SHATTERED CRIMSON : The Masquerade Unveiled

PROLOGUE

Prologue

One Accident, Two Deaths, Three Lives.

Death.

Death is horrifying, isn't it?

Death is frightening. Hiding in layers of mysteries. Once its start revealing itself, we see the other side of it, where there's much more to it then pain, loss and grief. People often associate it with the end of the life but there is more behind it. reasons you never know.

Death is a state of exposure, it embraces our pain, vulnerability, our insecurity and turn our slumber into a never-ending nightmare.

Death freezes our tears, make our pain numb and confides us in its darkness. Taught lessons we always needed.

~ <3 ~

The October night was cool and crisp, the kind of night that whispered promises of a deep winter's sleep soon to come. The moon hung like a ghostly siren in the sky, casting its silvery light over the winding country road. Shadows danced and flickered as the car's headlights sliced through the darkness, accompanied by the occasional glow of streetlights. The distant chirping of crickets added a comforting backdrop to the tranquil scene.

Inside the car, laughter and music filled the air, weaving a tapestry of warmth and joy. The family of three—father, mother, and their daughter—were in high spirits, basking in the happiness of their daughter's recent success. She had just cleared her competitive exams, and the future felt bright and full of promise.

" Dad, Mumma, you both know right, that I cleared the intermediate level!" The daughter's voice crackled with excitement over the phone call.

"That's amazing, sweetheart but we already know that!" her mother exclaimed, her eyes glistening with pride. "We knew you could do it."

"Yes, we're so proud of you, all your hard work paid off." her father chimed in, his deep voice resonating with genuine happiness. " See I always told you; you'll clear the exams and that exactly happen".

"So, Dad now that I cleared the exams, ek party Toh Banti Hai!" the daughter's voice bursted through the speaker of the phone with full enthusiasm.

"Yup, whatever my daughter says." The father replied, the love and pride for his daughter's achieve shine bright in his eyes.

"Also, Dad, you promised me you'll leave chai once I'll cleared the exams. Now that I have, I think you should consider your words and fulfil your promise." With a glint of mischief in her eyes, the daughter spoke.

"don't get me started on this, Haan! your dad always said about leaving it, and when the time for implementation arrives, he forgets his words as if he never spoke about it." her mother replied playing along with her daughter and faking an irritated tone just to get on his husband's nerve.

"This is so bad laado, you can't always team up with your mother and make me your target." Her father replied with the endearment he always uses for his daughter. And pout, sulking along with it, frowns appear in his feature as to gain his daughters sympathy.

Though beside him, his wife snickers and snort covering it with cough as her husband gave her side eyes and a fake stern look. She looks at the man beside him acting all sweet and innocent in front of his daughter. But the world knows he is far opposite from those two words. He's a man who is all pensive, stern and short-tempered, but for his daughter, he is sweet, possessive and over-protective. If it were up to him, he would never let her go far out of his sight even for a moment.

They chatted animatedly, discussing plans for the future, the new opportunities that awaited, and the adventures they would embark on together. The car was a bubble of joy and contentment, a stark contrast to the inky night outside.

But as they continued their journey, the atmosphere began to shift. A dark wind blew, rustling the leaves with an eerie whisper. The moonlight, once gentle and reassuring, now cast long, ominous shadows that stretched across the road. The laughter inside the car grew softer, edged with a subtle unease.

"Did it just get colder, or is it just me?" the mother asked, rubbing her arms as if to ward off a sudden chill.

"I felt it too," the father replied, glancing at his wife with a furrowed brow. "Maybe a storm is coming."

Their daughter, still on the phone, noticed the change in tone. "Is everything okay there?"

"Just a little windy, beta. Nothing to worry about," her father assured her, though his eyes betrayed a hint of concern.

Minutes later, the sky seemed to open up, unleashing a torrential downpour. The rain hammered against the car with relentless force, turning the road into a slick, treacherous path. The streetlights flickered and then went out, plunging everything into a suffocating darkness. The comforting sounds of crickets were swallowed by the roar of the storm, leaving only the pounding rain and the howling wind.

"Stay on the line, sweetheart," the mother urged, her voice tense. "We'll be home soon."

Visibility dropped to near zero as the windshield wipers struggled to keep up with the deluge. The father gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white with strain. The car's headlights barely penetrated the wall of water, and the road ahead was a shadowy, uncertain void.

And then, out of nowhere, a pair of blinding headlights appeared. A massive truck hurtled toward them. The father swerved desperately, but it was too late. The truck collided with the car with a sickening crunch of metal and glass. The collision was catastrophic, the sound of metal tearing and glass shattering filling the air. The impact sent the car tumbling, rolling over and over until it came to a rest, upside down, in a ditch by the side of the road.

Time seemed to slow as the car spun out of control, the impact sending it flipping over and over. The world became a chaotic blur of screams, shattered glass, and twisted metal, a testament to the violence of the crash. The phone flew from the mother's hand, her daughter's voice lost in the maelstrom.

When the car finally came to a rest, it was upside down, half-submerged in a ditch by the side of the road. The once joyous vehicle was now a scene of devastation. Rain continued to pour, mingling with the blood that seeped from the crumpled remains of the car.

A hand protruded from the shattered window, limp and lifeless, blood trickling down its pale fingers. Inside, the father and mother lay unconscious, their bodies twisted and broken. The phone had been thrown from her hand in the impact, it lay on the roof of the overturned car, the screen cracked but still faintly glowing. The call was still connected, their daughter's frantic voice faintly audible through the rain.

"Dad? Mumma? Are you there? Please, answer me!"

But there was no response. The night had reclaimed its silence, the only sounds the occasional drip of rainwater and the distant rumble of thunder. The serene moonlight had returned, casting a ghostly glow over the wreckage. It was as if the world had paused, holding its breath in the face of such tragedy.

Time seemed to stretch, each second an eternity. The silence after the crash was eerie, as if the world itself had been stunned into stillness by the violence of the collision. Blood dripped steadily onto the upturned roof of the car, each drop echoing in the quiet night. The distant rumble of thunder was the only reminder of the storm that had so abruptly ceased.

One Accident. Two Deaths. Three Lives. All tangled inro the web of lies and deceit. Is this the end or the beginning?

~ <3 ~

- 1300 words

Hey there everyone, this is prologue part. we'll met in the next part, till then goodbye. and also don't forget to take a minute and drop your views. 

- Esha R