Genido continued climbing the stairs.
The nurse's footsteps gradually disappeared behind him, yet her question lingered in his mind.
"What is inside?"
Such a simple question.
Such a dangerous one.
The suitcase felt heavier now.
Not because of its weight.
Because of what it contained.
Genido tightened his grip around the handle and continued upward.
The second floor of the hospital was noticeably quieter than the lower levels.
Most visitors rarely came here.
The floor consisted almost entirely of laboratories and testing facilities.
Long corridors stretched between identical doors.
White walls.
White lights.
White silence.
The atmosphere felt cold.
Lifeless.
Genido walked through the corridor without hesitation.
He knew exactly where he was going.
For the past week he had followed this route repeatedly.
Every step.
Every turn.
Every locked door.
Nothing here was unfamiliar anymore.
Eventually he stopped.
A room stood ahead.
Its door was slightly open.
Genido glanced toward both ends of the corridor.
Empty.
Satisfied, he stepped inside.
As Genido stepped into the room, he immediately noticed someone sitting near the workstation.
The man's back faced the entrance.
For a brief moment, neither of them moved.
Then the man heard the door open.
He quickly turned around.
The instant his eyes met Genido's, he stood up from the chair.
It was the same doctor who had examined Herik.
The same doctor who had visited Genido's room days earlier.
Genido frowned slightly.
The doctor wasn't supposed to be here.
He walked towards him while placing the suitcase on the workstation.
"What are you doing here?"
The doctor didn't answer immediately.
His breathing felt uneven.
His eyes constantly drifted towards the door as though expecting someone to appear at any moment.
Several seconds passed before he finally spoke.
"They're searching for me."
Genido remained silent.
"Who?"
"The police."
The answer came out almost instantly.
His voice carried obvious panic.
"They've started questioning everyone."
He swallowed.
"Every doctor involved."
For the first time since entering the room, fear became clearly visible on his face.
"I'm the last one left."
Silence settled between them.
Genido stared at him for several seconds before turning away.
The reaction wasn't what the doctor expected.
No concern.
No surprise.
Nothing.
Genido simply moved towards the large table positioned at the centre of the room.
The doctor followed him with his eyes.
"What should I do?"
Still no answer.
The doctor stepped forward.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
Genido stopped.
Then he slowly turned back towards him.
"Leave the city."
The words were simple.
Cold.
Direct.
The doctor stared at him.
"That's it?"
Genido said nothing.
The doctor shook his head.
"If I run away, will that solve anything?"
No answer came.
Instead, Genido began walking towards him.
Slowly.
Each step felt deliberate.
The distance between them disappeared.
Eventually he stopped only inches away.
The doctor immediately fell silent.
Genido looked directly into his eyes.
"You should've thought about that earlier."
His voice remained calm.
"You were responsible for your own precautions."
The words landed heavily.
The doctor understood immediately.
Genido had already abandoned him.
Whatever happened next would be his problem alone.
Not Genido's.
Not anyone else's.
For several seconds neither of them spoke.
Eventually the doctor lowered his head.
There was nothing left to argue.
If someone was going to prison, it wouldn't be Genido.
It would be him.
Slowly he turned around and walked towards the door.
His hand reached for the handle.
Then he stopped.
The room became silent once more.
The doctor didn't look back immediately.
When he finally did, his expression had completely changed.
The fear was still there.
But now something else existed beside it.
Resentment.
Betrayal.
Hatred.
His eyes locked onto Genido.
"You'll regret this."
The words hung in the room.
Not a warning.
Not a threat.
A promise.
Then he opened the door and left.
The sound of his footsteps gradually disappeared into the corridor.
Genido remained motionless.
For the first time that evening, his attention drifted away from his work.
The doctor's final words lingered inside his mind.
Yet unlike the doctor, his work wasn't over.
Not even close.
The room fell still again.
The sound of footsteps gradually faded into the corridor.
Only when he was completely certain the man had gone did he move.
He crossed the room and locked the door from inside.
The click echoed softly.
Now he was alone.
Exactly how he preferred it.
Genido turned around.
The room appeared ordinary at first glance.
Laboratory equipment.
Storage units.
Workstations.
Nothing unusual.
Yet appearances often lied.
Especially here.
His attention shifted toward the left wall.
Large wooden drawers covered most of its surface.
Each one looked identical.
Storage compartments.
Nothing more.
At least to an outsider.
Genido walked toward them.
A small key rested on a nearby table.
He picked it up.
Then selected one drawer.
Instead of opening it normally, he pulled the entire drawer out.
Completely.
The compartment slid free from the wall.
Leaving behind an empty cavity.
Dark.
Narrow.
Hidden.
Genido glanced back toward the locked door.
Habit.
Paranoia.
Experience.
Whatever the reason, he always checked.
Satisfied, he moved his hand into the cavity.
Inside, mounted against the wooden frame, sat a lock.
Small.
Almost invisible.
The key slid inside effortlessly.
A metallic click followed.
Then another.
Something shifted deep behind the wall.
Genido stepped back.
The mechanism had activated.
Slowly he grabbed the suitcase once again.
With his free hand he pushed against the enormous storage unit.
At first nothing happened.
Then the entire structure moved.
Wood scraped softly against the floor.
Dust drifted through the air.
The cupboard wasn't a cupboard.
It was a door.
Behind it waited darkness.
A hidden passage.
A secret room concealed within the hospital itself.
Genido stared into the opening.
No hesitation appeared on his face.
No fear.
Only familiarity.
This place no longer surprised him.
It belonged to him.
Within seconds he disappeared inside.
The cupboard slowly returned behind him.
And once again the laboratory looked completely ordinary.
As though nothing had happened at all.
---