Episode 4
372 Words
The crash upstairs echoed like a gunshot through the lighthouse. Amina’s heart jumped into her throat. Kael’s hand found hers, gripping tightly.
“Stay behind me,” he whispered, his voice low but urgent.
They crept up the spiraling stairs, each step careful, silent. The wind howled outside, rattling the windows, masking the sounds of movement above.
At the top, the lighthouse door was ajar, swinging with a creak that made Amina shiver. Footprints in the dust led toward the old observation deck. Someone had been there—recently.
Suddenly, a figure darted across the deck. Amina gasped. Kael moved like lightning, catching the intruder by the arm and throwing them to the ground. The stranger struggled, and in the moonlight, Amina froze—the face was familiar.
“Why… why are you here?” she demanded, shock lacing her voice.
The stranger smirked, a dangerous glint in their eyes. “You should’ve stayed away, Amina. Secrets like yours are never meant to be uncovered.”
Before she could respond, Kael shoved her behind him. A struggle erupted. The stranger’s strength was unnerving, almost unnatural. Papers, letters, and photographs scattered across the deck, fluttering into the night like ghosts of the past.
Amina noticed something terrifying—the photograph of her mother, the one she had seen in the library, was torn in half. The hidden message it contained was now lost.
“We need to go,” Kael shouted, dragging her down the stairs. But as they reached the bottom, a low, menacing laugh echoed through the lighthouse, surrounding them from all sides.
Amina froze. “Who is it?” she whispered.
Kael’s jaw tightened. “Someone who doesn’t want the truth to come out… and they’re willing to kill for it.”
The lighthouse seemed to close in around them, shadows twisting into shapes of their own. Amina’s mind raced—her mother’s secrets, Kael’s hidden motives, the stranger who had appeared out of nowhere… everything was spiraling into danger she couldn’t yet control.
Cliffhanger: The mysterious intruder escapes into the night—but not before whispering a chilling warning: “Next time, you won’t be so lucky.” Amina realizes the fight for the truth has only just begun.
- Writer
