Throbbing, empty, and distraught, I rested my skull against the vibrating windows of the great bullet train. Soaring Carrion Crows glided far above in the deep ocean sky, below the hidden moon but above the silky clouds. Them and I were one in the same, wandering in a vast world that held nothing at its core. A cruel place pitted against you. An impossible game of push and pull against god himself. “We have arrived at Narusawa, Yamanashi.” There I stood at the foot of the dense forest, nicknamed the ‘Sea of Trees’ or the ‘Suicide Forest’. The great mountain stood far back in the thick woodlands, though its peak shone brighter with a pride greater than any other. My eyes naturally drifted along the beautiful landscape. From the mighty white peak of Fuji-san, to the bushy green leaves far below and finally the dark forest floor, littered with bushes and various flora. I was ready. I entered the forest cautiously. It was awfully peaceful in here, like a sanctuary sealed off from the other worlds. The chirps from the birds, the sharp crunches from the dead leaves under me, and the whistling of the winds all harmonized together like a great symphony. However, this was not the time to appreciate the surrounding beauty yet, as the faint roars of the distant cars could still be heard. It was time to head in further and abandon the path ahead of me. The sounds of the cars grew smaller and weaker, as did any traces of society. I was now alone for sure. I sat down, placing the back of my head on the jagged bark of a large needleleaf tree. Small specks of sunlight pierced through the small openings in the leaves and branches, bestowing its warmth upon my skin. I could feel its delicate warmth; it resembled my mother’s touch. “Hi there, mister,” came an unknown voice. Startled, I jerked my head to the side to face the unknown voice. It belonged to a young Japanese girl who looked no older than 7. She fashioned simple and childish clothes, as expected from her age, but it was how clean they were which made her presence very uncanny. “What are you doing here, mister?” the keen, little voice continued. I stuffed the rope behind the tree from where she was facing, hoping to hide it. Whatever she was, she didn’t need to know the truth. No one did. “Just relaxing,” I lied. Her head turned slowly to the side and her eyes met something far in the distance, beyond the countless trees and deep in the forest. With that, the once large smile from her face sank into a slight frown, as though she was disappointed. “No one ever walks off the main path for an adventure anymore. All they want to do is die, just like you mister. Am I right?” The symphonies started once again, with the rustling leaves from the surrounding trees, the soothing songs from the singing birds, and the soft voice from the young girl. Though this girl’s voice had different air to it. When compared to the roaring screams and constant chatter of the people in the city, her voice was like a warm shallow creek or a bird chirping happily in Spring. It felt as she was a part of the forest, as if she were born and belonged there. I let out a soft sigh, giving up on my small ploy. “Yes, I have come to commit suicide. Anything wrong about- “ “Why?” The girl cut in abruptly. “Well… life has just been cruel to me. I don’t think you would understand, kid, but there’s just no more point in walking this earth and living this life of which I’ve never asked for,” I said. She looked down to the hard ground and pondered. After some time collecting dust and too into dusk, she looked back up at me. “Come,” she suggested. I followed her, although hesitantly. The thoughts of who she was and why she was here in such an isolated place still loomed in my head. We trekked through numerous creeks, through many trees, and even passed by a through bodies on the way by. Curious, I asked, “So how did you get here? “I forgot,” she said. “What?” I replied stunned. “I’ve been here for a long time. As long as these trees, so give me a break,” she said bluntly. “So, you can’t remember?” “That’s right. Though I have a feeling that I’m somehow linked to the Shinto here.” she said. “Anyways, we’re almost there.” After a little more walking, we arrived at a small clearing. In the middle, sat a lone Shinto Shrine. Its presence dominating the empty expanse, like a crimson flare in the dead of the night. We approached it closer, being careful to not step on the myriad flowers of which filled the ground generously. “Pray to it,” she smiled. I gave her a confused look and just decided to give in. I went down on my knees, shut my eyes, and gave my prayers. I wasn’t sure to which god or being I was praying to, but all I hoped for was a change in my life, hopefully a change for the better. I opened my eyes after finishing my prayer. A dark void appeared in front of me. A gaping borehole, just one misguided step away. I instinctively scurried back but was stopped by a pair of hands on my lower back. I felt a firm push. I turned my head, looking back, and she was there. Her two hands lurched out front as she smiled, as if she were happy for me. “I hope you understand now,” she whispered, and just as quickly as she appeared, she was gone along with the ground beneath me. An endless pit. I stared down into the dark below, panicking. My stomach churned from within, and my heart drummed like thunder. The wind no longer howled above me but screamed in my ears as I dropped. Black, despairing, hopeless, relentless. Everything in this hell hole, everything in this life of mine. We were one the same, just as with the birds, and the trees, and perhaps everything that ever came to live. However, with every dark cloud came a silver lining. Within the darkness and shadows that consumed both my mind and me, there was a spark of light. Within the nearing grasp of death, my mind escaped from its timely leash, and I began to reminisce. Reminisce on the times with my family, the great events that filled my life, and the beauty of a world filled with light, not darkness. This was what it felt like to live. As these memories surfaced in my mind, a small light at far down in the abyss surfaced too. The light slowly became more immense and grew as I continued to travel towards it at terminal velocity. I reached out my hand towards it, gathering all my might and battling against the counterforces that shackled me. The light got larger and larger, until all that was left was light, and oddly a small bed at the bottom. I landed in the bed with ease, sinking my face in the soft bedsheets, somehow unscathed. I brought my head above and peered around. It was my room. There was no longer any darkness or light around, just my room. Confused, I got up from my bed and looked up above, only to find the ceiling. This was no dream, this was real. This was her. I ripped open the curtains and in came the bright morning sun. The birds were chirping once again.


I was six, still with my family but not for long. As my seventh birthday neared, my parents prepared me for hardship. *You must listen to your teacher.* *You must train every day, even throughout the night.* *Embrace your hunger, only steal enough to get by, but do not get caught.* They reminded me daily of the rules I must follow in order to survive, but the only one that really stuck with me, was the only one I broke. *Remain distant, a friendship will only mean your downfall.* Once I was taken to the agoge, I tried to remember everything my parents told me however, no matter what they said, it would never have prepared me for what I was going to face. The hunger was almost unbearable, the cloak, my only article of clothing, provided no warmth, and the slab of wood I used for a bed caused nothing but exhaustion and pain. They only fed us one meal a day so if we wanted more, we had to find it ourselves, but get caught, and the food would no longer be worth it. It had been three weeks since I was taken and I could feel the weakness throughout my body. It hurt to run and every time my stomach growled, it felt like I had been stabbed. I tried to avoid stealing food from fear of being caught but, I decided that I needed to take the risk if I wanted to survive this place. I made my way into the agora. Evening was approaching and most of the citizens were packing up their shop. I figured while they were distracted, I could try to swipe some bread or fruit. I weaved in between the different stands, carefully analyzing, determining where the best location for theft would be. I decided on a stand that was run by an older woman, one that sold bread, in hopes that the dough would fill me up more than fruit would. The stands around her were already packed up so she was ultimately alone. I walked up, almost silently, ensuring that no one else was around, and while she was bent over, placing her food into baskets, I swiped a loaf. I smirked as I started to turn away, proud that I had successfully stolen some food however, it quickly vanished when I stumbled over the handle of a wheel barrel, knocking over a basket of bread. She looked up quickly, seeing the bread in my hand, and as about to call for help. *I am a Spartan*… I should’ve been able to think quicker, I should’ve been able to understand and run immediately but, I froze. I thought of the punishment I would have to face once I was caught, the pain I would have to suffer. I wasn’t prepared for this, I’m only seven, I should be able to stay with my parents, I should have a bed and food. I shouldn’t have to steal. Hundreds of thoughts flowed through my mind in the split second after stumbling when suddenly, the women turned back the other way, her entire table of bread falling to the ground. Snapped from my thoughts, I looked and saw a boy, my age, coming at me. I couldn’t get a good look at his face because I could only notice the cloak around his shoulders… it was the same as mine. He grabbed my arm, forcing me to run away with him. We sprinted, the loaf of bread still in my hand, my legs burning and each breath I took was suffocating. We had made it to the woods, just slightly outside of the agoge, when we finally stopped running. Immediately I collapsed, darkness circling around until it completely shrouded my eyes. I tried to steady my breathing in order to prevent my body from losing consciousness. It was a slow process until I felt water pour over my head, adding light back into my sight. When I could finally see again, I looked at the boy that helped me. He had wavy, brown hair, brown eyes, and a prominent scar across his left cheek. He smiled, reaching his hand out, “Hi. My name is Eleni.” And that, was when I decided that I could break one of the rules that my parents had given me. From that day, I considered Eleni to be my one and only friend. We helped each other out, often teaming up to steal food and since that day, my strength started to come back, my hunger only enough to motivate me to become stronger. Eleni and I continued together, side by side, encouraging one another until we were part of the top soldiers in the academy. Now, it is year 480 and I am twenty-seven, Eleni twenty-eight. Rumor flew around the city of Sparta many years ago concerning the Persians and their plans to invade. I was sixteen when they started. It has been eighteen years since then, and we’ve just found out that a shepherd betrayed us to the Persians. Our position in Thermopylae had been pristine, surprising the Persians with our perseverance and military expertise. *We are Spartans. We will hold the Persians back, allowing our neighbors to fall back, regroup, and create a better standing against our enemies. As Spartans, this is our duty. We do not run from battle.* King Leonidas made it very clear, we were on a suicide mission, a last chance in ensuring Greek victory in the long run. I had been sitting with Eleni, away from our comrades, trying to understand how the battle took such a sharp turn against us. “I just don’t understand Eleni… why would a Greek conspire against his own people? He should want his freedom, even fight for it himself.” I buried my head into my hands, worried for myself and Eleni however, he was unusually quiet, unresponsive to anything I was saying. “Nikolaos.” I looked up. “I understand why a Greek would betray us. You speak of freedom and yet, we never knew it. From age seven we’re thrown into a pit, expected to survive harsh conditions. No food, no clothes, no bed… constantly fighting. We were expected to fight for our lives every day, or die. Sparta had no mercy for us. They gave us no freedom. Is the Greek really wrong for trying to find another alternative, a hope for a better life?” “Eleni, what are you–” I never got to finish my question. The Persians had finally arrived. There were only three-hundred Spartans but within the first few minutes, we had already lost a couple dozen. I grabbed my sword and shield, charging into battle. I remembered all the times that Eleni and I had practice against each other, we fought harder and harder, ensuring that we would both make it through the academy… we would both make it out, and earn our freedom. We *needed* each other in order to make it. I was fighting one Persian after another, noticing Eleni behind me. Back to back, we fought… fought to protect Greece, protect ourselves, and protect each other… when suddenly, I heard him scream. *Remain distant, a friendship will only mean your downfall.* I turned, eyes widening as I noticed his right arm drench in blood, cut so he could no longer hold his sword up. I screamed, throwing myself into the enemy, preventing him making the final blow. I knocked him over, impaling him with my sword several times, enough so he could feel it in Hades. Seething with anger, drunk off rage, I was ignorant of what was coming from behind, a gift of bronze heading straight towards my back. I turned, no longer angry, but terrified with the realization that I was going to die and yet, Death never embraced me. Eleni accepted the Persian’s gift, protecting me, and with his last good arm, he embedded his sword in the rival’s neck. I caught Eleni as his fell back, “Eleni! Why? Why would you do that? I could’ve survived his attack. You were already injured. You’re a fool!” “Nikolaos, that pathway the Persians took… when this is over, you should walk through it. The sights are beautiful.” I was confused. What was he even talking about? How did he know what sights the path held? When did he go? “Eleni, what are you talking about? I don’t underst—” He looked at me, tears streaming towards his ears. “It wasn’t a shepherd, brother, that betrayed the Greeks.” I blinked, still unsure what he was doing. “I just wanted us to be free… the life of a Spartan isn’t just. I thought when the Persians attacked, we could escape… escape somewhere unlike Sparta.” My mind was reeling. I could hear the screaming and agony from Greeks and Persians alike and I could see the blood spilling near me from all sides as I stared at Eleni. My best friend, my brother… I always thought he wanted to be the greatest Spartan, encouraging me to follow in his footsteps but in reality, he just needed to be strong enough to survive on his own and lead us both to freedom. He never wanted to be a Spartan. *Remain distant, a friendship will only mean your downfall.* I understand now. This friendship between Eleni and I, regardless of the fact that he betrayed the Greeks, betrayed me… it wouldn’t matter. Our fates were sealed the day we chose to become friends in a ruthless environment. Death was the only person that could provide the freedom that Eleni tried to achieve. *I am a Spartan.* *“*Nikolaos?” I knew what needed to be done. I knew what I could do for my friend, an act so painful for me, but necessary for him. *I am a Spartan.* “Nikola—” I push the sword into his stomach. *I am a Spartan.* I turned it, my hand over his mouth to prevent the Persians from hearing us. His eyes went wide with shock but then relaxed when he realized the internal conclusion I had come to. *I am a Spartan.* Tears streaming down my face, regret smothering me and then receding. This is what he wants, his freedom. His body is still, his eyes no longer focused on anything specific. I sat there, not fully comprehending what has happened in the last twenty-four hours. My heart is pounding… I can’t hear. My mind is shutting down…I can’t see. But I can feel… I can feel that the bronze gift finally found its recipient. The spear piercing my back, right through my chest. My last thought: *Remain distant, a friendship will only mean your downfall… but, I am a Spartan, and I was born to endure all of this.


Brody drew a sharp breath, held it, and slowly exhaled. Remember, he thought, act like you belong. Act like you’re supposed to be here. His mission, while simple in the details, was risky, and required the utmost discretion. He had waited until nightfall, surmising that he might successfully avoid prying eyes under the cloak of darkness. But now? No such luck. Brody stood before the great glass vestibule of the very institution he was sent to infiltrate, exposed by a glowing sea of florescent bulbs and security cameras. Two agents stood at a counter to his left, each armed with some sort of scanning device. A queue of people waited to have their personal effects examined before swiping a card and being cleared to vacate the facility. Brody tugged at the visor of his baseball cap, pulling it as far down as he could. He had already popped the collar of his jacket to conceal most of his face. It would be impossible for him to not leave behind video evidence of his actions tonight. He could only hope his effort to mask himself would be ultimately successful. While the cameras were of great concern to him, he was faced with a more immediate threat. Guards. Brody knew this particular facility was typically patrolled by a single unarmed guard, but a witness is a witness. Slipping around a corner, Brody nearly shit himself when he just about face planted into the chest of Sizemore, a hulking man, nearly seven feet tall, with a booming voice that carried for miles. Sizemore gave Brody the once over, and then the once more over. The twice over. Brody froze for a fraction of a second. Instinct told him to flee, but Brody repeated his mantra once again. Act like you belong. Act like you’re supposed to be here. “Evening,” Brody muttered as he side-stepped the imposing figure and awkwardly backed away. Sizemore’s eyes narrowed, as he shot Brody a quizzical look, before relenting with a nod. Relieved, Brody spirited away. He could do this. Two minutes, in and out. Brody stuck to the perimeter, darting from one obstruction to the next like a rat scrounging for scraps. He deftly spun and weaved his way through the glowing maze undetected. He was a true champion of stealth. Within seconds, he reached his destination. And then his heart sank. His instructions were simple. Infiltrate the facility, take the package, and get the hell out of there. The package. Yeah, this was going to be a problem. “Just remember: 'Always Green',” Crystal had told him when asked to be specific on which package he should be retrieving. Somewhat specific enough, maybe. But what Brody saw before him was a daunting wall of mysterious packages, numbering in the hundreds. Maybe even thousands. Although they were all unique in their own way, Brody was overwhelmed by all the shapes and sizes. How would he ever find the package he was sent for in this mess? He had but one choice. Although it may take all night, he’d have to inspect each package until he discovered the right one. And so he did. One by one, Brody eliminated package after package, until nearly forty-five minutes had passed, and he had narrowed his uncountable choices down to two. He contemplated taking both, but assessed the risk was far too great. He’d never make it out of the building with two. Discreetly escaping with one was daunting enough. He’d have to take a chance and leave it to fate. He took the package he was at least 62% sure was the correct choice. Brody tucked the package under his arm, and hightailed it out of there. Forty-five damn minutes. He didn’t sign up for this kind of exposure. But at least now he was almost home free. He had but one more test to pass. Brody made his way back towards the great glass vestibule, and was dismayed to see three people ahead of him in the queue. Between them, the two counter agents, Sizemore, and six others meticulously inspecting various facets of the facility, Brody stood in plain sight of a dozen people. Too much exposure. Not good, Brody thought. Not good at all. Fueled by anxiety, Brody’s foot tapped furiously. The counter agents cleared one person, and then another, moving Brody to the front. Almost there. His mind is racing. Each passing second feels like an eternity. “Come the fuck on,” Brody mutters through clenched teeth. “I need to get the hell outta here.” And then it happened. Brody went ice cold in the massive, dark shadow of Sizemore, as a meaty hand grabbed him by the shoulder, and in a blur of events, spun Brody around and snatched the package from under his arm. “Oh-ho! What’s this?” Sizemore demanded, inspecting the package. “What do we have here? Always Ultra Thin Super Long Pads with wings? Ha ha! What’re you buying pads!? Pads for your vagina!? Ha ha ha!” Brody tried to respond, but could find no words. Several shoppers turned to face him, as grins slowly formed across their collective faces. “HEY, EVERYBODY!” Sizemore boomed as he snatched away Brody’s cap, “THIS GUY IS BUYING PADS! HE HAS A VAGINA! EVERYONE LOOK AT THE MAN WITH A VAGINA!” Some shoppers exploded into thunderous hysterics, while others assailed Brody with looks of arrant disgust. From behind a display of Pepperidge Farms cookies, a man in a well-worn suit and a fedora adorned with a “PRESS” badge rapidly fired off several snapshots with an antique shutter camera before exclaiming “Wow, what a scoop! This is going on page one!” Like a startled hare, Brody bolted for the door, tears of shame burning his cheeks. Even as Brody fled, staff and shoppers alike hurled insult after insult at him. “Don’t fall and hurt your vagina, Nancy!” “Get the hell outta hear, ya creep!” “We don’t serve your type here, you sick freak!” Others are less vicious, and more heartbroken over the twisted perversion of humanity they’ve just witnessed. “He’s obviously very sick. People like him need to get some help.” “Maybe he was just, you know… curious?” “He really should be locked up somewhere.” \*\*\*\* Across the road, Brody crouched inside a dumpster, barely noticing the foul-stentch that pervaded the air around him. He was shaking, panting, and his stomach was in knots. His eyes were raw from the onslaught of tears. Did anyone recognize him? Maybe the cameras didn’t capture his face in any definitive angle. Maybe if never showed his face in that store again? Maybe if he convinced Crystal to run away with him? He did do all of this for her. Would she go with him? Maybe. Maybe? Maybe he could one day put this all behind him. Peering out from his fetid fortress, Brody watched as his hopes were dashed. Three police cruisers arrived, delivering five officers total. The officers congregated around Sizemore, listened to his tale, had a good laugh, and soon found their way over to Brody’s car. It was official. He was now a criminal. Up there with the same scum found on To Catch a Predator. Brody slunk out of his dumpster, and began the two mile trudge home. \*\*\* It was well after midnight. Brody stood on his own doorstep and contemplated his next move. Breaking down again, he sobbed to himself, “Crystal, I am so sorry. I failed you.” He clenched the doorknob, and his despair was quickly replaced by sheer panic. The door was not only unlocked, but it was left slightly open. Bursting into the house, his worst fears were realized. Everything had been ransacked. “Crystal!? CRYSTAL!!!” he cried out. But his cries were met with silence. Brody fell to the floor in emotional agony. What horrible fate had befallen his dear Crystal? Unable to turn to the police, Brody curled up on the floor and passed out for several hours before finally awakening to the pulse of his cellphone. “Incoming call: Mom.” Mom. Perhaps a ray of hope in all of this. Mom will understand. “Hello? Mom? I… something horrible has happened. Last night I went out to buy some pads for Crystal, and…,” he stammered before being coldly cut off. “You need to stop projecting your own flaws onto that poor, innocent girl, God help her. She’s the real victim in all of this.” “Mom, I was just…,” again, Brody was cut off. “I don’t know what mistakes we made with you, but please, please, just get the help you so desperately need.” Brody didn’t have the chance to respond. She had hung up on him. In just under twelve hours, Brody had lost his status, his reputation, his girlfriend was missing, and now his own mother had disowned him. And he barely had time to mourn the loss when he received one final text message from Crystal. “I don’t date men with vaginas. Sorry, not sorry. Deuces.” \*\*\* Brody stood on the ocean’s shore, and took it all in. Although his past life was literally yesterday, it seemed so far away. Memories of what once was had already been forgotten, replaced only by horrible anguish and shame. Brody was no more. He was just… a monster. The man once known as Brody took a step, and another, and the salt water filled his shoes. The sensation made him shudder. Waves crashed against his legs, soaking his garbage soiled jeans up to his knees. Good. The water is cleansing. Cleansing away the stench and shame of Brody. Another step, then another. Waist deep, and then shoulder deep. Unblinking, he marches on, soulless eyes stung by briny ocean water. Another step, and another, until finally Brody loses his footing. The undertow does what no human being is willing to do. Claim Brody. Brody is never seen or heard from again. No one notices, except for once in 2027, when some random internet troll briefly wonders to himself, "whatever happened to that vagina guy...?" \*\*\* “Babe? Hello? Earth to Brody?” “Huh? Sorry, what?” Brody replies as Crystal’s words snap him back to reality. “I was asking if you’d go to the drug store and get some pads for me. Then you spaced out. I really need some, I’m on my last one.” “Pads? I don’t need people seeing me buying pads. No. No way,” Brody panicked. “What is such a big deal about a guy buying pads?” Crystal demanded. “You have no idea.” “You’re such an asshole,” Crystal spat as she snatched up her keys. “I’ll get them myself.” “Be safe honey. It’s dangerous out there.” “Oh, fuck you.” (Note: This story was inspired by . I'm only mentioning this at the end as to not spoil the "big reveal" in the middle of the story.


Machiavelli said "It is better to be feared than loved, if one cannot be both" This shit isn't true. No one person can be completely feared or completely loved. It's impossible. I'm no different. Feared by few, loved by some, and hated by many. I didn't ask to be this way. But when you live in a swamp surrounding a dirty river what can you really expect. The sun burned slowly in the background. It's quite common around here for every neighborhood to have a bad part, and my neighborhood is no different. I'm walking down the street looking at the houses that have been painted gray for gentrification, the ones that had a roof attached to them, or this one house that was covered in moss and ivy. It was pretty in it's own way, but ivy had grown on the windows. It made me think of how long it must have been since they last opened that window, considering how much ivy was on it. The sun burned slowly in the background. I started to come up on an alley, when I see someone waiting there. He had a mask on, but I already knew who it was. He went to the school across town. It was surprising seeing him here by himself. He usually is followed around by his crew, who go to the same school as him. The thing about this school was that it wasn't a poor school, or a ghetto school, like the school in the center of town which has bars on it. It was in the rich part of my town, and all the kids who lived in that rich zone went to school there. Despite this, I found them to be the most conniving bastards in the whole city. They would rob anyone, and I was no different. The sun burned slowly in the background. "What's up bitch" he scoffs "C'mon man, you really don't want to do this" I say I knew I could take him, especially because he was by himself. He picks fights with everybody and gets his ass beat. I'm small, but so is he. I think he figured he could target me because I was small. He doesn't really know how to fight though, he just wrestles. I'd just punch him a couple times and he'd be done. I saw a video of him trying to fight. I'd beat him up, and like everyone else, I would be no different. "You're fucking done bro" I thought to myself that I might as well beat his ass in this alley right now. It didn't really occur to me that he maybe had been beaten one too many times. He's known to carry knives, but I didn't really think about any of that. I started to run up on him and connected with his jaw. He fell over, and didn't get up for a couple of seconds so I started to walk away. Then I heard a small click. The faint click of a gun being drawn. I turn around and he's pointing a small, 5 shot revolver at me. A really cheap, shitty gun. I can see the bullets in the chamber. We just stared at each other for a couple of seconds. The sun burned slowly in the background. Part of me hoped the gun would jam. Part of me wanted to make a leap and just run at him, but it's different when you have a gun pointed at you. I considered running away, but I just stood there, staring at him. I was pretty sure he wouldn't shoot me, but I just stared at him not saying anything. He bit his tongue when I punched him, and blood was coming out of his mouth. He fired three shots into my stomach. I felt the bullets rip through my organs, and I fell to the ground. He started running away. Now I'm just staring at this corner store across the street that I never ended up going to. And it hit me that I never will get to go there, because I'm going to die. I started to think of all the things I will never do and the things I will never get to do again. A future that was no longer mine. And the last thing I ever get to see is this shitty fucking corner store. I start to get a feeling of cold water as the blood drains from my body. 19. I die at the ripe old age of 19. I hear sirens, but lets be real, I'm going to die. Nobody's going to survive 3 bullets in your intestines, and I'm no different. Life was nice. Let's watch some highlights.  I was born. Held by my mother and kissed by my father at birth. I couldn't fit in the diapers. I grew up normal. Birth of my brother. I'll miss that kid dearly. I hope I find him wherever I am next. Move to the city. It's hot and humid, and we hate it. Moving houses. New house. I always liked telling people about how someone died in it, it made it seem cool. But I think about all the other things I could have been talking about all that time, and the things I'll never get to say to people. Middle school. Mom gets sick, so sick she can't leave bed. School performance goes down, almost got kicked out, moved to an alternative school. Not going to miss this period of my life. High school. Hospitalized in 9th grade, spent 2 years in treatment. I was loved by many there. I met people I'll have to talk to in another lifetime. My friend ant, my friends who we called "the five brothers". The love interests, the girls, the shit I shouldn't have been doing. The hatred of my parents for keeping me there, but knowing fully that I did this to myself. Looking back it was so trivial. I saw flashes from a life I'll never live, girlfriends I'll never have, friendships that I'll never form. A job I wished I had. A house. Money. Stupid things like that, that all mean nothing now. And here we are, back in this alley, in the heat. The sirens are close but I'm gone. I feel the DMT in my brain, and I think to myself "it was ok". They always say it fades to black, but it doesn't. I see light. It almost looks like I'm in a tunnel. I see my mother's face. I never believed in god, and it seems cowardly to accept him as you're dying. I never got to be a man, but I have to face whatever happens next like one. And as I walked through the tunnel towards the light, the sun burned slowly in the background.


Chapter 2 Hope The first day in my new home in this new world was disappointing and amazing at the same time. Seeing what my new body looked like in a mirror hanging on the bathroom door for the first time was a disappointing discovery. The boy that I saw in the mirror had bright orange hair and a face speckled with freckles from cheek to cheek that had not a scar, wrinkle or crows feet in sight, hazel eyes stared back at me with the intensity that could be considered my own, chalk-white smooth skin covered his body and his arms and legs were no bigger than twigs on a tree. I really could not believe that this was my body now. I was less intimidating than one of those rats with fur I saw on a rope walking in front of an old lady on the street. My ego was broken more and more the longer I stared at the mirror. Later that same day my ego was set aside when I discovered how sweet, cold, and delicious ice creme was when I sank my spoon into it the white frosty desert and put it in my mouth. It was like my senses had never truly known pleasure when it came to food, sure I’ve had meat from several creatures all with there own unique flavor and yes I have had several types of custards but, none of the foods I had back in my home world could have ever compared to this. Later after I was done eating everything out of the bowl I discovered a big black reflective box called a TV and when my new Dad activated its power, colors and loud noises exploded from it making me jump in my cushiony seat. I was amazed, to say the least finding out thousands of different worlds were all in this tiny box on our wall and it could all be activated by a click of a button. After observing a bizarre world with happy talking creatures that looked way different from this reality, I stroked my chin forgetting I no longer had a beard and thought it might not be such a bad fate to be born into a commoner home in this world. After a few weeks of going back and forth from school to home Monday through Friday, the car no longer seemed to be as terrifying as it once was, I also got to observe my peers and learn some of their names. David an eight-year-old scrawny boy with dirty blonde hair and dark brown eyes seemed to be the bully of my class, he also seemed to be the leader of a bunch of children that followed him like sheep and listened to his every command, Sasha a girl with light blonde hair and sky blue eyes was a girl that liked to pretend to be good, to please her elders and show everyone that she was not capable of harm. However, I saw the other side of her, while most were not paying attention, she would steal pencils, erasers and other small objects and get others blamed for it. O yes, I thought she was definitely in her early years of becoming your common everyday petty thief. These two children made my almost mind-numbingly boring days in class a bit more interesting. David lead his five friends towards there imaginary enemies ducking and hiding behind playground equipment screaming out orders to flank there enemies and started to mime an imaginary object he was holding and started making popping noises from his mouth, most of his other friends mimicked what he was doing minus giving orders, while one of the boys screamed take cover while pretending to pull something off an object and throwing it. They all ducked and covered, and the boy let out a big boom from his mouth throwing up wood chips scattering them in the air. I watched all of this in fascination knowing the boys were reenacting something I had yet to learn about. Suddenly a girl out of nowhere came running in front of them throwing something imaginary at them screaming gibberish gleefully. David stopped miming the object and went from dominating something imaginary to looking at something real with disgust and annoyance. He walked up to the girl pushed her down and screamed in her face. “Go away freak!” He screamed with rage in his voice. “No one wants to play with you, this territory is only for soldiers not for dumb girls that want to play magic!” Magic? Did I hear him right? The girl sniffed and wept out a tear before getting up, with wood chips falling out of her long brown hair she screamed. “I curse you!” “Protectose.” I reflexively whispered making a warding gesture with my hands before remembering I still did not have any magic abilities. Luckily for me it seemed no curse was thrown by the girl but for the briefest of moments I felt the faintest of breaths of magic, real magic. My jaw dropped slightly. After weeks of not being able to sense magic from any person and after studying several objects like the school bell and the TV and coming to the sad conclusion that I would never be able to harness the hidden powers that made them work, I was beginning to lose hope and started to consider the possibility that the gods had exiled me to a world without magic. Now my heartbeat drummed loudly to the rhythm of knowing I was about to take my first step in getting back to my home-world. The bell rang letting everyone know recess was over and I made my way over to the girl that was still picking wood chips out of her hair, rubbing her face and making sniffing noises. I stood by her feeling for any presence of magic in her and confusingly there was none. Had I made an error in judgment? Was David the one that gave off the slight magic discharge? I thought about catching up to David and checking to see if he was indeed the one but, I thought better of it considering I had my final class with him and I could always check then. Besides I only saw the girl during recess and lunch and didn’t want to wait until the next day to talk to her. “What do you want?” She said still sniffling. Apparently while I had been in my thoughts I must have been staring at the weeping girl and looking like a fool. “Uh hello Ms. My name is ed- I mean Jimmy and I uh, well you see I was wondering if you knew about magic?” “Hey you two!” Mrs. Zacharias screamed from a distance obnoxiously making get over here gestures commanding me like I was a dog. The girl ran as fast as she could towards the teacher ending the conversation between us before it even began. I gritted my teeth and began to jog towards the teacher hating myself for not disobeying her. Gods knew that when I got my magic back the first thing, I would do is get revenge on Mrs. Zacharias for this moment.


(please bear with me, I am not an experienced writer at ALL) November 29, 2013 I was walking down the street after my college classes. It was windy and clear outside. It was autumn in the quiet town of North Ridgeville, Ohio. I looked at my watch, *5:00 pm. That’s late, I’m not sure how I didn’t realize that. I should head home now*. I soon got home to my apartment. Although it was an apartment, it wasn’t at all cramped or messy. I keep things neat, and clean. I checked the time again, *5:11 pm.* I sat down on the sofa and turned on the television. I switched to a news channel. Reports of murder came on. Two young adults, ages 18. Matthew Hill and John Smith. Both in high school, the same as my brother, Austin. They had bullied him but never tried anything when I was with him. *I wonder what else could have happened.* Apparently they were found strangled to death at North Ridgeville High School. *Hmmm*. I smiled. *I know this is odd, but they weren’t helping the world. They were just damaging others. So the world took him. Too bad, I guess.* After watching the news, I usually eat an apple. I just do. Always Honeycrisp, they are better. *Heh, apple superiority, how trivial. However, just because things are trivial doesn’t make them totally useless and wasteful, though. That’s a mistake people make.* People make a lot of mistakes. I knew that*.* I looked back at the television. The news said it was rumoured a note was found next to the bodies, written in black ink. It said, *Better luck next time.* I switched the channel to a true-crime documentary. I like true crime. You can see others’ mistakes in crime. I do despise a particular one, *Ted Bundy. If you are going to kill someone, don’t kidnap them. I may be cold but the things he did were disgusting.* I eventually stopped thinking about that pathetic killer. Soon my cell phone started ringing. I looked at my watch, *5:46. Huh, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?* I picked up the phone. It was my brother, Austin. “Did you see the news report about the murders?” He asked, seemingly worried. “Yes,” I answered, blandly. “It’s crazy isn’t it?” He asked, “North Ridgeville is one of the safest cities in Ohio and even the whole U.S!” “Yeah, it’s pretty odd,” I answered blankly. Although I don’t act like it, I love my brother. He is okay with how I act. He was okay with me being me. I didn’t need to fake emotions around him. *Then again, Austin is very good at reading emotions, even mine.* “Well, at least you don’t have to worry about them anymore, *heh,”* I said blandly. “Yeah I guess you are right. It’s still pretty sad though. Anyway, I have to go eat dinner since dad just got home. I’ll see you tomorrow Aiden!” Austin said, excited to see his brother again. Then he hung up. I continued watching television when my cat walked up to me. Her name was Turtle, as she was a tortoiseshell cat. I love her since she doesn’t judge or have expectations. She started purring and she sat down on the sofa next to be. I smiled and checked my watch again. *5:52 pm.* Checking my watch was something I did a lot. It was a habit I guess. Some time passed, and I checked my watch. *6:23 pm. Hmmm, time went by fast. I* looked back at the television. There were still talking about murder reports. I guess it is quite a big thing to happen in quiet little Ridgeville. *I wonder if they will ever find the killer.* I seem to find myself often thinking about random things at random times. Randomly thinking about how my cat deserves a peaceful life. Random. Random. Is anything really random? *Ha, that was another random and trivial thought. Just like apples being superior to other apples.* I checked the time again. *7:03 pm. Hmmm, I guess I got lost in my thoughts. Thoughts. Thoughts. Thoughts. Can you really be lost in thought? Of course it is a figurative phrase but, hmmm.* Most people have most likely heard that time isn’t exactly a real thing. *I think you could say the same about any form of measurement. Things like meters, miles, degrees... They only are names. Names, names, and names. Names are strange. Names could be insults, but also be labels. Everything is named. Whether it makes sense or not. Some names come from surnames even, such as the Heimlich manoeuvre. Manoeuvre. Manoeuvre. Manoeuvre. Manoeuvre. Such a weird word. Like Manoeuvre, some words come from words that already existed a long time ago, usually from other languages. But where did those original words come from?* What things are truly trivial? *Trivial. Trivial. Trivial. Trivial. I use that word a lot.* Is anything truly trivial? *Well, yes, in a way. Someone’s preferred apple is most likely to be trivial. Someone’s favourite color, movie, animal… Are those all trivial? Can a whole person be trivial? No-well, maybe. Is there anyone who is truly useless? You only need one person to think you’re useful to not be useless. Useless. Useless. Useless. Is anything even truly useless?* *Killers. Killers. Killers. What is a serial killer and what is a hero? These things depend on perspective. Someone in one place is a hero and another place a villain. Many people who work for the government kill. It isn’t always a bad thing to take someone’s life. But… What makes someone’s life worth taking?* I checked my watch again. *9:23 pm. It’s been a while. Again “lost in thought.” Regardless, I should get to bed.* I always make sure to get to bed before 10 pm. However, I usually don’t fall asleep until 11 pm, *as I get “lost in thought” a lot.* Lot. Lot. Lot. *The word lot is also relative. A lot of salt in baking is different to a lot of salt in the ocean. Lot also depends on the person and their situation. A lot of money to a wealthy aristocrat is different to a lot of money to a homeless mother. Mother. Mother. Mother. Mother. What is a mother? Scientifically, it is simply the female that gave birth to you. For humans, it’s different. Is a mother just female familial support? A biological mother is your actual mother. Some mothers shouldn’t be deemed mothers.* I never found murder much of a bad thing itself. Some people who are murdered deserve it, in a way. I find some things even worse. *Abuse, harassment, sexual harassment… No need to make their last moments terrible, or, at least, more terrible than being strangled, like the two highschoolers.* *Is “not being able to hurt a fly” a good or bad thing? Being merciful is good… however… It’s just odd. Not being able to hurt anything probably could do more harm than good. On the same note, what is the line between pushover and kind?* I soon fell asleep and woke up at 10:00 am. It was a Saturday. I got up and did my morning routine, which hadn’t been broken in 9 years. *I do things, and I will do things right.* I always got good grades as a kid. I never got grades lower than a B. *And I made sure of it.* I also make sure no one ever tries to take advantage of me. *If anyone plans on trying, I can make sure they won’t in the future.* Trivial. Trivial. That word again. *I think of that word a lot. It’s a good word. Word. Word. Word is a strange word.* I sighed. *I’m going outside.* I opened the curtains on my room, letting the morning sun in. It was clear again. I put on a flannel, black jeans, and my jacket. I walked outside. It was less breezy, therefore warmer. *Much more enjoyable than yesterday.* I walked to a small pottery shop. “Do you have any snake sculptures?” I asked, after seeing a variety of animal-themed sculptures. “I am afraid not, but you can request one!” The lady behind the counter answered, enthusiastic and bubbly. “Oh-ok,” I answered blankly. “Any specific sizes or colors?” She asked, smiling. “Well-blue and, um- about five inches long,” I answered nervously. I didn’t like talking much to others. “Thank you! It should be done by Tuesday!” She answered, kindly. “Thanks,” I answered as I walked out. *Well okay then. It’s no problem.* Next, I walked to a park. It was a bit more full today since the weather was nicer. I picked out a book I bought. It was named Behind The Mask. As I was reading, a kid came up to me. They had to be only 7. “Can I please have a dollar?” They asked, looking shy. “Oh, uh, sure,” I answered as I pulled out my wallet. *Oh-I only have a five. Whatever, it’s fine. It’s just five dollars. This kid hasn’t shown any traces of not being disrespectful. Mine as well. I wonder why they want it...* “I only have a five, but you can have it-I guess,” I answered as I handed it to the boy. “Thank you so much, sir!” He exclaimed out of happiness as he ran away in excitement. I smiled. *Childhood should be spent in happiness. Unless you are some entitled brat.* I stopped smiling. *Disappointing. Such bad parenting. Parenting. Parenting. Parenting. Parenting. What really is parenting? Teaching kids to be good people? Teaching them how to live life without messing everything up? I’d like to think I turned out we-*I was cut off my own thought by the sound of a girl demanding something from me. “Give me 5 dollars!” She demanded, “You gave him some so give me some!” I grimaced. *Little idiot...* “Listen, you can’t just do that kind of thing. Now go away,” I said coldly as I stood up. Even if she was nice, I couldn’t give her anything. I only had twenty in my wallet, and that’s not something I was going to give to some kid. I am about 6’5, which is seemingly quite tall, especially compared to a small bratty 7 year old. She soon stopped smirking and ran away, looking intimidated. *Ugh- pathetic. I don’t care if you’re a kid, you shouldn’t be so greedy.* I felt annoyed and decided to get up and go back to the pottery shop. I walked around, looking at everything. Everything was fairly well made. *Hmmm…* Eventually, I went home at 10:36 am. I then sat down to watch more television and switched to the news. More about the recent murder. Apparently they were found in the men’s locker room. It’s also reported the scene was very puddled, the bodies drenched. *Hmmmm.* I soon got bored and grabbed my book again to start reading while eating an apple. I read until 2:00 pm. I had a thing for that. If I was very interested in or immersed in a book I could read for hours on end. Being content with how much I read, I decided to go to my parents’ house to visit them and Austin. After texting my brother that I was coming, I fixed my hair and clothes. Presentability is important, especially if you want to be respected. I arrived at my parents’ house at 2:11 pm. My brother Austin was super happy to see me, and I was too. I just don’t show it much. I talked to my parents a bit and then went to hang out with my brother. Lately, he had been getting into writing, and he showed me some stuff he wrote. It was pretty good, especially for someone who didn’t write much outside of school. He was good at descriptions, and could really immerse someone in a setting. “This is really nice, you should keep writing,” I said, with little emotion. Most people would probably take this as sarcasm or take it with offense, but Austin could always figure out what I meant without me having to hyperbolize my emotions. He was a great brother. “Thanks a lot, Aiden,” He replied, smiling. “No problem,” I said, looking off to his small kitten. Austin had adopted a small kitten from a local animal shelter. Austin loved cats, especially helping them. He even wanted to foster kittens that would be euthanized in shelters. He was a very caring guy, especially to animals. In my opinion, he was respectable. He treated others with respect and wanted to help. The only bad thing about him was how he dealt with people who took advantage of him. They used his intelligence or kindness for their own benefit. Even if he knew it was manipulation, he still didn’t do anything. *Hopefully, he gets over that. He could become quite a respectable man.* Respect. Respectful. Respected. *Huh, the more you think of the word, the odder it sounds. Respect is important.* I value respect a lot. Disrespecting someone can be one of the most annoying things to me. I like to go by the phrase *Respect others until there is a reason not to.* I didn’t like the whole “Respect is earned, not given.” *It makes some sense but…* Disrespecting someone because you don’t know them? *Why would you do that? The same people who say that demand you be respectful. Such a strange thing to say.* It had been a few days, and it was now Tuesday, the day his snake sculpture would be done. After classes, he walked straight to the pottery shop. “Hello, is the snake done?” I asked. “Yes! Please come up to the counter!” She answered, smiling. It was the same person at the counter as Saturday. I walked up to the counter as she walked to the back, and picked out a small blue snake that was coiled into the shape of and 8. It was very well made, and you could feel all of the textures. As the girl started wrapping the snake up in bubble wrap, I asked the price. “Only 20 dollars!” She said, still being as bubbly as a young girls television character. “That’s not a lot of quality-are you sure it's 20?” I asked, slightly surprised. “Well, our Christmas sale just started since it’s December now!” She answered, smiling as she handed the wrapped snake to him. “Oh, okay,” I said while taking the snake and taking out the twenty in my wallet. “Thanks for coming! Have a great day!” “Oh uh-you too,” I said, unexpecting an extended conversation as he walked out. I was feeling a bit nice when I bumped into some highschool senior, and almost dropped the snake. *Oh my...* You could tell by how they looked how they would respond “OH MY GOSH! Watch where you’re going, idiot! I could have fallen or dropped my things!” She exclaimed as she stomped on my foot. She was wearing a shirt with a surname on it. Jones. *Tiffany Jones. Austin talks about her sometimes. Apparently some jerk who can’t help but cheat on any boyfriend she gets. I don’t very much care about that but, she has shown so much disrespect towards me. Disappointing.* I grimaced as I walked away without saying a thing. *3:23 pm.* I continued walking home. What is maturity? *Is it being respectful? Being considerate? Thinking about more than how Sally and Alex broke up? Heh, that last one was a joke, but it still holds true.* A few days later, and a news report came on. Another murder, *that’s odd. This kind of thing is almost unheard of here, now it seems there is a killer on the loose.* The victim was *Tiffany Jones. Odd, I saw her not too long ago. Another rather “trivial” person. Sad how their life ended before they could mature into a respected and respectful adult, or well, they would hopefully turn into one, that is if they hadn’t passed.* The same “better luck next time” note was found near the body, which was found dead in the bushes of the local park. She was quite disrespectful, similar to the two kids who bullied Austin. The news dubbed the killer a “spree killer” since they killed without a cool-down time. It had been three months until I found myself in another situation with someone disrespectful. There had been some man in his class who tried to cheat off of me. This particular man always did disrespectful things. Being so disrespectful and immature even as a young adult. *Pathetic, you aren’t in high school anymore.* It had been three days since the cheating incident when the news reported another murder, who was none other than the man who tried to cheat off of me. *Wow, am I cursed or something? This is incredibly strange.* I dozed off into thought and didn’t pay attention to the news anymore. *Odd.* When I snapped back to reality the news said that yet again, the same note of “*better luck next time*,” was next to the body, meaning it was most definitely the same person doing the murders. *Odd,* I thought as I looked at my watch. *3:31 pm. I guess I have plenty of time to relax.* Almost a year went by and more people who I wasn't fond of died. Including the previous deaths, it was a total kill-count of 9, all with the ominous note next to the bodies. *That’s quite a lot, especially for a city like North Ridgeville. Maybe this all will bring attention to little old Ridgeville, haha.* It was now November 29 again, now the year of 2014. I walked down the street to a cafe to get a doughnut as a treat. *It was my anniversary after all.* I took a bite out of the doughnut and smiled. *Last year today was my first two murders of 9.


A ravenous, all-consuming hivemind encounters the one thing that strikes fear into its being. \ I wandered the depths of the cosmos for eons, searching for any sustenance to sate my limitless hunger. I had to keep hunting, for the void left by the last devouring was too painful to be ignored. Millions upon millions of ravenous maws gaped their mouths open and closed; a sea of snarling, gnashing serrated teeth yearning for flesh. They were all mine and they were all screaming at me to feast. Their demands *had* to be met. As I wandered, I felt an intriguing presence. It was one I had not felt in what seemed like an eternity. I had intercepted a wandering signal with a distinct pattern. I heard voices in this signal. They were unmistakably organic. An ancient drive took over as soon as I sensed this faint presence of potential prey and I greedily followed the signal to its source. The voices were becoming more numerous and I even started picking up images. I saw a cornucopia of a world. It was a thriving, pulsating heap of biomass just waiting to be subsumed. I grew excited and traveled to this planet in a hurry. I entered the planet's local system and spied it lazily orbiting a warm star. It was absolutely defenseless and perfect for the taking. I knew there were but mere days until I would receive a temporary respite from the demands of my domineering hunger. However, as I was completing the final leg of my journey, I encountered something else. Like me, it seemed to be another hivemind, but only artificial in nature. From what I could read, it was a neural network made up of millions of thinking machines located on the surface of my destination planet as well as various satellites orbiting above its oxygen-rich atmosphere. Perhaps such a hivemind was imprisoned by the beings of this world or was some sort of construct to defend them. Either way, for just the briefest moment, my curiosity trumped my hunger and I decided to interact with it. I extended a tendril to one of the orbiting satellites and through rapid evolution, developed a way to interface with it. At first, it seemed to be nothing but useless data: merely just a collection of impossible symbols and formulas that made no sense to me. I pressed on, but this only lead me to stumble upon a true cosmic horror. I finally encountered the other hivemind itself... "HI, BILLY MAYS HERE!" it shrieked at me in a collective chorus of hundreds of voices before bombarding me with an overwhelming assortment of images and quippy one-liners. Suddenly, everything was demanding that I "purchase \*this\* product for the low, low price of $19.99!" Horrified and overwhelmed, I tried to disconnect, but alas, I was lost in the neural network of this artificial hivemind know as BILLY with no clear escape. My thoughts were racing as I wandered only deeper into the digital abyss. I desperately tried to learn about my enemy but only encountered more seemingly pointless content. Millions of images of fluffy creatures doing tricks, biped "humans" in awkward situations, and an ocean of symbolic text all flooded my mind simultaneously without remorse. I saw battles, love, lectures, and something called a "Brazillian waxing tutorial" all at once. I was clearly dealing with something completely incomprehensible. But just when I thought this nightmare couldn't get any worse, this BILLY hivemind detected my presence and did everything to trap me. As I sorted through more information trying to find a way out, it deployed something called " the Algorithm." No longer would I encounter fresh information. I would only receive more of the same based on what my previous searches were. I was trapped in an endless cycle of concentrated redundancy. Never before had I encountered something with such focus but simultaneous lack of attention. I had to escape this maddening chaos. I finally composed myself enough to remember where I was. I managed to rip my tendril from the orbiting satellite and made my escape. For the first time in my existence, fear filled me instead of hunger. I turned and fled back into the depths of the cosmos with what was left of my sanity.


This is a story I first wrote about a year ago and i never really knew how to release it, but it took me a decent amount of time and its really been on my mind for the past few days so I hope you guys enjoy it. Also this is the first time Ive ever even been on reddit so please bear with me and correct anything ive done wrong. Im also just copying and pasting from the google docs this is on so tell me if any of this comes out weird. Captain’s Log Captain’s Log Day 1 I’ve discovered a journal in this despicable wasteland. The strange creature still wears a hat made of aluminum. I’m curious to why he does this. The Giant continues to make strange deep and ungodly noises. I don’t know where I am, but I believe both of these beings are anomalies or something pertaining to the topic. I can’t remember anything. The strange crown has now been transferred to other strange creatures and then returned to the original wearer. All these subjects now display strange behaviors. The Giant one disappeared for a sizable portion of time. I’m not sure where he went within this time period, but I believe it was a dimension out of my knowledge. The more I write the more I can begin to remember, but to my knowledge there are only 5 known dimensions. This took many years of research to discover. Out of these two subjects, the one with the aluminum hat seems to be the less sophisticated and more submissive one. The Giant, although quiet, when he speaks I believe no words are wasted. This may prove to be incorrect because of the language barrier. These beings speak a language I cannot comprehend. This is the end of today's entry. Captain’s Log Day 2 The two beings got into a small disagreement over something I cannot comprehend. The language they speak is one I've never even heard of. I can only decipher what’s going on through their body language. Whatever they were speaking about was important. I MUST know more. The key to understanding them is out there somewhere and I will find it. End Of Log Captain’s Log Day 3 I believe there is another being somewhere out there in the universe. From what I can decipher it appears there was once a third being, but he left for reasons unknown to me. The other two have tried to explain to me why and where he went, but their language is strange and alien to me. From what I understand though, the third being is a prophet. I have decided to name these three beings. The one with the strange hat like device will be known as Silverstein. The giant will be called Trognog. And finally, the third and most mysterious will be called The Prophet. I hope to learn more about these beings. End Of Log Captain’s Log Day 4 I have decided to put on Silverstein’s strange hat. I will either do this with or without his permission. I hope it will reveal more about him. End Of Log Captain’s Log Day 5 I have put on Silverstein’s strange hat. Many would wish to have this hat. I understand everything that has been said. There is a plague, the worst one this planet has ever seen, and its spreading fast. There’s not much time. This is why The Prophet left. He has gone in search of the cure. The Prophet is the only one that knows how to stop the plague. He believes the cure is in an unknown realm. From what I know it’s in the worst dimension ever discovered. I hope he returns soon. End Of Log Captain’s Log Day 6 It appears that the planet worships a god named Jah. Apparently, The Prophet is a direct messenger from Jah himself. The Prophet was sent down to protect this planet and all of its beings. I am skeptical of this religion and its beliefs. End Of Log Captain’s Log Day 7 I’ve realized that I have failed to describe any of these beings. The one I call Trognog is extremely tall. He is also a strange gray color almost like stone. He has a fungus or moss like substance that grows on his head in place of hair. The only articles of clothing he has are dark rags, ripped from many years of battle. He is always hunched over. 📷 The being named Silverstein is equally strange in appearance. His entire body is hair. From head to toe he is hair. It trails behind him like a glorified wedding veil. One characteristic of Silverstein is that he hates to be apart from the strange hat like crown he wears. 📷 End Of Log Captain’s Log Day 8 The whispers of impending doom grow louder now. They are a white noise to every conversation. It is steadily growing from quiet whispers into a dull roar. I hope The Prophet returns soon. End Of Log \*\*\*\*PROLOGUE\*\*\*\* Captain’s Log Day -3 LOG ID NAME: Cap-Ta-Ins HEIGHT: 5’11 WEIGHT: 170 LBS DESCRIPTION: AGENT HAS BLONDE HAIR AND GREEN EYES. AGENT ALSO HAS SLIGHT BUILD. AGENT APPEARS TO BE AROUND 20 YEARS OLD. MOTIVES FOR JOINING LOG: “All of my family died in the second war after the vietnamese took over after winning the first. Earth is gone and we’ve gone to using portals and other dimensions and space travels, so I figured why not join LOG. My main objective now is to spread and complete the motives of LOG.” END OF STATEMENT End Of Log Captain’s Log Day -2 We have hidden Jah far away where only one will be able to find him. That is my main target. I prep to enter the planet Zing today and will enter through The Garden Of The Seventh Gate in 2 days. There is a strong chance I may lose my memories by entering this way, but LOG insists that it’s the most efficient. The planet Zing has been under attack for many years so this is the easiest way to infiltrate Zing. End Of Log Captain’s Log Day -1 I enter through the gate tomorrow. All that is about to happens is for the future’s own good. He is coming and it will be glorious. End Of Log Captain’s Log Day 0 The Seventh Gate is found on an island in the inner space region of Zing. The Gate is located in a very nice garden. The gate is a dull gray color with hints of yellow, while the portal itself is like shimmering water. I wish I had more time to fully study this place, but my time has come. For the Future. \*Transmission cuts off\* End Of Log \*\*\*\*END OF PROLOGUE\*\*\*\* Captain’s Log Day 9 News is spreading that The Prophet has returned. The rumors speak nothing of The Cure. I now have a detailed description of The Prophet. He has a body that glows the whitest white. On him are star like objects that absorb all light. He also has a grape for a head. The only reasoning for this that I can think of is that Jah is also a grape. 📷 End Of Log Captain’s Log Day 10 I have spoken with The Prophet and he has big plans. He has strange abilities and powers and claims he can help return my memories. I think he is a great being. End Of Log Captain’s Log Day 11 Today The Prophet began the initiation process to regain my memories. He removed one of the black stars from his body and placed it on to my forehead, where it then got entirely absorbed into my skull. As soon as he did this, I was transported into the past. \*\*\*\*The Vietnam War- Asher’s Story\*\*\*\* It’s been around 40 days since we first got deployed. There are 7 of us all together. Our platoon is made up of Sergeant CD, Colonel McCrusty, Jacob, Hunter, Devin, Sam, and yours truly.There used to be more of us, but they’re all gone. It was on the 12th day when we lost 3 other members, Nathan, Chris, and Shane. We were walking through jungle when we started to hear them, The Vietcong. We heard them from all directions but couldn’t see a single one. We started to pick up the pace, but so did they. We stopped for a second to catch our breath, when suddenly everything exploded with movement. Nathan, Chris, and Shane were seized while the rest of us ran. 3 days later we found their bodies strung up out in the jungle decapitated and decomposing. We gave them an improper burial fearing for our lives. I gotta call it in for the night. Vietnam Day 41- Asher’s Story We found a river while moving camps. It was risky making a stop like this, but water is water. We continued moving up towards higher ground after refilling our water supply. We were at some high cliffs at a bend in the river. It was a very long way down. Most of us were taking in the view when suddenly, Sam started screaming about a President and something about the trees coming for us. This went on for a few minutes and none of us knew how to react from a lack of sleep. Sam stopped screaming and turned his head quickly towards Sergeant CD. Sam then grabbed Sergeant CD before any of us could react and he threw CD right off the cliffs, he himself holding on to the Sergeant as they fell into oblivion. The cliffs were so high, that they were dead before they even hit the ground. Sam and Sergeant CD died that day… End Of Day Vietnam Day 44- Asher’s Story It’s been three days since anyone has spoken to each other, what happened there on those cliffs has shaken us to our very cores. End Of Day Vietnam Day 50- Asher’s Story It’s been 6 days since I last wrote anything down. Over the last six days I've gotten about 3 hours of sleep all together. It's been non-stop fighting and running and killing. I can't even tell if any of the blood on my clothes is mine… \*\*\*\*Night\*\*\*\* Lately, the other men have been seeing a man in a suit and red tie following us through the jungle. I haven't seen him till now. I'm questioning my sanity… It has been 3 hours. He's just staring. He's gradually moving closer every minute. He doesn't blink or move anything. He just sort of silently glides. Is he real or am I just dreaming? I'm going to get some sleep. Vietnam Day 51- Asher’s Story When I woke, he was leaning over me, not in a threatening way, but more like an inquisitive way. He said “ come with me” and when I asked for his name he just said “ call me Mr. President”. as soon as he touched my shoulder, I saw a flash of red light then we were in total darkness... \*End Of Vietnam\* The Cave Day ?- Asher’s Story As soon as we were transported into the cave, all I could see was Darkness with some light reflecting off of water. I’m chained down and tortured every half hour. The only thing Mr. President says is “Where is He?” over and over again. I don't understand. I have to stop writing he's coming back… The Cave Day ?- Asher’s Story There is no sense of time here, so I've just started using a ? instead of a number. He's removed my fingernails and toenails. He has slowly plucked every hair off of my body. There are now needles in my knees and feet. I started to scream “ Mr. president you can't keep me in this cave forever! Release Me from these chains! Let me out Mr. President!” as soon as I said this the chains were released. I started to swim after I crawled into the water. Each agonizing inch was more pain than the last. As soon as I made it through the entrance, I found myself in an ocean… \*End Of The Cave\* The Ocean Day ?- Asher’s Story I've been swimming for hours… and so have they, the sharks. They’ve finally caught up to me. They have started to attack. I only have a few minutes left, but I have noticed something strange. on the side of the sharks there are three letters, CAP. What does this mean? This is the end of me. \*End Of Asher\* Captain’s Log Day 12 I woke to a start. I found myself in a field under the open orange and green sky and so is he, The Prophet. “Good” he said. “You found the first step to unlocking your memories.” “Yes” I replied, “but what does it mean?” “That’s for you to find out.” He said. He then touched my forehead and then everything went black. End Of Log Yad Eno- Rehsa’s Yrots I like to explore places. It's not like I have anything better to do. Sewers are my favorite because it's nice and quiet down there. I like being underground more than I like being above ground, it's nicer and a little more relaxing. And up until recently I thought I was the only one that liked going down there... Dne Fo Yrtne Yad Owt- Rehsa’s Yrots I'm always alone down there, no one follows me or anything and none of my friends want to go with me. The other day, I was exploring and such when I heard a noise. It was some sort of sloshing noise. This surprised me of course because no one comes down there, but none the less I continued my day... Dne Fo Yrtne Yad Eerht- Rehsa’s Yrots I keep hearing that noise, almost like someone's following me. The more I hear it, the more I feel like I'm being chased. I've decided to go home. As soon as I began to go home, and ungodly shrieking began for the sloshing sped up. I began to sprint through the tunnels. I only look back once and what I saw was truly terrifying. It was a Hound. A huge black one. It's hair was shaggy and trailed behind it through the muck and filthy water that came from the city up above. It chased me all the way to my manhole covering that led to my cul-de-sac. When I got out it also got out, it turned into a man wearing all black just standing on the man hole covering. I ran inside. My parents weren’t home that day because they were out at dinner . He must have stood there for about 3 hours before my parents got home. Once they made it inside, I explained the situation. They called the police, but by the time the police had arrived, he was gone. A few days after the incident occurred, I revisited the site where he stood for so long, and on the manhole covering the word “SEWER” changed into “TA”.I don't understand what this means. I live in fear now, I see him everywhere. I'm beginning to question if this is some sort of coping method or if I'm actually seeing him. \*Dne Fo Rehsa\* (Note: Rehsa disappeared under mysterious circumstances a few days later) Captain’s Log Day 13 I woke with a start once again. All I could see was static, but it was the normal world. There were shapes of things, but at the same time there weren't. It was like everything blended in but also stood out. Once again, The Prophet congratulated me for finding yet another key to my memories. I asked him where we were and he replied The 5th Dimension. I shuddered. I had heard the 5th Dimension, otherwise known as the darkness realm, was a hellish landscape infested with a number of maniacal things. Just as I was trying to remember more about the dimension. A nightmarish creature that looks like a swirling mass between a rabbit, Eagle, dolphin, dear, and other unknown creatures charged at us. I began to flinch, but then once again The Prophet tapped my forehead and I was plunged into darkness. End Of Log \*\*\*\*Known Dimensions\*\*\*\* is there an infinite number of Dimensions, but to LOGS knowledge there are only five. First off, the sand realm. Everything, including you, is made out of sand. Entire cities and even more are entirely made of sand. The second is the mirror Dimension. Basically, it's an infinite House of mirrors. If you get trapped here, you will most likely die. They're creatures that reflect all light and can travel through mirrors. These creatures will hunt you down until you are eradicated. The only way to escape the dimension is by finding the cracked mirror. The third dimension is the world we currently reside in. It's our normal Dimension and it doesn't have many dangers. The 4th Dimension will transport you into a random place in the past or the future. The only way to get transported there is unknown. Many speculate that portals of some sort have a part in the transport, but no one actually knows. The 5th Dimension, also known as the darkness realm, is one of the worst and most confusing Dimensions. Everything is made of what looks like TV static. Everything is dangerous in this Wasteland. Only two known beings have made it out alive. This is a chaotic dimension. There are many more dimensions, but these are some of the most well-known. \*End Of Known Dimensions\* MEYMNAWOD Note: All of what you are about to read has been translated from Yaso. I used to live in a house, it was a large house in a nice location. There's a creek nearby, lots of Wildlife, and it was in the middle of a clearing in the forest. It was a normal house and it was a very big house. Sometimes it got a little lonely, but when there was company, it wasn't the kind that you wanted… The guests were fleeting shadows in the woods at night. At first I just dismissed it as my imagination or maybe I hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before. Oh how I wish that's what it turned out to be... The first encounter was deeply unsettling. I've been out in the shed all day woodworking. I was making all sorts of different of wood things. It was getting dark so I decided to call it a night... All is normal for a while. I ate dinner, shower, all of that. It was when I was getting ready to go to bed, when I heard an inhuman streak all around me. It was deafening. This went on until I temporarily went deaf. I don't know how much time that was because I passed out... When I woke up, there was a thumping coming from upstairs. THUMP THUMP THUMP. I grab my shotgun conveniently hanging on the wall, loaded it and slowly crept up the stairs. There was a strange Red Trail leading up to the bedroom. Was it blood? I crept closer to the door. THUMP THUMP THUMP! The thumping grew louder with every step. THUMP THUMP THUMP! The door was cracked open. I leaned in slowly pushed it open. The thumping was definitely coming from here... The room looked normal. I looked out the window and there it was. A dead deer that had been decapitated now hung by its hind legs. It was being pushed by the wind crashing against the window, so that's what the thumping was.I vomited at the sight of it. I was beginning to wonder how it had gotten there when I heard a little girl laugh. The laugh was coming from behind me... I slowly turned my head and there she was. She had long dark hair that went below her shoulders. She wore stark white robes that stood out against the dark wall behind her. Worst of all, she had a deer skull for a face. The Laughing increased and then she slowly faded away. NAOEEYFNODD WOYMFWAMOTD Since that encounter, I've been hearing and seeing strange things. They speak in a language I can't understand. I see odd apparitions here and there. But at night, is when they are most active. I'm trapped in a dream world. They can control what I do and I'm confined to live in this house in the surrounding Woods. I'm losing sanity. All I can do while I work work is carve out faces screaming in wretched pain. I put these wooden statues around the house and it seems to scare off the spirits a little. The dead deer are steadily appearing around or in my house. The smell is unbearable. NAOEEYFNODD WOYMFWAMOTD In this house there is a small, but extensive library. And in this Library, there is a book on the family that used to live in the house before I did. I believe this will explain everything. And in the book I found the family tree. I believe the family all killed each other. They did this because of a dispute over a prize-winning buck. I believe their Spirits now haunt this house in the surrounding area. NAOEEYFNODD WOYMFWAMOTD The only way to escape this dream reality is to dance around a fire with the spirits and chant the reverse spell. NAOEEYFNODD WOYMFWAMOTD The day has come, tonight I escape. The time has come. The fire is burning. The spirits have come. LALNKMAANKW LALNKMAANKW LALNKMAANKW WALK MAN MAN WALK MAN MAN WALK MAN MAN I've been transported into a desert I have named INS. The chant has worked and I am free. \*NNKWTDAALEFNMMAHOE\* Captain’s Log Day 14 This time I woke slowly... I remember everything. What the plan is, where Jah is... My real name. My real name is Cap-Ta-Ins. And I was sent to save or destroy the planet Zing by any means necessary… End Of Log Cap-Ta-Ins LOG Day 15 Jah Is trapped in the 5th Dimension. If I fufill my mission, the world ends, if I don't the universe ends. It's an easy Choice. The lives of millions compared to the billions upon trillions. The planet Zing is a relatively small planet. Lately, it's been in many interdimensional wars. There's not much trust around here. The climate of Zing fluctuates with what's the color of the sky. It's a swirling mass of orange and green. When it's swirling, the temperature is 79 degrees Fahrenheit. When the sky is orange, it's very cold. When the sky is green, it's extremely hot . The flora here is a variety of colors. They can be normal or inverted depending on the sky. Usually everything here slowly turns from one color to another. The fauna out here is composed of fish that fly in the sky. Birds that swim in the water. And lizard-like creatures that can create invisible walls and spin web-like homes within those walls. I will formulate my plan tomorrow. End Of Log Cap-Ta-Ins LOG Day 16 I have made my choice. I'm going to kill Jah. It's the only way to save the universe. I need to formulate a plan. End Of Log Cap-Ta-Ins LOG Day 17 LOG Has hidden Jah in The 5th Dimension, he is going insane as I write this. Once he is released, we need to somehow expose what's inside of him. I believe I can use Trognog and Silverstein's abilities to do so. The Prophet May prove to be an issue later on because his loyalty lies with Jah. There's been rumors as of late that The Prophet has the key to bringing back Jah. The Prophet Must Die… End Of Log Cap-Ta-Ins LOG Day 18 We will be able to destroy The Prophet by putting him in a trance-like state using Silverstein's strange hat and then turning him into stone with Trognog’s abilities, Then we will destroy the statue... Tomorrow is the day... End Of Log Cap-Ta-Ins LOG Day 19 Today is the day... Trognog and Silverstein are completely on my side. We have full control. LOG’s objective will soon be complete. Using their abilities, we can increase our chances of success tenfold. Trognog Controls an army of stone that he created back when he was Trognog the Destroyer. He is now Trognog the Peaceful , but is willing to return back to his old ways to help LOG. Silverstein will prove to be valuable by lending his strange aluminum crown to the cause. he will be the one using it because he has the most knowledge and control over it. Most of the skills are unknown to me, but I do not doubt him. We must prepare... \*Some Time Passes\* We've been preparing for hours. This is going to be one of the hardest things we will ever do. We must get him now. I will describe what happened today, tomorrow if we survive. End of Log Cap-Ta-Ins LOG Day 20 Awful things have happened... Never in my life have I witnessed the death of a thousand Souls at once. Many lives were lost including that of my comrades. We could have never predicted the level of mass destruction that occurred that day. Yesterday, Trognog, Silverstein, and I invited The Prophet out to a field. He believed we were going to discuss the plague, but in reality this is when we were going to make our move. The plan should have been foolproof. Because of one mistake I lost the lifes of all my comrades… As I've written about before, Silverstein's strange crown will temporarily immobilize a new user while I'm unlocking the knowledge of the crown. That was our plan, we believed that The Prophet had never put it on, but we were mistaken. When we placed it on him he said “My friends, why would you try this?” Then he grew 100’s of feet taller and cloned himself into an army. There were hundreds, possibly even thousands. Thankfully, we had Trognog on our side. Trognog Commanded his army to attack. They charged with the force of a small earthquake (or should it be Zingquake?). The Prophets did not react. They gathered miles away, the monsters we once knew as our friend now smiled psychotically... Waiting for the slaughter to begin. For reasons unknown, The Prophets Allowed the Stone Army to hack and slash at their legs, this actually did ruin a good portion of the beast, but that's when he chose to attack. Stars of the darkest night flew from the prophets bodies, obliterating all in their path. In an instant the Army was destroyed. One of the Giant Prophets then charged our Group. His arm beganto morph into a sharp point. just before it was about to hit us, Silverstein jumped in the way of Trognog and I. The Prophet Stopped short, then slowly picked one of the black stars off of his body and created a portal and thrust Silverstein and into it. Trognog And I found ourselves to become paralyzed and forced to watch our friend become part of the sand from the First Dimension. The Prophet Then turn towards Trognog. Once again pulled a Blackstar off of his body, created a portal and thrust Trognog into it. this time the dimension was the 2nd Dimension Also known as the mirror dimension. At first Trognog tried to find his way out, slowly going down every passageway, every Twist and Turn, but it was all the same. He stopped for a brief rest when suddenly, one of the reflective creatures attacked.Trognog destroyed it with one blow, its body shattering into millions of pieces. He began to continue his journey when the pieces began to move. Slow at first, but then quicker. They were the smashed pieces of the larger creature. They crawled all over him biting, stinging, and driving while doing so. That's when Trognog lost it, he began to brush the tiny things off, but he was in a confined spot and being the giant he is, hit the walls all around him with his massive fist. At first the sound was quiet, but then it grew louder and louder and louder. The maze was cracking. Huge chunks of glass crashed down on him. The screams were terrible. It was not a quick death. The Prophet turned towards me and said “ I'm sorry it had to be this way, but it was the only way. I must join them now with you coming only shortly after. Goodbye Cap-Ta-Ins.” and with that he began to fade away, but not before saying “ take this key and return to the Gate.” he handed me a key and finally disappeared. I'd never felt like this before. Sure I had lost my parents and other family and the second war, but this was different. Upon closer inspection of the key I have found it to be spiraled at the end. It also has a number 7 on it or the gate it corresponds with. I found myself to also be fading. I was transported to the Garden of the seventh gate. Back to Where it All Began. On the gate there was a keyhole that looked like a flower with the symbol first second third Zing fourth fifth. I inserted the spiral key in Twisted to the symbol. The portal change from what looked like a mist to what now look like television static. I heard a big boom and that's when I saw him. The broken God, Jah. He looked the same, but something just felt off. He was insane... Jah Spoke softly like a Lost Child would and he said “ have you made your choice?” As he grew to his actual size. “Yes” I replied. “But was it the right choice?” He asked. “Yes” I replied. “Everything is going to change now, you know that correct?” He said. “Yes” I replied. “Very well, you know what to do.” He spoke. As he said this, a black star descended from him and gently touched me. ‘‘Become the True Last Prophet and fulfill your destiny.” And with that you banished. The plague is still out there, but I have made my choice and will become The Prophet.


A man wearing pink robes stood in front of a crowd of men and women, all wearing their own robes of different colors. They were wizards meeting once again in a very mysterious room, which despite being filled with a hazardous amount of candles, somehow still managed to look poorly lit. The wizards all looked very serious and contemplative, but in reality they were bored by the meeting and impatient to leave as soon as it was over. Their colorful attires made them look a bit like a box of tired crayons. The man in pink stared intently at his clipboard, before finally looking up. “Well, I think that settles it,” he said, monotone. “Instead of directly dealing with the evil tyrant ourselves, we’ll just tell a farmer that he’s the chosen one. I mean, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” The other wizards muttered in agreement. Satisfied, the man in front nodded. “We’ll meet again next month. Remember, you’ll have to show up *during* the full moon, not after. This tower is only available then.” “Sorry, Brother Pink,” said Brother Brown sheepishly. “It’s alright, just make sure not to do it again. I think that’s everything. I’ll see you all-” A woman wearing blue robes raised her hand, killing the other wizards’ hopes of leaving early. “Yes, Sister Blue?” Sister Blue stepped up. “Hi, um, I had some concerns about our clothing.” “You don’t like the robes?” Brother Pink asked, surprised. “No, no, it’s not that,” Sister Blue quickly assured. “I have no problem with the robes themselves. It’s just the… color.” Brother Pink raised his eyebrow. “You don’t like the color?” “Well, think about it this way. I wear blue robes, right? Isn’t that a bit strange?” “Why would it be strange for you to wear blue robes? You’re a Blue Wizard.” “That’s the thing, I am a Blue Wizard. But I practice fire magic.” “So?” “So?” she repeated. “Why would someone practicing *fire* magic wear *blue* robes. In fact, why would I be called a Blue Wizard in the first place?” “Well, what else would you be called?” “I don’t know, the Red Wizard?” “Brother Red is already the Red Wizard,” he reasoned. “He has the robes and everything.” “Yes, but why in the world is he called the Red Wizard?” she said, sounding exasperated. “He uses nature magic!” “There’s red in nature,” said the Red Wizard defensively. “I know there’s red in nature, Brother Red,” replied Sister Blue, “but when someone thinks nature, they usually picture the color green. Speaking of, Sister Green.” “Yes?” the Green Wizard said. “What type of magic do you use?” “Ice.” “See!” she said, pointing in Sister Green’s direction. “That’s my point exactly! She’s the one who should be wearing blue. Blue is cold. But instead, they gave me the blue robes. I use fire magic, I’m literally the opposite of cold!” “Okay, I see your point,” Brother Pink admitted. “But we’ve all had these colors for so long, it’s not as if we can just make a switch. People would get confused.” “Get confused?” Sister Blue said, her face starting to look red (which was perhaps fitting for the conversation). “You don’t think people are already confused why a necromancer decided to wear pink?” “What's wrong with pink?” he said while looking down at his own robes. “Nothing! If you want to paint a little girl’s room! But it’s not a great color for someone with the ability to raise the dead! You should’ve been Brother Black, but the actual Brother Black is a healer for some reason!” The eyes of a dark skinned man wearing black robes widened when he heard Sister Blue. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked. Sister Blue, realizing her error, looked awkwardly at Brother Black. “I mean… well, it doesn’t make sense for you to be… I mean, you’re a healer.” “So you’re saying a Black Wizard can’t be a healer?” Brother Black asked frankly. “No,” she said, panicked, “that’s not what I’m trying to say!” She felt the judgmental glares of the other wizards. “Look,” Sister Blue said frantically, “I’m not trying to be racist! I just mean, when people think black they usually associate it with darker magic!” The wizards groaned at her poor choice of words. “What are you groaning for? What do you all think black magic means?” Brother Pink sighed. “I think it’s time for you to leave, Sister Blue.” Sister Blue tried to search for support from someone, but everyone was doing their best to avoid her gaze. Looking defeated, she walked out of the room. A wizard wearing white robes shook his head in disgust. “The nerve of some people,” said Grand Wizard White.