With You

Chapter 6

Where that man was? There was no sign of him. Zarah was shivering from inside, her hands feeling sweaty as she moved the baby to her other side. The noises of people and bombs still ringing in her head and she felt that the trust she had for everybody slowly moving away from her. 

No place was safe, nobody was safe and Zarah now had a responsibility of this baby who was unknown of everything around her, about her mother. She was now sleeping in her arms, the biscuit packet clutched in her small hand. Maybe she was that man's niece and Zarah was wrong when she considered him as her father. She had to look for him; her heart was thudding profusely because of anxiety and fear.

Zarah slowly moved on the route for the department store where that man had gone. Her every step felt heavy as if she was afraid that on any of her steps a bomb would again blast leaving her in pieces. She could now see a building black as coal, the after-effects of fire and blast. She had to find the father of this girl.

But Zarah couldn't see him anywhere; there was a rush of people. A ball of cry got stuck in her throat seeing people who were desperately trying to find their loved ones, people who were crying and yelling near the dead bodies. She quickly wiped her face to remove the tears and sweat which was not vanishing from her face.

"How can you just say it so senselessly? Do you have any idea of the worth of human life? No-"

She was near the ambulance when Zarah heard a yell from the other side and on moving ahead she found that man, who was yelling at that nurse. "Stop it!" Zarah said coming near him and her eyes bulged out of her sockets seeing the dead body on the stretcher. Her face was covered with blood; the sheet in which she was covered was also getting soaked with her blood. 

"You have the guts to stop me. You all are the same. Doctors without any sense." He shoved her a little away from him with his hand and yelled mindlessly, his eyes boring in hers. His black orbs were bloodshot as Zarah could see the tears stuck in the corner of his eyes which were dropping on his outburst. 

"Look, just come here with me." Zarah held his shirt's sleeve and pulled him towards her. That was more than difficult for her as that man was of an athletic type built. He slid back a little and began to move out of the vicinity of the department store. He was not in his right mind. Zarah took all the details of the body and where they were shifting it because that man didn't have any idea what needed to be done.

She ran behind him trying to catch up with him because Zarah was afraid he would take some drastic turn in his life.

***

The blood-drenched face.

Eyes closed so tightly that they would never open.

The white sheet turning red with her blood, as every moment passed.

No, that couldn't happen. He was just watching a worse nightmare and he just had to wake up to end all of this. Ryan quickly slapped himself to feel a burning pain in his right cheek but the reality around him didn't change. He began to slap himself as much as he could, in an attempt to end all of this.

His hands became tired as Ryan slumped down on the ground, his knees grazing the cement road. He looked at the ground in front of him where he could see small droplets and understood that they were his tears that had gained pace.

Ryan hid his face behind his hands and cried loudly; maybe his voice had torn apart the silence which had descended on the valleys of long-lost forests and sea in the corner of the world. He was yelling, crying and didn't what was running in his mind because it felt as if he lost his thinking power with Hamida.

That was why there was no point in believing some almighty power, this was why he was always right when he didn't trust God or any supernatural powers because there wasn't any in the first place. If there would have been somebody to look after everybody then why everyone had to suffer? It was all damn pathetic!

A light tap on his shoulder forced his cries to stop. Ryan moved a hand in his messy hair before turning his head to look at the girl who was standing near him with sleeping Maira in her arms. His heart squeezed painfully seeing Maira who was unknown that she had lost her mother, who had the same destiny as Ryan. 

His gaze moved towards the girl who was still looking at him. Was he in his right mind? He just gave her Maira like he knew that girl so well. Ryan didn't know her name and here he gave her the responsibility of Maira, what if she would have done something grave with her? He didn't even want to dwell on the consequences. 

Ryan quickly took Maira from her arms, disturbing his niece's sleep with his action. He began to move away from her without uttering anything. His eyes were still wet with unshed tears when Ryan felt a silhouette walking with him who was no other than that girl. 

"Why are you following me?" He said irritated with everything around him. The girl gently patted Maira's back who was mumbling in her sleep and looked at him with furrowed brows.

"Because it's not safe for us to go anywhere. This is curfew and a high alert. We should stay somewhere for the time being."

Ryan looked at her skeptically, "I took your help, thanks. Now go away from here. I don't need your advice."

Ryan didn't want to say a single word and this girl was testing his patience to no end. He threw a glance at her for a moment then moved ahead without bothering about her.

***

She just trailed behind him silently without making any noise to catch his attention because she didn't want to be alone. Zarah just wanted to reach her home as early as possible and curled up in her bed away from every bad that was taking place in the outside world.

Her eyes burnt and pain crept to her head as Zarah felt her body slightly shivering with fever. She knew it would happen, that happened every single time when she tried to stop herself from crying. But she couldn't cry not in front of this man who only looked at her as if humiliating her. 

Maybe she should just go back to the hospital; it was not so far from away where she was now. Yes, that would be the best idea and Zarah had heard nurses talking- the government had given a high alert and a curfew was very strict in few places where they were arresting anybody on the road. 

Zarah turned in her tracks glancing at the man who was moving away from her, his hands slowly patting his niece's back as he wiped his eyes one more time. No. She couldn't leave him here. He was not in his senses and that baby was so innocent to even understand a word of this world. It would be pathetic to leave them like this.

She ran behind him quickly, grabbing the strap of her bag on her shoulder, "Hey, stop. Come with me to the hospital. It's a high alert and-" Zarah requested coming in front of him but was cut off by his voice, her eyes raking on his features which were bloodshot red. This place was little safe as there were no police and public and she knew one short route from where they could directly reach the hospital.  

"You're still here. Do I have to write it for you to just leave us alone?" He asked in a cold voice moving ahead without even stopping for her. Here she was so much concerned for them and he was treating her like a piece of garbage. But she had to not think of this guy but of the little baby in his arms.

"Okay. Go ahead but give me the baby. I will not let you threaten her safety in this curfew."

Zarah tried to take the baby from his hands when he turned to give her his back. That was the limit of her patience; she looked at him for some time and gave a punch on his arm.

"I haven't seen a senseless man like you in my entire life. You're accusing us- the doctors of being senseless. You're the biggest jerk in the entire universe. You have a little baby in your arms..." Zarah took a breath while taking a pause in her speech, the man watching her silently, "She is now your responsibility. But you're just giving her in a silver platter to the people and cops you will be going to meet in your way. I just hate you. "

She spat before turning again and quickly taking the short route towards the hospital, her hands hastily wiping the tears which had started wetting her cheeks.