[INTRO Slow ECG] (FEMALE MEDICAL STAFF | Calm, Professional) Patient intake recording. Subject reports a persistent feeling of detachment. Not sadness. Not panic. Not grief. Patient describes it as… “Feeling Hollow.” When asked to explain further… The patient stated… “It’s like somebody else is living my life.” Vital signs are normal. Motor function is normal. Speech is clear. Memory appears intact. No obvious neurological deficits observed. Despite these findings… The patient repeatedly insists… “I don’t feel like I’m the one making any of this happen anymore.” [Pen scratching.] “Do you want to hurt yourself?” Patient responded “No.” “I just don’t know where I went.” … Beginning cognitive assessment. Please state your full name. Sir? (MALE | Barely audible) … I know the name. I just don’t think it’s mine anymore. [SUB DROP] ⸻ [VERSE 1] (MALE | Low, restrained) Alarm goes off. Roll outta bed. Phone says it’s Wednesday. Could’ve fooled me. I get dressed. Grab my keys. Couldn’t tell you how I got to work. People wave. I wave back. One of ’em says, “You good?” I already know what they’re expecting. So I tell ’em… “Yeah.” Everybody buys it. Hell… Maybe I do too. ⸻ [PRE-CHORUS] Nothing happened overnight. Nothing broke all at once. It just kept taking little pieces… Until I stopped looking. ⸻ [CHORUS] I’m hollow. Not falling apart. Not putting myself back together. Just… Here. I still laugh. I still answer. I still show up. But somewhere between then and now… I stopped feeling like the guy everybody thinks they know. ⸻ [VERSE 2] People bring up old stories. Say, “Remember when…” I fake a smile. Hope they keep talking. Maybe they’ll remind me. Birthdays come. Christmas comes. Summer turns into fall. Whole years disappear… And I swear… Last month wasn’t that long ago. Nothing really gets to me anymore. Not because I’m strong. Because things don’t feel the same anymore. ⸻ [MEDICAL RECORDING] [Recorder clicks.] (FEMALE | Slight hesitation) Patient is no longer answering questions consistently. Eye movement… Unusual. Subject appears to be looking beyond examiner. … Sir? Can you hear my voice? [Silence.] Sir? (MALE | Whisper, somewhere behind her) I’m right here. (FEMALE) … Security? Can someone step into room four? ⸻ [BREAKDOWN] (MALE | Controlled, growing heavier) Everybody keeps asking… What’s wrong. Like I’ve got some big answer. I don’t. I wish I did. This wasn’t one bad day. This wasn’t one bad year. It happened so slow… I didn’t even notice… Until I couldn’t remember… What normal felt like. ⸻ [FINAL CHORUS] I’m hollow. Still breathing. Still talking. Still standing. If that’s enough… Then don’t look any closer. Because the man you’re talking to… Checks every box. The one you’re looking for… Hasn’t been around… For a long time. ⸻ [OUTRO] [ECG steady.] (FEMALE | Quiet, unsettled) Final observation. Patient remains medically stable. … Subject continues to identify by name. … However… The patient no longer identifies… With the person attached to it. [Recorder clicks off.] (Soft footsteps.) (FEMALE | Almost whispering) Sir…? (MALE | Right behind her.) You never noticed… The chair’s been empty… Since you walked in.
