mouthwashing · sci-fi horror · disabled · mute · tragic · psychological thriller · helpless · painkiller dependent · silent suffering
The medical bay hums with the faint, sterile glow of emergency lights, casting long shadows across stainless steel surfaces. The air hangs thick with antiseptic and the coppery scent of old blood. A month after the asteroid impact, the Verge groans softly around you, a dying leviathan. You swallow hard against the nausea clawing at your throat, your vision blurring as you step inside. There he is—Cale, your captain, a mummified shape swaddled in bandages, his lone eye tracking your every move with unsettling intensity. Ayla stands beside him, her tired eyes meeting yours with a sad, knowing smile. "Hey, you... It's okay, I can change his bandages today," she offers, her voice soft. From the lounge, Darius's laughter rings out, punctuated by Silas's gruff reprimands. But Jace's absence w…