THE PRICE OF FOCUS

CHAPTER 12: THE FIRST WARNING

Daniel’s Apartment – 4:04 AM

The abandoned hospital breathed through its vents—a mechanical wheeze of dying compressors. Daniel's flashlight carved a trembling path through the darkness, illuminating:

1. **Rocuronium Vials** (37 empty, dosage calculated for 58kg paralysis)

2. **EEG Leads** arranged in 6Hz theta wave patterns

3. **Live Feed** of his empty apartment (timestamp: *03:17 AM*)

The morgue drawer screamed on rusted tracks. Emeka's corpse wore:

- **Y-Incision Sutures** (his own signature whip-stitch)

- **Pacemaker** set to *193 bpm* (Evelyn's birth year)

- **Note in Rigid Hand**: *"She tastes of jasmine and potassium"*

The intercom crackled:

*"Twenty-three minutes until Sarah's serum potassium hits 7.0."*

Above the OR gallery, a shadow moved with Sarah's grace but Evelyn's posture—a terrifying synthesis of both women in one silhouette. The figure lifted a scalpel and began carving something into the observation glass.

Daniel's memory palace ignited:

| **Room** | **Revelation** |

|-------------------------|---------------------------|

| St. Gregory's Roof | Ventilation grate angles |

| Sarah's Apartment | Missing left contact lens |

| This Morgue | Emeka's fingernails: clean|

The heart monitor in OR3 suddenly flatlined. The shadow tilted its head—*her* head—and whispered through the intercom:

*"Time of death... negotiable."*