The Missing Trail

Moments after the call ended, Lindsey and Ryuu wasted no time. They rushed straight to Roya Surabaya Hospital, where Grandpa Yolan was. The two of them ran through the morning crowd, ignoring a traffic light that had just turned red, pushing forward without slowing down. The morning wind hit their faces as they went.

When they arrived, Lindsey bolted down the long corridor toward the room Dr. Diaz had mentioned over the phone. Her breath came in sharp gasps, but her feet didn't slow for even a second. She pushed the door open and found Dr. Diaz standing stiffly by the bed, watching Yolan — who lay motionless beneath the hospital sheets, looking frail and pale. Dr. Diaz was an old friend of Yolan's as well as his doctor, and right now, his face carried the weight of both.

Lindsey moved toward Yolan on unsteady legs. "Gran— grandpa," she murmured, her fingers gripping the edge of the hospital blanket draped over his thin frame. Her eyes glistened.

"Wait — you—" Dr. Diaz murmured, taking a small step back, startled by the sight of her.

"You're... Yolan's granddaughter?" he asked, pointing at her with a hesitant finger.

Lindsey gave a single quiet nod. She didn't say anything. She just turned back to her grandfather, her gaze lingering over the deep lines of his face, which now looked even paler than she remembered.

Dr. Diaz softened. He leaned down gently and rested a hand on Lindsey's head. "Your grandfather was found unconscious in the corridor," he said, his voice heavy.

"How is he now?" Lindsey asked, wiping the tears that had begun to run down her cheeks.

"He's in a critical state. I'm still trying to determine what caused it," Dr. Diaz replied, his shoulders visibly dropping under the weight of the words.

Lindsey's head snapped up. "Wait — this isn't from his previous illness?" she pressed.

"Correct. I've identified something else present — beyond the cancer," Dr. Diaz said, straightening and adjusting his white coat.

"And whatever it is — it's classified as 'unknown'," he added, his voice carrying the faintest tremor.

Lindsey lowered her head again. "I see," she murmured softly, her chin dropping toward her chest.

Then — rapid footsteps echoed down the corridor. A rhythmic, urgent pounding that grew louder by the second. Another doctor appeared from the far end of the hallway, dressed in the same white coat as Dr. Diaz. His name was Dr. Rian — a tall man with glasses who looked to be around the same age as Dr. Diaz and Yolan. His face was flushed from running.

Dr. Rian came to a stop beside Dr. Diaz, breathless. "The pills I made yesterday — they're gone!" he blurted out, hands braced on his knees.

Dr. Diaz went rigid. "What!?" he said sharply, eyes going wide.

"Wait — what pills?" he followed up, voice dropping, brow creasing.

Dr. Rian smacked himself on the forehead with his palm. "Right — I never told you," he muttered, visibly frustrated with himself.

"The pills I finished developing not long ago. They're designed to eliminate cancer cells without any need for amputation," Dr. Rian explained, his eyes serious behind his glasses.

"I was planning to have Yolan be the first to try them," he added, glancing toward the bed where Yolan lay still.

Lindsey raised her head and walked steadily toward Dr. Rian. "Do you know my grandfather?" she asked simply.

Dr. Rian bowed slightly. "We were close friends — the three of us. Me, Yolan, and Diaz," he said warmly, giving Lindsey's head a gentle pat.

"But the war separated us. We lost each other for nearly forty years," Dr. Diaz added, his gaze drifting toward the window.

"The only thing I could always picture about Yolan was those oversized glasses of his," Dr. Rian said, nodding toward the thick-framed glasses still perched on Yolan's nose.

"I can't believe he's still wearing them," Dr. Diaz murmured, a faint smile crossing his face.

"I think he wears them on purpose," Lindsey said quietly.

"He once told me — that he had two best friends," she continued, her voice picking up slightly.

"Though he admitted he'd forgotten what they looked like," she added, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"That sounds exactly like him. He was always terrible with faces," Dr. Rian replied, letting out a small laugh despite everything.

"Either way — I really hope he pulls through," he said, turning back toward Yolan with a look of quiet hope.

"By the way — where exactly were you keeping the pills?" Dr. Diaz asked, tilting his head toward Dr. Rian with a suspicious look.

"In the usual place, obviously," Dr. Rian replied.

"And where exactly is 'the usual place'?" Dr. Diaz pressed, growing more confused.

Dr. Rian caught himself — right, he hadn't told Diaz anything about any of this. "Fair point. I'll show you," he said, turning on his heel and heading out of the room with brisk steps.

Dr. Diaz followed without hesitation — unaware that Lindsey had slipped in behind them both, trailing silently at a distance. She observed the quiet hospital corridor around her, watching as Dr. Rian began running his fingers along the wall with a look of focus that piqued her curiosity.

Dr. Diaz glanced back and froze. "Wai— you—" he stammered, caught off guard to find Lindsey following them through the narrow corridor.

Dr. Rian's finger came to a stop at a specific point on the wall's surface. He pressed down firmly — and with a soft mechanical hiss, a section of the floor shifted open, revealing a hidden room below.

"Wh— what is this place?" Dr. Diaz breathed, staring at Dr. Rian with wide eyes and an open mouth.

Dr. Rian turned to Lindsey. "Young lady, please head back to the reception desk," he said gently, crouching to her level.

Lindsey shook her head quickly. "I'm lost! So I'll just follow you!" she replied, doing a small bounce and putting on her best confused expression.

Dr. Rian sighed deeply. "Fine. But promise me you won't touch anything," he said firmly, holding up a finger in front of her face.

Lindsey nodded with conviction. Dr. Rian flicked the light switch on the corridor wall, then descended into the hidden room at a measured pace. Dr. Diaz followed close behind, stepping into the darkness without hesitation.

Just before Lindsey crossed the threshold herself, something caught her eye — a faint glint on the tiled floor. She squinted, crouched down, and picked it up carefully. "A piece of plastic?" she murmured, examining the small, thumb-sized fragment of clear plastic that had been left behind.

She tucked it into her pocket, then slipped inside with quiet, careful steps so as not to be heard.

"How is this possible!?" Dr. Rian's voice rang out the moment he reached the metal table — the capsules he'd been talking about were gone.

Dr. Diaz tensed beside him. "Did you store them in that jar?" he asked, his voice climbing.

"Yes! But... maybe I forgot where I put them?" Dr. Rian muttered, gripping his chin and scanning every inch of the room with restless eyes.

Lindsey cut in with a steady voice. "They were stolen," she said, walking calmly toward Dr. Rian with a serious expression.

Dr. Rian and Dr. Diaz both jolted. "Wh— what do you mean?" Dr. Rian asked, his body going tense.

Lindsey held out the small piece of plastic she'd found, flat on her palm. "Someone used your fingerprint to access this room," she said plainly.

"Wha—!?" both doctors said at once, their voices bouncing off the walls of the small space.

"If that's true, this is serious," Dr. Rian said, his tone darkening, a cold sweat beginning to form on his brow.

"Those capsules are still in development. If someone misuses them — they could become a dangerous virus," he continued, his eyes sharp with dread.

Lindsey tilted her head, her expression as unreadable as ever. "What exactly are they, anyway?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"They're a prototype we've been developing to eliminate cancer cells without amputation," Dr. Diaz explained.

"Right. Put simply — think of them as a cluster of cancer-hunting viruses," Dr. Rian added, smacking one fist into his open palm.

Lindsey considered this for a moment. "I see," she said simply, face unchanged.

"There are security cameras at the corner of the corridor — we can check the footage," Dr. Diaz said, his expression lifting slightly at the thought of a lead.

Dr. Rian nodded, and the three of them made their way to the hospital's security room, moving quickly down the long corridor.

When they arrived, Dr. Rian wasted no time. "I need to check camera six at midnight," he said, pressing past the staff to the head of security's desk.

The head of security — a man named Wein — could only nod. "R— right away," he said, fingers moving quickly across the keyboard as the monitor screen lit up.

The footage began to play. The corridor sat completely still — no movement, no sign of a door opening, no one passing through.

Dr. Wein, Dr. Rian, and even Lindsey stiffened at what they saw. Lindsey stepped closer until her nose was nearly touching the screen. "Try an hour after that," she said firmly.

Wein blinked. "R— right," he murmured, doing as she asked, fingers dancing across the keys.

The footage played again. The same quiet corridor. The same empty hallway. Nothing on the gently flickering monitor screen.

Lindsey's eyes went wide. "How is that possible...?" she breathed, her voice barely audible in the silent room.