video; ~5 pm

[momchester]

[Mary looks... well, alive, which is a bonus, but also frazzled and exhausted, with pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, lips chapped, hair falling out of her ponytail.

But more than that, she looks haunted.]

I'm back. I'm alive. [Her lips press together in a thin line. She bows her head and talks to her knees.] No thanks to those monsters.

I don't know if anyone else made it out... there were no- [sniffing hard to avoid tearing up.] -shelters. Nothing Darkness proofed. [Head still bowed tightly.] I don't know if any of those people I fought with made it out alive, but if they didn't, I'm going to tell you all right now.

[She finally looks up, eyes welling now with tears she refuses to cry.]

They hunted us. They bound us, put collars on us, they put us in cages. They chased us and hunted us down like we were fucking dogs and we couldn't-

[she claps a hand over her mouth, breathing hard to rein in her emotions. When she opens her eyes again, there's something chilling and deadened in her eyes.]

When I died at home- the first time, before I came here... it was a demon. A demon pinned me to the ceiling and burned me alive in my baby's nursery, and I didn't feel as violated as I did those two days. In that cage. [She shakes her head intently, looking away.] Those monsters kidnapped children. They wanted to see every one of us die like dumb fucking animals.

I wonder what would happen if I prayed for them. [There's a weird look in her eyes. Something you wouldn't leave your children alone with.] It's the Christian thing to do.

Would I get their souls into Heaven, or their heads on a plate?

[With a last ugly look at the NV, she turns the public feed off.]

[Private to Jinx]

I found a plus one.

[Private to the angels]

Did you hear my prayer? [The one she whispered as she lay dying.] Please, tell me none of you- tell me you didn't go there. Please.

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Video

[hybrid_prodigy]

[Hey, you were angy that there was someone as young as Kurt there, Mary? Have a twelve-year-old.]

We didn't meet then, but I'm really glad you're . . . alive again, Miss. [He'd been about to say "okay", but she doesn't really look like she's okay.]

Anyway, I think all the rest of us made it out.

[momchester]

[s t a r i n g.]

You were there too?

[She's going to burn them to the ground.]

Oh, I'm so sorry.

[hybrid_prodigy]

[Please don't kill anyone, Miss Mary. He hates it when anyone dies. Didn't even kill the lady who hunted him, even though he could have.]

Yeah. Oh, but don't apologize, Miss. It wasn't your fault. And I'm okay, really.

[momchester]

No, honey, I'm sorry that that happened to you. It shouldn't happen to anyone, especially someone your age.

[She purses her lips sadly.]

Everyone made it out? Are you sure?

[hybrid_prodigy]

[He knows that's what you meant. And he still doesn't think you should have to apologize for it. But he lets it go.

[And he also decides this'd be a really awful time to mention that he's been through worse. In fact, he seems almost eerily at peace with what happened. No nervous darting of his eyes. No quivers in his voice.] Yeah. We lasted the night and managed to get out in the morning.

[momchester]

[Mary... Mary has not been through worse. She's been attacked, killed, and almost killed, even by her friends, but this was different.]

Good.

Wait, how did you get out?