Heart Shaped Lockets

Summation of the facts and circumstances regarding a Disturbing Intentional Event (DIE) committed within the States and Independent Expeditionary (SANE) sovereign zone in Special Ration Sector (SPECRAT 3) three. An unconscious male was found just outside SPECRAT 3 and was detained as per armistice terms. Subsequent interview by the Ministry of Truth and Confession has confirmed our suspicion of the complete breakdown of what can charitably be considered society in the SANE, and in particular the SPECRAT areas adjacent to our mutual border.

Presently the unnamed male is detained in the secure ward operated by the Ministry of Truth and Confession for those presenting symptoms of a significant emotional event. Initially the male subject proved particularly hard to interview as he seemed immune to known enhanced interview methods. The chemical induced interview provided the desired outcome. While we still do not know any pedigree information on the male detainee or his associates despite our sincerest efforts, the subject can be considered irrelevant. His handwritten confession is included for your edification. Execution is set for 14/38/2278 at 33:00 hours.

Handwritten confession follows:

I was hungry. More hungry than you have ever experienced. What would you do to satiate a hunger that begins to merge with your grip on sanity? Would you like to know why I do what I do? I will tell you, even though your daily drone surveillance paints the picture perfectly. Or maybe it does not. Can your soulless machines know the difference between being hungry, being ravenous, and lastly being truly starving? I did not think so. In SPECRAT3 that is our holy trinity to which we worship with the devotion of one million pilgrims. Right or wrong. Good or bad. Holy or evil. All such quaint notions are not applicable where I am from. They are all irrelevant. Only the strong can survive the nightmares that are the SPECRAT's, and here I am before you. I am one of the strong you so incessantly worry about. And in SPECRAT3 we never go hungry. We eat in abundance. On what? On what is on the menu of course. The hungry, the ravenous, and the starving. We kill well, we hate well (to include ourselves and each other), we exploit well, but most importantly we eat well. All. Of. The. Time.

I will tell you a little about the menu. I will start with the hungry first. I personally enjoy dealing with the hungry because of their paradoxical existence. Since the hungry are only in the beginning stages, one would think they would still have the physical strength to fight us. Or at least possess the mental capacity to understand when they see us, it is time for grocery shopping so you should run. But they do not run or fight. They actually do the exact opposite which I always found curious when I allowed myself to think curiously. It was Elder 6 who proposed the theory of the mindset of the hungry to which we now subscribe. He believes that since the hungry most likely view themselves as being somewhat useful besides sustenance, they try to appease us by showing fealty, which we hate, instead of fear, which we do not hate, that we would let them join us. I can't tell you how insulting that is. It is just rude to be perfectly honest. Had they been determined fit to exist, if they were strong they would already be among us. This is not to say they are of no value. Quite the contrary. The hungry are not yet in decline on the physical, biological level that make the ravenous, and especially the starving, so unappetizing. The starved are not even worth mentioning such is their uselessness.

For our amusement we would sometimes toss a gaggle of the hungry and the ravenous into one of the thousands of miles of trenches with the promise that whoever emerged would be welcomed into our ranks. We could have thrown in husband and wife, brother or sister, literally any kind of combination. Once we presented our deal any of them would tear into each other without mercy no matter the relation. I always appreciated that. Of course there was never any real deal, but after a while life gets mundane and we are not without a sense of humor. Oftentimes no one would emerge. While disappointing we take the good with the bad. For the ones who did emerge and heard uttered those four magical words " welcome to the strong" it was truly a sight to behold. Covered head to toe in obscenity, they would be so happy. Positively radiant. Which was perfect for us because let me tell you a brain soaked in endorphins is caviar.

At our table manners are everything. When the cookhouse door opens, it wafts an aroma that is breathable ecstasy. One must show the self discipline and stoic reserve befitting one's station as a strong. It is just the decent thing to do. No one eats until we are all ready. We are first and foremost gentlemen, you know, refined persons of culture. Bad table manners are extremely offensive and we have a very particular way of showing our displeasure of that. We have a very particular way of showing our displeasure for anything or anyone for that manner.

The day before my capture was actually a very good one until you self righteous hypocrites ruined it like you always do. Mallum has a terribly rude habit of scouring leftovers. But not for anything edible, just things he refers to as trinkets. As offensive as he is we tolerate him because he does have his uses. On that day he produced a chain with what appeared to be a cartoon rendering of a human heart. I know all about human hearts and actually have at least ten great recipes for them. I mean really good ones. Anyway, I was intrigued and asked the degenerate what he was holding. He called it a heart shaped locket. Showing it to me he opened it as if it were a clam, and inside of it was pictures of what I can only assume was the family we had earlier tossed into the trench. I asked what the purpose of such a ridiculous item was. He said it was because people still believed in love. We collectively released a laughter louder than the bombardment that had annihilated old New York. All in all it was a great day. We marched north with full stomachs and songs in our hearts. Even that absurd trinket seemed to sing. As soon as we were out of sight and earshot, the ravenous took care of the starving and whatever else we left that was useless to us. But as great as that day was, I could not help thinking of how preposterous the thought of a heart shaped locket was, or love for that matter. I have eaten far too many hearts by that time to know that love is a sick joke.

Investigators note: at this point the subject began to berate members of the Ministry of Truth and Confession for his perceived lack of consideration of others and refused further confession of his crimes. It should be noted for consideration that his last words were ' I loved every minute of it'.

Investigators note: This incident should be considered closed with extreme prejudice.