THE ALGORITHM OF FEAR

5~THE LAB TECH

Eve turned a corner and spotted the tech, Darren, across the room. He was huddled with two other colleagues, speaking in hushed tones. Their expressions shifted when they noticed her. Darren offered her a tight smile, but there was something guarded in his demeanor.

"Eve," he said, walking toward her. "Good morning. Feeling better today?" "Better, thanks," she replied cautiously. "About last night have you gotten any updates on the blood sample?"

Darren tilted his head, his smile thin and unreadable. "No updates yet, but I've been... thinking about the match. It's a strange coincidence, isn't it?" Eve's stomach twisted, but she forced herself to remain composed. "It's more than strange. It doesn't make sense. I didn't even know the artist."

His eyes narrowed slightly, his demeanor shifting from friendly to inquisitive. "That's the thing, isn't it? How could your blood match the sample if you don't know him? Unless..." He trailed off, leaving the implication hanging in the air.

Her pulse quickened. "Unless what, Darren?" "Unless there's more to this than you're letting on," he said, his tone sharper now. "I've already informed the team. They're running additional tests. We can't ignore a match like that ...it raises questions." Eve's jaw clenched, her unease growing. "You think I had something to do with this? That's ridiculous. You know me, Darren." "Do I?" he asked, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. His gaze was piercing, and for a moment, it felt like he was seeing right through her. "People can hide things, Eve. Even people we think we know."

She stared at him, her mind reeling. Darren had always been professional, but there was something off about his behavior now. The way he was fixating on her, the tone in his voice ...it felt personal. "Maybe you're the one hiding something," she shot back, her voice low but steady.

He smirked, the expression chilling. "Let's not turn this around, Eve. You're the one whose blood is connected to the scene." Eve turned away, not wanting to engage further. She needed to clear her head and figure out her next move. As she walked away, she overheard Darren speaking to the team again, his tone urgent. "Keep an eye on her. Something isn't adding up." A shiver ran down her spine. Was Darren just doing his job, or was he deliberately trying to frame her?

She didn't know why, but she was certain he was involved in whatever was happening to her. Eve resolved to stay vigilant. She wouldn't let Darren or anyone else destroy her life. But as she began reviewing her work for the day, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

Eve's day at the lab dragged on with an air of unease hanging over her. Darren's lingering stares and his attempts to rally the team against her only intensified her suspicion. Every time she passed him, she could feel his gaze burning into her back.

By late evening, most of the lab staff had gone home, leaving the building quiet except for the hum of machinery. Eve stayed behind, determined to review the blood match case in detail. She needed answers, and she wasn't going to find them by running away.

As she was scrolling through the lab's database, she noticed something odd. Darren's login credentials were being used to access restricted files related to paranormal case studies files that were not even part of their active investigations. Curiosity piqued, she followed the digital trail, which led to a secure storage room in the basement.

Eve hesitated. The basement was mostly used for storing old evidence and lab supplies. What would Darren be doing there, especially after hours? Deciding to investigate, she grabbed her phone and made her way down. The hallway leading to the basement was dimly lit, and the faint hum of the ventilation system was the only sound. As she approached the storage room, she noticed a faint glow coming from the slightly ajar door. She peeked inside and froze. Darren stood in the center of the room, surrounded by items that looked disturbingly ritualistic. Candles flickered on the floor, arranged in a precise circular pattern. In the middle of the circle lay what appeared to be a piece of the painting, along with vials of blood including one labeled with her name. He was muttering under his breath, his voice low and rhythmic, as if reciting something. The air felt heavy, charged with an energy that made the hairs on her arms stand on end.

Eve's breath caught in her throat as she watched him dip his fingers into one of the vials of blood and smear it onto the painting fragment. The moment he did, the candles' flames flickered wildly, and a chilling gust swept through the room, even though there were no windows or vents open.

"Reveal yourself," Darren whispered, his tone eerily commanding. "You've marked her. Show me why."

The room grew colder, and Eve felt a pressure building in her chest, as if something unseen was pressing down on her. She clutched the doorframe to steady herself, trying to make sense of what she was witnessing.

Suddenly, the shadows in the room seemed to shift, humanoid form that loomed over Darren. Its presence was oppressive, and the low whispering sound that emanated from it was enough to make Eve's blood run cold. Darren didn't flinch. Instead, he spoke again, his voice trembling slightly. "Why her? Why Eve? What's your connection to her?"

The shadowy figure tilted its head as if amused, but it didn't respond. Instead, it seemed to dissolve, its essence flowing into the blood-streaked painting fragment. The room returned to its normal state, the oppressive atmosphere lifting. Eve quickly ducked out of sight as Darren turned to gather the items. Her mind was racing. What had she just witnessed? Was Darren summoning something? Was this connected to her blood match and the bizarre events she'd been experiencing?

She hurried back to her workstation, her heart pounding. She wasn't sure what to make of what she'd seen. Darren's actions were beyond explanation, but they confirmed one thing: he wasn't just suspicious of her he was actively involved in whatever was happening.

Eve resolved to tread carefully. She needed answers, but confronting Darren head-on was too risky. For now, she'd act as if nothing had happened, while quietly digging deeper into Darren's connection to the paranormal. Maybe Darren also knows who was behind all these incidents!