• I reached the hospital in eight flat. I asked the receptionist on the room number of Kim's gramps. She said that he was in room 476. I directly went to the room. As I reached there, I saw that things weren't so easy for Kim. I also saw that I wasn't the only friend Kim called.

    Kim also called our long lost friend, Karl. Karl went away for a while to continue his studies in a more advance school. Karl's a year older than me and Kim. He's about 14. But as young as he is, he is way smart. He skipped two years.

    I wonder why he's back home. And why Kim knew about it before me. Maybe Karl's mom told her about it. Maybe... maybe not.

    "Hey, Ki..." I froze as I saw Karl "Karl? Karl Greenstone? You're back? How are you?" I said, as if I had already forgotten about Kim's grandfather.
    "Fine, Jon, just fine." he said with a low voice "But, I guess I can't say the same for ol' man Mendoza."
    "Oh, right." I whispered to myself with a bit of shame.

    I slowly closed to door behind me, making a screeching noise. As the door closed, I slowly walked to Kim, still crying for her grandfather.

    "What did the doctor say about your gramps, Kim?" I asked with a low voice, maybe lower than Karl's.
    "He's still breathing. But, just barely." Kim said, with a voice equally low as mine. "His heart rate is low, too. The chances of him living are about zero."

    Just at that moment, blurry voice silenced the room. The room was silent for a second, until the voice came again, only this time, clearer. Kim answered the voice with a slight "gasp". We wonder where the voice was coming from. Then we noticed that it came from Kim's gramps.

    "Grandpa!" Kim gasped with excitement and happiness. "You're okay."
    "Ye...Yes, Kim, I... I'm oka... okay." Kim's grandfather said, with a very low voice.
    "Grandpa, I was so worried." she said.
    "Kim, listen. Those me... men who hi... hit me, didn't hi.. hit me accede... accedently. They hi... hit me on por... purpose." he said, coughing after every word or two.
    "Why?" Kim said curiously
    "Now, don't tell you mother or fa... father about this, I used to be a Govern... Government Agent, wor... working for the FBI, ye... years ago."
    "What?!"
    "Tho... those men were the me... men of a cri... crime lord. And you and your fri... friends have to sto...stop them."

    At those words, our eyes enlarged. Our hearts were beating like crazy. We had in our minds; how could we stop a crime lord?

    "How can we, we're just kids?!"
    "I sti... still have some fri... friends in the govern... government. They'll he... help you."

    Upon finishing that sentence, his heartbeat dropped like a thermometer on ice.

    "You, ca... ca.... can do it, Ki... Kim. I be.... lieve in you." he said, as the EGK showed a flatline.
    "Grandpa!" Kim screamed, which filled the hall.

    Me and Karl put heads down in respect for Kim and her grandpa, as Kim knelt down at the side of the hospital bed, crying her eyes out.

    Ol' gramp's words wondered our mind. How could three ordinary kids stop a crime lord? Find out next Chapter, Old Friend.