The cold evening air brushed against Ochieng's skin as he walked down the quiet streets.
The sun had set, leaving only the flickering streetlights to cast long shadows across the pavement.
He could still feel them.
Watching.
Following.
Testing his patience.
Whoever they were, they were amateurs.
They thought they were being discreet.
But Ochieng had sensed them the moment he left the school gates.
He wasn't the one being hunted.
They were.
--
Ochieng's footsteps slowed.
He turned down an empty alleyway.
His pace was calm, deliberate.
The footsteps behind him hesitated for a moment—before quickly following.
They took the bait.
As soon as they entered the alley, Ochieng vanished.
Gone.
They barely had time to react before—
CRACK!
A swift elbow struck the first pursuer's throat.
The man staggered back, gasping for air.
Before he could recover—
BANG!
Ochieng slammed his knee into the second man's ribs, sending him crashing against the wall.
The third man tried to run—
But Ochieng grabbed him by the collar and flipped him over his shoulder.
The man hit the ground hard.
Silence filled the alley.
Three men.
Taken down in seconds.
Pathetic.
Ochieng crouched beside one of them, his voice dangerously low.
"Who sent you?"
The man coughed, shaking his head. "W-We were just following orders—"
Ochieng's grip tightened around his throat.
"I didn't ask that."
His eyes darkened.
"I asked… who?"
The man struggled to breathe before finally whispering—
"The Elders."
Ochieng's blood ran cold.
---
The Elders.
The true power behind the world he had left.
They were more than just criminals, businessmen, or politicians.
They were untouchable.
Their reach extended across continents.
They ruled from the shadows.
And now…
They wanted him back.
Ochieng clenched his fists.
Why now?
What had changed?
Why were they forcing his return after all these years?
His jaw tightened.
It didn't matter.
He wasn't going back.
Not now.
Not ever.
--
Ochieng stood, looking down at the men he had taken out.
He grabbed the black card one of them carried and tossed it on the unconscious body.
Then, he whispered two chilling words:
"Tell them."
And with that, he walked away.
Leaving behind his warning.
A warning that would reach the highest levels of the underworld.
Ochieng was not to be touched.
---
The next morning, Ochieng arrived at school as if nothing had happened.
He took his seat at the back of the class.
Zariah glanced at him, noticing something different.
"You okay?" she asked quietly.
Ochieng gave her a small smirk.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Zariah frowned but didn't push further.
What she didn't know…
Was that Ochieng wasn't worried about himself.
He was worried about her.
Because if the Elders had found him…
Then it was only a matter of time before they went after the people around him.
And he couldn't let that happen.
---
As the teacher started the lesson, Ochieng felt another pair of eyes on him.
This time, it wasn't the Elders.
It wasn't an assassin.
It wasn't a spy.
It was Brian.
Sitting at the front, watching him.
Smirking.
Like he knew something.
Like he was planning something.
Ochieng's eyes narrowed.
Brian was nothing compared to the enemies Ochieng had faced before.
But if he got in the way…
He wouldn't be spared either.
--