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Every breath felt like the ticking down of a timer, taking something from someone that needed it more than you. The constant drip, drip, drip, of condensation, and more often now, blood, made Simon think of the torture method of dripping water on a person’s head, an idea he’d always scoffed at. He was beginning to understand how it would drive someone to madness. With what he’s seeing, he thinks he’s already there.
“I’m not afraid of you!!” He shouted hysterically, knowing that the thing he was staring down was most likely just a figment of his imagination. Its cold, white eyes bore into Simon’s soul and a shiver ran down his spine. It was humanoid, unlike the massive fish monsters he’d photographed, but it clearly wasn’t human. Its mouth continued over its cheek to its ear, razor sharp teeth jutting out like needles stuck into its face. It was nude and hairless, fleshy tendrils racing up its back and along its body, gross pustules bubbling from under the reddish skin.
Simon had to bite back the urge to run and hide. “What are you,” he demanded, taking a determined step forwards.
The creature opened its jaw slightly, creaking and gurgling noises emitting from its maw, making Simon feel nauseous. Blood leaked from its mouth before it finally spoke, the voice grating and unpracticed. “I’m… not… sure anymore… but, I was human… once.”
Simon scoffed, poorly hiding his discomfort. “Yeah, sure. There’s no other person on this ship. Don’t try to trick me.”
It slowly turned the captain’s chair to face him, and it tilted its marred face to consider him. “I’m trapped… here too. We’re the… same.”
“I am nothing like you,” Simon pointed a finger at it in fury. “I’m not going to give into these hallucinations. I’m going to make it out of here.”
The creature stood up slowly, sinew straining against the movement, and it shuffled towards Simon arduously. His breath quickened and he tried to step back but his body didn’t seem to respond. “I’m not… gonna hurt you. I just… want you to see… the truth…” It rasped, reaching its remaining hand to Simon’s face, guiding his chin so that their eyes met. He was trembling at the slick fingers on his skin, but he grit his teeth and stared into its sunken eyes.
He studied it closer now, underneath the alien surface of the being before him, his eyes tracing the curve of the jaw, the set of the eyes, every distinctive shape that was so deeply familiar. “No… no way…” Simon cried, half believing he’d hear the dreaded beep of the O2 meter dropping to zero with how it felt like his lungs weren’t taking in any air. His hands grasped its wrist, clinging to it and trying to tear it away from him, but its tendrils had already begun to fuse with his face.
“Don’t be… scared…” It saw Simon’s wild eyes and its expression softened, brushing a finger over his lip, trying to scrub away the crusted blood but only leaving a fresh trail of it. “Am I… scary…? I’m sorry…”
Simon let out a choked noise, stepping closer and demanding, “Does this mean I die? How could we- how could we give in to this shit? Just roll over?”
It pulls back a bit, surprised. “I… I didn’t… do that… I tried…”
“Bullshit! You can’t be me!” He shoved it away from him back into the pilot’s seat, yelping as he’s pulled down with it, linked together still. “Get offa me!”
“I… can’t…” it murmured, sounding sorrowful. “I need to… consume… I don’t… want to…” Tendrils continued to fuse its arm and his face to one another, pustules forming on Simon’s rough skin.
He was stuck leaning over it, and he put a shaking hand over the protruding teeth on its cheek, an increasing sense of horror squeezing at his gut. “What’s it like? To be part of it?” He had to know.
“It’s… peaceful. I’m not… so angry anymore.” It explained hoarsely, blood dripping slightly from its mouth still. “It’s not so bad… you make… the right decision…”
“But- But I don’t make it? I went through all this shit for nothing!?” Simon grabbed at its shoulders and shook it a bit before snatching his hands back when he saw curious red feelers approaching.
“Not nothing… I hope…” It copied Simon and put its stump of an arm on his shoulder, then hesitating before pulling him down into a hug. He could feel their chests begin to fuse together, fabric corroding and incomprehensible sensations piercing Simon’s mind.
“Could you please speak to me? It’s too much… I just need to hear someone…” he sounded small, burying his face into its shoulder.
“It’s… It’ll be… okay… Simon…” He let out a sad whine at his name, and it felt a strong emotion come over it, pressing a tender kiss to his forehead smeared with blood and sweat, the two joining there too. It tried its hardest to think comforting words if it could no longer speak, as it felt its body consuming its past self, thoughts beginning to overlap. Memories overlapped into a louder and louder cacophony, heat burning into flesh, acrid blood flooding the senses-
Simon’s eyes snapped open and he clung to himself, falling to the metal grates that made up the floor of the ship. Hyperventilating, he looked up to see the seat looming in front of him, the interior of the ship lit by dim teal lights of the buttons. He put his head back down, letting out a cry of pain and confusion until his throat tightened and his voice gave out. He shut his eyes and focused on where the cold ground met his forehead, imagining it to be soft, burning lips, imagining himself held gently, imagining he wasn’t at the bottom of an ocean of blood, fated to die alone and stranded with no one to mourn him.