The door to his house slammed open. Ayaan didn't even take a breath. Each step felt heavier, his heart pounding like it was about to burst from his chest.
"ANYA!" His voice reverberated through the whole house.
But...
Silence.
Completely lifeless, completely cold. There was no response.
Ayaan didn't stop for even a second, rushing straight to the kitchen.
"Anya?" His voice had become soft, as if his heart had given up hope. But still... he called out.
Ayaan stopped at the kitchen door. His feet froze. His breath got stuck in his chest. What his eyes saw... it was his worst nightmare.
A broken chair lay on the ground. Food scattered everywhere, and the floor... it had turned red. And there, lying motionless, was Anya's lifeless body. Deep claw marks ran down her back, where blood was still flowing.
Those same marks... the ones from the wolf. Exactly the same. They were fresh, as if someone had just torn her apart.
Ayaan was completely in shock. He slowly moved toward Anya, his feet collapsing to the ground as his eyes widened. The world seemed to tilt. For a second, everything moved in slow motion. All he could hear was the sound of his own breathing. "No..." His lips parted, but no sound came out.
"No, no, no!"
Ayaan bent down and gently lifted his sister into his arms, his hand resting on her cheek.
Cold. Completely cold.
"No!"
"Anya!"
No movement. No sound.
Ayaan broke down. Tears began to fall like water. Drops of his tears fell onto Anya's face as he held her close, as if he could save her from this harsh reality.
"God... no..."
"Don't take her from me... don't take my sister!"
"Take everything from me... but not her... please!"
"PLEASE!"
He held her tightly, then...
A faint breath brushed against Ayaan. His heart stopped for a second, then began to race.
"She's alive."
"Anya is still alive!"
Ayaan didn't waste a second. He lifted Anya in his arms. Her body was lifeless, but there was still life left in her, and that life, Ayaan couldn't let slip away.
His mind was fixed on one thing—HOSPITAL. "I won't let anything happen to you, Anya."
His voice was broken—anger, grief, and hope collided into an odd mixture.
"I swear, nothing will happen to you!"
He pushed the door open and stepped outside. The wind was sharp, and his eyes burned with anger. His feet moved without thinking.
A bright light hit his face, a rickshaw's headlights. He saw the rickshaw parked right in front of his house.
The driver had a cap on, which covered his eyes. He was sitting and using his phone. Just then, Ayaan rushed up to him and shouted, "GO! Quickly! Take me to the hospital!"
The rickshaw driver glanced back, saw Ayaan's condition, and without asking a word, started the engine.
Ayaan pressed Anya even tighter against himself. "I won't let you go anywhere, Anya. Not in any situation."
The auto was cutting through the wind, but to Ayaan, it felt as though time had stopped. Anya's lifeless body was in his lap.
His hand rested on Anya's cold cheek, but with every passing second, it seemed as though her face was growing colder. "No! No! She should wake up! Bhaiya, drive faster! Hurry!" Ayaan screamed, but his voice was breaking.
The auto came to a halt. Ayaan didn't waste a second; he bolted straight towards the clinic's door. But...
"CLOSED." A red sign hung on the door.
Ayaan stood there for a moment, frozen. "No..." A cold breeze hit his face. "No! How can this be happening?!" He slammed his fist against the door.
"IS ANYONE THERE?!"
"PLEASE, IS ANYONE THERE?"
But all he heard was silence. His own breathing was the loudest sound.
Ayaan turned his head back towards the auto driver. "Take me to another hospital! Quickly!"
The driver didn't say a word; he just started driving the auto again.
The driver sped the vehicle up, and Ayaan's breathing grew heavier, his heart pounding. His mind was racing with thoughts of how to save Anya, but then he noticed something strange—the driver's face. Tears were rolling down his cheeks.
Ayaan wanted to ask him what was wrong, but as he reached to place his hand on the driver's shoulder, the auto suddenly pulled up in front of the hospital.
Ayaan ran to the hospital gates. It was dark now, and the large steel gates stood between him and what felt like his last hope. He grabbed the bars tightly, shaking them, pushing them with all his might. But the gate didn't budge, not even an inch.
"Sir! Open the gate!" he shouted, his voice desperate.
Hearing the commotion, a guard approached and said, "Son, there's no point in going inside. All the doctors have left. You'll have to go to another place."
"What are you talking about? My sister's life is at risk, and you're refusing to admit her?" Ayaan felt like the ground beneath him was giving way. He looked inside—only one light was on, flickering weakly. It was as if the last glimmer of hope had slipped through his fingers.
"I'm sorry, son," the guard said, lowering his eyes.
"Nobody's going to help her?!" Tears welled up in Ayaan's eyes.
Ayaan turned around, glancing at his sister's cold face for a moment. "No... no... someone, please help."
"Someone must be able to save my sister."
Just then, the driver placed his hand on Ayaan's shoulder. "Son, I know a place."
Ayaan immediately lifted his head, his eyes searching for any glimmer of hope.
The driver continued, "She could be alright there."
Ayaan's eyes lit up with renewed hope. "Yes, uncle! Please, hurry!"
The driver didn't look back once. He simply started the auto.
As they drove, Ayaan felt one thing above all— the wind along the road had picked up, growing stronger.
Even though the driver wore a cap that hid his eyes, he drove the auto with remarkable skill.
After a while, the driver stopped the auto. "Here we are," he said.
Ayaan quickly hopped out of the auto, his eyes widening as he saw the unexpected.
"Sanjay Van?"
The same place where it all had begun. The very place he had desperately tried to escape from.
"Why are we here?!" His voice grew sharper, the tension in the air thickening.
"You know, Ayaan, why we're here. Go, take her there. The people there can help," the driver said calmly.
Ayaan stood frozen, his mind racing. Then, the man slowly removed his cap. In that moment, every word Ayaan wanted to say caught in his throat. "Uncle… you?" It was the same security guard.
"Ayaan, quickly, go inside, before it's too late," the guard urged, placing a reassuring hand on Ayaan's shoulder.
Ayaan's mind was in chaos, confusion clouding his thoughts. But he didn't waste a single second. Without hesitation, he rushed towards the lift, taking it to the 1st layer, where everything was about to change.
The lift doors opened, and as Ayaan rushed inside, he screamed, "IS ANYONE THERE?!"
His footsteps echoed loudly, each one heavier than the last. His breaths came out sharp and fast, as if flames were raging from his throat to his chest. "PLEASE! SAVE MY SISTER! SOMEONE HELP! PLEASE!" His voice was so loud, it reverberated throughout the entire layer.
A faint beep of an alarm was heard from somewhere in the distance, followed by the arrival of medical staff. They rushed over and immediately laid Anya on a stretcher. One of the nurses checked her pulse while another gently lifted her eyelids. Ayaan stood frozen, his feet seemingly rooted to the spot, unable to move as they took Anya away.
As the staff moved with his sister, the only thought that consumed Ayaan's mind was— 'I just want my sister back.'
Then, he heard footsteps from behind him, a voice he recognized clearly, "Ayaan, so you've returned." It was a familiar voice.
Ayaan jerked around, his heart skipping a beat. "Manager?"
He looked at him for a moment, then with tears welling in his eyes, pleaded, "Please... save my sister."
"If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself." Ayaan sobbed, falling to his knees in front of the manager, almost begging him.
The manager stared at him for a moment, then reached out to try and comfort him. "Get up, Ayaan. Don't cry." His voice was calm, but there was something hidden beneath his words.
Ayaan moved back, but only slightly. The manager gave him a small, reassuring smile. "I take full responsibility for your sister's life. I won't let anything happen to her."
Hearing those words brought a little comfort to Ayaan's heart, and his face softened, a faint smile breaking through. He wiped his tears and said, "Thank you so much."
The manager placed both hands on Ayaan's shoulders and smiled back at him. Ayaan felt like he was being reassured, like the weight on his chest was being lifted.
But suddenly, the manager shoved him, and the ground beneath Ayaan's feet split open. He fell through, tumbling into a cylindrical, dark space. The fall was hard, and Ayaan hit the ground on his back, but luckily, he wasn't injured. The space was small, dark, and cramped, with no way to see around him.
Above, the manager's eyes locked on Ayaan, and he clapped his hands. The cylindrical box Ayaan was in started to rise.
Now, trapped in a transparent cylindrical box, Ayaan hit the sides, desperately trying to get out. "What is this? Let me go!" He screamed in panic.
The manager looked at him with a cold, calculating gaze. "Tell me the truth, Ayaan. Did you hurt that girl?"
"What are you talking about? Why would I harm my own sister?!" Ayaan yelled in anger.
"Until we know the truth, I can't allow you to roam freely like this," the manager said, his hands behind his back. He spoke to Ayaan with a calm demeanor.
"What truth? What nonsense are you talking about? My two friends lost their lives because of you, and now you're keeping me in this cage? You're not even worthy of being called a human, you foolish old man!!" Ayaan shouted, his anger burning through him.
"Say whatever you want, but now you will stay in our containment until we know the truth. Understood?" The manager's voice was cold, and his expression unflinching.
"Old man!!" Ayaan's eyes were locked on the manager in pure fury, but then, suddenly, his head started to spin, and his eyes shut tightly.
"Now, rest for a while, and be ready for the tests," the manager said, turning away and walking off, leaving Ayaan behind.
But someone was watching from behind. A little girl, quietly observing him from the shadows. There was something strange in her eyes, as though she was curious about Ayaan, about him specifically.