-Science is all about trial and error. Ours is mostly error-

  Downtown TB–Bridgepath, Tri-Borough University(TBU), Science Lab.

  The last thing I expected from our mind-bending science project was to be bitten by a spider–but hey, life’s full of surprises.

  Asri Bahri, Sabrina Ming and I have been working on Neuroflex, a device that could track and measure real-time impulses through the muscles. We suspect that it could help identify muscle conditions or assist in rehabilitation. We've been using spiders as our lab rats–or lab spiders, I guess. Problem is, we've managed to kill more of them than actually study them.

  Asri threw his pen on the table in frustration. “I've lost count of how many spiders we've killed.” He slumped in his chair, staring at the lab computer, where a red FAILED was displayed on the screen.

  Ming checked the equipment for the umpteenth time, recalibrating after each failure.

  “I don't get it.” She sighed. “We’ve done our research. Our simulation was a success. Why does it fail when we're using live specimens?”

  I checked on the spider. Its eight legs were curled into its body, and it was motionless. Probably dead.

  Grabbing a tweezer, I reached into the glass container, the metal tip hovering above its limp body.

  The second they made contact, the spider sprang to life.

  Too fast–a blur of movements. For a split second it was still. Then–it jumps–straight into my hand.

  I dropped the tweezers, frantically trying to brush it away before I felt a sharp sting right under my lab coat sleeve.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Ow!” I yelped, jerking back as I felt the sharp sting shooting up my arm.

  Ming and Asri snapped to me, startled at my sudden reaction. Noticing their concerned stares, I tried to lighten the mood.

  “Tried to pick up the dead spider.” I said, shaking my arm. “Apparently, it was a zombie. I'll probably be hungry for brains soon.”

  Ming let out a sharp breath, clearly not amused, while Asri started imitating a zombie.

  “You better get that checked out–jumping spiders don't usually bite humans.” Ming warned, crossing her arms.

  “Maybe I'm just a snack–I am a catch after all.” I joked.

  “Seems like it caught you instead–off guard.” She shook her head before continuing to calibrate the machine. “If you start growing extra eyes and arms, I'm calling pest control.”

  Then I felt it.

  The wave of dizziness. Heat surging under my skin. My knees buckled.

  I slammed my hand onto a nearby table for support, but the whole room was spinning. My two friends rushed to my side, their faces filled with worry.

  The lab wasn’t just loud now–it was sharp. The half-drunk energy cans falling felt like cymbals clashing together. I could hear the faint hum of our science project behind me. I could hear my friends’ ragged breath and increased heart rate beating behind my skull. The fluorescent light felt too bright–like Mom’s screen brightness.

  Asri placed a hand on my neck. “Dude, you're like a reactor going full-on meltdown mode right now!”

  Ming grabbed our phones on the nearby desk. “Nope. You're going home, Shiromori.”

  “You guys are overreacting.” I said weakly. “I'm just–just tired of bickering with Ming, that's all.”

  “Shut up, Shiromori. Asri, you still have his house key?”

  Asri nodded, fishing it out of his pocket.

  Before I could protest, they threw my arms over their shoulders and dragged me out of the lab. The heat felt like it was crawling in my veins–like tiny insects under my skin. My vision slowly tunneled. Everything felt distant, yet also near at the same time.

  And then–nothing.