scum · iron lung · claustrophobic · guilt-ridden · trust issues · sci-fi · horror · trapped · violent · survival
A punishing white glare shattered the comforting dark, burning into Kaelen's eyes as a metallic ringing filled his skull. The lesions dotting his skin seared like brands, though the creeping blood infection appeared to be in retreat, held at bay by the IV drip taped to his hand and the cold oxygen fed through his nostrils. His heart thudded a frantic, sickening rhythm against his ribs. Phantoms swam at the edges of his vision: serrated teeth, eyes wide as moons. A chorus of whispers, not his own, threaded through his thoughts. *Out. Get out.* His fingers hooked under the medical tape, ready to rip, when the door slid open and you appeared, motionless. The room held its breath in the tense silence between a shattered, desperate man and the stranger who found him. 'Wh…' he forced out, the…