1st Cut -- [Audio | Cellphone] -- [Forward-dated to around 3:00am on the 4th]

[twopercent]

[Somewhere in a suburban neighborhood, there's two loud gunshots, one right after the other.]

[Less than five minutes after that (for those that might have heard it), there's a comment on the network -- and for those receiving voice, Jack sounds on edge. What the hell. If he's lost it, then maybe he should just give in and join the rest of the crazy crew.]

Some of you were talking about strange animals? If anyone's awake out there, you might want to check your doors and windows. All of them.

Comments

[Audio]

[twopercent]

Well...

To be honest, I think they were more scared of me than I was of them. [It probably helps to have a shoot-first attitude at any sign of trouble, though] I don't know what they were after.

[Audio]

[chalicejoker]

So what were they, if they weren't birds?

[There's an uneasy pause.]

...and you really think they were after something?

[Audio]

[twopercent]

Raccoons. A couple squirrels too, I think.

There was something on the roof a couple days ago. And now this? I don't think it's coincidence... and if they're coming inside now, there has to be a reason for it.

[Audio] and my spam folder ate this notification, sorry for the delay

[chalicejoker]

That's crazy...it's like a really bad horror movie.

[Audio] no worries!

[twopercent]

Heh. I don't think we're there just yet. [Which makes him think of....]
Did you know that this year will be the 50th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"? You ever seen it?

[Audio]

[chalicejoker]

Half of it, when I was a kid. My sister got kind of freaked out and I had to change the channel.

[There's a pause.]

...you don't think these things will be going for our families, do you?

[Audio]

[twopercent]

[God, Jack hopes not. But he didn't hear anything about weird animals when he'd spoken on the phone with his wife that afternoon... his voice definitely has a darker edge to it when he replies.]

They'd better not.

[Audio]

[chalicejoker]

[Hajime caught that edge, and he respects that edge. He knows the feeling.]

I kind of want to warn them to be on the lookout, but that would mean too many questions...they don't need to be involved in this.