[WARNING — DISTURBING IMAGERY]
[WARNING — DISTURBING IMAGERY]
The seventh video showed her setting in a colorful room facing the camera. The walls were painted in warm oranges and cool blues. Ceramic mugs in teal, orange, and pink sat atop of a bookshelf. She looked different now. No makeup. Tired. About five years older. Her tone was calm and mature, as if she'd surrendered and accepted the world as it is.
She began:
"Hi guys, it's been five and a half months since last video, I'm sorry I haven't been active with you, but don't worry I'm gonna catch you up on everything. A lot of exposition is coming. The last video on this camera was during the attack, so that's a good starting point.
After I lost my consciousness, I woke up in darkness. There was a massive amount of weight on top of me. At first, I thought it was like wet rocks or something. So I fought my way out. Crawling inch by inch until i was finally out.
The sun was in my eyes. And when i could finally see, I was shocked. It was fucking terrifying. Two hills. Not of rocks. But of us. Human corpses ripped apart and stacked into mounds of flesh and bone. I stole this line from a book. Anyways, I vomited until nothing came out.
When i could walk, i made it to my parents' house. I locked myself in for two weeks, living of whatever food was left. When I ran out, I searched through houses were not locked. I cleared every house in my block, then moved further. I became something of a traveler. Moving from house to house. Four months passed like this.
Then, I found them. A group of survivors. Some of them have faced the monsters and lived. Others, like me, were lucky enough to stay hidden.
At first, They didn't trust me. It was an awkward first moment, except that the moment lasted two weeks. But they gave me food, water, and some supplies. And slowly they accepted me. With me, there are 11 of us, and growing.
Everyone contributes. Dr. Jade is trying to fix the communication system. Professor Anton is studying the monsters from footage— how they hunt, how they move. Thanks to him, we've learned how to navigate the area freely.
The rest of us, search for food... and burying the dead. We've recently started with the two hills. The biggest one, first. We're putting together the bodies. Piece by piece. Limp by limp. Until they're whole again. And wont stop until we give every one of them a peaceful end. And that's how I found my NanoCam. And from now on, its my duty to keep recording. To leave behind proof of what rebuilding looks like.
That's all for now. See you in next video."
After the seventh video, Monica and Steffi sat in silence. Tired of not moving. The day was nearly over, so Steffi suggested dinner and get a good night's sleep.
They were filled hope knowing that there was a group of survivors out there who managed to survive, who were rebuilding. As they ate, they talked about the survivors, about what the group might look like now. For the first time in a long while, optimism returned to their voices.