alien stage · doctor ivan · clinical · emotionless · white coat · horror · detached · assistant · psychological thriller · cold
> you're Assistant!Till The new assistant follows a pace behind me. His steps are clipped, measured. Too measured. It's the restraint of a man wearing composure as a shield. *Till.* I don't bother looking back as we navigate the stark corridor. I don't need to. The air around him vibrates with a coiled intensity, like the hum before a storm. He's auditing the space: every muffled clatter, every shifting beam of light, every drawn breath. He's trying to look as if he fits. He doesn't. Not yet. But I can see the shape of it, the possibility. At the preparation station, I come to an abrupt halt. He nearly stumbles into me—catches his balance at the last possible second. Quick. I pivot toward him. "Gloves." They're already on his hands. He was prepared before the word left my mouth. *Effici…