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Thriller3 min read

Fractured

By Oluwasegun Soyinka

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CHAPTER 5

Fractured: Chapter 5 - 5:00 PM Sunday (Desperate Decisions)

Kemi’s legs felt like lead as she trudged through the desolate alleyways of the city, her mind racing and her heart thudding in her chest. Every noise made her jump—every shadow felt like it was watching her. She had barely made it out of the church alive, and the reality of what was happening to her was starting to sink in.

An exhausted Kemi looks over her shoulder in a deserted city alley.
An exhausted Kemi looks over her shoulder in a deserted city alley.

She found herself drawn to an abandoned building, its crumbling façade hidden from the street by overgrown weeds. With no other choice, she slipped inside, her body screaming for rest. The room was musty, filled with the echoes of forgotten memories and dust that clung to everything.

An exhausted Kemi slips into a dusty abandoned building.
She seeks a moment of shelter and rest.

Just as she was about to collapse onto the floor, she heard footsteps approaching. Her hand instinctively went to the gun in her duffel bag, ready to defend herself.

Kemi reaches inside her duffel when she hears footsteps.
A sound interrupts her moment of rest.

“Relax, I’m not here to hurt you,” a voice said from the shadows.

A man in the shadows assures Kemi he means no harm.
His voice asks her to relax.

Kemi spun around, her eyes narrowing as she saw a man step forward. He was tall, with dark eyes that seemed to know more than they should.

Kemi turns sharply as Kunle steps out of the shadows.
The stranger seems to know more than he should.

“My name’s Kunle,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “I know what you’re going through.”

Kunle raises both hands and introduces himself to Kemi.
He says he knows what she is going through.

Kemi’s mind raced. She had no memory of this man, but there was something about him that made her hesitate. “How do you know anything about me?” she asked, her voice edged with suspicion.

Kemi questions how Kunle knows anything about her.
Familiarity makes her hesitate, but suspicion remains.

Kunle took a cautious step closer. “Because I’ve been where you are now.”

Kunle cautiously steps closer while Kemi watches.
He says he has been in her position.

Kemi shook her head. “What do you mean?”

Kemi shakes her head in confusion at Kunle’s claim.
She asks him what he means.

He let out a long, tired sigh, leaning against a broken-down wall. “This... game you're in. It’s not the first time it’s happened. There’s an entity—a group, I don’t know exactly who they are. But they do this. They wipe your memories and force you to do their bidding. You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last.”

Kunle leans against a broken wall and explains what happened to him.
He says others have been forced into the same game.

Kemi stared at him, her mind racing to piece together his words. “You’re saying I’m being used?”

Kemi stares at Kunle as she begins to understand his warning.
She realizes she may be someone else’s instrument.

Kunle nodded grimly. “The people you’ve been killing—they were all involved in something much bigger. A conspiracy. And you’re just a pawn in their game.”

Kunle nods grimly as he explains that the targets are connected.
He says she is caught in a larger conspiracy.

Kemi’s heart raced as the weight of his words settled over her. The truth behind her situation, the moral dilemma she faced with each kill, the dark reality of what was happening to her—it was all crashing down.

Kemi absorbs the frightening truth about her situation.
The weight of Kunle’s words overwhelms her.

Kunle glanced at her phone, which rested on a nearby table, the countdown continuing to tick away.

Kunle glances down at Kemi’s phone on the battered table.
The countdown gives them little time.

“You don’t have much time,” he said. “Your next target, Felix Ajayi, he’s not like the others. He has something—evidence. Something that could expose everything.”

Kunle tells Kemi that Felix Ajayi has evidence that could expose the plot.
Their next chance may depend on finding Felix.

Kemi’s pulse quickened. Evidence. The word sparked something deep inside her, a flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, she could get out of this alive and uncover the truth.

A small flicker of hope reaches Kemi as she listens to Kunle.
Evidence might offer a way out.

Kunle took a step toward her, his eyes locking onto hers. “You need to find him. He’s the key to all of this.”

Kunle steps toward Kemi and insists that she find Felix.
He calls Felix the key to the truth.

Before Kemi could respond, Kunle’s body suddenly jerked violently. His eyes rolled back, and he dropped to the floor, convulsing uncontrollably.

Kunle suddenly collapses and convulses while Kemi recoils in shock.
His warning is cut short by a violent collapse.

“Kunle!” Kemi screamed, rushing to his side. His mouth frothed, his body writhing in agony as she tried to help him, but it was too late. Within moments, Kunle lay still, his eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

Kemi kneels beside the motionless Kunle in the abandoned room.
Kemi reaches Kunle too late.

Kemi stumbled back, horrified. Her phone buzzed loudly on the table. With trembling hands, she picked it up, her stomach sinking as the screen flashed a new message:

Kemi picks up her buzzing phone, horrified by another message.
A new instruction interrupts her shock.

Felix Ajayi - 7:00 PM - No mistakes this time.

Kemi stares at her phone as she receives the next target's name.
The next command leaves no room for error.
There’s more to the story.
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