Seeking Her Forgiveness

10. The road ahead

Azlan's mind was a whirlwind of confusion and fear. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened or what was about to unfold. He watched in horror as Shahana stood frozen in the path of the oncoming car.

In a split second, he mustered every ounce of his strength and lunged towards her, pulling her into his arms just as the car screeched to a halt inches away.

The deafening screech of tires pierced the silence, and everything seemed to freeze in time. Azlan's heart pounded like a drum in his chest as he held Shahana close, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

A young man emerged from the car, his face contorted in anger. "What the hell was that? If I hadn't stopped in time, you two would have been dead! And for what? If you're suicidal, do it some other way. Don't drag innocent people into your mess!" he shouted.

"Sorry," Azlan managed to gasp, his voice trembling. "She's not herself. She's sick."

"Well, keep her locked up at home then," the man retorted rudely, before climbing back into his car and speeding away.

Left alone on the deserted street, Azlan and Shahana stood in silence, the rain pelting down around them.

Shahana slowly lifted her head and looked at Azlan, her eyes wide with fear. "Azlan," she whispered, her voice barely a breath, "where are we? And how did I get here? Did you bring me here?"

She pressed her hand to her forehead, trying to recall the events that led them to this desolate spot, but her mind was a blank slate. A sense of dread washed over her as she realized that this had been happening for a while now – sudden lapses in memory, finding herself in unfamiliar places with no recollection of how she got there.

"Azlan," she called, her voice trembling, "what's happening to me? Why can't I remember anything? I remember being at home, and then... and then I was here. But I don't remember how I got here. What's wrong with me?"

The rain blurred their vision, but Azlan could still see the fear mirrored in Shahana's eyes. "It's okay, Shahana," he reassured her, trying to mask his own growing concern. "Everything's fine. Don't worry."

But Shahana was far from reassured. "No, Azlan," she insisted, her voice rising in panic. "It's not fine. I hear the cries of babies. They cry a lot. And I see Amira, your sister. She's come to take revenge on me, to punish me for killing her. I know it's not Amira, Azlan. It's some kind of djinn, trying to scare me. How can Amira be here? She's dead, buried. No one can come back from the grave. But this djinn, it follows me, it taunts me, it tries to terrify me. But I won't let it win. I won't let it break me."

Azlan watched helplessly as Shahana's mental state deteriorated, her fear spiraling into a vortex of paranoia and terror. He knew he had to get her help, but he was at a loss as to where to turn.

The rain continued to fall, relentless and unforgiving, mirroring the turmoil within Azlan's heart.

"Shhh...calm down, Shahana. Everything will be alright," Azlan whispered, holding her close.

Shahana looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. She reached out and cupped his face in her hands.

"Why did you do this to me? Why did you betray me?" she sobbed, her voice filled with childlike innocence. "If you wanted to marry Maria. You could have, you know. I would never have stopped you. But why did you leave me without a word? Am I that bad?"

Her words pierced Azlan's heart, but he couldn't make sense of them. "Shahana, let's go home. We can talk about this there," he suggested gently.

"No, we're going to talk about it right here," she insisted, her voice rising in desperation. "Tell me, why did you abandon me? Am I so horrible that no one wants me? Everyone hates me. You hate me too, don't you? Everyone hates me!"