The abandoned Rajpur station was so still that every sound carried like a warning. Water dripped from a cracked pipe, echoing in the silence. Priya stood alone under the dim light, her hands clasped tightly around the charm. Her heartbeat pounded so loudly she wondered if the Warden could hear it.
From his hiding place, Mukul's gaze never wavered. Every nerve in his body screamed for him to move, to shield her, but he held his position. The plan demanded patience. The Warden had to believe she was exposed.
Then it happened.
The air shifted—colder, heavier, as if the station itself exhaled. Shadows along the far wall deepened unnaturally. A tall figure emerged, his presence more felt than seen. The Warden.
Priya's knees threatened to give way. The mask gleamed faintly, its hollow eyes locked on her. He descended the steps slowly, deliberate in every movement, like a predator savouring the kill.
Mukul's earpiece crackled. "Targets locked," Raghav whispered, his voice steady.
"Wait," Mukul murmured, forcing himself to breathe. Timing was everything.
The Warden stopped just a few feet from Priya. He tilted his head, studying her trembling form. Then, with a voice that sounded more like a hiss than words, he spoke.
"You shine too brightly… little flame. Snuffing you will be sweet."
Priya swallowed her fear. Her voice quivered, but she managed to say, "You won't win."
The Warden raised his hand, shadows writhing like snakes around his fingers. That was the moment.
"Now!" Mukul commanded.
In an instant, the platform came alive. Hidden charges flared, releasing blinding bursts of light. Motion sensors activated, cutting off exits with steel shutters. Raghav and Ansh leapt from cover, weapons drawn, while Kavya released a flash arrow from above, its light exploding like a star.
The Warden reeled back, the sudden brilliance burning against his darkness. His hiss twisted into a roar.
"You dare—!"
But Mukul was already moving. He charged forward, blade in hand, striking with precision. The clash rang out, steel against shadow, sparks flying as the force of the impact shook the air.
"Keep the lights steady!" Mukul shouted.
Ansh slammed a switch, activating portable floodlamps they'd rigged along the tracks. White light flooded the station, weakening the Warden's hold. His form flickered, like smoke struggling to stay solid.
Still, he lashed out. Shadow tendrils whipped across the platform, striking with terrifying speed. Raghav barely dodged one, the whip carving a deep gouge in the concrete where he'd stood. Another tendril wrapped around Kavya's perch, snapping it in half. She rolled to safety, landing hard but alive.
Mukul pressed the attack, his strikes fierce but controlled. Every blow was met with resistance, every step forward countered by the Warden's unnatural strength. Yet for the first time, the enemy looked unsettled, his advantage slipping under the blaze of light.
"Focus fire!" Mukul barked. "Don't let him regain the shadows!"
Priya, though trembling, raised her charm high. Its faint glow intensified under the lamps, creating a shield that repelled a tendril aimed at her. For the first time since the nightmare began, she felt something other than fear—resolve.
The Warden roared again, his form straining against the trap. "You think light alone can stop me? Fools!"
With a violent surge, he slammed his hand into the ground. Shadows erupted in a wave, extinguishing half the lamps in a single breath. The platform plunged into semi-darkness, the balance shifting dangerously.
Mukul gritted his teeth, tightening his grip. "Hold steady! This fight isn't over—this is just the beginning!"
The clash of light and shadow consumed the station, the trap sprang, but the battle was far from decided.