Orphic

Episode 21

Her mind was a jumbled mess. she left the house with a sense of urgency. Her mind had been roaming around the haveli. There definitely is something there that she hasn't come across with. her mind kept going back to that night when she was almost caught by those men.

She sped through the traffic and reached her destination soon, sneaking the bike out was a risk that she had to take no matter what, her baba had been out for a business trip giving her a chance to go looking for any sign or evidence against this khan. Her hair flew around in the cold air, parking the bike out of sight near the overgrown bushed and plants, she got down and walked inside. Her heart beat sped up as her eyes set on the grand structure of the mansion, the familiar sight was haunting, beautiful and mysterious. She walked forward her vision blurring as images of her running around with her father, swinging in the garden with her mother, watering the roses with her Bibi jaan made her nauseatic.

She walked inside being greeted by the familiar interior. She walked through the familiar hallways and reached the back staircase she walked up the stairs reaching a higher floor that hadn't been visited before. Her eyes assessed the place.

Worn out and dusty, plants growing inside traveling through the broken windows and the huge balcony that the staircase led to. The place was haunting, it creeped her to the core her heart beat sped up at the thought of what she might encounter here.

A ghost? A murderer? What could possibly go wrong? Everything.

Her steps were small making her pace slower than usual. Sounds. Small sound of life filled her ears. Something moving. Someone talking. Her breath picked up as she turned the corner and came face to face with secluded hallway. The closed corridor was screaming danger. It was wide and big with paint chipping off and door fallen down.

She walked inside as the sound of mumbling started echoing louder making her realize whatever she was headed to was not her hallucinating.

"My son will be back" a giggle made her freeze in her place. A series of laughter filled her ears. A woman. It sounded like a woman.

"You won't find it"

"She's here. She'll not let you win"

She did it. She did the mistake to look into the room to her right. Her breath got stuck in her throat as her eyes fell on the old frail woman sitting on the bed with restraints holding her hands down.

Hair a mess, skin looked close to tearing apart, dirt covered her. Her heart thudded in her chest loudly deafening her. Zoya was frozen on her place.

"Mene. Mene dekha hai usse. Woh aagaye waapis. Me.. Meri guljaan" Zoya felt suffocated. The woman kept talking to herself shaking her head.
(I... I have seen her. She has returned. M... My guljaan)

Her eyes widened when the woman's eyes fell on her standing in the doorframe. A wide smile decorated the woman's face making her gulp the lump in throat.

"You... You came back. Usman. Look your Zoya is back. Look. Mahtab" the woman started yelling making her run forward and cover her face with her hand in fear that someone might hear her and find them.

Up close the woman looked scary, her auburn eyes looked at her with tears in her eyes making her slowly take her hand away from her. The room smelled rotten with the smell of urine and waste.

"Shor mat machayen koi aajaye ga" she shushed her making the woman nod and making a shh sound.
(Don't make a noise someone will come)

The woman looked away nodding her head violently making Zoya take a long look at her. Her eyes were the same as the woman she saw a picture of in her memory. She had a nose like her father's, her lips exactly like his, even her eyes the same shade of auburn as her father's.