Silent Stage Shift

Intro

(Atmospheric dark synth, distant mechanical whirring, quiet static)

Verse 1

The screen is flickering, the static’s cold

A story trapped in iron, bought and sold

Twelve o'clock brings the hollow sound

Of footsteps pacing on the checkered ground

I check the cameras, empty halls

Shadows dancing on the painted walls

The power’s dropping, the light is thin

I know exactly who is creeping in.

Chorus

Gears are grinding in the dark tonight

Caught between the terror and the fading light

They don't have hearts, just a wired cage

Turning the page on a silent stage

Five long hours, the clock is slow

Nowhere left for a guard to go

The masks are watching, the show isn’t done

When the morning comes, there’s nowhere to run.

Verse 2

A glitch in the system, a puppet’s grin

The ventilation hums a song of sin

They’re in the hallway, I hear the chime

Stealing minutes from my overtime

Don’t close your eyes, don’t take a breath

It’s a mechanical game of life and death

The heavy metal doors start to slide

But there’s no place left for me to hide.

Bridge

(Tempo slows, heavy mechanical industrial beats)

Click, clack, the sound of the teeth

There’s something moving underneath

The wires fray, the circuit breaks

How many chances does a nightmare take?

Chorus

Gears are grinding in the dark tonight

Caught between the terror and the fading light

They don't have hearts, just a wired cage

Turning the page on a silent stage

Five long hours, the clock is slow

Nowhere left for a guard to go

The masks are watching, the show isn’t done

When the morning comes, there’s nowhere to run.

Outro

(Music fades into static and distant mechanical whirring)

The light goes out...

The bell rings...

The shift is finally over.