Cheap places to eat springfield mo

Reddit fam, I am gutted. Absolutely gutted. Using a throwaway even though I know this'll identify me, but at this point I don't care. I know this is long but I hope you'll bear with me.
Last week was both the best and worst of my life. After 7.5 years together, living in 3 different cities, and 3 years engaged (COVID, and a joint choice to stay engaged that long), my husband and I finally decided to take the next (last?) step in our relationship and get married. We talked about it over the holidays, and he seemed like he was on board with it. We came up with a plan that I thought would make everyone happy, since I'm not really a wedding person. We decided that we'd (1) do our own elopement in a park; and (2) do a small ceremony with immediate family at the end of the year. He didn't really seem to have any opinions so I thought he was fine with the plan.
I noticed after the holidays that he was a little more guarded. And while I didn't pick up on it right away, I noticed that he was being a little more possessive of his phone. In early February, he had a business trip to Atlanta for a yearly retreat for his company. I had absolutely zero concerns while he was gone. He texted me relatively frequently and FaceTimed me every night. At the end of the week, he told me that his company had added on a few more activities on Friday evening and that he was staying home an extra night. I didn't think anything of it, and he came home on Saturday morning instead.
Fast forward to the beginning of March. I noticed that something was definitely up. He was more distant with me, and was more on edge. He usually walks our dog and I noticed that his walks with the dog were getting a lot longer. I noticed that he was going down to the gym for over an hour at a time, but I thought it was just nerves about getting married. That's okay, right? People get cold feet. I was nervous too. I thought I was being understanding. But then he said he didn't want to get married and that I was just dumping everything on him, and I was shocked. We always talked about getting married, but we were never in any rush. I didn't think it was that unreasonable to want to get married after 7.5 years! So we argued for a whole weekend, and eventually he broke down, apologized, and said that he was just scared. But then the next day, he said he was ready and that he wanted to sign the papers, and we walked to the courthouse and signed the papers (we're in a jurisdiction with no waiting period and where you can self-officiate with no witnesses).
Two days later -- JUST TWO DAYS LATER -- we were packing up for our elopement. I was literally putting my wedding dress in a bag to take it down to the car, when I got an anonymous Instagram message. The message said that they had seen my husband cuddling with another woman at a restaurant. I was absolutely floored and almost convinced that it was spam, but it had just enough detail that I decided to ask him about it. He seemed just as surprised as I was, and even offered to give me his phone so I could double check. Just to humor him, I checked his messages. Nothing there. Then I go to the "recently deleted" folder and ... yep, it was all there.
I locked myself in our bedroom and called my brother and best friend. And then I confronted him. At first he was angry, and thought I was overreacting. And then he started breaking down and admitted that he and this woman had gotten too attached. She works out of the Philippines so they'd mostly been texting, and met for the first time at this work retreat. He said that they went to a steakhouse, made out a few times in an Uber, and then decided that it was a bad idea to go any further. After we took some time to process our thoughts, he said he wanted to work on our marriage, and for some reason I agreed. My brother picked me up and took me to his place about an hour away, and I sat with him and his girlfriend and watched trashy TV and processed my feelings.
I came back over the weekend to a bunch of flowers, a really nice note, and we had a great evening together. I thought that we were going to get marriage counseling and then work on rebuilding what we had.
But then yesterday, she reached out again and I noticed some inconsistencies in his story. Turns out they weren't just making out in Atlanta. They had sex every single night of that work retreat, and he took her to a few steakhouses around Atlanta (which he never did with me because it was too expensive). They had been planning this whole time to have sex. They had been planning future meet-ups. Again, THIS WOMAN LIVES IN THE PHILIPPINES (we're in the United States). And the extra Friday work events didn't exist - he paid several hundred dollars to change his flight and get an extra night in his hotel room, just to spend one last night with her. He didn't want to come home to me. The money bit stings because one of the only fights we've had was about money (I wanted to go to brunch every weekend to have a regular date, spending maybe $80-90 total for the both of us, taking turns paying, which is well within our budgets since we both make six figures).
I then realized that the Instagram message came from her. Apparently he tried to end the affair and just be friends, and that pissed her off so she went nuclear. He had told her he loved her, promised to fly her and her daughter to the United States, and she was totally thrown for a loop. I don't blame her, he made her think she really had a shot. She threatened to tell me "everything" which is what made him tell me all of the other lies.
Then yesterday night, he said he didn't want to work on the marriage anymore because it was going to take too much work and he didn't think he could do it. He packed two suitcases and flew to his parents, leaving me here, alone. I don't know if he's ever going to come back.
I can't even get divorced right now. Where I live has a six-month separation period, and since we only got married this month I can't file until September. I was trapped into this marriage, and he doesn't even care about the marriage. He doesn't care about getting divorced. He doesn't care about me at ALL. He never loved me. He just said he was too lazy to break up earlier in the relationship, and he said he thought the affair would go away once he signed the papers.
Reddit, please tell me I can come back from this. Please tell me I did not just throw my life away. How do I explain to people that I'm married? How do I explain my divorce in the future? How do I keep going? I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't focus on my job. I'm a lawyer so I know how to handle the legal and procedural things, but I don't know how to handle the emotional fallout. I am so embarrassed, humiliated. I feel like a fool. He was my best friend in the whole world. He was the absolute perfect guy. We had the same quirks, and he supported my career endlessly. I absolutely NEVER thought he could do this. We always joked that he could never handle having an affair because he couldn't lie to me. Well...I was wrong about that.
If he comes back and wants to fix things, is it even worth it? I honestly don't even care about the physical stuff. I care that he could look me in the eye and lie, repeatedly. I don't even know if I have the whole truth yet.

I am staying in Budapest for one day this friday and i wanted to eat somewhere nice, with good food, not very very pricey tho :)) Never been to Budapest before so i don’t know nice places or restaurant. Any ideeas?

So, here's a little background information. I am 25F with height of 5ft 4in and weight of 109lbs (I lost a little weight because discomfort has made it hard to eat). I had a bilateral salpingectomy on Monday the 13th. I felt like it was a good idea because pregnancy would be hard due to multiple health conditions, and I didn't want kids anyway. Plus, I wanted to get off of oral hormonal birth control since it is systemic and affects other conditions. I do have an IUD that was placed during the surgery, though (for heavy/painful periods; gyno says possible adenomyosis).
Well, I ended up having a pretty bad allergic reaction around the incisions. It's a red, swollen, and EXTREMELY itchy rash around each of the three incisions. I started noticing itching around the end of the first week and it got progressively worse. Monday the 20th, I messaged my surgeon and went to the ER. At first, we thought it was the dermabond, but at this point, it seems more likely I'm allergic to the internal dissolving stitches (this is what the ER doctor told me). I'm on Benadryl 50mg four times a day, Claritin once a day, and cimetidine 400mg twice a day. I'm also alternating between hydrocortisone cream and Benadryl cream. I've even used ice packs to try to reduce swelling from hives/rash. Despite all of this, the reaction still continues to worsen with only slight relief from treatments.
My doctor was the one that told me to go to the ER, which I did Monday. The ER doc said there's no infection so there's nothing they can do (they can't give me steroids since I'm recovering from surgery and my gyno doesn't want it interfering with the healing process). I'm already doing everything else recommended. He just kept mentioning that it is an atypical allergy to have.
I stopped using bandaids and Neosporin a few days ago (in case they were the allergens). I also showered right after I stopped using them to wash off possible allergens. I am, however, using plain Vaseline on the incisions because my skin is a little dry. I've also been wearing just sports bras or lifting my shirt up so it doesn't rub on the incisions/rash and make the itching worse. I am keeping the wounds clean by washing with a gentle saline rinse.
I've been questioning MCAS, so I'm definitely going to push for testing now.
My other conditions include ankylosing spondylitis, interstitial cystitis, asthma, IBS, and GERD. I often deal with chronic fatigue, tachycardia, costochondritis, headaches, and food intolerances/sensitivities. My vitamin and mineral levels are usually good besides high copper and slightly low zinc. I also have ADHD inattentive and major depressive disorder.
Other medications include lexapro 20mg qam, atomoxetine 40mg qam, omeprazole qd prn, digestive probiotic qd, lactase prn, other digestive enzymes prn, zinc 25mg spray qod, and albuterol (haven't needed my rescue inhaler for a few years though).
Link to pics in the comments

I wrote this in 2013 - Ben's Blog - Rants and Ramblings of a Middle Aged Man...
There is an old hymn entitled “Walking By Faith”. I can’t tell you how many times I have sang that song over the years, but have never listened closely to the words. Verse one says, “Walking by faith with Christ the Lord. Trusting completely in His word, with the assurance He will guide me over the foam. Having no cause to fear or dread, No fear of the things that lie ahead. Walking by faith with Jesus my Lord on the way home.”
Faith, as defined by Webster is (1) a firm belief in something for which there is no proof; (2) complete trust.
In my household, recent events in our lives have caused us to come to a fuller understanding about what it is to truly rely on God…to step out in faith…to trust in His promises. Yes, it’s true that we have no cause to fear or dread, but that, my friend, is much easier said than done. It’s one thing to sing it…….it’s a whole ‘nother ball game to live it.
The line that I bolded is the most difficult for me to comprehend. I know that there is really nothing to fear, but the future is a completely unknown factor. We have no idea what tomorrow is going to bring, and the one thing that people are more fearful of than anything else (and is the root of all fear) is the unknown. I know in my heart the promises of God, but my head relies far too often on reason. And reason is the antithesis of faith. Reason requires substance and known factors. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen.”
Looking back through the Bible, we find example after example of people who stepped out in faith. Noah, for example, had never seen rain and had absolutely no concept of a ‘flood’. Yet, he built an ark…….on faith. And by doing so, saved his entire household from utter destruction.
After blessing Abraham and Sarah with a son, Isaac, God told Abraham to offer the child as a burnt offering. Abraham’s response? “Well, OK God.” The faith that Abraham had in God is displayed in Genesis 22:5. Abraham takes Isaac and two of his servants. Then, at the end of a three-day journey they arrive at the place where God had directed them. Abraham told the young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” Once on the mountain, Abraham built the altar and arranged the wood. Isaac saw it all and asked his dad, “…where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham replied, “…God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” What faith! What dedication!
There’s Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego standing before the king, refusing to bow to the idol of gold. King Nebuchadnezzar told them in no uncertain terms that if they failed to bow before the idol, they would be “…cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ‘And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?'” (Daniel 3:15 NKJV) Their answer resonates to this day. Daniel 3:16-18 NKJV says, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter {KJV – we are not careful to answer thee in this matter} . If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king; but if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods; nor will we worship the golden image which you have set up.” Even in the face of certain death, they refused to bow – fully trusting in faith that God would somehow save them from a very painful end. And their faith was rewarded.
This theme is carried over into the New Testament, as well. In Matthew 8 we find the story of the Roman Centurion who tells Jesus that his servant is paralyzed and tormented. Jesus offers to come and heal him, but the centurion responds, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” When Jesus heard that proclamation, he turned and told the crowd, “…I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel…Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” The Bible says that the servant was healed in the same hour.
In Matthew 15:21-28 we find the story of the Syrophoenician woman whose daughter was possessed. She came to Jesus, knowing that He alone had the power to save her daughter’s life. Even after Jesus told her, “…It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs…”, she persisted, saying, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” Even in the face of such opposition, she persisted in her faith…and was greatly rewarded, as the Word says that her daughter was healed from the very hour.
Jesus says in Matthew 17:20, “…for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” The question I have always asked is why did he relate the power of faith to a mustard seed? According to Pliny the Elder, “… when it has once been sown it is scarcely possible to get the place free of it, as the seed when it falls germinates at once.” (Source) Further, Ben Witherington III, in The Gospel of Mark – A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary says, “Though the dominion appeared small like a seed during Jesus’ ministry, it would inexorably grow into something large and firmly rooted, which some would find shelter in and others would find obnoxious and try to root out.”
So, faith as a mustard seed. “…Scarcely possible to get the place free of it…” “…Large and firmly rooted…others…find obnoxious to try and root it out…” Isn’t that how our faith in God is supposed to be? Hard to get rid of and displace? Firm and withstanding? Strong and deeply rooted?
Stepping out in faith in never an easy thing to do. It is quite akin to walking towards the edge of a cliff……..blindfolded. You don’t know when you’ll get to the edge, and you don’t know if someone is there to help redirect your steps before you reach the edge. But you keep going, on faith. Believing that something will happen to avert sure tragedy. It’s the ultimate exercise in trust.

Dipika, if you are reading this- I am writing this from a place of love. One of the posts on the other sub got me thinking… You guys have three channels in your family where it’s more or less the same content. And among the three, you are the most popular among general public. Why don’t you use this opportunity to divert your vlogs a little bit which caters to a broader audience…the urban woman (that you are) for example.
You have a wonderful opportunity to show pregnancy fashion, healthy and easy recipes that pregnant and pp women can eat, going to yoga classes, exercise you can do at home, walk in the park or beach, easy Make up tricks, making some DIY things for the home, decor, etc etc I wish for you a healthy and happy pregnancy but it’s not going to happen if you don’t change anything in your life right now.

Hello all,
I'm planning to get my masters degree in Heilbronn next year, and I was wondering about the suitable place to live because I have some relatives in Saarbrücken and I will be going there few times a week.
I'm thinking of the following places: Heidelberg Mannheim Heilbronn
My goal is to live somewhere where prices are cheap, close to both locations so that I don't spend much time travelling.
Your opinions are appreciated :)

My list:
1) The Mangekyo Sharingan is the result of the Sharingan trying to evolve into the Rinnegan but failing due to lacking the body/chakra of the Sage of Six Paths/Otsutsuki Clan. This fanon comes from episode 462 of the Naruto Shippuden Anime, where Hagoromo awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan to the Rinnegan by killing his brother – though he revies Hamura. It also comes from the fact that Indra’s Mangekyo Sharingan design looks like a distorted/swirly Rinnegan design, which would make sense since he’s the son of Hagoromo and, therefore, his Sharingan should be close to evolving to the Rinnegan. But still can’t because he doesn’t have Asura’s chakra.
2) Building on the last fanon, the Mangekyo Sharingan’s powers cause blindness because the power is more than the Uchiha’s body and eye can handle, damaging both of them. Getting access to Asura’s power negates this. (Obito with H. Cells.)
3) The eternal Mangekyo Sharingan can only be gained if the second pair of eyes was given willingly by the sibling. There’s just something tragic and fitting for the Uchiha that their ultimate power can only be gained by their closest relative sacrificing themselves to become their light.
4) Yagura and Isobu never got along. Obito controlled Isobu before he was placed into Yagura to work with the Mizukage while also placing Yagura under his control to do his bidding. The plan was for the Fourth Mizukage to weaken the Mist by continuing the ‘Bloody Mist’ and then undo the genjutsu compelling Isobu to work with Yagura. Without a seal holding him back – since a perfect jinchuriki had no need for one – the three tails would rampage and destroy the weakened Hidden Mist. Yagura died before this happened, though.
5) In Boruto, the Otsutsuki are apparently supposed to sacrifice another Otsutsuki before eating the fruit. Kaguya didn’t. So, I like to think that her eating the fruit directly without sacrificing another Otsutsuki is what drove her insane. If she had (somehow) sacrificed Isshiki, she wouldn’t have gone crazy.
6) In Naruto Shippuden episode 461, Kaguya lives to go deal with something. In fact, she was going to deal with a human society using the Stone of Gelel to oppose her. Once she found out it makes one immortal/live for a very long time, she tried to get her hands on some for the sake of her children, who weren’t immortal and would’ve died in time. Her quest was for not as the Stone of Gelel ore was sealed away before she got her hands on it. I like this one because it not only ties into the movies and explains where Kaguya went during that episode, but it also shows her character. (Meaning destroying an entire civilization to get something for her sons and out of a want for control.)
7) Water-Walking is a Chunin-level skill that is normally taught after one achieves the rank of Chunin. In Boruto, the Shinobi education system has improved to the point that this is considered a basic skill taught in the academy.
8) At some point, Sai did a portrait of all members of Team 7 together and gave copies to everyone so they wouldn’t forget their time together.
9) Danzo loves strawberry ice cream.
10) The Hidden Sand Village is currently the best village when it comes to Sealing Jutsu – which is why most of the sealing during the Fourth Ninja War was done by them, and their Kage was the only one with sealing jutsu among the five. It’s also why Shinki is pretty good at it as well.
11) The Hidden Sand managed to seal the One-tails before the First Hokage got his hands on it due to the help of some Uzumaki passing by. Those Uzumaki ended up settling in the Hidden Sand and passing their sealing knowledge on. (Also, I honestly think that Gaara has a better claim to being part Uzumaki than someone random like Tayuya. Like, it’s easier for me to buy. Just my random thought.)
12) crystal Release and Wood Style are kekkei Totas.
13) Those with the body of the Sage of Six Paths/Six Path’s chakra can use any element, even Kekkei Genkai. This is why Madara can use Storm Release Light Fang in chapter 674 despite never having been shown to have the Storm Release Kekkei Genkai before. (And I can’t think of any other reason he’d have it.)
14) Boruto’s Jogan is the result of Hinata’s Otsutsuki chakra from The Last plus Naruto’s and the influence of chakra from the chakra fruit (Kurama’s chakra. Boruto’s whiskers show he’s been influenced by Kurama’s chakra.)
15) The Jogan inherited the ability to see negative emotions from Kurama’s ability to sense negative emotions.
16) The Uchiha are super religious. Any fic that explores this is awesome.
17) Naruto actually being good at pranks is fun.
18) Sasuke training till his hands bleed. It's raw and badass. (Though it makes me think he needs therapy even more.)
19) Only the Uzumaki can hold the Nine-Tails.
20) The Adamantine Sealing Chains only appear in female Uzumaki.
​
What are your favorite fanons?

I was restoring a phase 1 Renault 5, but it all got a bit much for me, with too much rot in funny places for an amateur welder, so I've sold it. I'm after my next project, open to any and all ideas. I don't mind sourcing hard-to-find parts, I'm a competent amateur mechanic but a shit welder. Doesn't have to be fast, must be interesting, tuneable :) and cheap. Hit me up guys/gals!

The world is full of evil. The world has always been full of evil. Cults run the world, whether or not they are called cults or just groups of people engaging cult like behaviour.
Religions have spilled blood all through history, repressed any other identity but theirs all through history. There are glimmering points of light within religions, acts we have taken as society that move us away from ingrained evil practice. There's people who live by this standard or that standard of good behaviour.
Yet the world looks worse than ever if one considers the volumetrics of amount of humans and amount of suffering without even bothering to examine any other form of evil through wilfulness or ignorance or moral and economic despotism.
There's more starvation, murder and warfare than there ever was in history. There's more toil by the impoverished for the decadence of technologically superior nations than ever. There's more animals living lives of abject misery for a cheap unhealthy meal by an ungrateful small percentage than ever. There's more environmental degradation and ecological collapse than any other rate of mass extinction we think we know about.
Where is God? Where are the angels? The devil I'm sure is somewhere influencing everything and is the one who is laughing at the state of the world. The one who manufactures ignorance where enlightenment would grow of its own accord. The one strengthening the corruption in all our social systems and there surely are demons walking around in human form or floating around in pseudo human form.
A good person can be found, as I said by this standard or that standard they are at the very least good. Evil people seem far more prevalent or noticeable if you will, if possibly less in volume than good people, though I truly believe most people are really just shitty examples of humanity.
But truly evil people, demons in human form, they are killing and torturing and kidnapping and profiting off of suffering. To me that's far closer to demonic than a good person, even a great one, even the greatest person possible could be said to be angelic, because angels are supposed to make war on demons aren't they? Imbued with divine energy capable of the miraculous. How would a human let alone do any of that conquer evil besides killing an evil person or putting in jail for life an evil person, the bill for which our taxes collectively pay for?
So if we think in terms that examine our collective notions from every culture, there is a story of a war between God and the devil. It's told many ways in many places but the story or notion itself seems universal to the human condition and story of humanity.
Is it possible that God lost this battle? Had sundered whatever form God required to be a singular being and became scattered across creation? This idea exists in many religions also though it's rarely attributed to the slaying of God by Satan, it's generally said to be one state of God who can exist however God decides, simultaneously everywhere. Doesn't that sound more like dying than eternally living?
Maybe what Satan intended was to gain the energy of God to take God's place but like Obi Wan Kenobi turning into nothing Satan was left like Vader stomping on God's robe and then in resentment went down from on high to slowly rot as a king of nothingness with nothing left to gain or seize?
To me this would explain a world where religions have defined themselves by violence or pride in their own doctrines, it's far easier to be evil than to stay good and one finds pathways to success in this world laid out for evil people. It would explain a struggle like chipping away at a mountain through history in order to see a world that is not oppressive on all sides all whilst the mountain is built up higher by the bones of greed exacting blood and life for its own largesse and comforts.
Some religions say this world is a test for us to earn an eternal reward or an eternal suffering. If suffering is all that awaits evil people and evil spiritual beings, why is the energy of evil so strong in the world? Surely the source of evil and it's machinations would be far too preoccupied with its own suffering to aid and abet all the ill doings of humanity.
If eternal reward awaits the good, what point is there to a single life of struggling to attain it? It seems like swimming across an ocean of suffering to spend the rest of forever in a nice warm pool. You work hard in this place to forget about it completely. Makes more sense I suppose than working 60 years to retire for 10 to yourself with as much capability to enjoy it as the first 10 before work of some kind began to define everything, and who is the work for in the world I've described? Surely not for Gods plan if this is what it looks like?
Where did we go wrong? When did we ever go right? How do you believe in attainment of not being part of the test anymore and if the attainment is continuing with this place in the next life, why is it always getting much worse for the small improvements we fight and die to gain?
WHAT FUCKING SENSE IS THERE TO THIS CREATION?
IF LUCIFER OR WHATEVER YOU CALL THE SLAYER OF GOD WAS INSANE TO KILL GOD AND SUCCEEDED, ISN'T AN INSANE WORLD WHAT WOULD BE CREATED?
Like any murderer tortured by remorse and driven further into insanity, so does the mocking voice of a God who seems more like an invoked memory worth doing any good deed in the name of seem to torture the very fabric of a world dominated by evil through all its history. What "living" God would allow that? What more but a "dead" one could inspire one such as lowly as I am to think this way and dedicate my life to the destruction of evil and dismantling of its systems, but not for the sheer spite of it? That's as close to the truth about me as I can fathom. I'm somewhat good by some standard, certainly not a living demon or wilfully evil, but I'm just as shitty an example of humanity as anyone at times and my strongest motivation is pure spite for the idea that the devil is behind all of it. I don't even care if that's true I'll continue to spite evil for that exact reason until I die. And I can't wait to find out what the fuck is actually wrong with creation.
Sincerely, some guy.

Could somebody please recommend a cheap place to buy citrus trees from online? Specifically a Lime tree.
Thank you

This isn't a USA specific question. I'm from India and my main concern was about my own state of Bengal. I assume the issues would be the same everywhere on the planet.
Anyway. So i was thinking about flooding issues from global warming and even political issues leading to blocking of rivers to other countries.
I was thinking, say we take a flattish shoreline. Then we dig 50 km river path into the mainland. The depth at the top of the mainland ending of the path is say 2 km deep or more.
Say it ends in a giant artificial lake of say 2km depth and 5km in diameter.
Now, the slope is gradual from the sea to the max depth at the end. Plus we place a dam at the start and 2-3 in the later stages.
What's stopping us from doing this if money isn't a problem? Wouldn't this be helpful to reduce sea levels of done all over the world?
Plus if we ever figure out cheap mass scale desalination, won't this be a huge supply of potable water? Plus electricity from the dams, plus availability of water regardless of political issues.
We dug thee Panama canal 100 years ago. And expanded it recently. Surely we can do it now.

Start off. Yes, I know I could be direct. Yes I know I could ask him. If i wanted to do that i wouldnt be here... So. Essentially I started talking to this fellow about two years ago, we matched on tinder. Took it off tinder. Chatted, matched again on dating sites like 15x. (All the while maintaining contact off the app) We met up several times. First time he coaxed me to meet him with some free pots for my house plants that had been left at his house (I'm a plant lady). We went on countless movie dates, went to the fair together. I've met his parents, went to their houses. NOT ONE TIME HAS THIS MAN TRIED TO HOLD MY HAND OR KISS ME. Fast forward some time He moved out of state for about a year. We maintained contact... always flirty, never too forward..we talked about "what if we had tried", he Essentially said "how would you of felt if we got together and I still left the state? I wasnt in a place to be good for anyone."
Fast forward, and now he's back. We hung out 2x, went out to eat once, second time he came to my house and we played guitar together for hours. No hand holding, no kissing, none of that. When he left I thought he was going to kiss me. He didn't. But he texted me as he pulled out of my drive way and said "you hesitated"... I told him I've never made a first move in my life 😅 nor do I think I can.
Well, this dude is incredibly attractive. I'd say realistically I'm a 6 and he's a 8 or 9. We have a solid friendship. I don't want to ruin that. I can't tell what his intentions are with me. Does this sound like a man who's looking at me as a potential relationship or a fwb? I don't want to hurt my own feelings.

General question: after sending it as first card, when could it be a good idea to be sending it again?
Specific (long) question: So Lakota early eco suck balls, and I'm totally fine with that so ppl will stop saying they are cheap lame af and having them constantly nerfed. I mean they are absolutely right, but shitty startup is the price I'm more than willing to pay for the pleasure of raiding your finely-though boom build down to the dust. (On a more serious note, I only started using Lakota when I found out they were finally been balanced; it was seriously too easy to play before, and I'm happy they're not a lamer civ anymore).
Now if I want to stay in age 2 (which I want to abuse the fact that their units are as strong as regular age 3 units, the only other civ that goes near is China and theirs have less durability anyway, while Haud is basically "native russians") I got to make a commitment and that means setting up a proper eco in age 2, which is VERY hard given how the faction has been heavily nerfed; no vill shipments in age 2, that's all I'm going to say.
So I 'm thinking of creative ways to get myself comfortable in age 2 for a sustained, extremely lame and endless raiding (on the receiving part) . I've been experimenting many things; aging up with few villagers and shipping Medicine as soon as I hit age 2 works pretty fine, as that's gonna be a long term compound bonus not to be scoffed at. Both cheaper AND faster training for vills is quite outstanding.
I could try vill booming by shipping 4 healers (and then maybe even 2 healers) and fertility boom right away in early age 2, abusing the lack of need for housing. Haven't tried it yet but sounds fun, although slow and not apt for rushing. I could also do full greed and both send Medicine and the Healers, and see how long it takes to pick up.
Then to be faster there's crate spamming. I know that crates are the way to go to keep your eco afloat during raids, but it's like public debt, you can pay shit with it until money runs out or something. That's what I've learned at the economy class anyway. That could only work for an all-out rush, methinks. But maybe I 'm completely wrong on that and an all-our rush is a great way to get an early economic edge... By just deleting your opponent's eco 🤣
So I was looking for more sustainable ways to develop an early eco that could push the civ forward towards the mid-game. This is just the kind of nifty, intellectually-stimulating challenges for which I like this game, even when they nerf things below the ground, and actually even more so in that case. When they nerf your civ instead of complaining go out and look for new ways to do stuff, or just change strat. That's what this kind of game is all about.
So back on topic. I noticed that in midgame for some reason eco gets VERY good, but it all depends on the availability of vills I was able to train until that point; ofc lacking the age 2 vills card it's really hard to bootstrap in the first place. Making extra vills with fertility dance is very slow and risky at this point of the game, while FF and even worse semi FF burns many resources (and time) but you get to send the 8 vills card, so that is the standard solution I guess; they set up the civ so that you are very much incentivized to FF, to avert early age 2 laming. Which all but motivates me more to try and make it viable anyway.
So last but not least, there's the infinite 2 vill shipment. I've never seen how it is used beyond the first shipment so I ask, is there a civ that benefit from sending it multiple times? In which specific occasions?

This will be longer, so I'll try to condense as much as possible. I have seven cats, all currently eating raw. Five of them are related (parents about 2 years old, kittens a year old), and the other two are about 21 and 16 months old. The family of five I have are inbred - to what degree, I'm not sure. I rescued them from a bad situation, but they appear to be happy, healthy cats. My vet has recently said that both the parents and two of the littermates have heart murmurs. They were not graded, and no tests done, but my girlfriend let slip that we raw feed them and of course, the vet started wanting to blame the diet. I'm a bit paranoid now, and would rather just check with this subreddit to make sure the setup I have is suitable.
​
For the past couple of months, I've been basing the food off of MyPetCarnivore's whole ground chicken. MPC says that their grind is about 75/15/10, which is a bit bone heavy for my liking. I've been grinding boneless chicken thighs and adding those with chicken livers and ground lamb spleen to balance the mixture to 83/7/5/5. I will typically prep three days of food at a time. I mix two whole eggs in with the food, 5,000 mg powdered taurine, 6,800 mg of Omega-3s via ZestyPaws salmon oil (https://zestypaws.com/products/pure-salmon-oil-for-dogs-cats), 1 tsp of low sodium salt, 1,800 mg Vitamin E from a gelcap (I've recently read I may need to switch to powdered form), and two B-complex capsules (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013OSL5S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I believe they're properly supplemented from what I've researched. Each cat gets about 225 mg supplemented taurine and 325 mg Omega-3s per day with these amounts).
​
Admittedly, I haven't been ordering as much variety as I should. I've placed another large order to get some duck and chicken hearts, some beef organs, and some other more exotic organs from different animals to switch it up. They also do whole ground beef instead of whole ground chicken, so I think I will rotate that in as my base as well. Does this process seem like it will support cats for longevity and health? I'm in the process of finding a holistic vet somwhere in my area.

This story needs to be told. Those who have suffered must understand why. It’s not as simple as some have made it to be, which is why it needs to come from the person most responsible… me.
It began when I was least expecting it. But then don’t things always seem to happen that way?
***
“I’m tellin' ya, doc, people just don’t understand,” Frederick said while rocking back and forth in the chair.
“What exactly don’t they understand?” I said, trying to look more relaxed than I felt.
“There’s just something that takes over. You can’t stop it.”
“Impulse control?”
“What’s that mean?” Frederick said, struggling against his straight jacket, trying to get comfortable.
“It means that when you want to do something, you try your hardest not to. It means you try to control or suppress the urge to do things you know are bad.”
Frederick’s mouth lolled open. He narrowed his eyes in confusion.
“Why would I want to do that?”
I suppressed the urge to sigh.
“Because that’s what people do,” I said. “They think about doing bad things, but then they control themselves and don’t do them because those things are wrong and could hurt other people.”
“Hurting people is wrong?” he said.
“Yes, Frederick, hurting people is wrong.”
He shook his head as if he were trying to shake away a fly that was annoying him.
“Why?”
“Why is hurting people wrong?”
“No, why are you telling me this?”
“I don’t understand.”
“You’re saying I’m bad,” he said trying to rise from his chair. “You’re saying I didn’t need to hurt those people. That I’m a bad person.”
I got up from my chair and started backing toward the heavy metal door.
“I’m not bad!” he yelled at me. “You’re bad!”
I knocked on the door and the orderly opened it as Frederick got to his feet.
I slipped through the door as it slammed shut from the impact of his body slamming into it.
“Bad, bad, bad,” he screamed.
“Badbadbadbadbadbadbadbad!”
Spit flew from his mouth landing on the small observation window with metal grates embedded in it.
“You ok, doc,” the orderly said, startling me.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”
I turned and walked down the white hallway, hoping the orderly wouldn’t notice the quickness in my step. I ignored the sound of Frederick beating on the door. I ignored all the sounds I heard. I just wanted to get away.
It was a long walk to my office, through many security gates. At each one, the nurse buzzed me through and gave me an acknowledging look that used to be a smile.
I suppose this place gets to everyone eventually.
I finally reached my office, closed and locked the door behind me, and collapsed into my chair. I breathed out a sigh of relief at reaching relative safety. I turned and looked out my window to the beautiful flowers blooming on the trees in the courtyard. I looked up at the tree stretching toward the sky.
I remember when they planted those.
I turned back to my center, my means of solace, the only thing that mattered in this cruel, unfair world. I picked up the picture of my lovely wife and smiled. She was the one who kept me sane all these years. She kept me seeing the best in people. Or at least trying. Sometimes there was no good to see—especially in my patients.
It takes a special kind of doctor to care for the mental needs of those who have done heinous things that are so bad they don’t even bother sending them to prison. They send them to me.
I’m like the dumpster for the dregs of society. Just drop them in the asylum and forget about them.
I kissed my wife and set her back on the bare desk, then turned on my computer and added notes from today’s session. There was never a recommendation for release. Once patients came here the only way they left was in a body bag. There was no curing them, only trying to make them docile until they left.
Oh, there were experiments. That was a large part of how we were funded. Companies would pay for certain tests to be done. Some might call it torture, but we called it research.
I finished typing my notes and leaned back in my seat. The diplomas and degrees stared down from their perches on the bare walls, mocking me. Demanding why I hadn’t gotten a better job.
As usual, I didn’t have an answer.
My office suddenly felt stuffy. I closed down my computer and left. Driving down the packed freeway, all I could think about was collapsing on the couch beside my lovely Elizabeth. Not telling her about my day until she dragged it out of me, then listening to her encourage me to help those who have been left in my care, because I’m the only hope they have.
Traffic was bumper to bumper and not helping my overall opinion of humanity much. Especially when a car that was swerving from lane to lane, nearly sideswiped me. It kept going on in front of me, nearly hitting several other cars.
The driver and passenger seemed to be having a disagreement about how to drive the car and it looked like it was about to come to blows.
Fortunately, they were soon out of sight, and someone else’s problem.
For the next few miles, I kept watching the side of the road waiting to see the offending car sitting in a ditch. However, they surprised me. They must’ve turned off to go terrorize some neighborhood streets with their reckless driving.
I hummed to myself, not wanting to have whatever dreck was on the radio forced on me.
When I was nearly to my exit, my phone rang. I immediately recognized the number as work. I contemplated answering it for a moment, then thought better of it. There had never been a time when work called with good news. And I was in no mood for bad news.
I hummed a little louder, trying to drown out the sound of the ring before it finally stopped.
The closer I got to home the less I thought about work and the more I thought about Elizabeth. Until I turned off at my exit, I had nearly forgotten work altogether. Maybe I would take tomorrow off and go do something with my wife. We hadn’t been out for a while. The weather had been lovely and I know she would adore a walk down by the lake.
My thoughts were interrupted when I turned down our driveway and saw a car in front of the house. It wasn’t quite in the driveway, it was sitting at an angle halfway in the front yard.
I parked my car and slowly got out. Something struck me about this car, but I hadn’t figured out what. I approached the driver’s side to have words with the person still sitting at the wheel.
“Excuse me,” I said staying a few steps back from the driver’s door.
He didn’t answer me.
“Excuse me,” I said a little louder.
Still no answer.
I tapped on the window and he ignored me.
I opened the door.
“Okay, look… “ I said.
But it was I who would do the looking. The man fell out of the car, thudding on the grass. The inside of the car was covered in blood. I looked down and the man’s throat had been cut.
“Oh my God!” I said jumping back.
I watched to see if the man was breathing, but the way his neck was bent at an unnatural angle against my yard told me everything I needed to know.
I glanced through the car but didn’t see the passenger.
It was then my eyes drifted to my front door.
It was open.
I stepped through the shrubs and up onto the porch, walking in a daze. The surrealness of the moment had yet to sink in. I was going inside to check on my wife and make sure everything was ok.
It didn’t strike me as anything more than that.
‘Oh, she just left the door open, that’s all.’
My mind kept trying to tell me that. I wanted desperately to believe it. Even though she had never been that careless during the entire time we’d been married. I had pushed aside all reason and common sense in favor of pure denial.
Everything was going to be ok. With Elizabeth, everything was always ok. She could literally light up a room with her positivity. She was the best person I ever knew. I have no idea how I got so lucky as to know her, let alone be her husband.
I floated in through my front door on my cloud of denial and looked for my wife.
It didn’t take me long to find her.
There was one wall of the living room she was constantly redecorating. She always said it looked bare and empty no matter what she did with it.
She was hanging from that wall, naked, her beautiful body desecrated by slices and rips. Her throat had been slit and blood still poured from it.
I ran to her.
Tried to take her down.
Screamed her name.
And then it was my turn to scream.
I looked down and saw a knife blade sticking out from my abdomen. It was part of the cutlery set I had gotten for Elizabeth three Christmases ago.
I screamed as I slowly turned to face my attacker.
“What’s up, doc?” Frederick said wearing a maniacal grin.
The shock had punched a hole in my reasoning. I saw him standing there, but I couldn’t accept it any more than I could accept my beautiful wife strung up like a macabre painting hanging on our living room wall.
My eyes tried to focus on his face. To make me recognize him as a threat.
“How’s that impulse control workin’ for ya, doc?”
He ripped the knife out of my back.
The pain, along with his arrogance woke me from my shock-induced stupor.
“Now do you understand?” he said, as he shoved the knife into my belly.
I did understand. I understood at that moment that I was already as dead as my wife. I knew that this piece of human garbage had taken something beautiful from this world. I knew I had to do something about it before there was nothing I could do. Before my body succumbed to injuries and I was unable.
I grabbed him by the throat. He tried to laugh, but my grip was fueled by desperation.
He tried to free himself but couldn’t. He began stabbing me over and over. I refused to release him. I carried him by his neck over to the kitchen counter and began bashing his head off the marble.
I was rewarded with spots of his blood. I knew at least I had made him bleed and that made me smile. His eyes grew wide as my grin grew maniacal. I smashed him repeatedly, crushing him against the sink, breaking the faucet, and causing water to spray into the air.
His eyelids fluttered as he lost his grip on the knife.
He was nearly gone. I would take him with me and that would be my parting gift to the world, removing something so evil.
Suddenly, my body wouldn’t obey commands. My grip loosened. I tried to tighten it, but I had lost all control. I looked down and I was standing in a pool of my own blood.
His eyes fluttered open and he coughed.
‘Nonononononono!’ I thought. ‘He can’t live. He can’t win. I had him.’
He stood as I sank to the floor.
“Looks like maybe you do understand, doc,” he said from what seemed like miles away. “Too bad you won’t be around to discuss it. We could have a session and evaluate how it makes you feel.”
His foot came down on my spine. I felt a crack. He started kicking me in the side repeatedly. Splashing water and blood on me as I felt my ribs crack.
I fought with everything I had.
My body didn’t even twitch.
‘Nooooo!,’ I screamed. ‘It can’t end like this.’
I heard a sizzling sound and then there was darkness.
***
I could feel movement.
Wasn’t I dead?
Was this what happened after?
It was still dark.
‘Hello?’ I tried to say.
Nothing. Just the sensation of movement.
Am I in a body bag? Am I on my way to the morgue or the grave? Please don’t let me be buried alive.
But I’m not alive, am I?
I don’t feel any pain. That’s a good thing, but not a good sign. The last thing I remember was lots of pain.
Suddenly there’s light and my movement stops.
I look up from the floor of a house I don’t recognize.
‘Where the hell am I?’
I’m on the floor next to a wall, looking up at an electrical outlet. Nothing around me seems familiar. I try to stand but it feels weird. It isn’t difficult, and there’s still no pain, it just carries an odd sensation with it. Like my body is just relearning things. Just like when I was a toddler. I teeter back and forth as I rise, but eventually, I’m upright.
My first few steps are tentative, but after that, I gain confidence with each stride.
Aside from the strange surroundings, there’s a sensation, like ants crawling all over me.
I pass a bathroom and glance inside. The reflection in the mirror draws me back. I slowly approach it, seeing something unique and terrifying.
It looks like someone drew an outline of a human form using a lightning bolt. The electricity shimmers and crackles as it races around the empty form of the being.
I wonder if it will hurt me.
Not sure if I want to test the limits of my newfound lack of pain, I hesitantly reach for this creature. It reaches for me at the same time. I’m mesmerized by this mutual curiosity.
My hand is about to touch the electric pulse shaped like its hand. I tremble with anticipation and fear as we touch.
Surprisingly, I don’t feel any pain. I don’t feel anything except a hard surface.
I move my hand back and forth. The creature does the same. I make quicker movements, and so does it.
Finally, out of frustration, I reach back and strike at the creature.
My hand strikes the hard surface and it splinters. There are now multiple creatures staring back at me.
I step back and come to the horrible realization.
I am the creature.
***
One month later…
“And police have been unable to find any credible leads in the string of brutal killings that began shortly after the patient escaped from the mental hospital last month,” the handsome anchorman stated from behind his desk. “They are asking people to call in if they know the whereabouts of Frederick Winston, now known as, ‘The Mangler’.”
“In other news, the Larsan Electric Company has issued a statement that the recent power surges are no cause for alarm. These surges seem to be random in people's homes and certain businesses. An LEC spokesman stated that there appears to be no pattern to the surges and that so far no one has reported them causing any harm. LEC is tracking down the problem and should have it under control soon.”
The anchorman shifted in his seat and turned to another camera.
“And on a lighter note, with Halloween months away, it seems that reports of ghosts are on the rise,” he said, wearing a half grin. “Several area residents have reported what they call a ghostlike figure, outlined in light, visiting them. Reports vary as to the duration and location of the visits, but they do seem to have a few things in common. The visits are usually short. In fact, most people say that if they blink the figure is gone. No one has reported the ghost doing any harm. And it seems like anyone within close proximity feels a tingling sensation and their hair standing on end.”
“Maybe I should be visited instead of my next hairdresser’s appointment,” the attractive woman anchor said with a laugh.
“Schedule me a visit too,” the male anchor said smiling. “And that’s our news for the evening, good night.”
Jimmy switched the channel.
“Gimme a break,” he said to the TV. “Ghosts? Who’s playing what? This’s some marketing scheme to sell Halloween crap. Like that stunt they pulled a few years back with the clowns hanging around the schools to promote that stupid movie.”
He switched off the TV and rolled over in his bed.
It wasn’t long before his breathing slowed. But before sleep could take him, he noticed a glow in the hallway. He didn’t remember leaving any lights on when he came to bed. Living alone had its advantages. If he heard someone in his apartment, he knew they weren’t supposed to be there. He slowly reached over to the bedstand and pulled out his Glock 9mm handgun, then held it close and listened.
He watched as the glow moved. It seemed like someone was looking around. But for what? He didn’t really have anything aside from his TV, phone, and video games. If anyone wanted those, they would be in a world of hurt. He had been lucky to get this apartment. If he was honest with himself, it cost more than he could afford, but when he had the chance he took it. It was too bad the opening came because the person who lived there before him was one of The Mangler’s victims. That’s probably why he was able to rent the place so quickly and get the price down to where he could almost afford it.
Maybe the glow was one of the street people who were stupid enough to see if there was an empty apartment to claim. That wasn’t gonna fly either. Jimmy had jumped on this apartment to get away from the dingy rat hole he used live in on the other side of town. And there was no way he’d let some bum come in here and take what was his.
The glow crept closer. He could feel the hairs on his arms raise. There was a sound too. It wasn’t loud, almost felt more than heard. A soft crackle, like electricity when it sparked.
The sensory input was almost too much for Jimmy to take. He pointed the gun in the direction of the glow and saw the barrel was shaking. His resolve, that he could deal with anyone as long as he had his gun, was beginning to fade.
The glow became so bright that it finally took form.
Jimmy’s eyes widened. It was the form of a person, just like the news had said.
It seemed to look around the room, then settle its gaze on the bed. Jimmy began to sweat as it approached and stared into his eyes.
It was the oddest thing, staring into what should be eyes, but nothing was there. The flashes of mini lightning bolts formed shapes that looked almost human, but it was just an outline, there was nothing inside what should be the body.
He shoved the shaking gun out from under the blanket and pointed it at the glowing figure.
The figure noted the presence of the gun, then continued to advance.
“S… stop,” Jimmy said. “I’m w… warning you.”
The figure ignored the warning.
Jimmy squeezed the trigger, setting off a deafening shot that went right through the face of the figure.
It acted as though nothing had happened, continuing to advance. The ringing in Jimmy’s ears made all sound seem muffled.
The figure stopped two inches from Jimmy’s face.
“Mangler… “ it said, sounding less like a voice and more like a transmission over an old staticky radio.
“I… I’m not the Mangler,” he said. “The person who used to live here was killed by him.”
It seemed to ponder this for a moment.
“Find Mangler… “ it said.
“I d… don’t know where to find him.”
It moved an inch closer. As the flashes of electricity arced, licked hungrily at Jimmy’s face.
“Find… him… “
“Ok, ok, I’ll find him,” Jimmy said, feeling the heat from the electricity.
The figure seemed to consider that for a moment then backed away. It moved toward the bedroom wall. Then, like someone had turned on a vacuum, it was sucked into an electrical outlet and disappeared.
Jimmy laid back in bed, breathing hard. His eyes darted left and right all around the room. But the only evidence of the figure that remained was the bullet hole in his bedroom wall.
***
The trips through the electrical conduits had become easier. There were still times when I came out someplace I didn’t intend to, but I was usually able to recover quickly and get to where I wanted to go.
But where did I want to go? At first, I wandered around, lost in this new form I found myself trapped inside. It was only after I had overheard a news report about the serial killer they called The Mangler that I gained my purpose.
Of course, Frederick was going to keep killing. Of course, they weren’t going to be able to catch him. He’d been inside away from his victims before and he didn’t like it. Not being able to torture and kill innocents was like a normal person not being able to breathe. Not that I know much about normal or breathing anymore.
I suppose on some level I should thank him. I thought about it for a long time and the only thing that makes any kind of sense is when we were fighting, somehow the water and blood I was laying in got splashed into the electrical socket. Instead of killing me, it bonded with me, making me able to become the electrical current. To ride it like a wave to wherever I wanted.
I became faster than any person ever was. And yet, I wasn’t a person anymore. I have no idea how I retained my consciousness, let alone my memory. But somehow…
I justify it by the old adage, ‘I think therefore I am.’
My life has become an endless hunt for the person who destroyed me, the person I must destroy. I don’t even know what I’ll do when I find him. But I will find him. I will stop him. This time, I won’t fail. I’ll end him like I should’ve before.
I owe it to the people he’s tortured and killed since my failure. Most of all, I owe it to my wife. I know she wouldn’t approve of my bloodlust. She would say there must be some other option. But if she would be able to see her dead body hanging naked from our living room wall, I think she just might change her mind.
My thoughts are interrupted as I arrive at my next destination, another victim’s house. I’m not sure what I’ll find that the police haven’t, but I have to try. Maybe I can pick up his scent somehow. A plan almost assuredly doomed to failure since I lost all sense of smell in the transformation.
I’m surprised though that I can still see and hear. I suppose waves of light and sound somehow intersect with my electrical body and it senses them. I don’t question it. I’ve learned to just go with it.
On the plus side, I don’t have to worry about eating, drinking, or using the bathroom. I guess there’s an upside to everything. Elizabeth would be so proud of me.
I arrive at the room where the victim was murdered. Looking around there’s still blood everywhere, along with evidence markers where they took pictures.
The sheer amount of blood tells me he took his time. He desecrated this girl in her own room. Her parents must’ve been out because there’s no way they didn’t hear the struggle. There were books on the floor, a chair overturned, and blood everywhere. The room was a disaster. It looked like she fought him. I wish she would’ve succeeded where I had failed.
But then, I wish I hadn’t failed, and this girl was still alive.
There’s nothing I can do now except find him and end him.
Finding him was proving more difficult than I thought. I had unlimited access to anywhere with electricity, but I couldn’t use a computer or a GPS. I was limited to transportation only through electricity. Granted that still made me the fastest being alive. I say being because I don’t think I qualify as human anymore. But I was limited to traveling to a place and then trying to find out where I was and if he was there.
If he knew I was searching for him all he would have to do is live the rest of his days in a cabin in the woods with no electricity. I’d never be able to reach him.
I believe two things worked in my favor with that theory.
First, I don’t think he’s that smart, and second, I don’t think he knows I’m looking for him. I believe that surviving our fight only further empowered him to kill. When someone feels invincible, they’re bound to make a mistake.
An officer walked into the room and I ducked back into an outlet. I was able to hang on where I was and watch from inside the outlet without being transported somewhere else.
The officer looked startled and stared at the empty air that I had just vacated. She looked like she was unsure if she trusted what her eyes had seen in the instant before I vanished.
She slowly stepped over to the corner and bent down to peer into the outlet. For a moment I wondered if she could see me, and what exactly she would see. But then her radio squawked calling her to another scene. When I heard the voice on the radio say the address and that they might have the killer cornered, I didn’t waste any time.
It was maybe fifteen seconds until I was across town at the address I’d heard. There was a lot of screaming and crying going on. I came out of the outlet and saw blood on the floor beside a body that wasn’t moving.
There was a girl being beaten by a man with his back to me. He turned to take another swing and I knew my search was over.
“My psychiatrist used to tell me I needed to work on my impulse control,” he said calmly as he slapped her. “I think I’m doing pretty good. I’ve been here ten whole minutes and you’re still alive.”
I shot across the room and knocked him to the floor. He jumped back up and looked around for what had hit him.
“What the hell?”
I saw the fear in his eyes when he saw me. I know Elizabeth would’ve been ashamed, of me, but I was enjoying his anxiety. After all he had done to me and so many others, I drank it in like an elixir.
He started edging toward the door. I was there in a heartbeat. His eyes darted back and forth between where I used to be and where I now stood. The panic in his eyes doubled.
I wanted to make him suffer, but I didn’t want to make the same mistake I’d made before and let him escape with his life.
I lashed out with a bolt that used to be my arm. The energy slashed through his shirt and fried a hole in his shoulder.
He screamed in pain and horror as he looked at the smoking hole in his skin. He tried to run but in an instant, I was there in front of him firing another bolt and searing the skin across his waist to his jeans.
His screams of pain and rage were only matched by the feral desperation in his eyes.
Not knowing what do to, he went with the familiar. Attack the innocent. He grabbed the girl who had been crawling away from the scene.
He grabbed her again and held her in front of him like a human shield.
What a waste of skin.
I fired a bolt into a ceiling light beside me which ricocheted and hit him full force in the leg, nearly severing it.
He went down like a ton of bricks, trying to hold on to his hostage, but she was fighting to get away from him. She broke free and he crumpled to the floor.
“What do you want?” he screamed at me.
With everything that is within me, I wanted to tell him who I was, what he had taken from me, and what I was about to take from him.
But I didn’t want to give the satisfaction. I wanted to give him only uncertainty and fear to cling to.
I could feel the seconds ticking away. I knew I had to make the most of this opportunity or he would get away again. And after this, I might never find him.
I unleashed every ounce of energy at him. I couldn’t even see him, he was only a smoking pillar of frying skin.
Just then, the police burst through the door.
“FREE… “ the first officer started then the shock of what he was seeing stole the rest of the word from his mouth.
He stood there, mouth agape when the female officer stepped in behind him. She looked at me and her wide eyes narrowed as she put two and two together and recognized me from the last crime scene.
I had no reason to fear. I didn’t know if I could even be harmed in my current state. But when you see that blue uniform burst through a door with a gun aimed at you, all rational thought takes a vacation.
I dove for the outlet and was gone. I didn’t even care where I was going. I knew I had done what I wanted to. The monster was destroyed.
Something felt different. Was it pride at finishing my crusade? Was it shame knowing Elizabeth wouldn’t have wanted me to do it?
I don’t know but there was something else. It was like there was added weight to my existence. I guess you can have a conscious in whatever you’d call this existence.
I appeared in the place that made the most sense, ironically. It was my old home. The one where everything I loved died, including me. It was where I took on this unintended new existence.
Is that why I felt this extra weight? Was it some cathartic aftereffect of my search for revenge that was finally over?
I looked around the charred debris of what used to be my home. In my mind's eye, I didn’t see the burned-out shell of what was left. I saw it as it was when we first moved in. When Elizabeth and I started decorating. When the interior was finally finished and I turned to her and said, “For now.” Knowing she would decide to change everything at some time in the future when she was bored, just like all women seem to do.
I remember getting a paintbrush across the mouth for that comment. I smiled remembering kissing her with my freshly painted mouth and ending up in the bedroom.
As I turned toward where I’d entered the house, my smile quickly faded. For some reason, I was still connected to the outlet. That had never happened before.
Another curiosity arose when I noticed the color of my electrical body was now tinged purple. It had always been blue before.
The tail of what had yet to come out of the outlet was red. As I pulled and it came the rest of the way out, it merged with me and turned purple.
“What the hell?” I heard someone say.
I whipped around but no one was there.
“Where am I?” the voice said.
“Who are you?” I said to the air.
There was a long silence.
“Doc?” the voice said.
As far as I knew it wasn’t possible for my spine to turn to ice, since I no longer had a spine, but the feeling seemed the same.
“Frederick?” I said.
“What happened?” he said. “This crazy electric thing attacked me and now… wait a minute. How am I talking to you? You died months ago.”
My shock gave way to utter despair. My enemy was now part of me.

Feeding Report 173-3
Subject’s “Feed” Species: Gojid
“Feed” Age: Young Adolescent
Notes: “Feed” was acquired in similar fashion as the last two “Feeds.” Spines were removed to allow easier consumption. Doctor Ka has supplied the Subject with a portable heater. Doctor Ka and multiple assistants observed the process. Observation window was made transparent. Subject was not fed for several days beforehand.
Feeding Process: “Feed” was placed into the cell alongside a portable heater. “Feed” was in critical condition upon arrival. The Subject showed little hesitation to feed in comparison to the last two feedings. The Subject appeared to study the “Feed” for ten seconds before it closed its hands around the “Feed’s” throat and squeezed. The “Feed’s” neck was quickly snapped and all life signs ceased a moment later.
Subject began tinkering with the heater and, after discovering its purpose, displayed similar behavior to Feeding 173-2. Subject continued to burn and eat the flesh in silence for the next hour. It is to be noted that the Subject appeared to be watching and listening to conversations on the other side of the observation window. Subject ate roughly 5% of the “Feed’s” leg before finishing. Subject eventually fell asleep and Doctor Ka had the “Feed” removed and incinerated.
Additional Notes: Judging by its mostly bland facial expressions, which have been very emotive thus far, the Subject appears to have disassociated itself from the feeding process. - [REDACTED]
The Subject seemed to be listening to our conversations during the feeding. While it cannot understand us, nor do I believe it would obtain any useful information even if it could, I feel that it is necessary to voice my concerns over the matter. In addition, it appears that it is unnecessary to supply it with such large “portions” as it has yet to consume an entire corpse. - Assistant Mardo
Isn't this amazing?! I dare say that I've began the process of taming a predator! It did not show any signs of distress during today's feeding and I seem to have taught it how to hunt. This is science at work, my friends! - Doctor Ka
-----------------------------------
Predator’s Disease Report from [REDACTED]
I am [REDACTED] and I am currently serving aboard Kolshian research vessel, the Pasture. I am writing this report to report a case of severe Predator’s Disease in my boss, Doctor Ka of the Kolshian Commonwealth.
On [June 24, 2136. Standardized Human Time], Doctor Ka discovered that the predatory species known as “Humans” were not in fact extinct. On [June 28, 2136. Standardized Human Time], Doctor Ka deployed a team of mercenaries to catch and retrieve a single Human for experimentation, without informing the Federation. Doctor Ka has shut down all communications with the rest of the galaxy to prevent this information from escaping. After capturing the Human, Doctor Ka subjected it to several harmful experiments and seemed to be performing said experiments for simple cruelty’s sake. For one week, Doctor Ka refused to provide the Human with any sustenance and allowed it to starve.
When the Human collapsed during an experiment due to the aforementioned starvation, Doctor Ka’s solution was to quietly kidnap children from stampede aftermaths and feed the injured child to the Human. The Human refused to eat the first victim, a Krakotl, so Doctor Ka took it upon herself to shoot and kill the so-called “Feed” in an attempt to make it easier for the Human to eat. The Human ignored its starvation and continued to refuse to eat.
Doctor Ka attempted to feed it again with an injured Sivkit child. The Human attempted to save the child’s life but was unsuccessful. For the next day, Doctor Ka allowed the Human to continue to starve until it finally succumbed to its instincts and attempted to eat the victim. It appeared to be revulsed by the flesh and abandoned its attempt for another day. When it awoke, the Human tore a metal panel off of the wall to get to the heating system and then used said heating system to burn the flesh of the victim before partially eating it.
I am uncertain of the reasoning behind this action, but I believe that it is perhaps repulsed by eating flesh and by burning it, it made the flesh easier to choke down. I believe that a Gojid child is next.
I realize that the poor treatment of a predator is a low priority for the Extermination Guild, but the fact that Doctor Ka would put any creature through the treatment I have described, and would throw innocent children into a cage with a starving predator, among other things, is proof enough that Doctor Ka is suffering from severe Predator’s Disease.
Due to Doctor Ka’s aforementioned communications lockdown, this report did not leave the Pasture until two weeks after it was written.
First
Prev

This story needs to be told. Those who have suffered must understand why. It’s not as simple as some have made it to be, which is why it needs to come from the person most responsible… me.
It began when I was least expecting it. But then don’t things always seem to happen that way?
***
“I’m tellin' ya, doc, people just don’t understand,” Frederick said while rocking back and forth in the chair.
“What exactly don’t they understand?” I said, trying to look more relaxed than I felt.
“There’s just something that takes over. You can’t stop it.”
“Impulse control?”
“What’s that mean?” Frederick said, struggling against his straight jacket, trying to get comfortable.
“It means that when you want to do something, you try your hardest not to. It means you try to control or suppress the urge to do things you know are bad.”
Frederick’s mouth lolled open. He narrowed his eyes in confusion.
“Why would I want to do that?”
I suppressed the urge to sigh.
“Because that’s what people do,” I said. “They think about doing bad things, but then they control themselves and don’t do them because those things are wrong and could hurt other people.”
“Hurting people is wrong?” he said.
“Yes, Frederick, hurting people is wrong.”
He shook his head as if he were trying to shake away a fly that was annoying him.
“Why?”
“Why is hurting people wrong?”
“No, why are you telling me this?”
“I don’t understand.”
“You’re saying I’m bad,” he said trying to rise from his chair. “You’re saying I didn’t need to hurt those people. That I’m a bad person.”
I got up from my chair and started backing toward the heavy metal door.
“I’m not bad!” he yelled at me. “You’re bad!”
I knocked on the door and the orderly opened it as Frederick got to his feet.
I slipped through the door as it slammed shut from the impact of his body slamming into it.
“Bad, bad, bad,” he screamed.
“Badbadbadbadbadbadbadbad!”
Spit flew from his mouth landing on the small observation window with metal grates embedded in it.
“You ok, doc,” the orderly said, startling me.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”
I turned and walked down the white hallway, hoping the orderly wouldn’t notice the quickness in my step. I ignored the sound of Frederick beating on the door. I ignored all the sounds I heard. I just wanted to get away.
It was a long walk to my office, through many security gates. At each one, the nurse buzzed me through and gave me an acknowledging look that used to be a smile.
I suppose this place gets to everyone eventually.
I finally reached my office, closed and locked the door behind me, and collapsed into my chair. I breathed out a sigh of relief at reaching relative safety. I turned and looked out my window to the beautiful flowers blooming on the trees in the courtyard. I looked up at the tree stretching toward the sky.
I remember when they planted those.
I turned back to my center, my means of solace, the only thing that mattered in this cruel, unfair world. I picked up the picture of my lovely wife and smiled. She was the one who kept me sane all these years. She kept me seeing the best in people. Or at least trying. Sometimes there was no good to see—especially in my patients.
It takes a special kind of doctor to care for the mental needs of those who have done heinous things that are so bad they don’t even bother sending them to prison. They send them to me.
I’m like the dumpster for the dregs of society. Just drop them in the asylum and forget about them.
I kissed my wife and set her back on the bare desk, then turned on my computer and added notes from today’s session. There was never a recommendation for release. Once patients came here the only way they left was in a body bag. There was no curing them, only trying to make them docile until they left.
Oh, there were experiments. That was a large part of how we were funded. Companies would pay for certain tests to be done. Some might call it torture, but we called it research.
I finished typing my notes and leaned back in my seat. The diplomas and degrees stared down from their perches on the bare walls, mocking me. Demanding why I hadn’t gotten a better job.
As usual, I didn’t have an answer.
My office suddenly felt stuffy. I closed down my computer and left. Driving down the packed freeway, all I could think about was collapsing on the couch beside my lovely Elizabeth. Not telling her about my day until she dragged it out of me, then listening to her encourage me to help those who have been left in my care, because I’m the only hope they have.
Traffic was bumper to bumper and not helping my overall opinion of humanity much. Especially when a car that was swerving from lane to lane, nearly sideswiped me. It kept going on in front of me, nearly hitting several other cars.
The driver and passenger seemed to be having a disagreement about how to drive the car and it looked like it was about to come to blows.
Fortunately, they were soon out of sight, and someone else’s problem.
For the next few miles, I kept watching the side of the road waiting to see the offending car sitting in a ditch. However, they surprised me. They must’ve turned off to go terrorize some neighborhood streets with their reckless driving.
I hummed to myself, not wanting to have whatever dreck was on the radio forced on me.
When I was nearly to my exit, my phone rang. I immediately recognized the number as work. I contemplated answering it for a moment, then thought better of it. There had never been a time when work called with good news. And I was in no mood for bad news.
I hummed a little louder, trying to drown out the sound of the ring before it finally stopped.
The closer I got to home the less I thought about work and the more I thought about Elizabeth. Until I turned off at my exit, I had nearly forgotten work altogether. Maybe I would take tomorrow off and go do something with my wife. We hadn’t been out for a while. The weather had been lovely and I know she would adore a walk down by the lake.
My thoughts were interrupted when I turned down our driveway and saw a car in front of the house. It wasn’t quite in the driveway, it was sitting at an angle halfway in the front yard.
I parked my car and slowly got out. Something struck me about this car, but I hadn’t figured out what. I approached the driver’s side to have words with the person still sitting at the wheel.
“Excuse me,” I said staying a few steps back from the driver’s door.
He didn’t answer me.
“Excuse me,” I said a little louder.
Still no answer.
I tapped on the window and he ignored me.
I opened the door.
“Okay, look… “ I said.
But it was I who would do the looking. The man fell out of the car, thudding on the grass. The inside of the car was covered in blood. I looked down and the man’s throat had been cut.
“Oh my God!” I said jumping back.
I watched to see if the man was breathing, but the way his neck was bent at an unnatural angle against my yard told me everything I needed to know.
I glanced through the car but didn’t see the passenger.
It was then my eyes drifted to my front door.
It was open.
I stepped through the shrubs and up onto the porch, walking in a daze. The surrealness of the moment had yet to sink in. I was going inside to check on my wife and make sure everything was ok.
It didn’t strike me as anything more than that.
‘Oh, she just left the door open, that’s all.’
My mind kept trying to tell me that. I wanted desperately to believe it. Even though she had never been that careless during the entire time we’d been married. I had pushed aside all reason and common sense in favor of pure denial.
Everything was going to be ok. With Elizabeth, everything was always ok. She could literally light up a room with her positivity. She was the best person I ever knew. I have no idea how I got so lucky as to know her, let alone be her husband.
I floated in through my front door on my cloud of denial and looked for my wife.
It didn’t take me long to find her.
There was one wall of the living room she was constantly redecorating. She always said it looked bare and empty no matter what she did with it.
She was hanging from that wall, naked, her beautiful body desecrated by slices and rips. Her throat had been slit and blood still poured from it.
I ran to her.
Tried to take her down.
Screamed her name.
And then it was my turn to scream.
I looked down and saw a knife blade sticking out from my abdomen. It was part of the cutlery set I had gotten for Elizabeth three Christmases ago.
I screamed as I slowly turned to face my attacker.
“What’s up, doc?” Frederick said wearing a maniacal grin.
The shock had punched a hole in my reasoning. I saw him standing there, but I couldn’t accept it any more than I could accept my beautiful wife strung up like a macabre painting hanging on our living room wall.
My eyes tried to focus on his face. To make me recognize him as a threat.
“How’s that impulse control workin’ for ya, doc?”
He ripped the knife out of my back.
The pain, along with his arrogance woke me from my shock-induced stupor.
“Now do you understand?” he said, as he shoved the knife into my belly.
I did understand. I understood at that moment that I was already as dead as my wife. I knew that this piece of human garbage had taken something beautiful from this world. I knew I had to do something about it before there was nothing I could do. Before my body succumbed to injuries and I was unable.
I grabbed him by the throat. He tried to laugh, but my grip was fueled by desperation.
He tried to free himself but couldn’t. He began stabbing me over and over. I refused to release him. I carried him by his neck over to the kitchen counter and began bashing his head off the marble.
I was rewarded with spots of his blood. I knew at least I had made him bleed and that made me smile. His eyes grew wide as my grin grew maniacal. I smashed him repeatedly, crushing him against the sink, breaking the faucet, and causing water to spray into the air.
His eyelids fluttered as he lost his grip on the knife.
He was nearly gone. I would take him with me and that would be my parting gift to the world, removing something so evil.
Suddenly, my body wouldn’t obey commands. My grip loosened. I tried to tighten it, but I had lost all control. I looked down and I was standing in a pool of my own blood.
His eyes fluttered open and he coughed.
‘Nonononononono!’ I thought. ‘He can’t live. He can’t win. I had him.’
He stood as I sank to the floor.
“Looks like maybe you do understand, doc,” he said from what seemed like miles away. “Too bad you won’t be around to discuss it. We could have a session and evaluate how it makes you feel.”
His foot came down on my spine. I felt a crack. He started kicking me in the side repeatedly. Splashing water and blood on me as I felt my ribs crack.
I fought with everything I had.
My body didn’t even twitch.
‘Nooooo!,’ I screamed. ‘It can’t end like this.’
I heard a sizzling sound and then there was darkness.
***
I could feel movement.
Wasn’t I dead?
Was this what happened after?
It was still dark.
‘Hello?’ I tried to say.
Nothing. Just the sensation of movement.
Am I in a body bag? Am I on my way to the morgue or the grave? Please don’t let me be buried alive.
But I’m not alive, am I?
I don’t feel any pain. That’s a good thing, but not a good sign. The last thing I remember was lots of pain.
Suddenly there’s light and my movement stops.
I look up from the floor of a house I don’t recognize.
‘Where the hell am I?’
I’m on the floor next to a wall, looking up at an electrical outlet. Nothing around me seems familiar. I try to stand but it feels weird. It isn’t difficult, and there’s still no pain, it just carries an odd sensation with it. Like my body is just relearning things. Just like when I was a toddler. I teeter back and forth as I rise, but eventually, I’m upright.
My first few steps are tentative, but after that, I gain confidence with each stride.
Aside from the strange surroundings, there’s a sensation, like ants crawling all over me.
I pass a bathroom and glance inside. The reflection in the mirror draws me back. I slowly approach it, seeing something unique and terrifying.
It looks like someone drew an outline of a human form using a lightning bolt. The electricity shimmers and crackles as it races around the empty form of the being.
I wonder if it will hurt me.
Not sure if I want to test the limits of my newfound lack of pain, I hesitantly reach for this creature. It reaches for me at the same time. I’m mesmerized by this mutual curiosity.
My hand is about to touch the electric pulse shaped like its hand. I tremble with anticipation and fear as we touch.
Surprisingly, I don’t feel any pain. I don’t feel anything except a hard surface.
I move my hand back and forth. The creature does the same. I make quicker movements, and so does it.
Finally, out of frustration, I reach back and strike at the creature.
My hand strikes the hard surface and it splinters. There are now multiple creatures staring back at me.
I step back and come to the horrible realization.
I am the creature.
***
One month later…
“And police have been unable to find any credible leads in the string of brutal killings that began shortly after the patient escaped from the mental hospital last month,” the handsome anchorman stated from behind his desk. “They are asking people to call in if they know the whereabouts of Frederick Winston, now known as, ‘The Mangler’.”
“In other news, the Larsan Electric Company has issued a statement that the recent power surges are no cause for alarm. These surges seem to be random in people's homes and certain businesses. An LEC spokesman stated that there appears to be no pattern to the surges and that so far no one has reported them causing any harm. LEC is tracking down the problem and should have it under control soon.”
The anchorman shifted in his seat and turned to another camera.
“And on a lighter note, with Halloween months away, it seems that reports of ghosts are on the rise,” he said, wearing a half grin. “Several area residents have reported what they call a ghostlike figure, outlined in light, visiting them. Reports vary as to the duration and location of the visits, but they do seem to have a few things in common. The visits are usually short. In fact, most people say that if they blink the figure is gone. No one has reported the ghost doing any harm. And it seems like anyone within close proximity feels a tingling sensation and their hair standing on end.”
“Maybe I should be visited instead of my next hairdresser’s appointment,” the attractive woman anchor said with a laugh.
“Schedule me a visit too,” the male anchor said smiling. “And that’s our news for the evening, good night.”
Jimmy switched the channel.
“Gimme a break,” he said to the TV. “Ghosts? Who’s playing what? This’s some marketing scheme to sell Halloween crap. Like that stunt they pulled a few years back with the clowns hanging around the schools to promote that stupid movie.”
He switched off the TV and rolled over in his bed.
It wasn’t long before his breathing slowed. But before sleep could take him, he noticed a glow in the hallway. He didn’t remember leaving any lights on when he came to bed. Living alone had its advantages. If he heard someone in his apartment, he knew they weren’t supposed to be there. He slowly reached over to the bedstand and pulled out his Glock 9mm handgun, then held it close and listened.
He watched as the glow moved. It seemed like someone was looking around. But for what? He didn’t really have anything aside from his TV, phone, and video games. If anyone wanted those, they would be in a world of hurt. He had been lucky to get this apartment. If he was honest with himself, it cost more than he could afford, but when he had the chance he took it. It was too bad the opening came because the person who lived there before him was one of The Mangler’s victims. That’s probably why he was able to rent the place so quickly and get the price down to where he could almost afford it.
Maybe the glow was one of the street people who were stupid enough to see if there was an empty apartment to claim. That wasn’t gonna fly either. Jimmy had jumped on this apartment to get away from the dingy rat hole he used live in on the other side of town. And there was no way he’d let some bum come in here and take what was his.
The glow crept closer. He could feel the hairs on his arms raise. There was a sound too. It wasn’t loud, almost felt more than heard. A soft crackle, like electricity when it sparked.
The sensory input was almost too much for Jimmy to take. He pointed the gun in the direction of the glow and saw the barrel was shaking. His resolve, that he could deal with anyone as long as he had his gun, was beginning to fade.
The glow became so bright that it finally took form.
Jimmy’s eyes widened. It was the form of a person, just like the news had said.
It seemed to look around the room, then settle its gaze on the bed. Jimmy began to sweat as it approached and stared into his eyes.
It was the oddest thing, staring into what should be eyes, but nothing was there. The flashes of mini lightning bolts formed shapes that looked almost human, but it was just an outline, there was nothing inside what should be the body.
He shoved the shaking gun out from under the blanket and pointed it at the glowing figure.
The figure noted the presence of the gun, then continued to advance.
“S… stop,” Jimmy said. “I’m w… warning you.”
The figure ignored the warning.
Jimmy squeezed the trigger, setting off a deafening shot that went right through the face of the figure.
It acted as though nothing had happened, continuing to advance. The ringing in Jimmy’s ears made all sound seem muffled.
The figure stopped two inches from Jimmy’s face.
“Mangler… “ it said, sounding less like a voice and more like a transmission over an old staticky radio.
“I… I’m not the Mangler,” he said. “The person who used to live here was killed by him.”
It seemed to ponder this for a moment.
“Find Mangler… “ it said.
“I d… don’t know where to find him.”
It moved an inch closer. As the flashes of electricity arced, licked hungrily at Jimmy’s face.
“Find… him… “
“Ok, ok, I’ll find him,” Jimmy said, feeling the heat from the electricity.
The figure seemed to consider that for a moment then backed away. It moved toward the bedroom wall. Then, like someone had turned on a vacuum, it was sucked into an electrical outlet and disappeared.
Jimmy laid back in bed, breathing hard. His eyes darted left and right all around the room. But the only evidence of the figure that remained was the bullet hole in his bedroom wall.
***
The trips through the electrical conduits had become easier. There were still times when I came out someplace I didn’t intend to, but I was usually able to recover quickly and get to where I wanted to go.
But where did I want to go? At first, I wandered around, lost in this new form I found myself trapped inside. It was only after I had overheard a news report about the serial killer they called The Mangler that I gained my purpose.
Of course, Frederick was going to keep killing. Of course, they weren’t going to be able to catch him. He’d been inside away from his victims before and he didn’t like it. Not being able to torture and kill innocents was like a normal person not being able to breathe. Not that I know much about normal or breathing anymore.
I suppose on some level I should thank him. I thought about it for a long time and the only thing that makes any kind of sense is when we were fighting, somehow the water and blood I was laying in got splashed into the electrical socket. Instead of killing me, it bonded with me, making me able to become the electrical current. To ride it like a wave to wherever I wanted.
I became faster than any person ever was. And yet, I wasn’t a person anymore. I have no idea how I retained my consciousness, let alone my memory. But somehow…
I justify it by the old adage, ‘I think therefore I am.’
My life has become an endless hunt for the person who destroyed me, the person I must destroy. I don’t even know what I’ll do when I find him. But I will find him. I will stop him. This time, I won’t fail. I’ll end him like I should’ve before.
I owe it to the people he’s tortured and killed since my failure. Most of all, I owe it to my wife. I know she wouldn’t approve of my bloodlust. She would say there must be some other option. But if she would be able to see her dead body hanging naked from our living room wall, I think she just might change her mind.
My thoughts are interrupted as I arrive at my next destination, another victim’s house. I’m not sure what I’ll find that the police haven’t, but I have to try. Maybe I can pick up his scent somehow. A plan almost assuredly doomed to failure since I lost all sense of smell in the transformation.
I’m surprised though that I can still see and hear. I suppose waves of light and sound somehow intersect with my electrical body and it senses them. I don’t question it. I’ve learned to just go with it.
On the plus side, I don’t have to worry about eating, drinking, or using the bathroom. I guess there’s an upside to everything. Elizabeth would be so proud of me.
I arrive at the room where the victim was murdered. Looking around there’s still blood everywhere, along with evidence markers where they took pictures.
The sheer amount of blood tells me he took his time. He desecrated this girl in her own room. Her parents must’ve been out because there’s no way they didn’t hear the struggle. There were books on the floor, a chair overturned, and blood everywhere. The room was a disaster. It looked like she fought him. I wish she would’ve succeeded where I had failed.
But then, I wish I hadn’t failed, and this girl was still alive.
There’s nothing I can do now except find him and end him.
Finding him was proving more difficult than I thought. I had unlimited access to anywhere with electricity, but I couldn’t use a computer or a GPS. I was limited to transportation only through electricity. Granted that still made me the fastest being alive. I say being because I don’t think I qualify as human anymore. But I was limited to traveling to a place and then trying to find out where I was and if he was there.
If he knew I was searching for him all he would have to do is live the rest of his days in a cabin in the woods with no electricity. I’d never be able to reach him.
I believe two things worked in my favor with that theory.
First, I don’t think he’s that smart, and second, I don’t think he knows I’m looking for him. I believe that surviving our fight only further empowered him to kill. When someone feels invincible, they’re bound to make a mistake.
An officer walked into the room and I ducked back into an outlet. I was able to hang on where I was and watch from inside the outlet without being transported somewhere else.
The officer looked startled and stared at the empty air that I had just vacated. She looked like she was unsure if she trusted what her eyes had seen in the instant before I vanished.
She slowly stepped over to the corner and bent down to peer into the outlet. For a moment I wondered if she could see me, and what exactly she would see. But then her radio squawked calling her to another scene. When I heard the voice on the radio say the address and that they might have the killer cornered, I didn’t waste any time.
It was maybe fifteen seconds until I was across town at the address I’d heard. There was a lot of screaming and crying going on. I came out of the outlet and saw blood on the floor beside a body that wasn’t moving.
There was a girl being beaten by a man with his back to me. He turned to take another swing and I knew my search was over.
“My psychiatrist used to tell me I needed to work on my impulse control,” he said calmly as he slapped her. “I think I’m doing pretty good. I’ve been here ten whole minutes and you’re still alive.”
I shot across the room and knocked him to the floor. He jumped back up and looked around for what had hit him.
“What the hell?”
I saw the fear in his eyes when he saw me. I know Elizabeth would’ve been ashamed, of me, but I was enjoying his anxiety. After all he had done to me and so many others, I drank it in like an elixir.
He started edging toward the door. I was there in a heartbeat. His eyes darted back and forth between where I used to be and where I now stood. The panic in his eyes doubled.
I wanted to make him suffer, but I didn’t want to make the same mistake I’d made before and let him escape with his life.
I lashed out with a bolt that used to be my arm. The energy slashed through his shirt and fried a hole in his shoulder.
He screamed in pain and horror as he looked at the smoking hole in his skin. He tried to run but in an instant, I was there in front of him firing another bolt and searing the skin across his waist to his jeans.
His screams of pain and rage were only matched by the feral desperation in his eyes.
Not knowing what do to, he went with the familiar. Attack the innocent. He grabbed the girl who had been crawling away from the scene.
He grabbed her again and held her in front of him like a human shield.
What a waste of skin.
I fired a bolt into a ceiling light beside me which ricocheted and hit him full force in the leg, nearly severing it.
He went down like a ton of bricks, trying to hold on to his hostage, but she was fighting to get away from him. She broke free and he crumpled to the floor.
“What do you want?” he screamed at me.
With everything that is within me, I wanted to tell him who I was, what he had taken from me, and what I was about to take from him.
But I didn’t want to give the satisfaction. I wanted to give him only uncertainty and fear to cling to.
I could feel the seconds ticking away. I knew I had to make the most of this opportunity or he would get away again. And after this, I might never find him.
I unleashed every ounce of energy at him. I couldn’t even see him, he was only a smoking pillar of frying skin.
Just then, the police burst through the door.
“FREE… “ the first officer started then the shock of what he was seeing stole the rest of the word from his mouth.
He stood there, mouth agape when the female officer stepped in behind him. She looked at me and her wide eyes narrowed as she put two and two together and recognized me from the last crime scene.
I had no reason to fear. I didn’t know if I could even be harmed in my current state. But when you see that blue uniform burst through a door with a gun aimed at you, all rational thought takes a vacation.
I dove for the outlet and was gone. I didn’t even care where I was going. I knew I had done what I wanted to. The monster was destroyed.
Something felt different. Was it pride at finishing my crusade? Was it shame knowing Elizabeth wouldn’t have wanted me to do it?
I don’t know but there was something else. It was like there was added weight to my existence. I guess you can have a conscious in whatever you’d call this existence.
I appeared in the place that made the most sense, ironically. It was my old home. The one where everything I loved died, including me. It was where I took on this unintended new existence.
Is that why I felt this extra weight? Was it some cathartic aftereffect of my search for revenge that was finally over?
I looked around the charred debris of what used to be my home. In my mind's eye, I didn’t see the burned-out shell of what was left. I saw it as it was when we first moved in. When Elizabeth and I started decorating. When the interior was finally finished and I turned to her and said, “For now.” Knowing she would decide to change everything at some time in the future when she was bored, just like all women seem to do.
I remember getting a paintbrush across the mouth for that comment. I smiled remembering kissing her with my freshly painted mouth and ending up in the bedroom.
As I turned toward where I’d entered the house, my smile quickly faded. For some reason, I was still connected to the outlet. That had never happened before.
Another curiosity arose when I noticed the color of my electrical body was now tinged purple. It had always been blue before.
The tail of what had yet to come out of the outlet was red. As I pulled and it came the rest of the way out, it merged with me and turned purple.
“What the hell?” I heard someone say.
I whipped around but no one was there.
“Where am I?” the voice said.
“Who are you?” I said to the air.
There was a long silence.
“Doc?” the voice said.
As far as I knew it wasn’t possible for my spine to turn to ice, since I no longer had a spine, but the feeling seemed the same.
“Frederick?” I said.
“What happened?” he said. “This crazy electric thing attacked me and now… wait a minute. How am I talking to you? You died months ago.”
My shock gave way to utter despair. My enemy was now part of me.

Throw away bcs my husband is on my main.
I (25f) been married for 6 months to a great 32m. we dated for a year and a half, I saw his mom on occasions and she was great. Now his father owns apartment blocks and instead of us looking for a place to move where we have to pay rent and bills his dad just gave him an apartment. Great deal, right? Only problem is that my in laws live in the same street, basically the house next to our block.
A little background on my mother in law (I don't speak of my father in law because he doesn't give two fucks what we do) . My MIL grew up in a very strict and conservative household, almost abusive. Ok not almost, it was abusive. Her father favored his sons over his daughter, he let them finish school, drive, bought them cars, sent them on vacations around the world.. Etc but for my MIL it was the opposite, for him a woman had to stay home and learn how to cook and clean to be a good wife. She wasn't allowed to leave the house alone, he got her out of school, no driving licence, no trips around the world, nothing. What he did was buy her anything she wished for delivered to the house. Like she had all the fanciest designer clothes and makeup. She got married to my FIL, a man her dad chose for her, and he was almost the same as her father minus the fancy stuff.
So back to now, she is supportive of her kids and her DILs, she likes us studying, working, being free, having ambitions and she'd always take our sides on that. The issue is, she is very very nosy and sometimes controlling. She looks down on people, If someone in her in laws family tries to belittle her she quickly jumps on them telling them how she used to eat the most expensive foods that they couldn't afford. Or in a conversation with them she likes to show off a lot, like "I don't think like all of you, I'm different". All she did in her dad's house was cook and sew and so she made sure to excell at those, now she makes fun of people who buy frozen food, store bought food, fast food, pastries. I feel like she has inferiority complex because she didn't finish her studies so she compensate with other things.
Now if she was like that with her in laws then I wouldn't have cared but because I live right next to her she asks about everything that's going on in my life. I've decided to take a year to stay home before looking for jobs, as my husband can provide enough for both of us right now and my MIL wants me to spend every day with her. She teaches me how to cook and bake and then if I dare buy something from the outside in my own house, like pastries or pizza,she would " jokingly " tell me how much she's disappointed in me, and how homemade stuff taste so much better, but then laugh it off and say I can do whatever I want. I had my family over once for a visit and they bought my favorite pastries so I shared some with her and she gave it away to the neighbors, sometimes she'd have a taste and tell me it was a waste of money.
She doesn't like me cooking in my house, she tells us to have lunch and dinner with her every day. I feel like sometimes when I refuse she purposely cook her son's favorite dish so we could go over. She tells me constantly how she doesn't have lunch anymore because I'm not with her and when she's alone she just can't be bothered to eat. She have no sisters nor daughters, three sons, one goes to college and then my husband and his married brother on another block next to use. She says she stays alone when the DILs arent with her and she feels lonely. She tells us to bring her sons dirty laundry to wash and iron!!! She still makes my husband's lunch box for work and won't let me do it. She just can't let them go even if they'll be living right next to her.
Another thing is that she's been keeping track of my period, pressuring me to get pregnant. I want to have kids and I'm trying to but it takes time, she makes remarks every now and then like "don't eat that, you might be pregnant"." You're tired because it's your ovulation period, you still have time to get pregnant " "did you get your period yet? " "is that a period symptom or like totally new? Could be a pregnancy symptom" and then when I get my period she gets disappointed.
She doesn't like me and her other DIL going to each other's house or having private conversations, she feels like we're plotting against her. If something doesn't go her way she gets upset. She feels young (she's 62 but acts like she's 40) she likes us to share our secrets with her. If me and the other DIL are chatting in her house she rushes over and ask us what we're talking about and to repeat it.
These are little things, I get that, but they're so frequent that they're driving me insane. I watch everything I do in my house because she can come over any minute and make remarks. I don't mind going over to hers sometimes but she makes me do a shit ton of baking and dish washing. She always acts like she knows her son best, which ok she's his mom sure but I know him too. "My son won't eat that, he doesn't like it (her son ends up eating it) " "my son doesn't like this, my son like that, my son like this with little to no sugar, my son doesn't like dry cakes, my son my son my son"
Now you'd ask, where the fuck is your husband in all of this? My husband works from 7am to 6pm. Comes home tired, just want to have dinner and chill with me. But he also loves his mom to bits and he feels bad for her because she got nobody, his dad doesn't care about anything, does his own thing. He doesn't like to upset her, if she cries to him he quickly gives in, he can't say no to her face. He says she spoiled them a lot and took really good care of them that he can't abandon her and asks me to please try to balance between the two homes. To try and please her.
I'm sorry, I wrote too much and this is like not everything that's been going on, there's still more but I'll stop here.
I have no idea what to do anymore, I feel like upsetting her would cause problems between my husband and I. We fight so little and when we do it's about our situation with her. He can't pick between us and I don't want to put him in that position either. The other DIL is going through the same situation btw, only she got a son now so she's busy with him and my MIL doesn't pressure her as long as she can have her grandkid home with her sometimes.