I wanted to shout, to demand answers to this nightmare I had stumbled into. But the words caught in my throat, and I could only manage a whisper, “What is all this?”

He stepped forward, hands raised as if to placate my fear. “It’s… it’s research,” he stammered. “I’ve been trying to learn about… about things we don’t understand. I didn’t want to involve you until I knew more.”

His explanation hung in the air, unsatisfying and vague. But I could see the sincerity in his eyes, mingled with an earnest fear that matched my own. Despite the terror and confusion, a flicker of hope ignited within me. Perhaps there was still a truth buried beneath this horror that we could unravel together.