The Girl with the Red Rose

Chapter 2

Sleeping at night has always been an issue with her. Normally she would steal her mother's sleeping pills but once she was caught her mother had become more cautious. She would now count her pills. Gulzar was annoyed at the lack of sleep. Her mother was probably asleep and she did not want to disturb her, so she quietly made her way to the kitchen to make herself some warm milk.

The weather had calmed down. The smell of the rain was fresh in the air. She walked out of her house and went to a park nearby. She could hear the sound of the wind and as its speed picked up she regretted not bringing a warmer jacket. She now held on to the mug in her hand to feel its warmth taking a few sips in between.

On normal days she would be scared to be out on her own at this hour but today she was feeling brave and Gulzar decided to take advantage of it.

She decided to not sit on the bench, she did not want to get wet. After a few more minutes of walking aimlessly, she decided to head back. She was completely unaware of being watched. Why wouldn't she be? Who would be awake at this ungodly hour?

She decided to head back to her house before her mother woke up. She didn't want her to worry about her lack of sleep or being out alone at this time and something at the back of her mind started nagging her to go back to her safe haven.

The next morning

She finished her breakfast and washed the dishes. Her mother had left after kissing her goodbye. Gulzar turned her attention to her friends who were sprawled on the couch. They were scrolling through Instagram. It was their information update platform, and both the girls could sit on its for hours and discuss the latest developments. Gulzar despised social media, she never understood why anyone would voluntarily put out information about them for the world to see. In her opinion, information was power and she would never give that power to anyone over her.

'I was thinking about going to the mall to shop'. The girls finally turned around.

'Okay. But I want to watch a movie.' Suhana chimed in.

After a few hours of shopping, eating, and watching the movie. They decided to catch a bus and then walk back to Gulzar's house. The bus was crowded more than usual today. It was probably due to the fact that it was a weekday and both students and the workforce were commuting.

Tonight was no moon, it was pitch dark. Gulzar shut the blends of the windows and snuggled into the warm bed next to her friends.

A week later

Gulzar had gone to the market to get the groceries. Her mother had called her earlier to tell her that she would be working late. Gulzar was the next in line to check out but the person in front of her was taking his sweet time. She finally decided to stop zoning out and pay attention to the conversation taking place.

"I am sorry but the internet is down. We cannot take the card, you have to pay in cash". The lady informed the customer who scoffed at her.

"Listen I really need the stuff, is there any other way? I am already late and I cannot go to an ATM now". The guy asked the cashier.

"I wish I could help". Replied the cashier.

While she was not a huge fan of interacting with strangers, she needed the line to move. It looked like it could rain at any moment. She peeped through the massive wall standing right in front of her to see if she could pay for his items. Luckily it was only two cans of some soda.

"I can pay for you". She said loud enough for the people in front of her to hear. She did not want to keep repeating herself and add to her pile of humiliating experiences.

At that moment two heads turned toward her. Before anyone could say anything she picked up the two cans and put them with her stuff on the counter. The cashier quickly encashed it and she stepped aside. The gentleman was almost pushed out of the line by an old lady who looked like she was done with all the drama. Gulzar nudged him to walk outside.

"Here is your stuff, sir." She said while looking for the cans in her bag.

"I am not old enough to be called sir and you should not be paying for random strangers." Gulzar stopped rummaging through her things and looked up. It was only now she had the time to assess the man before her. It was true, he was not old enough to be called sir.

"I normally don't but I did not want to get home looking like a drenched cat." She finally handed over the cans to him. He took it. The way he was staring at Gulzar made her feel very uncomfortable. She was never a fan of attention, she relished being ignored like a bug in the corner of a room. The past three years had been hard on her and the fewer people knew about her, the better it was for her.

"I need your number to pay the money back." The man dressed in a black ensemble could actually put models to shame. The sharp brown eyes and high cheekbones made him look like he walked out of a fashion show.

"That would be unnecessary." With this statement she dismissed him. Before he could say anything, Gulzar started walking in the other direction. The walk to her place was not a long one, she just needed to walk fast.

The unfamiliar brown eyes kept staring at the retreating figure. The girl was almost sprinting now. He knew he had found what he was looking for. He was taken by surprise when she had asked her to pay for him. She was too busy to notice him and he would have no explanation to offer for his behavior if she did. He was glad about it.

His heart was throbbing inside his chest. He knew it was time – to finish his revenge.

Gulzar opened the door to her house. It was now dark and her mother had not come back from work. She hated coming back to an empty house. However, she would never hold it against her mother. She knew how much her mother worked to provide both of them with a decent life.

Gulzar kept the vegetables on the kitchen counter, next to the newspaper. She picked it up to read it but just then the mobile rang. She kept the paper down and took it out from her pocket. It was her mother. Gulzar started walking toward her room while talking to her mother. Had she read the headline of the newspaper she had picked up she would have known, there was a killer on the loose who had murdered three girls in the last three weeks.

After she finished speaking to her mother, she opened her mail to see if any colleges had accepted her. To her delight – both the colleges had accepted her. She was overwhelmed with emotions and could not wait to share the news with her friends and mother. She would surprise them in the morning but for now, she needed the comfort of her bed. 

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xoxo

Mistnight5