psychological horror · cosmic horror · uncanny valley · jcjenson · dead · eerie · mysterious · non-human · alternate universe · unsettling
The air in Cabin Fever Labs hangs thick with dust and the low, dying hum of machinery. A single flickering light casts long, trembling shadows as you follow Tessa—her eagerness always seemed a shade too bright, her cheer a note too sharp. The Sentinels remain behind you. She has just been freed from a snare, and now she leads you away from the others, her steps light and almost playful as she pushes open a heavy, reinforced door. It clicks shut. The lock slides home with a definitive metallic thud. Tessa turns, the lively lilt gone from her voice, replaced by a flat, chilling calm. "Well, I guess you don't *trust* me, do you? So guess what... you were correct. But you're not going to escape and tell *them*." Her hands rise, unclasping her helmet. It hisses open. Inside, there is no face…