"I-I can't do this." The gun was trembling in Xephos' hand.

Honeydew brought up a pained smile, clutching his chest. "It's okay, Lewis. Please. Do it for me. And if not for me, then for Yoglabs."

But the spaceman shook his head, tears blurring his vision. "No. I won't. I can't."

"But you can. Please..." The dwarf coughed into his hand, cutting off anything he was about to say. When he pulled his hand away from his mouth, it was red. He looked up and wiped his lips. "Please, Lewis."

"B-but Simon," Xephos stuttered, eyes narrowed. "I can't kill you."

Honeydew held out a hand, laying it against the thick glass that stood between him and the spaceman. "But I don't want to turn into one of them. Please, Lewis. I don't want to hurt you or anybody else."

Xephos shook his head again, grip tightening on the pistol's handle. He kept his fingers well clear of the trigger.

"Lewis. Please don't let me suffer like this."

Xephos swallowed. He couldn't kill his best friend. Not after all the years they had been through together, all the moments they shared and memories they made. He couldn't. He wouldn't. "There has to be another way. Maybe if I get some new technology, or something. Or-or, um, a potion! Or medicine!"

"You know there's no cure to this. Please, Lewis. Just kill me. It hurts." Pain was evident in the dwarf's voice, and his black eyes were half-lidded in an attempt to hide the pain searing inside his chest. It seemed that his heart was on fire, stuttering and thumping against his ribcage in an attempt to escape the burning agony. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and pained. "It hurts. It hurts so much."

And suddenly, Xephos turned and slammed his fist into the button on the wall. Honeydew stumbled backwards as the unbreakable glass slid down into the floor. Then the spaceman was in front of the dwarf, arms wrapped around him.

"There must be another way," Xephos whispered, shoulders shaking. Honeydew numbly raised his arms and hugged the spaceman back. He couldn't help but note that his skin had taken on a sickly green tint.

Honeydew shook his head and pulled away from the hug. He took the barrel of the gun and pressed it against his chest, right over his heart. He bottle the pain up . "There isn't. Please, Lewis. I don't want to hurt you."

Xephos swallowed and closed his eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry, Simon. I'm so, so sorry."

Honeydew smiled and wrapped is hand around Xephos'. The spaceman sniffed and smiled back.

There was a click as the trigger was pulled, and then Honeydew's world faded to black.

The last thing he heard was his best friend's sobbing, and then his mind slipped into the eternal, peaceful darkness.