Chapter Four: Ghost in the Rain
556 Words
The world around her blurred.
Zera stared at the photo, her heartbeat pounding in her ears like war drums. Malik. The man who kissed her like she was the only girl alive—and vanished like she was nothing. Now here he was, outside her apartment, delivering shadows.
The storm outside had returned, soft at first, but now growing louder. The kind of rain that knew how to hide footsteps.
Kwame touched her shoulder. “Zera, talk to me. What do you want to do?”
She looked at him, fire and confusion burning in her eyes. “I need to find him. Tonight.”
Kwame frowned. “Are you sure? You don’t even know if he’s dangerous.”
“That’s the thing,” she said. “I don’t know anything about him at all.”
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They headed out before midnight.
The streets were quiet again, except for the whisper of rain tapping metal rooftops. Zera pulled her hoodie tight. She had asked Kwame to stay behind. If this went wrong, she didn’t want him caught in it. He resisted at first—but he always listened to her in the end.
She made her way to the place where she and Malik used to meet—a small rooftop bar above a closed-down garage in South B. It had once been theirs. Maybe she was being stupid. Maybe he wouldn’t show.
But something told her he would.
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He did.
She saw him before he saw her.
Leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets. Hood still pulled over his head. Just like in the photo. Same stillness. Same mystery. Same scent of danger wrapped in charm.
“Zera,” he said without turning.
She froze. “How did you know I was coming?”
He smiled faintly and turned to face her. His eyes were the same—warm brown, but sharper now. Older. Wiser. And hiding something.
“You were always curious. That’s what I loved about you.”
“Loved?” she asked, crossing her arms. “Past tense?”
He sighed. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
Malik looked around, then stepped closer. “I didn’t leave you because I wanted to. I left because I was told to. For your safety.”
Zera scoffed. “Whose safety are we talking about? Because someone left a letter at my door. Told me not to trust the light. And guess what? Your face was caught on camera.”
Malik didn’t flinch.
“I had to warn you,” he said quietly. “They’re watching you now. Just like they watched your mother.”
Zera’s breath caught.
“What do you know about my mother?”
Malik hesitated.
“She wasn’t just a radio host. She was a whistleblower. She discovered something—something about a powerful network, hidden inside the government, hidden in churches, in banks. They threatened her. She ran. She left clues behind… in the mirror, in letters… for you.”
Zera took a step back. Her world tilted.
“You’re lying.”
“I wish I was,” he whispered. “But Zera… she’s alive. And they know you’re close to finding her.”
Lightning flashed. Thunder cracked.
And in that moment, Malik’s eyes softened with regret.
“They’ll come for you next.”
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- Writer
