Dawn of Spring

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Crossing the room and the little corridor connecting the stairs, they followed the mysterious noise that had been haunting their ears.

"That noise," Ahana whispered, sticking close to Vivaan as they tiptoed down the hallway, "it's like someone's in pain. It almost sounds like they're dying."

"I hope someone is dying," Vivaan muttered under his breath, his jaw tightening. "Because if it's what I think it is, I might be the one dying by the end of this."

"What?" Ahana looked up at him, her brow furrowed. "What are you even saying?"

Before he could explain, or lie. Ahana walked trying to get to the source, leaning closer to the door from which the noise was coming. She turned to him, her face serious. "This is the room."

Vivaan's breath caught. His stomach dropped. His face drained of colour as realization hit him like a truck.

This wasn't just any room.

This was his brother's room.

"Nope." He grabbed her arm with a yelp, yanking her back. "Nope, nope, nope. We're leaving.Now."

"What?" Ahana exclaimed, digging in her heels. "Are you insane? Someone could be dying in there! I mean, listen to that noise, it's like a dying cat!"

"God, stop saying that!"Vivaan whispered harshly, clutching his temples like he was moments away from a migraine.

"Well, I'm not wrong!" Ahana insisted. "What if it's a stray? Strays don't exactly ask your permission to climb into houses, Vivaan!"

He groaned, shaking his head furiously. "It's not a stray."

"How do you know?" she shot back, narrowing her eyes. "Did you see it? Did it leave you a little cat eviction notice?"

"Because I live here, Ahana!" Vivaan hissed, throwing his arms up. "There are no stray cats. No cats of any kind!"

She stared at him, unconvinced. "You know, I don't think you understand how cats work."

"AHAHA-" He threw his hands in the air, cutting her off. "We're not discussing cats right now! Just trust me, okay? It's not a cat!"

"Well, it's something," she countered. She gasped suddenly, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Wait, what if it's a bat?"

Vivaan gaped at her. "A bat? Why would there be a bat in my house?"

"I don't know, bats are sneaky!" she whispered fiercely. "They make high-pitched noises, don't they? What if it flew in through a window? What if it's stuck?" Her face darkened. "Oh, my God, what if it's tangled in the curtains?"

Vivaan groaned so loudly it almost drowned out the mysterious noises. "Ahana. There's no bat. No tangled curtains. And if we keep standing here, we're the ones who are going to get tangled in trauma!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Trauma? What kind of trauma?"

He opened his mouth to reply, faltered, and then gestured vaguely toward the door. "You don't want to know."

Her eyes widened with alarm. "Oh no. Do you think someone's tied up in there?" she whispered dramatically. "Should we call the police? I've seen this in movies-"

"No!" Vivaan's voice shot up, and he immediately lowered it. "No, no one's tied up!" He hesitated, grimacing. "Okay, maybe they are, but not like that - oh, God, forget I said that."

"WHAT?!" she screeched, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Vivaan, what the hell is going on in your house?!"

"Nothing! Nothing is going on!" He practically begged her to stop talking, waving his arms around like he was trying to land a plane. "Okay, look, it's just - it's... someone's...busy."