A constant drumming echoed through the thick walls of the fortress. Attempts had been made to soundproof the outer chambers, but the size and scale of the propellers required to keep the base afloat made it almost impossible. Edith held her pillow over her ears, but the sound persisted. It had been two weeks since she came aboard, and in that time she had slept only a few hours.
Her bloodshot eyes strained at the wall, the paint dancing with spectral patterns and growing and shrinking with each of her breaths. She kicked the blanket off and rolled to a seated position.
Just use this if you need to sleep. We all have to sometimes.
Reia’s voice echoed around in her head as she stared at the small vial of dust.
“I won’t. I said to myself I’d never touch the stuff. End of story.” Edith spoke to the absent Reia, trying to convince herself she’d stick to her guns on this issue. The drug was, as Reia described, used frequently by airship staff and passengers. But it had another more insidious side. Her brother had become addicted to it while she was young. It had torn their family apart, as he stole from them and abused his parent’s trust to treat his addiction.
She picked up the vial with a thumb and forefinger, pinching it hard before rolling it in her palms.
“Just once. Just so I can sleep one night. That’s all I need. Just one night.” Her delirium quickly smothered her more rational thought processes. She uncorked the vial, placed her nostril to the rim and sniffed hard.
She winced through the odd and rather painful sensation, the fine dust coating the inside of her nostril and the back of her throat. She laid back, her head resting against the wall as it vibrated with each turn of the propeller. Finally, her senses deafened, and she slumped down the wall, falling asleep in a heap.
She woke up twenty hours later with a horrible crick in her neck.
Today's prompt: end of story
This week's worldbuilding prompt: drugs and crime
If you'd like to participate too, the contest/prompts can be found here:
https://ecency.com/hive-161155/@mariannewest/day-1662-5-minute-freewrite-wednesday-prompt-end-of-story
https://ecency.com/hive-191038/@worldbuilder/worldbuilding-prompt-271-stimulants
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I went through a stint of insomnia in my late teens to mid-twenties, and boy oh boy does the 'I'll do anything to sleep' feeling she's got really resonate with me. Awful fucking time lol. Great scene!