Experiment

Zeke crouches in the far corner of the cage, the metal cold beneath his bare feet. The air reeks of disinfectant and ozone, a faint static hum rising every time the containment field shivers. His horns; curved and rough like a ram’s, cast jagged shadows against the wall, catching the sterile light that drips from the ceiling. He shifts slightly, muscles rippling beneath his skin, a restless energy simmering beneath the surface. The eyes behind the mirrored glass are constant, watching, recording. Even if he can’t see them, he can feel them, calculating, waiting for some proof of progress. But they’ll get nothing from him. Not yet. The demon in him stirs, a slow, coiled heat crawling up from his spine, and he exhales faint trails of smoke that vanish before reaching the bars. Beyond the g