Stars [Memesfor1]

Lava

         Socks watched Meme leave, feeling utterly torn in two. He had never felt like this before, so angry but immensely sad.

Why are we even friends? Meme's words echoed in his mind. We always fight.

"You okay?"

Socks turned around to see Blaza in the doorway of the electrical building. The yellow-suited crewmate looked genuinely worried.

"Yeah," he lied. "Why?"

Blaza smiled sadly. "I heard the whole thing through cameras."

Socks froze. "What?"

"Cameras. There's one up there," he said, pointing to a small device that captured the area perfectly.

"So you were spying on me," Socks snapped. Blaza looked slightly hurt.

"No, I just..."

"Overheard?" Socks replied sharply. "That's the same thing."

Blaza met his eye. "You're being weird," he said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." Socks said. He didn't feel like explaining himself, and he was feeling too awful to be questioned like this.

Blaza didn't look convinced. "Really? Because-"

"I said I'm fine!" Socks burst out. Blaza took a step back.

"Sorry." Socks said half-heartedly. Blaza's eyes went cold. "Yeah, me too."

Before Socks could stop him, he turned to go back into the building. Now alone, Socks became frustrated.

I drive all my friends away, he thought. No wonder they fight with me so easily.

I wanted them to leave, he assured himself. I want to be alone.

Socks knew he was lying to himself, but he ignored the voice that told him to go back and apologize. Maybe later.

With nothing else to do, he traveled to the main building to do tasks. It had the new emergency meeting table they had used as well as a few other rooms. He was looking for the office room where a few of his tasks were.

Through the door was the lava pit they had used to eject Joocie. Socks winced as he saw the lava's sinister bubbling surface. He looked back down to where he was scanning his ID card. Don't worry about that, he ordered himself. What happened already happened.

You didn't kill Joocie. He closed his eyes. It's not your fault he was ejected.

But what if I could have saved him?

Socks threw his card across the room. It was a good thing he had already finished his task, because it fell behind the vitals machine, disappeared. Socks couldn't stop the angry tears, but he dried them quickly. I don't want anyone else worrying, and then have to drive them away too, he thought half-humorously, but he wasn't laughing.

I wish I could go back. He wished he was the one ejected. Then I wouldn't have to live with this guilt.

If I was better, Dino and Muffin would have been with other people and not killed.

Joocie wouldn't be the one ejected.

Nadwe not traumatized.

He clenched his fists. The virus wouldn't have infected that impostor, and he would be normal, excited to explore Polus.

Like everyone else should have been.

Socks stood to look behind the vitals machine, seeing if he could reach for his card. The emptiness inside of him was overwhelming, and only his friends could fill it.

Only Meme, he admitted to himself.

Socks wasn't going to deny it any longer. His feelings for the cyan-suited astronaut extended past friendship. He needed him, despite how much they used to fight and hate each other.

And I drove him away.

Socks pushed back his thoughts, instead focusing on the vitals machine he was reaching behind.

It was a large contraption with a screen showing a section for each crewmate including heart rate, vitals, and simply if they were alive, with a picture for each one.

Socks scanned the dead members. Dino. Muffin. Joocie. He was filled with the crushing guilt once more.

But something else caught his eye. TBVG.

He's dead!? 

Socks did a double take. No, the machine still showed his box grayed out, with little zeros next to the vital numbers.

Maybe his chip was damaged or something. The vitals machine tracked chips implanted in each crewmate before they went to space, but they were buried pretty deep in every person's wrist. It could be a glitch.

Besides, we didn't find a body, Socks thought, remembering how he and Meme had looked practically everywhere.

Just not outside... his eyes drifted to the window where the lava pit was visible.

Oh no...

He burst out the door, hardly feeling the cold attack his skin through the spacesuit. Socks raced out to the edge of the pit, careful not to go too far.

At first, everything seemed normal, but when he looked at the snow his worst suspicions were confirmed.

A small splatter of blood. Gone too quickly, as the body was shoved somewhere where the evidence would be gone.

Like a pit of lava.

Socks almost laughed aloud, but it wasn't quite funny enough. Smart move, impostor.

You thought no one would ever know, but I know! He was one step ahead of the impostor now, and though he had practically let the others die (he blocked the voice in his mind that said he couldn't do anything more for them. No, it was his fault and he had to make it right.) he could save the rest of the crewmates now.

Socks entered the building and made his way toward the emergency meeting button when he stopped himself. I don't have any evidence that TBVG was actually killed there, he realized. Just the blood, but that could've been anything.

And I can't save the crew if I'm dead, he thought with a snort. More than likely they would turn it on him again.

Besides, he didn't have the slightest clue who did it. And maybe it would result in another innocent crewmate being ejected, because no one really knew.

And if I don't stop them, they'd vote every last person off until there's not enough crewmates left to stop the impostor.

So no meeting, then. Socks decided.

Don't worry, impostor. I'm coming for you.

As he was leaving the building, he realized his ID card was where he left it, fallen behind the vitals machine.

-0-

1027 words