The sterile smell of disinfectant filled their nostrils as Liam and Amelia entered the morgue. The fluorescent lights cast an eerie glow on the rows of steel drawers, each one a silent testament to mortality. They approached the front desk, a young intern looking up with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
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"We're here to see the body of Professor Davis," Liam stated, his voice firm despite the tremor in his stomach. The intern, clearly bewildered by their unexpected visit, consulted a register before hesitantly leading them down a dimly lit hallway.
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Professor Davis, the victim of the apparent suicide Liam had witnessed in the VR simulation, lay peacefully (or so it seemed) in a drawer. Liam stood frozen, his eyes scanning the body for any sign of a struggle, any evidence of the monstrous attack. There was none. Just the peaceful repose of a man who had seemingly taken his own life.
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Amelia, ever the observant one, noticed something glinting on the professor's chest nestled amongst his clothes – a small golden badge in the shape of an Eye of Horus. The VR message echoed in her mind.
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"It's the badge," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Without hesitation, she reached for it, a sense of urgency pushing past any reservations about interfering with a potential crime scene.
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The unexpected movement startled the intern, who let out a yelp. "Wait! You can't touch that!" Liam, snapping out of his daze, grabbed Amelia's arm. "Let's go," he muttered, a newfound urgency propelling them out of the morgue before the intern could raise any more questions.
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Back at their apartment, the weight of their actions settled in. They had tampered with evidence, and worse, they had no way of explaining their bizarre story about a murderous monster and a precognitive VR headset.
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Dusk was settling in, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. Liam felt a tightness in his chest as the clock on the wall ticked closer to 11:00 pm. Would the VR headset be right? Did they just ensure his boss's death by taking the badge?
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As if on cue, his phone buzzed. Dread coiled in his stomach as he saw a news notification. His heart hammered in his chest as he clicked on the link. The headline screamed: "Professor Davis Found Dead in Apparent Suicide." His stomach lurched. He scrolled down to read the details. It mentioned the professor's secretary being a witness to the gruesome scene.
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Panic surged through him. He had seen the future, or at least a version of it, but their intervention had changed something. The secretary wasn't supposed to be there. Had they just condemned her to witness the same horrifying death?
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He looked at Amelia, her face etched with a mixture of fear and resolve. "We need to go back," she said, her voice firm. Liam knew she was right. They had a responsibility, a terrifying, unwanted responsibility thrust upon them by a faulty VR headset and a cryptic message. The clock was ticking, and they were no longer just bystanders. They were in a race against time, armed with a glimpse into the future and a stolen badge, unsure if they were making things better or worse.
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