Oblivion
Ending one
Solo Mission<<<
You chose the escape pods.
“We need to get the fuck out of here!” With a push on Hobie's shoulder, you sprint towards the right where the escape pods are.
Running away with all your might while Hobie shoots back at the creature, whose thudding footsteps reverberate through your bones, your fear encapsulates you. Your fear of him dying, seeing him get devoured by the very thing that killed your friends.
With your console on your wrist, you close each hallway shutters that were built to withstand great explosions but to the grotesque being, it's nothing but a wall of hay as it continues to run through it with barely any resistance.
There's no turning back now.
Its groans of pain, and flesh still burning, it runs towards you with such ferocity that you think it has a spark of humanity left in its distorted body. You could feel your heart pumping in your chest, lungs desperately heaving in more air as with every banging sound from behind, metal breaking and cracking with every shutters closing.
Hobie checks on you with arms lugging around the dismembered hand. Its hundred fingers are still wiggling and bleeding in his grasp.
“Love!” He yells as he sees the end of the hallway with the large circular doors with the written words that you've been waiting for.
“I know!” With one final push, you kneel down, using the momentum to slide on the grimy floors, rifle immediately pointing towards the creature. “Hobie, the finger prints!”
“On it!” As you shoot, Hobie brings the gigantic hand on the scanner next to the door. He checks every finger but none of them have the admin clearance you need. “Fuck!” There's still dozens to go through but the creature is still gunning after you, albeit slower this time as your concoction makes its way into its veins.
“Hurry! I'm running out of—” just as you say it, the creature falls on the ground, sliding its bloodied body on the floors, stopping just a few feet away from you. Panting, you look over your shoulder to meet with Hobie's eyes.
“Holy shit.” His eyes glint with hope. With one remaining finger to scan, it beeps then a green light illuminates his helmet. “Lucky.” He almost chuckles out.
Your eyes glimmer under the red lights, as he helps you up, the creature huffs, reminding you that you don't have much time left.
“Let's go before it wakes.” Hand in hand, Hobie leads you inside the room with its rows upon rows of escape pods at the ready. As you predicted based on the ship's age, one pod could only house one person. Something that has been fixed ten years ago after an incident.
The doors hiss close behind you, granting you one last look at the sleeping monster.
You place the now empty rifle next to the door, running towards the closest pod to check if it's all clear only to find the unmistakable red error code on the panel. “Fuck, this might've been damaged from before. Any luck?”
Hobie checks every single pod, desperation crawling on his neck with every error he sees on each escape pod. “Not yet.”
A deep rumble from outside freezes the blood in your veins. “There's gotta be one that's working!” You scream in frustration, hands trembling as you skim every single one of them. Your hope fades away when you see the very last pod at the end of the line with the same red flashing on its screen.
Hobie’s rapid footsteps recede, “love! Over ‘ere!” You follow him quickly, running towards him with a soft smile. Finding that he's waiting at the last pod, which only means one thing. “You need to take your helmet off or you won't fit in it.” He's already twisting your helmet off before you could protest. “We— you need to get inside, love.”
“No,” his hands grip your arms, pulling you gently towards the now opened pod. “No, not without you damn it!” You push him away, his body almost landing inside the pod as he looks at you with his tear filled eyes. “I'm not leaving without you.” The trilling sounds get louder, and your vision warbles into the same rainbow light. “I can't, Hobie.”
He sniffs, lips slowly curling into a gentle smile, a reassuring one. Calling your name like it's the last time he'll ever say it, he reaches for you again. “You have to go.” His palms rests on your cheeks, catching your tears in his gloves. “I'll find my own way out, yeah? And we'll get that house with the readin’ nook you always wanted.”
“But it won't be a home without you!” You stomp your foot down like a child throwing a tantrum. “I don't have to go, okay? W–we can keep running from it until it starves! Please, don't make me leave you behind.” You wrap your arms around his neck, embracing him fully while you slowly inch towards the pod while his back is turned from it. “Please.”
“‘m sorry, lovie.” He thumps his helmet atop your forehead gently, trying to feel your warmth through the glass. “I'll see you again, in this life or the next.”
Leaning away, your forehead presses gently on his helmet, eyes closed as you savour his warmth. Sliding your palms on his chest, your thumbs caresses the patch you two designed years ago. “No, I'm sorry.” With one strong push, he falls backwards into the hull. You take advantage of his shock, closing and locking the door over him. “You're gonna be okay.”
“No, Please!” Hobie hears the muffled thudding from behind the glass, and your quiet sobbing as you punch in coordinates on the control panel. He tries to push the glass, then punches it to no avail. It doesn't crack or hiss open, despite him pulling the lever to open it. “You should be ‘ere, not me! Love! Open the fuckin’ door!” He keeps punching the glass, heart wretched out of his heart as he watches you sacrifice yourself. He calls your name again, soft and broken in his throat. “Don't leave me.”
The flashing ‘launch’ button appears as you finish putting in the coordinates of earth or any closest space station, whichever it finds first. You could only hope that he gets back there safely, he needs to survive. For his sake and yours.
Your finger hovers over the button as you hear a crashing sound. “I love you, I'm so sorry.” The doors rip open, and the creature's thundering footsteps fade away in your ears while you could only hear Hobie's anguished muted screaming. “I hope I get to meet you again, captain.”
With a press of the button, the last thing he ever saw was your shining smile, and the monster looming behind you.
As the dark space encapsulates him, and the pod propelling him back to earth, he could only see your last smile behind his eyelids and the kaleidoscope of light fading in his vision.
You didn't make it.
