Melissa adjusted the collar of her uniform and rubbed her temples as she stared at the mountain of paperwork piled on Bruce's desk.
With Bruce asleep due to the mysterious divine-induced slumber, the duty of handling military logistics and correspondence had fallen to her.
She muttered under her breath.
"He better wake up soon. This is ridiculous…"
Yet it wasn't the paperwork or responsibility that bothered her the most—it was the still, unmoving presence in the corner of the room.
The puppet.
Kyle had left it with her before rushing off to deal with more urgent matters, and though Melissa said nothing at the time, she was deeply uncomfortable having it around.
It sat perfectly still, hands folded in its lap, expression blank but eerily human. Its glassy, soul-deep eyes were always fixed in her direction.
She had tried to ignore it for the past few hours, but the creeping sensation down her spine had reached its limit.
"All right. What do you want from me?"
