[Help him? Markus feels like he can barely help himself, the rain is so loud, there are so many bodies here that he feels like one wrong move and he’ll trip over limbs, or a cascade of mud and broken plastic will bury him under the weight of a thousand dead things with a thousand forgotten serial numbers, and he’ll just be one more thrown-away machine in a history of thrown-away machines.]
I can’t, I—
[Not yet. He can’t yet. His Thirium pump regulator needs to be replaced as soon as possible, or he’ll deactivate. He’ll die like the rest of them, hollow-eyed and grasping at the sky.
But even as these thoughts careen through his mind, already Markus knows that he can’t leave him here like this. He can’t be so cruel.]
I’ll come back. Just wait for me a little longer.
[He moves to stand again, hand pressed to his chest, rain practically sluicing off wet clothes.]
no subject
[Help him? Markus feels like he can barely help himself, the rain is so loud, there are so many bodies here that he feels like one wrong move and he’ll trip over limbs, or a cascade of mud and broken plastic will bury him under the weight of a thousand dead things with a thousand forgotten serial numbers, and he’ll just be one more thrown-away machine in a history of thrown-away machines.]
I can’t, I—
[Not yet. He can’t yet. His Thirium pump regulator needs to be replaced as soon as possible, or he’ll deactivate. He’ll die like the rest of them, hollow-eyed and grasping at the sky.
But even as these thoughts careen through his mind, already Markus knows that he can’t leave him here like this. He can’t be so cruel.]
I’ll come back. Just wait for me a little longer.
[He moves to stand again, hand pressed to his chest, rain practically sluicing off wet clothes.]