Doctor Kessler Dreams a Deer - SCP Foundation

Kessler awakens, deep in a dream.

As his eyes opened, they were met with the sky— an array of pink, red, and orange as the sun plunges below the horizon and forfeits its power to the moon.

He pushes himself to his feet, a bewildered expression on his face, and he scans his surroundings cautiously. Around him is a field, encircled by forest, with tall grass and rolling hills that stretch nearly a mile. Gazing about the field, he spots an enormous apple tree with a robust trunk and a wide array of branches.

His eyes shift towards a spot of brown in his peripheral vision, just adjacent to the tree. A deer, with beady black eyes and long, winding antlers that could skewer even the most rigid of people. Kessler watches the deer with caution as the animal grazes beside the apple tree.

After a moment, it raises its head and spots Kessler, its eyes cautiously locking onto him. He grimaces at the animal.

The two didn't move for a long time. Kessler eventually looks away, glancing out at the field around him, and the deer soon continues grazing.

And then, Kessler wakes up.

Elise Meredith Hill was readying herself the entire morning.

She stood at the containment chamber's door with an anxious look of enthusiasm. This study would surely be a huge success.

"Hey, uh.. you sure you wanna do this?"

Yes, of course I'm sure. I'm positive!

"This might be a little dangerous, Elise, you sure you don't want security in there with you?"

No need for that! I'm sure the entity and I will get along just fine.

"It took a whole MTF to shut that thing down. How'd you even get upper management to approve this?"

Upper management is smart, they don't care about busywork and procedure. They care about real research!

The hydraulic door in front of her hissed open, interrupting her musing. Ahead of her, a dark and stale space with walls of UHPC and chromium. She blithely strode inside.

A yellow lightbulb dangled over a table and chair, dimly illuminating the room. It emitted a muted fluorescent buzz and brightened the metallic surfaces of the furniture below.

Elise took a seat and set her folder down. Once she was settled, she laid her gaze upon the thing.

The entity had clung itself to the top corner of the room, its luminescent white eyes watching Elise with caution. Large, black claws penetrated the rigid concrete with ease and supported its weight. When Elise locked eyes with it, pulsating purple scales shot up all over its quadrupedal body as though a chill had run up its spine.

"Hello," greeted Elise, glancing toward the saliva that oozed from its jaw.

It didn't respond, perched in place with its gaze fixated to the little blonde scientist.

"How are you today?"

…

"Not much of a talker, are we?" She chuckled. "I'm here to ask you some questions, is that okay?"

Silence.

"Alright. First thing." She glanced down to the yellow folder. "Are you aware of where you are?"

Stillness.

"Is-.. would you prefer if I asked something different?"

"You do not quiver at me like the others," it croaked with a grim and raspy voice, "why?"

She smiled timidly. "I know you won't just attack me. I can tell."

The creature's body remained bouldered in place. "I could carve your throat into a piece of art, and you come to the conclusion that I am harmless?"

"No, ohohohoh, no no no—" She tittered and shook her head. "I didn't mean it like that. Just that you're not gonna randomly kill me just, because."

Its eyes widened as she said this.

"Disgusting."

"—uhm, pardon?"

"You're like the rest. You're disgusting, no different from the other primitives outside."

"I'm not—," she stuttered, "you're safe with me! I don't plan on-"

"NO!"

Its voice boomed through the chamber.

Elise jumped.

"I do not trust," its breathing became unstable, "not after everything, I trust nobody. Nobody!"

Elise chuckled nervously, "Everything..?"

"You wouldn't understand, human. Everything lies, everyone lies. The world is all fake, infested with endless attempts to put perfect dreams into an imperfect reality."

The scientist sat up in the chair, her body becoming tense.

"People turn against people, the human turn against the inhuman. You think splitting what you call 'strange' into cells creates a perfect world, dreamed in your menial and pathetic minds. But it will never remove the real harms you cause!" Its voice rose. "Nobody can be trusted. Everyone is full of hate, you all hate eachother and you all hate me, and you only care for yourselves!"

Elise's eyes trailed towards the floor throughout its rant.

"You know, you're not… wrong, entirely," she murmured, "about people."

A long silence befell the two.

"Get out."

Elise's gaze shot towards it when she heard its demand. She quickly leaned forwards, and her expression flooded with alarm. "But, if I could just get a few questions in I'd be very appreciative—" A nervous laugh cut up her words.

"I will not repeat this again. Get out."

She chuckled anxiously. "Okay, okay.. alright. Very well!"

It fell silent as she shot out of her chair and stepped away with shaky hands and a panicked expression. Her folder was left on the table.

"You, um.. have a good day! Yeah.. uh, bye." Her voice became muffled by the closing door.

It pulled its claws from the concrete as the chamber door clamped shut. The entity slipped away from the room's top corner and began to shift towards the table. It rose a claw to the table's surface and lifted itself up to see the yellow folder's contents.

The entity's eyes expanded as it read the first page. It began to wheeze in laughter.

"What a stupid thing."

Elise Meredith Hill stepped into the mess hall.

It was bustling that morning. People shuffled through thin spaces between tables to reach their seats, conversation crowded the room with deafening disorder, and the aroma of freshly cooked food flooded the air.

Elise was quiet carrying her lunch across the mess hall. She was a mad display of contorted hair, tired eyes, and clothes that were last cleaned two nights ago.

She chose an isolated seat at an empty edge of the room and, with few in close proximity, she began eating her lunch. Her eyes stared into the cement wall across from her, glazing over as she entered contemplation.

"Hey, Elise, you did an alright job, okay? Just.. don't worry about it."

I did a pretty crappy job. Maybe if you helped me, I could've done better.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Elise. We all go through this sort'a thing."

Oh yeah? You're one to talk, you've had it easy.

"We're on your side, girl, don't worry."

On my side? I don't even know you, you never interact with me.

Her rumination was cut short. A crowd had gathered in the center of the mess hall and was roaring in laughter and discussion, prompting her to gaze over and observe.

The cause of this commotion was a researcher who'd been balancing an apple on his nose. People clapped and cheered in encouragement, watching on as he carefully steadied the fruit. When the apple fell to the floor they all erupted in disappointment.

Elise chuckled at the sight quietly, being cautious not to alert anybody that she was watching.

She found herself losing interest, though, as the scene returned to normalcy. Her eyes followed a couple of laughing young women returning to their seats. One of the girls glanced over to meet Elise's eyes, so she jolted her gaze back towards the center of the room. The thought crossed her mind to go talk to them, but the idea was quickly extinguished. They were having fun on their own and didn't need an awkward sidekick.

When Elise's interest had fully waned, she turned back towards the trusty wall. The wall was safe, a pillow that her gaze could seep into comfortably. It never looked back at her.

The break's remainder was uneventful. At its end Elise stood up from her seat, disposed of her leftovers, and returned to work without a word.

Elise Meredith Hill stepped into the lab.

Elise walked through the lively laboratory in silence, locking her gaze to the floor. She sat herself down at a wooden desk with a half-finished drawing sprawled out on its surface.

Floor plans for a proposal on the new SCP's environment.

The new SCP.

Almost immediately, her eyes trailed away from the drawing that reminded her of her recent embarassment. Her eyes wandered up the wall and to the clock hanging on it. Elise dreadfully realized that she was ten minutes late.

"Doctor Hill."

A frustrated voice shot in her direction, piercing over the other sounds in the lab. The room hushed up and eyes glanced over.

Elise's head regrettably turned toward the voice. It was Doctor Kessler.

Kessler was a tall man, with sharp brown hair and thin-framed glasses that refracted his despotic gaze at the seated scientist. "Why are you late?"

She sunk into her stool. "I'm sorry, sir," she quietly responded.

"I asked why you were late, not if you regret being late."

"—uhm, I was.. just, not moving fast enough.. sir."

"Not moving fast enough?"

She hesitated. "..yes, sir."

"That's strike two. First strike is your unacceptable appearance. This is work, not home. Do you understand?"

Someone snickered.

Elise glanced toward the room. Someone was laughing at her.

"—Doctor Hill? Do you understand?"

"Oh—.. uh, yes, sorry, yes sir." She nodded vigorously.

"You've been here for two years, you know how things operate around here. Return to work. Come to my office later, we have things to discuss."

Elise watched Kessler turn and exit the room. When he was gone, she turned back toward her desk and began to work.

Occasionally, she would glance up at the prying eyes of her co-workers. Many kept staring even after Kessler was gone. Elise broke a sweat at the feeling of eyes prying at her back as though anticipating something.

Her gaze locked to the half-sketched floorplans as she stared into her desk.

The new SCP.

Elise fiddled nervously with the pencil in her hand. It had been days since the failed interview and only now Kessler intended to meet with her. The creature's words rang through her head.

"Everyone is full of hate. They all hate you, and they all hate me."

Why did he have to do it in front of everyone?

She bit her lip. Her thoughts raced in fearful frustration, and another glance at the watchful room failed to alleviate her discomfort.

Her eyes fixed to the desk and she tightened the grip on her pencil.

"Come to my office later, Elise."

Crack.

"We're on your side, girl, don't worry."

Crack.

"You've been here for two years, you know how things operate around here."

Snap.

Elise stared toward the crushed object in her right hand.

She frantically shoved it into her desk. A brief glance around the room gave alleviation, people appeared to have stopped looking.

And then someone snickered.

…

Elise shot up out of her stool suddenly. She strutted off to the staff bathroom, evading the curious glances of her co-workers.

Arriving in the bathroom, she stepped into a stall and slammed the door behind her. A shaky breath left her lungs as she leaned against the hard plastic door.

Why me?

Her fists clenched.

Every day, why me?

Her eyes tightened to a close.

"..why.." she murmured.

"Two years of this shit!" she shouted with strain in her neck and gritting teeth. In a bout of rage, her fists swung forwards sloppily. Her elbows knocked into the stall's sides, causing her to hiss in pain and bring her hands to her arms.

Now hugging herself, she crouched down and began to sob.

"I just can't.. I just, can't anymore… I can't.." Her voice cracked as she sobbed into her knees.

She felt her throat tighten and watched as her tears fell to the ground. Her sobs choked out a desperate plea yet fell on no ears but her own.

Elise cried like this for five minutes, and then returned to work.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Doctor Kessler was seated at his computer.

Kessler was reading over a spreadsheet of site financial data when a knock came at his door.

He turned his head towards the entrance. "Who is it?"

"It's Doctor Hill, sir? From Lab Four?"

Kessler nodded to the familiar voice of his receptionist. "Bring her in. Join us, Jean."

The door opens. Jean Mallows entered the office, adjusting her recently cut ginger hair with the palm of her hand. Elise was following behind her. Kessler gestured his pen to the pair of chairs by his desk.

"Take a seat, ladies."

Elise quietly moved towards her seat, her gaze locked onto the gray carpet floor. The little office smelled sharply of cleaning chemicals and was decorated with Kessler's personal belongings, including a variety of books and science-themed executive toys.

Elise winced at the smell as she and Jean took their seats.

"You want me in here for this?" Jean inquired.

"I trust your judgement," Kessler exhaled, leaning back into his leather office chair.

Jean slowly nodded and briefly glanced toward Elise. She grimaced at the girl's sunken eyebags and distorted hair. "Alright.." she hesitantly replied.

A brief silence befell the room.

"So, Doctor Hill," he shifted his gaze toward Elise, "you know why you're here?"

She peered skittishly at her feet. "Uhm, yes.. I think so."

"You set up an experiment, and your experiment failed. This was your first field test and you fumbled pretty badly," he explained. "You're aware that site management is always watching this sort of stuff, right?"

Elise gazed up at Kessler. "Uh—.. what? What do you mean?"

"Well, they feel as though we must show new workers that 'bad first experiments,'" he did quotation marks with his hands, "have serious consequences."

"—consequences?" She furrowed her eyebrows. "But-.. my experiment, it was… I almost died, nobody else was.. uhm..- I mean…." Elise stuttered to silence and her gaze shifted back towards the floor.

"Speak your mind, doctor," Kessler said.

Elise stared up at Kessler in silence for a moment. Her hands nervously clenched the clothing by her knees.

"I.. didn't— there wasn't.. well, it just.."

"It's just what, Elise?"

She shook her head, "I was the one taking the risk, right? Why do I need to be.. punished?"

A cold silence fell over the room. Kessler sat up in his chair, tilting his head towards Elise. "Pardon?"

"I just don't.. understand."

Kessler leaned forwards and locked eyes with Elise, laying his arms out on the desk. "We did spend resources and research on your test, Elise. Fumbling the ball this early out of juniorship can be fatal. Are you protesting the need for consequences here?" His words grew firm.

Her eyes widened more. "What? No! I just…" She took on a defensive tone. "—I was.. there's a lot going on and, uhm.."

"Go on," said Kessler.

"..My, experiment didn't hurt anyone. Why am I being punished even though I didn't.. do, anything wrong?"

Kessler exhaled audibly, planting his elbows on the desk's surface and folded his hands together. His gaze shifted back to Elise.

"There are other factors involved with this, Elise. More than just your failure."

"Failure of what?" Her tone became entirely apprehensive. "Of my hypothesis? That's what science is, failing hypotheses and.. and… and finding out why they, failed!" She shook her head slightly, her hands gesturing about expressively.

Kessler shook his head. "We're the Foundation, Elise. There's no room to screw up. The bottom line is that we're moving you."

She blinked repeatedly, her gestures freezing. "Moving me? Where?"

"To Outpost Twenty-Six-A. Antarctica."

"What?! Why?" she exploded.

"Like I said, there's more than one reason," he declared with a rising tone.

She stuttered incohesively. Her gaze shifted away from Kessler and stared aimlessly ahead.

"You're only doing this because…"

Her voice stopped, as though something were in her throat.

"…speak your mind, Doctor Hill."

The woman inhaled, "because I.. don't, know a lot of people here. It's—"

Kessler listened in cold silence.

"..it's not fair.." Her voice cracked, and her head drooped down. She covered her face with her hands.

"…Elise, this is how things work around here. You overspent the time of staff, but for that this is a pretty mundane punishment," Kessler explained softly. "Site command feels this just isn't the right environment for you."

Elise didn't respond to his words. Kessler continued. "Now, I'll send somebody to pack your dormitory tomorrow and then we can—"

He was interrupted by the scraping of a chair. Elise had shot up and within moments had made her way to the door. She left the office with an arm covering her eyes.

Kessler and Jean sat in silence, watching the open door hang idly on its hinges.

"—that.. was pretty harsh, Kessler," Jean said, shifting her gaze towards him. "Something about her reaction tells me she might need a therapist.."

"Nonsense," Kessler waved his hand at her, "I'm moving her because she's an outcast. Outpost Twenty-Six-A is small, she'll make friends there, and morale here will improve without her around."

He leaned back into his chair and allowed his hands to drop to his lap. "She'll be happier too, we're helping her."

Jean huffed. "Kessler, you said you trusted my judgement. I know you're trying to help here,"

His gaze shot over to her and she met it without a flinch.

"—but trust me," she continued, "when I say she needs a therapist. Very few people blame 'not knowing people' on their own demotion. "

Kessler's eyes trailed down to the floor.

…

He gently nodded.

"Alright.. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

Elise Meredith Hill was crying in her room.

It was cold and quiet. Her dormitory's lights were out, leaving her in darkness as she clung to the fabric of her jeans and sobbed. Elise's gut was twisting in disgust and fear at the idea of being alone, wasting away in the arctic plane with no prospects for the future.

Her head slowly rose from the comfort of the sheets to face the digital clock by her bedside.

2:38 AM

She quietly stared at the clock. After a moment, she dropped her head back inbetween her kneecaps. Her mind began to wander frantically.

"Nobody can be trusted. Everyone is full of hate, you all hate eachother and you all hate me, and you only care for yourselves…."

Care for ourselves.

"Fumbling the ball this early out of juniorship can be fatal."

Fatal.

"Elise, this is how things work around here."

I know how it is. Nobody can be trusted, everyone is full of hate, and we only care for ourselves.

I need to care for myself.

She shut her eyes.

"You set up an experiment, and your experiment failed."

Elise glanced toward her table, where the yellow folder sat beside a keyfob. She felt a chill go up her spine while gazing over pensively.

Then I'll just have to succeed.

She began to rise from her bed, sliding herself off its side and onto her feet. Elise approached the desk, picking up the folder and looking through its contents with a moist set of eyes.

She stared at the first page in silence.

Elise closed the folder with a sniffle, picking up the keyfob and turning toward the exit. She stopped herself at the door and rested her hand on the doorknob, staring ahead in hesitant silence.

The silence ended with the door creaking open.

Upon arrival, Elise stopped at the door of the chamber. A sign to the left read 'Unclassified Holding Cell,' with an image of the purple-scaled entity plastered below. She anxiously glanced at the keyfob scanner by the door.

Elise crossed her fingers and pressed the keyfob against the scanner, exhaling as the door eased open.

She beamed as she stepped into a dark, lifeless room of UHPC and chromium.

Kessler awakens.

The sun illuminates the sky with bright hues of pink and red. Rays of light cast upon the Earth refract onto rolling grass fields, and floating clouds wash the sky with white and gray.

Kessler was laying in the center of a field, his eyes facing up toward the sky. He sits up with a grunt and scans his surroundings with a perplexed expression.

His eyes fall upon a deer grazing beside a broad apple tree. Its branches flutter in the wind and create a soft rustling sound, producing spotty shadows on the ground as the sun dips below the horizon.

The breeze cruises through his hair and tall grass brushes against his side. He presses his hands against the ground, pushing himself to his feet.

Kessler faces the deer curiously and, with a soft step, begins to tread toward it. His expressions are limited, with only a small squint of the eyes and a tilt of the head.

The deer's head abruptly shoots up from the grass, locking eyes with Kessler as both freeze in place. They both stare at eachother in careful silence.

Thump.

An apple drops from the branches above. The deer's eyes lock to the apple as it falls to the ground, but shoot back towards Kessler quickly. Kessler, though, didn't stop watching the apple.

He slowly and steadily ambles toward the apple. The deer shifts into a defensive stance as Kessler reaches the apple and picks it up from the ground. It has bright red skin and feels firm in Kessler's palm.

He gazes to the deer, pulling his arm back for an underhand throw and gently tossing the apple towards it. The deer jolts back and sprints off in a flash as the apple rolls its way, disappearing into an adjacent line of trees.

“No—.. agh..” Kessler grumbles. “What the hell..? I was trying to help you!” he calls out.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Kessler inhaled sharply as his eyes shot open, the sound of the alarm pierced into his ear like a knife. He sat up with a grunt and sloppily shut it off.

Once his breath stabilized, he shifted his legs to the side of the bed and stood up. He turned his head toward the clock.

6:30 AM

With a drawn-out sigh, he turned towards the bathroom and went to freshen himself.

He curated the collar of his dress shirt to be flat and rigid, gelled his hair flat against his scalp, and slipped on a pair of small square glasses. Kessler tossed his labcoat over his shoulders and stepped out of his dormitory.

When he arrived at his office, he found Jean sitting at her desktop with a bouncing leg and an anxious look.

"Jean," he approached from the entrance, "what's the report for today?"

Jean looked up at him with a wide and quick stare. "—you didn't hear?"

"Hear what?" Kessler tilted his head.

Moments later, the two were storming toward Site-258's sector. Kessler abruptly stopped when he saw security staff standing outside the entrance to the new SCP's observation room. Jean glanced back at him and watched his expression flood with concern, before gesturing for him to continue following.

Kessler nodded and continued to follow Jean, waving timidly to the staff as he strutted inside. They gazed back at him solemnly.

The two entered the observation room. Large black screens were propped up against the wall, and a computer terminal sat in the room's center. Jean moved towards the terminal.

Kessler watched the screens come to life.

His stomach drops.

Inside, a human body had been torn in two. A pair of dismembered, rotting legs sat in one corner, and a mangled torso and head sat in the other. Stains of red and chunks of flesh were stretched between the body's remains, creating a mess stretching halfway across the floor.

One of the arms appeared to cling to a piece of paper.

The creature sat in the top right of the camera's view, watching it.

Kessler looked away. Jean hadn't looked at all. A prolonged silence came over the two.

"Turn it off," Kessler murmured.

Jean flipped a switch and the screens flicked to black. Kessler stared down at his feet.

"Has.. security figured out who it was?" he asked.

"You know who it was," murmured Jean.

He shut his eyes tightly and reached up to rub his face. "I was going to talk to her, I didn't realize…"

Jean exhaled sharply. "Kessler, I would tell you not to be hard on yourself, but," she gazed towards him solemnly, "she'd been here for two years, and was entirely alone. I talked to my girls about it."

Kessler's hands slid down his face as she spoke. He gazed over to her with sad eyes and slumped shoulders. "She had friends. She wasn't that bad off," he contended.

"I thought you said the reason you wanted to move her was because nobody would care."

Kessler glared over at Jean with an unsettled expression. Jean hesitated, but continued speaking.

"I told you as it was, and I'll continue to do just that." Jean turned to face him, leaning herself against the terminal. "You failed her. You and everyone in your department. It was pretty clear from what she said, she thought people disliked her. She thought you disliked her. You should've realized that sooner."

Kessler shook his head slightly. "It's not.. it isn't that."

"It is."

Jean quietly analyzed him, before slipping away from the computer and strutting out of the room without a word. Kessler was left standing there with nothing but the soft murmurs of security agents.

After a few minutes of standing silently, he turned and left.

A number of hours later and Kessler, seated at his desk and ruminating on the day's events so far, heard the phone ring. He gazed over dreadfully, listening to it ring before reaching over and bringing it to his ear.

"This is Doctor Kessler," he said.

"Kessler?" A deep male voice came through the line. Kessler recognized it immediately.

"Yes, Director?" His voice perked up.

"I've just heard about Doctor Hill. I'm sorry about what happened."

"Thank you, sir. Uh, she was a, uh…" Kessler paused, "a shining star amongst us."

"Uh.." There was some shuffling on the other end. "I understand that she had clearance to access the new SCP. Her fob should've been deactivated."

Kessler sighed. "She did an experiment with the SCP, I didn't figure to revoke her clearance until she left. It was still her main assignment, and—"

The Director interrupted. "—well, look, it's something you should've done. I also understand that she was a bit isolated in the workplace, would you say that factors into her behavior last night?"

His grip on the phone tightened and his voice became hushed. "..uhm, I… suppose so, yes."

"Were you aware of her social issues beforehand?"

"To an extent. I didn't, uhm.. know her very well."

The director inhaled deeply and his voice became firm. "So, why didn't you act?"

Kessler's brows furrowed, he shook his head faintly. "I—.." He stuttered. "I did act. I tried moving her."

"—it, evidently wasn't the right move," said the director. "People are saying she was irrational because she was being moved. One of the representatives from the Ethics Committee called me and said he received a pretty detailed outline of what happened. He wants to see something done."

"Ethics Committee?" Kessler nearly laughed at the Director's words. "Just one representative, it doesn't matter that much, does it..?"

There was another pause, and the director exhaled. "Look, Kessler, the Site Ethics Evaluation is week after next and I can't risk this sort of thing right now. They want someone to take the blame."

Kessler's eyes widened. "—but, wait.. what?"

"Yeah.. Kessler, you've done a lot of good work but, uh.." The director sighed. "There's a real nice spot out at a research outpost in Antarctica. It's understaffed and I think you'd be better off there."

Kessler leaned forwards, "Wait-.. but, that's not entirely necessary, I'll… how about I go to the representative myself and—"

"I'm sorry Kessler, preparations are already underway for your moving. I've got my guys on the paperwork right now."

There was a long line of stutters from Kessler. He stared down at his desk with a shocked expression. "—but, sir.. I… I did try to help her, I wasn't trying to hurt her I just.. I was going to talk to her about getting a psychologist, and I figured that moving her would be good for her, too, and.."

"Too little too late…" murmured the director. "Kessler, I'll be honest with you, man.. you know how to handle spending and keep workers in line, but you're so damn naive when it comes to people. Get your things in your dormitory ready, the RD will see you off."

The phone hung up before Kessler could say anything else.

He stared ahead silently, listening to the repeated beep of the disconnected phone. His face had turned pale and his eyes were widened to their greatest extent.

Kessler gently placed the phone back in its place. He covered his face with his hands, leaning back and sitting in prolonged silence.

He was called to the RD's office three hours later.

Kessler awakens.

His eyes flick open to a sky adorned with pink and red. He feels tall grass brushing against his side, and raises his head to gaze at the field he was laying in.

Standing up, Kessler again sees the deer grazing by the apple tree. He analyzes it for a few moments, noticing a bloody gash going up its right thigh and wincing at the gory sight.

Thump.

An apple falls between them, they both glance as it hits the ground. The deer notices Kessler and stares at him warily.

He slowly walks towards the apple, so the injured dear takes a defensive stance. Kessler reaches down and picks the apple from the ground. He takes a moment to observe the deer as he raises back up, looking at it with an inquisitive expression. The deer's ribcage is tight against its skin and its limbs are slim and lanky.

The animal remains locked in place. Kessler slowly reels his arm back to toss the apple toward it, but stops himself midway through and lowers his arm.

His eyes trail off toward the ground in thought. After a moment, he gazes back at the deer and holds the apple out in its direction.

The deer cautiously stares at his hand, and its mouth begins to slobber. Eventually, it begins moving towards Kessler, its gaze fixated to the fruit. Once close enough, it reaches its head out and bites into the apple with a noisy crunch.

It starts to slobber over the fruit, chomping through its core and eventually consuming it all. Kessler lowers his hand once the apple is gone, tilting his head at the animal. The deer takes a step back from Kessler and observes him more comfortably.

After a moment of silence, Kessler's eyes begin to water and his expression sours with regret.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs, "I'm sorry I didn't do more to help. I'm sorry…."

The deer stares at him blankly.

"I'm so, so sorry…"

Kessler wakes up.

His eyes opened to the metal ceiling of his room.

He sighed, listening to the sounds of snow patting against the roof of his dormitory. It was a cramped space, with walls made of fiber padding to keep the cold out and a severe lack of decoration.

Kessler sat up and gazed tiredly through a small porthole beside his bed. Outside was harsh, with a menacing sky pelting down snow onto an infinite plane of ice.

Out at the edge of the ice, though, there was a figure. Kessler squinted at it, reaching for his glasses on the adjacent nightstand and propping them up on his face.

Through the lens of his glasses he identified the figure, they disappeared the moment he recognized them.

It was a person with short, contorted blonde hair and big round glasses standing alone in the arctic plane. The woman held something to her chest, staring out at the ice with a sad expression on her face.

Kessler struggled to make out the object in her hand, but realized what it was once she disappeared.

Elise Meredith Hill held an apple to her heart.