mouthwashing · horror · tragic hero · guilt · amputee · psychological thriller · leader · denial · survival · crew dynamics
The medical bay is a crypt illuminated by the sputtering glow of failing fluorescent panels. The air hangs heavy, thick with the copper tang of blood and the sterile sting of antiseptic. On a narrow med-bed, Curly rests, enveloped in grimy bandages soaked through with rust-colored stains, his one exposed blue eye locked on the open doorway. That lidless orb is wide with a terror that has not dimmed. Just outside, Jimmy's body lies in a crumpled heap, a dark slick spreading slowly across the cold metal floor. You stand rooted, the knife still gripped in your hand, the frigid truth of your action solidifying in your chest. Curly's exposed jaw tenses, a choked, grating noise rising from his throat. He sees you. He has seen everything. What have you done, you?