Chapter 1
I looked at the lamp above my head with mystified eyes.
Things changed in 24 hours and I was the one who was not only responsible to them but also guilty of being the sole witness of that change. I saw my sister lying on the marbled floor, pooled in her own blood and looked at me with her tear struck eyes. The most beautiful eyes in the world, from where life was slowly getting sucked little by little. Eight hours ago, I experienced the end of the world, but the world didn't think the same.
I was sitting on the bench with my legs above and wrapped my arms around myself, rocking myself back and forth as if the moment somehow made my problems - not problems but the crimes- go away ... It wasn't going to happen and I had nowhere to go.
"Muaz" Someone touched my shoulder and I got the hell out of the terrified that I wasn't even able to scream out loud just a muffled squeak came out of my mouth. I turned my head, looked at the figure making a shadow over me and I recognised him. He was my friend from college — not really a friend but more of a classmate. I never liked him for no reason and literally didn't like him witnessing my most vulnerable moment.
" Faizan" I greeted him back, my voice could have given me over how much I was scared before and how his presence disturbed me and somehow soothed something inside me. He was tall, almost equal to my height, but I was taller by only an inch above. His face was, smooth,without any 5 o' clock shadow. His skin was the mingle of roughness and smoothness, hinted by the pole light which was very unkindly acting as a spot light over me . He crossed his way towards me and sat beside me. I turned my face away.
"Muaz, what are you doing here at this hour of night?" His voice was soft and less hoarse than anyone or was that pity? I rocked back and forth again.
"Muaz" he put his hand on my shoulders, almost wrapping me towards himself. I didn't know what he saw at that time on my face or expressions or my eyes. His pity shook me, hysterics burned around my throat and my eyes leaked with tears. His eyes bulged. I started crying very hard. He looked at me with a horror unable to know what to do.
"What's happening?" His voice got weak, maybe because whatever he was expecting was certainly not this. My eyes and my reactions were uncontrollable
"Shh buddy. What's going on here. What are you doing here and why are you crying. Tell me." His panic barely reached me and I was trying to muffle my screams building inside me.
Suddenly, there was a roar and then we both jumped. I forgot my crying for a moment. Then again the same voice came back and with the sudden jolt, I knew what it was. Someone was firing. We both got on our feet and Faizan suddenly grabbed my hand and ran with me tagging along. My brain hadn't compensated for the situation but he was quick. Our footsteps were heavy along the pavement and firing again was continuous. Again, he forced me to sit down and made his way beside me and almost covered me. Then it came to me that we were hiding behind a bush which was covered almost by a line of trees along the way. The park was empty. I didn't know at which time I put myself in that harbor but it was definitely after midnight which made me think why Faizan was there at this hour. After a few minutes of firing, everything seemed normal which was odd. Not a shout for help or anything that came near us. I could hear the erratic breathing of Faizan and panic expressions because of the oddity.
When I thought things were almost odd; grief came back to grips and took me deep into the graveyard where I needed to be buried down to get rid of the pain that was holding my chest in its tight embrace. I wanted a bullet to find me and free me from this crushing weight on my heart. A muffled cry was built in my chest but out of nowhere, Faizan suddenly put his hand over my mouth. His eyes were wary and then I heard them, shuffling of feet near me and their quiet voices. My blood ran cold. They came after me at last.
" How are you so sure of him being here?" A heavy voice was so near that even his whispering got near me.
" My little hunch was telling me that he is not far away" the other voice answered along with the sudden shuffling of the feet. He loaded his gun and the sound was curling back into my spine. Maybe I wasn't so ready for death yet. Faizan gripped me tightly from my neck and almost put my face into his lap. It was hard not to make a sound but we managed. A bell lurched us and he gasped which almost gave us away but at the same time, someone sneezed. It must be the one outside with the bush having his phone ringed and the same person who sneezed because when he answered the phone, his voice was heavy.
"Hello" he greeted and listened.
" No we haven't found him yet. Just a matter of time." He became silent and listened intently. The other one was fidgeting along with him.
"Ok" he hung up almost two minutes later.
" What happened?" I wasn't expecting his voice to be so subtle that it rang in my ears.
"He wants us back" , he said in the quiet voice and sighed. We heard their footsteps retreating back together. I started to get up but Faizan again gripped me strongly.
" It could be a trap" he said in no more than a whisper. I again sat on the hard stone pavement, this time crossing my legs and putting my head over the wall of the bush. He imitated me. All the time I wasn't in my senses. If Faizan wasn't there; I would be dead.
Karachi was the city once called the city of lights. Everything in the city and every place in the city screamed happiness, bubliness, and livliness at its every corner. People are always hospitable, but the way city was bloomed unlike every other city of Pakistan it put everyone at awe. But soon the city caught up in some crazy shits. The lights were all broken leaving their citizen in darkness and terror. Some terrorist parties were formed that, in the name of sectarianism and provincialism and at every corner there werre gun shots heard. People tried to rein their children at home and didn't let them outside after 8.00pm. Gang Wars, street crimes, and every crazy thing and people were killed almost on a daily basis. If they wanted the city to be shut down, there would be no business that was brave enough to be opened that day. There were always the stacks of rugs filled with dead bodies stashed at some random streets were found which later on revealed that this businessman or that shopkeeper failed to pay the ransom money that were asked randomly and in the answer they were dead.
I knew I should have put some blame on these gangs to put on the murder of Khansa but I couldn't. There were some crazy shit that happened and my mind hadn't wrapped it self around it let alone that to put my own burden to some illiterate gangs.
We sat silently in our own way. The only source of light was coming from the pole which I left in haste to save my own life and also faizan's. He had me astonished with his ability to smell the danger from the corner. As if he knew something was going on with me. As if he knew where to find me. But I can't doubt Faizan at this moment. If he would be with them I was also the one lying with my own blood pool. I could hear the traffic of the street that was just one car after few minutes passed and crushed the silence that was engulfing me from every corner.
He sighed and I looked at him. He looked at me with pity and I could only picture my eyes from his that how empty they were, devoid from any emotion.
"Come with me" he said while getting up same in whisper. I didn't move.
" Where?"
" My house" he said in a tone that implied that as if it was obvious.
"No" my voice was horrorstruck
" Muaz. You are in danger" I knew it already but I couldn't fathom the idea to also put him in danger with me.
" You don't understand" I didn't stand with him.
" Believe me. I can understand everything. Please Muaz trust me" he pleaded. Why though?
What it had anything to do with him.
" I can't leave you here and every passing minute your existence here will put us more in danger. Please try to understand that just once . I don't know what happened to you. But believe me you are not doing any good here hiding in the bushes or trying not to hide. They obviously want to kill you. We need to think about this. Save yourself first. Please." He was never my friend but at this moment I felt strange rush of emotions inside my system. Gratitude, I guess so?
I stood up.
