Gemotions

Liam stood frozen in front of the lab. A sign on the door, newly printed, read "Closed for indefinite leave." He’d spent the last five years under Dr. Albright’s tutelage, learning advanced quantum physics. The man had promised him a recommendation for the prestigious fellowship, the one Liam had been dreaming about since childhood. Now, this. He scanned the room, looking for some clue, some hidden message, something to explain it all. The usual hum of the equipment was absent, replaced by an unsettling quiet. His hands felt cold, clammy. He clutched the research papers he’d been about to share, the edges curling inward.