𝔸 𝕌 𝕋 ℍ 𝕆 ℝ

4 yrs back.

A girl in her teens stood at the doorstep, dressed in a black satin dress with a sling bag hanging from one shoulder. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at the house.

Unusually, the door was already slightly open.

For a moment, a wave of uneasiness rushed through her. She stood there, staring at the narrow gap, before finally stepping inside.

She tried to keep her steps steady, but somewhere deep inside, her legs were already trembling.

The room was swallowed by pitch-black darkness. There was an eerie silence, so quiet that she could almost hear her own breathing.

She didn't know why, but something inside her immediately screamed that something was wrong.

She cautiously moved through the dark, searching for the switchboard. Her foot suddenly hit something.

She stumbled.

Her fingers trembled for a second before she quickly reached for the switch and turned on the lights.

The moment the light spread across the hall, she froze.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

The entire hall was a mess.

Her eyes dropped to the floor. The object her foot had hit was a broken family photo frame.

She bent down and picked it up.

Her fingers instinctively traced the frame. The glass was shattered, with tiny pieces scattered across the floor.

She slowly looked around.

“Mom...?” she called.

Her voice echoed through the empty hall.

“Dad...?”

Nothing.

“Where are you?”

Even she didn't realise when her grip tightened around the photo frame.

The house looked nothing like the home she knew.

It looked like a warzone.

A broken flower vase lay near the sofa. Books, cushions, and other things were scattered across the floor. Something had clearly happened here.

Her breath hitched.

Then something caught her attention.

She looked down.

Red stains marked the floor.

She stared at them for a moment, unable to understand what she was looking at.

Then her eyes followed the trail.

It looked as if someone had been dragged across the floor.

Her eyes widened.

“No...”

The stains continued towards the other side of the couch.

She swallowed hard.

Slowly, she followed them.

Her legs were trembling now. Her fingers had turned cold, and with every step, her heartbeat seemed to grow louder.

Until finally, she stopped in front of the sofa.

There were two people lying on it.

She stared at them.

For a second, she couldn't move.

Then, slowly, she stepped closer.

She took a shaky breath.

Her heart was still pounding violently against her chest.

Their backs were turned towards her, hiding their faces.

She slowly lowered herself onto her knees.

And just sat there.

Not moving.

Not speaking.

Her eyes remained fixed on the two motionless figures.

From the corner of her eye, she could still see those red stains on the floor.

Her gaze followed them once again.

And suddenly, something inside her went cold.

There were two bodies lying there.

Her mother's.

Her father's.

Her pupils seemed to freeze.

She couldn't breathe.

Couldn't move.

Couldn't even scream.

For a few seconds, the entire world around her disappeared.

Then…

Tringgg!

A loud ringing sound tore through the silence.

She blinked rapidly.

And for the first time since she had entered the house, a single tear slipped down her cheek.

Her trembling hand reached for the phone.

She picked it up.

Her fingers were shaking uncontrollably.

“Hello! Mr. Sharma, maafi chahta hoon der raat pareshaan karne ke liye. Actually, hum jis project par kaam kar rahe hain, clients usse kal hi finalise karna chahte hain. Toh ho sakein toh aap kal aakar sign kar dijiye.”

(I'm sorry for bothering you so late. Actually, the clients want to finalize the project we're working on tomorrow. So if possible please come and sign it tomorrow.)

There was no response from the other end.

“Hello?”

Still nothing.

“Mr. Sharma? Can you hear me?”

The girl tried to speak.

But her voice caught in her throat before a single word could come out.

“Beta? Tum ho kya?”

(Child? Is this you?)

The man on the other end sounded confused now.

“Abhijeet bhai kidhar hain? Beta?”

(Where is Abhijeet Bhai? Beta?)

The questions kept coming.

But she couldn't answer.

Her eyes filled with tears.

And then she finally broke.

She collapsed onto her knees, still clutching the phone tightly in her trembling hands.

“Uncle... Mom... Dad... Uncle, they…”

The words wouldn't come.

She tried again, but all that came out were broken, breathless sounds.

“Beta, kya hua? Tumhare mom-dad kahan hain?”

(Beta, what happened? Where is your mom and dad?)

“Woh...”

(They…)

Her voice broke again.

“Achha beta, tum ruko. Ghar par hi ruko. Main abhi aata hoon.”

(Okay, beta, you wait. Stay at home. I'm coming.)

The call disconnected.

The phone slipped from her hands and landed on the floor.

She didn't even notice.

Her eyes were still fixed on them.

She crawled closer and grabbed both of their hands.

They were cold.

Too cold.

“Maa... Papa... utho na.”

(Mom…dad…please get up.)

Her voice trembled.

“K-kya hua hai yeh sab... Maa, please... aisa mat karo. Please, Dad... please utho na.”

(What's wrong... Mom, please... don't do this. Please, Dad... please get up.)

She shook her mother's body.

Nothing.

She turned towards her father and shook him harder.

“Please utho!”

(Please get up!)

Her voice cracked.

“Y-yeh prank hai na? Please bol do...”

(This is a prank, right? Please say something.)

Nothing.

“No...”

Her tears wouldn't stop.

“N-nahi... aap logon ko kuch nahi hoga. Main kuch nahi hone dungi.”

(N-no... nothing will happen to you both. I won't let anything happen.)

She shook her head repeatedly, as if refusing to accept what was right in front of her.

“Aap log aise nahi jaa sakte...”

(You both can't go like this.)

Her voice slowly faded.

“Maa...”

(Mom..)

Then…

A sound.

She froze.

Her head slowly turned towards the direction it had come from.

It was coming from another room.

Her entire body went stiff.

For a moment, she didn't even breathe.

There was someone else in the house.

Someone other than her.

Her mind screamed at her to run.

But her body refused to move.

She knew she had to leave.

She knew she couldn't stay there.

But her brain had stopped working.

Her trembling hand reached for the phone lying on the floor.

She picked it up and hurriedly dialled a number.

Once.

No answer.

She tried again.

Still nothing.

Her breathing grew heavier.

She looked towards the room once more.

The sound didn't come again.

But she knew.

Someone was there.

Gathering whatever little courage she had left, she slowly pushed herself up.

Her legs almost gave way beneath her.

She stumbled backwards.

One step.

Then another.

And then she turned around and ran.

Straight towards the door.

It was raining heavily outside.

The road was almost completely deserted. Rainwater had gathered everywhere, and the strong wind made it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead.

And on that deserted road, the girl ran barefoot.

“Help! Please... mere mom-dad andar hain, please, meri help karo koi!”

(Help! Please…My mom and dad are inside, please, someone help me!)

Her voice broke as she screamed for help.

But no one stopped.

Vehicles passed through the storm, their headlights disappearing into the rain just as quickly as they appeared. No one was willing to stop in weather like this.

She kept running anyway.

Until her legs finally gave up.

She stumbled and fell onto her knees.

Her palms hit the wet road.

For a few seconds, she just stayed there, breathing heavily, completely exhausted.

Then she closed her eyes.

And suddenly

Every moment from the past began playing in front of her eyes like a movie.

Flashback

“Happy birthday, my baby!”

A man's cheerful voice filled the room.

“Thank you, Dad! Where's my gift?”

The girl immediately wrapped her arms around him.

“Oops... I forgot.”

He made a fake sad face.

The girl pouted.

“Dad, you always say the same thing, but you still never forget.”

He laughed.

“My little princess, how could I ever forget something related to you?”

She giggled.

The man reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a small box.

“So... Here's your gift.”

She stared at the box curiously.

“What's in this box?”

“Something secret.”

“Dad...”

She quickly opened it.

Her eyes widened.

“OMG! Keys?! Dad, aapne mujhe gaadi gift ki?”

(OMG! Keys?! Dad, you gifted me a car?)

“You wanted it, right?”

“Dad, I love you!”

She immediately turned towards her mother.

“Mom! See, finallyyyyy!”

Her mother laughed.

“Haan, haan. Bas sambhal kar chalana. Don't be reckless. Otherwise, it's me who gave your dad permission to gift you a car.”

(Haan, haan. But drive safely. Don't be reckless. Otherwise, it's me who gave your dad permission to gift you a car.)

“Aww, Mumma! Thank you so much. I love you too.”

She chuckled,and hugged her lovingly, “I love you too, beta.”

The girl grabbed the keys excitedly.

“Okay, so now I'm leaving.”

“Abhi kahan? Have something first.”

“No, no, Mumma. Mujhe abhi friends ke saath ghoomne jaana hai.”

(I want to go for a long drive with my friends now.)

“Princess, first have something.”

“Dad, main aakar khaungi. I want to go for a long drive, and main wahan par kuch kha lungi. Pakka.”

(I want to go for a long drive, and I'll eat something there. Promise.)

“Thik hai, par jaldi ghar aana. Shaam ko humein nikalna hai.”

(Okay, but come home soon. We have to leave in the evening.)

“Yes, Dad. I'll be back soon.”

“Drive safely.”

“Yesss, Mummaaa!”

Flashback ends

Her eyes slowly opened.

For a few seconds, she didn't know where she was.

She was still lying in the middle of the deserted road.

She tried to push herself up, but the moment she put weight on her legs, a sharp pain shot through her body.

She fell back with a thud.

Her breath caught.

She looked down at her feet.

Pieces of broken glass were lodged into the soles of her feet, some buried deep into her skin. Fresh blood was still trickling down, mixing with the rainwater on the road.

She winced and clenched her jaw.

Then her eyes slowly moved towards her house.

And everything came rushing back.

Her mother.

Her father.

Their lifeless bodies.

The blood.

The voice from the other room.

The person inside the house.

Her tears started flowing again.

She reached down with trembling fingers and pulled out one of the pieces of glass.

A sharp cry escaped her lips.

She gritted her teeth and pulled out the next one.

Then another.

Each piece hurt like hell.

But she didn't stop.

Finally, after what felt like forever, she somehow managed to stand.

Her legs shook beneath her.

She looked towards her house again.

That's when she saw it.

A car had stopped in front of the house.

Two people stepped out.

She was still far enough away that they couldn't see her through the rain and darkness.

But she could see them.

And then

She recognised him.

Her eyes widened.

She hadn't expected them to be there.

Not now.

Not after everything.

Yet, despite everything that had happened, a tiny, hopeful smile appeared on her trembling lips.

Maybe...

Maybe they were here to help.

She slowly started walking towards them.

Every step was painful.

Her injured feet screamed with every movement, but the pain was nothing compared to what she had already endured tonight.

She watched as the two people entered her house.

She stopped.

For a moment, she thought about following them.

But then she decided to wait.

Maybe they were looking for her.

Maybe they would bring her parents outside.

She stood there in the rain, waiting.

Minutes passed.

Then finally, the two people came out.

Her eyes immediately searched behind them.

She expected them to bring her mother and father's bodies with them.

But they didn't.

Instead, she noticed something in their hands.

A file.

Her eyes narrowed.

She knew that file.

She didn't know exactly what was inside it, but she knew it belonged to her father.

And whatever was inside it...

It was confidential.

Something she had seen him protect more than once.

She stared at them, trying to understand what was happening.

And before she could

BOOM!

The house exploded into flames.

“N-nahiiiiii!”

Her scream tore through the night.

She ran towards them.

She didn't think.

She didn't stop.

She just ran.

But by the time she crossed the middle of the road, their car had already sped away.

“No!”

She tried to run after it.

But before she could take another step…

A blinding light flashed from her left.

A large truck came straight towards her.

She barely had time to turn her head.

The impact sent her body crashing to the ground.

Everything went silent.

Her vision blurred.

The rain.

The road.

The burning house.

The car disappearing into the distance.

Everything slowly faded.

And just before her eyes completely closed

the world went black.

Few Hours Later

City Hospital

“One of the most powerful businessmen in the city has been found dead with his wife at his own farmhouse. Their daughter was also brutally injured and is currently admitted to the ICU. However, according to the doctors, her chances of survival are extremely low.

“Khabar ke mutabik, Mr. and Mrs. Sharma ke maathe par goli maari gayi hai. Lekin sawaal yeh hai, iss saazish ke peeche aakhir kiska haath ho sakta hai?”

(According to reports, Mr. and Mrs. Sharma were shot in the forehead. But the question is, who could be behind this conspiracy?)

“Aage ki khabar ke liye humse jude rahiye.”

(Stay with us for further news.)

The news reporter looked straight into the camera as she delivered the report with confidence.

Behind her stood the remains of the burnt house.

The same house where, just a few hours ago, someone's entire world had been torn apart.

---

Meanwhile, Inside the Hospital

The girl lay unconscious inside the ICU.

Doctors were doing everything they could to save her.

Machines surrounded her. Her body was badly injured, yet somewhere beneath all that pain, she was still fighting for her life.

And the irony was

She had already lost the moment she saw the death of the two people she loved the most.

After some time, amidst that huge crowd, A man entered the hospital.

Dressed in a black coat, he carried himself with an effortless authority. His sharp eyes held a coldness that made people instinctively look away.

Wealth was evident in everything about him.

The moment he stepped inside, the crowd gathered in the hospital corridor began moving aside on its own.

He walked straight towards the reception desk.

“Room number 205.”

His voice was calm.

Cold.

The receptionist froze for a second.

There was something about his voice that made even her nervous.

She quickly composed herself and gave him the directions.

He didn't say another word.

He simply turned and walked away.

A few moments later, he stood in front of the ICU.

His eyes remained fixed on the closed doors.

Minutes passed.

Then more.

He didn't move.

Didn't sit.

Didn't even seem to notice the people around him.

It was almost as if he had forgotten how to blink.

“Sir, aap please baith jaiye. Aap kab se khade hain...”

(Sir,Please sit down. You're standing for a long time.)

One of his men finally spoke.

The man didn't look at him.

“Nahi.”

(No)

A pause.

“Baithne se mujhe chain nahi aayega.”

(I will not feel relaxed just by sitting.)

And then he fell silent again.

His eyes never left the ICU doors.

---

A Few Hours Later

The ICU doors finally opened.

The crowd waiting outside hadn't thinned even slightly.

Relatives of the Sharma family immediately stood up as soon as they saw the doctor approaching.

But no one dared to move ahead.

No one dared to stand between the doctor and that man.

The doctor walked straight towards him.

There was something in the doctor's expression.

Something that was impossible to hide.

Something that the man clearly didn't want to hear.

But he said nothing.

His eyes remained fixed on the doctor.

Almost as if he were trying to read the answer from his face before the doctor even spoke.

The doctor stopped in front of him.

He opened his mouth.

Then paused.

He cleared his throat.

“I'm sorry.”

The man's fingers slowly clenched into fists.

The doctor took a breath.

And finally said the words that shattered whatever little hope remained.

“She is no more.”