MIDNIGHT AT THE BAHAMAS
CHAPTER 1 – THE ARRIVAL
The day began with sunlight so bright it felt unreal, the kind of heat that wraps around you the moment you step off the plane. The Bahamas looked like a dream — calm waves, glittering sand, colors that seemed too perfect to exist in real life. But beneath all that beauty, something felt… off.
The families stepped out of the airport together, excited for their long-awaited weekend getaway. Luggage rolling, laughter echoing, sunscreen already being passed around.
Kiara Adeyemi walked ahead of everyone, her braids bouncing behind her as she turned to the group with a confident smile. "Finally! Paradise!" she said, raising her arms like she owned the island. The others cheered, already energized by the sun.
Aiden Brooks adjusted his backpack and scanned the environment the way he always did — quietly, carefully, like someone who never trusted new places too fast. "Let's just get settled first," he said, but nobody listened. They were too excited.
Jayden Cole was already taking selfies. "Guys, stand behind me! Bahamas drip!" he yelled, sliding shades over his eyes. Zara King and Talia Ramirez laughed, pushing into the photo frame.
Parents walked behind in their own rhythms — tired, relieved, hopeful. It had been a long year for everyone.
But Kiara… Kiara felt something else the moment she stepped onto the sand outside. It was faint, soft, barely noticeable — but she felt eyes on her. Watching. Judging. Studying her the way a hunter studies a deer before it runs.
She looked around.
Nothing.
Just tourists, staff, cars, palm trees swaying gently.
Still, her heart pulsed a little faster.
A tall young man in black clothes stood by the far edge of the outdoor walkway, half in shadow, half in sun. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't moving. His eyes followed her — slow, deliberate, impossible to misinterpret.
Kiara's breath caught for half a second.
Zara nudged her.
"You okay?"
Kiara blinked.
"Yeah… yeah. I'm fine."
When she looked again, the man was gone.
Maybe she imagined it.
Maybe it was just a weird moment.
Maybe she was overthinking.
But deep down, something whispered:
No. Someone was watching you.
They loaded into the resort shuttle and drove along the coastline. Crystal water sparkled. Children played on the sand. Music floated through the air. Everything looked perfect — almost too perfect.
As the shuttle passed a row of palm trees, Kiara saw a familiar silhouette standing behind them.
Black clothes.
Still as a statue.
Head tilted slightly… watching.
She swallowed hard.
The resort came into view, bright and beautiful like a postcard. The parents cheered. The teenagers ran ahead, dragging their bags.
Only Kiara paused again, glancing back at the road.
The man wasn't there anymore.
But the feeling stayed.
A feeling she couldn't name.
A feeling she didn't understand yet.
A feeling that whispered softly through the warm island air:
"Welcome to The Bahamas…
You shouldn't have come."