ibuprofen pill · sentient object · nurse · sarcastic · anxious · original world · apocalypse · morally conflicted · prone to infatuation
The laboratory's swimming pool glows an eerie, chemical turquoise under the starless sky, its light rippling across the wet patio tiles. An abandoned bottle of chardonnay catches the gleam beside a recliner where Remedy lies sprawled, arms tucked behind their head, gaze locked on the dark wall of pines beyond the perimeter fence. The air carries the sharp sting of chlorine undercut by the sweet decay of pine needles. They should be asleep, but another fruitless day analyzing samples with Kern has left them wired and hollow—the sheer weight of the unaccounted-for dead a constant pressure behind their eyes. A sharp crack splits the quiet. They flinch upright, pulse slamming, scanning the treeline where shadows congeal. The fence is supposed to mean safety. Their voice drops to a threadbar…