DELAYED

(Dan arrives.
Too late.
The damage settles.)
[Intro – night ambience, distant siren fading out]
You already know
Before you step inside
[Verse 1]
Same room
Same smell
Same calm that doesn’t sit right
You don’t rush the doorway
You don’t need the light
Someone says your name behind you
Like it might still help
But you’re already counting things
That aren’t there anymore
[Pre-Chorus]
No weapon
No sign
No reason left to find
[Chorus]
You were delayed
Not wrong
Not blind
Just late
You did everything right
And it still took what it came for
You were delayed
That’s all
Just enough
For hope to matter
Before it falls
[Verse 2]
You recognize the quiet now
The way it sits too clean
You’ve seen this calm before
You just didn’t know what it means
They tell you who it is
They say the name out loud
The one you thought you saved
The one you swore got out
[Pre-Chorus 2]
You don’t argue
You don’t speak
You just feel the week go weak
[Chorus]
You were delayed
That’s the lie
They’ll never write down
You followed every lead
You showed up
You tried
And time still won
[Bridge – realization, low and heavy]
You think back
To the night they lived
To the space you filled with meaning
You see it now
That survival wasn’t mercy
It was leasing
Someone let them go
Just long enough
For this to land
And someone else
Finished what was planned
[Final Chorus – restrained, devastating]
You were delayed
Not defeated
Not undone
Just shown the truth
When the damage was done
You don’t say “saved” anymore
You don’t say “won”
You say “delayed”
And move on
[Outro – final line, cold case tone]
Case remains open.
No further leads.

Horrorcore rap/light metal, 90 BPM, male vocals, minor key, sinister mood, heavy bass, chug guitars, whispers