Yaara

20) A Cry for Help

As the car pulled into the driveway of the Kashyap mansion, the air inside the vehicle was heavy and tensioned. Shiv lay motionless in the back seat, his breathing shallow but steady. Rudra kept glancing back at him, his heart aching with worry. He couldn't help but replay Priyanka's words repeatedly—the image of Shiv standing on that cliff, so close to the edge, haunted him.

Rudra: thinking "How did it get this bad, Shiv? Why didn't I see this coming?"

Shaurya, sitting in the passenger seat, looked equally troubled. His usual calm had been replaced by a deep concern that weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Shaurya: softly "We need to be careful with him, Bhaiya. He's fragile right now."

Rudra didn't respond, his jaw clenched tightly as he pulled the car to a stop. The two brothers carefully lifted Shiv from the backseat and carried him into the house, their movements gentle as they laid him down on the couch in the living room. Rudra knelt beside him, brushing a stray lock of hair from Shiv's face, his heart breaking at the sight of his best friend—once so strong, now so broken.

Hours passed in silence, the soft ticking of the clock the only sound in the room. Rudra hadn't moved from Shiv's side, his eyes fixed on the unconscious figure. His mind was racing with thoughts of what could have happened, of how close he had come to losing Shiv forever.

Suddenly, Shiv stirred. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing those same haunted brown eyes that Priyanka had seen earlier. But this time, they were clouded with confusion and fear. He blinked a few times, his gaze darting around the room before finally settling on Rudra.

Shiv: hoarsely "Kittu...?"

Rudra's heart leaped at the sound of his voice, but the relief was short-lived. As Shiv's eyes focused, panic quickly overtook him. His breathing became erratic, and he struggled to sit up, his hands shaking violently.

Shiv: frantic, his voice rising "I need to go... I need to... I can't stay here... I have to go to them!"

Rudra: alarmed, trying to calm him "Shiv, calm down! You're safe here. Just rest, okay?"

But Shiv wasn't listening. His chest heaved as he tried to push himself off the couch, his movements wild and desperate.

Shiv: hysterical "No! I can't stay! I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you, Kittu... I'm a burden. I should have gone with them! I should be dead!"

Hearing those words, Rudra felt as if the ground had been ripped out from under him. Shiv's brokenness, the depth of his pain, hit him like a physical blow. His best friend, the person who had always stood strong beside him, was now unraveling before his eyes.

Rudra: his voice shaking "Shiv, don't say that. You're not a burden. You matter to me. Please, just listen..."

But Shiv was beyond reason. Tears streamed down his face as he clutched at his chest, his voice cracking with anguish.

Shiv: pleading "I want to die! Let me go to them, Rudra! I don't belong here. I'm only causing you pain. Everyone's right... I'm just a burden. I can't live like this anymore!"

Rudra's heart shattered at the sound of Shiv's desperate cries. He couldn't stand to see him like this, so lost and consumed by his pain. In that moment, something inside Rudra snapped. Without thinking, he reached out and slapped Shiv across the face—not out of anger, but out of desperation to snap him out of the downward spiral he was trapped in.

Rudra: his voice trembling with emotion "Shiv, stop it! You're not going anywhere! You're not a burden, and I won't let you do this to yourself!"