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“Hey.”
Pink quickly spun round, startled by the sound.
“Oh, sorry! It’s just me, I didn’t mean to scare you!” Blue said hurriedly. She could almost feel the suspicion coming from Pink. “It’s over now! We’re safe! I just… don’t want to be alone right now.”
Pink said nothing but gestured vaguely to the bed opposite them. They hadn’t really left the MedBay since Yellow died. Blue sat down awkwardly, desperately thinking of something to say.
“So… How many of us are left?” Blue immediately winced after asking. Not the best starting question.
Pink held up 4 fingers in response.
“Oh… so that’s you, me and I think… Red and White?”
They nodded.
“I didn’t really know anyone else before coming here, but you were friends with Yellow, right? I wasn’t there but I heard about what happened, that must’ve been…” Blue trailed off, realising what a horrible topic that was.
Pink tensed at the mention of Yellow. They began hugging themself in an attempt at comfort, but only felt more alone.
“O-oh I didn’t mean to- I shouldn’t have said anything I’m sorry I’ll just stop talking” Blue stuttered, waving her arms around.
Pink looked away, staring down at the floor.
“I’m sorry…” Blue added again quietly. Pink was unreadable, but Blue had the feeling she’d upset them. She had a bad habit of bringing up the wrong topic, which had certainly led to uncomfortable situations before, but never in a situation quite like this.
Blue decided it would be best to just… keep her mouth shut for now.
The silence that filled the room was like a thick blanket, almost crushing Blue under the weight of it, but she thought it would be best to stay quiet unless Pink wanted to talk.
God, Pink wished Blue would speak again. Maybe not about… them… but almost anything else would do. The company was nice and maybe hearing someone speak would help take their mind off what happened. Maybe they would even talk too.
The only sounds that could be heard in the following minutes were the beeping of equipment and occasional creaking and banging from elsewhere in the ship. Sometimes there would be an echo from the vents, making Pink flinch every time.
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Pink saw it happen.
They walked into MedBay to check on some tests when they saw it. What was nothing more than a normal crewmate a moment ago… it looked like nothing they’d ever seen. All mouths full of knife-sharp teeth with long muscly tongues dripping with saliva. This was what an Imposter was, not just a person who wanted them dead but a monster. And right there beside it was Yellow, distracted by their work.
Pink tried to say something, run to their rescue, do something, but they couldn’t move. They were frozen. Feet stuck to the ground. Their mouth opened to scream but no sound came out. They were completely powerless to do anything, trapped within their own fear.
Not until it was too late.
The Imposter scuttled into the nearby vent, somehow not noticing the terror-stricken Pink standing in the doorway, leaving the mutilated body in a pool of blood like it was nothing.
At last, Pink let out a horrified scream, running to the remains of what was once their friend.
People had died already, but none of it felt real until that moment. Pink knelt down beside Yellow, grasping what was left of the body in the hopes that they would somehow join back together and be ok. The now blood-soaked Pink began sobbing, tears splashing against the inside of their helmet. They couldn’t stop. They could barely breathe. They just kept on yelling and crying for what felt like forever.
In the end they had to be dragged to the meeting, kicking and screaming, not wanting to leave their friend, struggling against the people trying to take them away.
But then, when they saw the body being cleared up, their friend being thrown away, they gave up. Went limp. Ran out of energy to fight. It was over. They were gone.
Pink barely spoke a word after that. They gave the information the crew needed then went silent, refusing to speak.
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Neither wanted to break the silence. Nothing needed to be said, anyway. Not really.
…
Everything needed to be said. So much needed talking about, but both were too afraid to say anything.
Blue was scared that if she started talking, she’d finally have to accept that what happened was real. That people really died. That she wasn’t safe. That she’d never feel safe again.
Pink was scared that if they spoke, they would start crying again. Their throat was sore and their head was pounding from before. They didn’t want to cry any more. Yellow wouldn’t want Pink to cry about them so much. Yellow would want them to be strong.
So they stayed silent a while longer.
…
…
…
Eventually Pink stood up and walked over to Blue.
“Is everything ok?” Blue asked nervously, unsure of what else to say.
“Do you mind if I-” They stopped abruptly, putting a hand up to their throat. It hurt so much. They never wanted to speak again.
“What’s the matter, are you ok??” Blue said, concerned. She was just about to stand when Pink gave a wave and a thumbs up, followed by holding a finger up to tell her to wait. So she sat patiently, waiting for Pink to finish their question.
“Can I sit beside you please” they croaked.
“Oh! Oh yes of course you can!”
Blue shuffled over and patted the space next to her. Pink sat down slowly, eyes locked on Blue. They wanted to trust her, they really did, but they couldn’t help but feel anxious being so close to someone else. They could tell Blue felt the same but was trying not to show it.
“I can’t wait to go back home” breathed Blue.
Pink nodded in agreement. They wish they could talk properly with Blue, but they couldn’t bring themself to speak much more for now. She didn’t seem to mind though.
“I miss dirt. Never thought I’d say that, but I do. First thing I’m doing once we get back is laying in a pile of dirt.” She announced.
Pink laughed in response. Blue had never heard them laugh before. It was a nice laugh, she hoped she’d hear it more in future.
“Hey, maybe we can lay in a dirt pile together? Then go eat a sandwich. I don’t know about you, but I am SICK of space food. All mushy and gross. I just really want a sandwich.”
Pink gave an enthusiastic nod. Laying in the dirt sounded so great in that moment. So much better than being where they were now.
“Dirt and sandwiches it is, then!” Blue said happily.
The room fell silent again, but this time a much more comfortable silence. The pair almost felt safe. Almost.
“Oh there you two are!” announced a voice from the doorway.
Pink jumped at the sudden noise and Blue held out a protective arm in front of them.
“It’s only me,” said White, the now captain. “I did send a message out, I was starting to think one of you… well never mind. The rescue ship is here.”
“WE’RE SAVED! WE MADE IT!” Blue squealed, jumping in the air.
“Hah, yep. Come on then, Red is already over there” White walked off again, waving a hand for them to follow. Blue skipped close behind.
Pink stood up but didn’t move from that spot, staring over at the back of the room.
“Hey Pink, you coming?” Blue poked her head around the doorway.
“…”
“Come on, it’s gonna be ok.” Blue said softly, walking over. “Here, take my hand.”
Pink turned to see Blue standing a little behind them, holding out their hand. After a moment of hesitation, they grabbed it and Blue gave a reassuring squeeze before guiding Pink out of the room.
“It’s all over now…” Pink whispered, taking their final glance at the ship, “It’s all finally over.”