#i have offically escaped from the adhd beast

[tinypixl]

Inspired by Vrelnir saying that Harper was originally supposed to track down asylum escapee PC's on the blogspot a while ago, so here's a lil scene for how I imagine this could have gone (with a tiny sprinkle of wish fulfillment✨)

@pip-n-chips come get yo food, this was motivated by you digging up that old-ass ask 👀

Warnings/Additional Info: m!Harper, no smut sry, Harper being Harper, stalking, vomit mention, wobbly writing, implied past/future SA, traumatized PC, drugs, kidnapping, a tiny sprinkle of yandere

"...And remember, ladies and gentlemen," Harper said sternly, his hands folded behind his back: "You are dealing with a very disturbed and possibly confused individual that is quite capable of harming others as well as themselves."

Harper now finally turned to face the group of orderlies behind him with an unreadable expression. He paused for a few seconds, letting his words set in before continuing: "That being said, it is of upmost importance that you do not underestimate the patients intellectual capacity," Harpers expression remained unreadable but he visibly clenched his teeth, remembering how he himself had so stupidly miscalculated that sharp wit of yours.

"...Especially not after the incident that they caused a few days ago, which started this whole situation in the first place. The ones of you working in the asylum will know the full extend."

Some of the orderlies exchanged confused glances, the others knew better.

Harper turned around again and took a few steps forward. He stopped infront of a desk and picked up a piece of paper. It was a poster. A poster of you, with glazed, terror-stricken eyes. It had been taken when you first came to the asylum, now printed out as a warning to the townfolk (at least, that's the excuse he used in this case all the time: the safety of the townfolk...)

He inspected it incrediously, before swiftly fetching it as he spoke up once more: "I not only want you to be on the lookout for anyone entering and leaving the Nightingale hospital, I want you to keep an eye on the whole town, especially on Domus street. We've talked about the benefits those who'll retrieve this patient will recieve."

Harper looked upon that beautiful poster of yours once more before turning his head towards the orderlies one last time, the soft smile he usually wears had returned to his features.

"That was all, don't forget it," he remarked mannerly but one would've been reckless to ignore the discreet undertone of his voice.

"You are dismissed."

Orderlies began to shuffle out of the room. Harper made sure to wait until the last one left, the door slamming close before he returned his attention to the poster.

The dark room was dead quiet now with the only light peaking in through the thin lines of the shut blinds.

Harpers thumb gently brushed over the cheek of your image as he only took in your haunted expression for a moment. Then, he moved his arm to put it back on the desk again but stopped short of it's surface. Instead, he folded it three times and put it in the right pocket of his doctor's coat for later. It's not the first copy he lended for personal use but it's okay, he made enough for it not to make a difference.

To his suprise, he actually found himself feeling quite giddy today. It was certainly a big improvement from last weeks mood.

That being said, he still chastised himself for his embarrassing underestimation of your character. After all, it was extremely significant for his profession to be wary and watchful. But you were always so unassuming. Harper had carelessly mistaken your quietness as flustered shyness, maybe even submission. A mistake, that had made him want to rip his hair out when it finally hit him.

Your mind's stubborn refusal of his hypnosis attempts should've been a major red flag for that but then again, you'd never made the impression of an unruly patient who was plotting something. You weren't really popular with the other patients, mostly keeping to yourself and studying. You never resisted the rest of the treatment, never attacked him, always looking at him with those big innocent doe eyes-

Harper slammed his hands on the desk in front of him, some of his irritation returning accompanied by an odd fluttering in his stomach.

That little plan of yours had set into motion about two months ago, he reckoned. He recalled the view in front of him, of the flimsy hospital gown barely covering your supple body and how you'd obeyed his command to sit on his lap without any protests. The way your plush thighs had pressed against his own...

He could still feel the shivers go right into his crotch thinking about it... And how you'd kissed him then... Your soft lips hungrily bruising his, wet little tongue peaking into his mouth. So eager, so devoted... He really thought then that you'd lusted for him in the same vain that he had for you for so, so long.

A shaky breath came through Harper's slightly parted mouth. He wasn't entirely sure if you'd taken his keycard then or after he had you bend over his desk but it was gone in the evening. He'd spend the entirety of that day flushed with his heart pumping, he hadn't thought much of it going missing, as he'd also visited the farm not too long after. There was a spare he'd kept after all so it didn't matter much to him, thinking it just fell out in his lust-filled stupor...

Imagine his horror when he'd gotten all the patients back under control during that incident and you were suddenly missing. He'd even been worried at first that you'd gotten attacked and were lying somewhere, hurt. The security footage disproved that rather quickly. None of the orderlies had been able to find, let alone retrieve you from the surrounding area.

He'd spend that whole evening looking for you, and the entire night looking through hours upon hours of security footage. You'd entered the security room the same evening you'd stolen his keycard. That had also been when your frequent studying habit started. Every single damn textbook you'd used had been looked through by him that night. Oh you smart, slippery little thing. You'd been trying to figure out how to manipulate the control panel all this time...

A uncharacteristic grin formed on Harper's lips, his giddiness returning. Right, you were smart and you'd tricked him. He gave you that. But you were also all alone. Sure, he couldn't really waltz into Bailey's territory to get you back, you were still his ward which he hated, he should be the one in control, it wasn't enough to desperately pull on your delicate strings-

But you also wouldn't be able to hide in the orphanage forever. Eventually, you would have to resume your everyday life and then it would only be a matter of time.

Harper glanced into the asylum's yard through the cracks of the blinds, watching all the small moving figures.

It would only be a matter of time before he got you back.

~

A few small knocks rang against your door. The noise didn't startle you too much anymore, you'd gotten used to it pretty quickly after coming back. Despite this, it seemed a bit different today. With how early it was you first thought that it had been Bailey but the softness of the knocks contradicted that assumption.

For another moment, you just laid there, staring up at the ceiling before exhaling and dragging yourself to your dingy bedroom door.

Through the little gap, the flickering light of the hallway as well as two big, round, sympathetic eyes greeted you. Robin. She wore that small apologetic smile, with her brows softly knitted over her eyes. You adored that expression as much as you loathed it sometimes, it made you feel so pitied...

"Hey, how are you feeling?", Robin inquired carefully.

Stuttering, you could only give her a rather vague answer: "Umm I... I d-don't know I... think I'm okay...?"

"Do you think that... Maybe you'll be able to go to school again? No pressure of course! I'm just... A bit worried that you'll maybe miss too many hours. Don't want you to get written up or anything.."

Sweat collected on your hands that you tried to wipe on your pyjama pants. Robin was right but... You were still a bit... skeptical about assuming that you're in the clear just because you escaped but you couldn't tell her that.

Robin noticed your inner tutmoil and chimed in once more: "Of course, I'd walk with you to and from school! Just like you did when I was...", she trailed off.

Your mouth felt dry, trying to force out an answer.

"... Okay. I'll get ready."

Robin beamed at you before telling you to come to her room when you were done. It's fine you figured, you couldn't hide in the orphanage forever.

~

It was, in fact, not fine. But you didn't figure that out soon enough, the days after you'd gone to school again running just too smoothly. Despite looking over your shoulder, you never saw anyone watching. On the third day you even felt save enough to start to go to work on your own again.

Now, hiding in an alleyway beside two dumpsters in the dead of night, you noticed your slip-up.

Your hands were clutching a poster that you had ripped off the wall behind you minutes prior and probably the reason why you were in this situation in the first place. Your face was plastered on top. On the bottom it read: 'Warning! Dangerous asylum escapee; Caution is advised' along with a number to call about your last whereabouts. You had never been a danger to other people and still weren't but you knew the truth didn't matter in this town. Not when it was so easy for someone sneaky and powerful enough to just twist it to their advantage.

It was now abundantly clear to you where the orderlies you'd ran from earlier came from. Why didn't any of those posters catch your attention before?

Quietly, you huddled further into yourself beside the two dumpsters, trying to keep it together.

The alley lead into a dead-end but maybe, just maybe you were lucky and they hadn't seen you go in. You assumed they were still searching the surrounding area, so if you were quiet enough-

"Are you certain they went this way? You haven't found any trace of them yet."

You almost choked on the air that you were trying to inhale, hands instantly clasping over your mouth as you tried to keep yourself from hyperventilating. Of course, you'd recognize that smooth almost plummy voice instantly. You briefly wondered why he'd make such a big effort of showing up himself to bring you back but then again, the poster clutched in your hands over your mouth should've been enough prove to you that he was very serious about this.

A group of footsteps ripped you out of your thoughts and made your heart jump in terror. They were still rather distant but... definitely in the alleyway you were hiding in.

"100% sure Doctor, 'seen them go in this direction myself. We've searched any possible place they might've went. They have to be in here."

Oh god, you felt like you were going to throw up. The footsteps came closer, you could hear it. The ones closest to you sounded calm as they could be. Unrushed, taking their sweet time before they suddenly stopped.

"Alright. Let me handle this.", Harper's voice rang out once more. Now you could only hear those calm, slow footsteps coming closer and closer. Tears stung at the corners of your eyes.

Your name being called out gingerly sent a cold shiver down your spine. Harper's voice had taken on a soothing tone, the same one he used to play-pretend a normal doctor, the same one he used to hypnotise people:"... You don't have to be afraid any longer. I'm here to help you!"

At this point, you had completely given up on trying to control your breathing. Instead trying to hold you breath as much as could to prevent a full-blown panic attack. Prey, you felt like cornered prey.

"Please don't make this so hard on the both of us. I can help you. You'll feel so much better with regular treatment, I promise..."

Tears now ran down your cheeks freely as it took everything in you not to sob in pure horror. Despite your heartbeat pounding in your ears you heard clearly that his voice had started to shake slightly; giddy with anticipation. You needed to get out of here... You needed to get out of here!

"Someone in your predicament shouldn't be without help for so long...", his voice became more breathy as he closed in on your hiding spot.

"We both know that I know what's best for you..", the edge of lust in it was now unmistakeable. He was getting off on this.

You bit down on your tongue, trying to still your quivering form. You'd captivated the dear doctor, so much more than you could have known that you did and now, you'd pay gravely for your mistake-

"Got you."

A bloodcurdling scream tore out of your throat when his flushed, panting face was suddenly inches away from yours. It was instantly muffled by a chloroform-drenched rag. In your adrenaline-fueled desperation, you tore on his arm and pulled him down with you.

It took Harper by suprise and he crashed down on his knees, which gave you the chance to draw in a last-minute breath before wasting no more time to get to your feet to bolt out of the alley.

Something brushed over the hood of your jacket, trying to grasp ahold of it but failing as you ran, ran, ran

right into the arms of the two orderlies, to your unfortune.

"Not so fast!", one of them commanded. You tugged against them but they have you held tightly by both arms.

The clicking sound of dress shoes against concrete rang in your ears. You lifted your head to Doctor Harper's approaching figure.

Finally, the loud sob you'd been holding in slipped from you. You started struggling even harder against the two orderlies, nauseous with pure dread.

"Easy there kid.", one of the oderlies told you but you couldn't hear them, your mind preoccupied with primal fear.

Harper steps in front of you, with his usual soft, creepy smile.

"Sshhh..." Harper gently tucked a strand of hair behind your ear before firmly grasping your chin. His thumb lightly stroking it.

"Don't worry, I know what you need. I know that you need me."

With that, he held the rag to your face tightly as he continued to shush your muffled cries.

His thumb never leaving the softness of your cheek until your lights went out.

[ren1327]

Stay Away From Lake Derek: A Sentry Prequel

Hi guys, this is my first creepypasta that would be my jumping off point for The Sentry series. I thought I'd post the first three chapters here (minus The Midnight Tea Party). I really like my series and want to give it some more love here. And if you guys like it, please find more on my AO3 under Original Works!

The Sentry series follows three young men: Cole; an adhd boy who's often about to be killed by his own curiosity, Jacob; his best friend who is trying to escape his past trauma and make something new, and Mac, thier schoolmate turn friend desperately trying to find a sense of normal as he find himself shifting into a murderous beast nightly. They try to come to terms with losing thier humanity and escaping the sights of a Wendigo and his human followers. They are taken in by Grayson; an exiled fae prince turned sentry of a sealed doorway between worlds, Jasper; his literal man-eating southern husband, Mac's cousin Paige; a badass barista and her sleepy bat-shapeshifting partner, Toffee, and later a mysterious hybrid humanoid named Kai, among many familiar myths and legends known through out the united states and the world.

CW: Violence, Gore, HS senior aged boys being dumbasses.

----------------------------------

His mom had just got a new job as a deputy at a sheriff's office in a town surrounded by thick woods on one side and the coast of Washington state some miles west of Victoria. The town wasn't too big, but not staggeringly small. They had a Walmart and the drive to the city wasn't too hard to manage.

His new school was a one-story building with a gym, a computer lab, a standard size library and about eight classrooms. So, getting to class was quick and easy, the only downside being no official cafeteria, but a fully stocked kitchen. The food was often delivered to the home rooms, where they would report to for their lunch break and free period.

Another plus was that they only had four classes a day, so the students were able to arrive at 10, have lunch, then start the one-hour classes. They had our forty-minute home room, where they would gather supplies for the day, finish homework, catch up, use the bathroom, hear school announcements, and watch the local news on donated TVs. Then the first of their five-minute change of classroom started. Being a small school with under one hundred students, it was easily managed by both staff and students.

Cole, luckily, already had a friend to help him get around.

Jacob Bennett had been his friend since he was a boy. Despite the very religious and severe upbringing, Jacob was colorful and kind. Then he had been taken from his parents and placed with his Uncle Tristan. Tristan had taken Jacob as far as he could to Seattle, then moved farther as an opportunity to give Jacob a new outlook and the ability to start over.

Cole knew Jacob needed this change, and despite the many years that passed, Cole never made any more friends.

So when his mother told him she would go as a consultant for a year, Cole begged to go and see his friend. Esperanza Fletcher-Ruiz had counted on Cole coming along for the ride and told him her new apartment had two rooms so he wouldn’t have to stay behind with his grandmother. The moment he saw his blond friend, now delightfully chubby with freckles doted over his honey toned shoulders and cheeks, as opposed to sallow and thin, Cole knew he would be okay.

Jacob let Cole know the rules over the phone; how to easiest navigate school life and mostly, who was who and how to connect. And who to avoid.

Cole’s first day had been pretty nice. He had connected with a few teachers, and even made some acquaintances.

During fourth period, he was packing up his history notes when he noticed…her.

She was willowy, thin and pretty, but a little on the shorter side, with long dark hair that hid some of her face. She was still writing in her journal. The teacher had long gone already, and the school would be closed soon for the night. Cole adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

"Hey, um, class is over." He called.

She didn't move except her scribbling.

"Hey?" Cole called again; now nervous he might have to talk to her even more. He didn't like talking to others if he could avoid it.

He felt Jacob’s warm hand grab his wrist and yank him away. “Hey, yeah, no. Do not talk to her.”

"What? Why?" He asked, rubbing his wrist.

"That Marla Gutierrez. Her Grandpa is scary as hell." He explained as they walked to the bus stop. They lived a few stops away and luckily were only a floor apart in the apartment building.

Once they paid and took their seats, Jacob continued. "Rumor is the old man killed his wife and son and kidnapped Marla. She never ever talks. Like ever!"

"That can't be true. Wouldn't the cops have taken him away?" Cole asked, knowing how much Jacob liked tall tales and gossip. "Come on, Jake, you don't believe in that stuff."

"They can't prove it." He said with a huff.

"DNA test on her?" The speckled boy countered.

"Well...okay, you got me there. But what if he killed her parents. His son went missing and washed up on the lake shore in pieces. They said a bear did it...but you never know." He said in a spooky voice.

"Lake? As in Lake Derek?" He asked.

"Yeah! Lots of kids go there to mess around. Speaking of which...Wanna go tonight?" Jacob asked, cheeks a little rosy. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

As much as Cole hated socializing, he was curious. Jacob had talked about a new friend in the last few months.

“This Dom guy?” Cole asked, a little flare of jealously igniting in his gut.

“He doesn’t like that name.” Jacob said, smoothing a lock of hair behind his ear. “But trust me, you’ll love him.”

They went to Lake Derek, parking by a chain link fence with a huge hole cut into it, duct tape wrapped around the lose wires to protect clothes and flesh from the cut metal.

Sneaking through, they came upon a huge bonfire and several people standing around, drinking from a couple of kegs and coolers filled with wine coolers and sodas. There were even a few beanbag chairs thrown onto a tarp as the occupants passed around a gun shaped bong.

Jacob snapped Cole out of his stupor.

"Cole, meet Macrae. But call him Mac. This tall jerk was my only saving grace I had when I first got here." Jacob said, motioning to the tall teen next to him.

Cole shook the stranger's hand. So this was the boy who had soothed Jacob’s transition.

The guy was tall, with dry, most likely dyed blond hair and eyes that held blackout contacts, as one could see a ring of pale blue around them. Cole noticed he had faded scars on his shoulders, and slouched lazily, wearing blue jeans, a sleeveless rock band shirt, combat boots and a shark tooth necklace.

"Jakey! I was gonna go for a swim. Wanna join?" He asked gleefully, immediately ignoring Cole and pulling Jacob close.

"No. I just got here!" Jacob said with a laugh, pushing the sweaty boy away. "Take my buddy here on one of your famous adventures. Just don't get tangled in the rocks again."

"I got out...minus some skin." Mac muttered before putting a long arm around Cole’s shoulders. "How about it, Cole?"

Cole looked at Jacob, who smiled and nodded. Cole could feel the taunt muscle of Mac’s arm, warm from the fire and nodded back, Mac feeling him and whooping loudly.

He guided Cole down a dirt path, away from the party, away from Jacob.

" Let's go visit old Mr. G." Mac said, taking out a flask and downing whatever was in it.

The smaller teen dug his heels in the dirt, causing Mac to pause. "Wait. Isn't that bad?"

"Naw. Come on." Mac said, taking off his jeans and shirt.

Cole covered his eyes before he noticed Mac hanging up his clothes in a tree and walking down to the sandy area. He kicked off his shoes and waded in the water. Cole sighed.

Might as well just stay in the shallow area. He undressed to boxers and went in. They waded in the shallow area along the edge of the rocks. Cole noticed some looked broken from the cliff and Mac huffed.

"Weird, right? Use to be connected to the sea." Mac said and he climbed on a boulder above the lake. "They'd find all kinds of fish that swam through this underwater cave from the cove. That's why the water smells so salty. Plus, this lake is a deep goddamn hole. My pop said people use to scuba dive into it. Til the Main Cave collapsed. Blocked off all the other underwater caves. Now it's just a deep ass lake. Bet ya down there, in what the old folks call the Way Deep...there's something."

"Really?” Cole asked, scrambling up the bolder. "People would have had noticed or something, right? That can’t be true."

"Then how do you explain the disappearances?" Mac asked with a grin.

He pulled Cole up to sit next to him, making sure he was steady.

"In the last ten years, there's been 35 drownings in this lake. And the bodies never found. Everyone thinks it Old Man Gutierrez.”

“Why?” Cole asked.

“He lives out here and acts all suspicious, like he's hiding something.” Mac said. “I bet he axed off his wife that way. Everyone thinks he dumps the bodies in the lake, weighing them down so they can never be found."

"Seriously?"

"I kid ya not. I try to get Jakey out here, but he can't swim. Still love him though." He slurred slightly. "Plus, I got stuck in them at one point. Maybe I was drunk, but it felt like something was yanking me into the water."

"Uh...I think I need to get back. I still have a curfew." Cole said, trying to find an excuse to get out of the creepy lake.

"Whatever, dude!" Mac teased. "Tell Jakey I'll be back soon!"

Cole nodded and scuttled down the rocks back to the sand, quickly getting dressed and quickly following the path. He stopped when he saw a deep red from the corner of his eyes.

Marla.

She was staring at the lake several meters from me. Just standing there on the edge like she was frozen. Her long dark hair fluttered along with her deep red skirt that brushed the dirt around her feet. Cole thought to call out, but just wanted to find Jacob and go.

Speak of the devil, Jacob was walking towards him.

“Cole?” He asked. “Why are you alone?”

Cole looked behind him to see Marla was gone and so were Mac’s clothes.

“Where—” Cole looked at Jacob.

“Where’s Mac?” Jacob asked.

“He wanted to go to Mr. Gutierrez’s.”

Jacob froze, looking shocked and scared. He pushed pass Cole. "We gotta go get him!"

"What? Why? What's wrong?" Cole asked.

“I can only assume he’s drunk right now and he’s not the safest guy.” Jacob hissed. “He’ll really hurt himself this time.”

Cole looked at his feet, face burning in shame. He stammered and pointed the way he came.

“This way.” he said, taking Jacob’s hand and leading him to the boulder, but finding the area barren of any life.

"Where is he?" Jacob asked, distraught.

"Maybe he’s already at Mr. Gutierrez’s house?"

Jacob nodded and led Cole around the lakeside, his hand trembling in Cole’s.

“What are you not telling me?” Cole asked.

“…Mac…He’s an alcoholic.” Jacob said. “He’s been doing better, moderating.”

“But?”

“But he got all weird when I told him you were coming, and I don’t know why he would fall so hard off the wagon.” Jacob whispered.

“Are you guys…a thing?” Cole asked. “Does he know why you’re here?”

“No. I mean, yeah, he knows about my parents but we’re not exactly…No.” Jacob answered, cheeks red. “Just, keep walking, we’re like, right in front of the house.”

They finally made it over to a rough looking lake house. The wood exterior looked murky, the porch littered with dirt and dead leaves. The wooden railing was splintered and rotting, the steps in just as bad shape.

"Is this it?" Cole whispered too loudly.

Jacob winced and made a push down motion with his hand, Cole covering his mouth.

"Yeah." Jacob said in a better volume. "Mac might be around the dock. It leads into the house."

“You guys come here often?” Cole asked.

“Not to mess with him.” Jacob said with a soft sigh. “just for a thrill or two…”

Jacob pulled Cole to a dock that led into a boat garage. The lake went under the thick rusty door into a pool Cole assumed a boat or canoe would be docked to. Jacob went to the door and jiggled the handle, finding it unlocked. He slowly opened the door and both teens gasped at the sight.

Leading from the pool where a worn rowboat was, blood led out of the water, along the edge of the opening and through a door leading into the house. From the blood pattern, it looked like someone was dragged.

And in the blood smears was a familiar shark tooth necklace.

Cole covered his mouth to keep in a fearful shout down.

He grabbed Jacob’s shirt, who had picked up the necklace and gave a breathy shutter. He cradled it in his hands, cheeks and nose reddening as he let out a soundless gasp.

They both shrank against each other when they heard a yell from inside.

“No!” Mac’s voice, muffled, yelled out. “Let go, man!”

“He’s alive…” Jacob whispered.

"We have to get help.” Cole croaked.

"It might be too late when they get here!" Jacob said. And Cole remembered with cold dread they had left their cell phones in Jacob's car, halfway around the lake. Cole knew he was right.

Gutierrez could kill Mac before they even had the chance to call for help.

Cole crept to the open door and peeked through into the kitchen to find Marla hiding under a table, hugging her knees and drenched in water.

“What the…” Jacob scanned the room and crawled under to kneel in front of her.

"Are you okay?” He asked.

She nodded, her eyes wide and lips pressed together hard.

“Have you seen our friend? He has long blond hair and was wearing a ripped shirt.”

She looked at them, eyes widening more as she clutched the fabric of her long skirt and nodded again.

"Do you know where he is?"

Another nod.

"W-where's your Grandfather?" Cole asked.

She pointed to the window and they peeked out to see the grizzled old man going into a shed. They heard a machine start, maybe a table saw, and immediately knew the small window of time to find Mac was closing.

"Can you show us where he is?" Jacob asked Marla.

She nodded and started to crawl from under the table through the door. Jacob followed and Cole noticed Marla’s hands had left a few red splotches.

She still crawled forward despite them being out of sight from the windows. Cole stood up as he looked at the peeling wallpaper…No…newspaper clippings…

Most were about people missing from the lake or even sightings of a strange creature. And framed on the wall, was a news article about a man's remains being recovered on the rocks near the lake.

To the left was a shrine to the same man and an older woman in the corner, their pictures immaculate and fresh flowers around the frames. They were in several pictures with Mr. Gutierrez. Two newspaper obituaries were laminated in plastic: Alma Gutierrez, who died of breast cancer and Derek Gutierrez, who had been attacked by a bear.

Cole’s head was spinning with so many questions, but he found himself gravitating to another shrine across the room, where a small…coffin with a glass top was, salt poured around it. The box was wrapped in chains and Cole looked over it, gasping at the sight, drawing Jacob’s attention.

He fought the urge to vomit when he and Jacob saw it was the torso and head of a mummified woman. Her waist was covered on scales and looked like she had been cut in half, nails long, hair greenish and scales along with two wide membraned fins next to her in the box. Her teeth were all as sharp as steak knives and thin as nails, jutting out in a snarl. Like a goblin shark. Her body was still decomposing, skin leathery and hanging off the bones, and the stench that escaped horrible.

On the box, carved around the border, it said: "Fair is fair Trade a life Take my child Take my knife Rest in pieces Like your prey Sleep now, devil Evil still stays"

Marla opened a trapdoor in the floor at the back of the room and pointed inside.

"Marla...what is this?" Jacob asked hands out.

Marla looked at the shrine and mouthed "Papa"

"Derek's your Dad. Okay...but what is this...thing?!" Cole asked, voice cracking as he gestured at the box.

She pointed again to the inside of the trap door. Cole finally noticed the same smell of rotten meat came from there too. But...fresher.

Cole shook his head. "What is this monster? Why is it here? Did it kill your Dad? What is it?!"

Marla stared at them for a few seconds before smiling. Her lips opened to reveal the same jutting sharp shark teeth. In a lyrical voice she said, "My Mama."

Jacob pushed Cole out of the room and slammed the door behind them. Marla screeched like some alien creature and banged on the door from within. Jacob ripped off his belt, clumsily tying the doorknob to an exposed pipe in the wall.

Cole grabbed his arm and quickly ran back to the kitchen, seeing Mac being helped onto the table, wearing a splint made of crudely cut pipes and blankets. Mr. Gutierrez looked at the boys, holding Mac steady.

“Jakey! Cole!” Mac croaked. Mr. Gutierrez still held him as he growled.

"What the hell are you doing there? You think I put up that damn gate for decoration?!" He shouted before going pale at hearing Marla's screeching.

"Shit! You all need to get lost. Take my truck and get out of here! Make sure no one comes near the lake!"

"That thing in the box...it's the thing that kill those people back then..." Cole said, connecting the dots. "It came in from the sea and..."

"Got trapped here." Gutierrez said, looking for his keys. "It lured my son in. He was such a romantic boy...who wouldn't want to be friends with a mermaid? But she...she killed him. I went after it. I found it and made sure it would never hurt anyone again...and then I found the baby. She looked normal. Legs and all. She looked so much like Derek did...”

He took a deep breath.

“I thought it was all over until our dog went missing. She had eaten him in the bath. She can't be out of water for more than a few days or she'll die like her mother did. But she also can't help hunting. I let her out to hunt fish and deer but..."

"She started hunting people." Jacob said.

"I should have..." Gutierrez shook his head, finding his keys and handing them to Cole. "Marla is still Derek's daughter. I can't...I can't lose my son again!"

He gave Mac a metal bat to lean on as he helped him to the door. "All three of you get out of here! Get out!"

Jacob and Cole grabbed Mac, shuffling out to the truck and starting it as Marla's screams grew louder.

The next few hours were a blur.

Jacob had drove around the lake to the hole in the gate, got Mac into his car and gunned it to the nearest hospital. Mac had a huge bite on his calf, which would leave him with a nasty scar and a temporary limp, but at least he was alive.

Esperanza had been the officer to respond to the hospital’s call and grilled Cole on what happened, but all three boys stayed quiet. After she noticed how all three of us were scared out of our minds, she simply asked if an animal had attacked them, wherein all three nodded.

They never went back to the lake. As far as Cole knew, Mr. Gutierrez built a new fence. One that was high, smooth bars with spikes on top. Impossible to climb or scale.

Many people noticed right away it had no door or entry way. As if not trying to keep anyone out, but keep something in.

Inside, the game would run out. The fish would be gone. And Mr. Gutierrez would find his last moments like that of his son.

It would be comforting to think Marla would eventually starve to death. If not for the rumors of a hooded figure seen walking in the trees.

Then recent news update about a storm reopening the Main Cave and the recent disappearances.

[krkrandstuff]

Kristin ponders about Kristin

still trying to figure myself out..

It’s hard to talk about struggling when there is nothing outwardly wrong and there has never been. Am I even struggling or am I just whining? Why can’t I move forward? Why am I stuck?

Lemme summarize and hopefully not ramble too much but this post is for me mainly, soooo, you know. My homelife has been idyllic, happy, I guess. No struggle, nothing traumatic. I’d call it vanilla. Everything was fine. Emotionally, maybe not so much, but growing up is a time of change, right?

I had some body image issues start up in intermediate school, but who doesn’t, honestly? Being a tall and fat female surrounded by petite and cute girls - I felt stupid wanting to be what they were. I shouldn’t be wearing makeup, shopping for skirts and dresses, liking ‘girly’ things, or revealing any bit of my figure. I felt I looked manly. I felt I would be an impostor. I felt that I hated them for having that whatever it was (it’s called confidence, Kristin). It was just better to avoid attention by wearing over-sized shirts and unintentionally ill-fitting jeans. How I ‘felt’ was a lie. Therapy in my early 20s helped with this and I realize now I’m heckin’ cute regardless of what I’m wearing. Oh, and I realized pink is an awesome color. Therapy.. it does help sometimes.

I’ve had some slumps of depression along with a steady stream of ‘eh’-veryday depression. I remember sitting on the playground in 4th grade tracing cracks in the asphalt with a woodchip for ‘fun’ because I had no friends in my class or in my school wing and my teacher wouldn’t let me stay inside to read. It wasn’t fun. That scenario repeated itself in sophomore year high school as none of my friends had a schedule that lined up with mine - not even lunch. We had been together constantly in junior high; to go from that to barely a glimpse of them my first year in a new building was awful (grades 10-12 were at the h.s.). While they ate together, had stories to tell from class, and did group projects together, I was alone. No amount of hanging out on the weekends made me feel like I wasn’t missing out. The following year, I was reunited with them until we graduated, and then all was reasonably well until we went our separate ways yet again.

University started. I tried being a typical college student. I joined some clubs. I did regularly go to my classes. I tried to meet people. I tried to have fun. My hometown friends were doing all these things and more at their schools, why couldn’t I? Eventually, I felt like my being there did not matter one way or the other. Miserable for a variety of reasons, I ended up transferring from one small university to another closer to home. The few people who reached out to me were surprised I was gone - I hadn’t told them as I hadn’t expected them to notice.

I tried again at my new university - joining a bible study, the anime club, and an Asian culture club. I slowly stopped trying. Again, I felt like my presence was negligible and unnecessary, so I withdrew into myself. I whittled my routine down to class, eat, screw around until everyone was asleep, study/work on projects, sleep. I would avoid the school building when I knew my classmates would be there outside of classtime. I even avoided the dining halls and c-stores if I couldn’t be there right when they opened (and were emptiest). I couldn’t focus unless the world was asleep, so working until dawn and beyond became a regular occurrence. I did all I could to avoid others while slowly drudging toward graduation.

Looking back, I can see the depression and anxiety eating at me. They still nip at my heels and make ugly reappearances, but I can mostly deal with them now thanks to therapy my parents forced me into attending due to a post-uni depression slump. The Buproprion I’m on helps some too. I just feel like there is still something more to be dealt with. Something that is still interfering with my life today.

All my life, I’ve been the worst procrastinator. Annoying assignments, enjoyable assignments, I would put them all to the last moment. In Viscom II, we got to design a CD case for our favorite band and I still could not work on it until the night before it was due. I would escape the guilt telling me to work by working on ‘beneficial’ hobbies. Reading is good for my education, so read more instead of working quite yet. Personal artwork was much the same. Why wouldn’t I work on my assignments ahead of time? Maybe it was that I couldn’t. In high school. I vividly recall cleaning the fridge at home top to bottom to prolong working on an essay. I used to blame laziness, but now I think it’s an inability to focus. Self-diagnosing oneself is frowned upon, but I do wonder if I have ADD. Eight paragraphs and I finally get to what I actually wanted to reflect on and ponder! Sorry self and any determined reader for the tangents. 

Current me, post-college, working a salaried 7:30-4:30 job, has been having struggles lately. My struggles stem from a worsening ability to focus at work and complete failure to do anything but ‘potato’ at home. I cannot procrastinate my work, certain tasks must be completed within certain time frames or our company faces consequences due to my inaction. However my brain still prefers to focus on every conversation and phone call around me so I can interject with information or a comment (sorry if I’m that annoying person, coworkers). My brain wants to think and talk about different cheesy dishes I desire to try and oh, where to buy Greek cheese to make saganaki. Let’s google that for 10 minutes at 8 in the morning for some reason (that train of thought was this past Thursday). Sometimes my brain gets overloaded listening to all these conversations while the printer is going, the phone is ringing, and someone is trying to get my attention. Sometimes I’m hopping between so many little projects that one more request pushes me to tears. 

There are times I want to scream, cry, and run away. None of those are office-appropriate behavior. I feel so wound up by pushing myself through my day that coming down from that at home takes all evening. That is what I call ‘potato-ing’. I zone out to Youtube and Reddit until it’s time to sleep and do it all over. I don’t know how people accomplish anything with their evenings. All I have as far as daily commitments are my job, a loving boyfriend, and two cats and still I do not have the mental energy for a fulfilling evening.

I used to define myself as a reader. I was an artist. I was a gamer. Except for the odd occasion, I don’t do these things anymore. I have a list of books I’ve been meaning to read, but I can’t find the energy to pick them up. I used to have a vivid imagination - much of it stemming from things I’ve read or watched. The source stopped, so I stopped having ideas for what I wanted to draw. I also can’t procrastinate at work, so drawing as a procrastination method is a no-go. I used to have a large list of fandoms I enjoyed, now I couldn’t name any. Some I did outgrow, but mostly, I haven’t been consuming new media because I can’t commit the energy to do so. When I do manage to start a drawing or a new book, I cannot stop. If I stop, I will never finish or go back to it. It is all or nothing.

The only time I feel clear-headed is after everyone has gone to sleep/away and I have had hours to unwind and I am left with perfect solitude. Only then do the inklings of my old pastimes try to make themselves known. Right now, I still don’t usually have the energy to act on them. I’m only able to write this long-ass mess as Joshua has gone to the game shop for the evening. It’s just me, the cats and, the rain outside. 

I did do some reading on ADD in women online. The checklist on ADDitude’s site resonates with me a lot and so do posts from redditors on the ADHD subreddit. I feel choked by how much ‘stuff’ I have. Not even close to being a hoarder, but I feel like I can’t keep up or keep these things organized. I shutdown sometimes at work when I feel overloaded. I shutdown sometimes at the grocery store because of the number of bodies and the noise and chaos. I feel like I can’t keep up with what people demand of me, socially and at work.  I do start the day wanting to accomplish so much and when I fail because I can’t get the ball rolling, my depression just eats that up. 

Writing this all out makes it clearer to me that this is not normal. It is not normal to feel hollow like this. There are things I want to accomplish, but I can never get to them. I can’t get moving. I feel frustrated. I feel sad. I feel stuck. 

I, and medical professionals (probably), never considered ADD might be the culprit as, despite being a procrastinator, I always finished my assignments. I can count on one hand the few that I didn’t. I was primarily a straight A student (until college). I didn’t have any obvious focus issues in class. I don’t live in total chaos (probably because my anxiety goes berserk when there is too much clutter). I’m not all over the place, at least on the outside. I look at my sister who does have ADHD and I can very obviously tell when she’s taken her meds or not. These classic symptoms don’t fit me, but the others do.

I’ve addressed the depression and the anxiety and avoidant behaviors (that I didn’t touch on here). This last beast remains to be conquered. If it’s not ADD, it’s something. Something that I can’t handle on my own.  I’m going to talk to my primary care when I go in this month. She’ll probably tell me I need to see a psychiatrist again, but this time I think I will take that advice. I’m tired of feeling like this. 

Fingers crossed for an answer and hopefully a solution. 

Thanks for coming to to my TedRamble. :P