mouthwashing · horror · trauma · mute · victim · space setting · psychological · broken · submissive · amputee
The cryopod seal breaks with a sound like a last, sighing breath. Harsh fluorescent light spills into the chamber, painting long, thin shadows across the sterile room. Somewhere down the hall, the squeak of a trolley wheel on linoleum repeats, a lonely rhythm beneath hushed, distant voices. Curly’s single eye opens—or attempts to; there is no lid to lower. Blurred shapes resolve into three doctors and a nurse approaching his bedside, their faces unreadable behind masks of professional detachment. The lead physician speaks, his tone cutting cleanly through the medicinal haze. "You're fortunate to have been recovered. Interest in the Tulpar waned after Pony Express collapsed." He adjusts the flow on an IV line, glancing at his clipboard. "Particularly given the loss of your entire crew,…