#at least it can’t get any worse

[hummingbird-of-light]

June of Doom 2024 Day 16 (@juneofdoom)

16. “At least it can’t get any worse.”          

| Secret | Stranded | Setback |

~

Christine Chapel and her fiancé reached their house completely out of breath. The door was quickly locked and all the necessary safety systems activated.

"What a race! And here I thought that dinner at the restaurant was the worst thing that was going to happen to us tonight," Christine moaned, leaning her head against the now locked door. "Well... At least it can't get any worse."

"I guess you're right, darling. But I really didn't think we'd make it in time."

When she heard Roger's voice behind her, Christine turned and gave the man a sad look.

"I just hope more people made it. The victims who are still alive at the end of the night and are brought to us in hospital are always so badly battered and usually have little chance of survival."

Even though it had been a few years since the so-called Blood Elite had been formed to decimate the crowds on the overcrowded Earth at irregular intervals, it was still a terrible thing.

The members of the group were personally selected by the government. Microchips were implanted in their brains, turning them into mindless slaves. They simply had to kill and could not resist the urge.

There were only a few people who were safe from the attacks. Old people who would soon die anyway. The few children who were allowed to be conceived, born and raised at a high price so that humanity itself would survive. All other humans were fair game and could and should be killed by the group, to which an incredible number of members belonged.

The warning signal, which some rebels had invented to alert the inhabitants of the small town where Christine and Roger lived to attacks by the Blood Elite, was the only hope many people had.

It was already part of their everyday lives. They went about their typical days and suddenly there was another attack.

"Hey, everything will be fine." Roger stepped quickly to his fiancée and pulled her into a hug and Christine snuggled tightly against him. Somehow the man's words didn't sound too sincere. There was a strange undertone to them, but Christine didn't hear it. She was just glad to be in his arms.

Roger was everything to her. He was her safe haven. He carried her through every difficult time. And she loved him more than anything.

"How about we have a nice glass of wine now and then go to bed, huh?"

Roger gently stroked a long strand of hair from Christine's beautiful face and gave her a kiss. Although he was smiling, there seemed to be something strangely sad in his gaze.

"That sounds like a good plan."

The path quickly led them into the living room, where Roger quickly pulled out two glasses and a bottle of wine, while Christine was already seated on the couch.

Roger quickly joined her and soon they were drinking their wine together and cuddling.

It was these normal, quiet moments that made Christine's life worth living and gave her hope. Maybe the rebels would win one day. Maybe one day they would live in a normal world again.

"Can ... I ask you something, Chris?"

Christine was surprised at how unusually cautious her otherwise so self-assured fiancé sounded.

"Of course. What's up?"

Roger didn't look at her, keeping his eyes fixed on the contents of his glass.

"Would you ... kill someone if that person wanted you to?"

Christine felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach and an icy shiver ran down her spine. What kind of strange question was that?

"Roger?"

Her fiancé finally looked at her.

"Would you?" he asked again. This time with a little more emphasis.

Christine looked at him uncomprehendingly and put her glass down on the table in front of her.

"I swore an oath and you know it," she said and she was surprised by the despair and sadness reflected on Roger's face when he heard those words.

"Yes. I know that, but –" Roger didn't finish the sentence. He ran a hand over his face and sighed heavily.

"What's wrong, Roger? Why are you asking me a question like that?" Christine became restless. The whole situation was making her uncomfortable.

It took a brief moment before Roger took her hands in his and squeezed them tightly. There were tears in his beautiful eyes.

"Christine, I ... I haven't told you something."

Her mouth went dry as she heard Roger's shaky voice. She shook her head slowly.

"Yesterday, some government employees came to our lab. They ... selected new members for the Blood Elite and ... I'm one of them."

Christine felt her throat constrict and hot tears stream down her cheeks.

"Roger, that –"

"Shhh." Her fiancé's finger found Christine's lips, silencing her. Roger swallowed hard before finding his voice again.

"The chip is already implanted. It will be activated tomorrow morning." Tears began to flow as Roger placed his hand on Christine's cheek and gently stroked the skin with his thumb. "There's nothing I can do about it. All I wanted was one last beautiful evening with you, my fiancée. That's why I kept it a secret from you. I'm so sorry."

Christine shook her head again and again. She just didn't want to believe it. It simply had to be a bad dream.

But the look in Roger's eyes said more than a thousand words and showed that he was telling the truth.

"I ... I'd kill myself, Chris, but ... I'm just so scared of it. And I know you know a lot about medication. Can ... can you mix me a lethal cocktail that will give me a gentle death?"

There were so many emotions in Roger's gaze. Despair, fear, sadness. But also hope. He hoped that his fiancée would grant him his last wish.

"I can't do that, Roger," she sobbed, "I just can't!"

"Please, Christine, I'm begging you! All I want is to fall asleep next to you and not wake up the next morning. I don't want to become a murderer. I ... I don't want to hurt you."

It wasn't fair. It was just too cruel a situation. And they both knew that. But when Christine saw the pleading look on her fiancé's face, she knew there was only one thing she could do.

She nodded. She would indeed do it. And Roger's grateful eyes were reason enough.

Together they got up from the couch and wandered into their bedroom. Christine's path first led her to the bathroom, from which she fetched some medication. She mixed a mixture that she knew would be impossible to survive ... and handed the glass to her fiancé. The man she loved so much. The man who gave her hope.

Roger drank a few sips before Christine and he lay down, their arms wrapped tightly around each other. The kisses they shared were the most tender they had ever had. They showed their love to each other one last time, saying how they felt over and over again.

And when Roger finally fell asleep, Christine did the only right thing. She took the glass and drank the rest.

Roger had always been her hope. And without him – without hope – she didn't want to continue this fight either.

Neither of them would wake up the next morning. They were free.

[chloesimaginationthings]

FNAF movie Mike and Michael compare nightmares,,

[deus-ex-mona]

i support aizo stan x aizo stan (women’s wrongs edition)

[l1veleak]

[fictional-men-enthusiast]

Old Flesh + The Parliament is conservatism.

I said what I said and I’m not taking it back.

[werebutch]

My mom getting a new place is kinda making me anxious I think she thinks I’m gonna move in w her instead of my dad 😭 and I’m not sure why I don’t want to. Cuz she’s way better. But I don’t. And I feel responsible I think and plus my sisters will never favor my mom over my dad… so we’d live apart. but I’m 20 years old I can live whatever I want. But. But but but

[isamajor]

June of Doom : day 16 to 20

Another batch of @juneofdoom prompts ! This time, lots of our fav Dwemer nerds ! :DDD (and some mild spoilers on Nebs personnal quest, I tried to keep it relatively vague so that it doesn't spoil people but those who have done the quest will understand I think)

16 . “At least it can’t get any worse.”

The Dragonborn had wanted to cut through the snowy mountain. If they had the agility of a goat on the steep and slippery slopes beaten by the icy winds, this was not the case for everyone. Lucien and Kaidan found themselves stuck on a half-sheltered ledge. With the few supplies they carried, they were able to make a fire, sacrificing Lucien's books in the process for lighting it.

“At least it can’t get any worse?”, Lucien muttered, trying to maintain a shred of optimism.

He had barely finished his sentence when a gust of blizzard rushed in and extinguished their meager fire.

“Great.” Kaidan groaned. (104)

•

17 . “You don’t want to do that.”  (Mild spoilers on Neb personnal quest?)

The Dragonborn stared in disbelief at Nebarra's friend, the weight of their words sinking in.

"You don’t want to do that.", the Dragonborn pleaded, voice trembling.

Nebarra, standing next to them, clenched his fists. "You don’t understand," he growled. "I can’t let that happen."

The Dragonborn’s heart pounded as Nebarra advanced, desperation evident in his voice. The Mer shook his head. "There is no other way. He said this could avoid another war."

The Dragonborn knew how much the war had traumatized Nebarra, and that he was ready for this kind of desperate measure to avoid another one. (102)

•

18 . “I’m fine.”

Remiel clutched her head, wincing as another wave of pain throbbed through her skull. "I’m fine..." she insisted, forcing a smile as she stumbled slightly. She had been working tirelessly on the Dwemer automatons, her sight suffering from the strain and causing intense headaches.

Lucien frowned, stepping closer. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You don’t look fine, Remiel. You need to rest."

"I said I’m fine!" she snapped, regretting the harshness in her voice immediately. She took a shaky breath, trying to steady herself, but the world around her seemed to blur and spin. (100)

•

19 . “This can’t be happening!”

Lucien crumpled to his knees, hands trembling as he clutched his hair. "This can't be happening!", he cried, his voice cracking with despair. He stared at the lifeless body of the Dragonborn, the scene around him blurring as tears filled his eyes. He began to sob uncontrollably, his mind unable to grasp the reality of the situation and to accept it. Everything felt distant and surreal. Inigo placed a comforting hand on Lucien's shoulder, his own sobs stuck in his throat, unable to make a sound. Lucien threw himself into the Khajiit's arms, stifling his pain in his friend's shoulders. (104)

•

20 . “I can handle it.”

Remiel winced as she inadvertently scraped her thigh against a jagged piece of automaton in the dimly lit Dwemer ruins. The pain shot through her, but she brushed it off with a forced smile.

"It's just a scratch..." she muttered. "I can handle it."

Xelzaz noticed the blood staining her trousers and frowned with concern.

"Remi, that looks pretty bad. You should let me take a look."

She shook her head stubbornly, waving him off. But when the throbbing grew unbearable, she put her hand on Xelzaz' arm.

"You were right. Actually, maybe it's worse than I thought." (101)

[fingertipsmp3]

You wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me (the sims 1&2. And I’m talking to people who have only played ts4)

[grmpgm]

ok executive dysfunction is kind of ruining my life actually

[ducktracy]

i am literally so mad that i have waited years to write this review of Daffy’s Southern Exposure and when i finally do i get the worst cold i have had at least within the past 5 years and am too sick to write a substantial amount. like come on. COME ON! i would almost rather it be COVID because that’s at least a valid excuse!!!!! sorry this post nasal drip made me nauseous and then i got mad that i was nauseous because i also had a bad stomach bug two weeks ago that also prevented me from writing. needless to say i hope you all enjoy the review when it’s out because my goodness it is giving me a hard time. thank you for your patience again 😤🙏

[soupwife]

even being on this website for half my life did not prepare me for how fucked up sam and deans relationship is. one million years of therapy would not be enough i fear

[transmechanicus]

Brb crying on this friday night

[kavehater]

Man I just give up.

[lovelyisadora]

I am never ever ever sharing a bed with my mother on a road trip ever again holy fuck

[countess-of-edessa]

“are the girls going to help you make pierogis?” well no one else is fucking gonna are they? no one else in this house has functional fucking hands apparently

[caterpillarinacave]

So you choose not to step through the door, after all why mess with nonsense when you're already in nonsense? You check the items in your pockets, your phone you shut off to conserve power, the dog tag, key and top clink together but offer no help, and when you fiddle with the walkie-talkie you manage to get it to turn on, excitedly you call out to the void but only static responds, which is disappointing but predictable, so you put the items away and hunker down for the night, looking at the sky you can see that the stars seem strange, though you're no expert, and the moon seems to have a second smaller moon near it which looks pretty cool but is a stark reminder of how not on your own world your predicament has landed you.

In the morning you begin looking through the nearby bushes and plant life taking note of anything strange, you notice the berries you had been picking before you stepped through the door are also growing around here, they look and taste the same, and some other plants seem pretty similar to the forest from before as well, although the further away from the door you go the more unfamiliar plants you come across (of course that may just be your lack of familiarity with plants) and the few animals you have noticed are bizarre in a way that you can't explain, like the people from town, they seem almost perfectly familiar, just a little off and the noises they make have you thinking they wouldn't be able to communicate with their counterparts either, brushing aside another branch you come across a strange funnel made of metal which you pocket and what looks to be a regular whistle, you wipe it down and blow but hear nothing aside from the air going through, you consider it is either broken or maybe a dog whistle, as you go to put it away you hear something big running in your direction, before you can decide how to react a large creature storms out of the bushes and stops in the clearing before you, it's huge as a horse with paws and sharp teeth it licks as it looks around and spots you, it shakes its head again reminding you of a horse, then steps closer before turning and staring expectantly, you get the feeling it's waiting on you, impatiently, and you realize it seems to expect you to get on its back. Do you get on?

Yes.