ArShi OS | All of the Stars

ArShi One Shot | All of the Stars

The skies were dark and ominous but of course that did not hinder Arnav Singh Raizada from his daily routine. He got up at the brink of six o' clock and got dressed to go for his morning run around the neighborhood. As he got out of his house, he pulled his hoodie over his head and briskly started his day. After twenty minutes of his run, he slowed his pace and then completely stopped on the bridge which overlooked the pier. Birds chirped in the distance as he watched the boats in the horizon.

The sun had just begun to rise and it was definitely a beauty. As Arnav leaned against the railing, he thought about how he had seen the sun rise every day during his runs, yet he never got tired of it. As it happened each day, amazement washed over his face as second by second, the once dark and dismal morning suddenly had hope. The dreary clouds vanished and it was replaced by white cotton candy clouds. He ran his hands through his hair, he drank in the sight once more before he turned and headed into the direction of his favourite breakfast joint.

An unsettling feeling washed over him and he changed his route, using a shortcut. As he moved past an alley, he heard a faint murmur. He was always alert, so he stopped immediately; he took a few steps back and peered into the alley, only to see the shadow of a figure hunched over in the corner. He moved cautiously into the alley with the aid of the flashlight on his phone. As he got closer to the figure, he realised it was a woman. She was dressed in a pale white shalwar, torn in some places. Her knees were brought up to her chest as she buried her head on her knees.

He stooped down and touched her shoulder as gently as possible, she trembled with fear. She raised her head slightly, revealing her messy hair filled with dirt and blood. He could see the sparkle of her nose pin and her eyes in between her hair strands. Hazel coloured, dismal eyes, those eyes were etched in his mind the second he saw them.

He called out to her, "Ma'am?"

She moved further against the brick wall, frightened by Arnav's presence, "Please don't hurt me."

He fished his badge out of his pants, he held it before her and shone some light from his phone onto it, "I'm a police officer..." Once he saw that she understood what he had said, he put the badge away.

She whispered hoarsely, "They... they'll find me. They'll hurt me."

Arnav shook his head, "No one will hurt you don't worry. You're safe with me."

She studied him with her weary eyes, she stammered, "Pr r omise?"

He nodded and squeezed her hand in reassurance. "I promise." He didn't have his car, so he dialed 911 and gave them his location.

While they waited for help, he wrapped his arms around her fragile body in attempt to warm her with his body heat. The weather was brutal for anyone on the streets, much less in a dark alley for god knows how long.

Her fingers bunched the front of his hoodie as she clung onto him for dear life. Her eyes drooped as she lost consciousness. Her breaths were short and uneven, but she was alive. Arnav counted down each second until he heard the faint sirens approaching them.

Once the paramedics arrived on site, Arnav scooped her into his arms and brought her out of the alley. He laid her onto the gurney and stood back as he watched the emergency respondents move the gurney into the ambulance.

Once she was settled inside, Arnav got in and accompanied them in the ambulance. At the hospital, the doctors cleaned her up, bandaged her cuts and tended to her bruises. She was also given saline drips to regenerate her body. He sighed in relief as the doctor had filled him in on her progress and that she was stable. The doctor had also mentioned that she needed a lot of rest so it was best he went home and return later. Arnav agreed, he boarded a bus and went home for a shower and something to eat. On his way back to the hospital, he stopped at the police station and filled out some paperwork regarding what had happened earlier that morning.