Chapter 10 - Caught in the Trap
Hook:
“I told you that you were unhinged, Leo.”
Conflict:
Stars exploded across my vision. I hit the floor hard, tasting copper in my mouth.
I rolled onto my back, struggling to breathe. Mark Mercer stood over me, wearing black tactical casual wear, his jaw set in cold contempt. Behind him stood two burly private security guards wearing generic grey uniforms without hospital badges.
Discovery:
“How did you know I was here?” I wheezed, wiping blood from my brow.
Mark held up a smartphone, showing a live GPS tracking dot pulsing directly inside Room 412. “You left your truck’s toll transponder active, idiot. Did you really think I didn’t have a tag on your vehicle? You always were the sensitive artist, Leo. Great at drawing blueprints. Absolute shit at real-world chess.”
Twist:
Dr. Vance walked into the room behind them, carrying a legal clipboard and a black Pelican medical case.
“Security,” Vance said calmly to the two guards. “The patient’s husband has suffered an acute psychotic break following grief-induced delusions. Restrain him. We are processing an emergency psychiatric transfer to the county lockdown facility.”
“No!” I yelled, thrashing against the floor as the two guards dropped their weight onto my shoulders and knees, twisting my arms behind my back. Zip-ties bit viciously into my wrists.
Emotion:
Sarah’s monitors went ballistic. The heart rate monitor sounded a high-pitched, continuous alarm as her pulse spiked to 140. She was watching her husband get assaulted right at the foot of her deathbed.
Cliffhanger:
May you like
Mark knelt beside me, his face inches from mine, pulling Sarah’s Kingston flash drive from my dropped jacket pocket. “Thanks for decrypting it, brother. Now... it’s time to finalize Sarah’s transition.”
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