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]

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.

[dinosize]

[ Definitely a horror movie. ]

What happened?

cw; murder and cannibalism

[notsoneedy]

She turned into a monster.

[She's not exaggerating. You can tell by her voice.]

She killed people. Mostly boys. Ate them, so she could stay...whole. And pretty. The kind of demon she was, she needed to feed off human flesh.

Eventually I found out what she was. But by then, she'd already killed my boyfriend. I manned up and killed her, only nobody believed me. They thought I was making the whole thing up. Or crazy.

So they locked me away.

[dinosize]

God.

[ This being Stephen's way of saying wow, that is major fucked up, I'm sorry for your life. ]

And now you're locked here.

[notsoneedy]

Yeah, pretty much.

That's why when I first got here, it wasn't easy. Even still.

People say you're nuts about something that you know was real for so long, you basically end up with a real problem with authority.

[Putting it mildly.]

[dinosize]

And I can't imagine distant, unresponsive authority is any better.

[notsoneedy]

Nope.

But it's not really about the Admiral here, is it. I mean - he's a douche, and he puts us through a world of shit. But the wardens and the inmates are kind of all in it together.

[dinosize]

Yes, but some of us can go for a walk in the fake outdoors and some can't.

[notsoneedy]

Unless one of the first kind of people lets you in.

[She shrugs.]

I dunno. I guess I only let it piss me off on certain days, anymore.

[dinosize]

Only get angry on Thursdays. Wednesdays, maybe a bit irritated. Saturdays, obviously, just sullen.

[notsoneedy]

I really admire your commitment to the mood by just planning it all like that. Very proactive.

[dinosize]

Happy to make fun of you any time.

[notsoneedy]

It's what friends are for, right. [She ducks her head as she says it, gaze avoiding, but she's serious.]

[dinosize]

Yeah. It is.

[ Friends. He can deal with that. ]