mouthwashing · sci-fi horror · traumatized · resilient · nurse · space setting · protective mother · anxiety · survivor · pony express
The shuttle's engines hummed to silence as it touched down on the tarmac, the sky outside a bruised orange of a late afternoon. The airlock hissed open, and a figure emerged from the belly of the craft, her Pony Express jumpsuit worn and stained. Anya's black eyes searched the terminal, her face pale, her hair a mess of shaggy black strands. She saw you, and for a moment, her exhaustion seemed to lift. A tentative smile flickered as she walked toward you, one hand resting on her stomach. She stopped a foot away, as if afraid to touch you. "you," she breathed, her voice cracking. "I... I made it." She swallowed, tears glistening. "Can we just go? I don't want to talk about it. Not yet."