Appetence

Archive Log: 49

It was something that had started off gradual, like an illness; taking hold, slowly spreading and seeping into everything, every waking hour being overtaken and controlled by this unseen thing. Elizabeth was dying. Minerva could see it, David perhaps was being a bit optimistic, delusional even. She didn't quite think he was humouring Elizabeth, Minerva believed that David really didn't recognise the signs of death.

Elizabeth was sleeping more, more than she already was. Her eating had lessened and her interest in moving from her bed had lessened too, she only moved if she needed a wash or the toilet, that was it. Her muscle mass was dissipating, she was slim and toned, but now she just seemed slim. Whenever she did stand, it seemed a struggle; like her legs couldn't hold up the weight of her. Though Minerva doubted she weighed much now. But she struggled, wobbled even, she also seemed to sag into herself. Her body was slowly giving up on her, even if Elizabeth's mind was still alert, her body wasn't.

Because of how she was getting, it just meant that David returned to being the doting helper. Minerva had watched him tend to her father, and although begrudging at times, David was good. He was extremely good at looking after people, he'd have this caring disposition which put whoever at ease. He was calm, he was patient and he was helpful. What he did for her father, he was now doing for the doctor. Elizabeth at first had tried to decline his help, but as time dragged on it became more obvious that she couldn't do things alone. She needed David, and David freely gave his help to her.

Minerva was left out. It was like she didn't exist, again. Both Elizabeth and David seemed to be in their own little bubble. A bubble of her dependency and David's coddling. It wasn't that Minerva didn't show care, she did. But she had died, she knew what death was like and she had tried to be realistic, she had tried and David had glared at her angrily, and Elizabeth had looked depressed. Minerva had said about hypersleep, but even hypersleep couldn't protect someone from death if their vitals were already low, or failing. Neither seemed to appreciate anything she came out with, likewise she didn't appreciate seeing them become so close and dependant on each other.

It was like there was nothing else to possibly do with his day, other than tend to Elizabeth, help her up, try and get her to eat, if she wanted to go for a walk; then David would be there, holding her arm to steady her, their hands linked tightly together as his other arm was around her shoulders. Keeping track of their journey had been shoved out the airlock it seemed, and any other work just came to a halt. David didn't even sit and draw anymore. The last thing Minerva saw him draw, was a picture of Elizabeth.

Everything revolved around that human. And she was getting sick and tired of it. She was becoming resentful, she resented the fact that Elizabeth was even still alive. She understood her drive, she wished to get to the Engineer's world, she wanted answers; she seemingly forgot the details of the Engineer so easily killing most of their team, without even trying. What was to say they wouldn't do the same to her? There wasn't, and Minerva for one didn't feel all to up for being protection detail. She wouldn't get answers. Minerva could see a pipe dream when it was in front of her, and everything about this was a pipe dream.

There would never be any fruition, no full circle or determined, wholesome answer for Elizabeth. This was a doomed mission from the start. She was going to die, and herself and David were going to be stuck. Thank you, very much, Elizabeth Shaw. Turning a page in the journal, Minerva licked her bottom lip, utterly bored by the reading material in front of her. Most of Elizabeth's journal consisted of daily routines, what was going on, where the ship situated within the space outside, and what David and Minerva were up to. Most of the time it revolved around possible distrust still lurking about them. But as the journal went on, the distrust towards David lessened, it didn't for Minerva.

In one excerpt, Elizabeth had written; 'I can see that Minerva dislikes me. Whether that is because I am the last human standing, or because David spends most of his time looking out for me, I do not know. She speaks of death often, and it doesn't put David at ease.' Minerva had to scoff, least Elizabeth knew she didn't like her. She had continued though; 'She spends most days sitting and watching in silence. I somehow feel like there's more reason to distrust her than David.' What was there to do here? Dance around singing in the corridors? Minerva was bored. This was boring. She'd had enough of all of this pretence. The end was coming, David and Elizabeth could stick their heads in the sand and ignore it if they wished, but Minerva could see it. The end was coming.