The moment Mike stepped into the compound, something changed.
He couldn't explain it immediately.
But he felt it.
A shift.
Subtle… but real.
The noise from the street faded behind him, replaced by a quieter, more controlled atmosphere. The compound wasn't empty—far from it. A few people sat outside on plastic chairs, talking in low voices. Someone was washing clothes near a corner. A small group of men stood by a wall, engaged in a conversation that stopped briefly as Mike walked in.
Eyes followed him.
Not openly.
But enough for him to notice.
Mike slowed his steps slightly.
"Maybe I shouldn't have come in," he thought.
But it was too late to turn back immediately.
If he walked out now, it would look strange.
Suspicious.
So he continued.
His eyes scanned the environment carefully.
The buildings were arranged in a tight formation, painted in dull colors that had started to fade. A dim bulb hung from one of the corridors, flickering occasionally.
And then—
He saw her.
Aisha.
She was ahead, walking toward one of the inner buildings.
Relief washed over him instantly.
At least he wasn't imagining things.
"Aisha!" he called again, his voice echoing slightly in the enclosed space.
This time, a few heads turned.
But she didn't stop.
Not even a pause.
Mike frowned.
Now he was sure.
She heard him.
She had to.
So why was she ignoring him?
He increased his pace slightly, his steps more deliberate now.
"Aisha!" he called again.
Still nothing.
No reaction.
No acknowledgment.
Just steady movement.
A strange feeling began to form in his chest.
Not just confusion anymore.
Something deeper.
Unease.
The kind that creeps in slowly, without permission.
Mike glanced briefly at the people around him.
A man sitting near a doorway was watching him closely now.
Another woman paused in what she was doing, her eyes fixed on him for a second longer than normal.
The group of men by the wall had gone quiet.
Completely.
The atmosphere had shifted.
He could feel it clearly now.
Something wasn't right.
Every instinct in his body told him to leave.
To turn around.
To walk out and forget everything.
But curiosity… stubborn curiosity… held him in place.
"What is going on here?" he wondered.
Ahead, Aisha was getting closer to one of the doors.
If she entered, he might lose the chance to talk to her.
To understand.
To confirm.
Mike exhaled sharply.
Then quickened his pace.
Whatever this was…
He needed answers.