KHAARZAAR

۴۸: انصاف / Justice

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Loud commotion. Voices. Murmured. Hushed whispers. Miraal could hear it all. It's been a moment since she kept hearing these sounds. Like someone was speaking to her or in her vicinity. She wanted to say something. But her lips refused to move. She wanted to move her hands.

They set frozen.

It's like she was being located into an abyss. She can't find her way out. She wanted to shout. To scream. Anyone who could hear. Yet, she couldn't do any of it. It's like someone was holding her down. Like she was being drifted away somewhere so far away from the mankind. And that scared her.

She doesn't want to leave man land yet. She wanted to live. She could feel herself getting agitated. Why isn't her hands moving? Why can't her lips move? Is she dead? Has she been transported to after life? Different thoughts started to circulate in herself.

She started to thrash. No. She doesn't want to die. She wants to live. She can't leave her family behind. No, she has her whole life infront of her. What would Irtaza feel? Where is he? She could feel a loud beeping sound coming from somewhere. She tried to reach it. To run to the source of it.

Yet, she felt like the more she ran, the more the sound drifted away from her. Warm, salty tears started to roll down her eyes. She remembered her mother. She would be in pieces. She must be heartbroken. The thought brought a fresh set of tears in her eyes.

Irtaza. Oh! Irtaza. How will he react? Will he cry? Will he be angry? No. She doesn't want to think. She wanted to see him herself. She needs to live. But the more she ran, the more the abyss increased. Until, she was trapped so brutally. There was no way out of it.

She crumbled down the floor. Eyes leaking tears. Sobs erupting through her throats. She finally gave in herself.

÷÷÷÷

She could feel movements. Like someone was holding her hand. She could feel a weight on her hand. She tried to lift her hands again. And this time it worked. She could feel her fingers moving. They lift. But only temporarily. But it was enough.

Because someone shouted. Probably for the doctor. Miraal clenched her eyes before opening them. They felt like someone placed large heavy blocks of lead over her eyes. They were so heavy. As her vision recovered, she could see a white ceiling.

The distant smell of disinfectants and medicines hit her nostrils. Hospital. She was in a hospital. What was she doing in a hospital? She roamed her eyes around desperate to find anyone. She tried to sit up but it brought an insane amount of pain in her left shoulder.

She hissed and a whimper left her lips.

"Ya Allah! Beta." (Oh god, dear)

She whipped her head in the direction of the familiar voice. There stood her mother at the doorway. Eyes tear striken and face solemn. Almirah ran towards the bed and immediately grabbed ahold of Miraal's hands.

"Lay down."

She followed. Honestly, it felt more comfortable.

"What happened?"

She can't believe her own voice. It was parched. Scratchy. Like she ran a whole marathon down to the Sahara.

"Here, drink this."

Her mother forwarded the straw that was inside a glass of water. She sipped through the straw filling her throat with water. She gulped down almost the half glass before her quench was satisfied.

"Are you feeling ok?"

Almirah asked. Her voice was laced with worry. When she heard that Miraal got shot, she lost herself. She was so fearful that she couldn't even say anything. She kept praying for her daughter's safety. Saima was there to hold her otherwise she doesn't know what she would do.