Annie rose to her feet as chaos continued unremitting. The old man''s words reverberated in her mind, amidst that smell of antiseptic so characteristic, so sterile that the very air seemed steeped in it. The impression she could not get away from was that of time running out, trickling between her fingers like sand.


    "Excuse me!" she called to a passing nurse, who barely turned a head. The woman hustled on, clipboard in hand, toward some unseen emergency.


    The old man watched her from his chair, equal parts fear and urgency staring out of his eyes. "You have to go now," he pressed on, straining, though. "Before they come for me."


    Annie waited a moment longer, then turned back toward him. "What''s going to happen to you?"


    "I''ll be fine," he said, but the quake in his voice betrayed the statement. "Just remember what I said."


    She firmed her grip on the pendant in her pocket. The warmth washed onto her palm as if alive, almost as if it could lead her through whatever was going to happen.


    "Where do I find these others?" Annie asked.


    Seek them in shadows and whispers," he muttered, his eyes darting about nervously. "They''re not far."


    She stepped backward, and likewise, as a new wave of nurses surged past them, their faces etched with concern. The weight of it all that was happening was overwhelming; she had to be the rock, not some piece of driftwood tossed about on some dark ocean.


    "Listen," she said in a rush, leaning close to him once more. "If I find them… if I can save Robert…


    "You will," he insisted, determination flickering back into his gaze despite his fatigue. "You have the strength."


    Annie felt an unfamiliar fire ignite within her—a resolve born from desperation and hope mingling together like oil and water.


    She turned abruptly away from him and stepped into the corridor filled with bustling bodies and urgency. Each footfall moved her closer to a choice that felt monumental yet terrifying.


    “Annie!” The familiar voice broke through the haze—her friend Jess approached with wide eyes and frantic gestures. “I’ve been looking for you! What happened?”


    “Jess,” Annie gasped, momentarily caught off guard by the sight of her friend’s worried face amidst the chaos. “I need your help.”


    “What’s going on?” Jess’s brow furrowed deeper as she scanned Annie’s expression.


    "I met someone—an old man who gave me a pendant." She gestured wildly to her pocket, as if it held all the answers they needed.


    "A pendant? Some kind of magic trick?" Jess raised an eyebrow skeptically.


    "No! It''s real!" Annie insisted, urgency lacing each word as she grabbed Jess by the shoulders. "He said there are others who can help us—who can save Robert!"


    Jess opened her mouth but then closed it as understanding washed over her features.


    "Okay… Okay." Jess said, nodding slowly as digestion took place. "So where do we start?"


    "We need to find these others," Annie replied firmly, looking around them cautiously for any sign of danger or opportunity.


    Suddenly, a loud commotion arose from farther down the corridor—a crashing noise followed by raised voices arguing over something important just out of view.


    Annie whipped toward the commotion, her heart racing. Jess followed her gaze, eyewide, as a group of doctors crowded around a gurney in the distance. They yelled orders, faces tense with urgency.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "What''s happening?" Jess asked, inching closer to the scene.


    "Let''s find out." Annie pushed through the throng of onlookers, pulled along by curiosity and dread. She squeezed past a nurse holding a tray of supplies, catching snippets of frantic dialogue.


    "—losing him!"Onee doctor yelled, his hands flying as he gestured at the gurney.


    "Get the crash cart! Now!" another voice commanded, shrill and insistent.


    Annie froze as she saw the patient. A young man lay unconscious, tubes snaking from his body like vines. The pallor of his skin struck her—a mirror to Robert''s condition.


    She felt Jess''s hand tighten on her arm. "We shouldn''t be here," Jess whispered, anxiety etched in her tone.


    But Annie couldn''t pull away. Something about the scene felt pivotal, like it connected to her quest in ways she didn''t fully understand.


    "What if." Annie started but trailed off as she caught sight of an older woman hovering on the edge of the group. Her eyes flickered from the commotion to Annie''s face—a spark of recognition flickered there, something that seemed to feel familiar yet faraway.


    "Do you know her?" Jess asked softly.


    "I don''t know," Annie said slowly, peering through the crowd. "But I think… I think I need to speak with her."


    Annie took a step towards her before her mind could change. The noise of the crowded space dulled into white noise as she closed the distance; her heart pounded in her chest with every step.


    The woman turned fully now; wrinkles framed a kind smile that spoke of wisdom won through trials. "You''re looking for answers," she said softly but firmly.


    Annie nodded, her astonishment at how well this stranger understood her turmoil without explanation.


    "Time is not your enemy," the woman continued, "but you must act quickly."


    "Do you know how?" Annie leaned in closer, urgency lacing her voice.


    "Seek what lies beneath—the stories buried in shadows."


    Just then, a loud crash echoed from nearby—the gurney had tipped over under pressure as another doctor shouted for help. Panic surged through the crowd; everybody rushed to help.


    She looked back at the mayhem once more, then finally caught Annie''s eye. "Time waits for no one." As if that were some sort ofen to hang in the air like some thick pall, she turned and disappeared into the melee.


    Annie felt Jess tug gently but firmly on her arm.


    "Annie! We gotta go!" Jess implored, turning nervously to glance behind her at the rapidly escalating disaster.


    Annie was frozen, pinned in place by the weight of the moment. Jess yanked on her sleeve again, a spark of urgency in her eyes.


    "Annie! We gotta go!" Jess exclaimed again, glancing at the doctors nervously scurrying around the fallen gurney.


    As the mayhem reigned behind her, Annie''s mind whirled with possibilities. The woman''s words seemed to echo in her mind like a mantra, the pertinent one being "Seek what lies beneath." It struck a chord deep inside of her—the truth was concealed, buried under layers of time and pain.


    "Wait," she finally said, shaking off Jess''s grip. "I have to figure this out.


    "What? Here?" Jess shot back, exasperation now lacing her tone. "This isn''t safe! We don''t know what that old man really meant."


    Annie didn''t answer her. She scanned the room instead. A second of clarity washed over her as she caught sight of a door labeled "Records." It stood ajar at the far end of the corridor, an invitation wrapped in mystery.


    Before even waiting for Jess to argue, Annie headed toward it.


    "Annie!" Jess was calling after her, panic lacing her voice as she scurried to pace herself alongside Annie.


    The door creaked open as Annie pushed in, stepping inside a darkened room lined with high shelving and rows upon rows of files and folders. Dust motes danced in the air, highlighted by the flickering fluorescent lights overhead; the scent of old paper enveloped her, like a remembered smell.


    "What are we doing here?" Jess asked, looking around apprehensively as if expecting someone to jump out of the shadows.


    “We need to find something,” Annie replied, determination threading through her words as she moved deeper into the room. “Something about time travel or… anything that can help Robert.”


    Jess hesitated but followed anyway. “You really think you’ll find it here?”


    Look," Annie said sharply, tugging a folder from one shelf and flipping it open to reveal yellowed pages with stories of medical anomalies and unexplained phenomena—some cases from decades past that almost seemed mythical.


    "This is crazy," Jess muttered, yet she peered closer to look at the text.


    Annie dug into even more folders, scanning the titles of things that had long been thought impossible. The walls seemed to whisper secrets to those who would listen.


    "Here!" She raised a file labeled "Temporal Phenomena in Medicine." Opening it wide, her heart quickened.


    "Annie!" Jess exclaimed suddenly, eyes wide in alarm as footsteps echoed outside the recording room.


    They exchanged panicked glances just before two figures entered—doctors whose faces were set with urgency and purpose beyond mere professionalism.


    "We have to hide!" Jess whispered urgently, pulling Annie toward a narrow space between two shelves just as voices approached.


    "Did you see where she went?" one doctor asked sharply.


    "No sign yet," another replied grimly. "We need to find that girl before—"


    The words cut off abruptly as they approached their hiding place.