Arnav

It was my final year in college, and I found myself in an exam hall, seated for my second final exam in a different college as I got my exam center here. I breezed through the questions, wrapping up within ninety minutes. But just as I rose to submit my paper, the invigilator gestured for me to sit back, insisting I couldn't leave before two hours. So, I sank back onto the bench, cracking my knuckles, my gaze drifting around the room, restless.

My eyes wandered and stopped at the light filtering through a curtain at the far window. A slender hand reached out, tugging the fabric aside, and then she appeared—a girl at the window, gazing out into the late morning sun. She looked as though she had just woken, her hair a tousled mess, her stance sleepy yet graceful. I checked the time; it was half past ten. She gathered her wild hair, twisting it deftly, searching for something before securing it with a clip. Her movements were slow, unhurried like she was lost in a morning ritual known only to her.

Though I couldn't make out her face clearly at this distance, I could see enough—her silhouette suggested a lithe, curvy frame. She stood at what must have been around 5'6" or 5'7", her skin fair, her form neither too slim nor overly soft. For a fleeting moment, she looked out, as though searching the sky, and then she vanished, leaving an echo of curiosity in her wake.

I waited, wondering if she'd return, something I never did, wait. My silent anticipation was rewarded minutes later when she reappeared, this time with a coffee cup and a book in hand. She took a seat by the window, possibly on a chair or a bed—I couldn't be sure. She opened the book, balancing the cup near her lips, eyes flickering over the pages. It was a simple scene, yet every detail gripped me.

A while later, she put the book down, letting her hair free of the clip. She ran her fingers through it, pushing it back as her hands rested on the book, her coffee forgotten beside her. She stared at the sky, her expression distant, as if in a world far beyond. Her friends or roommates passed by, but none seemed to disrupt her solitude, and for some reason, I couldn't look away. She didn't know I was there, captivated by her, unable to break free from the spell she unknowingly cast over me.

"You can submit your papers and leave if you're finished," the invigilator announced, breaking into my trance. Yet, I couldn't rise. I stayed, watching her every subtle movement, completely oblivious to anything but her.

What was happening to me?

That day, I remained in the exam hall until the very last minute—something I'd never done before. I always left as soon as I was done, but not that day. I was ensnared, bound to that spot by an invisible thread of fascination, and she didn't even know. I'd barely seen her face, and yet... she was all I could think about. I thought it was just my curiosity and would go away after a while. But then, I saw her again and again, until I was completely captivated by her. 

"Boss, the clients are here," my assistant's voice cut through my reverie, pulling me back to reality. I nodded and followed him into the conference hall. As I entered, everyone rose in respect, and I acknowledged them with a curt nod before seating myself and unbuttoning my suit. A simple gesture with my hand signaled the start of the presentation, and an employee cleared his throat, launching into his pitch.

The presentation went smoothly, and soon enough, the deal was signed. Victory. I was a man who always got what I wanted. And if I didn't, I took it. But with her—my Jaana—I wanted her to come to me willingly, not because of force but because I love her and she loves me.

I left the conference room, exchanging nods with the clients, and entered my private elevator, while my assistant took the employees' one. I never let anyone share closed spaces with me, an unyielding quirk of mine.

When I reached the ground floor, my assistant waited by the elevator doors, and the employees along the hall rose to attention as I passed. I headed straight for my car, and as a guard opened the door, I slipped into the driver's seat. I didn't allow anyone else to drive for me. That was my sanctuary.

"Warehouse," I commanded, starting the car. My guards and assistant followed in their own vehicles, and in half an hour, we reached the dark, secluded location.

I removed my suit jacket, placing it in the back seat, and strode toward the warehouse, folding my sleeves to my elbows as I went. One of the guards handed me a metal rod, and without hesitation, I struck the man tied to the chair in front of me. He was a pitiful sight—bruised, bloody, barely holding on, his lips split and his nose broken from the previous beatings my men had given him.

"Please, please forgive me, ASR!" he whimpered, attempting to clasp his tied hands in desperation. I glared at him, my patience thinning, before striking his knee with the rod. His scream filled the air.

"You're too loud," I muttered, glancing at Prutvi, my right-hand man. He swiftly sealed the man's mouth with tape. I continued my assault, hitting him several more times before grabbing a knife from the table nearby and driving it deep into his thigh. His muffled cries grew frantic as tears streamed down his face.

"Does it hurt?" I asked softly, watching him nod in terror. A cruel smirk played on my lips as I grabbed a container of salt and sprinkled it over his wound. His body convulsed, and his muffled screams grew desperate.

"You should have thought twice before laying your hands on that girl," I whispered, twisting the knife deeper into his thigh. "I despise men like you who treat women as objects."

With a final thrust, I plunged the knife into his heart. Blood poured from his chest, splattering across my face. I left the knife embedded in him, turned to my men, and gave them a cold, hard stare.

"Watch him die. Let him feel every drop of life bleed out of him, just as he made that girl feel abandoned and ruined," I commanded, my voice icy. They nodded, lowering their heads in obedience. If anyone is seeing me in person that can only mean their death. 

I walked out, washed the blood from my face, and changed into fresh clothes before heading home. Well, not home. Just a place to sleep.

After stepping into the shower, I let the water cascade over me, rinsing away the lingering stains of the night's brutality. But the water couldn't cleanse the ache that gnawed at my soul, the hollow darkness that haunted every corner of my being.

When I finally left the shower, a towel wrapped around my waist, I threw on a pair of track pants and left my chest bare. I wandered into our room and gazed at the sketch I'd drawn of her the evening I saw her. She was the only spark of light in the suffocating darkness of my life. That day, I didn't know why I drew her, with unclear features but from then, she came in front of me, again and again, making me crave her. She made me obsessed with her. The sketch offered a strange sense of peace, an illusion of warmth in this cold, empty mansion.

I lay down, my gaze lingering on her drawn figure until sleep, at last, wrapped me in its silent embrace.

Author

A restless darkness had settled over him as he drifted into a fitful sleep. Soon, his mind plunged him into the depths of a nightmare—a twisted echo of memories and fears tangled together. Shadows swallowed him whole as he found himself standing in a dense black void, unable to move.

A child's desperate cries pierced through the silence, small and frightened, trembling as they echoed in his ears. He squinted into the darkness, trying to find the boy whose voice clawed at his heart. The helpless cries grew closer, ragged and choked, as if they were being smothered by something unseen. The boy ran, stumbling, chased by a faceless figure lurking in the shadows, reaching out to capture him.

The little boy's pleas grew weaker, his tiny breaths barely audible, and Arnav felt himself trapped—helpless, chained by the invisible weight of fear. "No... Stop..." he muttered, his own voice barely a whisper, powerless to protect the terrified child. Then, just as the shadowed figure stretched out to grab the boy, Arnav's heart slammed in his chest, and he woke with a jolt, gasping for breath.

His pulse was racing, a frantic, uneven beat hammering in his chest. For a moment, he sat there in the silence, the lingering echoes of the nightmare still pulling at his mind. Desperate for an anchor, he reached out to his bedside table and grabbed her picture, pulling it to his chest as if holding her could somehow chase away the darkness inside him.

 He shut his eyes, taking deep, grounding breaths, letting the image of her face—the one he had glimpsed only a few times—steady the frantic rhythm of his heart. He clung to it, feeling her presence in the silence, a balm over the memories that tortured him.

With closed eyes, he pictured her by his side, her calming presence soothing the raw edges of his soul. Little by little, his breathing slowed, the nightmares losing their grip as her memory filled him with a quiet comfort.

Eventually, still clutching her picture close, he felt the weight of exhaustion pull him back into sleep. This time, he drifted into a gentle darkness, surrounded by the warmth of her presence, as if she were right there, keeping his nightmares at bay.

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Hey readers! 

Here's the first chapter! Hope you like it. Please let me know how it is in the comments.