THE CONTACT
920 Words
EPISODE 2
Cherry ran.
Not because she knew where she was going—but because standing still felt like death waiting politely.
The rain followed her into the streets of Yaba, soaking her hair, her clothes, her fear. Every sound now felt dangerous. Every moving shadow felt alive.
Her phone buzzed again.
She almost dropped it.
Unknown Number.
She hesitated… then answered.
“Stop calling me like this!” she snapped, breath shaking. “Who are you?!”
A pause.
Then the same calm voice.
“You’re alive. Good. Keep moving.”
Cherry clenched her jaw. “You keep saying things like I should trust you—but I don’t even know you!”
The voice lowered slightly.
“If I wanted you dead, Cherry, you would not have reached the ground after that jump.”
She slowed down without realizing it.
Her steps echoed in a narrow street between closed shops.
“Why are they after me?” she asked.
A longer pause this time.
Then:
“Because your father didn’t just know secrets… he built part of the system that controls them.”
Cherry stopped walking.
“That’s impossible,” she whispered.
A soft breath came through the phone.
“So was your survival three years ago. But here you are.”
Cherry swallowed hard. “Who are you?”
Silence stretched.
Then—
“Call me Nolan.”
The name felt sharp. Real. Not comforting.
Not safe.
Just… controlled danger.
Cherry frowned. “Nolan… why are you helping me?”
Another pause.
“Because I owe your father. And because you’re being hunted by people who don’t miss twice.”
As if on cue—
A distant engine sound rolled through the street.
Three black vehicles turned into the road behind her.
Slow.
Certain.
Cherry’s stomach dropped.
“They found me,” she whispered.
“Yes,” Nolan replied. “Don’t run forward. Turn left. Now.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“You don’t have time not to.”
The first vehicle doors opened.
Men stepped out.
Cherry turned left.
⸻
She ran into a tighter alley.
Water splashed under her feet.
Her lungs burned.
“Where am I going?” she shouted.
“Keep going until you see a red door.”
Cherry almost laughed bitterly. “A red door? In Lagos?”
“Trust me,” Nolan said. “It’s there.”
Behind her—footsteps.
Fast.
Closer.
She turned sharply—
A man was already behind her.
Too close.
Cherry screamed—
But a hand suddenly yanked her forward from the side.
She stumbled into a narrow gap between buildings.
A second figure pulled her in completely.
The man from behind passed the opening without seeing her.
Cherry slammed her hand over her mouth, breathing hard.
The stranger released her slowly.
She turned—
And froze.
A woman stood there.
Late twenties. Calm eyes. Wet braided hair. A scar near her collarbone.
She raised one finger.
“Quiet,” she whispered.
Cherry’s voice cracked. “Who are you?!”
The woman studied her for a moment.
Then said:
“I’m the reason you’re still alive right now.”
Cherry shook her head. “Everyone keeps saying that!”
The woman leaned closer.
“I’m Mira,” she said. “And Nolan shouldn’t have contacted you yet.”
Cherry stiffened. “You know Nolan?”
Mira exhaled.
“Unfortunately… yes.”
From Cherry’s phone, Nolan’s voice suddenly returned.
“Mira. You’re interfering.”
Mira didn’t even look at the phone.
“I’m preventing a disaster.”
Cherry looked between them, confused. “What is happening?!”
Mira turned to her fully.
And said the words slowly:
“Your father didn’t just die, Cherry… he was erased because he left something inside you.”
Cherry stepped back. “Inside me? Everyone keeps saying that!”
Mira nodded once.
“The system believes you are the final access point.”
Cherry’s voice dropped. “Access to what?”
Before Mira could answer—
A loud explosion echoed somewhere down the street.
Both women froze.
Nolan’s voice came through the phone, sharper now.
“They’ve escalated. You need to move NOW.”
Mira grabbed Cherry’s arm.
“This way.”
Cherry resisted. “Where?!”
Mira looked at her seriously.
“To the place your father died trying to protect.”
Cherry froze.
“What?”
Mira met her eyes.
“And where you will finally understand why they fear you.”
Another explosion echoed closer.
Glass shattered nearby.
Men shouted in the distance.
Mira pulled her again.
“Move!”
Cherry finally ran with her.
Behind them, footsteps filled the alley.
And one voice shouted through the chaos:
“DON’T LET THE KEY ESCAPE!”
Cherry stumbled.
“Key?” she gasped. “I’m not a key!”
Mira didn’t look back.
“You are,” she said.
“And if they open you…”
She hesitated.
“…nothing in this city will ever be the same again.”
Cherry’s breath caught.
Ahead of them—
A faint red glow appeared.
A door.
Standing alone.
Lit by a broken streetlight.
Nolan’s voice came softly:
“That’s it.”
Cherry stared at it.
Heart racing.
Footsteps closing in behind them.
Mira pushed her forward.
“Go.”
Cherry reached for the handle—
Her hand shaking violently—
And just as her fingers touched it—
The door opened from the inside.
⸻
A man stood there.
Smiling.
And he whispered:
“Welcome home, Cherry.”
- Writer
