Page 38 - DeepRestFlipFinal

NICHOLAS BOOTHMAN
Evelyn helped him into the sensory deprivation
chamber. He looked small, fragile, as he lay on the
padded bench. She attached the electrodes, her
movements precise, professional. She double-checked
the connections, the audio settings.
"Remember, Liam," she said, her voice gentle,
"focus on your breathing. Let go of everything. Just…
rest."
He gave a weak nod.
She closed the chamber door, the heavy seal
clicking shut. The room was silent now, save for the
hum of the EEG machine.
She watched the screen, her heart pounding.
Liam’s brainwave patterns were chaotic, a jagged
landscape of anxiety and despair. High beta activity,
erratic alpha. The signature of a mind in turmoil.
She pressed play.
The same deep, resonant thrum filled the room,
followed by the ethereal chimes. She held her breath,
watching the screen.
Minutes passed. Ten. Twenty. Liam’s brainwaves
remained restless. He was fighting it. The noise of his
own mind, the ingrained patterns of his depression,
were resisting The Stillness.
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