*Shadows of the City* _EPISODE 3: “Nakuru Nights”_ ~Scene 1 – Nakuru Town, Bus Stage~ A bus screeches to a halt. The air is dry. A preacher screams something about hell as Andy steps off, dressed in black, carrying only a bag and an attitude. Andy (to himself): Nakuru… the town where sins wear perfume and churches double as gossip hubs. He walks past a woman selling boiled eggs and leans on a motorbike. Andy (to the driver): AIC Section 58, Teketeke. ~Scene 2 – Zawadi’s Safe House~ Zawadi sits in a modern bungalow, legs crossed, sipping wine. A TV plays news of Governor Taptengele denying the scandal. Taptengele (on YouTube): My daughter is a target of political witch hunt and fabricated immorality. This is a distraction from real service delivery. Zawadi switches it off as Andy walks in. Zawadi: You broke Nakuru before you even entered it. Taptengele’s bleeding. And someone’s coming for you. Andy: Good. Keeps me alert. Like cheap gin or Ukedi. Zawadi: Be serious. You’re not just a fixer anymore. You’re a symbol. Andy: I’m a man who takes secrets and turns them into currency. Symbols get burned. She hands him a manila folder. He opens it: Photos of a woman , elegant, curves made of sin and sorrow, Bianca Wambui. Andy (jaw clenches): Bianca? Zawadi: You knew her? Andy: She once said she’d marry me. Then she married a cop. ~Scene 3 – Nakuru CBD, Bianca’s Boutique~ The boutique glows gold. Inside, Bianca arranges dresses. Andy walks in like a ghost she buried but never forgot. Bianca (freezing): Andy? Andy: Still taste like betrayal in here? She slaps him. Hard. Bianca: You disappeared. Left me to choose between survival and love. Andy: You chose a criminals dressed in uniform over a backbone. Bianca: I chose peace. You thrive in chaos. Silence. Tension. Eyes locking. Years between them burning in the air. Andy: Your husband still beating suspects? Bianca: He's now Inspector Okello. Promoted and paranoid. Andy: Perfect. Let’s shake his world a bit. She steps closer. Heat building. Temptation humming. Bianca (whispering): You shouldn't have come. Andy (leaning in): Then why haven’t you pushed me away? They kiss, urgently, desperately. She pulls away, breathing hard. Bianca: You’ll get me killed. Andy (grinning): Not before I make you feel alive again. ~Scene 4 – Naka Estate, Inspector Okello’s Home~ Okello watches footage from a hidden camera, Andy and Bianca kissing in her boutique. He rewinds. Watches it again. His jaw tightens. He places his pistol on the table. Okello (coldly): So the snake slithers back. He dials a number. Okello: Put surveillance on Zawadi’s house. Taptengele wants the leak traced. I want Andy buried. ~Scene 5 – Bianca’s Apartment, Later That Night~ Andy sits shirtless on Bianca’s bed. She’s in a silk robe, curled up next to him. They’ve clearly just had sex, the air still sticky with passion and mistakes. Bianca (soft): What happens when your truth catches up? Andy: I lie harder. She laughs sadly. Bianca: You’re dangerous, Andy. But you still kiss like you mean it. Andy: You’re married to a monster. And he just became my problem. ~Scene 6 – Streets of Nakuru, Morning~ A boda boda zooms through town. A journalist reads from a blog post: > “Sources close to the governor suggest the leaked footage may have been orchestrated by foreign operatives. Meanwhile, a Nairobi man named Andy Mwangi is wanted for questioning regarding multiple blackmail related incidents…” Otis (on call): Bro, they’ve put out a soft bounty on you. Taptengele’s people. Okello’s people. Even some politicians you pissed off years ago. Andy: Let them all queue. Betrayal’s a busy business. ~Scene 7 – Street Bar, Nakuru~ Andy drinks chang’aa in a dodgy bar. Shadows whisper around him. He counts cash and watches a man enter( an informant.) Informant: Inspector Okello’s setting a trap. Wants to arrest you publicly, humiliate you. Bianca’s being watched. Andy (leans in): Then we burn them before they light the match. ~ENDING SCENE – Zawadi’s House~ Zawadi lies in bed when she hears the front door open violently. Three men in black storm in. Guns raised. Andy’s not home. Thug: Tell him this... the sins of Eldoret are catching up. And Nakuru buries its problems deep. They vanish Into the night. Zawadi lies frozen, breathing hard. TO BE CONTINUED…