Despite the fact that there were no working clocks left onboard my vessel, their gears and springs having long since frozen and become brittle without their usual maintenance, I could tell that a few hours had passed since my 'short' visit to the engine room.
The sun, from last I saw of it through the cracks in the walls and the clouded portholes, had started to enter the last stages of the day, painting the sky in the same colors of oranges and blues I had seen just before my bridge had slipped beneath the waves, dazzling shimmers of golden yellow bouncing back into my gaze from across the waves.
It was just as beautiful a sight as the first time I had seen it, but it also showed just how much time I had spent simply on trying to procure a pair of usable shoes and some heavier clothing to replace the thin rags I had on now.
The only spare clothes I had managed to find up till now had either been far too degraded and torn, the fabric falling apart under my grasp, or they were currently occupied by a former person, the clothing draped over their rotten features like the wrappings they placed over the recently deceased. And despite the fact that some of their clothing did seem to be in a suitable condition for protecting this form from the elements, the modern soldiers' strange uniforms being a good example of such, I refused to remove anything from their persons.
To do so would mean having to strip their bodies of anything I found to be useful and I just... thought it would be disrespectful to them, is all.
A loud click sounded throughout the room as the closed latch to yet another locker unhitched itself beneath the strength of my hand, the hinges to the metal door squealing loudly as I slowly pulled it open with one of the crutches clenched tightly in my other hand just in case there was a similar incident to the ones I had had three times prior.
"Fill-ty diss-gus-ting row-den-ts." I said to myself, recalling how one of them had leapt out from a shelf onto my ragged uniform and very nearly took a chunk out of this body's right ear before I had managed to wrench it off of me and toss it to the ground, my hands instinctively clenching and reflexing as a result of the memory.
Thankfully though, this locker seemed to be empty as my eyes inspected every inch of its interior before focusing on a relatively intact-looking pair of tan shoes placed directly on the floor where I then leaned down with a hand outstretched to grab them while I held the other to the locker's edge to keep myself from falling forward.
The rough texture of the shoes rubbed against my hands as my fingers grasped onto their inner rims and for once, the material felt sturdy and just as I thought that I might have finally achieved one of the goals I had placed for myself just a few hours earlier, I raised the pair only to find that the soles of both shoes had become entirely detached from the ones currently held in my hand, rendering them completely useless.
I looked down at the now exposed soles of the shoes just sitting by themselves at the bottom of the locker for but a moment before simply letting out a small audible breath in response to my failure and returning the scraps in my hand to their place within the locker, closing the door shortly after.
There had been several of these dead ends now and on top of wasting yet more time, this fruitless search was beginning to take its toll on this body as well.
My movements, for whatever reason, were starting to slow with my limbs becoming heavy, almost like invisible weights were being slowly added onto them one at a time, the same went for my eyes as well, the struggle to keep them forced open becoming increasingly more difficult as time went on.
It was unknown to me exactly what was causing this gradual struggle to maintain control over this body until a few minutes later when I grabbed ahold of a loosened railing to ascend a flight of stairs when I seemed to freeze in place. My climb halted by my new form taking a sudden, unprompted, pause in breath, the tainted air seemingly held unwillingly within their lungs for a few seconds before then slowly and audibly escaping through a mouth held open on pure instinct.
I stood still, now trying to work out what had just occurred and noticing that with every blink I took, a new weight that had been placed onto the lids after the event was being slowly lifted off of them when suddenly, it dawned on me.
Despite the fact that I was very clearly new to these human concepts and features such as feeling and breathing, I was able to catch a glimpse of it occurring in the past, typically from a soldier or sailor just going to bed for the night or on their way to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee in the morning. A small stretch followed by a long exhale into the then filtered air. A yawn.
I had just yawned for the first time, meaning that this body, or rather myself, was becoming tired.
That was... certainly a strange realization in and of itself, me getting tired, even despite the fact that given my current state of being, it was only logical that at some point I was going to have to give this body a chance to rest and... sleep. But in the case of someone such as myself, who had since then never needed let alone required any such respite in the many years since my construction, the concept seemed strange, peculiar and impossible.
Then again, so did inhabiting a human body and look what happened there.
Yet another thing about human physiology I would have to learn how to deal with, I suppose.
Speaking of, I was reminded of another issue regarding my current state of being that I would soon have to deal with and as I reached the next landing the set of stairs had climbed up to, I took up a position on top of a small stack of wooden crates and barrels, sitting upon the rotten wood and resting the pair of crutches at my side as the crate creaked underneath my weight and I brought the legs in closer to myself.
The makeshift bandages wrapped around my feet were both still held tight enough to keep themselves from slipping off as I walked around but the wrappings themselves were not faring too well, the cloth slowly tearing away bit by bit as it constantly got snagged on shards of the rough metal floor. Ultimately leaving me with barely one fourth of an inch between the bandage and the wounded appendage.
I took my time in carefully unfolding the cloth wrapped around the injury, my teeth clenching and breath hitching as the flame flared up every time the cloth tugged and pulled at the skin before my jaw then relaxed as the gash was revealed.
It wasn't looking too well.
Despite the relatively small amount of time that had passed between my incident on the ladder and now, the poor condition of the wound had progressed rapidly, changing the original pale colored skin to tones of angry reds and yellows. Stray shards of rusted metal that had sneaked its way past the torn cloth dotted the streaks of blood and cracked scabs trying to form over the wound, the injury refusing to close due to how much I was moving around, leaving blood to drip down intermittently onto the floor.
It was unfortunate that I still didn't have the materials required to properly treat the wound but there was only so much I could do with the items I had on hand. And speaking of which, I couldn't help but notice as I rewrapped both limbs in the torn shreds of bed cloth that the amount which I had was beginning to dwindle rapidly and soon I would have to move on to using the actual bandages I had been intending to save for later, until after I had finally procured a intact pair of shoes and something to clean my wounds with.
"This is take-ing too loon. Long." I said to myself, not just as way to practice my speech but to also focus my thoughts a little bit, so long as I was sitting here taking a small rest.
"I do-nt half the time to be walk-ing a round, sir-ch-ing every room be-four move-ing on to the nets, ne-axe-tuh, next." I swear, I knew what words I wanted to say, even how they were supposed to be said but I couldn't say anything without making a million mistakes first... trial and error, I suppose, live and learn and all that.
But ignoring that for now, side-tangents won't help solve my issue, I just needed to focus.
Obviously, I couldn't just keep on with searching every room, not only would that just be wasting time but it could also potentially put myself at risk, my vessel was still dangerous after all and I have to keep it in mind that I no longer had the luxury of not having to worry about things such as contracting diseases or breaking a limb by falling through a thin deck plate or something like that, I had to be mindful of this body's own vitality.
But with that said, I also couldn't just isolate myself in one place and wait for a rescue, 72 years spent abandoned at sea with no one the wiser to my presence had proved that. I had to do something productive.
So... what were my options.
Thinking logically, I would be wasting my time trying to find an intact or unoccupied pair of clothing below decks, it would simply take too long and even if I did, then I probably wouldn't be able to wear it if the rats and other diseased creatures had anything to say about it.
Going off of that reasoning, then I would have to look for clothing that has been kept in both safe and enclosed spaces, some place where the rats wouldn't be able to get their dirty little hands on them but I also couldn't just keep checking every locker I came across, that would be counterproductive.
No, the only option I had left then was to look for my required items in places that were both the furthest away from whatever animal wanted to make a nest out of what scraps they found of it and the most likely to have spare uniforms kept hanging in an enclosed locker or something the like.
"...Last I re-mem... remem... buh, remember, the cap-tan still had some sp-air uni-forms kept in his qua... quart-ers. Good cha-unce I mi-ite find some boo-ts as well."
And if that search didn't prove fruitful then I could simply move on to one of the other officer's quarters and investigate there instead, one of them had to have something and even if they didn't, then at least their rooms would work as a good place to rest for the night without having to be concerned about something biting at my flesh while I slept.
It might have had its flaws in certain places but it was as good a plan as any, and I had to go up there anyways to retrieve something the captain kept hidden in his room so all I really was doing in the end was killing two birds with one stone.
All I needed to do now then was to head on up to the cabin deck below the bridge and keep on going until I came across the door to the captain's room, simple.
With my plans set, I finally finished in tying off the scraps of cloth wrapped around my right foot and set both down onto the floor, experiencing the same kind of flare up as before while setting the two crutches back in their positions beneath my arms, hissing a bit as the hardened rubber pressed roughly once again into flesh before taking a step forward...
And immediately observing the missing steps to the next set of stairs leading up, the places where they should have been appearing empty and barren save for some slight traces of its presence near the girders where they had previously spread between.
Simple... in theory, at least.
The path up to the cabin deck had been... rough, to say the least, not only had my ascent to the upper level been delayed by the different sets of collapsed and missing stairs but in some places, I had also encountered obstacles in the forms of piles of debris caused by both collapsed sections in the floor above and missing portions of the level I was walking on, the supporting beams too far spaced apart for me to safely walk across to the other side, forcing me to double-back to a previous location several times.
Eventually however, the familiar and static filled tune of "We Three" by The Ink Spots started to echo within my ears alongside the occasional groan of steel and dripping water, letting me know that I was getting close to the section positioned directly underneath the officer's quarters which just so happened to have an intact set of stairs leading directly to the upper deck from the outside.
The music grew louder and louder as I neared one of the last working speakers throughout the whole of my vessel, the rest outside of around four or five having either never been turned on or simply burned themselves out after years of active use without maintenance.
"♪We three, we're not a crowd. We're not even compa- company... My echo... My shado- My shadow... And me...♪"
The song, even as it skipped a few notes here and there, was a welcome sound for it let me know I was in the right place because as soon as I had turned the next corner, I saw its source loosely hanging from a wall dangling by a few wires. The wall itself helping to form the large section of hall I turned into, the end of which I could see through a haze of broken pipes and corroded wires leading to a door, a door which had an obscured view of the outside world.
Whatever physical manifestation of my sleep-deprived state was quickly forgotten as I immediately rushed for the door as soon as I had caught sight of it, my crutches clanging loudly against the floor with every step I took as I ducked out of the way of the dozens of copper tangles hanging from the ceiling and raced for the exit.
Before I even had the chance to question my unusual burst of activity, I had already reached the end of the hall and was trying the handle of the door, staring at the small porthole to try and catch a glimpse of the outside through the hazed glass before looking back down at the handle still clutched in my hand, finding it stuck.
I gave a quick glance at the other latches of the door, finding them all unlocked despite my suspicions, before trying the handle again, exerting a bit more force into it this time.
The handle gave a sharp squeal as it moved slightly but still the lock held strong, I knew now that it was going to take a little bit more than just one hand before finally gave way so carefully. I set down the two crutches against a nearby corner and leaned my weight against the door itself, clutching the handle in both hands this time and positioning my feet in the best way to keep myself from falling to the ground before exerting all my strength and forcing the handle.
This time, not only did it fully unlock but the door swung outward, propelled forward by my weight resting against it and I fell to the floor just as it made contact with the outside wall, both events producing a large bang as they happened in sequence.
Taking a few seconds laying against the ground to simply recover the strength needed to lift myself up off the ground, I realized quickly that I couldn't let myself rest for long lest I find myself unable to find the energy to get back up again, what little I had left of it that was.
My hands burned as they grazed across the floors surface but unlike before with my previous injuries, this was a different kind of burn, it was a slow-going flame of a tempered nature and it was less like an uncontrollable bonfire and more like being in a rainstorm in winter, the water dripping down my decks and into the rooms through cracks in the walls, permeating every inch with its liquid trace and yet my skin was not wet... odd.
But asides from the invisible liquid tapping at my skin, I was able to quickly recover from my short fall, reaching for the crutches with ease before then sliding up into a standing position with my back against the door frame and placing them in their usual positions.
I took a quick breath to recover my thoughts, noticing how that air seemed to sting at the chest the same way it did my hands before then looking away from the door frame and towards the outside.
Immediately, I found myself shambling towards the nearby gunwale, my gaze entirely focused on the scene beyond and even as my hands were placed on top of the cracked paint and rusted steel, its sharp and dangerous edges pressing into the skin, my focus remained undisturbed.
Beyond the metal framework of my rusted carcass, beyond the cracks in the walls and fogged up glass, laid a world of stars, the sky dazzled with innumerable stars that shimmered and glared that besides the occasional cloud or two, shined perfectly down onto the sea. A moonless sky providing a minimal horizon line making it so that despite the clear separation between the two, the only thing divided the sky from the sea was the shimmering black waves that reflected the same picturesque vision, as if sailing on liquid glass.
A faint wind occupied this scene as well, blowing across the waves and causing the tangles of hair to tickle at my ears and the smell of the sea to fill my nose, replacing the stale air in my lungs with one that stabbed with a fresh crispness.
I simply stood there taking in the view, breathing a few more deep and quiet breaths in silence as the night air seemed to reach past my lungs and fingers and fill my entire body with a faint vibration and subtly, I could feel my jaw begin to move on its own, the lower teeth tapping against the upper row like morse code and my limbs began to feel stiff and shake, giving me the strong notion that it would probably be best to head back inside.
As I turned away from the gunwale and began making my way over to the nearby stairs, the invisible weights on my limbs and eyes seemed to increase tenfold, almost in affirmation of my suspicions. And as I began to take my first steps forward, the question of whether or not it was a good decision to turn my back on this view of the exposed sky was entirely confirmed for as soon as I started on up, I could feel my legs begin to shake and groan as they struggled to hold up the weight of my torso. My hands only managing a weak grasp on the railing as I made my ascent, clearly announcing to me that I wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.
I needed rest.
A slight and uncertain footstep marked the final step towards making it up to the cabin deck and as I struggled to take in another breath, the shock of breathing in fresh air combined with the amount of effort spent making my way here made it obvious to me that I had clearly taken too much out of this body than it had to spare at the moment.
My breathing continued shakily as I tried to step away from the railing and walk on over to the nearby door leading back inside before my eyes caught on something present in the darkness, some obscure shape positioned beyond the walls of my superstructure and laying along the stern, and I stopped.
Evidently some lights had gone out recently, most probably caused by my reactivation of the generator in my engine room, resulting in the stern being only illuminated by the night sky despite the rest of the ship still having power, leaving any and all features present on the stern enveloped in a thick fog of darkness but if one looked at it carefully and was familiar with its usual shape and condition, they could easily tell that there was something different about it.
For whatever reason, the stern wasn't unoccupied, a large and oblong shadow seemed to have positioned itself on top the hatch of cargo hold 4, a faint outline of shimmering light revealing four prongs that seemed to extend far outward from the main body of the dark shape while something similar to that of a plane tail was extruding from behind it.
I simply looked at it for a moment, knowing that at some point I would have to get around to working out just what it is and how it was here, a faint part of me already having a faint clue as to what the strange shape could be, but the rest of my body and mind instead shouted for me to simply forget about for now and head inside, I could always find out what it is for myself in the morning, after a night's rest and daylight has revealed its shrouded form.
With that in mind, I continued my way forward towards the door, this time finding little trouble in forcing it open before marching back into the dark and empty spaces of my vessel, the only light being the faint bulbs that flickered occasionally overhead, revealing a hall occupied only by inactive devices, tangled wires and the occasional corpse.
Heading further in, I was careful not to disturb any of the bodies that lay at my feet, cautiously shuffling around and over their fallen limbs still in their final states with some fallen to the ground in a relaxed heap and others with hands clutched to their chest with tensed fingers and a gun by their side.
I was reminded of these men and their final stands, firing off against an unknown enemy all the while killing off members of their own before succumbing to their hallucinations and dying themselves as I crept along the floor, taking notice of the rather large crowd of corpses populating a side corridor off the hall I was in before moving on, trying to avoid being caught up in remembering events out of my control.
Before long, I came to be standing directly in front of the door leading to the captain's cabin, a muffled and melodic male voice calling out from behind it and his nameplate reading "Captain. William P. Ford" seemingly shimmering despite the fact that it was only attached by a single bolt and hanging at an angle leaving all that separated me from its interior being a few thin sheets of metal and a handle.
The door handle seemed to glow in a similar manner as I reached my hand forward and grabbed onto it, as I did, something like a cover seemed to remove itself from my shoulders as my entire body was relieved from a kind of strain I had yet to notice and as I stood with a grip on the handle, affirm in the knowledge that I would both soon have my hands on the items I require and be able to take up shelter for the night, I slowly turned it until the latch clicked and pulled it open.
The hinges squeaked as they resisted my interaction, their sound slightly dulled by the music emanating from inside the room, but the door ultimately held sturdy as I walked through its frame and closed it behind me, obscuring my view of the hall I just occupied and leaving me presumably completely isolated in an otherwise secure room.
The captain's room looked just as he had left it just shortly before his death at the hands of Private Patterson, the bed sitting on top of a slightly worse for wear wooden frame was still tucked in fine military fashion and coated with a heavy layer of dust and debris, a nearby desk light flickered down onto an open, water-stained journal whose contents had long since been rendered partially illegible. An electric phonograph plugged into a nearby socket spun slowly, a single old, scratched up and fragile looking record sat on top of it, the needle sliding along the grooves of the record bouncing up and down with every scratch it slid over, reaching the end of the song before hitting a really deep scratch marked by dozens of little dots from previous hits and jumping back to the beginning.
A framed photograph of the captain and his wife hung crookedly on the wall above an unhooked telephone which had its receiver disconnected from the wire and a small collection of books, records and blueprints on both nautical terms and cargo shipments respectively lined the nearby shelf from end to end, it was easily the largest collection of public information one could find onboard my vessel and the centerpiece for any and all private meetings that took place.
But right now, out of all of these secrets and records, there was only one thing that caught my eye, the door to the captain's own personal cabinet.
As the music continued, it hid my own quiet footsteps as I crept towards the door, despite the fact that it was still closed and nothing in this room seemed to have been tampered or messed around with save for a small cup full of dried out pens and pencils that had fallen onto the floor, I couldn't rule out the possibility that one of those disgusting rodents had snuck their way in here and made their home within said container.
The handle was just barely within arm's reach when I stopped walking, wanting to make sure that I kept the rest of my person as far away from the door as possible before then taking a few moments to prep, taking one of the crutches and holding it outward, ready to defend myself by swinging it at whatever might possibly pop out to try and take a leap at me when I open the door.
I took a few more breaths with my hand resting on the lever before braving the possible danger and swiftly yanking the door open while at the same time sweeping my defensive weapon in a wide arc in front of me.
Luckily, nothing seemed to follow that and the door simply hung open silently.
I waited an extra few seconds just in case something was hiding in there and was simply waiting for me to lower my guard before making its attack, poking around the interior with the end of the crutch with muscles tensed before eventually letting that tension go and taking one final breath, thankful that I didn't end up having to deal with one of those filthy little rodents after all.
It was not soon after my little reprieve that I actually took the time to observe some of the contents the cabinet had hidden behind its door before then quickly rushing over to the opened interior and taking out some of its contents in my hands.
Hung from the rack had been several different articles of clothing ranging from the spare plain dress shirt to the full military outfit, there was the usual tan khaki fabric but amongst that was also the uniform the captain had worn for much of our time in the Atlantic, the dark fabric looking heavy on its rack, there were also the familiar dark green suit jackets and dress pants and even his white uniform, the one he only wore when either returning home on some shore leave or for meeting with officials when on liberty.
There was also a handful of his civilian clothes hanging alongside the whites and greens of his typical attire, some of them being things he happened to take from home or been gifted from by his wife, a particularly ugly looking peacock tie being a good example of that but there were also some things that he traded or received from other captains during his service.
Things like a pair of silver cufflinks, a bow tie, wings from an enemy pilot, and a British Naval captain's greatcoat, how he ever managed to get it, the crew never found out but there was one thing that they all agreed on which was that whoever it belonged to, they sure were going to go cold on the next voyage.
I felt the different fabrics in my hand, noting how some of them seemed to be in relatively better condition than the others, the white dress uniform in particular falling apart just as soon as I had touched my hand to it but upon a thorough search, I was able to pick out a select few that would suit my needs.
Specifically, a black pair of pants, a white dress shirt, a dark green suit jacket and the dark British greatcoat with the golden buttons and epaulettes.
I wasn't going to put it on just yet of course, given that I still needed to treat my wounds first and putting more clothes on top of those wounds would just act as an obstacle right now but, as experience shows its always best to be prepared earlier rather than later so instead, I took the clothing I had gathered in one arm and stepped carefully on over to the bed frame, taking the covers in the other hand and folding them over before setting the clothing down on the exposed, and thankfully not as dirty, mattress cover.
After that was done, I walked back over to the cabinet to retrieve the other thing I needed, you see, the captain didn't just have more than one uniform to wear but also shoes, a small collection of footwear lined the bottom of the cabinet floor and while most of them didn't seem like they would suit my needs, there was one pair that caught my eye.
Sitting among the other pairs of blacks and dark browns was a set of light brown boots, these boots looked normal enough alongside its compatriots but there were a few things present in this pair that made them stand out.
The first and most obvious aspect was that they were intact, the other shoes showing aspects of their age in splitting rubber, cracked leather and degrading stitches, a second aspect was that they didn't resemble your typical boot, they looked more like a casual shoe that a person a changed to match its appearance with others of its type, they each had a large cuff stitched to the top of each rim that would be wrapped around the leg and secured with two small buckles.
I leaned down until the rims of both boots came within reaching distance before grabbing onto the rims and raising them slowly off the floor, fortunately finding the two to be in significantly better condition than every other pair I had checked up till this point and clutching them underneath my arm.
I was about to turn away from the locker, now done with rummaging through its contents when something else managed to catch my eye. Laying on top of a shelf nearest the roof of the interior rested the captain's hat, the golden eagle symbol shining in the lights behind me from underneath its tan hood.
Apart from looking to be in relatively good condition, there was really no other point or need for me to have it other than maybe as a way to keep this unruly hair partially contained but for some reason, I now had it held within my hand, the cracked leather brim coated with dust reflecting a face back at me as I wiped it clean.
The dust filled the air as I hit it softly against the left leg, causing my lungs to let out short bursts of air, or a cough, before they then started to settle as I raised the hat to above my head and adjusted it until it felt secure.
It fit perfectly despite its condition and somehow it seemed like my body had just obtained something that it didn't even know it was missing, becoming more complete as I closed the locker door and walked back over to the bed to place the boots, perplexed by whatever had just occurred.
With everything in place, I had only one objective left to accomplish before I could then start on getting this form ready for its required rest.
I turned my back to the items rested on the bed and looked to the desk with the flickering light and open journal, the record player sat besides it once again entering into the last stages of the song, the calm and casual-toned singer ending off his part in the song before it then changed back to the one who first started who picked up right where he left off in a higher pitched, more melodic tone.
The crutches thudded along to the notes as I made my way over and as I stared down at the ancient worn record as it spung and the needle bounced, I waited for the song to end before I would finally shut off the machine and cease its eternal tune.
"♪We three, we'll wait for you. Even till eterni- ternity... My echo... My shado- My shado- My shadow... And me...♪"
And as the final notes sang out, I picked up the needle just before it could hit the scratch that always sent it repeating end on end and rested it to the side, the speakers cutting out with a loud static hitch before I then flicked the power switch to the off position and the rotating table in the center of the player slowed to a halt.
The speakers in the distance cracked as well as I also switched off the broadcast microphone sat next to the player, rendering the whole of my vessel excepting the flexing metal, water dripping, rodents squealing and the radio equipment still squawking from the deck above, completely silent.
I stood for a moment, taking in the silence and trying to determine if it was preferable to the skipping record before then deciding against it, it probably wouldn't turn back on even if I wanted to.
Recalling my objective, I kneeled down until a knee rested against the floor and pulled open the lowest drawer on the left of the desk, the small wheels inside becoming stuck and causing the drawer to jam as I tried to pull it open.
Again, I attempted pulling it the rest of the way out, pushing it in and pulling it back out in an effort to loosen the wheels a bit more only to find the same result before then pulling back on the handle as forcefully as I could manage.
The drawer let out a bang as it slightly bounced as a result of the action before then pulling out the rest of the way, coming to a sharp and sudden halt as it quickly reached the end of its track and gave a loud crack as the front drawer with handle came loose in my hand and the bottom gave out, releasing its contents to the floor with the loud sound of shattering glass.
I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes as the sound rang out, now regretting my choice to use so much force as the shattering came to a halt and the bandages covering my feet started to grow heavy as they absorbed some of the liquid that had spilled out onto the floor.
Slowly, I opened my eyes back up to thankfully find that not every bottle had been smashed, three of the bottles filled with a clear liquid with the glass coated in dust had survived, coming to a halt on the shards of their familiar companions.
I let out a breath before then grabbing two of them and standing up, going over to place them on the bed before returning back for the remaining bottle and a corkscrew that had itself hidden from beneath the debris, turning the bottle over in my hand for a moment before walking back over to the bed and resting both myself and the crutches on top of it.
Looking back at the bottle in closer detail, I wiped off some of the dust that blanketed the outside of the glass and took in the strange lettering that made up the etched label, the words in a language I was not that familiar with excepting a taped on and extremely faded label that read the word, "Vodka."
A heavy wax seal over the cork of the bottle had kept the liquid inside from evaporating over the years and, by looking over the interior liquid's current condition, it was clear that no bacteria had fermented inside either, making it by best guess still good for present use.
That said, I definitely would have preferred some actual cleaning agent or ethanol or even some clean water to these spirits but seeing as how those were all currently a rare commodity, this was going to have to do for now.
With everything in hand, I first started by removing the strips of cloth still wrapped around both feet, letting the tattered remains fall to the floor in a small heap and then using the metal of the corkscrew, set about removing the wax seal concealing the cork inside the bottle's neck.
The wax flaked off as the metal tip scrapped over its surface and before long, had covered my lap in specs of dull red before the light brown texture of the cork was revealed. Swiping off the flecks of wax, I took the corkscrew and carefully inserted it into the top of the cork, screwing in the metal tool as the arm shook from the effort, eventually though the cork started to squeak as it rubbed against the glass and began removing its hold in the bottle, slowly moving up the neck more and more as I twisted to tool before it then came out with a pop.
I set the bottle aside for a second to remove the cork from to tool before then taking it back up in a hand, hovering the opening over the red and sickly-looking wound that marred the skin of the left foot and gritting my teeth in preparation for what was sure to come next before then tilting the bottle and letting its contents flow freely.
The second the liquid touched down upon the wound the fire, which had been sparking pretty steadily up until this point, absolutely roared, my muscles tightened instinctively as my body rocked in place. My mind fully and utterly focused on just how much the injury burned from the alcohol placed upon it but in some small corner of my consciousness, I knew that I was just going to have to deal with it, burning meant that it was working after all.
In an attempt to move past this intense flare, I set the opened bottle aside and took out a roll of the fresh bandages I had raided from the surgeon's ward, tearing off a large strip of it before wrapping it around the wound, my teeth still clenched as the wound thrummed occasionally in intensity.
With the seemingly worst of it over and done with, I set about cleaning and covering the other injuries, servicing the other foot with a lesser difficulty before moving onto the other limbs, treating each and every injury sparingly with alcohol before wrapping it in cloth and moving onto the next one until finally, every injury had been treated and covered with a stained white bandage.
My limbs moved a little stiffly now each point of articulation was also having to contend with a cloth obstruction but I suppose that was just the price that had to be paid for possessing a form of this type.
But at least now, with every wound having been treated, I could get rid of these tattered rags for clothing and get into something a little warmer.
I immediately set about this next task by removing my person from the mattress and standing with my body leaning against the bed frame for support as my feet touched upon the floor, a tiny bit more fuel being added to that fire as they did before then removing the remains of my current attire.
The skin seemed to vibrate slightly in similar way to when I had been standing outside and taking in the night air when its coverings had been removed, but this experience was short lasting as soon a different and more intact fabric took its place, covering more of the skin than the previous uniform did and feeling more secure on my limbs.
With the relatively fresher pants and shirt I was wearing, I walked around a tiny bit to get used to the new fabric concealing my skin, feeling much more assure in walking around in these clothes without having to worry about it falling apart than I did the other pair, before returning back to the bed and retrieving the next article of clothing.
The green suit jacket felt heavy in my hands, being made of a much thicker material than the dress shirt had been, but it slipped on fairly comfortably, the arms sliding into the sleeves with minimal difficulty while two of the buttons fit smoothly into their slots, the third one unfortunately breaking through its thread and falling to the floor.
I waved my arms slightly and found that despite the fact that it restricted my movement slightly, that was most probably due how much I had exhausted this body's energy and apart from the pads broadening my shoulders slightly, it fit fairly well.
And now, all that remained was the greatcoat, it was easily the heaviest of the different articles, being manufactured as both a much larger and thicker clothing in order to shield the body against chill wind, rain and snow, and as such it weighed down my limbs even as I held them in my hands.
But despite its weight, it still slid on well enough, the suit jacket underneath easily slipping into the sleeves despite itself and the low hanging rim of the coat touching upon the backs of my legs as they fell down past the bedframe as I stood up, the sleeves of the greatcoat reaching down slightly past my palms leaving only the fingers able to extend past it.
With everything I needed for the night fully equipped, I tried to stand up to take a quick walk around and get a feel for all the clothing I was now wearing when I immediately slumped back down, my legs giving out beneath me.
An exterior flame had somehow built up from all the clothing I was wearing and instead of sending my mind into a flurry of reactive intensity, it only seemed to seek out the last of this body's energy and sap it from me, the struggle to keep my eyes open increasing tenfold and the strength in my limbs seeming absent.
I knew now that I wouldn't be able to last any longer and would soon have to give this body a much-needed rest but there was still one last thing to do first.
Reaching slowly over, I grabbed the pair of boots and pulled them to me, the soles of the footwear dragging against the fabric of the mattress as I did before I then took one up in both hands, pulling a leg up off the side of the bedframe and closer to my torso at the same time, and began to put the boot on.
There was a bit of a struggle as I tried to remember how my soldiers tied their shoes, failing several times before ultimately getting it right and moving onto the other foot, accomplishing the same achievement not long after.
Finally done with everything I needed to do, I took one last look down at the footwear that adorned the limbs and gave the bandages securely tucked beneath it a quick tug before sliding both limbs outstretched over the mattress and adjusting my form until it was perfectly positioned in line with the bed and leaned back, pulling at the fabric of the greatcoat until it wrapped around the entirety of my body as my head hit against the dirty pillowcase.
At this point, my mind was too far weakened in order to even care about the dirt and detritus that rested beneath my head and my body seemed to feel the same as just moments after this happened, I found myself no longer in control over any portion of this body and the eyelids seemed to close themselves on their own, leaving my vision enveloped in darkness as my mind began to grow quiet.
The last thought I could manage to get out in time was, 'First thing tomorrow morning, I have to see if I can't contact anybody on the radio and send out a distress signal, once I manage to get my bearings that is. After that, maybe I can see about what that shape is on top of cargo hold 4... maybe see about raising the anchors if I have... the time, that is... until tomorrow...'
And with that, for the first time since the creation of my existence and my entering into a human body, I felt myself fall asleep and everything went quiet...