"Just listen to me!"

Before her hand even reaches the door handle, panic surges through you. “Wait! just listen to me!” Your voice cracks - too loud, too ****.

Dr. Carter freezes. Not like before. This time… it’s different. The words hang in the air, but something else follows them - something unseen, subtle, slipping into the space between you. You feel it before you understand it. A strange warmth spreads through your chest, then outward, like a pressure release you didn’t know was building. Dr. Carter’s shoulders tense. Her hand tightens on the door handle - but she doesn’t open it. Slowly… too slowly… she turns back toward you. Her expression shifts mid-motion. The sharp anger in her eyes flickers, falters - like something interfering with it. Confusion creeps in. Then hesitation.

“What…?” she starts, but the word trails off. Her gaze fixes on you again, but it’s no longer the same. The intensity is still there, but unfocused now—like she’s looking through you instead of at you. Her breathing changes. Slower. Deeper. The room falls into a strange, heavy silence. You feel your pulse in your ears. Her posture no longer defensive. The anger that filled the room just moments ago has nowhere to land. It’s like it’s been… redirected. Or drained.

“Dr. Carter?” you say cautiously. No response. Her eyes remain locked on you, wide but distant. The tension in her body melts away, replaced by something unnervingly still. Controlled, but not by her. A trance?