THE HUM BETWEEN MINDS Andrew Geo

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A N O V E L THE HUM BETWEEN MINDS ANDREW GEO He hears what you never say. First Edition • 2026

THE HUM BETWEEN MINDS ANDREW GEO A novel in ten chapters 2

Copyright THE HUM BETWEEN MINDS Copyright © 2026 by Andrew Geo. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, companies, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, or events is entirely coincidental. First Edition — September 2026 Written by Andrew Geo. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the author, except for brief quotations in reviews. ISBN: _______________ Printed for personal use. Typeset in Georgia, 11 pt. Trim: 6 x 9 in. 3

For everyone who has ever wished they could hear what others are really thinking — be careful what you listen for. 4

CONTENTS Contents Premise Chapter 1 — The Accident Chapter 2 — The Wake Chapter 3 — Sensory Overload Chapter 4 — Static in the System Chapter 5 — The Visitors Chapter 6 — The Silent Chess Match Chapter 7 — Hunted Chapter 8 — Inside the Compound Chapter 9 — Uncovering the Formula Chapter 10 — The Final Exposure About the Author 5

PREMISE Before the Hum Dany is an ordinary worker on the second shift at a chemical manufacturing plant. During his shift, an industrial mixing machine malfunctions, accidentally producing an unknown chemical compound. The compound is isolated into pill form, and Dany is assigned to test it. Upon taking the pill, he suffers an agonizing headache and collapses into a coma. At the hospital, doctors inform his colleagues that he will remain in a coma for at least four days. However, that very night, Dany mysteriously regains consciousness. As he walks down the hospital corridor, still nursing the severe headache, he begins to hear voices talking clearly around him — only to realize that no one is opening their mouth. He has gained the ability to read human thoughts. 6

CHAPTER ONE THE ACCIDENT Dany works at night in a big factory. The factory makes strong liquids and smells bad. He has worked there for three years. He knows all the sounds. One night, his friend Milo shouts, “The pressure is too high!” Dany looks. The number goes up fast. 86. 112. 141. That is bad. “Turn it off!” Dany says. “I did! It still goes up!” Dany looks in the small window. The liquid is purple. It should not be purple. Then — BANG! Loud noise. Hot steam comes out. The alarm rings. All the men step back. The boss, Voss, runs in. He does not look at the numbers. He looks at the purple liquid. His eyes get big. “Turn it off. Tell no one. Do you hear me?” he says. Later, a lab man takes the purple stuff. One hour later, there are five small white pills. They look like normal pills. Voss puts a hand on Dany and smiles a fake smile. “Dany, you breathed the bad air. So take one pill. We will watch you. We will give you 2000 dollars. Easy.” Milo says, “No, man. Don’t do it. This is not right.” But Dany needs money. Rent is late. His mom needs pills. And two big guards stand at the door. So Dany takes the pill with water. One. Two. Three seconds. Nothing. 7

Then his head hurts. Bad. So bad. Lights get too bright. Sounds get too loud. Milo shouts his name, far away. Dany falls down. All goes black. The accident — Chapter 1 8

CHAPTER TWO THE WAKE Beep. Beep. Beep. Dany wakes up. His head hurts. His mouth tastes bad, like old coins. He is in a hospital bed. White sheets. A tube in his arm. The clock says 3:17 AM. He hears a doctor outside: “He will sleep for four days. If he wakes up before Monday, that is a miracle.” But Dany can move his hands. He can move his legs. He is awake now. He pulls the clip off his finger. The machine beeps loud. No nurse comes. He sits up. His feet touch the cold floor. His head still hurts. He holds the bed and walks to the door. The hall is bright and long. The lights buzz. A nurse pushes a cart far away. She does not look at him. An old man sleeps by the drink machine. Then Dany hears a voice, clear: Please, don’t let Room 312 get bad again, I have too much work and Marcy will shout at me — Dany stops. The nurse did not speak. Her mouth is closed. Then another voice: If I sleep they will not make me walk, my chest hurts, my chest hurts — The old man is snoring. He is not talking. Another voice from behind a door: 9

He said he will call after the test, he will not call — Dany holds his head. The voices do not stop. They are not voices. They are thoughts inside people’s heads. And Dany can hear them. No one is talking. But it is so loud. The wake — Chapter 2 10

CHAPTER THREE SENSORY OVERLOAD Dany walks to the end of the hall. His legs feel weak. He sits down on a hard chair. He breathes fast. A young doctor walks past: I am so tired, I still smell sick from ER 2, I hope no one saw me search on Google — A tired mom with a baby: Stop looking at me for using a bottle, shut up, you don’t know me, I work two jobs — An old man cleaning the floor: Seven more years to stop work, my knees hurt, that doctor looks at me like I am nothing — Too many thoughts. All at once. Bad thoughts, sad thoughts, mean thoughts. Dany cannot turn them off. Dany closes his eyes and tries to push them away. For one second, it gets quiet, like going under water. But then his head hurts more. Blood comes from his nose. Warm blood on his lips. He tries to hear just one person. The young doctor. That thought gets loud — but his head feels like it will break. So he stops. He learns fast: the more he listens, the more it hurts. He wipes his nose. He stands up. He walks to the door that says EXIT. He wants fresh air. He wants quiet. But there is no quiet for him now. 11

Sensory overload — Chapter 3 12

CHAPTER FOUR STATIC IN THE SYSTEM Dany does not go back to bed. He signs a paper and leaves the hospital at 4:50 in the morning. He wears his old dirty work clothes. His head still hurts. Outside is quiet, but not quiet in his head. He takes a taxi home. The driver is a kind old man. He smiles. “Long night, friend?” “Yeah.” This boy looks sick, please don’t throw up in my car, last time it cost 80 dollars to clean — Dany looks away. The man is nice when he talks. But his thoughts are just true. That hurts. At home, his sister Lena is on the couch. She waited for him. She jumps up and hugs him. “Dany! They said you will sleep for four days! Milo called!” “I’m okay. I’m okay.” Thank God he is standing, thank God, Mom would cry so much if — wait why is blood on his nose, is he lying, is he more sick? — He hugs her tight. It feels good and sad at the same time. People say nice words. But their thoughts show they are scared. That night, lights off in the kitchen, Dany tests his new power. How far? About as far as across a room. Through a wall, it is soft and low. Look and hear? If he looks at a person and listens, the thought is very loud — and his head hurts a lot. How long? If he listens hard for ten minutes, his eyes get blurry. His left hand feels numb. His brain feels tired. 13

He looks in the mirror. Red eyes. White face. That small white pill changed his head. And it hurts. Static in the system — Chapter 4 14

CHAPTER FIVE THE VISITORS At noon, people come with flowers. Voss, his boss. Mr. Delacroix, the big boss. And a woman in a gray suit. Her name is Priya Sharma. She is from the main office. “Dany! You look great!” Voss says loud for Lena to hear. “So happy! Just a safety check.” Lena makes coffee. They all sit and smile. But their thoughts do not smile. Voss: Oh no oh no he’s awake, he should sleep till Monday, we need time to hide the papers — Delacroix: Be nice, give money, make him sign, don’t let him tell the safety men — Sharma, calm: He is awake and smart, that’s bad. Is he good for us or bad for us? If people know what we made, Meridian will leave us — Made? Not a mistake? Dany tries to keep his face still. His hands shake with the coffee cup. He listens to Sharma, even though his eye hurts. Secret work for Meridian, third time, mix got too hot, made a new drug… he took it all… if it works again it’s worth lots of money… if he dies, throw him away — Dany puts his cup down slow. “So,” he says, “it was just a bad machine, right?” “Yes, yes,” Voss says fast. “Just bad luck.” Good, he knows nothing, dumb worker — Dany smiles a weak smile. “Good. For a minute I thought you made something on purpose.” 15

Sharma looks at him. Her top thought is smooth: Give money, watch him. But under that, cold: He is nothing. We can throw him away. The visitors — Chapter 5 16

CHAPTER SIX THE SILENT CHESS MATCH “Come to our small hospital tomorrow?” Sharma says. She gives him a paper. “Free care. Paid time off. Just sign here.” It is not just a health paper. Dany reads: don’t talk, don’t sue, agree to stay with us. He needs time. “Can I think? My head hurts.” “Of course,” Delacroix says. He waits, get his name tonight or lawyers will shout — Then the door opens. A tall old man walks in. No knock. Short gray hair. He says nothing. He stands by the window and looks at Dany. Dany tries to hear his thoughts — Nothing. No sound. Not normal quiet. Like a locked box. Just a low hum. Dany tries harder. His head hurts more. Blood drips from his nose. The man sees the blood and smiles a little. “You should rest, Mr. Reyes,” he says soft. “Head hurts can stay long.” Sharma thinks: Kessler. Security head. Don’t fight Kessler — Kessler. The quiet man. Dany laughs, nervous. “Yeah. I need sleep.” He does not sign. He acts tired and thankful and dumb — while Kessler looks at him like a cat looks at a mouse. When they go, Voss thinks: If he talks, Kessler will fix it. Dany locks the door. His hands shake. First time, he cannot hear a 17

man. And that man is the most scary one. The silent chess match — Chapter 6 18

CHAPTER SEVEN HUNTED They come at 2:13 at night. Dany wakes up fast — not from noise, but from a thought in his sleep: Back side, old stairs, you go back, Kessler wants him alive if you can — He moves fast. He takes his bag — money, phone, coat — and stands by the wall. Two minds under his window. One in the hall. Lights off, is he awake? How? — Heat camera sees him move, wait for my go — Dany does not wait. He goes to the small balcony, climbs to the next ledge — he did it as a kid — and jumps down to the back street just as his front door breaks with a loud thump. Then he runs. The city at night helps him hide. He runs into the train station with many drunk people and tired nurses. Behind him: Lost him, go different ways — In front, a man thinks: Check the gates, he must scan to go out — So Dany does not go to the gates. He goes back out the side door, heart beating fast. He can hear their plan three seconds before they move. In a dark small street near 9th, one man gets close. Dany can hear him breathe. The man thinks: Left side by the trash, I will jump — Dany picks up a metal pipe and hits as the man jumps left. The man falls down. Dany looks at his hands. He feels sick but alive. He can stay ahead 19

— but only if he keeps running. And he cannot run forever. Hunted — Chapter 7 20

CHAPTER EIGHT INSIDE THE COMPOUND Morning comes. Dany hides in a wash shop that is open all night. He knows he cannot just run. They know where he lives. They know where his sister lives. Kessler knows how to take people. He must fight. He needs proof. The main factory is by the river. High fence, guards, locked doors. A normal worker cannot go in. But Dany is not normal now. He goes at 6:45 in the evening when workers change. He wears a yellow vest he stole, head down, hat low. The guard waves cars through fast. Dany walks close behind a tired worker and listens: Stupid code changed, 4-7-… what was it, 4-7-2-9? Yes, 4729, I hope I remember — Dany types 4729 on the side door. It turns green. Inside, white halls, bad smell, cameras. Dany keeps walking. He uses thoughts like keys. A guard near the turn thinks: East hall in 30 seconds, then lab side — Dany hides in a small closet for 30 seconds. Two lab workers talk: Don’t look at Room C, Kessler locked it since the bad night — Room C. Downstairs. In the lift, a boss looks at his phone and thinks his code: Down needs code… Meridian-77… Dany keeps it in his head. His head beats like a drum now. His left eye shakes. His nose bleeds again. Each time he listens deep, it hurts. But he rides the lift down, into the place that made him sick. 21

Inside the compound — Chapter 8 22

CHAPTER NINE UNCOVERING THE FORMULA Room C is cold and full of loud computers. Dany goes in behind a woman holding the door, then hides between tall shelves until her thoughts go away. He finds a red book: PROJECT EIDOLON — MERIDIAN GROUP / HALCYON CHEMICAL. His hands shake as he takes photos with his phone. It was no mistake. Halcyon got money to make secret brain drugs in hiding — drugs to make prisoners talk and obey. The drug is called E-7. When the mixer got too hot, it made E-7X instead — a new kind. That is the pill Dany took. Then he finds a paper with red stamp: URGENT. It makes him feel cold: D. Reyes: Took one pill. Brain now too awake, can hear thoughts. Brain not safe. Without new medicine, blood will break in 7–10 days. He WILL DIE. Medicine is in Lab Safe 3. Die. He has maybe one week left. His new power is killing him. And worse: Meridian does not just want people to talk. They want to make mind-readers they can own, to steal secrets. Dany is Test Number One. And they cut open tests when done. Then he hears steps in the hall. A mind like a locked box. Kessler. The door starts to open. 23

Uncovering the formula — Chapter 9 24

CHAPTER TEN THE FINAL EXPOSURE Dany has only seconds. He opens Lab Safe 3 — he heard a worker think the code that morning — and takes the small bottles. He drinks one fast with no water. His head burns hot, then the pain gets less. He puts the red book in his bag just as Kessler walks in with a gun and two men behind him. “Mr. Reyes. Stop.” Kessler’s mind is still quiet — but his men are loud: Don’t shoot here, computers, gas — Kessler said take him alive, lab wants his brain fresh — Dany puts his hands up and acts scared. “Please. I just want to live. I will sign anything.” “Too late,” says a voice behind Kessler. CEO Julian Halcyon walks in, in a clean gray suit. Mad and proud. “You stole from us. You are a thief.” Dany looks at him and listens — his mind is open and scared: Kill him quiet, make it look like drugs, Meridian deal ends Friday, no leaks no leaks — Dany smiles with blood on his lip. Before Kessler came in, he turned on live video on his phone. The red light is on in his pocket — sending to a news woman Milo knows, and to safety men, and to thousands of people online. He just needs Halcyon to say it out loud. “You made me take that pill, right?” Dany says loud. “You know what E-7X is. Project Eidolon. Meridian Group. You made bad mind drugs in secret.” 25

Halcyon laughs. “You can’t show —” “I can hear you think! You are scared about Friday! You told Kessler to make me die like drugs!” Halcyon goes white. Kessler frowns. “You are mad,” Halcyon says. How does he know Friday? Who told? — “Say it!” Dany shouts, blood drips, eyes wild. “Say you made E-7 for Meridian and used me like a rat! Say you will cut me open!” “Stop —” Kessler says. “No!” Halcyon shouts, too proud to stop. “You want truth? Yes! I made it! I made E-7! You were nothing — just a night worker — and now you are worth millions! Guards, drug him!” Quiet. Behind him, police sounds get loud. Red and blue lights flash in the small windows. The live chat goes wild. Kessler puts his gun down slow. Even his quiet mind breaks with one clear angry thought: Fool. He just told all on camera — Police run in minutes later. • • • Three weeks later, Halcyon is gone — police shut it, bosses in jail, all on TV news. Project Eidolon is on page one. Meridian says they did nothing, but police check them too. Dany is a safe witness. No one knows where he is. Really, he is on a full train in a new city, in a hoodie. His head hurts less now because of the medicine. He can still hear people — soft thoughts all around: Hope I get the job, hope I get the job — Buy milk, call dad, don’t forget — She smiled at me, maybe she likes me — 26

He is not drowning now. He lets the noise pass like water, and only listens when he wants. A thief three seats away thinks: Old lady’s bag, easy — Dany stands and smiles at the old lady. “Can I sit here? Train is full.” The thief walks away. Dany looks out at city lights. First time since the bad night, the voices do not feel like a curse. They feel like a job he must do. THE END The final exposure — Chapter 10 27

ABOUT About the Author Andrew Geo is the author of The Hum Between Minds, a thriller about an ordinary night-shift worker who gains the extraordinary — and dangerous — ability to hear human thoughts. Andrew writes fast-paced, cinematic stories about ordinary people caught in secret systems, and what happens when they fight back. © 2026 Andrew Geo. All rights reserved. 28