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

Filter;

[momchester]

But what makes this better?

[She used to be so sure. This is life, the only life she'll ever get. Surely it's worth it.

She's not sure any more.]

Filter;

[uberboned]

I have her. [It's so simple, really. And not just her, but a slew of people who like him, who want to be around him. What he has back home is an endless cycle of watching his brothers murder each other or watching the planet fall apart.

Here, he has a chance to actually be happy and stop pretending that he is. Here, he has the chance to have a home, because he knows his real home doesn't want him anymore.]

Filter;

[momchester]

[So simple. She looks down at her hands in her lap, answering quietly.]

I wish I could have a love like that.

[Something strong enough to move mountains for. Someone who would move mountains. Maybe it's an unfair thought, but that thought bleeds right into the one next to it.]

You two make it look so easy.