Fractured

The towering office building loomed before Kemi, its gleaming glass façade reflecting the bustling city around her. This was where her second target, Chief Obiora, operated—a man deeply entrenched in the corrupt world of politics and money. The financial district was crawling with people, but her eyes were focused on the towering structure in front of her. She had to move carefully, as time was still slipping away.

Kemi studies the towering glass office building in the busy financial district.

With a deep breath, Kemi entered the lobby, her heart pounding against her chest. She approached the front desk and, with as much composure as she could muster, claimed to be a visitor for one of the companies housed in the building. The receptionist barely glanced at her ID before waving her through. Kemi knew this was the easy part—getting past the first checkpoint.

Kemi presents an identification card at a marble reception desk as the receptionist waves her onward. — The first checkpoint is easily passed.

As she ascended in the elevator, her mind raced. She had no plan—no strategy, only the overwhelming pressure of the ticking clock and the knowledge that she was being hunted just as much as she was hunting. The phone had warned her about hesitating again. But how could she kill a man without knowing why? Without knowing anything about her life before this nightmare began?

Kemi stands tense and alone in an elevator, her reflection faint in the metal wall. — She has no plan beyond the next floor.

The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding, and Kemi stepped out onto the floor where Chief Obiora’s office was located. The corridors were eerily quiet, with polished marble floors and dark wood paneling that spoke of wealth and power. She kept her head down as she made her way toward the large glass office at the end of the hall.

Kemi steps from the elevator into a quiet marble corridor lined with dark wood. — The office lies at the end of the hall.

As she approached, she heard voices—muffled but distinct. She ducked into a small alcove just outside the office, her heart pounding as she strained to hear the conversation.

Kemi leans from a recessed alcove beside a glass office door to listen. — Muffled voices stop her outside the office.

Chief Obiora’s deep voice carried through the door, and what he said made her blood run cold.

Kemi stills beside the office door as her eyes widen at what she hears. — Chief Obiora’s words turn her cold.

“...if she remembers anything, it could be a problem. She’s unstable right now, but if she figures it out, we’ll have to handle her... permanently.”

Kemi covers her mouth while overhearing a threatening conversation outside the office. — The discussion takes a dangerous turn.

Kemi’s breath caught in her throat. Was he talking about her? Did Chief Obiora know who she was?

Kemi presses a hand to her chest and turns toward the closed door in startled recognition. — Could Chief Obiora be talking about her?

Her grip on the duffel bag tightened as she tried to steady her breathing. She leaned in closer, trying to catch more of the conversation, but the door muffled the words too much. She debated storming into the office, confronting him directly—but just as she made up her mind, she heard footsteps approaching.

Kemi grips her duffel strap and turns from the office door toward approaching footsteps. — Footsteps interrupt her decision.

Kemi stepped back, trying to blend into the shadows, but it was too late.

Kemi retreats into the shadow of a narrow alcove beside the bright office corridor. — She tries to disappear into the shadows.

"Excuse me, miss? Can I see your ID?" A stern voice called out. One of the building’s security guards stood at the end of the hall, his eyes locked on her suspiciously.

A security guard at the end of the hall gestures for Kemi to show identification. — A suspicious guard stops her.

Her heart leapt into her throat. The guard started toward her, his hand already moving to his holster.

Kemi recoils as the guard approaches with a hand moving toward his holster. — The guard closes in.

Panic flooded her body. She couldn’t be caught here—she had no time to explain, no idea what her next move would be. The guard was closing the distance fast.

Kemi hesitates in panic as the security guard strides closer behind her. — There is no time to explain.

Without thinking, she turned and bolted.

Kemi pivots and runs down the marble corridor, her duffel swinging as the guard follows. — She turns and bolts.

“Stop! Stop, or I’ll shoot!” the guard’s voice echoed behind her.

The guard shouts after Kemi as she runs toward the stairwell at the end of the hallway. — His warning echoes through the corridor.

She sprinted down the corridor, her footsteps echoing loudly as she pushed through the stairwell door. The sound of a gunshot ricocheted through the hallway. Kemi’s breath hitched, and she ducked, narrowly avoiding a bullet that embedded itself in the doorframe just inches from her head.

Kemi ducks through a stairwell door as a fresh impact chips the frame near her head. — A narrow escape at the stairwell door.

She flew down the stairs, her legs burning as she descended floor after floor, each step taking her farther from the nightmare above. Sweat dripped down her face, and her lungs felt like they were on fire. The phone in her pocket buzzed, but she couldn’t stop. Not yet.

Kemi races down a concrete stairwell, gripping the rail with her black duffel bouncing beside her. — Flight down the stairwell.

Bursting through an emergency exit, Kemi found herself in the alley behind the building. She didn’t stop running until she was deep within the maze of back streets that crisscrossed the financial district. Only then did she slow down, leaning against a grimy brick wall as she tried to catch her breath.

Kemi leans against a grimy brick wall in a narrow back alley, catching her breath. — A brief pause in the back streets.

Her phone buzzed again. She pulled it out, her hands shaking, and answered.

With trembling fingers, Kemi lifts her phone to answer beside the alley wall. — The phone rings again.

“You’re wasting time, Kemi,” the voice snarled. “Get your act together, or the next target won’t be so lucky.”

Kemi listens in alarm to the threatening caller in the sunlit alley. — The unseen caller threatens her.

Her mind reeled, her body trembling from exhaustion. "Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?"

Kemi questions the caller, extending one hand in exhausted confusion. — She demands to know who is behind this.

But the voice on the other end ignored her questions. "Chief Obiora was a loose end. I’m giving you one more chance. The next target is a priest—Father Michael. He’ll be at St. Anthony’s Church. Don’t mess this up again."

Kemi listens rigidly as the caller gives her another target. — Another name, another impossible demand.

Before she could respond, the line went dead. The timer on her phone kept ticking down, a constant reminder of the dwindling time she had left. 21:57:48.

Kemi stares at the phone after the call abruptly ends. — The countdown continues.

Kemi sank to the ground, her heart pounding in her chest. She had barely escaped with her life, and the stakes were only getting higher. Now she had to find a priest—Father Michael—and somehow complete the impossible task that lay before her.

Kemi sinks onto the alley pavement with her back against the brick wall. — Exhaustion catches up with her.

As she pulled herself up, she realized one terrifying truth: her enemies knew who she was. They knew more about her than she did herself.

Kemi braces her palm against the alley wall and begins to stand. — Her pursuers know more than she does.

And she was running out of time.

Kemi moves toward the bright mouth of the alley, urgently checking the way ahead. — Time is slipping away.

Fractured: Chapter 3 - 1:00 PM Sunday (Close Call)