
Rhoodie Writes
Author
Novels by Rhoodie Writes

Blackout Protocol
One hour vanished from Detective Marcus Kane's life. He remembers kicking down the warehouse door, then nothing but blood on his knuckles and a corpse at his feet. No witnesses. No weapon. No memory.
Now he's the department's most wanted, hunted by the brothers in blue who once had his back and tormented by jagged fragments of that stolen hour; fragments showing hands that move like his but aren't under his control.
Then the second body drops. Same execution. Exactly one hour after the first.
Marcus isn't just a suspect. He's a loaded gun in someone else's hand, and they're pulling the trigger on a schedule. Each victim ties back to a military black site that promised to erase his war trauma, not weaponize him into something unrecognizable. They didn't just take his memories, they programmed a killer into the void.
His ex-partner Sarah believes him. Barely. She's risking everything to keep him one step ahead of the manhunt, but her faith cracks with every crime scene photo proving Marcus was there. And the killer inside him is waking up more with each passing hour.
The facility's files are sealed. The doctors are dead. And Marcus has seventy-three minutes until the programming kicks in again.
To stop the murders, he'll have to willingly step into the blackout and hope he comes back with answers instead of more blood. But his handler isn't some faceless bureaucrat, they're someone who knows exactly how to break him, because they built him.
Marcus Kane has one hour to catch a killer. The killer is him. And the puppet master has been watching from inside his own department all along.
*****
Ongoing · 128 views
Read
Chapter: Chapter Thirty-Two
The stolen maintenance truck handled like a tank. Sarah gripped the wheel, taking another turn too fast, the vehicle's back end fishtailing on wet asphalt. In the passenger seat, Park braced herself against the dashboard, face pale but focused."How many are following?" Sarah asked.Park checked the side mirror. "Three cruisers. Maybe four. They're staying back, probably calling for backup.""Good. The more they commit to following us, the less attention on Marcus and Torres." Sarah checked the GPS on the truck's dashboard. They were twenty miles outside Milwaukee, heading northwest; a completely wrong direction from Chicago, but that was the point.Lead Devereaux's forces away. Give Marcus time to escape. Regroup at Willis Tower tomorrow midnight.Simple plan. Except nothing about this was simple anymore."They're closing in," Park said. "Sarah, we can't outrun them forever. This truck isn't built for speed.""Don't need to outrun them. Just need to stay ahead until dark." Sarah glan
Last Updated: 2025-12-10
Chapter: Chapter Thirty-One
Marcus stood ten feet from the stolen truck, hands raised, watching Devereaux's officers emerge from their cruisers. Eight of them. All armed. All positioned to prevent escape.The rain had started again, light but persistent. Water dripped from Marcus's hair into his eyes. He didn't wipe it away. Any sudden movement could trigger a response he didn't want."Captain," Marcus said, keeping his voice calm. "Before this escalates, you should know….we're live-streaming. Right now. Everything you do here is being broadcast."Devereaux's expression didn't change. "Bluffing, Detective. Your phones are dead. I made sure of that.""Not our phones. Agent Torres has a satellite uplink. Connected to multiple platforms. Three thousand viewers and counting." Marcus gestured to the truck. "You shoot us, you do it on camera. In front of witnesses. Think about how that plays."It was a lie. They had no satellite uplink, no live stream, no viewers. But Devereaux didn't know that. And the hesitation in
Last Updated: 2025-12-10
Chapter: Chapter Thirty
They'd been walking for three hours when the rain started. Not a gentle drizzle but a cold, punishing downpour that soaked through their clothes in minutes and turned the forest floor into slick mud.Sarah pulled her jacket tighter, knowing it was useless. The fabric was already saturated, water running down her neck in icy rivulets. Beside her, Marcus moved with mechanical determination, favoring his injured ribs, his face drawn with pain and exhaustion.Behind them, the others struggled. Whitmore was barely upright, fever making his steps unsteady. Park moved in silence, still shaken from her activation. Sergeant Torres supported Whitmore on one side, Ellis on the other. Agent Torres brought up the rear, weapon drawn, constantly checking their backs.Five miles to the highway maintenance depot. Five miles through rain and mud and the constant fear of pursuit."We need to stop," Ellis called over the rain. "Whitmore's going to collapse.""We stop, we're sitting targets," Marcus calle
Last Updated: 2025-12-09
Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Nine
Park's weight pressed against Marcus's injured ribs with every step. Pain shot through his chest, sharp and immediate, but he didn't slow. Behind them, the helicopter's rotors grew louder, a mechanical thunder cutting through the forest."Marcus, there!" Sarah pointed to a rocky outcrop ahead, barely visible through the trees. "Overhang. Might hide us from aerial."They pushed toward it, legs burning, lungs screaming. The outcrop formed a shallow cave, barely deep enough for three people but surrounded by dense evergreen branches that might obscure them from above.Marcus slid Park inside, then crawled in after her. Sarah followed, pressing tight against the cold stone. Through gaps in the branches, they watched the helicopter pass overhead; dark silhouette against the lightening sky.It circled once. Twice. Then moved north, toward the ranger station."They're going to find the others," Sarah whispered."Ellis knows what he's doing. He'll keep them moving." Marcus checked Park's puls
Last Updated: 2025-12-08
Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Eight
The ranger station materialized through the trees like a mirage. Small, wooden, snow dusting the sloped roof. The door hung slightly ajar, padlock broken, probably by teenagers or hunters seeking shelter.Sarah pushed inside first, weapon drawn, clearing the single room. Empty. Just a desk, some chairs, a metal cabinet, and a wood stove in the corner."Clear," she called softly.The others filed in, dripping creek water onto the plank floor. Everyone was shaking violently now, lips purple, movements sluggish. Hypothermia was progressing faster than Sarah had feared."Wood stove," Marcus managed through chattering teeth. "Need fire. Now."Torres moved to the metal cabinet, forcing it open. Inside: emergency supplies. Blankets. First aid kit. And mercifully, a stack of dry firewood and matches sealed in a waterproof container."God bless the Forest Service," Torres muttered, pulling out the supplies.Within minutes, she had a fire going. Small at first, then building as the wood caught.
Last Updated: 2025-12-08
Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Seven
Marcus woke to shouting. His body jerked upright, ribs screaming in protest, and he was on his feet before he fully registered where he was.The cabin. Wisconsin. Safety.Except it didn't sound safe.Through the window, he saw Ellis and Agent Torres running from the transport, weapons drawn. Behind them, headlights cut through the dusk; two vehicles closing fast on the access road."We've got company!" Ellis burst through the door. "State police. Maybe worse. They followed us from town.""How?" Sarah was already moving, grabbing the jammer. "You said you were careful.""We were. But someone tagged the transport. Probably at the checkpoint." Torres moved to the window, assessing the approaching vehicles. "We've got maybe ninety seconds before they're on us."Marcus's mind raced through options. Fight? but they were outgunned and the subjects were unstable. Run? but where? The forest was dense, dark, and they had wounded. Hide? impossible in a structure this small."We split up," he sai
Last Updated: 2025-12-07