Saturday, October 11, 2014

GoFundMe update

One week until our big move to our new less expensive, much nicer and probably not haunted home.  Ness has felt well enough to spend a few days visiting her Dad so that's good.

In other news some jackass stole the license plate off my roommates car so we have that to deal with. This happened while it was in the repair shop so they have to replace it so that kinda worked out but still... our luck is amazing sometimes.

That is why I am very lucky to have you folks.

And now that I have buttered you up please don't forget to make any kind of donation that you can. Moving expenses and doctor bills do NOT mix!




Uncle Al's Halloween Hoedown Day Eleven: WHAT ROUGH BEAST

What Rough Beast
by
Al Bruno III
(This story originally appeared in Eden Studios Terra Primate and appears here courtesy of the publisher)




Everyone thought she had gone home hours ago, no one noticed her car parked behind a dumpster near the back of the complex. She hid herself in a cramped room with high shelves stacked with petri dishes, latex gloves and medical equipment. Alone there she waited, waited for the late shift to end and the custodial staff to finish their rounds.

Bored and terrified all at once Dr. Linda Harrison went over her memories one by one, examining them like samples suspended in formaldehyde.

It had begun for her five years ago, a young professor of primatology fresh out of school and swimming in debt. She had no family, and had been to busy for anything more than academic pursuits. The Balock Corporation's offer had been too lucrative to resist, she'd have her student and car loans paid off in two years if she was frugal enough. All she knew going in is that she would be working as a consultant for a team of cardiologists, urologists and geneticists.

She wasn't naive, she knew it wasn't the Goodall institute she was going to work for. These were ethically nebulous medical experiments involving primates, but she rationalized it she told herself that these weren't real apes these were livestock bred for only one purpose.

Of course it wasn't that simple, nothing in life ever is.

The apes had been genetically engineered with human DNA. The goal was to create a resource for transplants. Apes with blood types and cellular structures so close to human as to be a nearly universal match. It would mean an end to waiting lists and organ rejections.

To Linda it seemed so noble, yet so farfetched.

Most of the apes died on the operating table or as a result of flawed theories and experiments. Only one was kept alive, a control subject they had given the strange-sounding nickname of Jermyn. They monitored him to see if the altered apes would suffer any long-term problems.

A noise roused Linda from her thoughts, she pressed her ear to the door and listened. She recognized the voices of the security guards as they made their leisurely way up the halls. They were talking about sports, those two always talked about sports.

She waited a little while longer then she headed out, moving as quietly as she could. She used her passkey once to enter the secure wing and a second time to enter the wing that held the animal pens.

For some reason the memory of her first day of work flashed across her mind. She had to force her way through a gauntlet of animal rights protesters. They held up signs that proclaimed ‘A rat is a cat is a dog is an ape is a boy and went out of their way to sneer and spit on her.

Perhaps she should have taken that as an omen.

Since she was mainly on hand to maintain the apes and answer the other scientist's questions Linda tried to spend a little time each day observing Baylock Inc.’s new creations. She made notes and field reports. The altered primates were taller and more bipedal in stature than their ordinary kin. They were bright, imitative but prone to sudden outbursts of violence.

During her time there she had seen two of the ape keepers gravely injured and there had been uncountable near misses. Linda knew to keep well away from the cages, especially when she was alone.

But it was when she was alone that Jermyn made contact.

At first she had thought there was someone else in the room, and then she had thought that someone was playing an elaborate prank. It wasn’t until the ape called her name for a third time that she realized what was really happening and that realization left her shaking.

The memory of the encounter was still enough to make her knees weak as she made her way down the hallway. Perhaps fear was making her weak as well. This was more than just quitting her job, she was sacrificing her career- her future. The Baylock Corporation might never reveal what she had done but here tonight but they would use their every influence within the halls of government and academia to ruin her.

Very well, She thought as she entered the darkened hallway that contained the ape pens, ruin me then.

She flicked on the lights, momentarily blinding herself, when her eyes sight cleared she found herself staring at row after row of empty cages. Her heart caught a beat at the realization that they had already begun liquidating the test subjects. What if she was too late?

The pen at the far end, the largest one belonged to the control subject. It had a tire swing, climbing bars and toys. She ran down the short hall calling his name. When his gruff voice answered her back she almost groaned with relief.


The massive silverback paced before his cage, running his thick dark hands along the reinforced bars. She knew he was tense, she knew he hadn't been sure she'd come back for him.

The truth was even she hadn't been sure until a few hours ago

"Lin-da." He said again.

Once Jermyn had spoken to her events began to move quickly. She analyzed the ape under the guise of a 'behavior / neurological survey' in addition to her other work. Alone, always alone she performed her test sand examinations. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between herself and the ape that no one else on the research team should know about this. The solitude and late nights didn’t bother her, she had little else to look forward to.

Over time the testing became teaching. The ape's communication and reasoning skills grew by leaps and bounds, although his reading skills were never quite as strong as his ability to learn the spoken language. There was something about the nature of the printed word that he found mercurial and frustrating. Linda found it equally disconcerting to realize that as she was studying this creature he was in turn studying her. He appropriated her slang and gestures; here asked her questions about the world outside the research center's opaque windows.

There was something very trusting and knowing in the way that he looked at her. Sometimes he let her stoke his rich dark fur, sometimes she let him gently stroke her cheek. It amazed her that a hand so powerful could be so tender.

It took a year of study and notes before she was ready to reveal her findings. The reaction was nothing like she had expected. The project's director, a loathsome little company mouthpiece named Evans, seemed horrified and immediately began talking about legal and moral complications. He ordered the project shut down, the research team sent on to other endeavors, it's specimens catalogued and destroyed.

And that was what brought her here in the middle of the night with a stolen keyring in her hand.

"Lin-da" Jermyn said again, an edge of pleading had crept into his voice. “Hu-rry.”

Hurry she did, rushing down the hallway to meet him. Nervous and shaking she had to fumble thought each key on the ring twice before she found the right one. By the time the pen's reinforced door swung open both woman and beast were on the verge of hyperventilation.

"Professor Harris?"

She froze, recognizing the voice of the older security guard, and if he was there, could his partner be far behind?

Roaring with defiance Jermyn dropped to all fours.

"I don't think-" The younger security guard started to say.

Jermyn bounded past her, she fell back striking her head on the metal bars. Sparks flashed before her eyes rendering the chaos before her in strobe- like fashion. The guards had been armed in preparation for a moment like this but they never had a chance. Screams and the snap of bones echoed off the empty pens.

The abruptness of the attack left Linda speechless. She watched Jermyn methodically undress the older security guard. The corpse's neck jiggled and twisted with every twist and tug.

The dark blue uniform was too small in the arms and too tight in the chest- the shoes were a lost cause. It was a poor excuse for a disguise but when the ape buttoned the jacket he issued a grunt that could only be self-satisfaction.

All he's ever been is naked. She thought, He's spent his whole life in that cage watching us pass by him fully dressed and acting like a bunch of second rate gods. How could he have ever known anything more than envy?

For the first time the realization that for all his words and poise Jermyn was still a wild animal struck her.

And what was it that wild animals did?

Adapt and survive. Adapt and survive.

What have I done? Oh God what have I done?

Straightening up to his full height Jermyn approached her, his smile was gruff. He offered his hand and said, "We must leave."

Her confidence broke and she tried to scramble into the pen. He caught the door as she tried to swing it shut. "Lin-da? Don’t be af-raid.”

When he lifted her up she flailed and screamed but there was no one alive to hear. The ape held her tightly, pressing her against his soft fur. He whispered her name over and over again until she had calmed, until she had returned to her senses

Slowly, tentatively Linda reached up to stroke Jermyn's face. He leaned in and nuzzled her cheek. She could have pulled away now but instead she sank deeper into his embrace. They needed to get away from here, her car was waiting, and their future was waiting. A future she hadn't understood before this very moment.

"You damned ape." She sobbed with anticipation as Jermyn's heavy hands ran down the curves of her form, "You damned dirty ape."

Friday, October 10, 2014

From her NSFW blog








Uncle Al's Halloween Hoedown Day Ten: ROUGH PATCHES

Rough Patches
by
Al Bruno III
The following story was originally published by Eden Studios



Something stirred beneath four and a half feet of mud and snow. A rage so profound that even the February cold couldn't dim it. Instinctively, she began to claw her way to the light. It was almost like being born again.
Of all her littermates, she had been the strongest, the strongest of six. First to find the teat, first to open her eyes, first to notice the tall, pink figures that loomed over her mother's pen. Sometimes they would pick her up, their hands soft and subtle, and murmur and coo and tickle. It felt so good she couldn't help wagging her tail; she would lap greedily at faces and fingertips.
In the darkness of her shallow grave, she felt a pang of remorse at the loss of her mother and her brothers and sisters. Even now, she could still remember her mother's scent, the sound of her breathing, the pattern of the spots on her fur. So like hers.
Back then, eating to her heart's content and playing with her littermates had been her whole world. Occasionally, they would leave the pen to run through the tall grass, but always under the supervision of one of the Tall Ones. Of course, in those days, she'd paid no mind to their maze of fences and gates. She had been too busy exploring the sights and scents. She had been so very content then.
That contentment had ended when the other Tall Ones came to take her away. At first they had intrigued her, with their strange new smells and constant attention. She had particularly enjoyed playing with their child, chasing and being chased. He was so soft and pink and when she licked his face he would make a sound that was not quite like squeal and not quite like a growl. When they had put the collar around her neck, she thought nothing of it. She had thought it was another toy like the ball or the stick.
As the sun had set, she found herself bundled into a cage -- its bottom was lined with newspapers and a strange-smelling blanket. Before she could even utter a yelp of protest, she had found herself in their car. A long sickening ride later, she had found herself at her new home.
Thoughts of that place stirred her further. Rage goaded her, drove her to begin digging. Dirt and snow filled her mouth, choking her howls. The earth clung to her greedily, sucked at her. She was so tired, she just wanted to lie there and let go -- but she couldn't. They had taken so much from her. In the end, they had taken everything.
Despite her initial fears, she had adapted to her new life quickly. The Tall Ones fit into roles just like her own kind did. The male was called "Dad" or sometimes "Danny", a female was called "Ma" or "Shirl" and their child, "Billy". Everything had many names, even her, sometimes she was "Puppy" or "Doggie" but mostly she was "Patches". It had felt good to have a name, felt good to belong.
For a time, she knew nothing but joy. There were always treats and pettings to be had. She would lie on Dad's feet as he started mesmerized into his box of colored lights. Sometimes she would play in the yard, running from one end of the fenced perimeter to the other and chasing the occasional squirrel. She had accompanied Mom on her walks, enjoying the feel of the wind and the thick soup of odors it brought to her nose. She would play with the boy until they were both exhausted and then at night she would sleep under his bed.
But sometimes there had been pain. When she had messed on the floor, or chewed on the carpet, the male or the female would rain blows down upon her.
"No! Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad dog!" they would cry.
As the summers passed, she got better and better at following their strange rituals but some of the rituals still didn't make sense. Sometimes they had fed her from the table, other times they had swatted at her for begging. Sometimes they allowed her lie on the soft couch, other times they had yelled when they found her resting there. Sometimes Mom hit Dad, sometimes Dad hit Mom, and they both hit Billy.
It was for Billy that she'd damned herself. Dad had been in the throws of his strange madness; the madness that always seemed to be brought on by the strange smelling water he drank. The boy had tried to run when Dad turned on him. He'd almost made it too. He was young and strong, just on the cusp of his adolescence, but he'd stumbled and fallen. His father was on him, lifting him up by the throat, shaking him like prey.
The boy had been like a brother to her. He had always fed and watered her. Patches had reacted the only way she knew how -- she had growled a challenge. She had bared her teeth and readied herself. A warning nip, she had been sure that was all she would need.
The man had dropped Billy and rounded on her with a kick. The kick had caught her in the belly, knocking the breath from her. She had wobbled on her legs trying to recapture the boldness she'd felt just moments ago. He had came at her with his fists, dazzling her with the ferocity of his blows. For the first time in her life, Patches had thought that she might die.
"Fucking dog! Growl at me you cocksucker?"
"Dad! Leave her alone Dad!"
The darkness that had claimed her then was much like the darkness she found herself in now. Except that then she'd woken to find herself in the basement, locked into the barred cage they'd brought her here in. Through a fog of pain she had waited.
Time had crawled past. The cage had soon become too small for her -- she couldn't stand or turn around, she could only lie there and wait. There had been a window in the basement. She had watched the grass flutter in the breeze and had wondered when they would come for her.
Then the final day had come. Pressure had begun to build in her bladder. She knew better than to lose control in the house. She had to get outside. She had to let them know. There was a special whine she had used for just this occasion.
The whine had brought Dad storming down the steps. He had bellowed and kicked the side of the crate again and again, terrifying her.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Do you hear me? Shut up!"
When he had exhausted himself, he had stumbled back up the stairs and slammed the basement door shut.
A day had passed. Patches had soiled herself three times before Billy and Mom came down to get her. They had cleaned her, cooed softly to her and fed her some of their food. When they took her outside, Billy had wept to see her limp.
After a few hours of bliss, they had brought her back down to the basement and put her back into her cage. Thankfully, they had cleaned it first.
That became the pattern of her life. All day and all night locked into that tiny box. A few hours of freedom in the afternoon was all she had left. Every night, it seemed the shouting and thudding upstairs became louder.
If she made even the slightest noise, Dad would come down to shout and beat her. She could sense that he was trying to break something within her; the part of himself that was already broken.
Time had passed so slowly in the cage, it was maddening. Occasionally, she had gnawed at the edges of her prison, hoping to free herself. She had gnawed at the cold, reflective lattice until her mouth tasted of blood but the door never loosened and the walls never gave away. On warm days, Billy would take her for short walks, sometimes she would hope that they weren't coming back -- that they would just keep walking and walking forever.
As the days wore into weeks, she had found her periods of freedom growing shorter. Billy had been there less and less and Mom had begun to carry the smell of the strange water on her was well. The boy had become a man, and had begun to walk and sound like his father. A swagger had appeared in his step that somehow made Patches nervous.
With her time in the yard growing less and less, she had become more frantic to enjoy it. She would race wildly in circles; she would entice Mom or Billy to play with her. They rarely did.
As the fall had become the winter, they had begun to forget to let her out. As hours had become days, she had began soiling her cage and herself again. When Mom had found her in this state she would groan and called her a "Bad dog." Which didn't seem fair.
When Billy had found her he would whisper "Damnit Patches" and call for Mom. If Dad found her, he would yell and let her out just so he could shove her nose in the mess she'd made.
Finally, she had began to cower at the sound of someone treading down the basement steps. She had cowered and shook when a hand was raised to her. When Dad saw her do this, he had made a noise that was not quite a bark and not quite a growl.
"Not feelin' so tough now, are you?"
With those words, Patches had found her exile lifted, to a point. She was only confined to the accursed cage at night but she had remained in the basement. Billy's visits had dwindled further and further. Sometimes they had forgotten to feed her, sometimes they didn't change her water. When she had cried or barked out of need or loneliness, they had banged on the floor and shouted at her.
The first few inches of the grave had already begun to ice over. It cracked in protest as her nose broke the surface of the grave. A savage wind blew litter and shell casings back and forth. She saw the moon through a veil of dirt and struggled to reach it.
The miserable routine her life had settled into ended when Patches found herself unable to hold down food. At first her vomitings had been rewarded with beatings and scoldings. Even Billy was striking her now, "Stupid dog! What the fuck is wrong with you?" His condemnation had made her want to die.
The more she had tried to eat, the sicker she became. Patches had heard them shouting above her.
" . . . damn dog is sick."
"Maybe if you stopped hitting it."
" . . . please no fighting just once . . . "
"Don't fuckin' talk to me that way! Besides, maybe if you took it out for a walk, got it some fresh air."
" . . . that would be nice. We could all take it out for a walk together . . . "
"Dad, if I weren't so busy with -- "
"Only thing you're busy with is playing with your dick in your room!"
" . . . there was blood in her vomit this time. She's wasting away . . . "
"Fuck you!"
"What did you say to me? You little shit!"
" . . . we have to do something . . . "
That night Billy had come down into the basement. Patches had wagged her tail when he collared and leashed her. There was something about his scent and posture that felt wrong to her, but still she had hoped against hope that this walk would be the one that never ended.
She had lead him up the basement stairs, past Mom sleeping on the couch and out the door only to find Dad waiting there for her. He had reeked of his foul water and he had carried a long dark stick in his hands. She had never seen anything like it before. Billy had led her into the thin forest behind their home; Dad had fallen into line behind them. They had spoken uneasily.
"Do we have to do this?"
"You gonna be a pussy all you life?"
"Can't we just take her to the vet?"
"You got two grand to waste, you fuckin' dumbass? It's just a fuckin' dog for Christ sa kes."
The recent snowfall had made the woods had take on an almost mystical aspect, she had shivered with delight at the way the snow felt under her feet. The moon had seemed to follow them, its light filtering through the trees. The cold had blunted the scents in the air but what she could smell was intriguing enough. There had been something strange in the air that night, the sickly-sweet odor of meat gone to rot. It had been strong and thick; the wind had carried it over her in waves. Something was coming, she had realized, something different and strange. She had been tempted to loose a howl of greetin g but then had thought better of it.
When they had arrived some distance from the house they had stopped. Her senses were driving her mad. Couldn't they tell? Couldn't they taste it in the air?
"You gonna do it or do I have to?"
"I can't."
"Tits on a bull that's all you are boy."
With a long, shuddering sigh, Billy had unhooked the leash and stepped back behind his father. She had wagged her tail uncertainly. Swaying slightly, Dad had hefted the stra nge stick, propping the thicker end against his shoulder, and pointing the other, smaller end at her. She had cocked her head with curiosity.
There had been a sound like a crack of thunder. Pain had lanced though her side, knocking her off her feet. Hot warmth had spread across her fur. She had looked desperately to Billy but he only watched from his father's shadow as she had struggled to move, floundering painfully in the snow.
"Jesus Dad she's still moving!"
"Shut the fuck up will you? I'm trying to aim!"
Through her torment, she had realized that they were doing this to her somehow. Her first thought had been, What did I do? What have I done wrong?
Another flash of lightning, another bolt of pain, this time right below her throat. Blood had gurgled up into her mouth, choking her. Coldness had swept up over her, robbing her of everything but a sudden blossoming rage.
How dare they? How dare they when she'd given so much? She had gnashed her teeth, dark spittle spraying onto the snow. The moon had loomed over her, a silent witness. She had made a vow to it, a vow and a curse.
"There, that's done it. Go back to the garage, get a shovel."
"But she's not -- "
"She will be. Now get a fucking shovel before I put you in the Goddamn grave with her."
The rage had remained even after she died, even after they had buried her in a hastily dug grave. It had gnawed at her. Somehow, it had spurred her lifeless limbs to action.
With a grunt, she tore herself from the grave, her grimy, bloody tongue lolled from her gaping jaws. An army of foul-smelling shapes surrounded her, passed by her on every side. They groaned as they hobbled, moving with one mind, with one purpose towards unsuspecting civilization. A curious sense of belonging washed over her, she knew she was welcome in their ranks. She knew that there would be no beatings or cages for her now. And meat, there would always be warm, pulsing meat to sate the hunger that clouded her thoughts. Cities of meat. A world of meat. All she had to do was join the shambling mass.
But not yet.
Entrails dangling beneath her, the dog named Patches began to make her way home. The moon seemed to shimmer with approval.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The fact of my fiction...

Hello friends and followers!

I just wanted to let you know that I am working on getting more Night Blogger stories done but it turns out we are going to have to move on 10/18/14 so a quiet moment to communicate with my creative side is hard to come by right now.

But fear not, I will get some fresh new entertainment to you as soon as I can.

2014 has been one Hell of a year around these parts.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Twin Peaks is coming back? HOLY SHIT TWIN PEAKS IS COMING BACK!!!

From BLEEDING COOL

by Lloyd Stas


David Lynch and Mark Frost are bringing back their television series Twin Peaks as a nine-part limited series on Showtime. The show will go into production in 2015 and air in 2016, 25 years from when the show ended its run on ABC. Lynch and Frost will write and produce and Lynch will direct all nine episodes. The show will be set in modern day and will continue the lore of the original series with the creators promising answers and a satisfying conclusion. Its unknown how many of the original characters will return but rumor has it Kyle MacLachlan will reprise his role as FBI Agent Dale Cooper. Prior to the airing of the new series, Showtime will air the first two seasons owned by parent CBS Corp.


This calls for A TWIN PEAKS GIF PARTY