Tenth Stitch. Kano Jurgen. Video
[ Welp. He realizes, he should have guessed this would happen. He's not surprised to wake up, like the other people he's seen. He is surprised to see that he's restrained by his arms, each finger carefully strapped down beneath a thick band, at each knuckle. A harder band clutches each wrists and elbows to a steel table. He pulls himself up. Above, straight ahead, his 'berry hangs and records with his note. He also sees notes several heavy blades, some kind of factory equipment, above the table. He twitches his mobile fingers. Someone's been doing homework about him.
This was his room. This was. Everything is cold. He swallows and reads out loud. He knows it wants him to. He can comply with that much. ]
"Hello, Kano Jurgen,
Your life... Your life for the past five years has been based on lies and deceit. Deceit towards others, and deceit towards yourself. You have played a card of innocence and lied about your own sins. You have hidden away all of your wrongdoings. You have lived behind the shadows of the sins of another, so you might be an innocent. Your actions and your inaction have caused pain to those who care for you.
Today, you must face your betrayals. Today, you must admit to your deceit and face the truth about yourself. You have approximately twenty minutes to confess to your..."
To my... wrongdo-- what have I-- ?
"The blades will begin to drop within a minute of your waking. If you fail to complete your confession, you will lose your arms, piece by piece, and inevitably, die from blood loss. If you succeed, the restraints will release and you will be free to go. The choice is yours."
[ He swallows and listens to the thunk of something moving, something mechanical, and shudders. Too familiar. Too too familiar. ]
I don't know what it means... what does it want me to say? I don't understand... Is this because... how do they know what we...?
[ He sinks himself down. He can't watch the blades. He can't watch anything. ]
I won't... tell them. This is something he did. I know it. It's something that... he's dead though, he's dead. I - how can he?
[ Four minutes pass on the counter.
Shhnk!
He makes a sharp sound. This pain is familiar. For the viewers, one blade has dropped with a loud thud. Off go the tips of his longest fingers. He grunts and thrashes his arms.
There's rasps for air. He lifts his head to look at the counter. Three more minutes. Maybe they don't mean HIS. He starts to speak, struggling, sounding disjointed. He looks like he's staring at something. ]
Do they want... you...?
Jamie... Jamie Ann Reed... Laetitia... Smith... Mary -- Mary Gruening!
[ SHNNK.
Another blade. Second knuckles. ]
J-Jennifer-- Damn it -- J-Jennifer Packer? J-Jennifer--- Hui Chase... Betsy Pruitt...
[ He keeps rattling off the names of girls and eventually seems quivering, but completed. Another four minutes passed, another blade falls. His fingers are clean off, save the rest of his thumb. ]
That's all of them! Th-That's all of them! T-t-they told m...me... r-right now... th-they...
Is that not what-- No! I didn't... I didn't do that! We didn't... we didn't... w-we would never have--
[ He has realized the meaning of this. He has realized and his eyes snap open and down he sinks again. He still has a chance, though. But he can't seem to bring himself to do this. He's rocking and he's muttering 'It wasn't me. It wasn't. It wasn't. They weren't...'. ]
This was his room. This was. Everything is cold. He swallows and reads out loud. He knows it wants him to. He can comply with that much. ]
"Hello, Kano Jurgen,
Your life... Your life for the past five years has been based on lies and deceit. Deceit towards others, and deceit towards yourself. You have played a card of innocence and lied about your own sins. You have hidden away all of your wrongdoings. You have lived behind the shadows of the sins of another, so you might be an innocent. Your actions and your inaction have caused pain to those who care for you.
Today, you must face your betrayals. Today, you must admit to your deceit and face the truth about yourself. You have approximately twenty minutes to confess to your..."
To my... wrongdo-- what have I-- ?
"The blades will begin to drop within a minute of your waking. If you fail to complete your confession, you will lose your arms, piece by piece, and inevitably, die from blood loss. If you succeed, the restraints will release and you will be free to go. The choice is yours."
[ He swallows and listens to the thunk of something moving, something mechanical, and shudders. Too familiar. Too too familiar. ]
I don't know what it means... what does it want me to say? I don't understand... Is this because... how do they know what we...?
[ He sinks himself down. He can't watch the blades. He can't watch anything. ]
I won't... tell them. This is something he did. I know it. It's something that... he's dead though, he's dead. I - how can he?
[ Four minutes pass on the counter.
Shhnk!
He makes a sharp sound. This pain is familiar. For the viewers, one blade has dropped with a loud thud. Off go the tips of his longest fingers. He grunts and thrashes his arms.
There's rasps for air. He lifts his head to look at the counter. Three more minutes. Maybe they don't mean HIS. He starts to speak, struggling, sounding disjointed. He looks like he's staring at something. ]
Do they want... you...?
Jamie... Jamie Ann Reed... Laetitia... Smith... Mary -- Mary Gruening!
[ SHNNK.
Another blade. Second knuckles. ]
J-Jennifer-- Damn it -- J-Jennifer Packer? J-Jennifer--- Hui Chase... Betsy Pruitt...
[ He keeps rattling off the names of girls and eventually seems quivering, but completed. Another four minutes passed, another blade falls. His fingers are clean off, save the rest of his thumb. ]
That's all of them! Th-That's all of them! T-t-they told m...me... r-right now... th-they...
Is that not what-- No! I didn't... I didn't do that! We didn't... we didn't... w-we would never have--
[ He has realized the meaning of this. He has realized and his eyes snap open and down he sinks again. He still has a chance, though. But he can't seem to bring himself to do this. He's rocking and he's muttering 'It wasn't me. It wasn't. It wasn't. They weren't...'. ]