Harborview's Shadow

Kai Gibson woke up to the familiar rattle of the leaking ceiling fan above his head. The thing clattered like it was about to fall off, but it never did — a perfect metaphor for his life. Always shaking, barely hanging on, never quite breaking free.

He blinked against the dusty morning light sneaking through the torn curtain and sat up on the thin mattress he called a bed.

Another day. Another struggle.

His phone buzzed beside him — low battery, cracked screen, 5% life left. A final cough from a dying soldier. He grabbed it anyway.

A message from his boss.

“Come in early. We need to talk.”

Kai let out a dry laugh. We need to talk never meant anything good. Not for him. Not in this city. Not with a boss like Mr. Dalton, the king of fake smiles and empty promises.

He pulled on his only good shirt — the black one with one missing button — and stood in front of the small mirror nailed to the wall. His reflection stared back with tired brown eyes, unkempt curls, and a face that looked five years older than his 23 years.

“You’ll level up,” he whispered to himself.

He’d started saying that every morning, after watching some motivational video that claimed success was a mindset. But mindset didn’t pay rent. Confidence didn’t feed you when the fridge was empty. And hoping didn’t stop people from walking all over you.

Still… he kept saying it.

Kai stepped out into the hallway of the apartment block — a long, peeling corridor that smelled of cigarettes and yesterday’s fry-up. Kids ran down the stairs laughing, their school uniforms half-tucked in. An old woman swept her doorstep, humming faintly. A man argued loudly over the phone.

Every floor had its noise.

The bottom floor — where Kai lived — had the worst of it.

The block was known as Rivergate Heights, but everyone just called it The Bottom. Because people like Kai never rose above the ground level. Not here.

He walked outside into the cool morning. Buses honked, street vendors shouted prices, and somewhere a police siren wailed. The city was already awake, restless, hungry.

Kai walked fast. He had twenty minutes to reach Dalton’s Auto Shop. He worked as an assistant — the guy who fetched tools, swept floors, handled deliveries, and did everything except get paid enough.

As he turned the corner, he spotted Dalton standing outside the shop, arms folded, sunglasses on despite the cloudy sky. His gold wristwatch glinted as if mocking Kai’s entire existence.

“Kai,” Dalton said, voice stiff, “you’re late.”

“It’s 7:40,” Kai muttered. “You asked me to come by eight.”

Dalton lowered his glasses. “Are you arguing with me?”

Kai swallowed the words sitting on his tongue. “No, sir.”

“Good. Come inside.”

Kai followed him through the garage where two mechanics were already working on a car. They both shot him pitying glances. As if they already knew.

Dalton stopped in front of the desk.

“I’m letting you go,” he said plainly.

The words hit Kai like a slap.

“Letting… me go? For what?”

“You’re slow. You don’t have initiative. And your attitude—” Dalton shrugged. “It’s just not working out.”

Kai felt his jaw clench. “My attitude? Sir, I’ve worked overtime every week. I—”

“And I appreciate that,” Dalton cut in, “but dedication doesn’t equal skill.”

Skill.

The man who barely fixed cars without YouTube tutorials was talking about skill.

Kai tried to breathe. “Please, sir. Just give me another chance.”

Dalton leaned back in his chair. “I already did. Many times. Today’s your last day.”

Something in Kai cracked. All the years of being stepped on, underestimated, dismissed — they rose inside him in a hot wave.

“But I did everything you asked,” Kai whispered. “Everything.”

Dalton sighed. “Kid, life’s tough. Get used to it.”

He tossed a crisp ₦1,000 note on the table.

“Consider that your transport fare.”

Humiliation burned through Kai like fire. He stared at the money — a single, wrinkled note. After two years of loyalty.

A tiny, cold voice inside him whispered:

One day, you’ll slap this man with success.

Kai pocketed the note without a word. If he spoke, he’d break.

He walked out of the shop. Every step felt heavy. The city noise seemed louder, harsher. People brushed past him like he wasn’t even there.

He reached the bus stop and sat down. His chest tightened. He couldn’t go home. Not yet. His mother would worry, and he refused to add to her burdens. His younger sister already looked up to him as the “responsible one”. If she knew he’d been fired…

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and stared at the ground.

Weak. Broke. Jobless. Probably about to be evicted.

He felt the weight of it all pressing on him.

“Kai?”

He turned.

A tall, well-dressed man stood behind him — expensive jacket, polished shoes, confident stance.

Kai blinked.

He knew that face.

Jordan Blake.

The boy who grew up in Rivergate with him. The boy who had left The Bottom and never looked back — now a rising entrepreneur with connections in half the city.

“Kai Gibson?” Jordan repeated, smiling. “It really is you!”

Kai forced a smile. “Long time.”

Jordan sat beside him. “What happened? You look rough.”

Kai let out a humorless laugh. “Just life.”

Jordan studied him for a moment. His eyes narrowed with concern. “You still working at that mechanic place?”

“Not anymore.”

Jordan nodded slowly. “Good. You deserve better.”

Kai frowned. Good? Losing his job felt anything but good.

Jordan leaned closer. “Listen… I’m working on something big. Something that could change this entire neighborhood — maybe even the whole city. And I need someone I can trust.”

Kai blinked. “Trust? Me?”

“Yes, you,” Jordan said firmly. “You’ve always had a good heart. You don’t realize your own strength.”

Strength?

The word hit Kai harder than getting fired.

Jordan checked his watch. “I have a meeting now, but I’ll text you the details. Be ready tonight.”

“Tonight? For what?”

Jordan stood. “For your first step out of The Bottom.”

Kai felt his pulse quicken. “What kind of step?”

Jordan smiled — the kind that hid more secrets than answers.

“You’ll see.”

He walked away.

And Kai sat frozen on the bench.

His heart pounded.

His life had just fallen apart…

Yet somehow, at the same time, something had begun.

Something big.

Something dangerous.

Something that might change everything.

His phone buzzed.

A message from Jordan.

“8 PM. Come alone. Don’t tell anyone.”

Kai stared at the screen.

A cold shiver ran down his spine.