👉 Previous Decision: You chose the main path continuation after successfully smuggling the note.
The artificial daylight of the hospital lobby felt shockingly bright after the dim, sterile corridors of Sub-Level 4. Clara stepped through the automatic doors, the cool autumn air a welcome shock on her face. A subtle hum of residual neural dampening lingered, a dull pressure behind her eyes.
She clutched her head, focusing on the mental trigger words she’d inscribed on her smuggled note: “Maya,” “debt,” “St. Jude.” One by one, the essential memories clicked back into place, anchoring her. The contract, Dr. Avery, the unsettling procedures, the urgent need for evidence—all returned with chilling clarity. The dampening sweep had been thorough, but her countermeasure worked.
Her gaze fell on a metal laundry cart, identical to the one Toby had pushed, sitting unattended near a bank of elevators. It was half-full, awaiting pickup. A flicker of unease ran through her. Had Toby simply abandoned it here?
A middle-aged woman in a floral dress, wiping tears from her eyes, sat on a bench nearby, clutching a plastic-wrapped bundle of clothes. She looked up as Clara approached.
“Excuse me,” the woman sniffled. “Did you see an orderly? My husband’s things… they just left them.”
Clara’s stomach clenched. Toby hadn’t taken the cart directly to the laundry chute. He’d left it in the public lobby, possibly for later retrieval or to be collected by another staff member. Her coded note, containing the only physical evidence of her findings, was somewhere in that large, visible pile.
She scanned the lobby, a knot forming in her throat. The place was bustling with visitors, patients, and staff. Anyone could pick up the cart. Anyone could find her note.
The woman pointed a trembling finger. “He was so quick. Just dumped the stuff and ran off. Poor Toby, he looks so overwhelmed.”
Clara forced a smile. “I’m sure it’ll be picked up soon. What ward was your husband on?” she asked, her mind racing, calculating the risk. The note was exposed.
➡️ Read CHAPTER 4A to continue the story
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