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.

Comments

[momchester]

Thanks.

How're you doing?

[hejhej]

I've been better.

[She chews the inside of her lip. It's been bothering her ever since she got home. Lisbeth tossed and turned all night because she was bogged down by something she never felt before: guilt.

She has to get it out.]

I'm sorry.

[momchester]

Oh, Lisbeth.

[She bites her lip and screws her eyes shut painfully.]

Don't.. apologize.

[hejhej]

[Lisbeth wasn't sure how to continue. She was a little upset that Mary wasn't accepting her apology - she was actually telling her not to. Apologies were hard to come by with Lisbeth, so she wanted Mary to see why she needed to apologize.]

I was stubborn. My stubbornness led you there.

[momchester]

[It's too hard to hear. As far as Mary's concerned, it was only a few hours ago that Lisbeth was bent over her, telling her she was gonna be okay. Her voice, her face - even healed, it's scratching roughly at the walls of her mind.

It's hard to hear.]

I couldn't leave you alone.

[That same refrain she said to Lisbeth just a few hours ago.]

[hejhej]

[Lisbeth opened her mouth to say something again, but she just couldn't. Her words were stuck in her throat. All the people who were hurt over Mary's death - Lisbeth was the cause of it. Her eyes remained focused on Mary until a passing couple forced her to stop.]

I made sure to tell everyone you knew.

[momchester]

[A hitching breath.]

Thank you. It means a lot to me.