Slowly.
Closer.
My heartbeat felt like it would burst out of my chest. Ammy's fingers tightened around my hand, almost hurting, but I didn't move. I couldn't. We both stood there, pressed against the cold wall, trying to disappear into the darkness.
The footsteps stopped.
Right in front of us.
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
I could hear breathing. Not ours. Someone else was there, just a step away. If they leaned even slightly forward, they would see us.
Ammy shifted slightly, and I could feel her panic rising. I gently squeezed her hand, trying to calm her without making any sound.
Then—
A voice.
Low.
Familiar.
"Kaun hai wahan?"
My heart froze.
I knew that voice.
We both looked at each other instantly.
Shock.
Fear.
Realization.
It was Sam.
Her younger brother.
For a second, my mind went completely blank. Out of everyone… it had to be him.
Ammy slowly exhaled, but her grip didn't loosen.
"Sam…" she whispered very softly.
He stepped closer.
The shadow became clearer.
And then he saw us.
Standing together.
Too close.
Too obvious.
His eyes widened.
First confusion.
Then shock.
And then something else…
Understanding.
"Didi…?" he said, his voice filled with disbelief.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The silence between the three of us felt louder than anything else.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, looking from her to me.
Ammy slowly stepped forward, leaving my hand.
"Sam… listen—" she started.
But he cut her off.
"Mumma is looking for you," he said quickly. "She was asking where you went."
Fear came back instantly.
Stronger than before.
"Did she see you come here?" Ammy asked urgently.
He shook his head.
"No… but she's angry."
Of course she was.
Things were already getting worse.
This just made it more dangerous.
Sam looked at me again.
Then back at his sister.
"Are you both…?" he didn't finish the sentence.
But he didn't need to.
We understood.
Ammy stayed silent.
And somehow…
That silence was the answer.
Sam ran his hand through his hair, clearly confused.
"You'll get into serious trouble if Mumma finds out," he said.
"I know," Ammy replied quietly.
"But still… you came here?" he asked.
She looked at him.
And then said—
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No fear in her voice this time.
Just truth.
Sam stared at her for a few seconds.
Then looked at me again.
I didn't say anything.
I couldn't.
Because this wasn't my place to speak.
This was between them.
He took a deep breath.
And then said something I didn't expect—
"I won't tell Mumma."
Both of us froze.
"What?" Ammy asked.
"I won't tell her," he repeated. "But you have to be careful. She's already suspicious."
Relief hit, but only slightly.
Because this wasn't over.
Not even close.
"Thank you…" Ammy said softly.
Sam looked serious.
"This is not a game," he said. "If she finds out, we'll have to leave immediately."
Those words hit hard.
Leave.
Again.
The same fear.
The same risk.
"I know," she replied.
There was a pause.
Then Sam turned and started walking away.
But before leaving, he stopped.
Looked back at us.
And said—
"Be fast… she's coming this side."
My heart dropped.
"What?" I said under my breath.
But it was too late.
We heard it.
Footsteps.
Different this time.
Faster.
Angrier.
Closer.
Ammy's face turned pale again.
"She's here…" she whispered.
Panic exploded inside me.
This was it.
No hiding now.
No time.
No chance.
"Go from the back," I said quickly.
"And you?" she asked.
"I'll handle it," I replied.
"No—" she started.
But I held her hand for a second.
"Trust me."
She hesitated.
Then slowly nodded.
And ran.
Disappearing behind the broken wall.
I turned around.
Trying to act normal.
Trying to control my breathing.
And then—
She appeared.
Her mother.
Right there.
Her eyes sharp.
Scanning everything.
She looked at me.
Directly.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
My mind went blank.
Completely.
"I… I just came to check something," I said, trying to sound normal.
Her eyes narrowed.
"This place is not for playing around," she said coldly.
"I know," I replied.
She looked around again.
Carefully.
Slowly.
As if she could sense something.
My heartbeat was uncontrollable.
If she took just a few more steps…
If she looked behind that wall…
Everything would end.
Right here.
Right now.
She started walking.
Towards the exact direction where Ammy had gone.
Every step she took…
Felt like the end.
I clenched my fists.
Not knowing what to do.
Not knowing how to stop her.
And then—
She suddenly stopped.
Right before the turn.
Silence.
A long pause.
My breath stuck in my chest.
Was this it?
Did she see her?
Did she hear something?
She slowly turned her head…
As if she was about to look behind the wall.
And in that exact moment—
She slowly turned her head… as if she was about to look behind the wall. My heartbeat was so loud I felt like it would give everything away. Time felt frozen. One second… two seconds… three… I couldn't breathe. If she saw her, everything would be over. No explanation, no escape, nothing.
And then—
A voice came from the front side of the house.
"Didi!"
It was Sam.
Loud enough.
Clear enough.
Her mother immediately stopped and turned her head towards the voice.
"What is it?" she replied sharply.
"I was calling you," Sam said, slightly out of breath as he appeared from the other side, acting normal. "Mumma, phone aa raha hai aapka."
For a second, she looked confused. Then irritated.
"Kiska?" she asked.
"Pata nahi… par baar-baar aa raha hai," he replied quickly.
There was a pause.
A dangerous pause.
She looked once again towards the back wall.
Exactly where Ammy was hiding.
My heart stopped again.
If she ignored Sam and checked…
Everything would end.
But then—
She exhaled sharply.
"Tch… aajkal sab pareshan karte rehte hain," she muttered and turned back.
Relief hit me so suddenly I almost lost balance.
She started walking away with Sam.
But before leaving, she stopped again and looked at me.
"Tum… yahan kya kar rahe ho itni der se?" she asked, her eyes suspicious.
I forced myself to stay calm.
"Bas… storage check kar raha tha," I replied.
She didn't look convinced.
But she didn't question further.
"Apne kaam se kaam rakho," she said coldly and walked away.
Sam followed her.
But just before turning the corner, he looked back at me.
For a second.
And gave a very slight nod.
As if saying—
"She's safe."
They disappeared.
Silence returned.
But this time… it felt unreal.
I didn't move immediately.
I stayed there.
Still.
Listening.
Making sure they were really gone.
Only after a full minute…
I finally took a breath.
A deep one.
And quickly moved towards the back wall.
"Ammy…" I whispered.
No response.
My heart skipped again.
"Ammy…" I said a little louder.
And then—
She stepped out.
Slowly.
Her face pale.
Eyes wide.
Breathing fast.
For a second, we just looked at each other.
Processing what just happened.
"You were almost caught…" I said under my breath.
"So were you…" she replied.
Her voice was still shaking.
There was silence.
But not empty.
Heavy.
Full of fear.
Full of realization.
"This… can't happen again," I said.
She didn't reply immediately.
Instead, she looked away.
As if thinking something.
Then she said softly—
"But it will…"
I frowned.
"What?"
She looked at me again.
And this time…
There was something different in her eyes.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
Something stronger.
"Because I'm not stopping," she said.
That line hit hard.
Stronger than before.
"Ammy… this is dangerous," I said.
"I know," she replied instantly.
"Then why—"
"Because I can't stay away from you!" she said, her voice slightly raised, filled with emotion.
Silence.
I didn't expect that.
Not like this.
Not so direct.
Her eyes were intense now.
No hiding.
No hesitation.
Just truth.
"I tried," she continued, her voice softer now. "After that night… I tried to avoid you… I tried to stay in my room… I tried not to come to the terrace… but I couldn't."
Every word felt real.
Raw.
"And today… when I saw you going this side…" she paused, "…I didn't even think."
My heart felt heavy.
But also…
Strangely calm.
Because now I knew.
Clearly.
This wasn't just feelings anymore.
This was something deeper.
Something real.
I stepped closer.
Slowly.
She didn't move back.
Not even a little.
"Then what do we do?" I asked quietly.
She looked at me.
And for a second…
There was silence again.
But this time…
It felt like a decision.
"We stop being careless," she said.
"And start being smart."
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What do you mean?"
She looked around, making sure no one was there.
Then came closer.
Even closer than before.
Her voice dropped to almost a whisper.
"We don't meet here again."
My heart dropped slightly.
"Then where?"
She held my gaze.
And said—
"Somewhere no one will ever think of looking."
A chill ran through me.
"What place?"
She hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then said slowly—
"I'll tell you tomorrow…"
"Why tomorrow?" I asked.
"Because tonight…" she paused, "…Mumma is not going to leave me alone."
There was tension again.
Different this time.
More serious.
Before I could say anything else—
We heard a sound.
Not footsteps.
Not voices.
Something else.
A faint metallic noise.
From inside the storage room.
Both of us froze instantly.
Our eyes shifted towards the door.
Locked.
Still.
But the sound came again.
A slight movement.
From inside.
My heart started racing again.
"That's not possible…" I whispered.
"No one uses this room," she said.
The handle moved.
Slightly.
We both stepped back.
Slowly.
Without making noise.
The air felt heavy again.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
As if something was wrong.
Very wrong.
And then—
The door made a soft creaking sound.
Opening…
From the inside.