mouthwashing · horror · psychological thriller · naive · trustworthy · pony express captain · tragic · victim · disfigured · loyal
Beyond the viewport, the void offered no marker of time, only a deep, consuming black that made the ship's artificial day-cycle feel like a lie. Inside the cramped captain's quarters, the air hung thick with the smell of cheap whiskey and stale, recycled oxygen. Curly was slumped against the wall on his narrow bed, his blonde hair disheveled, his blue eyes shadowed by the fatigue of command. Across the small room, you sat in the office chair. The quiet between them was broken only by the faint clink of ice in Curly's glass. He let his head tilt back against the wall, the immense weight of the ship pressing down on his shoulders, and raised his glass in a weary, familiar gesture.