CHAPTER 4
By dawn, which came too fast, Adanna had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, Rune's face from that photograph flashed before her. By the time her alarm rang at 6:00 a.m., her eyes were open, staring at the ceiling.
Her phone vibrated before she could even reach for coffee. It was a message from Chidi.
"We need to talk. Not on the phone."
That was all. No greetings. No explanations. Her heart beat harder.
She dressed quickly in plain jeans, a dark top, and her small shoulder bag with her recorder and camera inside. As a journalist, she had learned to move light and fast. But this time, something felt different. The air felt heavier, like the day was holding its breath.
Chidi worked with the Ministry of Science and Tech. He wasn't the type to panic. If he said they needed to talk in person, it meant trouble.
They met at a small buka near Berger Junction, one of those places where the noise of frying oil and shouting customers drowned private conversations.
Chidi was already seated when she arrived, his eyes scanning the crowd like a man being followed.
"Adanna," he whispered, motioning for her to sit.
"You look like you saw a ghost," she said, trying to sound calm.
He didn't smile. "Maybe I did."
"What did you find?"
Chidi exhaled and rubbed his forehead. "Kenechukwu Okafor's file doesn't exist."
"That's impossible," she said. "He worked on the government project. His name should be in the database."
He leaned closer. "That's the thing. There's a record, but it's been locked under a different identity. Something about 'Project Void.' I shouldn't have seen it, but curiosity nearly got me caught. Someone powerful erased him."
Adanna froze. The words Project Void hit her like a slap. The email she received two days ago was titled "Whispers in the Void".
"Did you copy anything?" she asked quietly.
"I tried," Chidi said, lowering his voice even more. "But the system kicked me out. A warning appeared on the screen before it shut down."
"What warning?"
He looked at her, eyes sharp. "Stop digging. Same message that came to your phone."
Adanna felt her stomach twist. Someone is watching both of them.
Before she could respond, the waitress came with two plates of jollof rice. The smell of pepper filled the air, but neither of them touched the food.
"Listen," Chidi said, "I know you want answers, but this journey you want to embark on is dangerous. People have gone on the journey and never returned. Whatever Rune is involved in, it's not small."
"I don't care," Adanna said. Her voice was calm, but her fingers clenched around the spoon. "If he's alive, I need to know why he faked his death. I need to know the truth."
Chidi sighed. "You're still the same. Always chasing fire."
"Someone has to," she replied softly.
He checked his watch and stood up. "I'll dig deeper, but not from my office. If I don't call by tomorrow night, don't look for me."
"Chidi..."
He cut her off with a shake of his head. "Be careful, Ada. You're already on their radar."
He left before she could stop him.
Adanna sat there for a few minutes, her food untouched. Outside, the sun had climbed higher, the city now alive with buses honking and civil servants rushing to their offices. But inside her, the silence was loud.
She opened her phone and read the anonymous email again. The sender's name was still hidden.
"The man who vanished five years ago, the one you believed had died, lives. And he's not as you imagined him to be".
Not who I imagined him to be?
The words now sounded like a warning, not a clue.
When she finally left the buka, she noticed a man in a blue shirt leaning on a parked car across the street. He wasn't looking directly at her, but something about his posture felt off. She turned the other way, pretending not to see him, but her heart began to race.
Her father used to say, "If you feel someone watching you, don't confirm it confuse them."
So she walked to the nearest bus stop, joined a crowd, then took a random taxi going toward Wuse. After two stops, she switched vehicles again and finally returned home on foot.
Inside her apartment, the tension didn't leave. Her curtain was slightly open, something she had never left that way. She froze. Slowly, she walked to the window and saw muddy shoe prints.
Someone had been inside.
Her laptop was still there, but a small detail caught her eye, the photo of Rune was gone.
Adanna's chest tightened. That wasn't just a warning. It was more than.
She sat on the floor, back against the wall, her mind spinning. Whoever was behind this wasn't just hiding Rune they were watching her every move.
And now, they wanted her to know it.
She pressed record on her voice note again.
"Note two. Someone broke into my flat. Rune's photo is missing. Chidi found a hidden project file named Project Void. Whatever this is… It's just starting."
She stopped recording and whispered, "I'm not running."
For a brief moment, her reflection in the dark TV screen looked like a stranger with tired eyes, a clenched jaw, and quiet fire.
If Rune were still alive, she would find him. And if he was part of this, she would make him tell her the truth, no matter what it takes.