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

video || private;

[momchester]

[This would normally be a fantastic conversation for her to have. Normally, she'd dive right in and be engaged and an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on.

Normally.

Now, she furrows her brow in thought for a moment before collapsing slightly on the couch like her puppet strings were just cut.]

I don't know, Michael. I don't know.

video || private;

[servingfather]

[Good, it's kind of the reaction he wanted. She's too wound up and Mary needs rest. This is the best he can do without showing up and putting her to sleep.]

Go rest, Mary. You can bring everyone together when you've recovered a little more.

video || private;

[momchester]

[She nods tiredly, looking ready to cry.]

Yeah... yeah, okay.

video || private;

[servingfather]

[He'd go to her and hold Mary and let the woman cry on her but he knows John will probably be home soon.]

Let your family take care of you. They were very worried.

video || private;

[momchester]

[It's only because she feels so safe with Michael, and because he's so very separate from her family, that she can curl in on herself and say what she says next.]

But they didn't find me.

[Irrational? Yes. And she knows it. Something about Michael makes it so hard to lie or even hide the dark, mean little thoughts she normally stows away.]

video || private;

[servingfather]

[He will stay on the line all night if it makes her feel better.]

They looked. They wouldn't have stopped looking.

[There's so much wrong with their family, maybe as much as there is with his own but maybe this is something he can soothe at least.]

video || private;

[momchester]

[She wants to keep talking. She wants to cry. She wants to. But somehow, through it all, it just won't happen. Something inside her refuses to let go. Reacting like that would make it real.

So instead Mary tightens up, stiffening visibly.]

Thank you for your help, Michael. Happy fourth of July.

[Click.]