Lin Jinju stood outside the house, staring at the horizon where the sun was slowly cascading down, casting a warm orange hue across the sky. The wind was still, the air quiet, almost too quiet.
It had been exactly seven days.
Seven whole days since her children had gone missing.
She rubbed at her tired eyes, fingers brushing over the dark circles etched beneath them. Her skin felt dry, almost paper-thin. She hadn't slept properly in a week. Barely ate. Barely sat. The thought of resting felt wrong when her children were still out there.
Seven whole days...
She repeated it again in her mind, as if trying to make sense of how much time had passed. The waiting felt endless. The silence had been unbearable. All she knew—all she knew—was that they were alive.
Her eyes drifted toward the far distance, to the direction of the place once known as City A.
