THE ALGORITHM OF FEAR

5~THE LAB TECH

Ivaan paced back and forth in his apartment, his mind racing. The last conversation with Eve had left him unsettled, and when he found out about her injury at the forensic lab, his worry turned into full-blown panic. She hadn't called or messaged since leaving him , and that wasn't like her. Ivaan knew Eve was tough, but the recent string of bizarre events was too much for anyone to handle alone. He grabbed his phone and dialed her number. The line rang, but she didn't pick up. He tried again, and this time it went straight to voicemail.

"Eve, it's me. I just heard about what happened at the lab. Are you okay? Please call me back. I'm really worried about you." Frustrated and scared, he decided to head over to her apartment. Eve always hide the truth that she lives in the mansion. Ivaan only knows that Eve lives at the apartment and he decided to go there. He grabbed his car keys and drove through the quiet streets, the darkness outside feeling heavier than usual. When he arrived at her apartment , he knocked on the door, calling her name. No response. He checked the parking lot and noticed her car was gone. His anxiety spiked. Where would she go so late at night?

He called her again, his voice more urgent this time. "Eve, please, just let me know you're safe. I'm coming to find you if you don't call me back." As he stood there, debating his next move, a memory struck him. The mansion. Eve had mentioned it once a place she hadn't been to in years but always seemed to linger in her thoughts,But Eve always lied to him.

"What if she's there?" he muttered to himself.

Without wasting another second, he got back in his car and headed toward the outskirts of the city. The drive felt endless, his thoughts spiraling as he tried to piece together what could be happening to her. When he finally arrived at the mansion, his unease deepened. The massive gates were ajar, and the house loomed in the darkness like something out of a nightmare. He parked and stepped out, the gravel crunching underfoot as he approached the front door. It was unlocked, creaking slightly as he pushed it open.

"Eve?" he called out, his voice echoing in the empty foyer.

No response. He stepped inside, the cold air wrapping around him like a warning. The house felt alive, as if it were holding its breath. "Ivaan?" a voice called from upstairs. He froze, his breath catching. It was Eve's voice, but something about it felt... off. "Eve? Where are you?" he called back, his heart pounding. "Upstairs," she replied, her tone flat and unfamiliar. He hesitated but forced himself to climb the grand staircase. At the top, the hallway stretched out before him, lined with closed doors. One door at the end was slightly ajar, light spilling out into the hallway. He walked toward it cautiously, his pulse quickening with every step. When he pushed the door open, he saw her sitting on the floor, her back to him. Her hair was disheveled, and her shoulders trembled as if she were crying.

"Eve," he said softly, stepping into the room. She didn't turn around. "Ivaan," she whispered, her voice shaky. "You shouldn't have come." "I had to. I'm worried about you. What's going on? Why are you here?" Before he could get closer, she finally turned to face him. Her eyes were wide, her face pale. She looked terrified. "Ivaan," she said, her voice trembling."Something's wrong. I can't explain it, but... I don't think I'm alone." "What do you mean?" he asked, his throat tightening. Eve pointed to the mirror behind him. "Look." Ivaan turned slowly, and his blood ran cold. In the mirror, his reflection stared back at him-but standing next to it was another version of Eve, smiling that same haunting smile he'd seen in the photo she'd shown him. The real Eve's voice broke the silence. "It's been following me. And now... it's following us." Ivaan was scared but he tried to calm Eve down. He asked her why she had come there but Eve was just changing the topic about mansion.ivaan was a bit sad as Eve lied to her about living in the mansion or the reason is something else. After all this things.. Ivaan turned back to Eve, his heart racing as the eerie image in the mirror burned into his mind. Her expression had changed her wide, terrified eyes were now narrowed, her lips curling into a sinister smile that sent chills down his spine.