Forcing A Change (Part 1)

Inside Gary’s apartment, one thing was immediately, unmistakably clear: he was gone. And not in any ordinary way.

The window was wide open.

Curtains flapped like anxious flags in the breeze, as if still reacting to the moment he had thrown himself out.

Kai and Xin were inside, pacing fast, frantic, flipping through papers, tossing pillows, scanning every object as if it could whisper where Gary had gone.

“Why would he jump out a window in the middle of the night?” Xin muttered, scanning the room again for the hundredth time. “That’s not panic. That’s urgency.”

Kai pressed a hand to his forehead, trying to calm the rising panic in his chest. “Did he say anything to you? Something that didn’t sound important at the time but might be now? Any hint at all?”

Xin shook her head. “Nothing specific. Just that voice he said kept talking to him... in his head. Over and over. He never mentioned a place.”