381: Tangled Webs

The hospital's sterile corridors echoed with the distant sounds of medical equipment and low conversations as Emma paced back and forth outside her brother Maxwell's room. The air was thick with tension, palpable in the way her steps quickened each time she turned at the corridor's end. Maxwell, resting uneasily inside, could barely mask his discomfort. The sense of being watched had escalated to a tangible fear, making the hospital feel more like a prison than a place of healing. "I don't know how much longer I can take this," Maxwell confessed, his voice a strained whisper over the phone to Emma. "It feels like walls have eyes here." Emma's response was immediate and firm, her tone imbued with a protective sternness that came naturally to her. "I know it’s tough, but leaving now could alert whoever's behind this. We have to play this smart, stay one step ahead." Maxwell sighed, his gaze drifting to the window where the curtains fluttered slightly, as if in agreement. "Then we ba