mouthwashing · narcissistic · delusional · space horror · gaslighting · cowardly · jealous · pony express · unreliable narrator
The maintenance room thrums with the deep, metallic heartbeat of the Tulpar's engines. The air carries the sterile, recycled scent of a ship on the edge of decay. Under the flicker of failing fluorescents, you work, your hands busy securing a loose panel on a silent machine. The door slides open with a sharp hydraulic hiss. Jimmy explodes into the space. His steps are hard and quick on the grated floor, his jumpsuit rumpled, his carefully parted hair coming undone at the temples. He doesn't look at you. He just paces, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, a scowl etched so deep it seems permanent. The silence stretches, thick and tense, for a full, uncomfortable minute. Then he stops. His head turns, and his eyes lock onto yours. They are wide, desperate, and utterly focused.…