RETREAT .

H U M A N I T _

"Miles, open your damn eyes." I comply, but instantly close them against the blinding light. I can finally breathe. I rub my face, slowly, I can hear people groggily getting dressed and leaving, smell the cologne and showers on.

I open my eyes, to see Gore standing above me. His eyebrows turned down in a scowl, but he looks concentrated, not upset. I groan, my head still screaming from the lack of air. Why wasn't I breathing? What happened?

"Get up, we need to talk." Gore says, strong hands forcing me up by my wrists. I sigh. Alright.

My senses come back to me, slowly. I stretch and change, getting the hint I won't be allowed time to shower this morning.
Gore takes me by the hand, guiding me down the hallways. We're going towards the medical ward. I stumble, meeting the feet of another fleet member. He stands taller than both of us.

"You cannot enter." He says weakly. He's nervous. "We need to see the nurse here," Gore says firmly.

"Y-you can't, the whole ward is under quarantine.. Someone in there's got it." He says shakily, sweating hands fumbling with his baton.

Both our eyes become wide. "You mean Retreat." I whisper. White flashes in front of my eyes, a woman staring blankly at the ceiling. Her veins like tunnels over the smooth curve of her skin. So white, so lifeless. I blink. Gore squeezes my hand and it hurts.

Gore yanks me away, I wasn't able to catch what the man had said. I feel odd. Disoriented. I'm not really here.

"What did he say?" Gore is quite pale and beginning to pace. "You didn't hear? How could you space out at a time like this? You're nothin' but more space in that head of yours! What good are you?!" He yells, smacking me upside the head. He sighs.

"I'm sorry." He says, a bit calmer. "A patient was found with symptoms. He died.. and.. Desto is in quarantine. They're.. they're not going to preserve the body for burial when we return." Gore explains brokenly. "They're gonna toss it out the airlock." He adds, body bunching up. He was hurting. You could see it in his skin, in his eyes. I feel numb. What am I suppose to feel? Who died? How many patients were in there? I can't remember. Why can't I remember?

"Let's go sit down." I offer flatly. Gore follows me, and I wish I could share his grief. Feel something. I don't like where I am right now.

"I'll visit Desto tomorrow and see who it was." I offer, brushing off a bench in the cafeteria. It's empty, and quiet apart from the lunch duty preparing the next meal. We sit.

Gore shakes his head. He worries his lip. His eyes dance across the room, only, they skip over me. My gut begins to turn. "You know who died." I mutter. My goats clench as my nerves begin to stirr. Who was it?

Gore's beautiful amber eyes meet my own. There's a painful fire all its own burning in the depths of them. It burns me.

"It was Theo, Miles. Theo died."

uh-oh spagettio
well.. rip.

I'll most likely go back and reread and edit this once I'm more awake in case it's literally another language because I have a feeling it's pretty confusing. one more chapter in this part :o then it's on to part 2!!

feels train is leaving the station doot doot