The Unknown Secret

Chapter 9

*Chapter 9: "Find Auntie's Diary" - 1000 words*

Lila dropped to her knees beside Marcus. His phone was still glowing in his hand. Three words on the screen burned into her eyes: _Find Auntie’s diary._

"Marcus? Marcus, wake up!" She shook his shoulder, but he was cold. Too cold.

Panic rose in her throat. Auntie’s diary? Which auntie? Lila had never met any auntie. Marcus never spoke about family.

Marcus passed out. Not dead. Not dead. Lila pressed two fingers to his neck. A pulse. Weak, but there. Relief flooded her chest so hard her knees buckled. He was alive. But for how long? She had no phone, no money, no one to call. The generator had died hours ago and Lagos was dark outside. Only moonlight slipped through the curtains, painting Marcus’s face silver. He looked younger when he was unconscious. Less guarded. Lila remembered the first day she met him at the café. He’d spilled coffee on her notes and apologized for 10 whole minutes. Now he was bleeding on her floor and typing last words to her. Life was cruel like that.

The room was silent except for his shallow breathing. Outside, the generator hummed, then died. Darkness swallowed everything. The room felt bigger in the dark. Every shadow looked like a person. The wardrobe groaned when the wind hit the window. Lila’s own heartbeat was so loud she was sure the man outside could hear it. Sweat ran down her back despite the cold floor. She’d never been good with blood. Marcus’s blood. The sight of it made her stomach turn. But fear was a luxury she couldn’t afford now. Marcus trusted her with three words. Find Auntie’s diary. She didn’t even know she HAD an auntie. Her mother died when she was six. No one ever mentioned sisters. Was Auntie alive? Was she in danger too? Too many questions. Not enough time.

Lila’s hands shook as she pocketed his phone. She had to move. Whoever knocked Marcus out could come back.

She looked around the room with new eyes. If Marcus wanted her to find it, it had to be here. The old wooden wardrobe. The loose floorboard near the bed. Auntie’s diary couldn’t be far.

Her fingers brushed the wardrobe handle when a car pulled up outside. Headlights flashed through the curtains.

Footsteps. Coming up the stairs. Heavy, military boots. Not Marcus’s.

A man’s voice, low and angry: "Search everything. He told her about the diary before he passed out."

"Check under the bed. Check the drawers. Boss said she’s smart. She won’t run far." Another voice answered, younger, impatient. "What if she already found it?" The first man laughed, cold. "Then we take her too. Boss doesn’t leave loose ends." Lila bit her lip to stop a sound from escaping. Loose ends. Was that what Marcus was now? Was that what SHE would be? The floorboard creaked under the younger man’s weight. He was walking toward the wardrobe. One step. Two steps. Lila closed her eyes and prayed to a God she wasn’t sure was listening.

No time to think. She yanked the wardrobe door open and slid inside, pulling old clothes over herself. Dust choked her throat but she didn’t dare cough.

Through the gap in the wooden slats, she saw boots. The man walked closer. His shadow fell across the wardrobe door. Lila clutched Marcus’s phone tighter. The screen was still on: _Find Auntie’s diary._

Her hand bumped something inside the wardrobe. A small, leather-bound book, hidden behind winter coats. Auntie’s diary.

Footsteps stopped right in front of the wardrobe. Lila held her breath. The handle rattled.

Then the man’s phone rang. He cursed and walked away, answering: "Boss, he’s unconscious but the girl is still here..."

Lila exhaled silently and opened the diary with shaking hands. First page: "My dearest niece Lila, if you’re reading this..."

The handwriting was shaky, like Auntie wrote it in a hurry. Lila’s fingers trembled as she turned the page. The next line made her gasp: "Marcus is not your cousin. He’s your—"

The wardrobe door rattled violently. Lila slammed the diary shut and pressed it to her chest. The lock clicked. A voice right outside: "I hear breathing in there." The door handle turned. Cold metal against her palm. Lila had nowhere left to run