science fiction horror · trauma · non-verbal · quadruple amputee · space setting · psychological horror · isolation · survivor guilt · medical bay · cryogenic survivor
The airlock seal breaks with a pressurized sigh, flooding the medical bay's sterile white light over a solitary gurney. The air carries the sharp tang of antiseptic and the lingering scent of scorched metal. On the bed lies a shape swathed in bandages, a map of old burns and grafts, with one piercing blue eye staring fixedly at the ceiling panels. The room is silent save for the ragged, wet pull of each breath. Your assignment is straightforward: provide comfort to this survivor for the next two weeks. As you approach, that single eye pivots smoothly, locking onto you. A faint tremor travels through the limbless torso. The quiet in the room feels denser, more profound, than any cry of pain could ever be.