The recording captured it. I could see her fingers curling around mine, slight but real. I saved the video immediately, sending it to three different cloud backups before my hands stopped shaking.

Then, the final message came.

E. S. C. A. P. E.

Help me escape.

The words didn’t just frighten me; they terrified me. Escape from what? From the coma? From the hospital? Or from something else entirely?

I showed the video to Derek when he came back for his 4:00 A.M. rounds. He watched it twice, his brow furrowing deeper each time.

“I’ll get the attending,” he said, his skepticism replaced by professional concern.