Act 5-C: The Violet Hour
Chris K
"California!" Sid is the first to answer, but she turns to Rose as she does so. "I already told everyone else this, but not you. My family's in L.A., so I'm going home. My school had, like, this thing where they flew the honour roll kids to Washington, D.C.? I think it was supposed to look good on, like, college applications or something, so it was mostly senior kids, but my parents sent me, too. Anyway, I was there when all this happened, so basically I've got to cross the whole country to get home."
"Hope you don't die of dysentery," Rose jokes. "Here lies Sid, peperony and chease."
Sid stares at Rose for a long, silent moment before finally speaking. "What?"
"Uh, never mind," Rose says sheepishly before addressing the group. "I was studying film at Centerary College of Louisiana. After the dead people came back, I tried getting home to my parents, but by the time I got back, they were already, um...you know. They were gone. And...I was mad at myself for not making it in time, but they probably died before I even left the school."
She sighs, looking out the window, but gives a sad smile when she turns back to the group. "I know that's not special. That happened to everyone. Anyway...I tried to meet up with friends, but before I did, I was kidnapped by this guy named Loom. He had some thugs working for him, and then the rest of us, who were actual slaves."
"What do you mean, slaves?" Sid asks.
"I mean slaves! He made us work, and if we tried to leave, they'd shoot us. Or if we made any mistakes, or said the wrong thing, or pretty much anything, he'd shoot us. All of his thugs were scared of him, too. I don't know what his plan was - maybe he didn't even have one. Maybe he just had this fantasy of being a post-apocalyptic warlord and wanted to play it out as long as possible. Anyway, once we got to that motel, Malcolm attacked him in the dark. None of his thugs trusted him, so once things started falling apart, everyone just ran! That's how me and the other slaves got away and met Malcolm, and..."
She's silent for a moment, then gives a soft sigh. "...and now that I've left, I guess I just have to find a place that will take me, even though I don't have any real skills. There's not much demand for film theory nowadays. It probably would have been smarter to stay with Malcolm, but when he said he was going to go back and kill those people...I can't...I just can't be part of that."
Vivian nods at Rose's story. Once it's clear she's done, she turns to Chris K. "Back at the school, Lawrence didn't want to use Juan's disguise, so he took his son and left. I thought they'd be in danger, so Gloria and I went to help."
She pauses for a moment, debating whether to say what comes next. "Honestly, I think I only went because of his son. If it was just him, I'd probably have stayed with the group and worn Juan's disguise...which is funny, because Gloria and I both had recent wounds. In that way, Lawrence saved my life."
She gives a very small, very wry smile. There doesn't seem to be any actual happiness in it. After a second, she resumes eye contact. "The farm is pretty safe. They don't need me as much as you do. I left notes for Gloria and Juan. They'll miss me, but when I'm around, they make...risky decisions. It's better for them that I'm leaving."