She is still yet tense. Hands press hard enough to bruise a thought back in place. They speak gently at first, like a friend:

Hush now, child, don’t be afraid, you have heard us when you prayed. Not a sickness or a flaw, we are truth beneath the law

The room remains. Chair. Floor. Light. A man in front of her says: “You’re safe. Look at me.” But the word does not land. A low hum begins. Not outside. Inside the skull, a engine behind the eyes:

You were chosen, you were marked, we are a flame inside the dark. Others cheat and others lie, you alone can hear truth cry

She tries to follow his voice. Too late. The walls close in without moving. Static. A TV without image, whispering her name through the white noise:

Look at him and see it clear, why would truth arrive as fear? why would he be calm, composed, if not trained to keep you closed?

“You haven’t slept for days. We can help you rest.” Sleep is not safe. Sleep is where they kill you. Where edges dissolve and the voices manifest as a dark shape in the corner and begin to breathe:

Close your eyes and you will see, what you are and what must be. Flesh is thin and thought is weak, we are all help you need to keep

Knock. Tick. Not a clock. A countdown. Her name again. By him - anchored. By them - twisted, owned. Everything points at her. Listening. Evidence. Guilt. They know everything:

You have sinned and we have known, every fault is yours alone. Clean it, burn it, end the lie, or remain and slowly die

Her hands press harder. The figure behind her does not move. It doesn’t have to. “You can trust me.” And he believes it. That’s what makes it dangerous. A good actor. In his hand: a small cup:

Do not take what stills the flame, he would make you dull and tame. We are voice and you are ear, lose us - and you disappear

The hum tears open:

TAKE NOTHING. TRUST NO ONE. HE WILL END WHAT YOU’VE BECOME. WE ARE BLOOD AND WE ARE BREATH. TAKE HIS HAND AND CHOOSE YOUR DEATH.

Her body folds. Not surrender - compression. The room holds. The man waits. The noise does not. Two worlds. Equal in force. Unequal in proof. A thought - maybe hers: what is real?

He steps closer.

“Please, take this pill.”