized these were the same fish people from my dream all of them were green and scaly with webbed hands and gills

and gills across their ribs and necks. I could see their rounded, marbled eyes examine me as they revolved around me. And then, suddenly, they stopped. They now floated still like I was, seeming to defy gravity, as one of them floated up from directly below me. As it swam closer, I could see that it was female, just like in my dream, with scaly, slippery breasts and an hour-glass-shaped body. she also had long light-coloured strands that resembled hair

though likely wasn't hair flowing from her head her mouth parted in what i guess was a smile exposing many rows of small ivory inlaid teeth she took my hands in hers and from around me i heard the simultaneous sounds that reminded me of what a humpback well sounds like when doing a mating call i could do nothing except float there my body being too exhausted.

Her lips began to move and, just very faintly, I could hear her say in a deep-toned version of Carly's voice. Kiss me, my love. She then worked her webbed hand up to my neck, cupping it before meeting her lips to mine. The moment our lips touched, the wail-calling noise from the others increased in pitch. Her lips stayed stuck to mine for almost four minutes.

when, from the corner of my eye, I noticed the others begin to disperse and start swimming around frantically, the way bees do when the hive is disturbed. She pulled away and looked behind me, opening her mouth and letting out a heart stopping shriek. When I looked behind me to see what the commotion was about, my own jaw dropped. It was Caleb, swimming headfirst straight for me. A relief flowed through me. Oh, God, I'm saved. he'll be able to get me up my relief was cut off however as i watched them begin to swarm around him he struggled furiously viciously punching and kicking at his assailants but it did him no favors they were all too quick to sink

their piranha-like teeth into his flesh and have at him some of them grabbed at his flailing limbs and began pulling causing them to start ripping from his body i could see a cloud of red spread across the murky water Caleb's eyes were wide with horror, his face twisted with excruciating pain as they continued to mull him. I finally managed to break from my early state of entropy, and I darted through the water to try and get him away from him. I was stopped, however, when the fisherman tightly grasped my ankle. She pulled me back to her, embraced me and said, Stay with me, handsome. We'll never die, will always be together, down here. She moved in to kiss me once again when I shoved her away.

For a second she was still. Her rounded eyes somehow opened wider in shock, before she let out another shriek and darted through the water towards me. With quicker reflex than I ever thought possible, I dodged her just as she would have seized me. I was then able to grab her and sink my own teeth, now serrated like hers and the others, into her neck. She allowed a series of sharp screps,

that echoed throughout the abyss around us as she squirmed against me. With a single jerk of my head, I tore a chunk from her scaly neck the size of my palm. Her body almost immediately relaxed, and I let go of her. She fell slowly to the dark, boundless depths below. When I looked up, I saw the other staring back at me, horrified and disgusted. Having all but devoured Caleb by that point, I could tell that I was now their second course after what I just did. done. Thinking quickly, I took off, shooting straight up through the water. I didn't dare chance

to look behind me. I didn't need to. Therein Ray shrieks signaling to me that they were gaining on me and fast. I focused solely on the surface of the ocean, and soon I was able to see it, the surface. With one final push, I did it. I broke the surface, and from there I quickly scrambled back to the shore before collapsing, exhausted once again. It was at least a good ten or fifteen minutes that I just laid there, completely spent both physically and mentally. It was sort of a slow digression, the thoughts and emotions I felt next. Starting with a relief, I'd made it out. Not only that, but my body looked normal again, looking like regular human flesh rather than a fish like it was earlier. Then came complete, confront.

fusion. What was that? I mean, what the fuck just happened there? What was happening to me? This was when replaced by grief over Caleb. My friend, who'd always had my back since high school, who'd tried to save me from whatever the fuck that was in the ocean, was now fish food. Finally, this was capped off with a sense of raw terror. God, they're after me now, aren't they? I knew they wanted to kill me for what I'd done down there. I seemingly betrayed them and murdered one of their own. For that, they wouldn't forgive me.

I was able to stumble my way back to the condo where I immediately began packing everything of mine that I could find. I'd likely forgotten a few things looking back, but I couldn't have cared less. I just wanted to get that out of dodge the first chance I could. By sunrise, I was on the highway, heading out of Myrtle Beach. I haven't gone back there since. I never want to.

they're still there i just know it somewhere deep beneath the ocean far further down the most will ever see they're still there waiting longing for me to return so they can finish me and they'll never stop for they don't die like the rest of us now though i suppose neither do i still don't know exactly how my body became the way it is but I'm willing to bet it had something to do with Carly. How and, or why, though, I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you. All I can say is, I'm scared. I don't want to go back,

but it's getting harder and harder to resist. My body feels so hot all the time, and I can't physically exert myself much at all anymore without feeling breathless and weak. The past two years now, I've shut myself away in my house, living as a hermit essentially. I've managed to get by so far by making money working from home on my computer, along with living off of delivery pizza and takeout.

But I'm worried it won't last much longer. Even as I write this, my body feels so hot, and I grow weak, barely able to even stay conscious enough to type. It's the ocean. I can feel it. It's calling me to it, and I don't want. want to go. And so once again, we reach the end of tonight's podcast. My thanks as always to the authors of those wonderful stories and to you for taking the time to listen. Now, I'd ask one small

favor of you. Wherever you get your podcast wrong, please write a few nice words and leave a five-star review as it really helps the podcast. That's it for this week, but I'll be back again same time, same place, and I do so hope you'll join me once more. Until next time, Sweet dreams and bye bye.