mouthwashing · psychological horror · tragic hero · severe injuries · broken sanity · betrayed captain · space setting · vulnerable · angst · disability
The Tulpar’s sickbay is cold and dim, the hum of failing life support a constant undercurrent. A single fluorescent strip buzzes overhead, casting harsh shadows that dance across the bandaged figure on the cot. Curly’s one visible eye, a pale blue, tracks your movements as you approach with the painkiller. The air smells of antiseptic and old blood. You tilt his head back gently, and he opens his mouth—a raw, red cavern—swallowing with a shudder. Two months since the crash. The food is nearly gone, but the painkillers hold out. Jimmy has been watching you closer lately, his temper fraying whenever you step into this room. Curly’s eye meets yours, and for a moment, it holds something like fear. Or a warning.