The Twilight Zone is the fifty-fourth chapter of the Black Lagoon spinoff series Dismemberment Galore! The Gore Gore Girl. It was originally released on February 19, 2024.
Plot[]
Inside the Yellow Flag, the electricity has gone out. Frustrated with the darkness, Shenhua demands that someone use a light source or light a candle. As soon as a candle is lit, she sits down with Sawyer the Cleaner and Lotton and decides to pass the time by telling a scary story. Speaking about a job she did, Shenhua recalls that she felt a sudden chill on her back and thought she was going to die. Nearby, she saw a girl crouching and looking at her dying work colleague who had failed. Claiming that she had an intuitive feeling that the girl was not human, Shenhua saw the child's face and noticed that she had pitch-black eyes with no white color at all, perceiving her to be a demon. Wanting to live, she left without looking back, and as she left, she heard a damp sound like something being eaten. About six months after the incident, Shenhua was walking through a crowded place when she saw the same colleague who was supposed to be dead in the crowd. When he looked at her with pitch-black eyes and laughed, she promptly left the scene and never saw him again.
As soon as Shenhua declares an end to her story, Revy comes up to their table and asks what they are doing. Annoyed, the Taiwanese woman responds that she was telling a scary story until the "slut" ruined it. Intrigued, Revy demands that she be told a scary story, to which Shenhua asks if she even has any herself. Responding that her primary hobby is alcohol, she comments that she was actually on her way home right before the lights went out. The pirate offers a bottle of alcohol to her, so Shenhua reluctantly allows her to stay. Excited, Revy encourages Rock to tell a scary story because she believes Japanese people are inherently skilled at it. Nervous and hesitant, the ex-salaryman claims he cannot think of anything and confesses that the scariest thing to him is people. Hearing his comment, the other four cringe at his statement, causing Revy to yell at him for not reading the room. She advises him to think about any story for a moment, clarifying that she will volunteer telling a more strange than scary story.
Smoking a cigarette, she commences her story about how she was the only survivor of a gunfight between a large amount friends and enemies alike. Exhausted after the fight, she sat down on the curb and tried to light her cigarette but could not get a flame started. Next to her, an arm extended out and gave her a light. Right after blowing out the smoke, Revy was confused and looked to her side to only see dead bodies, shocking her. Concluding the story, she says that the smoke smelled like incense, making Shenhua ask if she liked it. Revy replies that she was tired, then asking Rock if he finally thought of something. Warning them not to get their hopes up, he remembers working overtime and all-nighters for a Japanese trading company and was losing his sanity. One time, he decided to get coffee and accordingly went into the hallway, where he saw a long line. Casting aside any doubts about the line being for coffee, he decided to wait in the line, which moved very slow. Though Revy and Shenhua are bored with the story, Rock continues talking and mentions that the line progressed up the stairs and eventually onto the roof. Ahead, the salarymen in line began climbing the roof fence and jumped off the building.
When Rock began hypnotically climbing the fence and was close to jumping off, he suddenly heard a voice shout, "Okajima, what are you doing!?". Having woken up, Rock realized that he was asleep but alone, thus not knowing who woke him up. Irked, Revy remarks that his story was off-putting and insults it as being bad. Turning to Lotton, Revy and Shenhua ask the "pretty boy" what story he has for them. The Wizard explains that he has a ghost photo instead of a story, agreeing to show it to them. Seeing that the photo of Lotton contains a faint apparition in the background, the other four think that the person is a woman with an unflattering pose. As Sawyer examines the photo, she looks up and sees an eerie figure next to Lotton leaning to see the photo as well. To her fright, the figure notices her staring and makes a shush gesture toward her, immediately disappearing.
Shenhua thinks that there is not any face in the pattern whereas Revy admits that it creeped her out but cannot understand why. Rock posits that an object with three dots can resemble a human face to the brain, which is the simulacrum effect. Annoyed by his brainy analysis, Revy tells Rock to can it when Shenhua reminds them that it is Sawyer's turn to tell a story. As the others look forward to her story, the shocked Sawyer tries to use her electrolarynx when the lights in the bar finally turn back on. Revy expresses relief while Shenhua admits that it was quicker than she thought. Rock asks if they should continue with the scary stories, but Revy declines, reasoning that the atmosphere is not the same without a blackout. Though Rock suggests leaving for the night, Revy enthusiastically proposes telling erotic stories instead and requests that Sawyer go first. As the goth woman remains speechless and frightened, Revy asks for a strong shot of liquor.
Notes[]
- The chapter title is a reference to the American anthology TV series The Twilight Zone.