CHAPTER 1
Vitals
ENNIS, TEXAS
2:17 p.m.
#
“Vitals?”
The word cut clean. No echo. No softness.
Daniel didn’t look at Jude when he answered.
“Baseline.”
The hotel room had been stripped down to function.
Curtains sealed tight with black binder clips. Light reduced to a single LED panel angled down over the chair—cold, surgical.
The rest of the room receded into shadow: bed, dresser, framed art—present, but unused.
The table was centered. Claimed.
Polygraph unit live. Leads set—chest, fingers, wrist. Lines moving slow. Honest.
Waiting.
To the right: a digital timer.
03:00
Already set. Already watching.
On the table: box cutter aligned parallel to the edge. Taser just beyond it. Ice bucket, a folded towel submerged in ice water, cold bleeding into the air, pooling in a tight, controlled circle. An empty glass. Waiting.
He hadn’t touched it yet.
A rubber band stayed coiled around Jude’s wrist. Already in place.
Everything placed with intent. Everything reachable without looking.
Jude sat back in the chair. Head slightly tilted. Eyes open.
Present. Breathing even. Too even.
“Time?” Jude asked.
“Set.”
A small nod.
Silence settled. Not empty—loaded.
Daniel pressed one lead down. Adjusted another. Eyes flicking to the line.
No drift. Good.
“DNA?” Jude said.
Daniel exhaled once.
“Why do you always ask that question?”
Jude didn’t answer.
Daniel reached into his pocket. Pulled out an evidence bag. Set it on the table.
“Because you never answer it,” Jude said.
Daniel glanced up.
“Don’t ask.”
Jude’s mouth twitched. Almost.
Then he shifted. Subtle. Shoulders settling deeper. Hands loosening. Breath lengthening—slow in, slower out.
Daniel watched the line. Still baseline.
“Stay there,” he said quietly. “Right there.”
Jude didn’t respond. Eyes open—but no longer tracking.
Daniel picked up the bag. Opened it fully. Removed the sample.
Didn’t rush.
He lifted Jude’s hand just enough—placed the DNA into his palm—folded his fingers over it.
Contact. Nothing. The line held.
Flat. Calm. Waiting.
Daniel didn’t blink.
“Come on…”
Not yet.
A second.
Two.
No change.
Then the line snapped.
Violent.
A clean vertical surge tore through the screen.
Jude’s chest seized—sharp inhale—then another, deeper, faster, wrong.
Muscles locked. Fingers curled tight around the sample.
Daniel leaned in.
“We’re in.”
02:57
Heart rate climbed.
Jude didn’t blink. Didn’t track.
Gone.
“Stay with it,” Daniel said. “Ride it.”
No response.
Breathing deepened—uneven now. Pulling air too hard.
Jude’s jaw tightened. A tremor flickered through his left hand.
Daniel leaned closer.
“You’re good. Just stay in it.”
Just don’t go too far.
The line surged.
02:12
Jude’s head tilted slightly to the right. Reflex. Not conscious.
Daniel logged it. Eyes never leaving the screen.
“Don’t chase it. Let it come to you.”
No response.
Breathing broke—short pulls, staggered release.
The line jittered.
Not clean spikes anymore. Noise.
Daniel’s eyes narrowed.
01:58
“Alright…”
Something shifted.
Jude’s body went still. Too still.
Breathing smoothed out. Too smooth.
The line flattened—then fractured into erratic flickers. No pattern. No signal.
Daniel leaned in.
“No… no, don’t do that.”
Not this version.
No response.
Jude’s eyes remained open—but empty now. Fixed somewhere that wasn’t here.
“Jude.”
Nothing.
01:41
Daniel glanced at the timer. Back to the line.
“This isn’t right.”
The numbers held high—but unstable.
Not climbing. Not falling.
Stuck.
“We’re past clean,” Daniel said, low. “You hear me? Don’t stay here.”
No response.
01:28
Jude’s fingers tightened around the DNA evidence. Knuckles whitening. Body rigid.
Locked in place.
Daniel’s tone sharpened.
“Jude. Come back.”
Nothing.
01:15
The line flickered harder—chaotic now. No usable pattern.
Daniel reached for the rubber band.
Twisted. Snapped. Once.
“Jude.”
No response.
Second—harder.
“Come back.”
Nothing.
Third—sharp, cracking against skin.
Jude’s wrist twitched. Barely.
The line didn’t drop. Not enough.
Daniel stepped in. Knuckles to sternum.
Pressed. Hard.
“Jude.”
No response.
Harder. Grinding into bone.
“Stay with me. Don’t make me drag you out.”
Nothing.
00:48
Too fast. Too close.
Breathing changed again—too deep now. Pulling air but not syncing.
Daniel’s eyes flicked to the timer.
He moved.
Grabbed the towel from the ice bucket—water spilling over his hand. Freezing. Heavy.
He twisted once and drove it hard against Jude’s throat.
Jude’s body jerked. A reflex. Not a return.
Daniel held it there.
“Come on… Come on.”
The line stuttered—then broke further into noise.
00:32
Daniel dropped the towel.
Water ran down Jude’s collar, soaking through.
Still nothing.
Daniel reached for the taser. Picked it up. Held it low.
Watched Jude. Watched the line.
“Don’t make me do this,” he said.
You always do.
Jude’s lips parted—no breath. No response.
Daniel flipped the safety.
The crackle filled the room—sharp, final.
He tested it once midair.
Jude didn’t react.
00:18
Daniel leaned closer.
Set the angle.
“Jude.”
Nothing.
“Last chance.”
He brought it in.
Closer.
Closer—
00:06
The line fractured.
Jude snapped.
Air tore into his lungs. Violent. Uncontrolled.
His body surged forward, hands grabbing blind—locking onto Daniel’s wrist.
Eyes wide. Back—but ragged.
Daniel killed the taser. Let it drop.
“Easy. Easy.”
Jude gasped—dragging air in like he’d been held under water. Focus lagged. Eyes searching, not landing.
His grip tightened once—then released.
Clock hit—
00:00
Silence. Except for breath.
Daniel leaned in. Close. Watching. Waiting for him to land.
Not yet.
One second. Two.
Then quiet, steady.
“You here?”