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39(B). The Nightmare They Lived

Hi fam! Just a little something:

While I can't take the pandemic away, if any of you are going through a hard time... not just emotionally, but also financially, please text in. I'd do whatever I can to help you.

To those who are fortunately safe financially, please promote small businesses, and please help whoever you can. A little help can go a long way.

I know a few NGOs who are also willing to help. So please, please don't hesitate to text if you need help financially.

Happy Reading! Inline comments are love.

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name:- The Nightmare They Lived
word count: 4000 words
published on: 24th April, 2020

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C A B I R

[ continued flashback ]

It had been a brief moment since the phone call ended but we remained absolutely silent and numb.

I could see how Aryamman's hand encircled Aliya's but neither of them spoke a word. They always had a thing for each other, right from high school days. No, they never said it aloud, but they knew.

And I couldn't even begin to comprehend what was going through his head. They way he held her, I knew he was convincing himself that she was there and he'd protect her, atleast try his best to, until his last breath.

He wouldn't let her go. I knew I wouldn't have let Navya gone.

But she was, and it burnt my heart every second to think that she was with a psychopath serial killer who wanted nothing more than all of us dead. She was alone, with him, and there was nothing I could do to bring her back.

My hands were tied.

But Aliya was here, as was Aryamman. Harshad wanted them too, and while I couldn't save Navya, I still had a shot at saving them.

"You should leave," I was the first one to speak up.

"What?" Aliya asked, confused.

"Leave the country. That man cannot reach you there. That's our only shot... we have to run international," I repeated.

"I don't think that's very practical, Cabir. Applying for VISA, it'll be days if not weeks before we can even think of flying," Aliya counteracted.

"Yes," I agreed, "But your Aunt-Uncle live in Paris. You have a European VISA from when you visited a year ago. You can fly there, and when everything clears up, we get you back. That's the best shot we have at protecting you both."

"And what about you Cabir?" Aryamman argued.

"Navya... I can't leave her man. She... she's my life. If anything happens to her, I'd die. So it's for the best that I stay here, find her, and if Harshad gets his hand on me, die with her. But you two... you don't have to be here. We have to protect you both," I reasoned.

"What happened to our motto, Cabir? All for one, and one for all?" Aliya looked up with tears in her eyes.

"That's not very practical. We don't have to jump in the well and drown together. Navya has already jumped and I will follow her lead, no matter what. Either I get her out, or I drown with her, that's on me. But you two have to run, save your goddamn life and live to tell the tale. We have to deal with this, together, and we can only be together if we stay apart," I replied.