sirenspull | video; ~5 pm

[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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[All Mary remembers is hearing something from Amy about a wolf or something. It was vague, it was rushed, Mary was busy, so not a whole lot registers with Mary.]

What is it?

What do you remember about the hunting grounds?

[Because she was there and she remembers.]

[Tightly:]

Plenty.

Wait.

You were there?

Yes, I was, I...

You didn't see me.

What do you mean?

It was a guess. You were surprised to find out I was there. I thought you'd seen me.

[She thought everyone had seen her.]

Mercy, you're not making any sense.

[She sighs. She's so used to being cryptic....]

I was one of the hunted. Most didn't recognize me, because the collar trapped me. I wasn't human.

[3...2...1...]

No. [By george, she's got it.] You were the-?

The girl in a fur coat? Yes.

Are you a shapeshifter? Werewolf? Skinwalker, wendigo?

Skinwalkers are something different.

[And the disgust in her voice is evident.]

I'm a walker. Something... I'd prefer didn't get out. At all.

Yeah, sure.

How is it different? I mean, what... can you do? In my world, skinwalkers can turn into a dog or some kind of canine. That's it.

[She is quiet for a moment.]

Skinwalkers need the skin of the animal to change, a lot of different animals. Hence the name.

Walkers can change into certain animals, but only one... totems if you want to go that way. I'm a walker.

Werewolves are something completely different.

[And if Mary listens closely, she can hear the fondness and the warmth she has for most of them.]

So... walkers in your world are skinwalkers in ours. I hope that doesn't come with the eating hearts that all those changing types love so much.

[Insensitive? Yeah. But whatever, they're monsters and she's a hunter.]

So you were there.

Heart eating? I've been known to eat a rabbit or five in my time.

[She's dead serious. And if Mary started in on weres? They'd have issues.]

Yes, I was.

video; ~5 pm

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