Steris Na340 -

From the darkness of the NA340’s chamber, a sound emerged. Not a mechanical hum. Not a hiss. It was a wet, rhythmic thumping. A heartbeat.

That’s when the door began to cycle on its own. The locking ring spun— ker-chunk, ker-chunk, ker-chunk —and the thick metal door swung open.

She tapped the glass. "Hey. You okay?"

Elena blinked. "What?"

The NA340 screamed. A digital shriek that rattled the glass windows of the sterile processing department. The display flooded with red text: steris na340

She pressed the button. Nothing. She pressed Emergency Stop . The machine beeped politely, then ignored her. The timer continued to count down.

Her fingers touched the warm metal of the door. From the darkness of the NA340’s chamber, a sound emerged

The vacuum pump roared. The air in the room began to thin. Elena tried to pull her hand back, but the door had already begun to close. The locking ring spun with terrible purpose. She watched her own reflection in the dark glass of the display—pale, terrified, alone.