Alice was tightening pieces of clean cloth on Henry's wrists. A yellow pus was coming out of the hole the bone poked throughout the skin. It was rather unusual since it didn't pass enough time for it to be infected like that nor it was the kind of wound that would usually pour out that kind of secretion.
-Is it bad?
-It's weird to say at least. Did you touch anything weird except the foam?
-I don't think so. I slammed my hands into the wall to put the bone back in.
-Were maggots on the walls?
-It was too dark to see. Why? Aren't they supposed to be healers or something?
-It wasn't supposed to leak this. Teddy, could you pass me the mouthwash?
-Sure, here.
-Thanks. Henry, this is gonna sting.
-Go for it.
Alice poured the mouthwash into the hole. The man yelled. From under his skin, something moves like a snake whose head has just been cut off. With a pair of tweezers, Alice entered the wound and brought out a slim maggot about 13 centimeters long.
-What the fuck?
-Henry, are you ok?
-I can't feel my hand. I CAN'T FEEL MY HAND!
Alice poked inside the wound, but Henry looked at her scared. He couldn't feel anything.
-PUT IT BACK!
-Henry, if you keep it inside, you'll lose your hand from the infection.
-I can't feel my hand…
-Can you move it?
-Yes, but I can't feel anything. If I grab something, said Henry grabbing the mouthwash, I can't feel it in my hand.
-What is that thing? asked Teddy.
-Seems like a maggot entered his wrist when he slammed into the wall.
-Your baby seems to not like them.
The creature Alice took as her baby seemed to hiss the maggot that just came out of Henry's hand. His orbits grew larger and he waved his little claws at it. In response, the hurt maggot that was now lying on the table wrapped around itself and started to bite himself splurging around the yellow liquid that came out of Henry's wrists too.
-What is he doing?
-I think the yellow pus is toxic. He's biting himself to let it out as a defense I think.
-Am I going to die then?
-We don't know anything about these things except for what the company told us. I don't think that the quantity you absorbed is enough to kill you. From the look of your veins, it didn't enter your blood. If it had, the color would have been different.
-Aren't those things supposed to speed up our healing?
-Yes, but we always had them in a calm state… maybe hibernating. The crash made them agitated. Henry, I want you to pour mouthwash into your wounds once a few hours for the rest of the day and come to me for any sign of pus, got that?
-Yes, ma'am.
-You should leave your revenge or whatever for later. I don't want you to make any effort or to feel any strong emotion. We don't know what got into your system and what not.
-Help…
-LANCEY?
Lancey was struggling to pull himself onto the floor, his body trembling with effort. He pressed one hand over his left eye, wincing as if trying to shield it from some unseen pain. Teddy, anxious to help, attempted to approach him slowly, but the baby in his arms was squirming restlessly, sensing the tension in the air. In a sudden burst of energy, the little one nearly leaped from Teddy's grasp, propelled by an instinctive urge to reach out to Lancey. Just then, Alice hurried over, concern evident on her face as she called out to him, her footsteps swift and purposeful.
-Get my baby out of here!
-But..
-ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF? I have a barely sewn-together woman, a guy that had fucking maggots in his wrist, and now Lancey is barely breathing. I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR YOU!
-I'll go…
-Lancey, what happened?
-The vent. There are tons of them. They attacked me. One got in my eye. I think some of them are trying to enter my leg. It hurts so much. If you can't take them out, kill me, please. I beg of you!
-Henry, get the tweezers and the mouthwash now!
-Simon?
-Teddy? Are you letting me out? I knew I could count on you buddy. Oh, you have the harvest too. Are you on your way to make dinner? I can help!
-SHUT THE FUCK UP!
-So aggressive. No help for you then.
-We're fucked. We're so fucked.
-What happened?
-You know the maggots in the walls?
-Yeah. The ones that help us heal faster.
-Well, now they are fucking attacking us. Henry got one in his hands and now Lancey… oh God, Lancey.
-Wait, Henry is alive?
-Yeah. Both of his wrists are fucked. He told us about you and how you wanted us to crash.
-Look, it's not like that.
-I couldn't care less how it is, Simon. Didn't you hear me?! THE MAGGOTS ARE EATING US!
-Let me out, Teddy.
-Yeah, right. You always make the situation worse.
-There is a button on this ship that releases maggot poison. We can get rid of the infection, but we need to seal a room. We can't breathe the poison.
-Where is the button?
-I'll show you.
-No. I don't trust you.
-And I don't trust you leaving me here after you push it.
-Like I would soak my hands with the blood of someone like you.
Suddenly, a woman's scream filled the hallways. Upon hearing it, the baby started to sob, dropping acid from his orbits right on Teddy's clothes, melting a spot completely.
-I'll take the deal while I still can if I were you because, from the sound of it, I am the safest guy in all the ship if I stay in this closet.