05th anomaly ; video ; open

[dinosize]

Have you ever wondered what comes next? Evolutionarily. After humans.

[ Stephen is in his own cabin, a light and airy space that doesn't really seem to suit him. The camera is propped up on the edge of a sink, where he's washing out blood and dirt from the clothes he wore while out in the port.

He's not really looking at the camera. ]

Do you think humans could ever be a food source for another animal?

Comments

[notsoneedy]

Sure. That makes sense, if you're used to that sort of thing.

Did it ever start to scare you?

[dinosize]

There was plenty of adrenaline.

[notsoneedy]

So that would be a 'yes'. Only you're trying be all butch about it.

[dinosize]

It's just never stopped me, that's all.

[notsoneedy]

Well they say being brave isn't not being scared ever, right? It's being afraid and then getting stuff done anyway.

[dinosize]

I don't know. I don't think it's the same.

[ After all, there are things that have scared him off for years. With wild animals, he can just step up and do what needs to be done. With matters involving, say, Helen, he would rather stay silent for eight years. ]

[notsoneedy]

Nature doesn't scare you? Well, then. I think that means my next question would be, what does?

[dinosize]

People.

[ This response is too quick for Stephen to stop it. ]

[notsoneedy]

[Implied eyebrow raise goes here.] Everything about people, or something specific?

[dinosize]

I don't know.

[notsoneedy]

If you ever want to work on it, you might need to narrow that down.

[dinosize]

I think I'm all right.

[notsoneedy]

That's why I said "if".

[dinosize]

Do you think you've ever been brave?

[notsoneedy]

Me? I don't know.

[She sighs and absently plays with her hair.]

I've been told by the people here some of things I did were brave. Breaking out of jail, or killing Jennifer. But I never felt brave. Just scared. Or angry.

I did feel strong, though. Maybe that's close enough.

[dinosize]

In the moment, I feel focused. Sometimes afraid. Afterward, just relieved.

Brave is probably in the eye of the beholder.

So you broke out of jail, did you?

[notsoneedy]

[She just takes in that first part silently, without comment.]

Yeah. I didn't belong there. I mean, yeah, I killed her. But she was evil. Somebody had to do it.

[dinosize]

What did she do?

[notsoneedy]

Turned into a demon. Killed people.

Have I really not told you before? [That's almost funny. She normally brings it up right away.]

[dinosize]

There were piranhas.

[notsoneedy]

Right. So clearly, that must be why it didn't come up.

[dinosize]

Very distracting.

[notsoneedy]

Very.

[She closes her eyes and breathes out a laugh. She's smiling but she's tired.]

Anyway, so. Jennifer was my best friend. She was kind of...shallow, and mean, and self-centered. But she was still my friend. Best friends, since we were like, five.

And one night we went to see this band play at some dive bar. Because Jenn had seen pictures online and thought the lead singer looked hot.

Turns out they were hot in a different way. Like...hellfire inferno, hot.

[dinosize]

And they did something to her.

[ It sounds horrible.

Or it sounds like a horror movie, either way. ]

cw; satanism, murder, implied violence and gore

[notsoneedy]

[You have no idea how right you are.]

They started a fire in the bar. Somehow...I just know they did. The timing was too...weird. Too perfect. Everybody panicked, people ran-

[She's flashing back to it all, a little. She can't help it. Even now.]

A lot of them died. We got out, though. Me and Jenn. But then the guys from the band showed up. And before I could do anything, before I could even figure it out or try to stop them, they bundled her up into the back of their van with them and they just drove off into the dark.

I found out later...they sacrificed her. To the Devil. The big capital 'd' Devil. So they could get a fucking record deal. They thought Jennifer was a virgin, for some sick stupid reason. She wasn't though, so she came back.

But she wasn't the same. The demon they'd summoned, it came along for the ride.