𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓𝟑

ARZO

[Present]

I wake up in a suffocated and dark place, laying on my side. A cloth wrapped around my mouth and my hands tied behind my back.

Panic starts to settle in my stomach. I force myself to breathe through my nose. The sound of the engine reaches my ear.

I’m in a car. The trunk of a car.

I force myself to stay calm and remember what happened.

I got kidnapped. That’s what happened.

But by who? The man who grabbed me didn’t sound familiar.

I try to move, to bring my feet up to kick the door of the trunk but the space is too small. I use my knee instead and kick the door. A thud sounds on the door and pain shoots in my leg but nothing else happens.

I try again.

Kick. thud.

And again.

Kick. thud.

Someone has to hear the thud. Maybe they’ll stop the car.

I keep trying, breathing through my nose, ignoring the pain in my leg.

While I try to get any attention that I'm in the trunk of this car. I can't help but let questions roam my head.

Would Shoaib call Faizan and tell him? Would Faizan believe him? Would they be able to find me?

I shake my head, fighting the tears and kick the door again with my knee.

Ya Allah, help.

The car comes to a stop, knocking my head. A muffled groan escapes through my lips.

I hear the car door open and close.

Footsteps start nearing the trunk. My heart pounds loudly in my chest.

Someone stops in front of the trunk.

Click.

The trunk opens. I see a muscular man dressed in a black shirt and pants. Then a tattooed hand reaches forward and grabs my arm in a tight grip, pulling me out of the trunk and onto my feet.

I try to fight him, kicking and pushing him. He jerks me hardly and pushes me forward, around the car till I see a cliff a few feet away.

Another car is parked in front of my kidnapper’s car.

We’re somewhere near the mountains, the long roads empty, faint howling noises reaching my ears, the cold breeze coming from the cliff sending shiver through my body.

I try to get out of the man’s grip but his grip only gets painfully tight to a point tears return in my eyes.

I won’t cry. I won’t cry. I won’t cry.

The door of the other car opens and the person steps out.

My eyes widen in fear as Hira Chachi’s emotionless eyes meet mine.

The man pushes me to land on my knees and the pain in my leg return.

Hira Chachi hands him a bag, “there you go. Your payment.”

The man opens the bag and grins. He zips up the bag and says, “Glad to do business with you, lady. She’s all yours.”

The man walks away, gets in his car and drives away from us.

Hira Chachi unties my hands and removes the cloth from my mouth. She drops a paper and pen on my lap. I frown on it.

Click.

My body freezes at the loud sound in the silence.

Swallowing, I lift my head and find Hira Chachi pointing a gun at my head.

Breathe.

“Here’s what going to happen,” she starts, her voice emotionless, “you’re going to write your last note on that paper telling everybody that the guilt of Kamil’s death was eating you alive. That Kamil didn’t deserve to die in that crash. That the life you have is Kamil’s. That you cannot spend your life peacefully while having blood on your hands. And then,” she smiles, “they’re going to find that note on your dead body when you jump off this very cliff.”

I open my mouth to speak but she glares at me, “time is ticking. Grab the fucking pen and write!” she yells.

I flinch, grabbing the pen. I put the paper on the ground and start to scribble everything Hira Chachi just told me. My throat tightening with clogged up tears, my hand shaking.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe-

“Hurry up. We don’t have all night.”

I feel the tip of the gun on my head and a tear escapes my eye.

Ya Allah, I’m scared. Ya Allah. Ya Allah.

“Get up.” she says as I finish writing. I stand on shaky legs, clutching the paper in my hand. She ties the note around by wrist using the same cloth that was around my face.

“Walk.” She demands, pointing the gun at me.

Swallowing, I take a step forward.

Breathe.

And another.

It’s going to be okay.

And another.

“Move!” she yells, digging the gun in my back, pushing me forward till I’m on the end of the cliff.

A gasp leaves my mouth and I take a step back, feeling the metal touch my back.

No..

An image flashes into my mind. As I jump off the cliff, my body laying on the ground, blood surrounding me, eyes closed.

No.. Faizan can't find me like that. No..

“Go ahead,” she coos, “one more step and the suffering’s over. I know how hard it is to live being a mute woman. It’s okay. It’s going to be over. You dont have to worry about anything,”

I squeeze my eyes shut.

I’m sorry-

A car screeches to a stop.

Our heads snap towards the sound. Hira Chachi’s face turning pale.

Faizan and Shoaib exit their cars, rushing towards us.

Relief starts to wash over me but quickly dies down when Hira Chachi points the gun at them, making them halt in their step.

“Another step and I’ll shoot.” she warns, her hand slightly shaking.

“You’ll go to jail for murder.” Faizan says, in his emotionless voice which only makes the other person terrified.

“Leave. And I won’t hurt you.”

“Let her go.” Faizan grits out.

“No.” she shakes her head, “I am not letting this chance go.”

“Ammi, this is stupid!” Shoaib shouts, “she’s innocent!”

“Shut your mouth!” she yells at him, “How dare you say that!”

“You’re becoming obsessive. The accident had nothing with her-”

“She doesn’t deserve the life she got!” she shouts, “a life where she doesn’t remember what she did to us!”

“She did nothing!-”

“He was obsessed with Saeed’s girls.” Hira Chachi starts to explain, “he wanted to raise them. He wanted a girl. When I couldn’t give him that, he decided to treat them like his own and what did they do to him? Saeed shut him out. He kept his daughters away from him.”

From the corner of my eye, I catch Faizan take a step forward.

“No parent was going to let their child be around abbu when they heard how he treated his own son,” Shoaib says, “Saeed Chacha was protecting his own girls and he did the right thing. Because that accident was his fault-”

“Shut up!” Shoaib flinches at Hira Chacha’s shout, “Shut your mouth or I will kill you this second!”

Faizan takes another step. Hira Chachi doesn’t notice. He’s almost near us.

Shoaib is the distraction.

“You are a disgrace.” She grits out, “Defending a person who never cared about you!” She swallows, “I’ll settle this right now. Kill the root of our problem and we’ll be fine.”

Her head snaps towards me, her eyes filled with hatred and rage. She points the gun at me and goes to pull the trigger.

Everything happens so fast.

Faizan grabs the gun and directs it away from me just when the shot rings in the silence.

All four of us freeze in our place. Faizan and Hira Chachi having the hold on the gun.

The first blood drop hits the ground.

“Faizan!”

My voice echoes in the silence.

“Shit,” Shoaib mutters.

Faizan looses his grip on the gun and falls on the ground with a groan, placing his hand on his wound.

My feet run towards him. I kneel beside him, panic rising in my body. I remove his hand from his wound.

Blood. So much blood.

“Ya Allah, ya Allah. There’s so much blood.”

I place my hands on the wound, putting pressure on it, trying to stop the blood. My eyes fill with tears again and Faizan lets a pained groan then a shaky breath.

“No..”

Our heads turn towards Hira Chachi who starts taking small steps behind.

“Ammi, stop.” Shoaib shakily says.

“I.. couldn’t have..” she mutters, stepping on the edge.

“Ammi!-”

Hira Chachi slips on the edge and falls with a surprised gasp.

I flinch as the faint thud reaches my ear.

“No…”

I don’t even know who said it.

Shoaib starts taking steps forward.

“Stop him.” Faizan grits out.

I scramble to my legs and rush to Shoaib before he reaches the end to look down. I grab his shirt, pulling him to stop.

“Don’t.” I say, my voice cracking, “P-please.”

He swallows, nods then turns towards where Faizan is.

“Shit, he’s bleeding.”

He hurries over to him, I follow behind.

He takes off his jacket as we kneel down and wraps it around Faizan’s wound, his movements mechanical, his eyes lost. He tightens the knot, earning another pained groan from Faizan.

“Call one of his friends or Zahid bhai,” Shoaib tells me, “the ambulance will take forever to come.”

I nod and pull out Faizan’s phone from his coat. Shoaib helps Faizan lay down and tells him to take small and steady breaths.

“Where are you going?” I ask when Shoaib stands up.

“I have to go down and see…”

“But-”

“I’ll be fine. Get him help. He needs to get to the hospital, he’s losing a lot of blood.”

“Okay.”

Shoaib walks away and I open Faizan’s phone.

“Call Farhan,” Faizan tells me, trying to steady his breaths, “he’ll get Finn to track my phone.”

“O-okay.”

I quickly dial Farhan’s phone number and place the phone against my ear. I hold Faizan’s hand with my free one.

“You’re okay. You’re okay.” I softly whisper.

After two rings, he picks up.

“Dude, what place are you at? It’s in the middle of nowhere.”

“Farhan, it’s me.”

A pause, “Bhabhi?”

“Y-yes. F-Faizan got shot. P-please, hurry and track us down. He’s.. he’s losing a lot of blood.”

I hear him release a shaky breath, “we’re on our way. Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”

I nod, “Okay.”

He hangs up, I put away the phone.

“They’re on their way.” I tell Faizan.

“Okay…” he takes small breaths. He looks at me and softly says, “don’t worry..”

“You’re bleeding.” My voice cracks, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left the house, this wouldn't have happened.”

“It wasn’t your fault..” his eyelids start to droop.

“No, Faizan, please stay awake.” I beg him, “please. Farhan is on his way. Please.”

Blood starts to escape through the cloth. I gasp and put my hands on the wound to stop the bleeding. Tears starting to leave my eyes.

No, no, no.

I used the end of my hijab and place it on his wound, putting pressure on it, praying that the bleeding stops.

“I like the sound of my name from your lips..” Faizan whispers.

“I won’t say it till you're okay.” I say while I try to stop the bleeding. So much blood.

“Amar.. stop.”

“No! I have to stop the bleeding! You’re losing blood!” I argue, pressing harder on his wound.

Ya Allah.. Ya Allah.. Ya Allah, please.

“Do you know..” he starts speaking, “why I call you amar?”

“Shut up.” I grit out. I don’t want to know. Not right now.

But he doesn’t listen, “it’s because.. You always bring comfort and happiness to me..” I squeeze my eyes shut, “and because.. I forget about all my worries… when you’re around.”

“Stop.” my voice cracks.

“Amar..”

“Stop talking, please!” I sob, tears streaming down my face.

“Amar… I love you-”

“No! Shut up!”

“Say it..” He whispers, his breathing starting to slow down.

“No.” I shake my head, pressing on his wounds, “No, you have to heal.”

“Amar,”

My sobs turn heavy, “You have to survive. Please. You can’t leave me-”

“Arzo.. please..”

I close my eyes and say the words softly, “I love you,” I feel his whole body relax, another sob leaves my mouth as I sit back, holding his hand. “I love you so much.” I kiss his knuckles, “Please don’t leave me. I c-can’t..”

“It’s okay..”

“No, no, no! Please!” I cry harder.

Ya Allah, please.

A car stops near us.

My head turns towards the voice and relief washes over my body as I watch Farhan, Finn, Jack and Ryan run out of the car towards us.

“They’re here. They’re here.” I tell Faizan, “you’re going to be okay,”

Farhan halts in his steps, his eyes widening with fear.

“Shit!” Jack breathes out.

“We need to hurry,” Ryan quickly says before he and Finn kneel down to pick up Faizan.

“S-someone has to go down the hill. A-after Shoaib. H-hira Chachi fell,” I say, my hands shivering.

“We’ll go,” Farhan says, something different- wrong- with his voice as he stares at me with fear in his eyes.

Jack and Farhan start to run towards the way Shoaib took while I go after Ryan and Finn, carrying Faizan to the car.

I round the car and get in the backseat first so that Faizan’s head is resting on my lap. Finn hands me a cloth to wipe the blood from my hands as he and Ryan hurry to the front.

Ryan starts the car and speeds towards the hospital while Finn tries to stop the bleeding and I try to keep Faizan awake, whispering to him, caressing his cheeks, threading my fingers through his hair.

As soon as we reach the hospital, Faizan’s eyes close.