"They say the dead don't speak. They lied. They scream, and they remember every face that let them die."

Adrian Ace Miller was a professional at doing nothing. A shut-in gamer and a self-proclaimed coward, his only goal was to survive another day of unemployment. But when the world tilts and he wakes up in the clinical, shadow-drenched halls of Nox Corporation, "survival" takes on a terrifying new meaning.

Recruited as Unit 091, Adrian is no longer a player—he is an "asset" in a high-stakes experiment where ghosts are the currency and fear is the fuel. Beside him stands David Halter, a man who claims to be his "shield," but who is slowly losing his own humanity to protect a ghost from his past.

How many pieces of yourself must you cut away to survive? When the "Coward" finally finds his courage, will there be anything left of the man he used to be?

"Warning: Entry into Nox Corporation may involve: Coarse language, experimental psychological distress, and the occasional loss of humanity. Proceed at your own risk."
                                                                                                                                            -Unit 091

I woke up again. This time, not in darkness but in light. White light blinded me. Beeping echoed beside me, along with the slow drip of an IV.


I tried to sit up, but my body refused. My vision cleared, and reality settled in.


A man was napping peacefully beside me—David.


I raised my hand, but I had no strength. My fingers barely moved.


An ICU monitor blinked beside me. Tubes were connected to my arm.


David stirred and pressed his hand to my forehead. He sighed relief and rested his head beside the bed.


'Having a brother really hits different.'


My head felt heavy. My body wouldn't listen to me.


Lying felt strange… especially to a family—


Chapter 25 - Episode 22: Heartbeat