The silence of the night grew deeper with every passing moment. A heavy stillness reigned over Hassan's house, but it wasn't the peaceful quiet that brings sleep; rather, it was that ominous hush felt just before a massive storm. The room's light was dim, and the shadows dancing on the walls were taking on strange, grotesque shapes.
Hassan sat across from his mother, Mrs. Yousuf, watching her intently. Many days had passed, but she hadn't uttered a single word. Her eyes were stony, as if she were in this world but her soul was somewhere else entirely.
Hassan vividly remembered the scene when, on Shah Saab's instructions, he had taken the food intended for her and disposed of it. He had placed that food inside a black plastic shopper, carried it far away from the house to a deserted ground, and buried it deep in the earth. Shah Saab had warned him that this food was no longer fit for humans—it had been tainted by an "alien" influence. Since that day, Mrs. Yousuf's personality had completely vanished. Her laughter and her habit of walking around the house had all come to an end.
Gripping her cold hand in desperation, Hassan spoke in a trembling voice, "Ammi, for God's sake, say something. Your silence is eating me alive. Did I make a mistake? Did we offend Shah Saab? Please, just say something!"
There was deep pain in Hassan's voice, but not a single wrinkle of emotion appeared on Mrs. Yousuf's face. Suddenly, the temperature in the room began to drop rapidly. Hassan felt a chill penetrate his very bones. A strange tremor shook Mrs. Yousuf's body. Her pupils dilated until her eyes were pitch black, and the words that escaped her lips did not belong to her. It was a heavy, muffled, and terrifying voice that sounded like multiple throats speaking in unison.
"Your dark times have begun, Hassan," the horrific voice emerged from her throat. "Did you think that Shah Saab would protect you forever? You tried to block our path; you buried our food in the dirt. Listen well: if you try to kill one of us, another will take their place. We are a force that never ends. We will destroy you! Every brick of your house will weep. Everything you own is about to perish."
As soon as these words were spoken, Mrs. Yousuf's body jerked upright and then slumped back into that same old, deathly silence as if nothing had happened. Hassan's heart was pounding so hard he felt his chest might burst. He recoiled in horror, unable to comprehend if this was his loving mother or something else that had taken possession of her body.
Before he could even recover from this terror, the phone rang sharply at exactly 10:00 PM. In the silent house, that ring echoed like an explosion. With trembling hands, Hassan picked up the receiver. It was Shah Saab's son, his voice breaking with sobs: "Hassan Bhai... come quickly... Abbu is calling for you. His condition is critical; the doctors have given up hope."
The ground slipped from beneath Hassan's feet. He felt as though his last pillar of support was being ripped away. He ran out of the house barefoot toward Shah Saab's residence. The streets were deserted, yet he felt as if someone—or something—was following him. When he reached Shah Saab's gate, a crowd had already gathered. Cries and wailing filled the air. Every face was clouded with grief.
Hassan pushed through the crowd and entered. The sight before him turned his world dark. Shah Saab was no longer in this world. His face had turned pale, yet it bore a strange peace, as if he had just retired from a monumental war.
His children were clinging to his lifeless body, weeping. Seeing Hassan, the eldest son approached him and said through tears, "Hassan Bhai, Abbu was asking for you until his very last breath. With great difficulty, he managed one last sentence: 'Tell Hassan, he must fight on his own now... take care of yourself... I will always be with you in spirit...'"
Shah Saab's final words remained incomplete as his life slipped away. Hassan collapsed onto the floor. He felt that today, their 'Muhafiz' (Protector) had left them forever. He burst into uncontrollable tears, a single thought haunting his mind: "Our protector is gone... now who will save us from these calamities?"
After Shah Saab's funeral, it felt as though every door in Hassan's life was closing one by one. The very next morning when he went to the office, he was stopped at the gate. The manager handed him a termination letter without offering any reason. "Hassan, we no longer require your services," was all that was said.
A severe financial crisis gripped the household. Mrs. Yousuf's condition worsened day by day. Her treatment was expensive, and Hassan didn't have a single penny left. The fridge was empty, and the stove grew cold. Strange noises began to echo from every corner of the house, like nails scratching against the walls.
Chaos erupted within Mrs. Yousuf's entire family. Every relative turned their back on them. Hassan remembered the horrifying prophecy spoken by the voice inside his mother: "Your dark times have begun." With Shah Saab gone, evil forces had surrounded Hassan's family from all sides. Daily life became a living hell. Hassan realized this was no longer just a battle for money; it was a war against an invisible enemy that was destroying him every single moment. The most terrifying and difficult chapter of his life had truly begun
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