Wake Up Dead Man

For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, quietly, almost ashamed of the sound of his own voice, he spoke. "Please," he whispered. The word cracked. "I didn't mean to go there again." His breath shuddered. He swallowed hard,
"I know what I am. I know what lives in me. I thought I had buried it. I thought You helped me bury it."
His eyes burned now. Tears slipped free and he didn't wipe them away.
"I didn't stop," he went on, voice breaking. "I didn't stop when I should have. I wanted him to hurt. I wanted it."
He closed his eyes, forehead lowering. "I know that's not You," he said. "I know that wasn't You moving through me."

This story remains faithful to the characters and narrative established in the film, carrying forward their defining traits and conflicts.
Into this fragile equilibrium enters Maeve; a new presence; calm, quietly confident, and emotionally literate, walking on thin ice, whose quiet doubts and choices begin to fracture what was meant to remain sealed.

Author's Note
The first two chapters are deliberately slow and atmospheric, meant to establish the setting and emotional undercurrents of the story. (Might seem dry and nothing really happens there, so I made them as short as possible). The main plot begins to take shape from Chapter Three onward.

Based on the film Wake Up Dead Man: A Knive Out Mystery.