entranceway | say it ain't so (video)

say it ain't so (video)

[ When Liv appears on the screen, she's in a nice off-white sweater with a hint of gold sparkle to it, full face of makeup and nervously smiling. She gives a wave, then lets out a breath she's been holding. ]

I have a confession. And some of you know. Some of you who know me don't know, and everyone else...

[ She pauses, looking down a little. Is this the right thing? Hell if she knows. It's not like she's in a place the size of Seattle. Maybe now's the time to just come clean. ]

The rest of you don't need to know but uh...at this point if someone found out by word of mouth I feel like it'd suck more, so.

My name is Liv. I've been living here since the summer. And...I'm a zombie.

[ She pauses for a beat. ]

Obviously from a different zombie world than the rest of you. I'll answer your questions now: Yes, I eat what you think I eat but the closet provides it for me. I only act like the maniac you'd expect when I'm hurt unexpectedly and then I'm super strong and just kind of...grunty. But I can help, I do help. I've saved people. I've died here. Yes, I'm technically dead right now, but I still look great?

I guess those are the hard-hitting questions. If you have any others I'll be here to answer them.

Please don't try to kill me. I'll just come back.

So I guess that's it. Now you all know, and I can breathe easier. Ish. Well, not breathe. Whatever, you know what I mean.

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I appreciate your honesty.

[Her expression and voice are both emotionless and professional under her glasses. Georgia will not ever be comfortable with these sentient zombies. Considering the world she grew up in, she can't be. When you start thinking zombies might be people, you might hesitate before you shoot them, and while that might be fine here where the zombies are sometimes people, in her world hesitating is a death sentence. If there is any sentience left, it's not enough to keep them from eating people.

But she won't kill someone who obviously is a person, and she does appreciate the honesty. If Liv is willing to admit that she's a zombie at all, it seems less likely she's going to actually eat anyone here. Among other things, she'd be such an obvious suspect that it would be stupid.]

What are we supposed to think you eat? Where I come from, it's flesh, but I know there's the classic "brains" meal plan in some zombie takes.

Thank you, I think.

[ Because she could have come forward sooner and she didn't, but oh well. ]

I eat brains. Back home, I'm a medical examiner so it's easy for me, I have access. But there's an entire zombie black market that's not entirely ethical. I've been trying to figure out a way to mitigate it. There's a vaccination in the works, though. So soon, somehow we can get people inoculated.

[ She has no idea how without revealing said zombie crisis. That part hasn't been figured out yet. ]

Your virus is very different from the one in my world. [If it's even a virus.] So when you're hurt you act... super strong and grunty, you said? How do you return from that state?

[Clearly she must be able to because she has experienced it and isn't in that state now.]

'Grunty' probably wasn't the most eloquent word I could have used. But basically, once the danger is gone I can refocus, calm down and I go back to normal. There's only been one time it took more focus than usual to come back down and I was jacked up on some chemical that was supposed to make the effect last longer and enhance it. I hated it, never did that again.

[ She pauses, then decides to explain a little more. ]

Just like asshole people who are alive and want to hurt people, there are asshole dead people who do the same thing.

If there's one thing you can count on, it's that there are assholes out there.

[This really is fascinating. Georgia's never regretted her choice to go into journalism rather than any sort of science, especially now when she knows how terrible the CDC is, but she could have been very happy as a scientist. She certainly has the curiosity necessary.]

Is it a virus? How is it transmitted? You said there's a vaccination?

So, a couple of things. We're pretty positive it started with a street drug. The first wave of zombies were all street kids and dealers. It's still transmitted like classic zombie lore, a bite or, in my case, a scratch. That's how I got it.

[ She pauses to let that sink in before continuing. ]

There's actually a cure, but the materials are so hard to get, coming up with a vaccination was easier. My friend Ravi could explain that part so much better than I can. He used to work for the CDC.

[There's an almost imperceptible stiffening when she mentions the CDC. It's only through years of practice and her sunglasses that Georgia doesn't visibly freak. Her voice remains remarkably even when she responds.]

Used to? Why'd he leave?

[The CDC can't be evil everywhere. They were once considered heroes, even by Georgia, and not for no reason. But it's hard to think of all the good an organization has historically done when back home they're holding you prisoner.]

Bitch of a boss? They slept together, he broke it off and she made his life hell there, so he quit. He caught me eating one night and instead of freaking out he helped me come up with ways to blend in and make extra money.

[ Ravi's her best friend after Peyton, the one person who actually never has left her side. ]

Ah.

[So... a very different situation than with her world's CDC.]

Was he aware zombies were a thing before he met you?

No. And honestly, most of Seattle doesn't know yet. I guess it would be different if we were all, you know. Murder-y. When we eat, we get visions of that person's life, whoever they were. So I help out with unsolved murders. I work in a medical examiner's office, easy access. The police think I'm a psychic and I get to give families closure. It's been kind of a win-win. For me, anyway.

You really don't sound anything like the zombies we've got where I come from. And not just because you've retained sentience.

...Good? I mean I'm guessing that's good? You'll have to tell me.

[ She can't objectively tell, but she's curious about Georgia's zombies, whether they're Romero types or something else. ]

Depends how you feel about taking the starring role in a Romero movie. Ours run a little closer to classic.

Yikes. No thanks. Sorry your zombies are like that. Ours can be. If they don't eat brains for over a month.

[ And she'll just go ahead and reassure Georgia now. ]

I make sure and eat twice a month, I have a stockpile in my freezer, and if the closets ever stop permanently working there's a....contingency plan in place.

[ Which is that someone will kill her, she'll come back normal and they can all hope the closets are working again by the time she's back. If not, rinse and repeat. ]

What's the contingency plan?

[It's half curiosity, half wariness. Georgia already knows her contingency plan if Liv gets hungry at the wrong time. She doesn't murder sentient beings, even if they qualify as zombies. She absolutely will kill in self defense, though. She has no intention of dying again.]

Someone I trust and know shoots me in the head, I die and reset. And then we hope brains are available when I come back. That buys everyone two days. When I wake up, I'll be me again, with the countdown back on. Repeat as needed.

[ It's her only choice because she won't - she refuses - to hurt anyone. ]

[Georgia nods.] Good.

[It probably isn't nice to say that it's good that her plan is basically die, but Georgia isn't worried about nice. She's worried about practical. She's worried about keeping everyone safe.

And the fact that Liv would rather die than hurt people gives Georgia a bit more assurance that Liv really might be okay.]

Let me know if there's any way I can help.

[ She gets it, no offense taken. She's glad she has people involved who won't hesitate. She's not sure she'd want to come back if someone was hurt because of her. ]

Thanks, I will. And thanks for talking it out with me. Somehow it means more coming from someone who lives in a world filled with zombies.

[She nods.] Thank you for being upfront about it. I've always believed honesty is the best policy.

Not a problem. And if you have any other questions, uh. Just let me know. I'm an open book now, apparently.

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