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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/IgnisAurumProbat19 on 2024-09-07 16:52:24+00:00.

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The inquisitive looks on everyone’s faces as I arrived at the party made me want to hide. They looked at me with equal parts concern, pity and curiosity as I made my way into the crowd, trying to locate the birthday boy so that I could say hi, spend the least amount of time I could without being rude, and head home.

It’s been four months since I’ve gotten out of the psych ward, but I’ve managed to avoid most social events, pretending I needed to rest, so I’m not yet used to getting those looks. Matthew’s birthday, however, I could not avoid. He’s been my friend since kindergarten, and he’s one of the few who came to visit me at the hospital.

It was the worst possible return to a social life, though, because she would be there too.

And before I could even spot Matthew, there she was, laughing with a friend, a drink in hand. Beautiful, warm, perfect. Her eyes met mine and her smile fell, before returning in a slightly embarrassed, barely curving at the edges way. She waved. I waved back. I knew better than to try and talk to her, that was what got me into the psych ward in the first place. The girl I once knew, the woman I’ve loved for a decade, was gone.

I met Stella on my first day of college. She was dating my roommate, both of them elated to finally be out of their hometown, to finally be where real life happened. She was sweet, she was cute, and so clearly in love that I often found myself wishing I had a girlfriend that loved me like she loved Andrew. Which made it harder for me to keep my mouth shut when Andrew started taking home girls who were not Stella, a neverending string of forgettable women who he somehow manage to talk into accepting being the other woman, all of them unaware that they were several to share this ugly title.

I caved in right before Christmas break. When she came around with a homemade advent Christmas calendar for him. I told her the whole truth, watched her heart break in front of me and while I felt terrible both for the pain I caused her and the hell I was putting myself through by having to endure the rest of year living with someone who now hated me, I knew I was doing the right thing. And I gained a friend, our bond created in the trust she now put in me, in this moment of shared vulnerability when I was the witness of her worst pain.

We stayed friends through college, texting regularly, going for breakfast sometimes on Saturday morning, supporting each other through exams and failed dating experiments.

I always knew what I felt for her was more than just friendship. What I did not expect, however, was for my feels to be reciprocated and for her to lean in for a kiss at the graduation party. The feeling was exhilarating, like everything clicked into place. The right person, the right time, the right everything.

The next two months were a blur of perfect moments, the smell of her skin, the smell of pancakes eaten in my bed in the small studio I had gotten while I worked as a barista in the town near our campus, the smell of her cup of tea cooling down on the coffee table when I came home to her and found her sending resume after resume, doing interviews on Zoom, honing her Linkedin profile. She was trying to find her first “big girl job”, as she said, just like I had done, my first day looming mid-september. Real life felt like a distant threat, something we could ignore for as long as we needed, something so vulgar and crude compared to our love that it didn’t even feel real.

It was mid-july when she finally got hired. She jumped into my arms when I got home from work, acting as if it was great news that she was leaving me for a job on the other coast, waiting for me to congratulate her as if my whole world wasn’t shattering. We can facetime, she said. I’ll come for thanksgiving, you’ll come for Christmas, we’ll figure it out. It’s just a first job, we’ll make it work, it won’t last forever, she begged.

But I could not stand it. I could see it, clear as the day. The phone calls, long and daily at first, but getting cut short more and more as we both got busy with our lives, our jobs, our new friends. The facetimes, making it more evident that my sunset was her dark sky, my dinner her late night snack, our watches always discordant. The slow, painful death of love, the goodbyes getting less and less poignant, the agonizing realization that building a life together would mean uprooting everything, for one of us or both of us.

And so I ended it before it could die. I buried myself in work, in the gym, in new hobbies, new friends, new women. She was in the back of my head, every minute of every day, but I had made the right decision, I was so sure of it, I had to be the brave one, I had to prevent more pain in the future for both of us, and while her naïve, love-conquers-all mindset was touching, it was no match for the reality I knew I was avoiding for us.

It was five years before we saw each other again.

I wouldn’t have come if I knew she was there. She was in town visiting a college friend, and one of our mutual friends invited her over for our monthly escape game night. We’d been doing that for over a year, finding a new escape game to try every month, getting burgers and beers afterwards. It was fun and it helped us stay in touch, though everyone wasn’t available every month, this ritual meant we still got to see one another regularly. For that month’s night out, only three of us in the group of us answered present : Tony (one of my best friends since childhood, the third element to our golden trio with Andrew), his fiancé Ellie, and me.  

It was mid-October. Halloween was just around the corner. Going to an horror themed escape game made sense, even though I never liked horror movies.

I hate them even more now.

DARK AND TWISTED, the entrance said. It was an industrial building, slightly out of town. No decoration on the outside, no skeleton, no skull, no pumpkin.

“It looks kinda cheap, doesn’t it?” Tony said when we parked in front.

“They’ve only been opened for two weeks, babe. They’re probably still working on it. The Google reviews are SO good though”, Ellie answered, putting her hand through his hair as he started unbuckling his seatbelt.

I was silent, staring right ahead at the silhouette standing in front of the building. Stella.

“Yeah, dude, I know I should have told you but come on, you would have bailed. It’s been five years. You guys can’t keep avoiding each other, it’s getting annoying. You know our wedding’s coming up next year too, so you know, Ellie and I thought it would be better if you two saw each other beforehand so it wouldn’t be awk-“ Tony stopped as I shot him a dark look and opened the car door.

This is gonna be the worst night ever, I thought. Man, was I right.

 

One awkward hug later, the four of us got in Dark and Twisted, and the horror began.

“GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMAN”, a voice erupted from the dimly lit hallway.

As our eyes got used to the obscurity, we started to discern a tall, meaty man with salt and pepper hair and a plump, rosy-cheeked redhead woman, both of them in their fifties or early sixties.

“We’re Connor and Molly”, she said, almost chanting. Clearly it was an act they had rehearsed, and there was something deeply touching about that.

“WHAT ARE YOUR NAMES” Conor shouted – his usual manner of communication, we would soon learn.

“Erm, Ellie, Stella, Tom and Tony. Hi.”

“GREAT ! ARE YOU READY TO PLAY?” His Irish accent was thick as butter.

Stella and I shared a look, and she smiled. The spark. Oh the spark. It was still there. I needed to kill that shit now. I looked away, keeping my face as straight as I could as we started to follow Connor through a bright red corridor, Molly walking right after us.

“ALRRRIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. THE RULES ARE SIMPLE. FOUR OF YOU MEANS YOU GET ACCES TO FOUR ROOMS. YOU CANNOT MOVE TO THE NEXT ROOM BEFORE YOU’VE UNLOCKED THE PREVIOUS ONE. YOU CANNOT WALK BACK INTO THE PREVIOUS ROOM ONCE YOU’VE MADE IT TO THE NEXT. ANY ATTEMPT TO DO SO WILL BE PUNISHED. IF YOU DON’T UNLOCK THE NEXT ROOM BEFORE THE COUNTDOWN IS UP, YOU WILL STAY TRAPPED FOREVER. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE IF YOU DO NOT RESPECT THE RULES.”

There was something pathetic about his little act. Like he was trying to be a bigger man than he was, and still could not make himself be intimidating despite his height and build. His top hat and black tailcoat looked cheap and did not fit him well. His face was warm and kind, his grey moustache perking up at the edges. I guess we all wanted to be nice to him, so we overdid our enthusiasm.

“Alright !”  “Yeah !” “Let’s do this, team !”, we all high fived, electricity sparkling in my palm as it touched Stella’s for the first time in five years. Last time I held her hand, I thought, was when she was sitting in my bed, crying, begging me to give us a chance.

I darted my eyes towards the floor, and when I looked up, here was Molly, looking at me fondly.

She stepped closer. Smiled. Put one hand on my cheek, and whispered “Good luck, dear. Good luck.”

As Tony grabbed me by the shoulder and gave me gentle push towards my friends, who were entering the first room, I looked back at Molly, perplexed. Connor was putting his arm around her shoulders, his big smile already gone, a concerned look on his face. The corridor was too dark for me to be certain, but I swear I saw tears in Molly’s eyes.

 

FIRST ROOM

The first room was completely empty...

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/ilexaqui on 2024-09-07 22:22:17+00:00.

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I first got him in January. I was volunteering at the animal shelter when he was brought in, skinny and shivering. Lou said he’d been left outside, probably dumped there by an abusive owner as their first and only act of kindness towards him. He was terrified. I brought him home with me that evening.

By February my hands were covered in little scratches and I’d well and truly learnt my lesson about cuddles. He was a very proper cat, if he sat too still you could almost mistake him for an ornate china ornament - with his sleek black coat and pointed ears. Even though he’d been through an awful time of it, you could just tell there was a very proud cat waiting to reappear. I named him Raymond, which he seemed to approve of. He started eating his dinner on the floor next to me, and would occasionally let me stroke his head without a hiss.

By March he would come to greet me at the door when I got home from work, skipping down the stairs from wherever he’d been dozing. His ribs had disappeared beneath his healthy coat, and his shiny green eyes seemed to smile at me.

We were both doing well in April. My once scared cat had now become a confident, cuddley boy. I’d get to kiss him on the head goodbye as I left for my first few dates with Owen.

Owen was charming, and everything I’d ever dreamed of. I’d spend evenings with him in fancy restaurants, laughing away and hanging onto his every word.

One evening in May, I was walking home from another wonderful evening when I tripped and fell smack bang in the middle of the pavement, leaving angry red grazes on each hand and knee. I hobbled home feeling sorry for myself, and was greeted by a familiar mew at the door. I tried my best to give myself some first aid, and when I climbed into bed Raymond appeared at my side. He sniffed at the haphazard plasters and stared at me, his green eyes big and curious. ‘Nothing to worry about Ray, I just tripped is all’ I told him. Owen was always joking about how clumsy I could be. Raymond seemed to frown, wiggling his black tail in the air. Then, he leaned forward and gently pressed his head against my grazes. I’m not sure how he did it, but his eyes seemed to roll back into his head - and I could’ve sworn they then began to glow. He sat like that, completely still for a few seconds before drifting off to sleep.

When I peeled the plasters off the next morning, every mark had disappeared. I couldn’t believe it. I spent ages running my fingers over my now-smooth skin. Raymond just sat in the doorway and stared, his head tilted to the side.

I wondered if I’d dreamed the whole thing, but in June it happened again. I’d been moving my things into Owen’s flat when I’d caught my finger on his door latch, leaving a rather deep cut. Owen just tutted and went to pick up the box I’d dropped. Later, after Raymond had inspected our new home he came for his evening cuddle. Owen was at the pub by then and he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

The poor cat was still so wary of certain people. I felt guilty for moving us in with Owen in a way, but he had insisted, and how could I say no? Raymond came to sit on my lap and upon noticing my finger his eyes immediately rolled back into his head and definitely glowed this time. I took off my bloody bandage to find again that any trace of the wound had vanished. Raymond purred softly as I stared at him, mouth agape.

By the end of August, Raymond had healed a fair few scrapes and bruises for me. I’m ever so clumsy of course, which Owen always ridiculed. If I’d known better I’d have said he liked seeing me upset. Sometimes, he would come home drunk and accidentally push me. On one occasion, he did this when I was cooking at the hob and Raymond seemed to use all of his might healing my seeping burn.

I spent an awful lot of time in pain, and the rest lonely.

I’d stopped volunteering at the animal shelter a few weeks before, when Owen and I decided I should be working more hours to help pay the rent. I missed Lou, and I missed my friends. We lived quite far from my parents too now, and I missed having friendly conversations that weren’t just with Owen on a good day. I still had Raymond though.

September went by in a bit of a blur. I found myself stuck in an unnerving state of trying to do everything just right. I would walk home from work slowly, savouring my time in the cold and the dark. But not too slowly, or Owen would question where I had been, and with who? I didn’t see anyone nowadays. I would make sure the dinner I made was exactly to Owen’s standards, even though I knew that most of the time there would be a tiny, unseen detail that would set him off. He’d leave in a huff, taking my car to the pub round the corner. I’d sit in silence with Raymond while he was gone. I felt trapped. Raymond would give me a nudge, or a purr, anything to get my attention. But I was frozen. I only moved again when I heard the door slam. I would look down at Raymond. He knew he was in for a long night too.

In October, on Halloween, things reached rock bottom. I was lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling when I heard Raymond gently push open the door. I’d been so worried about him. Owen had come home drunk, again, and almost tripped over Raymond who was sleeping peacefully on the rug. I’d instinctively jumped up, rushing to keep my precious cat safe. Owen didn’t like that.

Now I was on the floor, and I couldn’t get up. I couldn’t do much of anything anymore. ‘I’m sorry Raymond’ I whispered, feeling my lip begin to bleed again. I started to cry and the tears stung my swollen eyes. ‘I’m sorry I brought us here’. He gently brushed his face against my blackened cheek, and I felt like dirt. My tears splashed against the cold floorboards. Raymond deserved so much more than being stuck with me. I couldn’t even keep him safe.

The door slammed suddenly. I had to grit my teeth to keep from screaming when my broken bones ground together as I jumped.

Owen was home.

His heavy footsteps dragged through the hall, the sickly smell of whiskey surrounding him like a storm cloud. He swayed as he came into the room. His bloodshot eyes quickly focused on me.

He walked over and let out a chuckle, giving my snapped leg a swift kick. ‘Get up, then’ he sneered.

Every muscle in my body was screaming at me to move, but the sharp pain in my chest pinned me to the floor. My breath was coming in shallow gasps, and my broken ribs felt like knives carving into my lungs.

‘Pathetic’ Owen spat ‘Laying there, feeling sorry for yourself. This is your fault. It always is’. Raymond began to growl beside me, but Owen ignored it. He dug his fingers into my swollen face. ‘You’re completely useless, now’.

Raymond hissed. Something had changed in him. His sleek black form, normally so calm, was now tensed. His muscles rippled beneath his fur and his green eyes honed in on Owen. They began to glow eerily under the flickering light.

Owen laughed, releasing his grip on my jaw. ‘Oh look at this. Your stupid cat. He’ll protect you’.

Before Owen could reach out for him, something in the air shifted. The pressure dropped, and the room felt heavy. Raymond’s growl deepened, sounding far more primal. His eyes weren’t just glowing anymore; they were burning.

Owen staggered back, his face contorting into confusion and then pain. ’What the hell-‘ he started, his words cut off by a scream.

I could only watch, wide-eyed, as Owen’s body began to jerk violently. His arm twisted, the bones snapping with a sickening crunch. He screamed again, the sound ripping from his throat as his skin began to stretch and split. Hot blood oozed from the cracks like lava.

My own injuries - the burns, the broken bones, the bruises, began to fade. I felt them peeling from my body as Raymond had done a hundred times before. But this time, he was putting them straight into Owen.

His knees buckled as another snap echoed through the room. His leg was bent at an impossible angle, the flesh tearing as though he was being pulled apart from the inside out.

‘Raymond, no-‘I whispered, but the word felt hollow. Could I even stop him? Did I even want to, really? The cat’s gaze never left Owen. His tail flicked in a deliberate motion, and Owen screamed again. This time it was louder, higher-pitched, as his ribs caved inwards with a wet crunching sound.

Despite everything that he’d done, I hoped that the alcohol was dulling some of the pain. At least a tiny bit.

Owen convulsed as his spine twisted, vertebrae snapping like dry twigs. Blood sprayed from his mouth and his hands clawed uselessly in the air. He was reaching out for me.

Over the next few minutes I squeezed my eyes closed as I listened to every crack and snap. It was slow, and deliberate. Raymond was savouring this.

Finally, Owen collapsed onto his front. His body was barely recognisable, and a shudder wracked through me as I realised it was a mirror image to how mine had looked only an hour before. His breath came in short, sharp gasps. He looked at me, trying to plead, his eyes wide with terror. He was a wounded animal.

I don’t know what came over me, but I looked over at Raymond and nodded.

I looked away when my cats jaw began to unhinge, stretching wider that it should ever be able to. I still heard though, the sound of Owen disappearing into the gaping maw. I heard the crunch.

When I turned back around, Raymond was a cat once more. He licked his paw and used it to wipe a drop of blood from his sleek head. ...

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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/googlyeyes93 on 2024-09-07 22:09:23+00:00.

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It’s lonely out on the ocean. Especially at night, when the only light you have is from the stars and your own weak lights. The darkness comes in, oppressing everything and taking over like a scourge, nothing but pure black on a cloudy night. I thought I had seen the worst isolation the world could offer working at Palmer Station in the Antarctic. At least it wasn’t as cold out here at Point Nemo, I guess.

The furthest point on earth from any land in every single direction. Point Nemo might be one of the most remote locations on earth, with a population of zero. Most of the time, at least. There’s a small research rig out there, not quite as big as an oil platform but decent enough sized. I got an offer a couple of years back to go out there and do some studies on the ocean biology out there. Since Nemo is so remote, with relatively stagnant currents, there’s a surprising lack of biological life out there

Honestly, it was exciting just for the chance to say I’ve been to one of the most secluded places on earth. Getting to study the biome and sea life that was there though? Goddamn, I was over the moon. Ecstatic was the understatement of the damned century. I arrived on the platform, a couple of clicks away from the actual Point geographically, early in the morning. Clear skies were reflecting off gentle waves in every direction. The deep blue of the ocean here was beautiful, virtually unmarred by human intervention. If anything else, I got some time to read in relative solitude while I was off duty.

There were five of us at the station. An older guy called Flam was the lead researcher (I don’t know how he got the name, either). There were two assistant researchers- Shannon, a woman in her mid-30s, and Hap, a younger man with a specialty in deep-sea biology. The last person was a mechanic, Sandy, who made sure the everyday maintenance of the rig was maintained. I was the happiest bitch in the world stepping off the chopper and meeting everyone, getting the full tour of the base, including the rec room, gym, mess hall, three separate labs, and a surprisingly cozy library. Everyone was nice enough, though Flam was a little… neurotic to say the least.

Probably important to mention how this place was set up. If you’ve ever seen a free-floating oil rig it’s a lot like that, just without the ecological destruction. Think of it like a very large ship supported by pontoons, with some parts extending under the water with a larger building up top. What you would call the ground floor is the mess hall, rec room, and gym, with the labs on top and, the library nestled in the center of them. Our barracks were below sea level, extending a down with the maintenance area underneath housing generators, gas, etc. It was a nice place, all things considered. A cabin in the middle of the ocean, basically.

Settling in that first night was rough. Sleeping underwater essentially was a little terrifying, kind of claustrophobic, and completely fucking nauseating. Despite the large pontoons holding us up, the waves still rocked us, making me feel my welcome dinner warming up for an encore as I swayed. Sandy came walking through, going to the shared bathroom between our rooms.

“You alright, Ellie?” She asked, looking concerned. All I could do was shake my head, making the nausea take hold harder in the process. Oh god. She was watching while I puked into a trash can. Hell of a way to make new friends, Ellie. I was surprised when she walked over and grabbed my loose hair, holding it back and rubbing my back with her other hand, gently soothing me as I evacuated everything I ate today. “All good. Happens to everyone on the first day.”

”Please tell me it gets better.” I said, gasping for breath and only getting the stench of vomit back.

“Oh yeah, just need to adjust. Come on up to the deck and get some air though, it helps.” She led me up, walking single file on the narrow staircase. I bumped my shoulders countless times, unsteadied by the surf moving us. At one point I started falling back, losing my balance, and reaching out to steady myself but only swiped the empty wall. Suddenly her hand darted out, grabbing my forearm and steadying me. She pulled me back to the step, making sure I was upright before moving further, now holding onto my hand as guidance. Soon she was chuckling, “Hope you’re better above deck than you are below.”

”You and me both.” I gagged again just trying to talk, my head still spinning. The fresh salt air when we emerged from the outer door onto the wraparound platform was like opening a valve for me. I was taking in the deepest breaths I could, finally clearing out the vomit smell stuck in my nose. She leads me over to the platform railing, the dark night settling in around us. I was immediately distracted from my nausea by the beauty in the sky above.

There were a decent amount of clouds covering the sky, but what wasn’t covered was some of the most amazing stargazing I had ever been privy to. Every single constellation was clearly definable beyond the clouds, with a full moon shining through, sending light in patches to reflect off the water. An infinite sea of stars in every direction. It was beautiful, something that’s only on par with seeing the Northern Lights in their full glory as far as I’ve seen. Even in the imposing dark out at Point Nemo, millions of points of light shone through.

“What’s that?” I said, noticing movement against the water. At first, it looked like the shadow from a cloud passing over, disturbing the stars below. Then a cloud moved from in front of the moon, casting bright light down in all directions. I could see clearly that it wasn’t a shadow, but a giant, walking through the ocean step by step. From the distance, it was… maybe five clicks out. Even then, I could make out its features of it clearly thanks to the size. It towered larger than a skyscraper, by my best estimate, each leg had water reaching up to around the knee. It honestly looked like it was going to break the clouds with its head, but it paid no mind as it whipped them away. “Oh my god.”

I was speechless. I don’t know if Sandy was too, but she was staring off into the distance alongside me. If she was shocked, nothing showed on her face, but there was the faintest of smiles hiding underneath.

“Your guess is as good as mine, science girl,” Sandy replied. I could see clearer now that more were walking behind it, heading to the west of us in a straight path. “We’ll need to go downstairs before the waves reach us, though. Sucks for this to happen on your first night.”

”What? You’ve seen this before?” I asked, still not tearing my eyes away. The giants were humanoid in build, just like massive versions of people. Their faces were a little more… odd. Eyes were larger than normal proportions, and there was a smile on their small mouths that looked like the head was deflating from the bottom like a balloon. Didn’t even realize I was shouting when I started talking to her again, gesturing at the goliaths wading by. “They’re… they’re massive. How is something this big physically possible? This completely disregards every single law of physics!”

”I just run the machines!” She shouted back. “Come on, let’s go inside before we get completely soaked.”

Oh god. Now I could see what she meant. Every step they took was sending waves our way, crashing into each other as rambling gaits tried to overtake each other. Sea foam was high in the air, and at one point while backing up to the door I swear I felt the water spray from overhead like a spring shower. Then Sandy pulled me back, still gawking at the behemoths as they walked away to whatever strange destination would host them. Barely getting the door closed, she braced her and me both against the wall, holding on.

”Uh. That’s forward.” I said, now looking her right in the eye as my hands pressed into the narrow wall behind her.

“Sorry. You’ll thank me.” She said, barely finishing the sentence before the entire base was hit hard, turning into a steep angle that sent me falling forward into her even more. Another wave hit, bouncing us briefly into the air as we braced ourselves, trying not to fall down the tight staircase. We tilted back, standing upright once more though swaying heavily, now back to a calmer sea. “Best to get back to our rooms before the next patch hits.”

We scurried back quickly, nausea coming back to me. I couldn’t tell if it was that or the contact we just had that was making me warm, blushing as we walked into the small hallway adjoining our rooms. I sat on my bunk, looking at her still standing in the doorway.

”What are those things?” I wanted a straight answer, though I don’t know if she had one. “Like… they were giants. I get that, but what the fuck did I just see?”

”Beats me. None of us have been able to figure it out.” She shrugged, leaning against the doorway now. “You’ll see a lot of weird shit out here. Don’t know if the others told you that upfront, but they’re a bunch of hardcore skeptics anyway.”

”So they’ve seen it too and didn’t think they should maybe tell the new girl about it? What if I was out there alone? I would’ve died!” I was almost screaming, now terrified at the proposition of spending six months here.

”Please, they try to tell me it’s a trick of the light and isolation. Hell, I thought maybe I was going crazy but you’ve helped me out big time here. I finally have a second witness.” She said, raising h...

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Hobosam21 on 2024-09-07 19:27:49+00:00.

---

previously

Hey, Kylie here. First things first, Allyson and I are both still alive. Thanks for the tips and thoughts. I've been a bit busy so sorry for the late update.

Secondly, to the prick that sent me the angry DM because he couldn't find me in Greenbrier Michigan… Wrong state asshole.

Someone suggested Allyson should buy a gun, she can't really. She's only 19 so she can't own anything semi automatic or a hand gun in this state.

But I can.

I told the guy I wanted something that could handle a bear, I might have lied about a trip to Alaska… anyways, after test firing a few I settled on a 10 millimeter gun. He called it a two stack, so instead of eight shots I have sixteen.

I wanted something that I could use to protect us because we went right back to work. I know it sounds crazy, Jordan insisted.

And it makes sense, people still need to be able to contact 911. Chuck and Andy can only handle it on their own for so long.

With Allyson’s parents still in Europe she would be safer at the call center than alone at home. The police department had a cruiser sitting there as well.

And I'm glad they did because this town is going crazy.

Did you guys know you can buy a gun, pass the background check and then you have to wait ten business days to pick it up??

Not ideal when you’re in a situation where you might be attacked at any moment.

Luckily I have friends, I won’t say who but someone lent me a Glock. He made me go to the range with him three days in a row before he would let me take it home but that’s still better then what the gun shop is requiring.

Like I said earlier we went back to work right after the attack. Jordan basically said show up on time or be fired. And since I have a mortgage and like eating here I am.

On the bright side the doors are back in place, the gate has been fixed and now closes. Oh and there’s a patrol car parked across the driveway. So I’m actually not feeling too bad about coming back.

Allyson was a little more reluctant but when the alternative is staying home alone she quickly agreed to come in.

A few of you brought up some good points, how did the killer lumberjack find Allyson? Why was Jordan so calm in the face of death?

I don’t have an answer for either, maybe he heard her voice on the phone? Or he’s following her? I don’t know.

Jordan is an enigma himself, I don’t hate him like my coworkers do. But I’m not a fan of him either, but then after he stood up for us like that…

I don’t know, his past is pretty blank and he’s super quiet about his personal life. But there is one thing that happened.

So I came in to work with Allyson. Just like normal Jordan was in his office, but then the stars aligned.

Allyson was on a call with a very unhappy resident concerning their missing groceries and Jordan went outside.

I don’t know if he’s ever gone outside during a shift. Or even used the rest room.

Anyways his office was left unattended. I don’t know what came over me. I rushed over to Jordan’s office, a quick glance at the monitor showed he was outside walking the perimeter of the building.

His desk was mostly bare, two call reports lay on one side and a note pad on the other. The note pad was blank but lots of pages had been ripped from it. The first drawer I opened was filled with reports. I glanced at the monitor again, he was rounding the third corner. I didn’t have much time.

The second drawer on the right hand side was locked. Shifting my focus to the left hand side I opened the bottom drawer. The only thing inside was a black leather book.

Jordan was entering the lobby, I flipped through a couple pages. Names, nothing but names. They all had green or red lines through them. I heard the first metal door open.

I turned and rushed back to my stall and put my headset back on. I let out a shaky breath just as Jordan entered. He walked to his office, paused, turned to look at me for a moment then went in his office.

I hadn’t recognized any of the names, I googled a few that I could remember but didn’t get anything solid. I’ll have to bid my time and try again later.

*

I would say I'm pretty friendly with everyone at Greenbrier PD and FD. I'm probably closest with one of the newer officers, Dean has been with Greenbrier PD three years now.

Dean and I grab drinks at the diner occasionally. I wouldn't say we're dating. We just hang out one on one from time to time.

One of these times they had a $2 long island iced tea special. $38 later we were sloshed, there was no way either of us was going to drive.

My house isn't far from the diner so we stumbled our way there and crashed on the couch.

This wasn't uncommon, we'd often sleep off the night. Him on the couch and me in my room before heading our separate ways in the morning.

But something was bothering Dean that night, he was uncharacteristically quiet. I asked him about it once we were settled in.

At first he didn't want to talk about it, maybe the alcohol loosened him up or maybe it was just the vibe we had going that night but he told me his story.

“Did you see that boat being towed past the diner as we walked out?” I shook my head, I hadn't noticed any boats but I wasn't exactly looking either.

Dean leaned back on the couch “that was a 21 foot 1972 Starcraft Starchief”. He stared at my ceiling quietly. I responded tentatively, unsure of what brought on this somber mood. “I wasn’t aware you were a boat guy”. A small laugh died on my lips when I saw the tear running down his cheek.

“I wasn’t a good kid in high school” he began, “not like drug use or anything like that. I was just super edgy and thought I was too cool to be friends with other kids. Looking back I was just a dick for no reason”.

“I barely graduated, I think they just wanted to get rid of me really. After that I enlisted. Not because of some sense of duty, I didn't want to work and the army seemed like a way to make money. And I thought it would make me look cool”.

“You would think that would have straightened me out but instead I spent six years doing the minimum. I never left the country and when it came time to reup it was made clear to me that I shouldn't”.

“So I went back home, I squandered my GI bill on some dumb online college courses. By this time my parents were about done with me. They told me to get a job or get out of the house. They would support me for three more months and then that was it".

Dean smiled at the memory, “I tell you what, at the time I was pissed. Now I can see they had way more patience than I deserved. Anyways, that's when I applied to be a cop. There was a shortage so I had no issues getting in”.

“I’ll skip all the boring parts, what changed everything for me happened on a rainy October day. I was mad before I even arrived at the call”.

“A simple domestic disturbance, a homeowner called to report someone on their property. I was the rookie and it was raining so I got sent out to deal with it”.

He paused for a moment. The memory weighing heavily on him.

“I arrived at a very nice beach house. The homeowner was a lady in her 60’s, she was polite enough. She explained someone had beached their boat in front of her house and was acting weird”.

“I made my way to the back yard, sure enough. Just a dozen feet off the shore was a ragged Starcraft. And attempting to push it into deeper water was a gaunt looking woman. She was probably in her early 20’s but the soiled clothes and sunken skin made her look older”.

“She had that trademark erratic movement about her that all tweakers have”.

“It wasn't uncommon, drug addicts would often acquire boats and live in them for a time. Often times they would sink or like this one get stuck somewhere”.

“And that was my first mistake, I assumed she was just another junky. I yelled at her to come ashore, she ignored me and kept trying to push the boat. The tide was going out, she was never going to move the boat until it came back in”.

“I yelled a few more times but she wouldn't listen. I radioed in and they told me to figure it out. So I walked through the knee deep water absolutely livid. My boots and pants were soaked with sea water.”.

“She kept screaming about how she needed more water, I tried to grab her but she ran around the boat. I chased her in circles a few times cussing her out the whole time. She had this illogical panic about her, she kept pleading with me to listen but I was done listening. Ask, tell, force, that's what I had been taught when it came to noncompliant suspects”.

“She wouldn't stop running and she was a good deal faster than me. So I pulled out my taser and popped her. She went rigid just long enough for me to grab her. It was like giving a cat a bath, she screamed and clawed. She begged me to let her go back to the boat”.

“I didn't listen, I dragged her inch by inch to the beach. By this point she was sobbing and begging me to let her go. I wouldn't. I threw her onto the beach and loaded another cartridge into the taser. I didn't need it though, she lay on the beach convulsing, her eyes so wide and filled with terror I thought they would pop out of her head”.

Dean sniffed and wiped another tear.

“I had spent so many years fantasizing about being a hero you know? I wanted to be the guy everyone respected, maybe even feared. I wanted to be the guy that stopped people from hurting others. Instead… instead I stood over the body of a terr...

---

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