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Ending C – Try to Wake Up

***

Leah panics. She digs her nails into her palms. Slaps her face. Screams into the dark.

Nothing changes. The air doesn’t shift from dreamy shimmer back to still. The room doesn’t snap back to normal.

She grabs her phone and does the only thing she can think to do—Reboot.

The screen flickers. The logo flashes. The home screen loads.

Her breath catches. The podcast app is gone. So is everything else. No email. No texts. No calendar. No contacts. No photos. No browser. Just one single icon in the middle of the screen:

Leah_finalmix.wav

Her fingers hover over it. She doesn’t remember saving this file. Doesn’t remember naming it. Doesn’t remember becoming it.

But it’s the only thing left. The only thing that knows is happening. She taps it.

A hiss. Then a voice. Not Nora. Not Dex. Something deeper. Something wearing their voices like a coat. “She thinks this is a dream.” The voice is smiling. She can hear it. “She thinks if she screams loud enough, she’ll wake up. She thinks waking up is even possible. She doesn’t know she’s not the listener anymore. She’s just reaching the cold open.”

The file ends. The screen goes black. No home button. No swipe to unlock. Just her reflection, staring back. Mouth open. Eyes wide. Listening.