Outside, the night remained quiet, the moon suspended like an unseen witness in an empty sky. Priya huddled in her darkened living room, a tea cup still untouched before her.
The sound of the clock ticking away on the wall was the only noise that occupied the room, an insistent reminder of the passing time, taking with it her feeling of control.
She had tried to reach Ava all evening. Countless messages. Endless calls. No answer.
Priya's fingers tightened around her phone. "Where are you, Ava?"
Her daughter was always punctual, always so careful about keeping in touch. But tonight… tonight was different. 𝗪𝗵𝘆?
She couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Priya's eyes drifted over to the window. The blinds had been drawn a little, but she could still glimpse the lights of the street lamps flashing in the distance, casting distant shadows across the empty road. The world outside was waiting expectantly for something to occur.
And Priya? She couldn't stay sitting down anymore.
Something had occurred. Something more than the late nights or lost texts. She could sense it in her bones, like a storm on the horizon building strength.
She had experienced enough to know when there was trouble brewing.
Rohit. She hadn't talked to him in days, but there was something about the way he'd appeared when they'd last met that put her on edge. The circles of fatigue around his eyes, the tightness in his voice—it was as if he was hiding something. And that wasn't his style.
She stood up quickly, the chair scraping against the floor. I have to see him.
With quick, thoughtful steps, Priya moved towards the door, her decision already taken. She was aware that Ava would return home one day, but until then she simply couldn't remain sitting around.
The street outside her home was uncannily still when she exited, securing the door behind her.
The frigid air bit at her skin, and she wrapped her coat around her more tightly, attempting to ward off the creeping sensation of fear that was building in her chest.
......
𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐋𝐒𝐄:
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, Ava's head was still spinning from what had just occurred. The icy whisper, the knocks—her heart continued to pound as she held her phone, striding quickly towards the only locale she believed might provide some sort of shelter: Rohit's apartment.
But as she approached the corner of the street, a sudden, stomach-churning feeling of fear swept over her. It was as if with each step she took, she was further entangled in a web from which she could not escape. She paused and glanced around, the dark streets closing in on her.
There were no noises. No vehicles. No muffled conversation. No noise of any kind, just the steady beat of her own heartbeat, accelerating with each ticking moment.
"Come on, Ava," she muttered under her breath, attempting to calm her breathing. "Focus. You can do this."
As she prepared to move along, she heard it again. A noise—soft, faint, but inarguable.
Footsteps.
Her eyes darted back and forth in panic, but she was alone. The deserted street stretched out in front of her like a long black tunnel. She pulled her hood up quickly, hiding in the darkness of an alley.
Who was chasing her?
The footsteps ceased. Ava froze, trying to hear.
Nothing.
Her head was spinning. Was it her imagination? Or was there someone somewhere, hiding, waiting for the perfect moment?
She did not dare stir. Not yet.
........
Back at home, the world had shifted in the minutes it took her to walk from the front door to the bottom of the block. The air was heavy now, charged with something that crawled beneath her skin. She couldn't identify it, but there was an urgency to the atmosphere that left her shivering.
As she moved along the deserted streets, her phone vibrated.
It was a text from Ava.
"Run."
Priya's heart jerked. Her hands shook as she rapidly typed out: Ava? Where are you?
She sat there, waiting for an answer, but there was nothing.
Alarm gushed through her, her mind panicked. This wasn't an ordinary text. It wasn't an alert—it was a distress call.
She spun around on her heel, moving in the direction of her car as quickly as possible, the fear building inside of her. Ava needed her. She needed to find her.
.......
Meanwhile, Ava had reached the end of the alley. Her head was still spinning from the footsteps, but she couldn't stay any longer. Rohit was the only one she could trust. He had to understand what was happening. If he didn't, then all the struggles they'd been through—all they'd tried to survive—would be for nothing.
With every step towards Rohit's flat, the feeling of urgency became even more intense. She was within a stone's throw when she saw a figure in the distance.
It was a man.
Her heart was pounding in her chest. He wasn't budging. He was simply standing there, turned towards her, his face covered by the dark. It was impossible to distinguish who he was.
And then, without any noise, he started walking towards her.
Ava's breath caught in her throat as she reflexively stepped backward. Her feet seemed rooted to the ground. What was going on?
As the man raised his hand toward her, a car skidded to a stop in the distance, blinding headlights filling the area.
Priya.
Ava's mouth dropped in shock as her mother emerged from the car, appearing as if she'd encountered a specter.
"Ava!" Priya's voice cut through the tension in the air, her voice breaking into relief. She ran toward her daughter.
The man froze, his form dissolving back into the shadows as suddenly as he had emerged.
The instant the man disappeared, the world seemed to breathe again, and Ava could breathe. But the unease lingered.
Who was he? And why had he vanished so suddenly?
Her mother reached her side, her hands trembling as she pulled Ava into a tight embrace. "You're okay," Priya whispered, though her own voice was shaky. "You're safe now."
But Ava wasn't so sure.
Not anymore.
.......
Ava sat in the stillness of her mother's kitchen, the clock chiming too loudly, the tea growing cold in her hands.
She had finally ceased running. At least with her body.
But her brain refused to slow.
𝙍𝙤𝙝𝙞𝙩.
The name surfaced unbidden, jagged as a splinter.
"I just need some time," she had said to him.
And he had given it to her. No protest. No hesitation.
But where did he go?
That question struck her now — unexpected, heavy, impossible to shake.
She hadn't asked.
And he hadn't said.
He was always looking out for her. Always taking two steps back. Always on guard.
Had he gone away to keep her safe… or to get lost in something else?
Something uglier?
She blinked, coming back to awareness, and noticed Priya staring at her from the other side of the table.
"You okay?" her mother asked.
Ava nodded artificially.
But her fingers clenched harder around the mug.
Because something about Rohit's silence now… didn't feel like peace.
It felt like a warning.
......
𝑬𝑵𝑱𝑶𝒀𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝒀? 𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑫𝑳𝒀 𝑫𝑶 𝑺𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮. 𝑰𝑻 𝑯𝑬𝑳𝑷𝑺 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝒀 𝑻𝑶 𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑾...!
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨.