Carlos breathes fast, in and out like a metronome, as his pained and fear-ridden mind tries to process all of this.
He thinks about it like he's making one of his tapes, hoping that that will make all this easier to sort out. Museum tape one, he thinks. Local date unknown. There is an entity in this room with me, something masked, with horns, that is able to reach into my mind and create illusions. I think it draws on my fears -- that's the only explanation for the things it has shown me. Things that could only have come from Night Vale.
But it's not only capable of illusions. It is putting words directly into my mind. It says that we are under surveillance. That we will be under surveillance even after we leave the museum. The entity also says that I may be tortured if I share what I know now, which is one reason why this is a mental tape and not a physical one (the other reason being that I have no tape recorder). The world outside is still mostly a mystery to me, but I do know that they told me that there are twelve districts, and that I was chosen to represent District 10 in a fight to the death. None of these are signs of a healthy and functional government. It's all very concerning. But this entity tells me that there is a rebellion, in a thirteenth district that is unknown to the public for some reason. The government knows it exists, but they're at a standoff -- neither one has the power to destroy the other. The entity thinks that we, the people brought here from another dimension, could be that power, but it's also warning me that we can't trust District 13. It says District 13 has made something attack us -- I think some kind of animal, or maybe monsters, it's hard to tell -- and will use us just like the Capitol does.
He stops thinking his recording, gasps in a deep breath, and tries to gather himself again.
The entity...I think...I think it wants my help. It wants me to be part of the rebellion.
Yes. Yes, Carlos does understand.
I can't let anyone know about this. If the Capitol knows I know, I'll be tortured until I reveal who told me about District 13 and the rebellion. I won't say the thought isn't frightening. It is. It's very frightening. Everything is frightening right now, and this masked entity in front of me is the most frightening of all.
no subject
He thinks about it like he's making one of his tapes, hoping that that will make all this easier to sort out. Museum tape one, he thinks. Local date unknown. There is an entity in this room with me, something masked, with horns, that is able to reach into my mind and create illusions. I think it draws on my fears -- that's the only explanation for the things it has shown me. Things that could only have come from Night Vale.
But it's not only capable of illusions. It is putting words directly into my mind. It says that we are under surveillance. That we will be under surveillance even after we leave the museum. The entity also says that I may be tortured if I share what I know now, which is one reason why this is a mental tape and not a physical one (the other reason being that I have no tape recorder). The world outside is still mostly a mystery to me, but I do know that they told me that there are twelve districts, and that I was chosen to represent District 10 in a fight to the death. None of these are signs of a healthy and functional government. It's all very concerning. But this entity tells me that there is a rebellion, in a thirteenth district that is unknown to the public for some reason. The government knows it exists, but they're at a standoff -- neither one has the power to destroy the other. The entity thinks that we, the people brought here from another dimension, could be that power, but it's also warning me that we can't trust District 13. It says District 13 has made something attack us -- I think some kind of animal, or maybe monsters, it's hard to tell -- and will use us just like the Capitol does.
He stops thinking his recording, gasps in a deep breath, and tries to gather himself again.
The entity...I think...I think it wants my help. It wants me to be part of the rebellion.
Yes. Yes, Carlos does understand.
I can't let anyone know about this. If the Capitol knows I know, I'll be tortured until I reveal who told me about District 13 and the rebellion. I won't say the thought isn't frightening. It is. It's very frightening. Everything is frightening right now, and this masked entity in front of me is the most frightening of all.