Episode 6: Blood Oaths
830 Words
The rain hadn’t stopped in three days.
It fell like a warning—steady, relentless—washing the city in a cold silence that felt too heavy to ignore. The streets were quieter now. People stayed indoors. But danger? Danger never needed good weather.
Amara stood by the window, arms folded, staring at the blurred city lights below. Her reflection in the glass looked like a stranger—harder, colder. Someone who had crossed a line she could never uncross.
Behind her, the door creaked open.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said without turning.
Tunde stepped in anyway, closing the door softly behind him. “Funny,” he replied. “I was about to say the same thing to you.”
She turned now, eyes sharp. “If you came to threaten me again—”
“I didn’t,” he cut in, his voice lower than usual. “I came to warn you.”
Amara scoffed. “That’s new.”
Tunde stepped closer, his face tense. “You think this is just about you and me? It’s bigger than that now.”
“Everything is always bigger with you,” she snapped. “That’s the problem.”
He ignored that. “Chief Balogun knows.”
Silence.
Not the calm kind—the dangerous kind. The kind that settles before everything falls apart.
Amara’s expression didn’t change, but her fingers tightened slightly. “Knows what?”
“About us,” Tunde said. “About what happened that night.”
Her heart skipped—but she refused to show it. “You’re lying.”
“I wish I was.”
He pulled out his phone, tossing it onto the table. A photo lit up the screen—grainy, distant, but clear enough.
It was them.
That night.
The night everything changed.
Amara’s breath caught. “How—?”
“Surveillance,” Tunde said. “Someone’s been watching us for a long time.”
She shook her head slowly. “No… no, this doesn’t make sense.”
“It doesn’t have to,” he replied. “It just has to be real.”
Amara grabbed the phone, staring at the image like she could will it to disappear. “If he has this…”
“He has power over both of us,” Tunde finished.
Her mind raced. Chief Balogun wasn’t just powerful—he was untouchable. If he decided to act, there would be no hiding.
“So what?” she said finally, forcing strength into her voice. “You expect me to run?”
“I expect you to survive.”
Their eyes locked. The tension between them wasn’t just fear—it was something deeper. Something neither of them wanted to admit anymore.
“You’re scared,” Amara said quietly.
Tunde let out a bitter laugh. “Of course I am. You should be too.”
She stepped closer now, lowering her voice. “I’m not afraid of him.”
“No,” Tunde said. “You’re afraid of what you feel.”
That hit harder than anything else.
Before she could respond, a loud knock echoed through the apartment.
Both of them froze.
Another knock. Louder this time.
“Amara,” a voice called from outside. Calm. Controlled. Dangerous.
Her blood ran cold.
Tunde whispered, “That’s him.”
The door handle slowly turned.
Amara’s pulse pounded in her ears as she looked at Tunde—really looked at him. All the lies. All the secrets. And still… he was the only person standing beside her right now.
“Whatever happens,” he said softly, “don’t trust him.”
The door opened.
Chief Balogun stepped in, dressed in white, untouched by the storm outside. His presence filled the room instantly, like oxygen had been replaced with something heavier.
His eyes moved from Amara… to Tunde… then back again.
A slow smile spread across his face.
“Well,” he said, his voice smooth as silk, “this is interesting.”
Amara straightened, masking her fear. “You shouldn’t enter people’s homes uninvited.”
“And yet,” he replied, stepping further in, “here I am.”
Tunde moved slightly in front of her. “What do you want?”
Balogun chuckled. “Straight to the point. I like that.”
He reached into his pocket—and for a second, everything felt like it might explode.
But instead of a weapon, he pulled out a small envelope.
He placed it gently on the table.
“I want a deal.”
Amara didn’t move. “We’re not interested.”
“You will be,” Balogun said calmly. “Because if you’re not… this city will know exactly what kind of lovers you are.”
The word hung in the air.
Lovers.
Amara’s jaw tightened. “Say what you came to say.”
Balogun’s eyes darkened slightly, amused. “Simple. You both work for me now.”
Tunde laughed dryly. “That’s not happening.”
- Writer
