The records were chaotic. Reports of experimental sensory deprivation therapy, black mold infestations, and patients disappearing overnight. One file caught his attention: Project Nocturne.
The project was overseen by Dr. Vallis and involved a machine designed to isolate auditory perception. The intent was to cure schizophrenia. Instead, it resulted in permanent silence among test subjects and triggered "perception drift."
Notes scribbled in the margins: "They don't hallucinate. They hear what's real beneath our reality."
Jonathan heard shuffling behind him. He turned—nothing. But one file drawer was slightly open. Inside was a single tape labeled: "Session 13 – Patient Null."
He played it that night in his office.
First silence. Then a low hum. Then a voice: "Now you've heard it too."