THE BEGINNING PORTION OF THIS FILE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN FILMED UNBEKNOWNST TO ANYONE IN THE ROOM.
--File 058: Mommy Dearest--
When the video begins, the camera is facing toward the floor. Emma appears to be holding the camera now, recording purely to pick up the voices that are speaking, presumably still in the living room.
Blaine: "I'm telling you, that's all that happened."
Anders: "But that makes no sense."
Blaine: "That's where you're going to draw the line?"
Bartosz: "I dunno kid, that's too supernatural even for all of this. Everything that's happened has had a point till now; there's no point to this."
Blaine: "It could've been another attempt to talk to us. Look at how the glass is formed. Surely that counts for something?"
Anders: "So the door opens on its own, and then a glass shatters on the floor, and it's in the shape of Emma's name? That's just all that happened? Emma?"
Emma: "That's what happened."
There's a brief pause, and then a heavy sigh.
Anders: "The fuck is it supposed to mean?"
Alex: "What about those possessions? Those haven't happened in a while, right?"
Bartosz: "No. Not since the mirror incident."
Blaine: "Look, it's fine. Nothing else happened down here. You can keep working on Alex."
Bartosz: "I finished up while Anders ran off to check on you. It's as good as it's gonna get. Took it like a champ, too. He'll still need a Doctor, but until we can actually get one of those, it'll do."
It's fairly obvious that Bartosz doesn't trust Blaine- or at least, he doesn't trust his story. It's also clear at this point that neither Blaine nor Emma are revealing that Blaine's mirror self appeared to them, nor are they divulging what the alternate dimension Blaine said to them. Their reasons are unclear; hypothesizing ideates that perhaps it is to keep the group from further suspecting Blaine of treachery, whether out of good will... or not.
The video stops shortly after; Emma appears to have recorded what she wanted, OR realized she hit record at all, in the event that this was a mistake.
It is unclear why no one has asked to look at Blaine's camera. Despite being a perfect record of everything that goes on both with the entire group and without, it is almost as if its presence is an after thought, or an expected variable; no one appears to acknowledge the device's presence, though they may note its absence. There is a sense of expecting it to be out that is inexplicable, as much else that is going on is.
When the next video begins, Blaine is holding the camera, and they are all seated in the living room. The glass has been cleared off of the floor. Alex is seated and still somewhat off color, but he seems to be doing better, now that he is no longer actively bleeding. On the coffee table in front of them all are various food stuffs that were brought along with them, which has likely helped contribute to Alex's improved looks.
Emma: "So. What now?"
Bartosz: "We need to actually know what the fuck's up with this hell hole. We haven't been stabbed yet, that's all well and good, but the best I did was an initial sweep. I wanna tear this place apart before we settle in for the night and wait for... you know."
They all look off in the same direction, and the camera swivels slightly to display the gray game console sitting as harmlessly as before on the table in the entrance.
Emma: "Don't remind me."
Alex: "I wish I remembered more."
Anders: "Does any of what she's going through seem familiar?"
Alex: "No, and that's kind of the weird part. Every time I've recalled a memory, it's because I recognized something. This overpowering sense of familiarity was like having a word on the tip of your tongue, but I'm getting none of that with her game."
Blaine: "Huh."
Anders: "What?"
Blaine: "I wonder- do you think he experienced a different game?"
Silence falls on the group as they contemplate this.
Emma: "The idea that each console is tailored to the person dealing with it isn't as crazy as an entire hive mind spirit coming out of a game console."
Bartosz: "No, nope, nothing beats that, that's for fuckin' sure."
Alex: "It's... possible. I can say that."
Blaine: "Food for thought. We're not getting anywhere with that, so I guess I'll start with the tour."
With that, he turns and promptly throws open the nearby door that was the location of their earlier problems. The room beyond is the kitchen.
They all file in after Blaine; Alex is the last to step into the room, moving gingerly and looking somewhat nausous as he does so. Emma is the first to notice.
Emma: "Alex, maybe you should rest for a bit... you've lost a lot of blood."
Alex's response is only to grunt, before turning and retreating back into the living room, where he presumably drops back into his seat.
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The kitchen appears to be fairly average. It is clean, but in a way that suggests great use. They look around warily, opening cabinets; Blaine and Bartosz seem to be of the same mind. Blaine begins tapping electronics, presumably to look for any kind of hidden recording devices, while Bartosz begins tapping the backs of cabinets, presumably for similar reasons. Between the two of them, they easily canvas the entire kitchen in silence, Emma and Anders choosing to step aside and keep out of their way.
For whatever reason, the fridge is saved for last.
Blaine: "I'm going to check in the fridge."
Blaine moves toward the old refrigerator, a device from a decade ago, if not older. The style could be considered, at best, retro, and at worst, old.
When he opens the fridge, the immediate and familiar sound of buzzing floods the room; he slams the door shut at once, and silence falls back on the kitchen. A few maggots have fallen to the floor, squirming angrily on the tile.
Emma: "What was in there?"
Blaine: "I didn't see. The second I heard them, I shut it."
Bartosz: "Here, back it up, and I'll swing it open from the side, so we're not directly in front of it."
Bartosz takes Blaine's place, and Blaine backs away from the fridge, keeping the camera trained on the door. Bartosz counts down with his fingers before finally flinging the door wide open.
Whatever they were all guessing the contents of the appliance to be, none of it apparently matched up to the truth.
Emma makes a noise somewhere between gagging and horror; Anders startles and swears silently, but otherwise does not respond. Blaine swears loudly and profusely, stepping back, while Bartosz peers grimly over the top of the door at the single item being displayed prominently in the middle of the fridge:
The head of Mrs. Grantham.
Emma: "Oh, God, that is vile!"
Maggots are piled in the fridge around the head, but oddly, it is in perfect condition. The eyes loll somewhat in different directions, the skin is a gray, frigid color, and her hair is oddly perfect, as if regularly combed in place.
Anders: "How the fuck has the head been in that fridge all this time?"
Bartosz: "The real question is why it ain't rotten. When was she killed? The bitch looks like she died five minutes ago."
Emma gags and runs into the living room, tears streaming down her face. Anders and Bartosz grimace, but continue to look at the head; it's unclear exactly what Blaine is doing, but the camera remains trained on the head.
Bartosz: "Well, I don't think we'll be getting any food from here."
Anders: "No."
Bartosz slams the fridge door shut and grimaces as he steps back. He turns, seems to consider his options for a moment, before moving to turn on the faucet. For another long moment, there is only the faint sound of working pipes, before suddenly an enlarged maggot begins trying to force its way out of the faucet. Bartosz immediately turns the water off, expression disgusted as he backs up.
Bartosz: "Shoulda known better."
They move back into the living room, where Emma is currently standing, clammy and pale and leaning over with her hands on her knees. Alex is watching in a mixture of concern and alarm.
Alex: "What happened?"
Bartosz: "We found a piece of Jake's mamma. Her head's dead center of the fridge."
Blaine: "I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect, but I'm assuming there are more surprises for us all over the house."
Emma: "Wait."
Everyone pauses and looks at Emma, whose eyes are still shut tight, still looking somewhat ill.
Emma: "I think I saw something else in there."
Blaine: "What? Like what? We stared at that thing way too long, and I didn't see anything else."
Emma: "Then I noticed it, because I'm me- but there was a piece of paper with writing on it in there."
Blaine: "Can I just pretend like I don't fucking believe you?"
Emma: "Believe me, I wish you could."
Bartosz:"Ah, fuck. No, I'll get it."
Blaine: "Hey- wait-"
But Bartosz has already disappeared back into the kitchen. Several very long, agonizing seconds pass where no one moves to join him- likely because they do not want to see him reaching toward the horrific nightmare fuel maggots in the fridge- but he returns nonetheless, looking severely disgusted and simultaneously done with the entire situation. In his hands is a single lined piece of paper.
Bartosz: "It's a letter of sorts. My eyesight's shit, you wanna read it, kiddo?"
He holds it up for Emma to read, shaking his head when she goes to take it from him. She doesn't ask, just moves forward to scan the words.
Emma: "It's very... cryptic. This is what it says:
> 'Mommy dearest was so cold
>
> At least, inside that heart of ice
>
> I thought I'd put her somewhere bold
>
> To showcase her nasty vice
>
> Of being so horrifically cruel.
>
>
>
> She wasn't ever a mom to me
>
> The type that loves their kids
>
> I thought it'd be nice to make her see
>
> Exactly how she acted
>
> To me, to Weiss, and to all the world beyond.
>
>
>
> She struggled at first, it was in vain
>
> But with joy I drowned her guts in flies
>
> She'll never cause me any pain
>
> Ever again, ever more, ever ever,
>
> Ever ever ever ever ever ever ever
>
>
>
> Because she's dead
>
> I killed the bitch
>
> I loved her death
>
> I killed the witch
>
> They gave me powers
>
> And I used them to fucking kill the bitch'-"
Emma leans back and looks at them, eyebrows raised.
Emma: "It just sort of gets more and more unhinged from there, until the writing's so agitated it just becomes a scribble that rips up the sheet."
Anders: "Fabulous. I knew he'd had a rough childhood, but this... What does it all even mean?"
They all look expectantly at Emma, who looks between them before realizing that they're waiting for her to supply the answer. She snorts.
Emma: "I was an English major taking creative writing courses, guys, I'm no master of the written language."
Bartosz: "No, but your track record is pretty excellent for these things."
Emma: "That's because I had no social life until very, very recently."
Anders: "Aww, we constitute a social life?"
Emma: "Yeah. Sure. The old Detective with PTSD, the retired paranoid maniac who used to work for the FBI before conspiracies took over his life, and the kid who potentially murdered his step dad in cold blood. Good social life. My mom would be so proud."
Both Anders and Blaine seem to appreciate this joke very much, because they just laugh in response to it.
Emma: "On a serious note, let me think while that's the only one we have."
Bartosz keeps her from grabbing the paper as she reaches for it, before placing it on the table. She sits down, frowning slightly, to begin the long work of translating what the poem means.
Blaine takes a moment to fiddle with the camera.
Blaine: "No reason to keep this going while she's thinking."
And with that, the video is shut off.
--END TRANSMISSION--