The door creaked open again, breaking the still air of the lab.
Light footsteps echoed not the heavy stride of the scientist, but lighter, unsure.
A young man stepped in, his expression caught between boredom and discomfort. His coat was too big for him, sleeves rolled halfway up. He stopped beside the counter, glancing at the glass jar that held Milly's head.
"He really wants me to handle this thing?" he muttered under his breath. "Dad's experiments are getting weird…"
He hesitated, staring into Milly's still-open eyes. For a split second, he swore he saw them move a faint shimmer of life beneath the liquid surface.
"Creepy…" he whispered, forcing a nervous laugh as he lifted the jar carefully.
Milly's view tilted, the room spinning as the boy carried her out. The faint hum of the laboratory lights faded behind them, replaced by the echo of long, metallic corridors.
She tried to focus tried to move, to blink, to make any sound. But only the dull pulse in her head reminded her she was still alive.
Then she saw it.
Through the narrow window of an open door her body, still on the stretcher.
Two assistants were pushing it toward another chamber, their voices muffled but hurried.
"Keep it stable. The boss said the core readings are off the charts."
"Should we sedate it again?"
"It's already dead, isn't it?"
Milly's heart or whatever was left of it
screamed.
The boy carrying her jar stopped briefly, glancing toward the same room. He frowned, sensing something strange.
"Weird… why does it feel like that thing's looking at me?"
The faintest flicker of crimson light sparked from Milly's iris just once before vanishing.
And the boy hurried his pace, clutching the jar tighter as if to shake off the feeling that whatever was inside it wasn't as lifeless as it seemed.