A new layer emerged. Beneath the piano and the ghost-whisper, there was a sound like a crowded subway station at 2 AM. Footsteps. A distant car alarm. Then, unmistakably, his own name. Not spoken. Thought . He heard his own internal monologue from that morning— "Did I lock the door? No, of course I did. Stop worrying." —playing backward and at half speed.
The Ghost in the Static
He clicked play.
Then her voice came in.