Season 1 --- Chapter 2: The Knock at Dawn
1358 Words
The banging wakes her so abruptly she almost falls out of bed.
Three loud, heavy knocks.
Not the kind meant for neighbours.
Not the kind meant for parcels.
The kind meant for trouble.
Malisa shoots upright, heart hammering against her ribs as the echo shakes through the flat. At first she thinks maybe she dreamt it, but then---
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
She throws off her blanket, rushes to the door of her room, and cracks it open.
The hallway is dim, lit only by the weak morning light pushing under the front door. Her father is on the sofa, half awake, rubbing his face with sluggish, confused movements. He looks around with bleary eyes.
Desmond: “Who’s that knocking this early? It’s not even eight…”
The knocking comes again, firmer this time.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
Her breath catches. Something feels wrong---really wrong.
She moves toward the door, feet cold against the floorboards.
Her dad tries to stand, almost stumbling.
Desmond: “Wait---Malisa, let me---”
But she’s already reaching the handle.
She opens the door halfway.
Two officers in navy uniforms stand in front of her. Not aggressive. Not rude. But serious in the way that makes your stomach drop before they even speak.
Officer 1: “Morning. Are you Malisa Okafor?”
Her mouth goes dry.
She nods. “…Yeah.”
Her father reaches her side, now fully awake, though the exhaustion still clings to him.
Officer 2: “We’re looking for a young man named Keon Marshall. We have information suggesting he may have been in contact with someone in this flat.”
It feels like her heart stops.
Keon?
Her hands tighten around the doorframe.
Malisa: “Why? Has he done something?”
The officers share a brief look---one of those silent conversations adults have when they’re deciding how much to say.
Officer 1: “We can’t discuss the details. He isn’t in trouble at this moment, but we need to speak with him regarding an ongoing legal matter.”
Legal matter.
The words feel like smoke in the air---thin but suffocating.
Her father steps forward, posture stiff.
Desmond: “My daughter hasn’t done anything.”
Officer 2: “We’re not suggesting she has, sir. We only need to locate Mr. Marshall.”
The living room feels suddenly too warm, too small, like the walls have moved in closer.
Malisa: “I haven’t seen him this morning.”
That part is true.
Officer 1: “If he contacts you, please call us immediately.”
He hands her a card. “This number goes straight to our unit.”
She takes the card with numb fingers.
The officers nod politely and step back.
Officer 2: “Thank you for your time.”
The door closes slowly.
And silence crashes over the room like a wave.
Her father turns to her, brows furrowed deep.
He doesn’t yell.
He doesn’t accuse.
He just looks… scared.
Desmond: “Malisa, what’s going on with that boy?”
Her throat tightens.
She shakes her head, even though she knows---deep down---this is about the secret Keon has been carrying.
Malisa: “I don’t know. He never said anything.”
She expects her dad to push. But he doesn’t.
Instead, he sighs---long, weary, heavy.
Desmond: “Be careful, pumpkin. You hear me?”
Pumpkin.
He only calls her that when he’s worried.
Malisa: “…Yeah.”
But careful of what?
Of who?
She leaves the flat half an hour later, headphones in but no music playing. The morning air is cold enough to sting, but her mind is racing too fast to feel it.
Messages keep popping up on her phone:
Jay: “Where r u? Priya says ur dad opened the door in his robe lmaooo”
Sienna: “We’re meeting at the café. Come thru.”
Priya: “If ur avoiding us I swear I’ll drag u from whatever alley ur hiding in.”
Normally she’d smile.
But her chest feels too tight.
She texts back:
Malisa: “On my way.”
The café is already full of students, the smell of toast and burnt espresso filling the air. Her friends sit at their usual corner table.
Priya sees her first.
Priya: “Finally! You took fifty years. What happened?”
Malisa sits down slowly, her hands still slightly shaking.
Jay leans forward.
Jay: “You look spooked, fam. You alright?”
Sienna pushes a pastry toward her.
Sienna: “Eat this before you pass out.”
Malisa stares at her friends---their concerned eyes, their messy hair, their half-laughing faces---and suddenly she feels the weight of the morning hit her all at once.
She swallows.
Malisa: “Police came to my house.”
Instant silence.
Jay’s eyebrows fly up.
Priya’s mouth drops open slightly.
Sienna stops mid-bite.
Priya: “Sorry---what?”
Malisa forces the words out.
Malisa: “They’re looking for Keon.”
Shock splashes across their faces like cold water.
Jay: “Keon? Your Keon?”
Malisa: “There’s no other Keon I talk to.”
Sienna: “Why would the police look for him? He’s literally the most chill guy ever.”
Priya: “Mal, what did they say exactly?”
Malisa repeats it.
Jay lets out a low whistle.
Jay: “Damn… that’s mad.”
Priya leans back, crossing her arms.
Priya: “Did you call him?”
Malisa: “He’s not answering.”
She checked twice on the walk over.
Straight to voicemail.
Priya’s expression shifts into something sharper.
Worried, but not panicked.
Priya: “Okay. Listen. If this is something to do with his past, he should’ve said something. Not kept you in the dark.”
Jay nods.
Jay: “Yeah, cuz police don’t pull up at doors for fun.”
Malisa flinches.
Sienna notices immediately and nudges Jay hard.
Sienna: “Bruv, sensitivity? Ever heard of it?”
Jay winces.
Jay: “Sorry, Liss. Didn’t mean it like that.”
Malisa shakes her head.
“It’s fine.”
But it’s not fine.
Her mind keeps replaying the officers’ tone, their serious faces, the words:
“legal matter… ongoing investigation…”
Her phone buzzes suddenly, making her jump.
All three friends lean in.
She looks at the screen.
Not Keon.
Her dad.
Dad: “U alright? Text me when u can.”
She exhales slowly.
Priya taps the table.
Priya: “Here’s the plan. After college we go to Keon’s place. No guesswork, no overthinking. We ask him directly.”
Jay: “Yeah. Man can’t hide from all four of us.”
Sienna nods.
Sienna: “We’ll get answers.”
Malisa hesitates.
Going to Keon’s house feels like standing too close to a fire---warm, comforting, but dangerous if you lean in too far.
Malisa: “…Okay.”
The day drags slower than molasses.
Every lecture feels pointless.
Every word from her tutor slips right past her ears.
She tries calling Keon twice during lunch.
Voicemail.
Voicemail.
By late afternoon, tension coils in her chest so tightly she can barely breathe.
Priya appears at her side.
Priya: “Time to go.”
The four of them walk to Keon’s estate together, the sky darkening even though it’s only half four. Nottingham winters always arrive early, swallowing the light.
As they cut across the walkway toward the block where Keon lives, Jay mutters,
Jay: “His mum should be at work. He’ll be alone.”
Malisa stays quiet.
Sienna knocks on the door first, impatient and bold as always.
No answer.
Priya knocks harder.
Priya: “Keon! Open up. It’s us!”
Still nothing.
Malisa steps forward.
Her heart thuds as she raises her fist and knocks gently.
Just once.
The door opens instantly.
Keon stands there.
Eyes red.
Jaw tight.
Tension radiating off him like heat.
Keon: “Malisa… you shouldn’t be here.”
Her breath catches.
“We need to talk.”
He closes his eyes briefly, as if exhausted by a weight he can’t set down.
Behind her, she can feel Priya, Jay, and Sienna watching. Waiting.
Keon steps aside.
Keon: “…Come in.”
But the moment Malisa crosses the threshold, she knows---
Whatever secret he’s been hiding…
It’s bigger than she imagined.
- Writer
