Makir's Universe

Arbina - 1

"Gun violence in India?" Arun remarked, glancing at his phone.

Arbina looked at Arun, her long-time boyfriend, and slowly inquired, "What's going on?"

"In Hyderabad, some drivers attempted to murder a man in his twenties. With a gun! What do you think the reason was? Apparently, the man permanently lost his hearing ability." Arun explained.

Gun violence in India was not common, as it required serious planning, strategy, and connections to execute such acts.

"And I thought Delhi was a dangerous place." Arbina mused to herself. Living in Mumbai, she felt a sense of relief. Finishing her chai and samosa, she stood up to go to the wash basin.

"I need to go," Arbina announced upon returning, noticing that Arun was engrossed in his phone.

"You said you would be with me until 8 p.m.," Arun responded.

"I understand, but I have to go and cook for the family.""You know how it is."

"You promised that-" Arun paused before raising his voice.

"Let's go to the nearby park," Arun suggested, standing up to pay at the counter.

Around 6 p.m., as darkness settled, Arun and Arbina sat on a bench, with the chilly air enveloping them. Arun, without his jacket, felt cold.

Arbina glanced at Arun, who remained silent. Arun, a tall and gentle-looking man, had been friends with her brother, Farhan, since kindergarten. Farhan's passing had brought Arbina and Arun closer. Despite their age gap of around five years, Arun, who was 28, envisioned a future with Arbina. She had recently graduated from an engineering college and was working as a graduate trainee.

"You said you would talk to your parents after you graduated, but it has been more than a year. Sometimes it's not convincing. Listen, Arbina, I want you to talk to your parents.How long are we going to hide our relationship?" Arun urged softly.

Arbina had always wanted to avoid this conversation, knowing her parents would never accept her having a Hindu boyfriend. The fear of being disowned haunted her.

"After my brother passed away, I became their only child. I don't want to disappoint them; they don't deserve that," she replied, avoiding eye contact.

Her home was 5.6 kilometers away from the company where she worked. She usually comes home at around 6 p.m., but it was already 7 p.m. Her elderly mother suffers from prolonged grief disorder, constantly asking about the whereabouts of her son.

She took a taxi from the park to her home. Just beside her house, there's a butcher shop where her father sells poultry products such as chicken and goat meat. Her father was a decent and respectable man in society. He never talked much, but he loved his wife and daughter deeply. Arbina always believed her father was the strongest man; it devastated her when she witnessed him crying after receiving a call from her brother's friends to come to the hospital.

Arbina had reached her home, and she could smell the aroma of raw meat in the air. She opened the gate and entered. When she knocked on the door, her mother opened it and asked her where Farhan was. She simply replied, "I don't know."

A text from her friend Praneetha interrupted her thoughts: "Are you coming, right? For my sister's wedding."

Praneetha was her childhood friend, with whom she grew up. Her parents are from Salem, but she was born and raised in Mumbai. She wondered how different the lives of people in South India are. Especially for women. It made her wonder if her life was similar, she thought, while clearly noting the gender disparities.

"Yeah. Definitely," she texted back.

While in the shower, she pondered on how to proceed with her relationship with Arun. She felt guilty knowing how little time he spends with Arun and how much he deserves more. She wore pajamas for her sleepwear. She heard a knock on the door. It was almost time for her father to come home from the butcher shop, but her heart started pounding. She could sense danger.

"Don't open the door!" Her mind warned. She walked to the kitchen. She was suddenly terrified, but she knew what she had to do. Without making any noise, she opened the top drawer, which contained unused butcher knives. She found a rusty cleaver knife. She could still hear the knock, and when she looked at the door, her mother was reaching for the doorknob.

"No!" She shouted, and then she heard a gunshot. When she was a child, she was scared of her father. She vividly remembered how blood splattered all over when she saw him butchering the chicken. The dead chicken was there to be cut into smaller pieces. She can see the blood now—the same dark red—but it is her mother on the floor. Two individuals stood there, each holding a gun in their hand. They wore black masks that coveredtheir entire faces, including their mouths.

After a few seconds, she snapped out of her trance and hurled the butcher knife she was holding with all her strength. It was a powerful strike, but unfortunately, it didn't reach the killer; instead, it struck her mother's head, making a splashing sound. The blood sprayed all over the place. The two men pointed a gun at her. She ran into her room and locked the door. She unplugged her phone from the charger and called Arun.

Arun was angry with Arbina; he wondered if she truly loved him. When he saw Arbina calling him, he felt happy, but he did not want to talk to her. He promised that he would pick up her phone at any time, regardless of the circumstances.

"Hello. Please help!" She cried. She couldn't form a sentence.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Arun asked, but she couldn't explain anything. He knew something was wrong.

"Hey, don't worry, just relax. I'll be there."

On his way to his car, Arun called the police. It took her less than ten minutes to reach her destination. When he arrived at Arbina's house, he noticed a man lying by the gate. He couldn't identify him, but he kept guessing that it was Arbina's father. Indeed, it was. He was shot in the head, and he wasn't breathing. Arun expected that something bad was happening, but he could never imagine something so horrible happening to people he knew.

Arun wanted to run away, but his feet wouldn't move. He can imagine Arbina feeling afraid inside the house.

He could have run away, but he chose not to.

He moved closer, and when he saw what was in front of him, he was so terrified that he almost wet himself. He saw Arbina's mother's dead body in a horrifying state. The head was completely covered in red, and the blood began to coagulate. He could see that she had been shot above the right chest.

He was worried if Arbina was fine.

"Arbina!" He shouted.

When Arbina was waiting for Arun, she realized what a terrible mistake she had made. If he comes, he will also be in danger. She called her father, but he didn't respond. She never wanted to put Arun's life in danger. She was hiding in the bathroom. They were still banging on the door. She heard a loud noise and knew that the door was broken. She wished she had brought the door locker that was advertised on television. They began searching for her.

They knew. When she was in the bathroom, they attempted to open the door. Arbina tried to keep her mouth shut, preventing even a single whisper from escaping. They tried slamming the bathroom door. She heard a car pull up, and then the slamming suddenly stopped. She knew it was Arun.

She hears Arun shouting her name and, later, hears another gunshot. And another one. and another one. With every gunshot, she shattered.

She opened the bathroom door to face the killers.