The Purging Verdict

In the fictional state of Westmoreland, a shadowy organization called "The Balance" begins executing citizens flagged by an AI predictive algorithm as "high-risk future offenders." When a routine habeas corpus petition filed by a prisoner named Elias Croft is dismissed on procedural grounds, he is released—only to discover that his release triggers the algorithm's red flag. As The Balance hunts him, he must navigate a society where the legal system has been hollowed out, and everyday safety is shattered by the knowledge that anyone, at any moment, could be deemed "pre-criminal." This is a dark, absurdist thriller in the spirit of Dürrenmatt, where justice becomes a grotesque machine.