Chapter 51: Nowhere Feel Safe
365 Words
Maria’s hands trembled as she stuffed clothes into her bag, her mind spinning with questions she couldn’t bring herself to ask. Every sound in the room — the creak of the floorboards, the distant hum of the streetlight outside — felt sharper, heavier.
“Emeka, you’re scaring me,” she said, her voice low but shaking.
He glanced at the door, his shoulders tense. “Good. If you’re scared, you’ll take this seriously.”
Maria zipped the bag, her throat tight. “Where exactly am I going?”
“I’ll take you somewhere. Somewhere they won’t expect,” he replied, avoiding her eyes.
“They?” she echoed. The word hung in the air like a shadow.
Before he could answer, her phone buzzed again. She almost didn’t want to look — but curiosity won.
Unknown Number: It’s already too late.
Her breath hitched. “Emeka…” she whispered, holding up the phone for him to see.
He stepped forward, took the phone, and stared at the message. His jaw tightened before he tossed it onto the bed. “We need to move. Now.”
They stepped out into the dimly lit street, the night air colder than usual. Maria hugged her bag to her chest, scanning every corner as though eyes were hiding in the dark. Emeka walked ahead, his pace quick, his silence unsettling.
Halfway down the block, a shadow moved near the alleyway. Maria froze. The figure didn’t come closer — just stood there, watching. Her heart thudded in her ears.
“Emeka…”
“I see them. Don’t look back,” he murmured, gripping her wrist and pulling her along.
They turned sharply onto another street. Maria risked a glance over her shoulder — the shadow was gone. But in its place, a black car now crawled slowly behind them, headlights dimmed.
Her grip on her bag tightened. “We’re being followed.”
Emeka didn’t deny it. “Then we run,” he said, his voice like steel.
Maria’s pulse spiked as they broke into a sprint, the sound of footsteps and tires echoing in the night. She didn’t know where they were going — only that stopping wasn’t an option.
- Writer
