Chapter 4: The Rogue Threat
Aïssata’s POV
The air was thick with the scent of rain and something sharper, darker. My shift had ended hours ago, but I stayed behind, scrubbing tables and organizing shelves, trying to drown out the unease that had settled over me since my encounter with Koffi.
“You sure you’re okay walking home alone?” Mariama, my coworker, asked for the third time, her brows knit with concern.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, forcing a smile. “It’s just a few blocks.”
Mariama didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t press further. Once she left, the diner felt oppressively quiet, the kind of silence that pressed against your ears and made every creak and groan sound like a scream.
I slung my bag over my shoulder, locking the front door behind me. The cool night air bit at my skin as I started down the deserted street. Silvercrest always felt different at night—its charm replaced by an undercurrent of danger that made my steps quicken on instinct.
But tonight, it was worse.
The shadows seemed to stretch and twist unnaturally, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. I glanced over my shoulder, but the street was empty.
Just nerves, I told myself, though my pulse didn’t agree.
I turned a corner, the path leading past the outskirts of town, where the streetlights faded into darkness. It was a shortcut, and I’d walked it a hundred times before. But tonight, something felt…off.
The sound of hushed voices caught my attention. I froze, pressing myself against the wall of a building. The voices were low, but urgent, and I recognized one of them immediately.
Koffi.
Curiosity warred with common sense, but in the end, curiosity won. I crept closer, careful to stay in the shadows.
“I told you to tighten security around the borders,” Koffi’s voice was sharp, authoritative. “We can’t afford to let them slip through.”
“The rogues are more organized than we thought,” Adama replied, his tone equally tense. “Karim Bakayoko isn’t just leading them for scraps. He’s looking for someone specific.”
Koffi let out a low growl. “Who?”
Adama hesitated. “The girl.”
My breath hitched. The girl? Were they talking about me?
Koffi’s voice dropped, almost too low to hear. “Does he know?”
“Not yet,” Adama said. “But it’s only a matter of time. If she—”
A loud crash from farther down the alley cut their conversation short. I pressed myself against the wall, heart hammering as their heads snapped in the direction of the noise.
“Stay here,” Koffi ordered Adama before disappearing into the shadows.
I didn’t dare move.
Adama muttered something under his breath, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. I strained to hear more, but his words were lost to the night.
When Koffi returned a few moments later, his expression was grim. “It was just a stray, but we can’t take any chances. Keep an eye on her.”
My stomach churned. Her. They were definitely talking about me.
I waited until they moved off, their voices fading into the distance, before slipping away. My mind raced with questions, but none of them had answers.
Why are they so interested in me? What do they think I’ve done?
The shortcut didn’t feel like a good idea anymore. I doubled back toward the main road, sticking to the light as much as possible.
The streets were eerily quiet, the kind of quiet that made every little sound seem magnified. My footsteps echoed, loud and clumsy, and I cursed myself for not bringing my headphones.
As I neared my neighborhood, the feeling of being watched returned, stronger this time. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I quickened my pace.
A low growl stopped me dead in my tracks.
I spun around, my heart in my throat. The street behind me was empty, but the sound had been real—too real.
“Hello?” I called out, my voice trembling.
Silence.
I backed up slowly, my eyes scanning the shadows. A flicker of movement caught my attention, and I turned toward it instinctively.
A pair of glowing red eyes stared back at me from the darkness.
I stumbled back, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps. The growl came again, deeper this time, and the figure stepped into the light.
It was a man—no, not a man. His features were sharp, almost animalistic, and his grin revealed elongated canines that glinted in the dim light.
“Found you,” he said, his voice a rough rasp.
I bolted.
My legs burned as I ran, the sound of footsteps pounding behind me. I didn’t dare look back, too afraid of what I might see.
The streets blurred as I turned corner after corner, desperate to lose him. My house was close, just a few more blocks.
But the footsteps were getting closer.
I rounded the last corner, my lungs on fire, and saw my house up ahead. Relief flooded through me—until I tripped, hitting the ground hard.
Pain shot through my knee, but I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the blood trickling down my leg.
“Running won’t save you,” the man growled, his voice impossibly close.
I reached my front door, fumbling with my keys. My hands shook as I shoved the key into the lock, twisting it just as the man lunged.
The door slammed shut behind me, and I collapsed against it, gasping for breath.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, a deep, guttural laugh echoed from the other side of the door.
“You can’t hide forever,” the man said, his voice dripping with menace.
The sound of his footsteps faded, but the weight of his words lingered.
I slid to the floor, clutching my knees to my chest. My entire body trembled, and tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.
Whatever was happening, I was in deeper than I realized.
And there was no way out.