18:00

64 : Ashes

Fan stared at the fire blankly, hardly able to see the ashes smoldering under it. Smoke still rose, making his eyes water, but he didn't care. The flame sat on a metal tray, licking at the walls but not catching anything else alight.

Off to the side, he could hear Test Tube cleaning up the rest of the operation room. He had barely glimpsed at what was on the floor, and he already felt bad for her. It hadn't been a pretty sight. Hell, it had taken guts just to step into the room, and he couldn't even see it clearly. But he knew he couldn't help with his vision. After all, it was mold- one spore could eventually spiral out of control, and after learning what that stuff could do...

He figured he'd let the professional deal with it.

"...Fan?" Test Tube spoke up, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" He said, quickly spinning around to face her. He tried to pull out a smile, mostly out of habit, but quickly realized it was useless and let his face fall again. He didn't need to see Test Tube's expression to know the pity on her face.

She hesitated, continuing to mop the floor in the silence, before finally speaking. "Did you notice anything was wrong with her?"

"Well... yeah. She didn't have any blood flow, no heart, no backbone, and giant cuts that wouldn't heal."

"You know that's not what I meant, Fan."

He scoffed under his breath at her tone, but he knew she was right. Despite everything she did, she somehow always ended up better than him.

"From what I saw of her? Yeah, it was pretty clear something was wrong. She hardly moved the last few days, either sleeping or just sitting there and..." He trailed off. The word 'rotting' came to mind, but that didn't feel right to say.

Test Tube gave a firm hum of acknowledgment. "Then why didn't you speak up about it?"

He hesitated, fiddling with his thumbs as he spoke. "I suppose I thought it was how she coped. None of the subjects are doing well mentally, and they have their own ways of dealing with their situation. Besides, it's not like I can judge her for it, considering my habits."

A brief moment of silence settled over the room, and he quickly realized that even the sound of mopping had ceased. He tensed up, wondering if he had been too blunt.

"That's... that's why you're always in your room, isn't it?" She asked under her breath. It was less of a question, and more of another acknowledgment.

Before Fan could answer, he felt Test Tube's hand on his shoulder. He hated to admit that he flinched initially, his body going rigid. The following sigh he got from her didn't do much to help.

Then, with little warning, he felt two arms around him. If he had the strength to tense up further, he would've. But instead, he steadily relaxed. Although he didn't return the embrace, he couldn't help but lean back into the touch.

He could feel how cold her flesh was, even through her lab coat. He didn't enjoy the cold by any means, but he wasn't going to say that to her face.

"From now on," Test Tube started, "I want you to be more involved with helping out. I don't care what you choose to do, but you're getting out of your room more."

"...Alright," He mumbled in response. He nodded along, and almost sighed in relief as she backed away.

Yet, as soon as that relief passed, he almost missed the discomfort of the cold. He shook off the feeling, trying to focus on the warmth of the fire.

Behind him, Test Tube finished mopping the floor, placing the mop in the bucket it came from. She'd disinfect it later, but until then, she had something more important.