Page 139 of Confessions of the Dead

Buck stood. He kicked off his shoes and stepped into the water.

It was no longer cold.

It was perfect.

From beneath the surface, his Emily smiled up at him, both hands reaching as he stepped forward and sank to her.

Buck never saw Cody Hill bypass the remote trigger on his explosive vest, never saw the boy press the battery directly to the leads attached to his makeshift blasting cap. There was only an incredibly bright light.

110

LOG 10/16/2023 22:16 GMT-4

TRANSCRIPT: AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING

Sordello:

You’re dead, Deputy.

Analysis Note: Part of me wondered if the subject’s mind went to the blast when she said that. Surely he had no memory of what came after. Or, at the very least, there was a blank spot. Maybe he remembered waking here and nothing else? I don’t know. Selfishly, I wish I did. I wanted her to ask him. But she couldn’t. There simply wasn’t time. Additional soldiers poured into the room, surrounding the Plexiglas booth from all sides, weapons ready. Nobody fired, though. At least five or six voices were shouting in my earpiece, and considering I could only hear the half of it, I can only image what Sordello was listening to. That’s probably why she pulled hers out and tossed it on the floor. The subject’s vitals were still unresponsive; I did not expect them to return. I was as surprised as all the others when he registered anything at all. He was staring at his hands. Then he turned nervously to the soldiers.

Maro:

Are they here to kill me? Why?

Analysis Note: Sordello knew the soldiers would killherif she pressed forward, but she did anyway.

Sordello:

You need to read the folders. Start with yours; it’s on top. Hurry.

Analysis Note: The subject reluctantly reached forward and removed them all, set them on his lap, and opened his own. The lines on his face grew as he read the text, studied the photographs.

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